Distance: 17.6km, Steps: 24,405, Time total: 5hrs.

I had a better nights sleep which was great. As I crawled into bed at a late 10pm time last night, the church bells in the seemingly next room went off, BONGGGG! It was time for sleep! Mr D said the German man snored at one stage but I slept through it. The beds weren’t very comfortable. I got Mr D’s bed – it sloped down one side & I kept thinking I would roll right out of bed & wake up on the floor! The bed length seemed too short as well as my feet dangled over the end of the bed. As I mentioned before; not a good place for very tall people! But I do enjoy experiencing the Albergues, each one is a different experience with good & not good qualities. The shower was excellent but there is only 3 shower combined toilets & all were full this morning when Mr D needed to go to the toilet. He had to jiggle about in the hallway waiting for it seemed 5 minutes before one was free.

We were up early, packed up & heading out the door by 7am as the funny man that runs the place was already going around cleaning the rooms as people were leaving them. We hit the local cafe for breakfast crossiants & hot drink. Mr D complained about eating plain crossiants all the time. It was either a plain or chocolate one & he didn’t like the latter. So he had to force his crossiant down. No heated up crossiant with butter & jam here! The Pilgrims rush hour hit as people queued up for breakfast & it became loud & busy. Was time to hit the road!

As we left town, it started drizzling a little. Our Brollies came in handy for this. The walk was a standard Meseta run through long straight roads onto long straight dirt roads with not much to look at. And it’s a long 17.3kms before you reach the first town. Like yesterday, we walked closely together. Mr D was still fighting his cold & wasn’t having much of a day today.

Mr D was bored. Bored with the roads. Bored with the flat views. Bored with the sign that read ‘truck food stop 5kms’. Mr D was bored. And he goes “Bloody Pilgrims! I look ahead & see a line of Pilgrims. I look behind & see a line of Pilgrims! How can this be a Pilgrimage with all these Pilgrims!” “The views are so boring I can’t stand it! Perth looks better than this!” “What is the point of walking the Camino if you got earphones on listening to music!” Grumble grumble…. Poor Mr D was not in the right state of mind. He had used all his energy yesterday & was spent today. Plus he was losing his voice.

We arrived at the truck food stop. Not very interesting. Hot drinks served in plastic little cups. Some plastic tables & chairs to sit at. Posters displaying of no public urinatating on EVERY tree. I think they got the point across! There was a man & woman running it & the man had a terrible attitude. I asked for Cafe Solo, he goes “What!?! American?!” Mr D was annoyed by the mans rudeness. He said after that the man was trying to confuse me & should of said ‘Americano’ meaning black coffee instead of being a smart ass. Then two young Asian women went up to him & asked if there was a public toilet around quietly. They got a loud “What?!? Toilets?! No toilets here!!” reply as he practically laughed in their faces. I’ll leave this experience as the lest memorable one of rest stops.

On we plodded, Mr D putting in a good effort through he had no strength for walking. The weather changed as the wind picked up & the temperature dropped. We decided to stop somewhere & eat our sandwiches we made this morning. I spotted a small simple shelter enough to be out of the wind. We enjoyed our sandwiches watching the Pilgrim parade go pass, everyone walking heads bent forward into the wind gusts. Huge ponchos that cover the person & the backpack flapping about. They look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame in their ponchos. You didn’t want to go around the back of the shelter – it gets used as a public toilet & absolutely STINKS! There’s toilet paper & rubbish everywhere even through there is two big bins close by. It’s disgraceful! But I notice a lot of discarded rubbish & toilet paper on the side of the Camino track even by the busy roads. It’s such a shame that people don’t do the right thing with their rubbish. In the far distance I noticed a Shepherd with his flock of sheep.

After our break we only had another hour of walking to reach the small Pilgrim village of Calzadilla de la Cueza. The first town I’ve seen with no Church! Mr D thought about going further but decided he best stop early, rest & recharge. I could see he struggled quite a bit & with the wind so strong, makes harder work. We were lucky not to have the sky open up & drench us in rain.

We have a nice Albergue too. It’s a big bunk room but we picked our beds furthest from the bathroom & people traffic. Unbelievable they have a beautiful inviting pool which is blue & clean. Shame it wasn’t another hot day – a swim would of been refreshing. Too cold today for that. We watched the people we have met stop for lunch & move on; Timo, Marisa, the Frenchmen, Kevin….. We ended up downstairs for beer & some chicken wings before Mr D retired to his bed for an afternoon siesta. I had a wander around & went to pat a happy little black fluffy dog that is a playful nipper & put a hole in my long pants! When I returned, Mr D was fast asleep snoring.

The Albergue was filling up surprisingly. The American & Englishman that sat with us in Hornillos were also staying in the same room as us. Mr D & I went down to the cafe bar & shared a bottle of red wine. One of the workers there was a very happy man. He cranked up some nice Samba music & was singing & grooving along.

Dinner was just down the road at the hostal restaurant. That was where Jo & Sigrid were staying as we met Jo downstairs & went to dinner. Sigrid came down & joined us. There were more good laughs & stories around the table, it was a lovely evening. They are taking a rest day here tomorrow as Sigrid was having pains in her hips. We all sadly said goodbye as who knows if we will meet again. However, The Camino does work in mysterious ways…..

Distance: 26.8km, Steps: 35,920, Time total: 8hrs.

Last nights blog post was jumbled up a little due to the hassle of writing it. Boadilla is basically a Pilgrims town not an actual town. There was no phone service & wifi poor. My phone couldn’t load WordPress but Mr D’s could. However his phone kept playing up too so the blog took twice as long. This morning in the hotel room my phone appears to be working again perfectly fine – go figure!

That was a Camino test & I had failed. I got all annoyed, frustrated & snappy. I was short with people & didn’t want to socialise although I did talk to Jill at dinner. I hope to do better next time.

The hotel room was too bright to sleep. The shutters were open & the street light lit up the room. We couldn’t figure how to close them until Mr D saw the button you press to make the shutters go up & down this morning! Mr D also commented his bed sloped to the side. He needs to write a book titled Banana Beds & Pancake Pillows!

We got up at 6am & left at 7am walking in the dark towards Fromista, 5kms away. Mr D was feeling pretty unwell with the sniffles & sore throat. He could feel himself coming down with a cold or the likes. It was warm outside & not a soul to be seen. As it started getting light, we saw we were walking alongside a long canal. It was a pretty morning walk besides the canal & trees as big fish splashed about.

