Day 22: Calzadilla to Sahagún, part 1

Mileage: 14 miles
Altitude gain: 571 feet
Altitude loss: 689 feet
Weather: Cloudy but nice; rainy in Sahagún
Total mileage: 263.75 miles

Such a beautiful day! So much better than yesterday. I was awake early and on the road by 7:00. Snoring story: I shared a room with four other people, including a mother, father, and grown daughter from the south of England. The mother and daughter each warned me about dad’s snoring; I assured them I have earplugs. Well, I told them in the morning that it was nothing compared to the woman that Angela and I heard in Belorado!

I stopped for breakfast in Ledigos, which was unremarkable aside from the panhandling cat who jumped into my lap looking for food. I talked to some other pilgrims today, including three American women and a teacher from South Africa walking with her daughter. Lunch was a delicious veggie burger in San Nicolás del Real Camino.
I arrived in Sahagún at about 1:30 with no reservation but walked up to a little pension/hotel at the right time to get a room with private bathroom, which is quite the luxury at this point.
Sahagún considers itself the halfway point for pilgrims who start in Saint Jean, and one can acquire a “halfway compostela” at the Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina, a former church/museum. I walked over there in the rain for that, bought some supplies at a grocery store, and had some dinner with another American staying at my hotel. I also talked with two Dutch men who have bicycled here from home. Wow.

1. I wish this photo better showed how huge these roses were. This appears to be the ideal climate for roses - they’re all over the place, covered in blooms, even those in places that seem unlikely to receive much TLC.
2. and 3. Lovely early morning light and bird concerts this morning.
4. So many “jazz hands” bushes, as Angela and I dubbed them, along the path today. Very cheering.
5. Near Ledigos. Barn?
6. More grain fields all along the way today
7. Hobbit holes!
8. and 9. Besides the hobbit holes, the village of Moratinos had a lot of interesting features, including this door and a plaza festooned with knitted flags and tree cozies.
10. I don’t get tired of these views.Read more