Day 16: Villafranca to Atapuerca 19 km

Today’s walk was mostly through pine forest, which again reminded me of where I grew up in Louisiana. Even the dirt was as red as the Red River, reminding me of my childhood home. I even saw a deer right off the trail, which is the first wildlife I’ve seen in Spain. There was a light rain all day, which kept the temperature cool so I didn’t mind it at all. I met up with Veronica from the Netherlands a few kilometers in to my walk. I haven’t seen her for a few days, so I was thrilled to run in to her on the trail. I ended up walking most of the day with her, which was a pleasure. I had the best Spanish tortilla I’ve ever eaten in a little café in San Juan de Ortega. That gave me the energy to easily finish the last 6 km. I had dinner tonight with the Navy guys who Grace and I met on our first day back in St. Jean Pied de Port over two weeks ago (which feels like months ago 😲). We’ve been on different stops since Legroño, so it was fun to meet up with them again.
I had no problem walking 19 km today, so hopefully the 20 km to Burgos will be easy tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to seeing this historic city.Læs mere