Crossing over the canal to the town of Fromista, a real cute white & ginger cat followed me meowing away & rubbing himself against me. He was the sweetest thing covered in war wounds, but I had no cat food in my backpack to give. I wanted to sit him up on my backpack & take him with me as he watched me leave still meowing. I felt awfully sad then.

We stopped at the first cafe for the usual. I went out to the vending machine to get Powerade drinks & spotted Jo whom stared at me a moment, then broke in a big grin & grabbed his wife Sigrid, The German couple we first met in Orisson & last saw in Puente la Reina 2 weeks ago! Sigrid was so happy to see us she gave us big hugs & said “I thought we would never see you again!” Jill was there too from last night & came over to talk. Mr D was catching up with Jo whom pulled out his weather app & said the next 3 days were rain! Our luck has run out with the good weather. They were going to wait for the church to open at 9.30am. This is a famous church that lots of visitors come to see. The details on the outside are just incredible. We told them we were to press on before the heat set in & said our goodbyes. We would maybe see them in Carrion if we made it there today depending on Mr D’s cold.

19kms of this section runs beside the busy road in a straight line. There is only brown pastures as far as the eye can see & is the most boring part of the Camino for sure. We walked along a small way then detoured in to an alternate route which added on an extra 900metres. The book says it is a lovely detour under shade of trees by the lovely river. Well it built up expectations that did not deliver. In spring I’m sure it’s lovely, in Autumn now trees have lost their leaves, there is little shade & the river was mostly dry with some areas containing a puddle of stagnant water. Let’s say there’s nothing to write home about it. There was meant to be a cafe halfway along as we built up high expectations of having a hot drink with an iced doughnut. Well all there was, was a pretty little park, the cafe had already closed up as some places have closed for the season. And the cap returned or just happened to be the same type of cap, I saw yesterday on the rocks, today I saw by the river. It might be like the travelling gnome & will pop up somewhere along the Camino when you least expect it!

Still, the river was a better alternative to walking along the roadside as many others did. We arrived in Villalcazar de Sirga where we had planned to stop for the day, however Mr D was happy to try to push on. In fact we got there at 12.30 pm & he wanted to push on without stopping! I said no way gotta stop rest eat drink then move on! The Don Camino cafe bar was very inviting. We had 2 glasses of ice cold Coke each & spaghetti. The spaghetti here is a lot of pasta with tomato sauce through it with 3 pieces of meat. It didn’t touch the sides on the way down! Marisa the German lady from dinner last night was inside the bar & these 3 Frenchmen came along saying “Where’s Marise?!” Mr D pointed to inside as they went in all hovering & talking happily to Marisa, just like bees to the honeypot. This lady is obviously popular on the Camino. Two ladies came by next looking for her & saw the men with her. They walked away with annoyed looks on their faces! Then we had Jill come along to see how Mr D was doing. After a short chat, she was on her way.

Mr D was happy I had made him stop for lunch. Feeling better, we made the last 6kms into Carrion, with Mr D telling everyone how he will ‘carry on into Carrion’ Aussies are needed on the Camino for their humour you know! So the last 6kms were quite boring along the roadside but we ambled along. It is the longest day to date! Our feet felt sore but we managed it! The first Albergue we saw we booked into which is in a monastery building. The guy that runs it is a bit of a character. He turned up on his bike when we were contemplating going in. He talked us in & went through the rules & stuff while his trousers kept wanting to slide to the ground. We got a bedroom with 3 beds in it. Mr D hoped it would just be us two but was disappointed to see a German man on one of the beds. You wouldn’t want to be over 6ft tall as the ceiling in the bedroom is so low! Mr D asked about free wifi in which the man let out a loud sigh & said, “We don’t have wifi here!”. I gather everyone asks him that question!

We went through our normal ritual. Loud Italians turned up which made Mr D annoyed. He said “Why do Italians have to talk so loud?!” Then the church bells that seem to be right in the next room went BONGGGG! We went to find the supermercado as Mr D was stressing the next day is 17kms before the first town for drink & food. We got bread roll & meat to go with our cheese. We are all prepared now. And the cafe close by is open for breakfast at 7am so all should be good! Besides the impending rain which is nothing we can’t handle!

We strolled around & settled for beer at a Spanish local bar. Jill came by & asked to join us so we ended up drinking wine & chatting away. Then it was time to think about dinner. We walked around hoping to see our German friends. It was getting to the point of hopelessness so we looked for a place for a meal instead. I spotted Joe in one such restaurant serving peregrino meals & we happily joined them for dinner. They had also went looking for us. So we finished our day with good food, good wine & great company! Lets see if we can beat the rain tomorrow!

Distance: 20.4km, Steps: 28,292, Time Total: 5.5hrs

We got a better night’s rest after the young Spanish Hooligans outside the street stopped their loud carry ons & gunning their flash cars along. Mr D’s Betadine gargle helped my throat & it was feeling better plus my sinuses had cleared up. We had our bread, cream cheese & chorizo in the kitchen, the only thing missing was the hot drinks!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Everyone was out the door by 7.30am, the air feeling quite warm & the dark clouds ominous. We headed out of town as Kevin from Canada passed us, recognising me & asking Mr D why he didn’t go up to the Castle ruins yesterday. We had to head up a hill, by the time we reached the top, we felt some rain splatters. People quickly put on their rain gear & Mr D continued ahead. I stopped as well & glad I did. I got to watch the sun come up over the horizon just as the Israel woman reached the top. She exchanged a brief greeting, now walking on her own as her husband had to return to work. She seems to prefer her own company, either that or Mr D thinks because we witnessed her struggling with walking in the early days she feels embarrassed. She walks easily now no problems. I enjoyed the sunrise then set off again. There was no rain, a false alarm. It got cold & windy before warming up with blue skies – a funny sort of day.

The morning was perfect on the wide open meseta under the cloudy sky – what a perfect day! We have different walking styles. I like to stop often & photograph lots. Mr D gets in the mind set & just walks head down. He hates stopping & starting. Sometimes it works sometimes he gets an annoyed look at me at being held up. Such was today. But at least I enjoyed the sunrise & see things he misses out on. So we walked to the next town, passing a small church serving donvativo coffee & biscuits. Passed the beautiful rio Pisuerga river then into Itero de la VEGA town for coffee & tea. Well I asked for tea & the nice older guy behind the counter gave me coffee instead so had to settle with that. Plus an iced doughnut as it was morning tea!

That’s when the day got hot & we walked a long straight road again to nowhere. Mr D was going loco & telling a story about the place he had booked ahead. It was advertised with a basement swimming pool. So he spoke about sitting in the pool, getting served vino on one hand, grapes on the other. And as he sank into the pool they put a buoy under his feet to keep him afloat. I told him not to get his expectations up too much!

