Day 19: Teradillo de las Templarios - El Burgo Ranero (30 kms)

We tarry a bit as it looks so cold, windy and dreary outside.  At 9 am, after a coffee and some cakes, we brace ourselves and walk out into the driving rain. It is not as cold as yesterday but still cold at about 8 degrees. After an hour, we reach the next town, Moratinos, but all the cafes are closed. We walk another hour to reach San Nicolas del Real Camino where we have a real breakfast-- eggs and chorizo, pork chops and salad, and cafe. We start walking again after an hour together with 4 other pilgrims -- Georg, Kathryn, Wiebke from Germany and Mary from Ireland.  They keep a nice steady pace as the wind whips their rain ponchos.  The rain intensifies and we try to get some meager shelter under some church eaves.  Finally, the rain stops but the wind continues to blow against our faces.

We arrive in Sahagun at 12:30 noon. It is the halfway point of the Camino. From here, the Way forks into 2 routes at Calzada del Coto, about 4 kms out of Sahagun.  The left route goes through Bercianos del Camino and El Burgo Ranero and is a gravel path that passes mostly beside a road.  They say that the right route passes through a more pleasant, greener route, via Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, but I am not sure that there are albergues open there.  We decide to go on the left route. 

We first pass Berciano del Real Camino and stop to eat a ham and cheese bocadillo and a cola.  Later, we encounter Matthew, an Australian based in London, on the road and chat about all sorts of things, including the European economy, politics and so on.  We eventually reach El Burgo Ranero at around 5:30, after 8 and a half hours of walking and 2 food stops.

Here we stay at the municipal albergue, Domenico Laffi, a donativo. It is quite pleasant sitting in front of their wood stove fire. Dinner is across the street, and here we meet the 5 American walking friends yet again.  They plan to take the bus to Leon tomorrow-- our planned walking stage for tomorrow.  

Efren, the ebullient hospitalero from Bilbao, talks with us a bit at the albergue living area as we warm up before the wood stove before sleeping. He is very nice and tells us that the Camino del Norte is a very beautiful way but that it is better to pass there during the months of June, July, August, September.

Jacques de Molay is a famous knight templar -- from the Wikipedia, "[Jacques de Molay] was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1307"

Sun, wind and rain -- all together now...

Refugees against the rain -- sheltering under church eaves

In Sahagun, midpoint of the Camino according to this marker

Rest stop

 

Fork on the road -- via Bercianos del Real Camino or Calzadilla de los Hermanillos

  

The Way beside a country road

 

Cruzeiro at the entrance to El Burgo Ranero

Day 18: Carrion de los Condes- Teradillo de los Templarios (27 kms)

Tough day today! Grey skies, freezing cold and wind.

We start out at 7:40 am from Carrion de los Condes. It is bitterly cold at about 3 degrees. After a light breakfast at the albergue and a cafe cortado in town, we start out walking beside the highway.  The Way continues on a gravel-packed road going straight across fields and seeming to end in the far-off horizon. The sky is grey and cloudy, the 20 kph wind blows directly into our faces adding windchill to the already freezing cold.

This flat lonely windy endless stretch lasts for 17 kms and takes us four hours to traverse. Finally, at 11:40 am, we spot Calsadilla de la Cruzada, and walk directly into a bar. I am starving and order a plate of lomo/pork cutlet. It usually comes with French fries but I ask the waitress to change it into rice instead, which is fine. I am totally missing rice. 

We hang around for an hour to relax, chat with the other pilgrims there, have a sportsdrink and a coffee.  Fully fortified, we brave the cold and wind again at 1 pm.  The wind has not abated at all but instead gotten stronger to about 40kph wind from the front left side.   We stop to rest again at Ledigos, an hour away, and finally arrive in Albergue Los Templarios, just before the city of Terradillo los Templarios at 4 pm.  We are able to get beds in a 4 bed dorm room with its own bathroom. Oh, what luxury!

Here on the Camino, one really learns to remember to appreciate the simple things in life -- a warm clean bed, a warm meal, random acts of kindness-- the offer of a meal when you are extremely tired and hungry, a warm bed when you are cold, balms and ointments for your sore aching feet.

Backpack stop

Which way?

"I'm on the Road to Nowhere" -- the song from Talking Heads is playing in my mind as I walk this endless stretch

We meet again at Calsadilla de la Cruzada -- David and Lisa from Germany, cutest couple on the Camino -- Lisa, it's Ryan Gosling

Cloudy skies lead the way to Teradillo de los Templarios

 

Warming our feet

Dinner with the Men in Black from Gilroy, California