Camino de Santiago: Santo Domingo to Astorga

Clareboy

This thread describes the second part of my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago during April and May 2009. Previously, I had completed the first 7 stages of the Camino Francés from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Logroño in October 2008. This part of my Camino takes me from Santo Domingo de La Calzada (La Rioja) to Astorga (Castilla y León). I have given a brief history of the Camino and my preparation for the pilgrimage in Part 1. As least on this occasion, I did not have the doubts and feelings of apprehension that marked the start of my Camino last October.
After a long winter of planning and researching on the Internet, I was again ready to return to Spain and to the Camino in April 2009. As regards my travels plans for my return to the Camino this year , unfortunately, Ryanair have withdrawn the Shannon to Biarritz service which would have been convenient for my outward journey but not for my return as I would be much further west into Spain at that stage. I decided to fly from Shannon to London Stansted and from there catch a connecting flight to Santander, a city on the north coast of Spain. For my return flights, I travelled Valladolid/Stansted/Shannon.
In order to speed up my progress, I have decided to skip stages 8 and 9 and to begin part 2 of my Camino in Santo Domingo de La Calzada, which is at the start of stage 10.

DAY 1 – SHANNON/STANSTED/SANTANDER

Day 1 began with an early morning taxi journey to Shannon Airport in order to catch the 06.30 Ryanair flight to London Stansted. There was a large group of American soldiers in the departure lounge dressed in desert fatigues that were obviously on their way to Iraq. They use Shannon regularly as a stopover on route to the Middle East. I arrived at Stansted at 8 AM, where I had a 7 hour wait for the Ryanair flight to Santander, which departed at 15.00. Stansted is a very busy airport and is Ryanair’s main UK hub. I thought that I could take a walk out into the English countryside, but it is not possible due to security precautions to actually walk out of the airport. One must leave the airport either by train, bus or car. So I had a long wait in Stansted for my flight to Santander.
I reached Santander at 18.00 (Spanish time) after a two hour flight. It was teeming rain in Santander – Welcome to rainy Spain! Santander is on the north coast of Spain on the Atlantic and is therefore more subject to rain belts than other parts of the country. From the airport, I caught a bus to the city centre, where I had booked a room at a pension called Hospedaje Magallanes. The cost was €19 for a single room.

Santander is the capital of the autonomous region of Cantabria and is a large industrial and port city. I did not get to see much of it as it was lashing rain and almost dark when I reached my accommodation. The city is quiet hilly and there is a tunnel cut through the centre in order to make access easier. As I was very tired after such a long day, it was just a matter of to bed and off to sleep.

DAY 2 - SANTANDER TO SANTO DOMINGO

The following morning, I was down at Santander Bus Station at 7 AM in order to catch the ALSA service to Bilbao. ALSA is the largest bus operator in Spain and provides services between all the major cities. It was a beautiful sunny morning as I travelled along the north coast of Spain through stunning scenery with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Cantabrian Mountains on the other. After a journey of about an hour and a half, the city of Bilbao is reached. The outskirts of Bilbao is heavily industrialised with factories belching smoke and fire into the air. Bilbao is in the Basque Country and is the capital of the province of Viscaya (Biscay). It is famous for the Guggenheim Museum of 20th century art. All I really saw of Bilbao was the inside of a bus station as I had only an hour to wait before my next bus connection to Haro. The journey to Haro took about an hour, where I had a wait of a half an hour for the bus to Santo Domingo. As I waited at Haro Bus Station, I overheard some Irish voices and on looking around I saw two men of around my own age. One of them was wearing a pilgrim’s badge, so I introduced myself as a fellow pilgrim. They are both living in County Kildare, but one of them was originally from Ennis. They were also waiting for the bus to Santo Domingo. They were restarting their pilgrimage from Belorado and they were on their there after spending the night in Bilbao. We chatted about the Camino de Santiago as we travelled along in the bus to Santo Domingo.

Santo Domingo De La Calzada

When we arrived in Santo Domingo, the two Irish pilgrims pointed me in the general direction of the ‘Albergue de Peregrinos’ (Pilgrim’s Hostel), which was to be the first of 17 pilgrim’s hostels that I was to stay in over the next 3 weeks. The albergue in Santo Domingo is a first class establishment, spotlessly clean and well run by a group of French volunteers. The albergue does not have a fixed charge for a bed and operates on the basis of a ‘donativo’ or donation. There a nice lounge with leather sofas and a lovely garden in which to relax. An unusual item in the garden is a henhouse, where white fowl are kept for their pivotal role in the cathedral, about which I will explain later. I enquired at reception as to where I could buy a folding walking pole and one of the volunteers kindly brought me across the town to a sports shop where I could buy one. The walking pole cost me €7. A similar pole in Ireland would have cost about €20.
After settling into the albergue, I went into a small nearby restaurant for some lunch. After a while, some people with American accents came in and ordered some beers. I asked them if they were pilgrims and they said that they were but that they were having a few beers first before going to the albergue. I was surprised at their casual attitude because there is only one albergue in Santo Domingo and as it is a popular place to stay, it fills up quickly. One of the men was Australian and the other man and woman were from Colorado, USA. Little did I realise that afternoon that those two American pilgrims would be with me all the way to Astorga.
The narrow and winding streets of this ancient town of 5,000 inhabitants, which was founded in 1109, evokes a sense of history that is intimately linked with the Camino. It is named after Santo Domingo De La Calzada – ‘Saint Dominic of the Causeway’, a monk who dedicated himself to the welfare of pilgrims, building causeways, bridges, hospitals and churches. I climbed to the top of the cathedral tower, where there are magnificent views to be had of the town which has a backdrop of snow covered mountains to the south. The cathedral houses the tomb of Santo Domingo and also an unusual exhibit, a chicken coop containing 2 live fowl.

