It was just as well we had the wind at our backs, as it was a long, tiring day crossing the former wetlands. While the land is now given over to farming, vast areas are used to grow rice, and the paddy fields – especially those recently harvested – were packed with birds. Unfortunately the display signs only showed birds in full flight, which is not much help when you are looking at a field of birds not in flight. However, there were many, many storks, a good many ibis, and just as many not so easily identifiable (by us, anyway).
This was our longest stage to date, and while the scenery was interesting, the route was mostly on gravel roads, invariably straight (including one 7km stretch above the canal which would put a Roman road to shame), which was energy sapping. Our rest stops were leaning against transformer station walls, in the shade on rocks to raise us above the fledgling stinging nettles, or perched on the trunks of dead prickly pear cacti. It’s definitely a pilgrimage when you do penance on your breaks. To top it off (so to speak) Benalup is on a hill!
B-CV is yet another pristine town. Everything is painted/whitewashed, the streets are spotless, and the surrounding countryside is clean. This is a stark contrast to Italy, where the streets are clean, but anything beyond a town’s official limits is fair game for dumping. It is also in stark contrast to the towns on the Camino Frances, which when we were there, were run down and often full of “se vende” signs. B-CV also had numerous information signs documenting an infamous incident in the 1930s, when the government brutally put down protests/an uprising by anarchist unions agitating for better conditions for agricultural workers. 24 people were either burned alive in a house or fellow armed supporters were shot at the site of the house. In many ways it was a precursor to the Spanish revolution.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benalup-Casas_Viejas
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