Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz – 20.3km, 4.5 hours, Hotel Iacobeo, 60€

Although we were in a private room in the albergue last night, we were both still surprised how good a sleep we had. The other pilgrims went to bed early after dinner and we heard nothing from the other nearby rooms all night. Melanie did wake up at 4:00am briefly because she thought her fever broke. She was sweating too much for the cool evening. She took it as a good sign even though it never occurred to her that she had a fever in the first place. All she was sure of though was that in the morning, it felt she had a brand new knee – with no pain at all. Additionally, she re-taped her ankle and that made it feel much better too.

I also woke up about 4:00am but only to check something. FYI, the Orioles lost but are still in first place and the Ravens won but their best running back is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. I don’t recommend that he walk the Camino to help the recuperation process.

With Melanie’s new leg parts, we ate up distances over a pretty decent time. We only had two real hills today, both in the first half of the short day but we still walked the first 9km in two hours. It was there, just before the village of Hortanas, that we stopped at the first bar we could find for breakfast #2 (#1 was at the albergue where we stayed last night). A croissant, banana, orange juice and a iced coffee later we were back on the Camino.

Actually, that bar before Hortanas got me thinking ( remember this third of the Camino is about the mind). We have been walking a pretty straight path almost due west since Logroño. This bar was exactly north of the trail, about 100m. That’s not too far out of the way but as we were walking back to the Camino trail, I felt very uneasy. I felt internally that we were heading the wrong way. As soon as we turned right onto the Camino trail, all was normal again. The sun was hidden by clouds at the time so it wasn’t shadows throwing me off. I starting thinking about the birds and sea life that navigate thousands of miles every year and manage to come back to the exact same spot every time. Do humans have a similar way of internal navigation that we just don’t use anymore? If so, I’ll never forgive Albert de Compass for his invention.

Shortly after making this magnificent, historical and scientific discovery, we reached Hortanas which we walked straight through. It looked like a great Camino village though with lots of nice choices of albergues and other accommodations as well as a good selection of bars and restaurants. Next time we have to stay there.

The second half of today’s walk was Iowa flat with much of it on a somewhat new packed gravel path beside a road. Eleven years ago, our only option was walking on the road. Also, all those trees they planted 12 years ago finally provide a decent amount of shade. Eleven years ago, the shade of the tree saplings wasn’t enough to cool even the gnats that attacked us as we sweated. Halfway from Hortanas to Castrojeriz, we passed through the ruins of the Convent of San Anton. That place is one of the most iconic Camino locations and also one of my favorite sites. It is still used as an albergue despite aging, no electricity, no hot water, no wi-fi, little cold water and not much of a roof. It’s a back to basics type place that is loved by many pilgrims.

Castrojeriz itself was also one of my favorite Camino towns but I had trouble recognizing the parts I remember as we walked in. I remember the square where most pilgrims hung out, the nearby restaurant where we splurged to a nice meal, the little camping store, the albergue where we lined up our bags at the door while we waited for it to open and the post office with the sign that said something like “we are open every Thursday from 10:00 to 11:00am except holidays.” I saw none of that this time and it may not surprise you that Melanie and I don’t spend our afternoons touring the town by foot. It’s still is a great town and I have a great view from the terrace bar in the hotel. I can even see tomorrow’s climb from here. Unfortunately, I can also see the storm that is rolling in. The thunder is also troubling but for tonight, we are dry, have a roof over our heads and we will be well fed with good food. We are both enormously grateful for that, grateful for each other and grateful that we are able to do this walk our way.

Peace y’all. Goodnight George and Leo. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. In fact, tell them to get out of the house!