The mesta continues

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hello all,
Today we continued on the Mesta and am in a small town, quite rural and surrounded by ploughed up fields - the smell made Helen and I think of New Zealand and farming. So of course we talk a little while about that and on we go. Some days we walk in silence and other days we talk lots, I have descibed the plots to many of my favorite movies as at the end of the day we are tired and it can be a slog to get to the refugio. We are in a place called Bercianos del Real Camino, tomorrow is the big push to Leon and the big city.
The Hostel we are staying in has been run for the last two weeks by a Canadian woman from Calgary and it is really rustic, the wooden beams are really old and I only hope they hold up for the night. We seem to have the same walking pace as two lovely Belgium men who seem to know all the secrets, they are helping the ladies prepare our meal tonight. We will be attending a short pray service before we eat, then to bed before 10pm and lights out. Up at 7 for breakfast and we will be away. Helen has just gone to get me a drink as I am writing this in a bar.
Spain seems to be building roads everywhere and we saw the tracks for a highspeed train, as I passed it Helen commented on how progress is changing this part of the world. and that we are probably experincing the best of this place at the end of the rustic period before commercailization takes over. It is an amazing nextwork of hostels, pathways and signage that is largely all maintained and supported by voulnteers from all over the world.
Not all pilgrims are a treat to meet some are rather pedanitic and tell you the way to go and how to be some are just great even though you donot understand what they are saying some are just plain folk who are plodding on like helen and I. Cheers to you all Anne

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