One lady decided to plonk herself down in the dirty ditch by the road to remove her shoes. Meanwhile she had passed a nice grass area under trees which seemed a nicer spot to rest. I used my brolly with Mr D & together we ambled along in good spirits under our brollies. Mr D singing & entertaining me. I liked to call us the ‘brolly aussies’!

One man on bike stopped Mr D thinking he was a basque gypsy as they all carry umbrellas in the sun. Then the guy didn’t want to stop talking! Mr D had to cut in & say “we gotta keep moving, my feet are getting too hot!” The guy was lonely & wanted to talk to someone. I noticed his bike had a brooks saddle – for those in the know for long distance cycling! He rode off after saying to me “Can I have a piece of your hair to use as a fishing lure!”

We got into Boadilla just after 1pm in time for lunch. Mr D had booked us into the hotel adjoining the En El Camino Albergue. Private room with the standard two single beds pushed together. Own bathroom = luxury. I add the extra benefit is that we can remove our boots in our room. With Albergues, BEFORE going to your bunk bed, boots must be removed & left outside the room in a reserved spot & poles in a reserved bucket also near the boots. We went for lunch & downed the standard beer with a ham & cheese sandwich. Unbeknown to us, after leaving to go back & freshen up, the German couple came through & had lunch there & moved on to the next town! Damn! One lady walked in looking like a complete mess. She looked shattered to say it nicely. She had tapping bandages up both legs to under her knees, one ankle strapped up, face the colour of beetroot. She walked painfully. However she ate & was on her way again.

We sat & enjoyed Vinos & nuts in our little outdoor area & met Jill, started in Burgos & going to Santiago on her own. This is her second Camino Frances & lives in Sydney, Australia. Very nice lady but travelling fast so likely we won’t see her for long before she is way ahead of us.

We went back to the albergue for communal pilgrims meal & the room was full, hot & stuffy. They had put on the heaters, combined with the number of people, it was uncomfortable & loud. The food was good – 3 courses with ice cream for dessert! Jill sat next to us, joining us was a lady from Canada & lady from America. On Mr D’s right was Marisa from Germany that told us she had spoken & seen the Jo & Sigrid. Mr D entertained us all with his jokes & stories. The room had beautiful paintings on the wall & it says in the book that the artist of the paintings prepares a typical castilian menu for the pilgrims. Mr D found out the son’s mother did all the paintings.

Oh & the basement pool right? Turns out to be the small swimming pool outside the albergue cafe alfresco area & is a lovely green colour! So as tempting as it was, we decided to give it a miss. Through I did see some people bathing in it this afternoon…..

And I will also add the flies here are terrible just like the ones at home! We shared our vino & nibbles with the flies earlier this afternoon. Mr D was upset when one went into his vino & drowned in the liquid. I on the other hand put a book on top of my glass to keep the friendlies out! Mr D’s remark after removing his boots & socks today – “My feet have the same pattern as my socks!”

So tomorrow we need to pull a long day if we hope to catch up with our friends from Germany. We shall see……

Distance: 20.1km, Steps: 29,352, Time total: 6hrs.

Another restless nights sleep in last nights Albergue. Firstly, Mr D striked it lucky again in the bed department & got the most squeaky bed of them all. SQUEAK! SQUEAK! As he rolled about in bed. Then the door to the corridor would open as we were unlucky to be opposite the door. Bright light would shine in on us. SQUEAK! Mr D rolled to his side to avoid the glare of the outside lights. SQUEAK! Then he had to roll back on his back as he doesn’t like sleeping on his side. SQUEAK! The door opens again…. all night long…. The second was the bright lights in our faces as people exited & entered the room. Thirdly the door would shut with a loud BANG! Always fun in Albergue dormitory bunk rooms……

The morning was not too cold as we left at 7am & headed to the cafe up the road. It had a sign yesterday promising breakfast at 6.30am & pancakes was on the menu. I was looking forward to pancakes & a nice cuppa if I was lucky. But they were CLOSED! How rude! Nothing was open in fact so we had to walk on empty stomachs for 10kms to the next village! Was unhappy with this but it couldn’t be changed. Mr D had also passed on his sore throat to me hadn’t he?! I was feeling average as well as hungry. So we walked & the Meseta was quite lovely in the dark & early sunrise. We left early but were soon overtaken by the marching ants behind us ( aka marching Pilgrims ).

I sped up halfway through bored with the long never ending road to nowhere & just wanting my breakfast. Mr D was somewhere far behind me talking to the young German man called Timo that was seated next to us at dinner last night. He seems to be a shy lad & doesn’t say too much. At the town called Hontanas, we ordered breakfast & I patiently (!) waited in the slow queue to order. We had simple toast with butter & jam. Mr D had a big Americano coffee & me my usual tea con leche.

Back on the dirt road again with another 10kms to go. The sky was bright blue like yesterday but not as hot. The track was a bit more interesting as well, there were more trees to look at & odd ruins here & there. My backpack was feeling rather more heavier than when I started & I was carrying the same stuff plus some fridge magnets I had brought. I bet Mr D had snuck a bottle of wine in my backpack, I wouldn’t put it pass him! It is nice walking along in peace & quiet reflecting on stuff in your mind. This is what the Meseta is about…. Then you glance behind & see more marching ants that seemed to have come out of nowhere & right on your heels. I pull aside & let them pass so all is peaceful again in my world.

We came to the road & a poor man in his car was waiting for us all. He calls out to me “Peregrino! Passport! Stamp!” Waving a stamp in the air. Mr D senses he is asking for money so doesn’t stop. I instead pull out my passport for a stamp & he offers me a wood token from his basket & asks for a donativo. So I give him some loose change & with my good deed done for the day, ( or I’m a sucker for con artists ) I move on.

We came to the San Miguel ruins & took some photos there. Then just passing it, there’s an open cafe rest area run by a man called Angel. Mr D didn’t want to stop so I brought a Coke & moved on. That wasn’t easy but, he gives me the can then goes to do some washing. I have to figure out how to ask him how much, pay & go! These people are different like that. You pay after your drinks / meals anywhere you go. I’m not use to it. I rather pay up front than later when I have to wait at the counter again to pay. In this case he must of assumed I would sit & drink my Coke, pay & then leave.

