Blogs from Castile & León, Spain, Europe - page 8

This morning I didn't wake up until 7:30, and Raresh after that, so we got a very late start. After a quick breakfast, we finally left the albergue around 9:30, with a lady from Sweden in tow. Alex and Livija woke up even later and didn't want to be rushed, so we left them behind. The lady from Sweden, Anakaren, didn't know where stuff was, and was just starting the Camino, so we walked with her to the right place and bid her Buen Camino. Since we'd already had some breakfast, we skipped the first town of Trabajo del Camino at 4k and continued on another 4k to the town of La Virgen del Camino for a second breakfast at a little bar I forget the name of, but they had the most delicious homemade pastries. ... read more

We left Reliegos around 7:30, heading for Leon for a 2-night stay. I was hoping to get some medicine at a farmacia for my cold which was still lingering. Livija was with us today and stayed with until we entered Puente Villarente where she decided to stay, hoping I think for Alex to catch up. We stopped after about 6 kilometers for breakfast at El Jardin del Camino in Mansilla de las Mulas for breakfast. I had my usual tortilla and coffee, along with a chocolate pastry. We were still sort of on the famed flat meseta, but Leon would be the end of that boredom. Although, I found out that Raresh really enjoyed it. Maybe he liked the ability to forget about everything. Anyway, after breakfast, we continued on, with a new member from Australia. ... read more

So posting to Facebook is way easier than this blog. If you are not already a connection of mine on FB, please send me a friend request and I might accept! ? I've covered about 630km from the beginning of this trek. And what I thought was going to be a pretty easy endeavour has turned out to be a real test of my feet, organizational skills, but mainly mental toughness to finish the Camino despite all the foot ailments and homesickness for real home cooked meal. There is only so much chorizo sausage a guy can handle!!! I'm not going to give a day to day explanation ; however I will post a few pics from along The Way and I hope it gives everyone an idea of what life on the trail is like. ... read more

Today was a little different. Originally the 3 of us were going to wait in Carrion de Los Condes for 2 hours, so Alex could catch up. When it was after 9am, he called and said he was 2 1/2 hours away. I didn't really want to wait there that long, and get to a town at least 1 if not 2 short of schedule, and at 4 or 5pm. Raresh suggested I go ahead and try to make sure they have a place to stay. I left Carrion de Los Condes just before 9:30, with 17 kilometers to go. Little did I know that there were absolutely no towns or bars along the way. About 9 boring, flat, featureless kilometers later, I spotted a food truck stop and almost danced for joy... until I found ... read more

This morning we left the albergue rather late at 8:30 or so because Raresh and the young couple wanted to see the sunrise from the castle. Unfortunately, it was rather foggy so I doubt it was anything special. I waited below at the Albergue to watch their backpacks. Not far outside Castrojeriz we began a very long, very steep climb. At the top they had a very welcome rest area. After a fairly long and fairly steep descent, we encountered an old albergue called Albergue San Nicolas, where I gladly used their restroom. This is also where we left Alex, for some unknown reason he stayed there and Livija continued on with us. Also, I am pretty sure the bridge next to the albergue over the Rio Pisuerga is the bridge in the movie The Way ... read more