Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz

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We left Hornillos del Camino at what has become our usual time of 7:15. It was to be a long, featureless 10 kilometers to our first stop at Hontanas for breakfast at the Albergue Juan de Yepes. After my usual tortilla and coffee, and a shoes-off break, we got back on the Camino. It was another 6 kilometers of nothing to see until we reached the ruins of the 15th century Hospital San Anton. Adjacent to the ruins was a welcome rest area with a friendly guy named Angel, who was offering a nice piece of cold watermelon to any and all who entered. We took a short break, then started the last 2 1/2 kilometers to our destination of Castrojeriz.

We had decided to try for the municipal albergue, although they only had 25 beds. After walking through a good stretch of streets, we found it. To see that the albergue was up 2 flights of stairs was not very welcome, especially if it turned out they were full. Fortunately, they still had beds, so we checked in. The hospitalero was very friendly and showed us all the facilities. They had free Wi-Fi, and normal things like showers, restrooms, and a tiny kitchen area. The unusual things were that you had to hand wash your clothes but they have a machine that spins dryish. Also, the kitchen is equipped with the normal utensils and a decent supply of pasta and other ingredients that are free to use.

After stowing my gear, I took a walk around the town to see what there was. They have a small store that sells all sorts of things, where I am going to buy another t-shirt. I also found a good supermarket and ate lunch at Bar La Plaza, near the albergue. I think we are doing pasta for dinner at the albergue. Raresh and the young couple (Alex from the Netherlands and Livija from Lithuania) decided to walk up the hill to check out the castle. I decided to stay behind and chill. After hearing how cool it was, I wish I'd gone too. I bought a can of meatballs and a pack of cream filled rolls for dessert. Livija is going to cook pasta but she is a vegetarian, hence the meatballs for Raresh and I. I am going to go ahead and try to publish this in case the internet is down later.

Tomorrow we are heading for Fromista, another 24 kilometers or so.

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