Day 14 - Short day on the Meseta

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." - John Muir.

Day 14 - Castellanos de Castro to Castrojerez - 11km

After being awoken before 6 am by some rude pilgrims, I ended up leaving in the dark at 7:30 am. First time I have had to use my headlamp to help ensure I don’t injure myself.

Made the first couple of km as the sun was starting to rise, and stopped in the lovely town of Hontanas. You almost don’t realize it’s there until you are upon it, as it is hidden in a valley. I had a long stop here having tea and chatting with other pilgrims I have met previously (the ones from Munich). I then spent some time in the lovely and real Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Inmaculada Concepcion. This church was worth the short stop. Completely “real” and not full of gilt and ostentation. The warden let me in as it was still before 9am. She had these 8” long skeleton keys to open the doors. Super cool!

I finally started back on way. As today was a short day, there was no rush. Tomorrow will be a different story - 20km planned. The way was uphill a bit to start and then fairly flat while walking in the fields. I eventually met up with a road that took me first to the ruins of the Convento de San Antón. The ruins themselves were beautiful. But, we encountered a bit of Camino magic here. A man from New Mexico (I think he name was Romano) was singing in the ruins. It was such a privilege to be there for that moment and made the stop all the more special.

Onward along the road to Castrojerez with a smile on my face. Again, along the road for approx 3 km more. I got to town just after 11:15 and beat my pack here by at least 15 mins. I felt silly sending it such a short distance, but it is what it is! For what it’s worth, I think my ankle is appreciating not having the extra weight! By arriving early, I also missed the rain that came to the plains of Spain this afternoon. Yippee!

Staying the night at Alb. Orien - an Albergue run by a Spanish man and his Korean partner. My short day was specifically so I could stay here as I know they serve Korean food for dinner. Needless to say, there are also a lot of Korean pilgrims here today. Dinner did not disappoint. Bibimap - a rice dish with mixed veg and ground beef. It was fabulous!!Read more