Day 19 - Carrion de los Condes to Terradillo de Templarios

It is like a hare and tortoise race.  I know. It is not a race. We keep running into Yoss and Nanette from the Netherlands. We first met Yoss on the way up the Pyrenees on our first day of the Camino and we had dinner sitting beside each other at Orisson. We parted way and he was going to spend two days in Pamplona so we did not expect to see him again.  Then surprisingly we met up with them again in Burgos just outside the albergue. So obviously he made up a day on us between Pamplona and Burgos. He was staying in Burgos for an extra day so we did not expect to see them again. But today on the way from Carrion de los Condes to Terradillo de Templarios, we saw them again. Once again, they made up a day on us since Burgos. And we happened to have chosen the same albergue. They walk fast and stop in big cities and we walk steady. We might see them one more time in Leon when we arrive and them spending their second day there.

Today was a tough day mentally. Yes, the distance is long with 26 km but really it is because of nothingness for the first 17 km. It is exactly walking on the same road for hours. Finally we reached Ledigos, the town about 3 km before our destination. We passed that and then another unchanging sandy path along the highway all the way through. Just seemed to go on forever particularly when the pace slowed in the 25th and 26th km. I remember I had the exact feeling last time by.

The albergue is in the middle of nowhere so not much choice for anything. Food is reasonable so that is good.

Fish and beef (for real)

Day 18 - Fromista to Carrion de los Condes

Hurry up and wait. It is obviously good to have a bed. It is also good to find an albergue with many beds and have a fully functioning kitchen. We have all of that today after a short day. We had enough time to go grocery shopping for today's lunch and dinner and also tomorrow's breakfast and came back to the albergue to have a late lunch. The fully functioning kitchen is heavily utilized. Everyone, at least it seems, was cooking. First for lunch and then for dinner. It is a fantastic atmosphere sometimes with free food for the next chef. You just have to be patient to wait your turn at the one cooktop. We were hovering in the kitchen at around 4 pm when the late lunches had just finished and the early dinner rush had not begun, just trying to prepare what we can and pre-cook stuff that would take a long time. 

I split from the group today for about 10 km, choosing the more direct route along the highway and the rest of them went the scenic route that is a little longer. After my foot was being doctored yesterday, I just wanted to walk as little as possible on the simplest surface. It is fortunate that today was a short day with mostly flat terrain. And my foot held up.

A Korean was cooking up a storm in the kitchen for lunch, shrimp pasta, and he looked professional and proclaimed this is his life; perhaps he is actually a professional chef. He prepared much more pasta than what the three of them needed and invited people to take some. He also offered people free leftover ingredients and olive oil. Turned out he lives in Mississauga and one of his friends lives in Kitchener. I was introduced to the London branch of building supplies shop, Patene Building Supplies on Wilton Grove, in case I build a new house or need a new roof. Nice.

After a late lunch, we actually managed to have dinner at reasonable time, grabbing an opening in the cooking queue. Winnie checked that our grocery shopping for 3 meals this time and three years ago both averaging about 6€ per person.  We caught the pork chops on sale and got 8 slices for 2.54€, that is about 30 cents a piece. Can't imagine getting that in Canada. Potato, green bean, onion and mushroom to go with the pork chops. Postre was watermelon. Another successful day.

All single beds today, no climbing

Pork chop dinner

Day 17 - Castrojeriz to Fromista

This a long day for us going 26 km. It is bad day for me to have a bad sleep the night before. The feet were pounding rather than bouncing along the trail.

Getting away from Castrojeriz, we went uphill to the mesa and then downhill, all on concrete pavement. I don't think my knees like that. We stopped at Itero de la Vega. Nothing much available though. We were then onto a 8 km stretch of gravel and sand. Crunch, crunch, crunch... Like the documentary by one pilgrim on YouTube. Gigi sped away on us. I was trying to keep pace with Winnie until she had to shed a layer. I tried to keep in contact with Gigi if you can call 300 m contact. Then the sun came out. There was no one close enough to pull out my sun hat from my backpack so I had to put on the cap of my jacket. It was a choice between sun-burned ears or steamed brain. Then the sun was gone and the wind whipped up. Better not be a cold front that would bring rain or thunderstorm. No, there were clouds but they certainly were not rain clouds so we were safe. Gigi stopped and waited for me. No. She was just checking to make sure we were still there. She kept going.  Wait. She stopped to take a picture. But then she kept going. I gained 10 m. Crunch, crunch, crunch... She stopped to take a video of the poppies. That was going to take some time. I also stopped but only for a snap on my phone. She was taking another picture and I passed her.  I won!  Oh, it is not a race.  It did give me some psychological push to get through this stretch.

