Day 24

My walking buddy decides to move on by taxi as today is 17 km with nothingness, just walking gravel and sealed roads, fields that have been ploughed, no houses or farms.I decide I am going to walk..26.6 km. The morning is cold but warms up by 11 o’clock, along the Way I find a picnic table and stop and give my feet a rest after about 1 and half hours..Doing around 4.5 km an hour. I am enjoying the quiet on my own and thinking life pretty easy when you just have to put one foot after another and decide where to sleep, what to eat. My only big bear is my feet, my right top arch had been sore and today it has swapped to the left. I think these boots are just too rigid for this sort walking.I put my instep in to see if more support.

I come to little village and find a little garden to eat my lunch in as I had managed to make some from breakfast at the hotel. Wind was slightly cold, but lots birds around.. I end up walking with an American guy in his early 60s for a while, he never been out of the state’s before and was not very positive. We hit Ledigos and sign says 373,870 km to Santiago, he says I thought it was only just over 200. I said we only just passed half way.I say goodbye and carry on knowing I only have 3 more km to go. Arrive at albergue where I sent my bag, only one open in town , they say fully booked, you can have mattress on lounge floor. I say yes as no where else to go, I end up sharing with two Korean girls and had great nights sleep. 

The place was booked out with big group of Korean youngsters. Some other people arrive and end up walking back 3 km to stay night. 

Day 25

My feet are sore but just  keep going, nothing for breakfast apart from Orange juice and coffee as it’s toast. I start off again in the cold, sun coming up. After 5 km arrive small village called “El Castillo de Moratinos”.  As,it comes into sight I see a big mound dirt with what appears to be caves with doors. No hobbits don’t live here, they were called “bodegas” used in the past for food storage and wine making. Moratinos is one of/ the several hillside bodega group visible along The Camino de Santiago trail, part of the wine culture that dates back 2000 years to the Romans. Caves are still used occasionally for storage of cheese, ham and vegetables. Further along in the town some one has knitted wrap for the trees,an unusual wee village.

I continued to walk till I got to Sahagun, it’s a big town and like many others you see it as you come over the rise but it takes at least half hour to get there. I started chatting to young guy from Bristol UK on the way in. I had decided I wanted to try and get some softer walking shoes and see what difference it would make to my feet. Still got another 10 km to go so good chance to try them out. I found shop open with helpful lady and purchase some and new polar fleece as morning are cold. Found place to sit outside cafe and have usual Spanish tortilla, I felt for first time a bit uneasy as there was weird guy hanging around but the owner of cafe, came out and was having smoke, weirdo disappeared.

I set off with my new shoes, they certainly more flexible and feel like I am walking more normal, still sore feet but they take few days to heal. I am walking a long way each day.I arrive accommodation and again booked up with Korean but single room available so that’s mine. Owner speaks no English, so interesting when they must get a lot English speaking people through each year. Let’s face it 1. 2 million people a year walk the Camino, you would expect at least half to be English speaking. I am sitting here blogging and it’s obviously a public bar down stairs as it’s noisy, the Spanish love to be loud. It’s friendly place with couple cats and a dog. Even had laugh with owner with out language communication, body language does wonders. 

Blessings

Angel xx