Day 25. Mansilla de Las Mulas

There was a bit of a spiritual revelation on this morning’s walk. I had pretty well given up on trying to phone home in Yellowknife. I had tried using the 00 access code, then I used eSim called Airolo, then I was assigned another number using a Spanish SIM card that I could not get to work, so resigned myself to life without phoning. But all that changed on this morning’s walk. After putting my phone back in my pocket, I suddenly hear Cathy whisper “Gerard.” At first, I thought it was an angel, then realizing it came from my pocket, I pulled out my phone recognizing we had inadvertently connected through FaceTime. I don’t know how that happened; some may attribute it to divine intervention, especially when it happens on the Camino. We did have a good chat, despite the 1:30 am Yellowknife time. If it was a spiritual force, there was likely something Catholic about it because Cathy was able to see me while I was walking, but I was unable to see her in bed.
I’m not a big fan of these transfers. I had finished breakfast by 7:30, ready to get going, but had to wait for the shuttle to take me back to the place I reached yesterday. The vehicle did not show up until 9:00, and driving 130 kms/hour got me there 10 minutes later. A 19 km walk today in cloudy, windy conditions, but I did connect with a few friends. Much of the path was lined with trees, but a British lady clarified that the poplar trees I saw yesterday were actually London plane trees, further describing how they are trimmed, creating knobs, “pollarding” them. She was a wealth of knowledge, especially relating to plants and vegetation.
I’ve included some photos of my hotel room, restaurant, and entrance along with shots of the villages we went through today. A lot of open farm land, no houses, and few places to get water. As we approach Leon, I see mountains in the distance; we’ll be climbing again soon.Read more