At Boadiilla del Camino, we had a good lunch and met the hospitalero who lived in London, Ontario for a while. What a small world.

Arrived safely in Fromista before 2 pm. I had emailed a request for reservation and they finally confirmed it yesterday. Today is Sunday though so nothing is open other than the restaurants.

Another adventure in pilgrim menu. We chose to go to el Apostol for dinner. We arrived early and used the time to decipher the choices listed in Spanish. It took us a while because unlike the usual sopa, ensalada, lomo, pollo, atun and merluza, we were looking at a list of 20 items from which we can only figure out two or three. After some frustration, we asked one of the servers whether there is an English menu. He said no but did try to help us. His description of the menu items are: 1st plate: soup, soup, rice, fish, fish, pork, fish, fish, fish, fish; 2nd plate: beef, beef, beef, beef, pork, beef, fish, fish, fish, fish. After a lot of Google Translate, we finally figured out: seafood soup, bean in marinera sauce, mushroom risotto, shrimp, prawn, ham, shrimp, scallop, scallop and clam for the 1st plate; lamb, lamb, beef, pork, beef, beef, squid, cod, hake and monkfish for the 2nd plate. Finally we got to sit down and the server does not know English either. We ordered using our new found knowledge and found that all the tables are using Google Translate. Foods came out of the kitchen, he announced the food and we had no idea what it was and just grabbed it so we can figure out later among ourselves. Despite all that, the foods are absolutely fantastic and well worth the slightly higher price of 15€. Desserts are not listed in the menu. After he told us in Spanish, we simply said bring us 4 different ones. And it worked.  Good food and good entertainment because it was so funny.

White Bean soup - lunch

Chicken noodle soup - lunch

Scallop au Gratin and Prawn Salad

Clam

Mushroom Risotto

Beef  Cheek

Monkfish and lamb

Beef with ham

Day 16 - Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz

It is not a race. You are supposed to walk your own Camino and the Camino will provide. But it is increasingly feeling like a race, in order to arrive at the albergue to get a bed. I suppose we may have been just lucky that we got beds in all but a couple of albergues three years ago without trying to book ahead. This time, it just feels so crowded I discovered the private albergues we previously stayed in were all booked when I tried to email ahead of time. Yesterday, the municipal albergue was full at 130 pm. Today, when we arrived at the municipal albergue at 1130 am, there are already 10 people ahead of us. However, there are still some spots left at 330 pm. That eases the anxiety somewhat. We walked about 20 to 25 km each day and can arrive early. How about those walking 35 km a day, how are they going to get a bed? The Camino is certainly less enjoyable when you have to worry about practical things like that.

After breakfast at the albergue in Hornillos del Camino, we walked the meseta for 11 km to Hontanas before stopping for coffee and perhaps a second breakfast. Hontanas is small but the main street is lined with albergues. Those missing out in Hornillos del Camino could breathe a sigh of relief when they got to Hontanas. We passed San Anton with the magnificent stone arch. The walk was fairly easy.

Castrojeriz is quiet other than the bar and the alimentacion close to the albergue. Bought foods for lunch at the alimentacion and went back to our favourite picnic table at the albergue terrace. The hospitalero was so nice that he brought out the umbrella and set it for our picnic table. Another good experience at this same albergue. Too bad that they don't have the clothes spinner for our clothes anymore.

Based on the recommendation of the shopkeeper of the alimentacion, we waited until 7 pm to have our pilgrims menu at la Meson de Castrojeriz. We did not even asked for the price. It turned out to be an excellent meal for 11€. It was well worth the wait.

Hontanas

San Anton

Lunch at the terrace

Beef Stew - Dinner

Tuna - Dinner