Day 18: To Frómista.

Today was a little bit longer day. It ended up being just over 17 1/2 miles or 28k. The morning started with a pretty steep climb up and then down a big hill that is between Castrojeriz and Frómista. From the top on one side, I could see Castrojeriz through the morning haze where I started this morning, and on the other side, my long path West past multicolored fields I would be walking later. From there, it was (mostly) downhill to Frómista. Shortly after starting out, I entered the Provincia de Palencia. (It’s sort of like crossing state lines.) I have definitely begun my passage through the Meseta of Spain. The land is flattening out and the fields are a rainbow of crops.
I passed by two more memorials on the hike over the hill. Reminders that life is short. One appeared to be for a 44-year-old young man.
Again, the pathways were often lined with wildflowers, and some fields were made up entirely of poppies. Beautiful.
Along the way I passed through the villages of Itero de la Vega and Boadilla del Camino, that made for nice coffee and lunch spots. (In Boadilla del Camino I discovered even the manhole covers have a Camino motif.) The last part of today’s hike was along the canal de Castillo which was a nice shaded hike along a working canal just before crossing the canal into Frómista. After checking into my hostel, I relaxed a bit and then met up with my New Zealand friends for dinner.Read more