Castrojeriz

What a perfect day for a walk. I set off from Hornillos with the sun just coming up, a nip in the air, no wind and an overcast sky. As it turned out, I had a day of appreciating the nature and environment around me, as well as a experiencing a profound admiration for the spirit of some of the pilgrims along the way.

Early in the day, the path was quite easy to walk on but there was some evidence of the rain from yesterday. In some places I had to skirt the main path and take a diversion to avoid the water and mud that completely blocked an easy way forward. Coming into San Bol, which is just an albergue in the middle of nowhere, and then on to Hontanas, I was again surrounded by cereal crops for as far as I could see in all directions.

Then, I experienced a first for me – I found the end of a rainbow. I haven’t seen a good rainbow for years and, as I went along, it appeared over to my right. As I continued, I saw more and more of it appear until I could see it from right to left across the sky. Then, as I came around a bend in the path, I could see the left end of the rainbow as it landed in a paddock next to me. Unfortunately, no pot of gold, but priceless.

For much of the day, my head was full of ear food. All I could hear as I went along were the sounds of the wind, my footfall, and the twittering of small birds that were hiding in the crops and small bushes that appeared occasionally. I was completely present and was thinking of how fortunate I am to be out here, in this place. I also saw a couple of pilgrims that inspired me. I’m not the fastest dog in the race, but I passed a couple of pilgrims who were measuring their progress with each step, rather than town by town as most of us do. Even though their progress is slow by comparison, their determination, persistence and spirit are inspiring and I’m sure I will see then again along The Way.

Hontanas is a nice little pilgrim village that is nestled in a crease between the hills. I stopped for a quick break and then left, hoping for a quick passage for the second half of my walk. Unfortunately, the mud and water that lay on the path slowed my progress but it’s all part of the experience in heading toward Santiago. Further on, I came to the convent of San Anton. These days, the road passes through the middle of the ruins and, once I had passed through, I could see Castrojeriz in the distance. I was hoping to beat the rain that was coming so I put the jets on but the rain caught me with a couple of kilometres to go. It wasn’t too bad, and the walk into town was under the sun that made a late appearance.

Tonight, I am in one of my favourite stops on the Camino. It is a very comfortable Inn with a relaxing common area and a beautiful old library. Castrojeriz is a very old town and was overseen by a castle on the hill that you can see in the photos. Under the town is a network of tunnels that they used for defensive purposes, and basements that housed their animals. I’m sitting here blogging away and relaxed after a good day on the Camino but tomorrow starts with a steep climb up to the mesa above the town and then on to Fromista.

No video clip today because they are a little out of sync with my progress but we will pick them up again tomorrow. In the meantime……

Buen Camino everyone.

Distance today: 20 kms
Total distance travelled so far: 327 kmsRead more