Day 16 - Wednesday, 7th May, 2014 - 28.6 km
[Church - Hontanas]
[Arch over road - San Anton]
[Dog warning sign - San Anton]
Having had a late start to make use of a very comfortable three room that we had taken, we set off towards Castrojeriz a very beautiful town on the Meseta with a church and the ruins of a castle perched on the hill above. It is the town that often features on book covers of books on the Camino. Today the sky was clear, which meant it would be fairly scorching, a heat that would hit is as we tried to do the extra mileage after lunchtime and the late afternoon. We really should have started between six and seven so that we could have been at our destination by 2pm.
We were surprisingly spritely after our previous long day and I was aware that we had already overtaken my previous Camino by a couple of days. We were joined by a South African Documentary film maker called Jeff, who was now living in Australia and trying to decide whether he should remain in the film documentary business. He had a great love of taking pictures and we walked through scenery that looked fantastic. Many people think the Meseta is flat and boring and a part of the Camino that has to be negotiated and travelled through. I differ and think it provides some fantastic views and atmosphere, which would be a shame to miss. Jeff was trying not to walk too far each day, but asked if he could join us and did not mind that we were going to push ourselves to over 28 km.
[Road to Castrojeriz]
[Jeff enjoying photography]
[Road to Castrojeriz]
[Castrojeriz]
[Road to Itero de la Vega]
[Road to Itero de la Vega]
[Bridge - Itero de la Vega]
[Road to Boadilla]
[Donkey carrying goat - road to Boadilla]
[Sheep blocking the road to Boadilla]
Having walked through Castrojeriz we continued across the plains to Boadilla del Camino a small village with a stork's nest on the local church just next to a popular Albergue with a lovely garden and terrace for all to sit out and rest in after their days walk. When we got there it was clear that the place was extremely busy and when we asked the proprietor whether there were beds, he said that the Albergue was full, but he would be puting nine mattresses on the living room floor and that we were welcome to use these.
We had a very good nights sleep there on the floor, which was less crowded than the dormitories.
Buen Camino.
[Lentil happiness at the Alburgue - Boadilla]
[Alburgue - Boadilla]
