Frómista

We set out shortly after 8 a.m. from Hontanas, which would be a late start for walking but was just right for biking.

We pedaled past several ruins, including the impressive remains of a medieval nunnery before stopping for breakfast in Castrojeriz. It is a long, skinny town of great beauty.

After Castrojeriz we soon came upon the steepest hill of the day. The batteries on our rented ebikes were extremely helpful in providing extra oomph to get us to the top without stopping. After a short bit of level riding, we then faced another roller coaster drop off the hill.

By the time we arrived in Fromista, which was a little shy of our halfway point, our batteries were down to 2 of 5 bars. So we stopped in a cafe bar, asked if we could charge while we ate, and spent a pleasant hour eating tortillas and bocadillos, and drinking coffee and tinto de verano.

Setting off from Fromista, the headwinds we’d been battling all day seemed to intensify. Riding with the wind whistling in my ears was a constant reminder of Hurricane Ian’s strong winds bearing down on our home state of Florida today.

Three towns prior to our lodging, my bike’s battery died. We tried swapping in Allan’s battery which still had some charge, but it didn’t fit. So we took turns alternating between the bikes from then until we reached Calzadilla de la Cueza, a few kilometers down the Camino.

The first albergue I approached asking to buy 30 minutes of electricity turned me away, suggesting that I try one of the town’s bars. The first was closed, but we got lucky at the second. An hour later we were on our way with enough charge to make it to Albergue San Bruno in time for quick showers before the 7 p.m. communal meal. All in, we pedaled close to 90 kilometers today.

Sitting down to dinner, we were delighted to bump into a father-son duo we’d met at Orisson.

Tomorrow, we’ll bike about 65 kilometers to Leon, and relinquish our two-wheeled steeds.Read more