On and on and on

Fromista, Spain
It rained all night but cleared in time for our early morning departure. We've been very fortunate in that regard. While the overcast skies and howling wind are a bit on the cold side, on the exposed meseta it beats baking in the brutal sun. Right out of Castrojeriz we climbed our first hill, Alto de Mostalares, 2,953 feet... wait a minute... we're supposed to be on the flat meseta. Where'd this come from? We had a spectacular view looking back at Castrojeriz before tackling the steep 18 degree descent. Good thing we had our morning coffee. After that it leveled out and we had kilometer after kilometer of already harvested fields with little variation. They say the Camino is part physical, spiritual, and psychological. Today was mostly psychologically challenging, as you feel like you've been walking forever and it's never going to end. Towns were few and far between and the fields went on forever and ever. A big difference between here and the USA is that you don't see any farmhouses or barns in the country. Looks like they live in town and commute to the fields. We've probably walked 30 miles on the meseta between barns, and finally saw our first silo in Fromista. We finally made it to Boadilla del Camino in time for lunch. Lunch breaks on the Camino are interesting, with food, drink and rest al part of the drill. Tending to feet is an essential part of the routine. We all look like a bunch of diabetics who've had the fear of God put in them, stripping off shoes and socks then scrupulously examining our feet for hot spots or blisters. Personal first aid kits contain a variety of foot care products and everyone has opinions on what works best. It's tough to put your shoes back on and get going again. Today we shared lunch with Des, a newly retired high school principal from Dublin. He's adapting to retirement by walking the Camino, though staying sufficiently connected to monitor Ireland's progress in the World Cup rugby match (Ireland soundly thrashed Scotland today). We also ran into Christine, our French physician friend from Atapuerca. The last segment of today's route took us along the Canal de Castilla, a picturesque 17th and 18th century irrigation canal that has a boat to transport pilgrims to Fromista for a very reasonable fee. Too bad it's Sunday and doesn't seem to be running or we would've gladly supported the local boating community. The canal ended in a series of locks right at our destination for the night.Leer más