Footsteps to Journeys

14.6 Miles

A quick coffee, and we hit the road early today hoping to beat the worst of the heat. We were able to watch the moon set and the sun rise as we walked. We decided to wait until we reached Sahagun to have a true meal, which will consist of left-over pasta from our night in Carrion.

As we approached the first town, I felt as if I had entered a Tolkien scene. Built into the hillside were doors, which looked every bit as if they were part of Hobbiton!

More Towns-Hot Day

While we were able to enjoy rest stops in towns along the way, it was a hotter day, though a bit shorter. We were fortunate to have more shade as well. However, waking at 4:30…by the last hour or so, I was dragging. 

More Meetings

As we left San Nicolas del Real Camino, we happened to walk with a young lady from Portugal, and enjoyed good conversation and some enlightenment on our future trip there. We stopped to take photos and she moved on, but these brief connections are one of the wonderful parts of being on el camino.

Sahagun

Coming into Sahagun, you cross the Rio Valderaduey over a 7th century stone bridge, then through a grand gateway and up to Sahagun.

If you begin your camino at Roncesvalles, in Spain instead of St. Jean Pied de Port in France, this is the halfway point. The municipal will issue you a certificate stating that you have reached it. Since we passed that point yesterday,  we decided to opt out on that.

We wanted to visit several churches which are unique for various reasons, and took an alternate path through town, getting somewhat turned around. Thanks to Google maps and the fact that we knew the park where wanted to eat and rest, we were able to find our way.

Last Lap

From Sahagun to Bercianos is about 11.5 km (7 miles) and we were treated to a tree-lined pathway about 6 km from Bercianos, all the way into town! We found our hostal on the outgoing side, which will be great for tomorrow, and rested before we even showered.

Going down to the courtyard later, we found some local men (obviously ‘regulars’) playing dominoes. This so reminds me of my dad and uncles!

Countless times I watched them playing on my grandparents’ front porch! Soon a card game started on another table. After a while, everyone was either playing cards or avidly watching the games, which did become heated at times. It seems like this is a regular Sunday afternoon event. So interesting to be a bystander!

Sleep early to prep for our 16.7- mile day tomorrow. Oh, and we found the 2nd best Sangria we’ve tried to date!

Pre-dawn start