The Miracle of the Cock and Hen or the Hanged Pilgrim

The chicken coop relates to a story that has become one of the most endearing stories of the Camino. Legend has it that a German pilgrim couple and their son stayed in an inn here on their way to Santiago sometime in the 14th century. The pretty innkeeper’s daughter had her eye on the handsome lad, but the devout young fellow rejected her advances. Incensed by his refusal, she hid a silver goblet in his backpack and reported him for stealing it. In those days, justice was swift and severe and the innocent lad was condemned to hang. His parents prayed to Santo Domingo and when they came to collect the body of their son from the gallows, they found that he was still alive thanks to the intervention of the saint.
They rushed to the house of the mayor and pleaded with him to release their son. The mayor and his cronies were sitting around a huge table laden with food, about to tuck in to a banquet. The mayor rejected their pleadings, saying that their son was no more alive than the roasted cock and hen on the banqueting table in front of him. At that moment, the cock and the hen stood up on the table, singing and crowing loudly. The mayor immediately rushed to the gallows and cut down the lad, who was given a full pardon. We are left to speculate on the fate of the foxy maiden. From then on the motto of Santo Domingo became – donde cantó la gallina despues de asada – ‘where the hen sang after roasting’. Also from that time, 2 white live fowl have been installed in the cathedral of Santo Domingo. The fowl are rotated on a regular basis and the backup fowl are kept in the henhouse in the garden of the pilgrim’s hostel.
As well as being an essential stopping place for pilgrims on the road to Santiago, Santo Domingo has become an important tourist destination, thanks in no small way to the presence of the live fowl in the cathedral. Those two fowl have brought more visitors to Santo Domingo than any hi-tech visitor centre or slick web site.
That evening, as I was having a snack in the dining room of the albergue, the two American pilgrims, to whom I had been talking to at lunchtime, invited me to share some of their food and introduced themselves as Amanda and Sean. Later in the lounge, Sean entertained the pilgrims to some classical music played on the guitar, which created a nice peaceful atmosphere to end a very interesting day.

DAY 3 - SANTO DOMINGO TO VILORIA DE RIOJA

Saturday, April 18th - the day the walking started. I left Santo Domingo quiet early as I was eager to be back again walking El camino de Santiago. It was a beautiful sunny morning as I headed westwards with the sun at my back. It certainly felt good to be finally walking the Camino again after so many months of planning and preparation. It was fairly easy going to start off and before long; I had reached the village of Grañon.
The walled village of Grañon once had two monasteries and a pilgrims’ hospice. The parish hostel is located in a building adjoining the church and is popular with pilgrims for its hospitality and tranquil setting. I stopped to buy some food items at the village shop, which was like the shops that one would have seen in Ireland in the 1950s. All the food and other items are kept behind a wooden counter and one have to ask for whatever one wants to buy. It is in place like this that a knowledge of Spanish comes in useful.

Castilla y León

A few kilometres further on, a monstrous signboard heralds the fact that one has left La Rioja and entered the autonomous region of Castilla y León, which is one of the largest regions in Spain and is divided into 9 provinces. The camino passes through the provinces of Burgos, Palencia and León. Castilla y León was originally known as Castilla Vieja or ‘Old Castile’ and it was named for its many castles which were built to secure the land against the Moors.
I remember when I was a schoolboy looking at the old maps of Spain and seeing a place called ‘Old Castile’, an evocative name that conjured up images of castles and knights in armour in glorious battle against the Moors. Way back then, I promised myself that someday I would visit that magical place called ‘Old Castile’ - so here I am!
The first village in Castilla y León on the Camino is Redecilla Del Camino. On reaching the centre of the village, I found my American friends Amanda and Sean having a picnic in the plaza. I walked with them through Castildelgado to the village of Viloria de Rioja. At that stage, I had walked about 15 kilometres, which was to be my average on this part of my Camino. I decided to stay in the pilgrim’s refuge in Viloria de Rioja, whereas Amanda and Sean decided to walk on to the next village.

Refugio Acacio y Orietta

The pilgrim’s refuge in Viloria de Rioja is housed in a 400 year old building that is constructed using massive wooden beams. It is not only unique architecturally, but I regard it as the best pilgrim’s hostel that I have stayed in so far on the Camino. It is run by Acacio, a Brazilian, and an Italian lady called Orietta. They have created somewhere really special, where the weary pilgrim may be refreshed in mind and body. Their motto is “the tourist demands, but the pilgrim gives thanks”. They only cater for twelve pilgrims and staying there is like being a guest in someone’s home. They charge €5 for the bed and all other meals and services are offered on a donation basis. Soft background music, some of it Irish, sets the mood and tone of the place. There are no internal doors, only heavy curtains dividing the different rooms. A wood burning stove surrounded by comfortable seating provides a focal point for pilgrims to relax and chat. In the dormitory, there is a choice of bunks or individual beds. The pine beds are top quality and the most comfortable that I have slept in on the Camino. The dormitory also has a wood burning stove to keep out the chill. There are adequate shower and toilet facilities for all.
That evening, Acacio and Orietta cooked a beautiful meal for us. Before we started to eat, each pilgrim was invited to introduce themselves and to say why they were doing the Camino. Luckily for me, all the proceedings were conducted through English. At the table that evening, there were pilgrims from Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden. We were like one big happy family enjoying good food and wine and each other’s company.
Most pilgrims’ hostels have a morning departure rule, which requires pilgrims to leave the hostel by 8AM or in some places by 7.30. Refugio Acacio y Orrietta has no such rule and one can leave at any time one wishes. In terms of atmosphere, hospitality, conviviality, and comfort, I would put Refugio Acacio y Orrietta in Viloria de Rioja on the top of my list of highly recommended pilgrim’s hostels.

DAY 4 – VILORIA DE RIOJA TO TOSANTOS

The following morning, I reluctantly said farewell to Acacio and Orietta and set off again on my journey to Santiago. The Camino from Viloria to Belorado follows a soulless course parallel to the N 120 highway. As it was a Sunday, the traffic was light and I reached Belorado at around midday. Belorado has a delightful ‘down at heel’ ambience where the population of 2,000 conduct their affairs at a leisurely pace. Belorado has 3 pilgrim’s hostels and is a popular stopover. I made my way to the spacious Plaza Mayor, which has a medieval arcade lined with shops, bars and restaurants. Believe it or not, but Belorado even has an Irish Bar – Murphy’s Pub! I enjoyed a leisurely lunch in a restaurant on the Plaza Mayor before heading out of town in the direction of Tosantos.

