Days 13-14 Into Castilla y Leon
Day 13
Santo Domino de la Calzada to Grañon--4.34 miles; steps--dunno. My pedometer stopped working. 555 km. to go
Still in the parador, still in bed at 8 in the morning. The breakfast buffet stretches across four tables: serrano ham, manchego cheese, smoked salmon in slabs--not those silly little slivers like at home. I eat like a horse.
Back in the room since I´m too full to walk, Spanish TV is showing the latest Pamplona madness. They do a retrospective of the tramplings, injuries, and gorings over the last 25 years. Talk about bloody and incredibly dangerous. From a sea of red and white, the news changes to a sea of yellow and white for the Pope´s visit in Valencia. Just as many people are sleeping in the parks there as in Pamplona.
A fountain in Grañon dedicated to Santiago and the peregrinos
Grañon and beyond
I finally go out the door at 10am, and it´s already hot. Grañon soon appears, and I call it a day. This refugio provides a mattress on the floor (quite comfy, actually), dinner and breakfast. Donation only. The volunteer hospitaleros come from France and Brazil and are very welcoming. There´s a new group of pilgrims today (including a girl from South Korea) and a few that I´ve already met and like a lot. And there´s also the first Spanish vegetarian I´ve ever met. I ask him how he manages in a country where they consider pig a vegetable.
View from the church belltower where the refugio is.
Two of my favorite camino friends--Mercedes and Jorge cooking up a huge paella dinner for all of us at the refugio.
Day 14
Grañon to Belorado--9.92 miles; 539 km. to go
More Pamplona festivities on TV during my morning coffee break. The bulls are in the pen, ready for their close up. Did you know the bulls have names? Here we have Pensativo and Escandaloso with their tonnage listed at 515 kilos and 495 kilos, respectively.
There´s a heat wave going on, which was bound to happen since the weather was perfect all last week. It´s going to mean 5:30am departures now.
The back of beyond in Castilla y Leon
More flowers on the side of the road
I walk into the new province of Castilla y Leon. I think it´s nearly 400 km. across. Whatever. About every 3-4 kilometers, there´s a dinky town to walk through, and if lucky, I find a vending machine that sells ice cold water. Today, it´s another hotel because of the heat (and another coin-operated computer, so gotta keep this short.)
Santo Domino de la Calzada to Grañon--4.34 miles; steps--dunno. My pedometer stopped working. 555 km. to go
Still in the parador, still in bed at 8 in the morning. The breakfast buffet stretches across four tables: serrano ham, manchego cheese, smoked salmon in slabs--not those silly little slivers like at home. I eat like a horse.
Back in the room since I´m too full to walk, Spanish TV is showing the latest Pamplona madness. They do a retrospective of the tramplings, injuries, and gorings over the last 25 years. Talk about bloody and incredibly dangerous. From a sea of red and white, the news changes to a sea of yellow and white for the Pope´s visit in Valencia. Just as many people are sleeping in the parks there as in Pamplona.
A fountain in Grañon dedicated to Santiago and the peregrinos
Grañon and beyond
I finally go out the door at 10am, and it´s already hot. Grañon soon appears, and I call it a day. This refugio provides a mattress on the floor (quite comfy, actually), dinner and breakfast. Donation only. The volunteer hospitaleros come from France and Brazil and are very welcoming. There´s a new group of pilgrims today (including a girl from South Korea) and a few that I´ve already met and like a lot. And there´s also the first Spanish vegetarian I´ve ever met. I ask him how he manages in a country where they consider pig a vegetable.
View from the church belltower where the refugio is.
Two of my favorite camino friends--Mercedes and Jorge cooking up a huge paella dinner for all of us at the refugio.
Day 14
Grañon to Belorado--9.92 miles; 539 km. to go
More Pamplona festivities on TV during my morning coffee break. The bulls are in the pen, ready for their close up. Did you know the bulls have names? Here we have Pensativo and Escandaloso with their tonnage listed at 515 kilos and 495 kilos, respectively.
There´s a heat wave going on, which was bound to happen since the weather was perfect all last week. It´s going to mean 5:30am departures now.
The back of beyond in Castilla y Leon
More flowers on the side of the road
I walk into the new province of Castilla y Leon. I think it´s nearly 400 km. across. Whatever. About every 3-4 kilometers, there´s a dinky town to walk through, and if lucky, I find a vending machine that sells ice cold water. Today, it´s another hotel because of the heat (and another coin-operated computer, so gotta keep this short.)
posted by Pam on the road at 9:41 AM
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