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Published: October 14th 2015
Balcony Posada de Castrojeriz
Looking onto the street after breakfast10 September 2015, Thursday. Stage 16, Castrojeriz to Fromista
GPS 16.95 miles in 6 hours walking. Left at 0840 arrived at 1720. Total time 8 hours 40 minutes.
Fitbit: 16.38 miles, 37,458 steps, 62 stairs/floors.
Hotel La Posada de Castrojeriz and the El Meson Restaurante were our hotel and breakfast locations in the morning. They are jointly owned. The ambiance of the restaurant is very lovely. Last night, while looking for a good location for dinner, we only saw the bar area and were a bit turned off so we went up the street to Iojacobus. Our friends from yesterday were all there for breakfast: Ben and Deb riding bikes with a group from Norfolk England, John and Mary Daly from Ireland, Nick and Margie Gindorff from Iowa. As Oscar the proprietor would tell me it was a standard breakfast of bread and coffee, OJ, and yoghurt. We were able to get an orange and banana. I would always ask him for sauteed onions, zucchini, mushrooms, avocado, omelet with spinach, olives and tomatoes. His reply not standard. Everyone remembers how good the coffee was here!
We left the hotel at 0840. We thought we might be ahead
The old Roman Road
This was the stoney level part before the first long up hill. of Nick and Margie so were going slow. About 2 miles after going along an old roman road we start the climb for the day, a rather steep 12 % grade up to the Meseta. As we are about half way up my phone rings. It is Ariana letting us know that Nick and Margie, whom we had been waiting for thinking they might be behind us were ahead of us. So we forged ahead at a more brisk, but still slow pace. The clouds allowed for a good picture back to Castrojeriz and the valley we had left.
We had 11 km or 6.6 miles to the first town, Itero de la Vega, with a restaurant. Shortly before 12 we arrived and found Nick and Margie. We stopped for lunch of lentil soup and salad. We had nine more miles to walk today before our hotel in Fromista. The farm land here is extensive. One field was being dug up to put irrigation pipe into the field and then vertical sprinklers about six feet high to water the fields. Seems to me they could save water by putting in drip irrigation instead of water wasting overhead sprinklers.
We come to Ermita de San Nicolas with its albergue directly (the door opens onto the road) on the Camino. This albergue has no electricity, phone service or other amenities, but is very popular. The facility has been restored by an Italian Confraternity. We were several hours beyond this point and met a young lady heading back to San Nicolas as she decided she just had to stay there. It does have a pilgrim mystique about it. The hospitaleros wash the pilgrims feet, feed them very well, by candlelight at a long, long table and wake them in the morning with choral music and a last blessing for their way. Oh, and by all reports, the Italian coffee is unbelievably fine and smells so good as one awakes!
Just beyond the ermita we cross another old Roman bridge, Puente de Itero with its 11 arches and over the river Pisuerga. The boundary between Burgos and Palencia Provinces lies just across the bridge. Palencia is the Land of Fields. The irrigation system here supports the farms.
In another 8.2 km or 5 miles we reached Boadilla del Camino with it's albergue, restaurant and hotel with green grass, great art
Ermita de San Nicolas
13th century building and small chapel restored by an Italian Confraternity. Original pilgrim hospice from 12th century. on the walls and sculptures in the trees, a pool to cool your feet and lots of pilgrims. We had our tonic water and ice cream before getting up our courage for the last 4 miles of the day. At the albergue, Richard and Victoria from San Diego whom we had first meet in Navarette were there as well as a girl from Denmark with perfect English who passed us every day since leaving Burgos. Just out of town we come to the 15th Century Columna Justica.
After about a mile we came to the Canal Pisuerga which dates to the early 1700's and has served as both irrigation and transportation for the farms here. The day had gotten very warm and the last push up the hills to the Meseta plateau was one with a great deal of perspiration. So we were not looking forward to the heat of the day from 3:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon as we walked. But the canal bank was lined with wonderful shade trees which made the trip almost enjoyable. Nick and Margie find their hotel then walk to ours.
After hotels are found we decided on what to do
for dinner. In the end we find the restaurant at the corner No one is up to scouting around for other options. Actually it turned out quite fine and we did not have far to our beds! We decide our hotel will be fine for breakfast in the morning. This day rather tested everyone's mettle!
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