León, Spain

We arrived here as planned on Sunday night. The hike followed the highway and through suburbs of Leon, so was less attractive. We passed Dave with a huge Texas sized pack huffing up the hill. I was concerned, but he thought he was doing okay so we went on. Following the arrows into town was a challenge because some were vandalized so hard to identify and some were hidden. We zigged and zagged our way to the center. When we spotted the majestic cathedral spires I wanted to cheer. We found an ancient hotel near the cathedral with rickety old floors and brick walls where we checked in for two nights. It’s Hotel Regis in the old walled part of town. The place was hopping with people all out enjoying the May Day holiday. We found out Monday was a holiday too, so the post office would be closed. Getting our onward plans worked out was a challenge for us because of both language and technology obstacles. Finally we had to ask for help at the front desk. We plan to courier our packs now via Jacotrans which means we need to plan ahead and reserve each night’s stay so we can direct the transport. However, tomorrow our next place isn’t listed on Booking, it’s a small town so we had to email directly then wait for a response. We couldn’t get the response. Phone is easier, but ours won’t work in Spain, nor will texting. Thus we had to ask the lady at the desk to phone for us. She arranged our next stay at Hotel Libertad in Villadango. It’s not the scenic route, but a sure bet for a comfortable night’s rest at the end. We had to wait until Tuesday to go on because we had to pick up our package at the post office. So we had to celebrate Labor Day with everyone else with a day of rest and relaxation. We visited the gothic cathedral our first night, especially enjoying a lively musical performance in. The plaza in front. There was a cadre of fathers there too, hearing confession and praying for various parishioners who were lined up. It was so moving it brought me to tears. We toured the cathedral filled with twilight splendor and organ music. We wound up missing out on the kind of dinner we wanted because they eat early on Sunday, and we seemed to be looking when mostly they were serving pastry, chocolate, and ice cream. In the end it was pasta and pizza in a basement cafeteria. Monday we window shopped and found out where they serve the best tapas. By the end of the day, we were ready to head out again, and were happy to have a good plan.

Mansilla de las Mulas, Spain

It was cold and windy but clear blue skies on the Meseta today. We had to walk a long way, about nine miles, before we found our second coffee. We were mostly following the highway and stopped every hour or two to rest our shoulders in whatever sheltered niche we could find. We arrived in Mancilla at around 2, this time attentive, and found a friendly hostel with a private room where we can sleep. They did our laundry for eight euros while we wandered this Medieval town with its twelfth century walls. We even went to a museum. We went out for dinner sitting with a Texan, Dave. Now we are back in our room where clean clothes were waiting, enjoying the privacy and warmth. Tomorrow we will hike into Leon!

Mansilla de las Mulas, Spain

We hiked 11 more miles to arrive in Frogtown, we didn’t pay attention as we hiked into town because we were enjoying an animated conversation with Tony, who is Spanish and German. So we missed the center of town. It was late and we didn’t want to waste time finding a hotel so we took the last bunks in the Alberque La Laguna which was of course, next to the frog pond. It was run by an Italian Hospitlero, and he was so disorganized that he assigned my bunk twice. Once to Maria, then to me. Next another pilgrim came in and he was assigning it again. At that point, we noticed trouble and I gathered up Maria and myself to solve this problem. After some animated discussion he realized the mistake and came up with a bed for everyone. Maria lucked out with a private room, and I still had my own top bunk. This place was none to clean, but had a sunny garden and a lovely sunset view. You had to provide your own bedding and toilet paper. We had a lovely dinner in town in the fading sunlight with Ursula. We also got to know a few other pilgrims out at the bar. It was a restless night as Norm and I were at opposite ends of the dorm each on top bunks. Everyone was considerate but it was a cacophony of snoring all night. Needless to say, we were up very early seeking breakfast and a dawn getaway. And so was everyone else.

Sahagún, Spain

We hiked from coffee bar to coffee bar today. I had four coffees which helped stave off the cold. It was cloudy and windy on the Meseta but no rain. I wrapped my clothes in plastic inside my pack because rain was likely, it just never came. Along the way we met Ursula, who was Dutch and hiking alone, also Tobias. Tobias is a long walker from Germany which means he started his Camino from his front door, hiking through Germany, Switzerland, and France before reaching Spain. He spends every vacation on this long walk to Santiago. Ursula decided to take a couple of months off because her company is in disarray and she’s questioning her direction. She’s a strong hiker and naturalist. We arrived here around 2:30, then found a rustic Adobe hotel. We ate a late lunch in the sun outside of a sweet shop. After a nap, and a walk around town, we had dinner at a restaurant on the plaza. At first it was warm, and all the families were out. The service was slow so by the time we had desert, we had to move inside and most of the families had gone home. Now here we are at our hotel, catching up on the news, email and journaling. We are just happy to be warm.

Sahagún, Spain

On our hike this day, we were surprised to see Vivian and Tony go by in a wagon pulled by two horses. Apparently they were overcome by injuries so hitched a ride onwards. We stopped short of the suggested next stage because it was just too far for our bodies to go in a day. We wound up stopping in this Podunk town to stay in its one small hotel which also served as the main restaurant: Hotel Camino Real Leon. The hotel manager was a real flirt, finding reasons to fluff my hair or flatter me which put Norm off. The walk was just a bit shorter giving us a reprieve, but then, after a hearty dinner there was nowhere to go, and not much to see. I wound up feeling a bit sick, so we called it a night early. The hotel was full of Germans, French and Dutch people who were all about our age which got me to wondering to see so many geezers doing a very taxing journey. That night I had lovely technicolor dreams of home, surrounded by dear friends. I woke from a deep sleep feeling refreshed and recovered.