The last 4 kms was up the bitumen road in a straight line & it went for a looong time. Mr D was feeling fed up with the long boring roads. The last kms are usually the worst as you just want to get there! Castrojeriz is a much bigger town & the cobblestone street laneways are hazardous, Mr D almost twisted an ankle stepping into a rut. We decided to get a private room in a hostal / hotel. But it was Saturday, we had forgot what happened in Santo Domingo. All the hotels were booked out. Spanish people must make a weekend of going to these little towns in the middle of nowhere or something! It is hard to believe no rooms would be available! So we went back to the Casa Nostra Albergue that I liked the look of. The owner is terrible to find. You wait & yell out Hola! several times before he emerges. But it is lovely. A real old townhouse with character. As you enter there are rows of different patterned tiles that shouldn’t go together. We decided to sleep upstairs, up the old wooden steps & into a room separated into 4 separate bedroom sections. Mr D selected the 4th little room with one set of bunkbeds & it’s furthest away from the hallway out of sight! In fact, it is like our own private room just with no door. And there is lots of floor space to spread our stuff out – & only 6.5€ each!

Very happy with this we walked up to the nearest restaurant  / bar for lunch. Mr D had a big thirst & ordered a giant 1 litre jug of beer for himself! He said the young waitress behind the counter looked 28 years old when he started drinking. By the time he had finished he reckoned she looked 18 years old. Go on Mr D – have another one! We washed the beer down with some delicious tapas food. They gave us bread rolls – which we were already full. But as our Albergue offers no meals, has a kitchen only, we decided to take them for breakfast in the morning.

Mr D needed a Spanish siesta after his beer indulgence. I stepped off to explore the town & ended up following the long winding track up the hill to the old castle ruins. Another Pilgrim was going up at the same time, a man from Canada. We chatted our way up the hill talking about the Camino, Canada, Australia. Many people have been to Perth or know someone from there when we say where we are from. They all say how nice Perth city is. There you go – sometimes you just don’t appreciate your hometown as much as you should. (Mrs J?!) The Canadian is walking with his family whom didn’t want to walk up to the castle. He also said they went by the cafe in Hornillos at 7.30am for breakfast & they were still closed! They lost some business today. The ruins were far better than the others I had been to. It’s free to walk inside & up the narrow stairs. Plus you get amazing views of the town & the Meseta that extends far into the distance.

My quad muscles were cramping up so thought it best to head back to our beds, freshen up & rest awhile. As advised by John from Albany, I lay on my back with my legs up the wall to allow circulation back to my upper body. His wife has had a similar rash on her legs & he had concluded it to do with the kidneys & the constant walking so blood flow is mostly to the legs & feet. My rash is looking better today but feeling itchy. I’m sure it is helping together with the cream. My nose on the other hand is semi blocked, I have spent the last 24 hours constantly wiping my nose & I’m FED UP! There is no hope yet for me…. grumble, grumble.

Mr D took a walk to the supermercado & brought cheese & chorizo to have on our bread for breakfast in the morning. There is two ladies in the room joining ours – this Albergue is great, everyone is spread out so it doesn’t feel cramped. One of the young ladies is from Germany. She has been travelling 5 months. Walked from Germany to France. Cycled from France to SJPDP, then has walked the Camino from there. She lived in Perth for 12 months & reckons it is the best city in the world. No comment. So Mr D asked about our friends the German couple & she had spoke to them today – they are walking here, with any luck we might have a happy reunion.

We went out to a nice spot for dinner outside but dinner wasn’t till 9pm! So we settled for a 10€ each Pilgrim menu at another restaurant which included 3 courses, bread & bottle of vino. Unfortunately we did not see our German friends but am sure we will bump into each other again.

Distance: 21.9km, Steps: 29,314, Time total: 5.5hrs

I was feeling tired first thing this morning from the late night & the sparkling wine I had consumed with dinner. We did our usual pack up & breakfast at the hotel before we set off on the Camino again. Mr D said his throat was feeling better, but he is having an issue with his right heel & is experiencing some pain when walking.

We left around 7.30am, the morning certainly was not as cold & I felt too warm in my jacket & snow gloves. We walked out of Burgos which was tricky, it was poorly sign posted. Mr D almost had us lost but thanks to the E-tex he could see we had gone off the path, everyone coming up behind us were just following us assuming we knew the way. We all backtracked & followed Mr D’s GPS out of the city until the Camino signs were easy to follow again.

We had a good fast pace going on & soon went through the only two villages we go through. We stopped at the second village before we step out on the Meseta. Mr D had a cafe solo which was far better than the two weak & lukewarm coffees he had at the hotel for breakfast.

So it was 10kms on the Meseta before reaching our stop. There were so many Pilgrims , I didn’t know where they all came from but it was making me feel anxious that they would take all the beds in town & we would have to walk on more. I was feeling annoyed at the vast number of Pilgrims & a lot carried a small pack or nothing at all! They must of started at Burgos & have their gear transported.

Mr D said the Camino was testing him today – with voices – belonging to 4 Italian women with tiny daypacks chatting constantly loudly in Italian following close behind us. I soon fell behind tired & my shoulders were hurting under the strain of my backpack. So I quietly laughed watching the women yakking away right behind Mr D. But he started walking faster till he heard 3 voices, then faster still till he heard 2 voices. Finally they couldn’t keep up & Mr D shot way ahead – I could only pick him by his black umbrella.

It had become quite hot & the Meseta is dusty, brown & barren with the odd trees to look at. Because my rash on my leg is taking a while to resolve, I have to wear my long pants as the sun will only aggravate it. It is too warm & uncomfortable wearing long pants & I was feeling frustrated about it. I struggled slowly along as one woman passed me, went to the side of the road, pulled her shorts down for a toilet stop in full view. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Most people go discreetly behind a tree or bushes, but there’s not much options on the Meseta!

There was another man walking his dog, he let the dog crap right in the middle of the track & left it there. Lucky I spotted it before I stepped in it! Just outside the small town of Hornillos Mr D stopped for me to catch up. The town has a population of 60 so there’s not much to it.

The Camino provides as they say & I had nothing to worry about – most Pilgrims were passing through to the next town – another 10kms away in the heat. I was done with walking today! We booked into a small Albergue called Meeting Point. Back into the dormitory rooms we are so familiar with. It has a nice grassed garden area to relax in too.

So we went over to the cafe / bar for lunch & Mr D saw the Israel woman from last night sitting outside the other Albergue. He asked her how she found the dinner last night & she replied “It was ok, not the best I’ve had”. We thought it had been bloody marvellous after eating hamburgers, sandwiches, patatas bravas, croquettes & the likes for the past weeks! And it cost a pretty dime too. Well we didn’t linger with the woman. The cafe was busy & people were shoving in front of me to order,  Mr D was getting pretty annoyed. Then we sat at our table & waited, waited, waited which is what you do a lot of in Spain – patience is a virtue. Mr D went in to check on our order & they had forgotten! Lucky we weren’t walking further & in a hurry. We finally got our meals & enjoyed our refreshing beers to go with it. Some poor soul left his trekking poles behind at our table. He had gone a kilometre down the road then had to walk back & get them once he had realised.

