Day 14: Sto.Domingo to Belorado, 22km

What a difference a day makes. I left the La Rioja region today and entered Castilla y León. I’m basically on the edge of the Meseta now and the landscape is completely different from what I’ve seen for the past week. No more verdant vineyards heavy with fruit and beautiful green olive groves. I’m now in the wheat and grain region of northern Spain, with shades of gold as far as the eye can see.
Today started off cold and overcast and it took me a while to warm up, but by noon I had shed my layers and enjoyed walking in the sun. I was a little apprehensive starting out this morning because I knew I had a pretty long walk ahead of me and I was worried it would be hard. I was shocked to get to the first town only to realize I’d walked 7 km in a blink. The rest of the day went just like that, and I was practically dancing down the trail, listening to my Camino playlist. 🎶 The last 10 km of trail was right along the highway, which was loud and a bit annoying, but even the traffic didn’t bring me down. I’m not sure why I was so happy walking today, but I think it is getting a little easier and it just felt good to be outside. I have a super short day tomorrow, only 11 km, so should be a piece of cake. My next couple of stages were partly determined by where I could get a room, and how I could split up the distance between Logroño and Burgos, where I’ll be on Monday.
I’m staying in a little hotel right beside the old town called Hotel Jacobeo (69€ for private room w/ bath). As soon as I got here, I put my legs up for about half an hour, which I’ve been doing each day to help my legs and feet recover. After my shower, I did laundry and walked around the town a bit. Of course, I visited the cathedral, which like all of the others in these small towns, leaves me a bit awestruck. I met my fellow pilgrim Catherine from Edinburgh for dinner and enjoyed a delicious Pilgrim’s meal with garlic soup, pork medallions in red wine sauce, lemon mousse, and vino tinto. I was so stuffed I could barely walk back to my hotel. Now I’m off to bed to rest up for tomorrow’s walk. Buenos noches. 🥱Read more