Carrión de los Condes, Spain

We set out at 8:20 am after coffee and toast at the Alberque next door. It was a sunny day with fairly easy hiking mostly on a footpath that followed a road. We carried lunch, bread, cheese, apples and nuts. We arrived at another town every few hours, and stopped at each to rest our feet. As we walked, we sometimes met up with other pilgrims, like Sofia and Lily so we could pass the time visiting. It was a seven hour hike once you add in rest stops. We took off our shoes and stretched our shoulders, feet and legs when we stopped. My feet held up very well, but my shoulders were aching by the time we arrived at our destination. Also the flies were a plague. Our favorite rest stop was an Alberque that played Gregorian Chants and featured green lawns, hammocks, tepees, and friendly dogs. Just outside, we ran into a pilgrim with his wife, dog, and donkey cart. They weren’t so happy though. It appeared they were bickering. Carrion de Condes is a lovely community. We opted for a hotel tonight with a hot bath. After we cleaned up we strolled the town, walked down to the river and had dinner at a local cafeteria with a view of children playing and young mothers strolling.

Boadilla del Camino, Spain

We started out late today. Norm was sleeping well, and I didn’t want to wake him. Then I had a text message from Alaina asking me to call, so I did on Skype. We didn’t get to breakfast until 9. The breakfast was the best so far, with ham, cheese, bananas, and Spanish tortilla. The coffee was not so hot because we were late. We hiked under clear blue skies today, and not much mud. The big climb came early with gorgeous views. We had a second coffee, this time hot, a few hours down the road. We hiked through lunchtime surrounded by green fields and scattered wild flowers. We ate our bread and cheese and apples for lunch just before Boadilla. Then we decided it was late enough, and a good time to stop. Norm has sore blistered feet, and my shoulders hurt from the rucksack. We are staying at a hotel next door to an Alberque. We ate dinner and will have breakfast at the Alberque because the kitchen is closed here. The Alberque was a lively mix of pilgrims from many nations and of all ages. Tomorrow we will get up earlier and try to make up a few lost kilometers.

Castrojeriz, Spain

We awoke at around seven, all eight of us in the attic. We were on the trail by 8:20, just grabbing a couple of small croissants and off we went. We are beginning to get to know our fellow travelers, in the attic, we were with Olivia, Naomi, and Michelle. Along the way, we got to know Vivian and Tony, a mother son duo from Australia. We slogged through a few kilometers of mud with them. The mud was thick and clayish, strong enough to take the shoes off my feet. We finally made it to breakfast in Hontanas, where we had our coffee and bananas. We picked up bread at the market as we left town. About two km. down the road, I realized I’d left my poles at the market, so Norm stayed with the packs and I trekked back, finding them waiting for me. It’s so much easier without the pack so I just flew back. By the time we hit Castrojeriz, I was one tired camper so we didn’t quite make it to the town center, but booked a room at Hotel La Cachava where we have a lovely studio out back. I washed out all the mud and showered, then we checked in for 45 euros. We walked the town finding an open bar for a glass of wine and conversation with the Camino crowd. Then back for a rest before dinner.

Burgos, Spain

Our first hiking day was lovely! We had scattered showers, and nippy temps so wore my merino wool shirt all day. It didn’t rain hard enough for the rain coat, but I did add my pack cover. The way was mostly flat or rolling hills and green fields. At times, it was muddy and the mud was clay. We started out at 8:20 am, just after coffee and croissant. We had our fruit and packed a lunch. Although my pack was heavier than I would have liked, it wasn’t uncomfortable. My feet held up quite well We stopped for lunch at Rabes de Calzada, where we thought we would stay but since it was an easy walk we decided to push on. It was just a bit of a climb to get over the hill. We reached Hornillos at 2, right before the storm broke. As luck would have it, we nearly got the last bed in town. It’s a double in the attic dorm room at Casa de la Abuela. We are shoehorned in with three Frenchwomen and the two kiwi chicas from the laundromat. The last lady to arrive is an Aussie, and they added a bed for her. We were fortunate to get here. It’s a sweet family with a passel of children. They made us a basic pilgrim meal, and now we are tucked in listening to the rain. All showered, fresh clothes, what more could we want?

Burgos, Spain

Today is going along quite alright. We took care of business, which means I mailed a day pack to Leon. If I am struggling to walk, it will be there so I can change my strategy and courier my big pack carrying only what I need for the day. For now, I believe I can carry my load, as we are hiking across the plains. It rained a little, but not so much to bother us. At the post office, we were waited on by the same lady who helped us last year. The Correos had boxes, so she packed it up too. After the Correos, we took a taxi to a Lavanderia discovering it was not so far as we thought. We had our laundry done in a snap, and walked back to our hotel to pack it up. Then we went tapas hunting for lunch. We had some open faces sandwiches, mussels, chips and sausage. Also tasted the wine and sangria. It’s siesta time, and shops are closed now. Norm is napping while I write. We are ready for the road tomorrow. We have met a few perigrinos and found out it isn’t so crowded yet. I am breaking in my shoes, and fancy socks. Everyday I do my exercises for my feet, and I praise that they are well. We bought some bread, and sausage. After siesta we’ll find fruit and cheese. Norm is snoozing and I’m just sitting here with a big grin watching the sunlight filter through a curtain. Just out the window, there’s the cathedral and the pilgrim’s way. At last, we are living the dream.