Since the miles today are on the shorter side and we have a kitchen and we could only buy eggs by the dozen instead of the half dozen, we decided to leave at 7:00 am and to scrambled eggs for breakfast. Good decision. Everyone in our room, save one was up and getting ready to go. They did a great job of being super quiet. I had slept in my clothes (not an abnormal
occurance although sometimes I slept in my gym shorts) and during the night the loose change in my pockets had spilled out onto the mattress. As I began to gather myself and stuff to descend from the top bunk I brushed one of those coins from the bed. It hit the wooden floor, producing a report like a gun shot. Oops. I felt around on the top of the mattress and collected the rest of the coins before they too hurtled to the ground.
With breakfast finished, Sally’s bag ready for transport and Becky enjoying her first of two cups of coffee we headed out the door. We joined the conga line of pilgrims heading west.
In our 12 miles today we pass through 4 towns before reaching the fifth, Carrion de Los Condos. We walked around two traffic circles on our route and found Christine and Carol, our Australian couple as we walked. I chatted with Christine. Our pace was a bit quicker than Sally and Carol’s and we were soon in the first town at about two and a half miles. We sat on a park bench to wait. The town had mounted bicycle pedals in front of the benches to encourage sitting people to exercise, so I mindlessly pedaled as we waited. When Caroland Sally came into view we continued I to town, found an open cafe and had a Coke (Sally) and a banana (me).
Christine and Carol left a little before we did. The route now followed the main highway for the rest of the distance to Carrion de Los Condos. A path the width of a one lane gravel road sits right next to the highway. With but 4 miles to go we stopped in the last small village before our destination and ate an early lunch at a cafe. Sally had a hankering for a hamburger, so we split one. Then we toured the church for a euro and then walked the rest of the way, me out in front a bit, setting a little quicker pace. I waited in the town entrance for 10 minutes for Becky and Sally to catch up, they deep in conversation.
We found our hotel and checked in. Three twin beds in a room the size of six twin beds. Nice. We headed out to see the town, but it was 2:30pm in Spain. Everything was closed. Sally and Becky continued on in search of a beer, I went back to the room for a proper siesta.
When I woke about 5 I searched for a grocery store. Google maps pinpointed one. I walked there, but it was a distribution facility, not retail. Francisco had been lead astray at the same time. He asked a local and soon we were on track the the correct location, the same place Sally had called me from just moments earlier. We found her and Becky in the store, buying scissor salad for dinner, along with a quarter of a watermelon for desert.
We ate in our room, except for the melon. For
That we walked across the street to the city plaza and ate it on a park bench, afraid of the sticky mess it would create I the room.
Sally and I cuddled on one of the two beds and watched season three, episode 11 of Ted Lasso-excellent!
And with that, the day closed and we slept.
Can’t get enough of the poppies
The pilgrim statues continue
Carrión del Los Condos in the distance
Route markers in the streets of Carrion de Los Condos
With feet
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