To Calzadilla de La Cueza

We ventured off in the morning leaving our comfortable hotel set up in a beautifully restored monastery building onto perhaps the most remote part of the meseta. The air was crispy cold around 5 deg but soon we were exposed to the fierce sun on the shadeless track and grateful for the cool breeze that persisted.

We had a 17 km day so I was annoyed by the confusing stylised map that made us take the wrong way leaving Carrion and added another 1.5 to our day; it would have been worse if a local had not stopped his car in the middle of a highway to tell us that.

There is nothing commercial between Carrion and Calzadilla del La Cueza we had been warned, not even a fountain to fill our water bottle, but an entreprising ice cream vendor was strategically parked 7km down the road. We could not refuse the temptation even though it meant lowering our cool body even further; we would have much preferred a hot cup of coffee.

Greg and Maria from Korea

On the way into Castrojeriz yesterday we stopped by a small refugio set up in the ruins of an old convent for a cup of tea. Everything there (tea and accommodation) was "donativo" (by donation). We met up again with Greg and Maria, the Korean couple we first encountered the day before. We exchanged particulars; Greg impressed me with his knowledge of Chinese writing and his eagerness to stay in the place that had limited comfort !

We passed through Hontanas where we stayed on our first Camino and noticed that the pilgrim village had continued to boom with several new and quite stylish places for pilgrims.

Photo taken earlier near Hontanas.

Castrojeriz

We don't normally walk more than 20km but we did today to arrive at Castroheriz; we had to because we are now in a part of the meseta where villages are 10km apart. The sun was hot but luckily the air was cool.

Hornillos completo

Hornillos was totally full. Every bed was taken up. When we tried  booking the owner told us he could put us in his mother's B&B in the next village Estepar 7 km away. We gratefully accepted .

Rabe

A beautiful day for walking yesterday which was cool with overcast sky. At Rabe we met up with a couple of Aussies from Melbourne. The bar tender pointed out that there were Australia and Singapore currency notes pinned to a notice board, obviously contributed by pilgrims. Leaving Rabe, we had company from a flock of sheep and three sheepdogs.

Shades of green everywhere

Spring in northern Spain . Photo taken outside Santo Domingo.

Burgos more

El Cid gate of Burgos.

Burgos

The hot day today for our 14 km walk from Redecilla to Belorado was a reminder that we are walking through open country with  little shade.

We are in beautiful Burgos revisiting after 2 years. Now in spring new leaves have appeared on the pruned row of trees on the espolon which, when we were here last, provided good shade with their full canopy

Vilamayor del Rio encounter

Vilamayor del Rio on the way from Redecilla to Belorado is not a village that many of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims going through each year would remember.  "It's a one-horse town where the horse was shot" said the outspoken and opinionated South African lady sitting at a table in the nice restaurant café a couple of hundred metres away from the Camino route on the other side of the highway.  Unless one deviates from the Camino there was absolutely no where to get a drink.

But that was not the only complaint that was aired. The rather stern manager / waiter received a string of comments in his absence. He was indeed an odd one who appeared to have taken a leaf out of customer service book from Fawlty Towers. He made sure all customers obey the rules for the place which were prominently displayed at the front door, including no backpacks, no walking poles, no shorts, no singlets, no removal of shoes etc all of which pilgrims are mostly to have with them or want to do.

The lady went on to complain about the lack of English probably forgetting that she was in Spain.

We were soon joined by an Aussie family group of a mother and two young children walking for the late father of the children who passed away last year. Remarkably the 13 year old boy walked the Camino with his father once before. There are many such stories on the Camino.

Stories on the Camino

Santo Domingo is a two-tale town. The one about the chickens is too long to narrate here so it's best left to google. (Accompanying photo of the bird cage inthe cathedral). The story of Dominic who helped pilgrims in many ways including building a bridge and attained sainthood despite initially failing to be a monk, is more plausible.

On the Camino we often meet up again with people we came across earlier.  In Santo Domingo we ran into the Italian lady who was nursing a painful foot back in Logrono and who obviously recovered well. And how excited we were when we met up with Cody and Kristy in Redecilla whom we knew from the Sydney pilgrims group!

Santo Domingo to Redecilla del Camino

Today we resumed our walk having rested and recovered, but just a gentle 11km. We are walking in a different season  and the landscape looked quite different from the last time, all green with young unripened  grain crops and blood-red poppies popping out everywhere on the roadside (is that why they are called poppies ?) The cooler weather made walking much easier than last time.

Apology to Spain

I have to admit that in a moment of indiscretion I posted what might have appeared to be comments on the Spanish that were less than generous.  Indeed some readers would say I had been totally rude to my hosts who all had been kind and hospitable. My intention was to point out, especially to would be pilgrims the challenges of the Camino, ad the surprises in some small places like Santo Domingo.

Indeed where else in the world can one get a cup of good coffee for 1 euro or,  as we had earlier today,  a 3 course meal for 13 euros, and find locals who helpfully pointing out the right way to Santiago despite all the disruptions to their lives.

The weather conditions at the Pyrenees were awful but then so are all mountain ranges. Since then it has been clear blue skies and bright sunshine eveyday.

As you can see in the photo we were smiling as we prepared ourselves for some Spanish ham, salad, tomatoes, fresh bread and vino tinto (red wine).

Santo Domingo

Tower at Santo Domingo.

Bilbao -Santo Domingo food comments

Not many pilgrims complain about the food in Spain but we always do after a few days in the villages and provincial cities;  we are spoilt by multicultural Sydney and Singapore no doubt.

We can live with pinchos for lunch but it seems every bar is offering the same half-dozen choices - tortilla,  jamon, boccadilos perhaps drowned in mayonnaise or olive oil. You want anything else you have to wait till after 8 pm or later. 

Bilbao is a city that attracts perhaps millions of visitors each year but it is still hard to find a full meal serving place at lunch time let alone one serving non Iberian cuisine. We spotted a Chinese restaurant in town; like the others  they open in the evening after 8 pm.

Imagine our excitement when we got to Santo Domingo, a tiny village by comparison to Bilbao,  and found not one but several places serving full meals in the middle of the day including several showing off "2 Forks" signs. We jumped immediately into one and enjoyed the 11 euros menu del diaz of fish soup (Kay had salad), lamb stew (meat balls), ice cream and drinks. Obviously the large number of pilgrims have made an Impact here; pilgrims have their special needs,  partly because they need to go to bed early and partly because they come from places with less rigid cuisine style and eating schedule.

Bilbao

This morning was spent at the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum which we had heard so much about. We particularly enjoyed The Clock, a video montage of thousands of movie clips each containing a scene with an indication of time on a time device such that the entire screening act as a real time clock. It was indeed worth every minute of our time there.

We also explored Bilbao's old town including the Camino route passing through there. Bilbao is situated on a different Camino route from the Camino Frances.