Then we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through town when one van came through, blaring the horn loudly as he drove through, turned around & drove back still on the horn. It’s the towns supermarket on wheels as the residents rushed over to buy their fruit, veg & meats supply. One cafe right up the end of the street actually lets people play an instrument of their choice if they want. But Mr D preferred a quiet red instead in our little garden. One young lady was playing the guitar, singing with a beautiful voice, sitting on the steps by the street.

The showers at the Albergue are pretty average – the water dribbles out lukewarm on a timer so I have to keep pressing in the button before the water cuts out. We enjoyed a Pilgrims communal meal to end the day. I think most people were tired & conversation was low key. We were seating next to 3 men, an American, Englishman & German. There also was one cyclist Pilgrim at our table that had covered 70km today on bike. We had a delicious serve of chicken paella, salad & yogurt for dessert ( Mr D’s favourite haha! ). Being so tired, it was an early night for the both of us, & it was only 8pm!

Today is our 4th year wedding anniversary & it is also National Spanish Day. So we took a Zero day, but we did some walking around the city doing the usual tourists stuff. Had the hotel do some clothes washing for us – the simplest pleasures of life! Clean, sweet smelling clothes to wear!

Mr D really wanted to go see the Human Evolution Museum so we went there in the morning. It is 4 levels & took 1.5 hrs to walk through it. Plus it was free today & we got our Pilgrim passport books stamped as they MUST be stamped every day! ( one of the lectures from the lady way back in Estella ) The first level was the most interesting, showing the earliest human remains found in Atapuerca.

Then we sat down for a relaxing lunch in one of the squares. The city was very quiet & most shops were closed besides the cafe / restaurants.

Then we went for a tour in the grand Burgos Cathedral. It is truly gobsmacking & you have to be there, photos don’t do it justice. And you won’t see anything like it in Australia! So we were both keen to pay to look inside.

After that, Mr D retired for an afternoon siesta & I walked up to the Burgos castle & had a look around there. What remains of the castle is interesting but I would of liked to have seen the underground fortress!

Dinner came highly recommended by the hotel receptionist even through we couldn’t get a meal until after 8.30pm. Walking through the city was crazy again as everyone in Burgos seem to be in the hub – just a normal evening in Spain. The restaurant was a sure winner & worth waiting for! Even through it was a little pricey – it was our anniversary after all! The place so very upmarket that Mr D didn’t think it was appropriate to ask for Pilgrim rates! And as a surprise, the couple from Israel were seating near us & the man came over to greet us. We hadn’t really talked to them but exchanged pleasantries over the the last week passing each other on the Camino. As we left way past our bedtime after 10pm, the streets were still busy with families, dogs, kids, babies, grandmas, grandpas…… It is a different way of life over here.

So we have made it to the end of our first stage of The Camino, the physical conditioning part. Mr D is feeling quite anxious with the second stage – emotional reflection & conquering The Meseta. Let the next stage begin!

Distance: 16.1km, Steps: 22,874, Time taken: 3.5hrs

What a great night was had last night – Mr  D stayed downstairs another 45 minutes before stumbling up to bed. The German man must of been a fish in his previous life, he could drink anyone under the table. He kept buying more wine & after the 5th bottle he was still going! He ordered a 6th bottle & started inappropriate conversations about which country has the most attractive women, so that’s when Mr D had enough & left.

We slept in to our surprise! It was 6.55am & breakfast was at 7am so we fell out of bed & sleepily changed into our day wear. But finding the doors locked to the outside & dining room & no one about! Scratching our heads, we went back to the room & packed up. By after 7.30 the door was unlocked to go outside & around to the front entrance only & not through the dining room. We grabbed our breakfast & Mr D complained about the bed. His side had a noticeable dip in it & he felt like he was stinking into a big hole all night.

We didn’t leave till after 8am. The lady working there is a one woman show & does everything – maybe there’s a chef in the kitchen? But we only saw her managing everything & she only speaks Spanish so talks super fast like the Spanish do & I have no idea what she is saying! Mr D had trouble communicating to her yesterday wanting a double bed & she kept showing a picture of a room with 2 single beds. She had assumed we weren’t a couple.

So we hit the open country road again & it was a pretty easy walk in. The only concern was from the lentil soup we had last night, we couldn’t shake off the frogs following us down the road! Once we reached the highway, the city traffic noise drowned out the quiet peaceful nature sounds of the country. We found the alternative route in via the river pleasant walking following the river all the way into the big city. I saw a deer, a deer I saw! But it quickly ran into the bushes & disappeared before I could photograph it. So Mr D was unbelieving of my sighting & kept saying, “yeah, sure! Yeah right you saw a deer!” Mr D briefly chatted to a Pilgrim man from Taiwan whom had started on the 30th. People starting later then us are now catching up & overtaking us. Most people have 4 to 5 weeks only & have to rush. The only disappointing thing is the group we started with are a long way in front & we will never see them again.

It wasn’t yet midday & as we walked into the centre Mr D spotted Vodafone & they were open! He wanted to top up our SIM cards so we went in, took a number, and waited, and waited, and waited with our backpacks still on it felt like an hour. The service was so slow & some people were just walking out. Mr D was losing his patience & his cool! Finally we got assistance, the shop assistant had to use a Spanish to English translator on the computer to find out what we wanted. We got there in the end & went looking for a bite to eat.

We stopped at Pilgrims Central cafe. Well it felt like it as there was a huge group there waiting for the Albergue across the road to open. All these people must of stayed close to Burgos like we had & got in the city early. After some grub & beer, we had the joy of choosing somewhere to stay. Very complicated. Had to be a hotel or Pension as you can only stay one night in an Albergue. We were needing a rest day as it had been awhile now. But hotels costs much more in the city. Mr D was losing his cool again as we walked around trying to find hotels on the map with no luck. The streets were confusing! Mr D tried one which was actually an Albergue & it was completo full as the Taiwan man we met earlier was outside & told me. So poor Mr D wasted effort going up the spiral staircase almost tripping up in the process.

