Calzadilla to Mansila de las Mulas

This was my hardest day so far. Although I slept well the alarm woke me at 5.40 and it was quite difficult to get up. We were in the road by about 6.25 but managed to pause my map app early on so it doesn’t reflect the actual distance we walked (but only 23.5k). I seem to have done something to my knee - the left one unusually as normally it’s the right one that goes wrong!
So today was hard work despite not being super long. I was feeling tired and my knee hurt every time I stopped (bizarrely not so much when actually walking). Plus think I’m feeling generally a bit off colour which doesn’t help.
Enough about ailments - hoping tomorrow will be better.
So the walk was along a fabulous piece of Roman road in constant use in told for over 2000 years. Clear empty wide skies and mountains off to the right (north). The occasional copse full of bird life and always a nightingale singing.
It felt a bit like how I imagine the Wild West must feel - a lonely train track crossing it with the odd goods train passing. No services at all and nowhere even to sit except the barn with the bench outside after about 18k.
Weather was cool and mainly cloudy so again was walking in my jumper which seems odd in the middle of June.
We decided to divert to the ‘’main’ route at Reliegos in attempt to find somewhere to sit and have coffee. That was a mistake as nowhere was open at 9.30 in the morning (think overnight pilgrims had left and todays batch hadn’t arrived on the whole) so had to trudge on through and then continue on another 6k to Mansila.
Finally got a much needed coffee and checked into the albergue, got clean and did washing.
This is a place where when you order a coffee or a tea or any drink you get ‘pinchos’. So basically had lunch by buying a coffee then a tea rojo which both came with slices of tortilla and bread and a little cake. Very good value for €1.50.
This is a lovely little walled town with a beautiful river and interesting traditional shops. Ferreterías and Papelerías were explored but I’m very tired now so back at base sorting out the admin before going out to eat at 7 at a highly rated restaurant that promises some food I can eat! Hoping so.
Dinner at La Curiosa - delicious, if pescatarian, but probably needed the protein after yesterday and it was a good place. Ate with David and Patsy and Angela from California and Colorado respectively. Patsy is a professor of ceramic so she and cress had a lot to talk about. Czytaj więcej