A big but beautiful day

We are now at San Juan de Ortega, about 24 kms from Belorado. So we started at our weird ghost hotel, and had a fairly good breakfast (the coffee machine made inferior coffee, and even not good chocolate milk) and I didn’t even try the croissant! And there were a few other people, but not many…so we got packed up and walked out the door just before 9 and there was Ana our taxi driver ready for us…so efficient and easy, and she drove us back to Belorado by a different route so we could see different scenery, and she called by her house in Belorado to check her car there (which had been what she had driven us in yesterday) because Rich had lost a his drink bottle and thought it had probably fallen out there…and she searched and found it in the depths of her boot…so kind.

So we set out from Belorado just after 9.30 and found ourselves walking on huge vistas in all directions again…and we were high, and we felt on top of the world…we passed several towns fairly soon, and had a coffee stop in one (and I had an excellent cup) and continued on, being dazzled by the grand views…we could see for miles the Camino path ahead, and see little figures walking along…the photos won’t give the full perspective and extent of the views.

We went down a little and arrived at Villafranca Montes de Oca, not quite half way to San Juan…Rachel and I bought a wonderful sandwich here, but I suggested we take them and eat when we arrive at the top of the long steep hill that I remembered was ahead, and am so glad we did…it was steep and long and merciless but we did arrive and ate our delicious sandwich - a change from the ham and cheese, we had tuna, egg, tomato, lettuce, grated carrot, mayo!!! Then we started off on the second half of the day, in totally changed landscape…we had risen up into a forest of oaks - looking like ghost trees without leaves - and pines and heather…we were in a different world…and this path went on for a long long way…we passed a memorial for people who died in the civil war, and another fearsome dip to a river and very steep up again but was over quickly before we could be too overcome! Poor Rachel was fighting a blister on the ball of her foot, but we all made it, and were very happy…this is a tiny place, with a huge and beautiful church and square…we had a beer, checked in, came back for dinner at 7pm…much more civilised for pilgrims than waiting till 8.30 and having dinner along in the dining room like we did last night. We met and chatted to lovely people - from Taiwan and Switzerland…now off to bed…a big walk into Burgos tomorrow. Final count for today: 25.32 kms and 37,243 steps.Baca lagi