Tosantos

Walking out of Belorado, I met a very nice German girl – Carmen, who was also planning to spend the night in Tosantos. In no time at all, we were at the Casa Parroquial – Hospital de Peregrinos in Tosantos. The guide books describe the hostel in Tosantos as basic and that pilgrim’s have to sleep on mattresses on the floor. They have no set charges and pilgrims are invited to make a donation the following morning before they leave. Dinner and breakfast are provided. I had imagined that the mattresses were of the kind used in beds, but they were actually just thin rubber ones like sleeping mats. As there were only 6 pilgrims staying, I was able to put a couple of mattresses together in order to try and make my ‘bed’ a bit more comfortable. All pilgrims were asked to report to the kitchen at 7 PM in order to help out with preparing the food for dinner.
In the kitchen, I was given the task of peeling and chopping onions. In no time at all, there were tears in my eyes as a result of being in such close proximity to the raw onions. While working in the kitchen, I met Giles, an English pilgrim from Oxford – Jolly Good! Basically our dinner consisted of an assortment of vegetables and sausages boiled together. I found the use of so many different languages a bit of a strain. One hospitalero (warden) spoke only Spanish and the other was German and he only had a little English. There was a Belgian girl who was able to translate from German into French and English. Giles and I were the only native English speakers there that night.
After dinner, there was meditation and prayer in the tiny chapel and after that the wash up! It was the first time that I had ever had to sleep on a floor – that is without a bed! There were no pillows provided, but I was able to use a stuff sack as a pillow. The actual sleeping on the floor did not bother me but it was trying to dress and pack in a crouched position without something to sit or lean on really got to me. It would be my last time staying in a ‘mattress hostel’.

DAY 5 – TOSANTOS TO AGĒS

The following day, I had to cover the 20 kilometres to Agés. As Tosantos is on a bus route, I was able to travel on the bus to Villafranca Montes de Oca, which saved me walking 7 kilometres. From Villafranca Montes de Oca, I had a very steep climb into the Montes de Oca – Goose Mountains. I was now in a very heavily forested area with many steep hills. I rested for a while at Fuente Mojapan – Wet Bread Fountain. Tradition has it that in the past, pilgrims would moisten their bread here before eating it. Further on, I passed a stark monument to the fallen of the Spanish Civil War.
Giles and Carmen finally caught up with me and I walked with them through dense pine forests and heather covered moorland that seemed to go on forever. The path had become very muddy at this stage and our boots were in an awful state. We were constantly getting bogged down in the red clinging mud. We eventually reached the remote village of San Juan de Ortega (Pop. 8), one of the classic pilgrim’s halts for the medieval and modern peregrino alike. There is a large monastery in San Juan and a pilgrim’s hostel that is described as basic and draughty. We decided to press on another 3 kilometres to Agés, where there are 3 pilgrim’s hostels.

Agés

In Agés, the weary pilgrim has a choice of 3 hostels, El Pajar de Agés – a luxury hostel, a basic municipal hostel and Casa Caracol (Snail House) – a mattress hostel. I checked into El Pajar and Carmen and Giles checked into Casa Caracol. El Pajar offers a package of bed, dinner and breakfast for €18. The owner who speaks 6 languages and his daughter were very chatty and welcoming. El Pajar is a good conversion of an old building into a warm and cosy hostel for pilgrims. That night we had a typical Spanish dish for dinner – paella, which is made with chicken, saffron and rice – absolutely mouth watering. Walking around Agés that evening, it was bitterly cold, so I was glad of a warm and cosy place to sleep.

DAY 6 – BURGOS

Burgos is the largest city on the Camino de Santiago with a population of around a quarter of a million. As far as I am concerned, walking through the industrial estates and retail parks that surround most large cities is not what the Camino is all about. That morning, I walked the 3 kilometres down to the village of Zalduendo, which is on the N 120 and from where I caught the bus into Burgos. I was in Burgos at 11 AM and I was checking into the pilgrim’s hostel at around 12 o’ clock midday.
The pilgrim’s hostel in Burgos is a brand new establishment that can accommodate 170 pilgrims. It must be the best hostel on the Camino if not in all of Spain or indeed the world! Pilgrims have been raving about the new hostel in Burgos and I could see why. First of all there are numbered sliding shelves for the storage of walking boots. There are no large dormitories, but instead there are cubicles with 4 beds in each. Each bed has its own reading light, power socket and luggage locker with key. There is a wash basin, shower and toilet for every 4 beds. Each floor opens out onto a balcony with outdoor seating. In the dining area, there is a full range of vending machines where drinks and snacks may be purchased. The place is very nicely furnished and is spotlessly clean. And the charge to stay in this wonderful hostel - €3! The fact that it is such a large city hostel it does not possess the more convivial atmosphere found in the smaller hostels.
After settling in at the hostel, I was ready to explore the great city of Burgos, which was the capital of Old Castile until recent times. The main attraction in Burgos is the magnificent 13th century cathedral, which is the second largest in Spain and is considered to be one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in the world. Many hours are needed in order to soak in its splendid edifice, with its lace-like inspirational spires and the hustle and bustle of the surrounding medieval streets. It has been said of Burgos Cathedral that it is like something that was built by angels and not men. Burgos is a veritable architectural jewel and full of monuments worthy of exploration and appreciation. Strolling around Burgos, there is some curiosity, statue or fountain at every turn to interest and entertain the visitor. There is an impressive equestrian statue of El Cid, the famous medieval warrior who helped to drive the Moors out of Spain. When one is tired of walking, there is a touristic train, which takes visitors on a tour of the city. That evening in the hostel, I met with some of my ‘amigos’ Amanda, Sean and Giles.

DAY 7 – BURGOS TO HORNILLOS DEL CAMINO

After a relatively easy day of city sightseeing yesterday, I was ready today to do some serious walking. I departed from the hostel in Burgos at around 7.30 AM. It was another beautiful morning with the sun blazing down from a cloudless sky with just a gentle cooling breeze. It was a few hours before I had left behind the built environment of Burgos and its suburbs and entered the relative wilderness of the sublime and incomparable Meseta.

The Meseta

The Meseta is a huge treeless plateau that occupies most of the centre of Spain. It is on average about 1,000 metres above sea level and experiences cold winters and scorching summers. Most of the land is cultivated using sprinklers and irrigation channels with wheat as the main crop. It is a sparsely populated region, not entirely flat but with gently rolling hills. The seemingly endless skies and vast horizons are broken up by delightful villages unaffected by the speed of modern life.
Many pilgrims avoid the Meseta altogether as they feel that it is a monotonous and boring area to cross. Some of them take a bus from Burgos to León. Personally, I found the Meseta to be one of the most unique places that I had ever seen and I was amazed at the wide open spaces that reminded me of the American West. Anyway, I don’t think that I would find any part of Spain boring as it was all new to me.
Eventually, after many hours trudging along the dusty tracks, I reached the aptly named ‘Cuesta Matamulos ‘the mule-killer slope! One can just imagine in olden times, the mules and other pack animals straining under their heavy loads as they struggled to climb this notorious incline. From the summit of ‘Cuesta Matamulos, an impressive view opens up of the long and winding dusty road ahead and the distant village of Hornillos del Camino.