I managed to locate a hotel on the Camino walkway which does a Peregrino special rates. It still cost us 100€ tonight & 120€ tomorrow night & the room was pretty plain with two single beds pushed together & a 3rd single bed on wheels. No views no nothing. Compared to paying 35€ last night with a real nice modern bedroom with double bed, big bathroom & private balcony. You pay more for less in the city. At least we got a room for 2 nights….

We went out for a coffee & tea at a place called LaMafia. Well they were pretty hopeless as they came out with my tea no milk. Then we waited, waited, waited. I said “I think they have forgotten your coffee!” Mr D waited some more, then had to go in to ask for it again & they forgot my milk a third time. Then they were going to charge me for 2 coffees & a tea! Feeling annoyed we set off to run some errands like going to the Farmacia for rash cream for me & Mr D needed something for a sore throat he had developed. We went to the Supermercado, that was an experience & a half. Mr D used his google maps & we walked half the city to find one! Then we had to work out where we were & google map us back to the hotel. And what was right next door to our hotel when we got back? Like a convenience store!

In the evening we headed into the main Cathedral square & waited to order at a nice restaurant, sitting outside admiring the amazing cathedral in front of us. The city of Burgos is a maze of different squares, markets & shops & the evening comes alive with people milling about, having coffee, walking their dogs, kids out playing, families enjoying the evening out, teenagers flying along on their bikes makes for interesting people watching. I don’t think I can get use to these strange hours they keep. Some restaurants open in the afternoon then close in the evening while others are closed all day & you have to wait till 8pm before they open for dinner. And a lot of fashion type shops seem always closed, don’t know how they make money! Mr D was starving by 8pm & ordered a hearty beef hamburger while I had delicious Jamon Croquetas. We are pleased to have made it this far being another milestone for us!

Distance: 12.9 Steps: 19,874 Time total: 4.5hrs.

Was an unpleasant nights sleep last night in the big Albergue. Our room wasn’t full either. There was a symphony of snorers, Mr D said one lady close by made a donkey sound snore mixed in with the other different variations of snoring it was a real snorefest! I didn’t get much sleep listening to the snorers, the door to the outside opening & closing with loud squeaking  & creaking sounds with people going to the toilet, & two bright orange lights that glared in my direction all night long. I would get cold & crawl into my sleeping bag, then get hot & have to struggle out of it. Not to mention my sore skin rash itchy & burning.  It was utterly useless trying to sleep.

Most people got up early, packed & left. For them it was a long 26km into Burgos. We had planned to do two short days into our second big city on the Camino Frances. So we weren’t in a hurry, as long as we were out by 8am – Albergue rules. Got up lazily after 6.30am & slowly packed. My rash was still quite obvious but the redness had gone down considerably & wasn’t as painful as it was yesterday. The Albergue toilets stunk like the drop toilets on the Bibbulmun Track no doubt due to all that garlic soup eating! The showers are grotty as well & the drains were blocked up yesterday when I had a shower, I stood in a lake of water.

We left in the cold once again, I miss the nice cool mornings we had earlier in the walk. We followed John & his tour group out of town – took all of 2 minutes that! Mr D was trying to find the Camino markings looking at his E-trex he did not notice he walked over the yellow arrow. John in charge of his group told them to follow Mr D as he couldn’t see the arrow either! There was a few spots where you walked over these wide gratings, you almost feel that your boot can go through it & you fall in stuck. John’s wife had a little panic at one such spot & he had to coax her through exhaustively.

We arrived in the town Ages 3 times the size of San Juan with a population of 60. We entered quite an unusual different kind of cafe with indoor plants, pictures & oranaments creating a unique homely feel. It was packed inside due to Pilgrim rush hour for breakfast. The older quirky Spanish woman behind the counter had a real loud annoying voice that grated on Mr D’s nerves. In fact, the more people in the room, the louder her voice got! I had a chocolate croissant with the most anaemic sick looking & tasting cup of tea to date. Mr D had two Cafe Solo & a crossiant. Those crossiants tasted a bit stale & I remembered seeing 2 birds dancing in the basket of bread rolls sitting on the ground outside the side of the cafe on the way in.

Martin & Anna came by for breakfast too & joined our table. This was to be the last we see of our new Melbourne friends as they planned to walk into Burgos today. Tomorrow they skip the Meseta with a train ride to Leon then continue the Camino from there. It was really nice to meet this lovely couple & made me reflect on all those special people we have met already so far on the Camino, knowing that we won’t see them ever again but there is more people we are to meet on The Way.  The Camino is a magical place with half of it being the people you come into contact & get to know. We stayed longer than usual sitting & chatting. It felt good not to rush.

So we left Ages, said our farewells as Martin & Anna disappeared down the road. We went through the town Atapuerca – home to our earliest ancestors. Prehistoric caves there held the earliest human remains ever discovered in Europe. We stopped to strip down as the day was again warming up with clear blue skies. Mr D noticed here some stitching had come undone on his brand new Aarn backpack & was feeling quite disappointed. He has had a few people come up to him taking photos of his backpack & interested to know where it is from. John was one, and one man returning to SJPDP for his second time after doing 3 trips so far on the Camino back to back was greatly interested. Mr D is considering getting paid a commission from the Aarn company to promote their line of backpacks.

The next part was back up a steep hill to the top where there was another memorial cross. You see these scattered along the Camino. Mostly they are rock piles on the side with photos of deceased loved ones & messages written on the rocks. It was alongside the military fence & we both jumped at the sudden sound of a blast as they were practicing or checking their defence armoury. At the top we spotted Burgos the big city – it looked so close but still another 4 hours away. We joked about going to Burgos today because it’s right there – you can reach out & touch it! But no, we wanted an easy day so we ended up going down hill then on the open country road which is what would probably take us to Burgos. Pounding the road is tough on the feet & Mr D said his heels felt funny, like there was a lump rolling around under the skin. The Pilgrim man from Italy walking with his dog passed us by – the one that was sleeping in the wash room at the Viana Albergue. It is a cute little dog but felt sorry that the dogs paws were probably burning on the hot bitumen road.

We were hoping for a B n B just past Cardenuela Riopico but it was completo full! Mr D does not like going backwards but we had to turn back into town & find an Albergue. So we are at Santa Fe Albergue & it is a nice find! Doesn’t look much on the outside but we got a private double bed room with own bathroom & balcony so couldn’t be happier! We had a big delicious lunch sharing a huge hamburger & patatas bravas dish. Then it was just a ‘zero’ afternoon resting & catching up on social media. Mr D watched the New Hustle movie – a feature length documentary that follows 3 of Australia’s most successful start ups. One of these being Canva featuring Melanie Perkins, Mr D’s daughter. He also accidentally found out the winner of Australian Survivor on Facebook which is not what he wanted!

