Bercianos to Mansilla de las Mulas

We are amazed by the kind and hospitable nature of the Spanards. Yesterday, we called into a farmacia in Sahagun, and on hearing that we were from NZ the pharmacist gave us lots of little gifts: sunblock, herbal teas and tiny cookies! He had never had anyone in his pharmacy from NZ before, and he was so lovely to us. We promised to send him an NZ $5 note for his visitor's corkboard behind his till.

Last night we stayed in what (hopefully) was the worst hostel of our stay, but the hostess (Rosa) was so lovely and kind. Her little cafe was packed full with locals on arrival. This morning when we woke up the hostel was full of the most fabulous breakfast smells. Now we know why her little cafe (or bars as they are called here) was so busy! We had 3 espressos, 3 toastardas, and a muffin for 12 Euro - not bad .... and it was delicious.

When we called into El Burgo Ranero on the way to our stop tonight, we met Hose and Marrissa, the most lively tiny supermarket owners. On hearing that we were from NZ, they showed us the Santiago Compostella's image on the back of the Spainish coins and promptly gave us all a coin from out of their till and lollipops!

This was our last day on the Masetta, and we had fantastic weather - clear, sunny but with a cool wind. We had a picnic lunch; jam sandwiches, tex mex corn chips, and diet cokes!

The Masetta is the primary cropping area in Spain, and as we are walking out of it, we are starting to see more livestock in the paddocks.

This area is Castilian, and due to a lack of natural durable building supplies, most of the ancient buildings are no longer standing. Of those that are still remaining we can see that they are made of clay, mud bricks with clay over the top, or clay mixed with large stones. Roofs continue to be tiled. The eves are slightly wider, and there are lots of homes that reach into the hillside and are therefore part cave. We would love to have a look inside one ... but so far no offers from the locals for a home tour. Maybe if we smile broadly enough.

We have seen a lot of incredible home electrical wiring - it is just strung together on the outside of homes under the very narrow eves. The outflow from all downpipe also simply terminate onto the footpaths! Easy peasy!

Tonight we are staying in private home, it is large, modern, quiet and very comfortable we are extremely happy. It is a little out of town so we were picked up and driven out by taxi. Before our pick up, we were able to stock up on some essential supplies; corn chips, red wine, new tooth brushes, sultanas, diet coke and peanut butter for picnic sandwich variety.

We are looking forward to a short walk tomorrow (19kms) into the city of Leon. We are staying in a nice hotel and have made loose arrangements to catch up with our Camino friends. We are anticipating tapas and beers with relish!Læs mere