Another photo in the "museum". Kay Simenc, photographer!

Day 24: Villares de Orbigo

Yesterday when we took a stroll through town to find a grocery store, this friendly old guy wanted us to come see his museum....

Turns out he likes to collect lots of junk and arrange it into artistic displays. Especially old telephones, since he used to work for the telephone company...

It was fun to see his underground Bodega.  He helped his father excavate it as a boy. There was a grape press and a place for the juice to ferment. 

Not very good photo, I was having too much fun to stop and take time for good photos!!

This morning we had the pleasure of walking with a fox for a little bit!  She seemed unconcerned by the curious perigrinos watching her hunt along an irrigation canal. 

The bridge in Hospital de Orbiga is always a nice place to take photos!

Wig caught me trying to hide from him in this pleasant grove just before our home for the evening!

Day 21-23. Archuela, Leon, and Villarreal de Mazarife

More Meseta

We walked lots and lots of trail that looked like this. Amazing that someone planted thousands of trees to shade our way!!

I was thinking about how much easier we have it than the people that traveled the trail a thousand years and more ago, when Wig asked me to hold his high tech carbon fiber, shock absorbing, treking poles so that he could fix his"buff" just right.  Point made!!

We had a nice half day of sight seeing in Leon. They were having a festival that had something to do with a time when the people of Leon had to give 100 maidens to the Moors to keep them happy.  We happened on the start of the parade of 100 maidens!

We toured the Parador. Which is now a very nice hotel. It used to be a hospital, a monetary, a prison a school and a horse stable.  The church and cloister are preserved and the rest is a fancy hotel. It's very peaceful. 

In the evening we went out to see the cathedral with its lights on. We got there too early and turned to walk away just before the lights went on, lucky I looked back!

Today we headed on and Susan got ready to start her trip to St Louis. She walked with us to the first open coffee place. We had a very nice server, who gave her a nice heart in her cafe con leche!

Good byes were sad!!

Miss you Susan!!!

Another Day

     Wig here again. Told Laura I was going to write again and she said, "Don't write mean things about people." We started with nine in our group and four have conveniently gone a day ahead of us probably because of me and the other three probably would join them if they weren't so crippled with injuries. Actually those three are taking the bus tomorrow to go further ahead of us as well. Still, Laura hangs with me unconditionally. Susan says it is only because I carry all the money but Susan lies.

      So, a few days have gone by since I last wrote. Let me elaborate. Another day, another Saint's holiday, another rush for beds in albergues, another new outbreak of bed bugs, another blister, another twenty something kilometers of walking, another washing and drying, another new town, another church, another cafe con leche or was that the third one this morning, you know the routine. Can't wait to wake up tomorrow and start it all over again. No wonder Laura is reminiscing about historical data, those have endings. Seriously, we are having a great time. After all, what idiot would spend this much money to repeat all this suffering two years in a row, right? 

Days17-20. Fromista, Carrion, San Nichols, and El Burgo Ranero

Hi, I'm back!  

Having a great time walking the infamous Spanish Meseta.  It's mostly flat, very agricultural, and somewhat monotonous. But we love it!  We have had dry weather, cool breezes and lots of sun. Couldn't ask for better conditions...as Wig keeps pointing out every day!

Leaving Castrojerez, we find a short stretch of Roman road. I just love seeing it and contemplating the ages gone by as we start our walk!

I think the road is raised for frequent flood conditions as it leads to a little river. 

Looking back

Amazing to think of the centuries upon centuries of travelers passing this way. I stopped and contemplated last year too. I'm just two of the tiny spects of human activity out of millions...wow!  

As I walk this part of the Camino, my mind wanders in other ways. Sometimes I just wonder what they are doing with some strange maintenance train contraption over on the train tracks. Sometimes I try to estimate how many steps I will take between two tree shadows. And often I wonder about the travelers before me.  The route has been a religious pilgrimage for around a thousand years, but I think that people have probably traveled through these lands for as long as people have been here. And that's a long time here in Spain!  I would love to travel back in time and see what it was really like!

Here it is now!

We stayed at the same place we did last year in Fromista. Our hostess remembered us. She is such a friendly energetic person, it was fun to be there again!

Yesterday we knew we had a stretch of trail that didn't have any towns for 17 kilometers. So we all hit a little grocery store, to stock up on picnic supplies. 

Dave was really eyeing one of those ham legs!!

The cold breeze that kept us nice and cool while walking made our picnic a little rushed, but it was fun!

Today we saw a family harvesting a small vineyard. I wanted to stop and help, but chickened out!

Another pilgrim statue ready for photo ops!

Day 16: Castrojerez

Short day today, and the ten kilometers even felt like five!  The anticipated rain stayed away til this evening, so it was another wonderful day!

We passed through the ruins of a convent. And after getting settled in town, and having a great lunch with Susan, we climbed the hill to explore the castle ruins above town. 