Hornillos Del Camino

Hornillos Del Camino (Pop.70) is a classic intact medieval pilgrim village, little changed over the past centuries and a good place to soak up some of the ancient atmosphere of the way. Outside of an albergue, a shop and a tiny bar, there is little here except the priceless peace that pervades this historic village. It is a place to chill out and do nothing – to experience existence, simple pleasures and the joy of just being alive.
I arrived in Hornillos at around 2 PM after walking about 20 kilometres, my longest day on the Camino so far. I checked in the municipal albergue, which is situated in the centre of the village beside the church. The albergue is basic but adequate. The afternoon was so hot that many of the pilgrims sun bathed in the church porch. A tiny bar across the
street – Casa Manolo served up a most delicious 3 course pilgrim’s dinner for €9 at 6.30 PM. The meal consisted of a mixed salad, beef stew, followed by strawberries and cream. The price also included wine, water and bread.
That evening, as I had an after dinner stroll down the main street at around 8 PM, I met Amanda and Sean as they arrived into town without a care in the world. The only hostel in Hornillos had been full since early afternoon, so I advised them to call into the Casa Manolo, where it all happens. The hospitalero opened up another house which they use as an overflow hostel, so Amanda and Sean did secure beds despite their late arrival. I had a drink with Amanda, Sean and Giles later in the bar and they said that they did not leave Burgos until 1 PM - talk about a laid back attitude! I also got talking to an Englishman who has spent 16 years on the Camino. He lives in a motor home and he spends his days walking the Camino, chatting with and helping the pilgrims. He also works as a volunteer hospitalero in a number of the hostels. After walking the Camino, he fell under its spell and never returned to England again.

DAY 8 – HORNILLOS DEL CAMINO TO HONTANAS

I decided that the following day for me would be an easy one and I planned to walk only 11 kilometres to the village of Hontanas. After a leisurely start, I was out again on the wonderful and mysterious Meseta with just the sounds of birdsong including the cuckoo for company. What a wonderful feeling of space and freedom – no walls, hedges, or fences and no barbed wire – absolute paradise!

San Bol

After a few kilometres, a gentle decent brings the pilgrim to a very special place on the Camino, the remote and isolated refuge at San Bol. From a distance, it looks like a kind of oasis with its grove of popular trees and domed roof. Even though, it is only 200 metres off the actual Camino, most pilgrims do not stop here as they are so focused on time and getting in those kilometres before the end of the day.
The refuge at San Bol has only 8 beds, but what might put many pilgrims off spending the night there is the absence of plumbing. The basic facilities spill out onto a delightful shady picnic spot. As soon as I arrived, I was invited to have a look inside and offered coffee and biscuits. The hostel is managed by a young Brazilian guy and his girlfriend. The hostel consists of a small dormitory with 4 bunk beds and another room which acts as an office, lounge and kitchen. The hospitalero sleeps in a small room in the dome area, which is accessed by a ladder. There is a stream in the grounds which flows into a pool. This pool is used for both personal hygiene and dish washing. As regards toilet facilities, the CSJ guide book states that there is a composting toilet – whatever that is! Pilgrims with tents are allowed to camp in the grounds. Also in the grounds is a spring well which is said to have healing properties and to cure aching feet. The pilgrim who washes his or her feet in this well will not have any foot problems for the duration of the Camino.
This lonely place certainly has an atmosphere of the utmost peace and tranquillity and just to relax there and listen to the flowing water and the sounds of nature is a healing experience. I met a Norwegian pilgrim at San Bol who had spent a few days there recovering from foot problems and he was absolutely enthralled by the place. I also got talking to a Japanese pilgrim who had spent the night in San Bol and he was reluctant to leave such was the hold that this serene and enchanting place had over him. Personally, I doubt if I could spent a night in a place without plumbing, but even just to spent a little time at this special place on the Camino was for me unforgettable.
Climbing out of the narrow San Bol valley, I was out again on the Meseta. I had my picnic lunch at one of the ancient cooking places or ‘field kitchens’, which were used by the farmers to prepare their food while working in the fields.

Hontanas

A few kilometres further on, the Meseta spectacularly and suddenly falls away to reveal the hidden village of Hontanas. Linked to the outside world by a network of dirt roads, Hontanas is a classical pilgrim village tucked away into a fold in the Meseta. It is a place that is undiscovered and practically unknown except by pilgrims. A solid 14th century church dominates the tiny village square and contributes to the air of quiet reverence that pervades this haven. An ancient fountain spills out its refreshingly cool waters in the shade of the church.
As soon as I arrived in Hontanas, I met my old friends Amanda and Sean, who were enjoying a drink while sitting in shady corner of the plaza. I joined them for a beer before checking into the El Puntido private hostel. Amanda and Sean were walking on further to Castrojeriz. It was only then that I observed the huge rucksacks that they were carrying. They were carrying a tent and camping equipment as all their own food. Amanda’s rucksack was almost as big as herself!
The El Puntido hostel is first class facility which offers very comfortable dormitories and a bar that serves food and refreshments both to residents and passing pilgrims from 6 AM until 9.30 PM. There is also a small hotel and a municipal hostel to cater for pilgrims. After exploring the village, I retired to my bed and enjoyed the traditional Spanish siesta, and why not! That evening, I had the pleasure of the company of a German pilgrim named Gabrielle for dinner. We polished off a bottle of wine between us, so I was lucky that I did not have to go very far to my bed! I slept soundly that night and the snoring did not bother me!