We finished the night seating with a group of Pilgrims, an odd assortment; a Frenchman that could not speak English so sat there not able to join any conversation, a German, Englishman & couple from Poland. It started off uncomfortable, but after 4 bottles of red vino, we were all chatting & laughing away quite merrily. The Frenchman went to bed early & I went when the 5th bottle of wine came out! Don’t know how Mr D is going to make it up the stairs tonight to our room!

Distance: 24.2km, Steps: 34,455, Time total: 7 hrs

The morning started off great. The owners of the Pension had set up the dining room real nice with our breakfast spread out ready to eat. We joined the other guest that had stayed the night. He was Ron from New Mexico & he had just finished the last section he had not walked of the Camino Frances. An interesting nice bloke with a slow drawl. He told us his stories of his Camino walking; “Well I’ve just finished a section from Pamplona which is a bit complicated….. I started in 2012, thought I wouldn’t be back. Came back in 2014 & did so n so section. Thought I wouldn’t be back. Came back in 2016 that was complicated you see I got real sick with a virus & ended up in hospital for a week in Pamplona. Tried to continue but the virus came back. So came back this time to start where I got sick. Now I’m catching a bus to Barcelona & flying home. But I won’t say I won’t be back again this time!”

We said goodbye to the nice male owner of the Pension that made us feel so welcomed. Then we left the cute town of Belorado behind, back into another freezing cold morning, a little later then usual due to our enjoyable breakfast feast. I had Mr D’s snow gloves on & still the cold came through numbing my thumbs then my fingers.

At the first town we came too, I needed the restroom. But here there is no public toilets in towns, & if you use the cafe / bar toilet you must buy something as they consider it rude to use the toilet & then walk out. They also put up signs of no public toileting in the gardens but provide no toilets to use! There was neither options so I had to improvise. I thought Mr D would wait but when I came out he had disappeared. So I continued on taking photos & could see him way ahead of me. At the next town he had disappeared again & I did not know where he had gone. When I finally caught up as he finally waited outside of town, I was most annoyed at his lack of communication, then he complained his knee was sore from having to turn back to see where I was all the time.

This time I marched on ahead. The sun finally came out but it was still cold around 15 degrees. Mr D popped open his umbrella & he looked ridiculous! I briefly ended up talking to a man from England that I caught up to. He asked the usual questions & I said I was first time to Camino & Europe. He asked my age & appeared quite surprised that I had travelled very little. He was under the assumption that Australian’s are big travellers & we also have a reputation on the Camino for doing long distances in a day. Not the case with us!

We arrived at Villafranca at 11am. Here you stop at only 12kms of walking or continue the next hard uphill stage to San Juan & do 24kms. It is again very small town if you would call it that, right on the busy noisy highway. We stopped in to buy lunch & continue on. Here the young German lady came up to us with sandals on her feet. She had been experiencing some pain in her foot & while she wanted to continue that day, knew she wasn’t up for it & decided to stay in Villafranca. The older German man had gone on ahead to do a 27km day. Then Laura came through as well, the last we saw her was in Santo Domingo. She is from Latvia, a country only 26 years old. She normally is bright & bubbly but not today. Mr D asked “hey! Where you off to today?” She snarled back a short “I’m JUST walking!” reply. Mr D was like “yeah, where you walking to today?” ” I’m WALKING!” Mr D took the hint the second time & said no more as she marched by with sports strapping tape up her leg. Her knee must of been giving her hassles.

Even through the Camino continues on the right side of the road, Mr D decided we cross the crazy highway 4 times unnecessarily. I had to race in front of oncoming trucks that came roaring around the bend at me. My nerves were shattered! Then we started the long hill climb waving goodbye to the young German lady on the way out. The sun had got hotter & it was a sweatfest over the next 12kms.

Mr D met John – 61 years old from Albany, WA running his own small tour group with his wife doing some of the Camino. Then I got chatting with John, a nice talkative fellow working while walking the Camino. Now that’s what I call a good job! Doing something you enjoy doing & being paid for it. John & his group carry daypacks & have their luggage transported. He said he couldn’t do the Bibbulmun track as it is too hard for him! And he wasn’t happy with his tour group that were bickering & one didn’t want to walk so has caught a bus to the next spot. His wife came as well but her fitness wasn’t up to par.

The going was tough & I was regretting not staying at Villafranca but the traffic was so noisy there. We came across the Camino Oasis – a stand set up with cold drinks & food on the track with seats & hammocks & all decorated nice. Mr D wanted a coke, the lady pulled out a 2litre bottle to pour into small plastic cups. Mr D said “no a can?”. So we got a can each of Cola Zero. Mr D was not impressed “I wanted Coke! What good is Cola Zero?! There’s no sugar in it! Bleh!” I meanwhile layed in a hammock resting under the shade of trees. It was good! A real lifesaver.

On we marched in the blistering hot sun the views pretty average. One young German man 6 foot something that towered over Mr D decided to chat to him. He was a uni student & Mr D really didn’t want to engage in conversation so he had to walk faster so eventfully the young man gave up & returned to another group.

Meanwhile I was suffering big time. My ugly red blotchy rash had spread to behind my other knee as well. The big right leg side rash had become inflamed & painful. I could feel the sun burning it constantly. I sped up to get into San Juan quickly as I couldn’t cope anymore with it.

San Juan is a town of 20 people. In fact it would take 5 minutes to see the whole town! I’m sure the Camino is the only reason it is still there. There was one Albergue only – bunk rooms with 20 beds in each all squished together. We paid for our beds, paid for our dinner but I asked Mr D if he wanted the Albergue meal & the Albergue worker smirked. That’s because there is no where to eat but there! I showered & put the cream on my rash which was so painful I had to grit my teeth. Then I hobbled around as it became so painful to walk & bend the knee.

We went next door & paid for 2 tiny glasses of beer. Mr D was not satisfied & brought 2 more beers for himself. Anna & Martin from Melbourne were also staying in San Juan but were at the one hostal there. Martin was remarking loudly about the Albergue’s as he was so anti staying in them & there were people seating outside in earshot that were staying in the Albergue. Anna said, “Marty Marty! Keep your voice down!” They were to have dinner close by & Martin said “I know what you are getting! Garlic soup! You know what the bunkrooms will be like later! Especially the people on the top bunks! Haha!”

