By this time in the journey, we have essentially lost all track of date and time. The daily routine is the same, and we get up and out as soon as both feel ready. Some days there is an urge to just roll over and go back to sleep, but in most alberques you have to be gone by 8:00 am, and you cant stay more than one night unless you are badly injured or sick. This is likely to address just those feelings, no choice, get up and get going.
The first five km of today's walk was essentially getting out of the city, and with the flat terrain we made our fastest time yet, sitting down for a mid morning breakfast having walked 11.5 km in 2.5 hours. This was partly due to the cool overcast weather that makes most people walk faster. Shortly after that we made our entrance to the Meseta, a three or four day section of high plains, undeveloped and covered with crops, mostly sunflower and wheat from what we could see. Getting to the Meseta required some steep climbs at the start, and to my dread, steep declines on the other side. My knees are being torn apart by the declines, and it takes a good km to recover and start walking normally again. The knee braces and Voltaren help some, but bearing pain is a requirement to continue.
The Meseta is actually a pretty cool place. The sun rises a little slower because of the sharp increase in elevation; there is a mist that lingers until the sun burns it off, there are always wind generators visible in the distance, and an almost erie silence broken only by the whistles and calls of sheep herders in the distance. Because of the winds, it is cooler than expected for such a dry area until the sun is high in the sky. All in all this section was a very enjoyable walk, with a natural path easy on the feet.
Our original plan was to walk past the 22 km for this stage, however, by the time we arrived in Hornillas we were pooped, and decided to stay at a private alberque for the night. Excellent choice. Hornillas itself, according to the guidebooks, is one of the few remaining towns unchanged from medieval times.
The alberque was immediately on the left as you entered town, and held about twenty people in small rooms and comfortable beds. The place was run by a cute as a button lady Bili and her husband, and had two bathrooms with showers, a kitchen and dining area, large backyard with loungers and laundry and drying facilities; oh and I forgot to add a fridge full of wine and beer. An oasis for sure, but likely not a good place for me to park myself at 1:00 on a hot sunny day. Yes, much beer flowed.
It was a really fun afternoon, met lots of new people and heard lots of new stories. Will from London was a really interesting guy who has done quite a bit of travelling around the world. He had originally started the Camino a few months back but had to go home for a month with tendinitis. His original walk had ended just outside Burgos, and that is where he restarted the same day we passed through. Beer of course was under discussion, and he planted a seed for one of my next adventures. Pub and golf tour of the UK ( Wayne has already signed on). The Good Pub Guide is a publication that identifies authentic pubs across the country where you can visit, then spend the night in a room above the pub.
For supper Bili prepared an absolutely delicious chicken and rice dish that shared around the outdoors picnic table, with of course, ample Spanish wine. The price of wine here is amazing, angling from a buck fifty in he corner store up to €10 for the best little at the restaurant. Fantastic evening where we met Mary and Tammy, two friends from Wyoming with interesting stories, and a number of others.
Another gem of a night.
No comments:
Post a Comment