From Hontanas to Itero de La Vega - 22km

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I think I made a tactical error in skipping some days/ blogging my birthday date and then trying to catch up by writing about prior- later- and I have confused myself - so from now on am just going to write chronologically and if I repeat something/ use pics more than once I KNOW you will forgive me :-D



We set off from Hontanos ( on 22nd April ) after a quick breakfast of Cafe con Leche and Toastados at an albergue that suppled food across the road ( ours didnt - not all do ) .... It was busy and squashy in there and I managed to get a seat by the door - that BLOCKED the door for people going in and out - lots of 'excuse me, sorry, excuse me' - and me trying to squash myself right against the table so folk could get past. We noticed Brook ( Brooke?) the 71 yo US woman we had met earlier, and also Matthias the Social Worker from Sweden that we had met in the 'Purple room' underneath the squash courts...

As we walked out of the town we walked passed a small public swimming pool- the first one I'd noticed in Spain.... It was a cold morning- again - but not wet and was just a brisk beautiful walk - we caught up with Brooke, Matthias and friend just as we all came to St Anthony's Archway ( Arco De San Anton) .....This was all that remains of a Monastery and Pilgrim Hospice from the 11th century... there are still recesses to be seen in the walls where bread would be left for pilgrims who walked on through... The Antonine order's symbol was the T shaped cross - known as the Tau ( 19th letter of Greek alphabet and symbolising divine protection against evil and sickness ) The Order was apparently known also for their ability to cure the medieval scourge known as St Anthony's Fire ( a fungal skin disease often leading to a gangrenous death ) ' essentially by using the power of the Tau ( Love) in its healing practice.

We continued on to Castrojeriz - chatting with Brook on the way - she was telling a story of hpw she is asking all the people she meets from all sorts of cultures HOW they depict in words r sound the rooster call - I think she said the spanish way was 'Kee Kee Kee - Kee keeeee' ... The town has an amazing castle (castillo) overlooking it - from the 9th century - we didnt stop or stay to climb and look .Catrojeriz was an area of much fighting between Moors and Christians.- it has many ruins of monasteries and castles .... and at one stage Castrojeriz had 8 pilgrim hospitals...- amazing to think of really - the 'popularity' or maybe I should say significance of the Camino de Santiago - the sheer numbers/millions of people over the years who have walked the path...

We stopped for a rest in Castrojeriz - ate what we were carrying - fruit/yoghurt/stale bread again - there was nowhere open as it was a Sunday morning so no coffee avail - which would have been v welcome as it was a really cold day . I was also feeling the accumulation of days of walking - my r foot was sore underneath - I found that after 2-3 hrs of walking if we didnt stop and rest my r foot/toes would kind of go numb then have that really painful pins and needles feeling off and on, continually - my heel was sore too - really just wanted to get stopped and get boots off .... but after resting we continued up a really steep hill - see pics - really really steep - a 1050 m climb !- it was great to get to the top and the views were truly magnificent..... I have attempted to put a little video on of the view - THAT didnt work... so I've put it on youTube and it can be seen at this link -







We had a mediocre sleep in the sloping room and left the next morning - but there was NO WAY we were going to get them to prepare breakfast.... there was nowhere open in this little village for a hot drink - but we did manage to buy some bread from a little car that beep beeep beeeeeeeeeeped its way around the village - then parked in a big hall and all the locals came to buy bread .... we bought a couple of bocadillos ( rolls) to save to go stale and eat later - lol - somehow we seemed to always do that.....

So off we went again... into the wind.

J xxx

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