Yes it is traditional that the Pilgrims receive bread & garlic soup at dinner after mass. It was like a cafeteria as we took a tray, plates & utensils & queued up to be served a bowl of the soup. Pasta in tomato on one plate, ham slices, salad & chips on the other. Mr D is not impressed by Spains chips, they are always soggy not crunchy how he likes them. I was hungry it didn’t matter I ate them all. Mr D had to buy a bottle of red wine to go with our meal. There was no way we were having a meal with just a glass of water! Mr D tried to strike up a conversation with a man sitting nearby that was from Brazil. He did not speak much English & the conversation seem too hard but at least Mr D tried. I was too tired to socialise myself.

The dinner area was a parade of the walking wounded. It seemed many people had knee problems, some had foot problems & one guy had blackened toenails & was limping quite badly. So I fitted in well. Mr D has been very fortunate so far, however after the 24kms he was getting knee pain & sore hot feet. He had reached his limit & prefers 22kms or under a day.

I was so tired & exhausted after dinner from dealing with my rashes & feeling miserable. There was like no phone service at all & I couldn’t get any internet connection to put the icing on the cake so to speak. I crawled into bed done with the day at 8pm & so did Mr D.

Distance: 22.4km, Steps: 32,629, Time total: 7.5hrs

The Roosters crowing down below outside our window, woke me up at 5.30am. Got up out of bed at 6am, packed & were out the door at 7am. The church bells DONG DONGed us along the dark streets as we left. We had difficulty finding the yellow arrows pointing us the way out of town. Usually we just follow everyone else, but we were one of the first to leave. Once over the bridge, I stopped to take a photo. Then continued along the Camino that took a right turn off the road. Mr D had missed the arrow & continued along the road. So we momentarily lost each other in the dark as I kept walking thinking he was somewhere ahead, he had gone back looking for me. So then we “Whatsapped” messaged  each other & he finally caught up to me. Needless to say Mr D kept me in front of him for the rest of the day!

The early morning was FREEZING yet again as my fingers went painfully cold & numb. One guy in shorts & bare hands comfortably strolled past me saying it was 0 degrees. I’m thinking he must come from the South Pole! The sides of the path had brown weeds along it & I could imagine in Spring it would be full of beautiful flowers instead. Mr D commented on these brown weeds, they grow quite tall & have a real thick trunk their heads look like lethal little mouths; “These weeds are vicious! They look like they are going to reach out & grab you!”

We arrived in Granon, a real lovely warm welcoming town. They have put up signs saying “Buen Camino Peregrino” ( good walk Pilgrims ). We stopped in for breakfast at the little cafe there & it was a real treat. We had a lovely breakfast served by a kind, warm lady that did as a bonus, speak English. Such a change from all the sour faced women I’ve ordered from in previous cafes. There was beautiful old French music playing & a guitar standing next to the food stand. Mr D had an impromptu moment & picked up the guitar & had a bit of a play. Last night he had found a man in our room with a guitar & had a play then. If there is one thing Mr D misses, it’s his musical toys. One man picked up & smelt a peach & Mr D’s eyes widen in shock – in Spain you are not allowed to touch the fruit. The shop attendant picks them for you. DO NOT TOUCH the fruit! But this lovely cafe worker did not seemed concerned.

Well we left that town to go through similar open pasture lands like yesterday. We had to be careful of the stones, they were like ankle rollers. Through the next town where old Spanish ladies watched us from their balconies. We have yet to encounter the ‘laughing old ladies sitting on the benches’ as seen on Camino documentaries.

We ended up walking beside the busy highway which wasn’t as fun. The day had warmed up quite considerably & it was hot walking with no shade cover. Mr D’s umbrella went up again & it was heads down & get this over with! The left side of my exposed arm & leg are tanning darker than my right side as we are always walking with the sun on our left all morning. Mr D’s skin is getting darker brown & soon be the colour of the Chico Babies lollies. My leg rashes are all but gone now after applying anti inflammatory cream. Sock rash I think it is as I always get it when hiking where my socks sit. Mr D likes to say I get it because ‘I’m allergic to hiking’. Haha funny boy.

So halfway along this fun part we came to Villamayor a town? Not sure, wasn’t much there, a strip of buildings on each side of the highway. But there was a cafe called Casa Leon & it was lunchtime. So in we went to order lunch & a cold glass of coke each – you really get a carving for coke when walking, it’s the best thing! Besides a chunky beef meat pie with tomato sauce I was drooling thinking about. No meat pies here! We sat in the beautiful sunroom, it was an upmarket cafe & the staff were watching us Pilgrims like a hawk. Mr D decided to remove his boots & change socks. So he left his feet to air & a young lady staff worker came out & talking in Spanish no less told him to put his boots back on. I laughed my head off & we left soon after, feeling watched all the time.

Back to the joyful walking under the blistering hot sun with trucks roaring pass constantly. My only distraction was watching two yellow butterflies dance together fluttering along the flowers.

We arrived in Belorado keen to get a private room for a change. Mr D dropped in on a nice looking Albergue with separate double bedrooms besides the normal bunk rooms as well. They also had a pool & Mr D was keen on the idea of going for a swim. But those rooms were all booked so we had to continue into town. Mr D by this time is always fed up with walking & just wants to chuck his bag down & have a beer – with his boots off.

We found, or should I say, I saw & picked out a real nice Pension called Waslala. Mr D entered this interesting place into a small hallway & set of stairs calling out ‘Hola!’ Sometimes you think maybe you are walking into someone’s private home which is what it seemed like. It is a sweet 3 storey home run by a nice couple, the man speaks English well & quite friendly. We picked a nice private room & even got our clothes washing done for us! Sometimes you know when it’s a good place. Of course it cost more but worth it – breakfast will be cooked for us so we don’t have to go looking for a cafe in the morning. Our room even has an old t.v in the cupboard! When I settled in, I noticed a sudden red blotchy itchy rash up near my knee. What the hell?! I had an allergic reaction to something. Lucky Mr D had all his antihistamine kit on hand to tackle it quickly. I feel my body is punishing me for all this walking!

We had a look around, bit of sightseeing. Belorado is sure a cute little town! There’s a lane that has famous people’s hand & shoe prints encased into the pavement. And as in every town on top of churches & poles there are big stork nests. I only have seen one stork near its nest. Guess they flew south for the winter & will return to their nests later on! Mr D sat at a bar cafe to enjoy some drinkies while I walked around. He was feeling lonely & said if I saw anyone we know to send them his way! After, we enjoyed a nice cheap peregrino 3 course meal for 10€ each. Only the wine came out in a tiny glass bottle Mr D wasn’t impressed about, we had to suffer a small amount of red vino each. And in the end, we didn’t see anyone we knew today – there didn’t seem to be many Pilgrims about.