DAY 9 - HONTANAS TO ITERO DE LA VEGA

The following morning, it was a 5.30 rise and breakfast at 6 before setting out on a 20 kilometre walk to Itero de la Vega. I headed off in early morning light from Hontanas full of the joys of living and the anticipation of another interesting day on the Camino. The first notable place on the Camino after Hontanas is the splendid Gothic ruin of the ancient convent of San Anton. There is a basic hostel housed among the ruins but it is only open during the summer months.
After San Anton, the Camino follows a quiet country road towards the village of Castrojeriz, a delightfully sleepy settlement whose inhabitants seem to be permanently occupied with siesta. This historic place has both Roman and Visigothic remains. Castrojeriz had 8 pilgrim’s hospitals in medieval times when there were up to half a million pilgrims a year going to Santiago de Compostela. The village of Castrojeriz is strung out along a hillside that is crowned by a ruined castle that stands sentinel over the surrounding countryside. The place exudes the very spirit and character of Old Castile.
After Castrojeriz, there is a very strenuous climb onto the Meseta along a winding dusty track – Gasp! Phew! At the top, a monument marks the occasion but the real masterpiece is the surrounding landscape temple. There is rest area when the weary pilgrim may catch his or her breath before pushing on further.
The views of the surrounding treeless Meseta from this point are truly staggering. It is like being confronted by a gently rolling sea of green that is punctuated by the occasional barren hill or stony outcrop. The distant views of snow covered mountain ranges to the north and west and the great wide open spaces are truly unforgettable.
About 10 kilometres from Castrojeriz, another very special place on the Camino is reached – Hospital de San Nicolas de Puente Itero, which is as far as I know the only medieval pilgrim’s hospital still in use on the Camino. The building dates from the 13th century and it has been restored by an Italian Confraternity. The building has no electricity, phone or other mod cons but it is famous for its outstanding hospitality. The Italian Confraternity has retained candlelight as a source of illumination which adds to the healing atmosphere of this veritable haven. It is here that the feet of the pilgrims are ceremoniously washed by the members of the confraternity in the ancient tradition of the Knights Hospitalers. There are showers and toilets in new building at the back.
As I approached the Hospital de San Nicolas, there were 3 pilgrims in front of me but they just walked on without giving the place even a second glance, obviously unaware that they were passing a famous landmark on the Camino. Unfortunately, it was closed on the day that I passed and the guidebooks say that it is only open from June to September. I lingered for a while at Hospital de San Nicolas, just soaking in the ambience of the place and taking a few photos.
After Hospital de San Nicolas, a fine Romanesque 11 arch bridge marks the boundary between the provinces of Burgos and Palencia.

Itero de La Vega

Eventually, I reached the village of Itero de La Vega, which has 3 pilgrim’s hostels. There is a hostel attached to a bar/restaurant on the approach to the village. An experienced pilgrim once advised me that it is often wise not to check in at the first place on the way into a village because the first place often tends to get quickly overcrowded. It was sound advice as I later found out. I enquired at the Posada de Itero as to the availability of a bed for the night and the hospitalero offered me a private room for just €7! I could not believe my luck! My own bed, bedside table, reading lamp, chair, window and best of all no snoring! €7 for a private room – must be the best value on the Camino if not in all of Spain! I seemed to be the only person in the hostel even though it was now mid afternoon.
I then set out to explore the ‘sights’ of Itero de La Vega. Generally, the villages in this part of Spain tend to be very untidy and rundown. They are in fact ‘dying villages’ with very few young people or families living in them. The traditional pattern of settlement in the Spanish countryside was for the farmers and farm labourers to live in the villages and to travel out into the fields each day. In Britain and Ireland, farmers usually live out in the countryside in the middle of their fields. Farming has become so mechanised in Spain that they are very few farmers left when compared to the past and of course there are no more farm labourers. The result is that most of the houses in the villages are abandoned and left in a derelict state. Rusting farm machinery and all kinds of rubble are left strewn all over the place. Many of the ‘streets’ are unpaved and covered in weeds. The villages of Castilla y León are certainly nothing like the beautiful stone built villages of the Pyrenees or the pristine white washed villages of Andalucía in the south of Spain. There is of course very little tourism in this part of Spain except the passing pilgrim on the Camino. Unless a particular village is with commuting distance of a city, it tends to be rather neglected and full of empty houses.
When I returned to the Posada de Itero, a Mexican pilgrim named Sonia had checked in. Later 2 German pilgrims arrived. That evening, the hospitalero prepared dinner for the 4 of us. Later, I had a good look around the hostel and I must admit that it was not clean, in fact it was quite dirty and untidy, but then what can one expect in a place run by a man! I was lucky to be given a private room, but outside of that I would not recommend Posada de Itero.
I enjoyed a great night’s sleep in my private room and I arose the following morning well refreshed and rested. The dirty dishes from the night before were still on the dining room table – get me out of here! I had a coffee in the other hostel before setting out on the next stage of my Camino to Fromista.

DAY 10 – ITERO DE LA VEGA TO FROMISTA

The following morning as I walked out of Itero onto the Meseta, I met this old guy with an identity badge that identified him as an ‘amigo’ of the Camino. In each province along the Camino, there are associations of ‘Amigos del Camino’. They walk the Camino periodically to check that all signage is in place and also to chat to and help the pilgrims in any way that they can. This old guy, who spoke only Spanish, advised me where I would find food and refreshment in the next village.
The next village that I reached was Boadilla Del Camino, which is a typical Meseta village of tumble down houses – roofs falling in and walls just crumbling away. Many of the houses in that area are made of mud or adobe. There is no stone on the Meseta and little wood, so the traditional building material was adobe bricks made of mud and straw and baked in the sun. In recent times, there has been a revival in building with mud bricks as it is a very environmentally friendly locally sourced building material.
There is an excellent pilgrim’s hostel in Boadilla Del Camino namely; En El Camino. I stopped off there for el desayuno – breakfast and I must say that I was very impressed by the layout of the place and the friendly welcome. They have a beautifully landscaped garden with a swimming pool for the pilgrims during the summer months. The entire family work tirelessly to offer the pilgrim a wonderful welcome. I found that it was one of those albergues that was difficult to leave but it was too early in the day to check in.
After Boadilla Del Camino, the way goes along beside a canal for many kilometres into Fromista. It is a most pleasant and tranquil part of the Camino.

Fromista

Arriving in Fromista was like returning again to the 21st century after all the sleepy villages that I had stayed in over the past few days. There was traffic, noise, people walking around who were not pilgrims and a general air of hustle and bustle. Even though Fromista has only a population of over a 1,000 people, it seemed like a metropolis when compared to the places that I had just come through. Fromista is situated on a main highway and is at the centre of a network of canals. It also has a railway station as well as many bars, restaurants, hotels and 2 pilgrim’s hostels. I checked into a brand new hostel that is attached to a hotel. It offers excellent facilities and is very clean and well equipped.
There was a local festival just finishing up in Fromista that weekend and there was a large gathering of bikers in the village as well as a band playing around the town. Later that evening, the main street was closed for motorcycle acrobatics presented by Animalwheels.com. It was a scene of crowds, loud noise and burning rubber!

