Santa Domingo de la Calzada (20.7/210.7)

A perfect day’s walk that went exactly to plan! A clear cool day with more luscious farmlands with a coffee stop after 5km, lunch after 15 and at our accommodation by 3pm.
The farming activity is so impressive. The scale is mind- boggling. Day after day we walk through the farms and vineyards and they stretch as far as the eye can see. The farms look organised and neat and every bit if land is used or ploughed for next year. Harvesting season must be full on.
There don’t seem to be farmhouses so we guess they all live in the villages and work the farms. Also guessing that the farms are owned by co-operatives or organisations but we will research more.
Tomorrow we are having a tourist / rest day and spending 2 nights here at Hospederia Cistercience. A Cistercian retreat house.
We spent the afternoon and evening walking around the old town, had a drink and dinner with a Pilgrim we met a week ago who is struggling a bit and then went to the mass which was the commencement of the 2 week celebrations of the feast days of Santa Domingo who took care of Pilgrims. Lots of singing and a full church. We had seen the procession go past while having dinner before mass.
Looking forward to a relax day tomorrow!Read more