Day 12, Santo Domingo to Belorado

This morning began chilly and misty. When we set out at 7am there was still a little rain in the air and I wore my poncho for the first 5km. Fiona walked ahead with Rachel, our English friend who sets a cracking pace and I dawdled with Janice from Winnipeg who told me how her 85 year old mother walks 3 miles every morning and cycles 6 every evening. Before she goes to bed she phones her best friend, a 100 year old in the same apartment block, so they can check up on each other.
We stopped at a disappointing refreshment van about 6 km in but Fiona’s craving for caffeine wasn’t satisfied by the coffee we drank there. Today there were precious few opportunities for food and drink so we were grateful for a most unscenic bar by the side of a busy road where we eventually found breakfast. Today we entered Castile, leaving Rioja behind us. Despite walking alongside roads for some of morning, this was another day of spectacular views, intersected by tiny medieval villages which looked as though they had seen better days. And, as always, there were wonderful churches in the midst of lifeless streets.
Near the end of our walk we stopped in a shady picnic area to eat some cherries and drink some water. However, we were so bullied by a local cat who was determined to eat whatever food we had that we we had to eat our cherries standing up!
Our destination this afternoon is Beldorado and today is a local festival with lots of life in the main plaza. We found a quiet if quirky garden for our celebratory beer/wine to mark the end of the day’s walk. From there we could see a stork’s nest on the roof of the church - this seems to be a very common sight in these parts.
We’re staying in a hostel which boasts a small pool in a greenhouse! Contemplating a dip as I write.
The task I’m dreading but hoping will help with blister pain is the threading of small piece of thread through the two blisters on my heel which I have been advised should ease the pain. Am both hopeful and slightly alarmed by the prospect of this procedure but tomorrow is our longest walk to date and I would love to do it without flinching.
Since writing this have carried out the threading procedure - so far no discernible improvement. Czytaj więcej