DAY 11 – FROMISTA TO CARRIÓN DE LOS CONDES

That night at the hostel in Fromista, I was surprised to learn that the man in the bunk next to me was from Kilrush, County Clare – it’s a small world! I also got talking to this America pilgrim who had done the Camino 5 times and he warned me not to drink the water between Burgos and León. That included both tap water and water from fountains. He explained that the water comes from tanks and sometimes rodents get into the water tanks. I definitely heeded his advice and drank only bottled water after that.

Senda de Peregrinos

The following morning – Sunday April 26th, I was on the Camino again and needless to mention it was another beautiful warm sunny day. I followed a quiet riverside path for a few kilometres until I reached the Senda de Peregrinos – the Pilgrim’s Pathway. Almost all of today’s walk was along a gravel pathway which runs parallel to the road from Fromista to Carrión de Los Condes. Senda is a small word with huge connotations – Soulless Errors of National Development Agencies! The pathways are described as monotonous and harsh, an example of mindless modernisation built on the back of too much wealth and too little forethought. Yes, I found the Senda a bit boring and hard underfoot. They do of course enable coach parties and wheelchair pilgrims to access the route.
About half way to Carrión de Los Condes, the village of Villarmentero de Campos is reached where an enterprising café provides pilgrims with refreshments and outdoor seating where they may enjoy a well deserved rest.
In the village of Villacazar de Sirga, I bought some fresh bread and some local cheese from a bakery and enjoyed a picnic in a shady rest area. I noticed that many small villages in Spain they still have a tiny bakery making fresh bread. The Spanish obviously appreciate fresh locally baked bread rather than mass produced supermarket bread.
As I walked towards Carrión de Los Condes, I caught up with a pilgrim who seemed to be limping badly. He introduced himself as Stefan from Germany and we walked together into Carrión de Los Condes. One of his feet was giving him trouble and he was finding the going tough. I had noticed that there were a large number of Germans walking the Camino de Santiago.

Carrión de Los Condes

On reaching Carrión de Los Condes, we checked into the pilgrim’s hostel at Monasterio de Santa Clara. This is a monastic hostel run by the Madres Clarisas. It has all facilities and is accessed from a delightful courtyard. I spent that night in a medieval monastery where St. Francis of Assisi also stayed in the 13th century. We were shown to a small room with 4 individual beds – not bunks – what a relief! There was also a chair beside each bed – all for €7. I was glad to come across a hostel that was not obsessed with packing in as many pilgrims as possible and which gave each pilgrim a proper bed.
Carrión de Los Condes is a town with a population of about 2,500 and is the capital of a district known as Tierra de Campos – The Land of Fields, a flat well- irrigated agricultural area. It was here during the Moorish occupation that the local Christian population had to pay an annual tribute of 100 maidens to supply the harem of the local Moorish overlord.
That day I had walked 20.1 kilometres (12.5 miles) or 21,000 steps! I found that since reaching the flat Meseta I was making greater progress because as there are no hills, I did not have to stop to catch my breath – no gasping for air!
That afternoon, Carrión de Los Condes was on fete. The centre of the town was taken over by displays of farm machinery and stalls selling food and all kinds of bric-a-brac. There was also a display of vintage farm machinery, ancient farm carts and also some burros (donkeys).

DAY 12 - CARRIÓN TO TERRADILLOS DE TEMPLARIOS

While I was wandering around Carrión de Los Condes on Sunday, I noticed on the tourist office window, a bus timetable which showed a bus leaving for León via Terradillos de Templarios at 12.45. I decided to take the bus today and give my feet a rest. The only problem was that I had to depart from the hostel at 8 AM and I would have to hang around Carrión until 12.45. I had some breakfast in a café and browsed the Internet for a while in order to kill time.

As I wandered around Carrión, I met up again with my old friends Amanda and Sean. Amanda had some foot and knee problems so she decided to take a few days off from the walking. She was planning to catch the 12.45 bus to León and to spend 5 days there in order to rest. Sean was planning to walk to León in 2 days and join her there. Sean set off walking the Camino while Amanda and I visited some of the churches in Carrión. The ALSA bus to León departs from Café España where one must also buy the tickets. We waited in Café España and I had a second breakfast of chocolate con churros, a classic Spanish breakfast. We were later joined by Nina, a lovely girl from Switzerland who was also waiting for the bus to Terradillos. As time went on, the place started to fill up with pilgrims and we quickly realised that we were not the only ones taking the bus. There were 4 pilgrims going to Terradillos, but luckily the rest were going on further to Sahagūn and León. The people in the bar made real hard work out of selling the tickets as someone in a backroom was actually printing the tickets, while someone else had to run backwards and forwards to tell them who was going where. Finally at around 13.00, we finally hit the road for Terradillos.

Terradillos de Templarios

I arrived in Terradillos de Templarios on the bus at around 14.00. I immediately checked in at the Albergue Jacques de Molay. It is a very welcoming and friendly place where the resident family in the tradition of the Templars offers comfortable accommodation and home cooking – breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hostel also has a small food shop. Jacques de Molay was the last Grand Master of the order of Knights Templars. Here also, the pilgrim is offered a proper bed – no bunks and a bedside chair. I tucked into a 3 course lunch before exploring the sights of Terradillos.
After the relative luxury of life in Carrión, here in Terradillos de Templarios, one experiences the simplicity of this humble adobe village, which is bypassed by the modern world. Formerly a stronghold of the Knights Templar, the spirit of this noble order lives on in the place name. Most of the houses in Terradillos are built using the traditional mud and straw construction. Unfortunately, many of them are very dilapidated and are just crumbling away. The village church is constructed using a mixture of materials – bricks, mud, rubble, and concrete, indeed anything that they could find. Terradillos is the halfway point between St. Jean Pied de Port and Santiago de Compostela – only another 400 kilometres to go! That afternoon, I met briefly with Sean, who was about to board a taxi for Sahagūn.
That evening, I had dinner with a middle aged Australian lady named Clare. She was telling me that after finishing the Camino de Santiago, she was planning a few weeks walking in the English Lake District. I have to really admire those middle-aged Australian pilgrims when one considers the distances that they have to travel in order to get to Europe not to mention the cost of getting here. They are as tough as old boots!

