The Blessings of the Camino

Castrojeriz to Fromista – 26kms

It is extremely difficult to write a blog when you don’t have the words to express how amazing the day was.

Even though I was in bed by 7:30pm, sleep did not come until after midnight. My left foot became quite hot and bothered and it was almost like suffering restless leg syndrome. (BC says it is because my legs have reached the point of just wanting to be walking. I’m thinking not!) It got so bad I got up and went to lay down on the tiles in the bathroom.

Eventually, I managed to sleep after midnight, to then be shocked when I woke up at 7:30am! (The plan was to be out the door by 6:30am at the latest due to the distance for today.

The later start did mean we could have cafe con leche before heading off. It was actually quite nice sitting there in the quiet street, sipping away at the coffee.

With a lot more pep in the step, it was time to head off. Across the top of the mountains, was a blanket of fog, such a change from other mornings.

As we crossed the bridge though, you could see the mountain rising up in front of us.

Reading about this in the book was a little daunting. 1km straight up. And I don’t like the inclines.

I loved this mountain!

I don’t know what it was, but I was walking up that mountain like I was on a Sunday stroll. I kept stopping to look out at the amazing vista around me, taking my time and just walking casually. So many people around me were powering up the mountain, huffing away, barely able to utter the words Buen Camino.

I was taking a photo and a man came past and stopped to look at what I was taking a photo of. He seemed amazed at the view and took his own photo. I often wonder how much the people miss who are racing along the Camino, but that’s their journey I guess.

I finally reached the top and I wasn’t dying! I even spent 5mins stretching. I was completely in a zen bubble.

The ground levelled off and with the fog, it became this eerie landscape, not being able to see too far in front.

That was until the warning sign for a steep descent.

I zigzagged my way down and was practically skipping along.

With each step, I could feel this immense sense of gratefulness entering me. I was grateful for sleeping late to enjoy the cafe con leche first thing instead of having to walk 5-10kms for it.

I was grateful that by sleeping late, I was able to see the incredible views, views I would have missed if I had left when I planned.

I was grateful for the decisions I’d made that had gotten me to this point and I was grateful to just be where I was.

It was such a stark landscape, yet ethereal with the fog. I was completely in love with it and felt a profound sense of freedom.

It was affecting me so much that when I reached the top of another hill and came across a grove of trees with seats looking out on the valley below, I sat down and was so overcome with emotion that I just cried. I felt so incredibly blessed.

I felt very much at peace when I left this little oasis.

It wasn’t far from here that I stumbled onto the Albergue San Nicholas. I was just wowed with it. It had this serene calmness and I thought to myself, I could stay here. Until now, I have been very clear I wasn’t into staying somewhere with no electricity but there was just something about it. (I later learned that when the candles go out, you sit and watch the bats fly over your head, which put me back into the, ummm no camp!)

The surrounding area of the Albergue was nothing like what I expected to see on the Meseta. It was lush and green and a big river running through.

It is hard to believe how much had happened in the morning and I hadn’t even arrived at the first village yet. This was Itero de la Vega, just over 10kms from Castrojeriz.

When I strolled into town, BC and Yukon were sitting there. I was starving at this point and they warned me the man serving was quite abrupt. I went in and smiled at him and greeted him in Spanish (I am an expert at this now) and he smiled at me. As I was leaving, I even got a Buen Camino out of him. It was a good feeling to draw the smile out of him.

Leaving Itero de la Vega was when the scenery became far more like what I expecting on the Meseta.

Trotting along, I saw a woman on the side of the road, sorting her bag and when she looked up, I got the most wonderful surprise. It was Francoise, the English lady I had met all the way back at the wine fountain! We gave each other a big hug and chatted like old friends all the way into Boadilla del Camino.

We were talking so much I barely registered the 9kms into Boadilla, but by the time we arrived, I was definitely ready for a stop and taking my boots off.

I followed Francoise through an entrance to an Albergue and around the corner it opened up to a beautiful garden oasis and sitting down was a gorgeous couple that I’d met in Orisson and again in Burgos smiling and waving at me.

BC had been ahead and was sitting on a bench outside, so I went out and told her she HAD to come in. It was just gorgeous.

It was a hilarious stop with a very funny Spanish host. When he learned BC were only having food and not stopping, he shook his head and said “Ah well, we all make mistakes.” It was one of those places you just stumble upon and want to stay at.

The stop was completely rejuvenating, not least because I learned we only had just over 5kms to our final destination, not the 8kms I was expecting.

Another unexpected item was you can take a boat ride from Boadilla to Fromista along the canal. Too late for us, but would have been a lovely trip.

When we arrived in Fromista to our accommodation, we learned there was a problem with our bed. I panicked, thinking I would have to keep walking, but they popped us over to another accommodation down the street.

Worked out as a win for us as we were the only people there apart from another couple and it was lovely and cool.

When we were walking into Fromista, we passed a restaurant that looked fabulous. Looking it up on Google, we were sold. They catered for vegetarians and vegans!

Nancy joined us who we met in Santo Domingo and it was a fabulous evening to cap off a wonderful day.