Convent ruins

Amazing to see an explaination in English!

Castle ruins. The earliest construction started in the 9th century. No one else was there and it was just open (with some safety railings) for self exploration. The signs here were all in Spanish, so I didn't figure out much, but it was fun!

Castle courtyard

The steps up were steep, uneven and very worn. Easy to imagine the centuries of use that they have seen!

Views from up on the hill

One of three large churches in this small town. 

The church at the other end of town. 

Through the years people have built tunnels into the hill behind town and under the castle. Some of the tunnels are abandoned and some have little house facades built into the hillside and are in current use. 

Tunnel house!

A peek into a tunnel behind an art gallery/new age hang out place. 

Day 15: Hontanas

Kristen asked me yesterday, which Camino I liked best.  Hard question to answer, so many things are different.  But today while walking....a long time!...I contemplated that question.  This year it's not new and exciting, and a little bit scary.  Therefore I'm noticing something about both Wig and I, we are soooooo relaxed and enjoying the moment/journey instead of the reaching of goals.  Together with having awesome friends along, who are amazingly still our friends (I think!) and just enjoying everything, I think that this Camino might be better.  We are also feeling pretty good, a few aches and pains, but mostly good!

It is a lot warmer, while walking in the sun it feels down right hot, sometimes that's good and some times not!  One frustration with the heat is that my short hair funnels the sweat from my head directly into my ears!  There you go, TMI! Wig might have another sweaty anatomy part, but I can claim the sweat filled ear award!  Actually Wig says he doesn't sweat, his handy umbrella might be part of the reason!

Today the clouds have been gathering and getting ready for tomorrow's forecast rain, but none of the clouds were over us!  I had to dry out my ears frequently!!

At least Wig hasn't lost two pairs of gloves yet!  Unless they have turned to pulp at the bottom of our packs!

One thing that we have been enjoying, is the food.  I haven't talked about it much, because I have to look at my photos to remember the last day or two.  And I guess I have been too hungry to take a photo of our food before eating it!  Today I made an effort to take a few photos. Before I let you see, I have to tell you, and no photo will ever do it justice, that the garlic soup of the region that we just walked through is fantastic!  (I don't think I managed to try it last year, now I have really lived!)

Wig and Susan at lunch. Wig is being good this year and only having one serving of pasta at a time! (Although, he is addicted to chocolate croissants this year!)

My white bean and chorizo soup at lunch...yummy!

Oops, ate half before I remembered to take a photo!  Blood sausage and eggs for dinner. Another great meal!

Finally entering the town of Hontanas  just before six pm after walking, and eating since a little after eight am.  Sure was a welcome sight!

On the Way to Burgos with Friends

Wig here. Personal notes on the short walk (14kn) to Burgos. We have seven personal friends that are more or less traveling with Laura and I. Still I wish that my friend Bob Bruner was among us. Missed his birthday a few days ago but he knows we didn't have wifi or that holidays and birthdays are never on top of my list. We still call each other each week to check for holes in his weekends. Sadly, none surfaces. By the way, it would be difficult to squeeze his 6'7" frame into some of these bunkbeds that are bookended with walls and cabinets.

Yesterday's stroll was done with a lot of conversations. We touch upon a lot of controversial subjects from religion, sexual orientation, school systems, parenting roles, etc... Nice to be able to discuss such topics with friends without thinking more or less of them irregardless of how their views agrees or differs from your own. Notes to self: I love Kristin, she is open minded, quick witted, frank, intelligent but she comes from Wyoming and was a lawyer, both huge handicaps. She would argue that the world is flat and might win just because her opponents will walk out of the arguing arena, a pitbull that just won't let go even when shot, definitely my lawyer when I commit a capital crime. The Camino world revolves around her feet. She is happiest when her feet feel great, her wine glass full and her bladder empty. Her feet control how far she walks or where she will stay. We keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't stub her toes. Got to go, more dirt on my walking companions later on.

Days 13-14: Burgos

We have gone from sleeping on floor mats a few days ago to relaxing in a four star hotel!  Wig planned this stop for us months ago and it has sure been nice!

We had a short hike into Burgos this morning and spent the rest of the day exploring this great city.  

The cathedral is the centerpiece of the old part of the city. Last year Wig and I got here too late to take the tour, we made it this time!  It is a wonderful cathedral. I like the different ceilings in the main part and in the side chapels. 

The architecture is amazing!

Looking up into the main dome. It's very light and airy!

Close up of same dome

Another ceiling shot

Sculpture of Santiago

Two days ago we walked through the area of Spain where archeological digs are turning up human remains from over a million years ago.  Today we had a chance to visit the Museum of Evolution, here in Burgos, where we saw some of the fossils and learned about the sites. It is a great museum.  

Sculpture outside the museum

This little wood carving on the side of a chair in the cathedral, looks like how I feel with my backpack on!