DAY 13 – TERRADILLOS TO SAHAGŪN

After a very easy day yesterday, I was ready for some real walking today. After leaving Terradillos, the next village reached is Moratinos. On the approach to Moratinos, one can see these curious structures built into the side of a hill. They seem like some kind of cave houses or ‘Hobbit’ dwellings. They are in fact bodegas or wine cellars where the local wines are stored in the relative cool of these manmade caves.
Passing through Moratinos, I noticed a traditional adobe house for sale and when I looked closely at the sign on the window, I saw that it had an Irish phone number. Must be have been some Irish pilgrim who passed through here and decided to stay but then changed his mind. The village church in Moratinos has a large shaded porch with benches where the tired pilgrim may rest.
After Moratinos, the next village reached is San Nicolás del Real Camino – St. Nicholas of the Royal Way – a very grand name for a typical ramshackle, falling apart, tumble down little place. There is a pilgrim’s hostel with a bar that offers refreshment to the passing pilgrim. It was there that I got speaking to John, a middle aged pilgrim from Aberdeen in Scotland. He was telling me that it was his 5th Camino.
I later met up with Bill, a 65 year old American from New York. He was suffering from a severe bout of diarrhoea and he had to made frequent dashes ‘off Camino’ into the bushes for some ‘outdoor relief’. He blamed his condition on the tap water that he had been drinking. Luckily, I had heeded the advice that I had got from an experienced pilgrim and used only bottled water while walking across the Meseta.

Sahagūn

I had walked 15 kilometres today, which was about my average for this part of my Camino. The approach to the ancient town of Sahagūn (Pop 3,350) is discouraging, passing as it does through an untidy industrial area. There are 3 pilgrim’s hostels in Sahagūn and the first one on the way into town is the Albergue Viatoris, an eye catching establishment with a very ornate facade. Bill and I decided to check in there and we received a very warm welcome from a girl who spoke perfect English. The bunks in the dormitory are well spaced out and also the upper beds are high enough to allow one to sit on the lower bed. The problem in many hostels is that the upper bed is too low and one cannot sit straight on the lower bed. This makes dressing and packing more difficult as one has to do everything in a bent over or crouching position which results in back stain and twisted innards.
Albergue Viatoris seemed like a good place and they offer a washing and drying service, which I took advantage of and had all my washing done for me. They also offer free bicycles to all pilgrims, so I spent the afternoon exploring Sahagūn on a bike which was a welcome relief from pounding the pavements day after day. Sahagūn, has a full range of services including an Irish Pub!
That evening as I hung around the dormitory waiting for dinner to start, I found the place very cold. It was basically just one big draughty barn of a place, with a cold wind whistling through the whole building. There was a big wooden door into the dormitory, which could not be closed properly. They were also using part of the dormitory as a bicycle shed and leaving the door open after them. At one stage, I was so cold that I considered packing up and going down town and finding a warm hotel room. Bill was not having any dinner as he was still suffering from diarrhoea and he could not keep anything down either solids or liquids. After dinner, I got some extra blankets and tried to keep warm as best I could. My earlier good feelings about Albergue Viatoris were beginning to disappear fast!

DAY 14 - SAHAGŪN TO EL BURGO RANERO

The next day of the Camino was probably the most boring and least interesting of all the days that I had experienced so far. It was almost entirely on the Senda and parallel to a motorway – not what one expects on the Camino de Santiago. On the way, I met up with Bill again and also Marilyn, a 57 year old pilgrim from Australia. In the days that followed, Marilyn and I became good pilgrim friends and we walked together to Astorga. She walked at the same pace as I did and also she did not object to occasionally using public transport. Our destination for that night was El Burgo Ranero – another village, another albergue de peregrinos and another sleepless snore filled night!
The village of El Burgo Ranero (Pop 330), with its adobe walls, bright red in the intense sunshine, rose up to greet us out of the flat plains. Marilyn and I decided to check in at the Albergue Domenico Laffi, a purpose built hostel in the idiom of the area using mud and straw in its construction. Bill decided to walk on to the next village despite his stomach problems. The hostel is run by a very friendly hospitalera named Maria, who speaks very good English. They have a nice wood burning stove for warmth. Even though the days on the Meseta can get quite hot, the evenings can turn very cool. I found El Burgo Ranero to be a ‘living village’ with people around and some activity. It has a school, 2 shops, 2 restaurants, 3 pilgrims hostels, a hotel, and a railway station.
That afternoon, as I sat outside the local bar enjoying a cold beer, I could hear a distinctive Ulster accent from the next table. I introduced myself as an Irish pilgrim and got talking to Hugo from County Donegal. Some English pilgrims joined us later.That evening, Marilyn and I had dinner in one of the local restaurants and then headed back to our mud built hostel looking forward to a good night’s sleep – what a hope!
Snoring in the hostels at night is such a problem that a good night’s sleep is almost impossible. It just takes one snorer to keep awake an entire dormitory. As one lies awake listening to the most disgusting of noises, one can sense the tension building up in the dormitory with people mumbling to themselves and hissing. Some of them start clapping and banging the sides of the bed trying to wake up the snorer. Waking them up might give some temporary relief but they just go back to sleep again and start snoring! Some hostels have a special room for snorers, but I have not come across one so far. Ear plugs have been suggested as a possible solution, but I have a problem with putting things into my ears while I sleep. For me, listening to some music on my IPod does give some relief. The true pilgrim suffers in silence!

