Day 22: To Mansilla de Mulas

I left Bercanos del real Camino headed to Mansilla de las Mulas around 8:30 accompanied by Terry, his granddaughter Emma, and her boyfriend Jack. We ended up walking much of the day together and we were all looking forward to having our own place with private bedrooms this evening.
Today wasn’t the prettiest or most dynamic of days. It was basically just a long (partially shaded) hike along a trail next to a medium busy road. Going through the village of El Burgo Ranero, storks were working on their nest on the bell tower. (You see them in a lot of the bell towers. I’m wondering if they have some sort of barter system worked out with the Catholic Church….)
A little later I ran across a row of trees where someone had knitted little sweaters for the trees along the path. (Perhaps to make them more huggable?)

Tonight, we had the apartment for Sue, Terry, Emma, Jack, and me. The “kids” offered to make dinner for us, so they went out and picked up groceries to cook a great pasta dinner while I worked on laundry for the gang.
The original plan was that Sue (a salsa and swing dance instructor) was going guide a dance party, but that plan pretty much fell apart when the reality hit home that we had all already walked over 18 1/2 miles earlier in the day and none had the energy for any kind of party. So, after dinner we just all said our good nights, and headed off to bed in preparation of our hike to León tomorrow.Read more