DAY 15 – LEÓN

The following morning, Marilyn and I decided to have an easy day and catch the train from El Burgo Ranero to León. The train departed from El Burgo at around 9 AM and we were in León railway station at about 9.30. At the station, we got talking to another pilgrim and she was telling us that Amanda and Sean were spending 2 nights in El Parador de San Marcos, a luxury 5 star hotel housed in a medieval monastery – now that’s living! Amanda and Sean had spent previous nights in a tent and now they were holed up in the top hotel in León. It’s what Americans call a ‘ splurge’ that is a night of extravagance after a period of frugal living. . I can see why Amanda and Sean were being called ‘ The Legends of the Camino’.
León (Pop. 150,000) is a provincial capital and one of the major cities on the Camino. When we arrived in León, we decided that we would give ourselves a break from the pilgrim’s hostels and instead book into some nice pension or hotel and have a little comfort and luxury for a change. We first tried Pension Blanca, but they had just one room vacant. Marilyn checked in there and I checked into a nearby hotel – Hostal Orejas, which charged €30 for a single on-suite room.
That afternoon, we had a walk around León to see the sights. First of all we visited the 13th century Gothic cathedral which has 125 magnificent stained glass windows, the finest collection of stained glass in all of Spain. We also visited the Basilica of San Isidro and the Royal Pantheon which is the final resting place of 11 Kings, 12 Queens and 23 Princes. León also has a quaint medieval quarter with cobbled squares and narrow winding streets. Another famous part of León is the Barrio Hūmedo, ‘the wet quarter’, as in drink – on account of its numerous bars. And right in the middle of Barrio Hūmedo is ‘Molly Malone’s Irish Bar! As they would say in Ireland “tis a great drinkin’ town”. During the afternoon, there was a heavy shower of rain in León, the only rain that I got on my 3 weeks on the Camino and the only time that I had to get out my rain jacket since my arrival in Spain.
I also met my German friend, Stefan, who was feeling rather poorly as he was suffering from a head cold as well as foot trouble. He was searching for a hotel room with a bathtub – yes I know the feeling!
Marilyn and I had planned to spend another night in León, staying the second night in the pilgrim’s hostel at the Benedictine Monastery. I went over there that evening to have a look around and I met my old friend Giles, the English pilgrim from way back. I was now catching up on some of the pilgrims that I had lost earlier as I had used the train to cover 2 stages of the Camino or what my Australian friend would describe as “bunny hopping”. I asked Giles about the facilities at the pilgrim’s hostel in the Benedictine Monastery and he described them as ‘average ’. I also got talking to another pilgrim and she mentioned ‘insects’ as in the dreaded bed bugs which have caused a lot of problems for some pilgrims on the Camino. At that stage, I decided that staying at the pilgrim’s hostel at the Benedictine Monastery in León may be not such a good idea after all. I spoke with Marilyn and we decided to continue on to La Virgen del Camino the following morning using the local urban bus service.
That night in the Hostal Orejas I had the most wonderful peaceful sleep that I had for some time and Oh! the comfort of a real bed with crisp white linen, my own shower, bedside lamp and TV – what luxury!

DAY 16 – LA VIRGEN DEL CAMINO

The following morning, I enjoyed a lie in and then a long leisurely shower before strolling down to the dining room for breakfast at 9.30. After packing my bags, I met Marilyn down at her guesthouse at 10.30. I must admit that after my night in the hotel, I never felt so relaxed, completely rested and clean.
We waited at the bus stop in the centre of León for quite a while until we realised that it was a public holiday – May 1st and that the bus services were much less frequent than on weekdays. As La Virgen del Camino is only 9 kilometres from León, we decided to take a taxi, which cost us €12. Arriving in La Virgen del Camino, we followed the signs for Albergue de Peregrinos. Our first impressions of the place were not great as we walked past graffiti covered walls, schools and sports fields to an industrial style building.
On entering the front door, any misgivings that we had immediately disappeared. We were warmly welcomed by a charming girl, shown to our dormitories and advised of the facilities available in the hostel. It was one of the best run and cleanest pilgrim’s hostels that I have stayed in so far and I would put it in my top 5. Each bed has its own lockable wardrobe, reading light and power socket. There were amble washrooms for both men and women. A comfortable lounge, a dining area with a range of vending machines completed the excellent facilities. What really impressed me was the level of cleanliness – the hostel was clinically clean to the extent that one could see oneself in the shining floors. As well as complimenting the hospitalera on such a fine hostel, I also gave them a good write up in the visitors book.
La Virgen del Camino is a modern suburb of León and has no old town. After visiting the sights, it was time for my siesta. That afternoon as I lay resting on my bed, who walked into our dormitory – yes, you’ve guessed it – Amanda and Sean! That evening, the four of us had some very interesting discussions in the lounge about the Camino, our respective countries and life in general. I was fascinated as they described life in the 5 star hotel that they stayed in the previous two nights. Amanda had spent 5 nights in León and Sean had spent 3 nights in that city.

DAY 17 - LA VIRGEN TO VILAR DE MAZARIFE

The following morning, we were ready for some real walking after two days of city life. We departed from the pilgrim’s hostel in La Virgen del Camino at 7.30 AM. We walked with some of the other pilgrims for a while, but they were all in greater hurry than us and eventually they all forged ahead and there was just Marilyn and I on the Camino. While speaking with pilgrims on the Camino, I often asked them where they were headed for that night. More often than not, the answer would be “ I am going to walk 30 kilometres today”, which to me is not the spirit of the Camino as I feel that people and places are more important that just distance and time.
Today, the Camino brought us through some remote bush country along red dusty tracks that reminded Marilyn of parts of Australia. At one stage, we caught up with Amanda and Sean, but they were walking on to Hospital de Orbigo, so they needed to walk a bit faster than us. Amanda had her rucksack delivered to Hospital de Orbigo, so she had only to carry a light day sack. There are bag carrying services for pilgrims along the camino, the only disadvantage is that one is then committed to staying in a particular village or hostel.
We arrived in Vilar de Mazarife at around mid-day. This decidedly pilgrim friendly village has 3 pilgrim’s hostels and two shops. We checked into the Albergue Tio Pepe, which is also a bar and restaurant. The hostel had a nice courtyard, which provides pilgrims with a convivial place to congregate. The centre of the village is dominated by a church that has several stork’s nests on its bell tower. Indeed, stork’s nests are a feature of church towers and water towers throughout the central part of Spain. As storks are big birds, their nests are also particularly large and well built. The nests are so solid and permanent that they are part of the architecture of the churches. Storks fly to Africa for the winter and return to Spain in the spring, setting up home again in the same nests. I have never seen stork’s nests in the southern or northern parts of Spain, only in the centre of the country.
That evening, as Marilyn and I waited in the hostel courtyard for dinner to start, we got talking to this Austrian pilgrim named Esther. As she was travelling alone, we invited her to join us for dinner. She was so grateful that she treated us to a round of liqueurs after dinner. The three of us chatted until bed time, discussing many different topics. I expressed an interest in visiting Austria sometime and Esther kindly gave me her address and phone numbers and invited me to visit her as her guest at her home in Seefeld. I certainly hope to take her up on her kind offer some time.

DAY 18 – MAZARIFE TO HOSPITAL DE ORBIGO

The next morning, Marilyn and I had departed Albergue Tio Pepe after breakfast for our 15 kilometre walk to Hospital de Orbigo. After walking about 5 kilometres along a quite country road, we entered a wetland area that is very rich in wildlife. We were serenaded by the chirping of crickets and the cro

Dionysus

Well done. I only discovered your thread doing a google for the name of the medieval bridge where the knight defended: Puente del Paso Honroso.

Thanks. Walked all the Camino Francés in 2010. I'm thinking about walking the Via de la Plata or Camino del Norte next summer.