Our trail begins again...15.5 miles to Fromista!
(12 percent incline and 18 percent descent)
Me and my friend, Dave.
(Mike)
Breakfast.
Mike, at the top of an early-morning, steep climb.
He just flew up that trail. Still flapping his wings.
(Dave)
Last night's birthday party with a really fun
group of pilgrim pals from Puerto Rico.
Mike, placing one of his family ribbons at the
top of the world. Beautiful view overlooking
the valley. Perfect spot for a loved one's ribbon.
We've even got the ribbon-placement movie!
Dave, out for a morning hike, up 900 feet.
Great cardiovascular workout.
Yep, we've got a movie of Dave, too!
Amazing panoramic view.
(We are really rockin' this video thing.)
On top of the hill we pause, grateful for
the blessing of being on the Camino.
Now we head down the 18% decline.
Watch out, blister! Time to put on the brakes.
Steep downhill, Mike. Better get those big
wings spread out again! Float like a stork.
Kinda looks like a stork, doesn't he?
(Dave)
Look across the valley! We'll eventually
get where we're going. Right?
Albergue de San Nicolas, popular lodgings.
Inside view of the historical Albergue.
Puente de Itero, built in 1050, a good year.
The bridge is in a small village: Itero del Castillo.
Our trail across the Meseta. A vast expanse!
Mike, inspecting a historic canal that was used
to ship the wheat harvest in years past.
An Ancient, crossing. The bridge is ancient, too.
(Dave)
Coming into Fromista and dreaming of showers!
An odd-ish sculpture in our hotel's dining hall.
Iglesia de San Martin, a national monument.
Consecrated in 1066.
Altar at San Martin. So peaceful and lovely.
Dave is about to jump in the pool at Fromista.
Now he's posing outside the Iglesia de San Pedro.
That guy gets around!
Inside view of San Pedro, offering
a beautiful and touching scene of Christ.
Wandering through town, waiting for sunset
and bedtime. It stays light until 10:00 PM!
A story from Dave:
The Meseta is entirely different from the mountain and foothill area of the Pyrenees. For our first two weeks, there were lots of trees, mountain views, green wheat fields, streams and rivers. Such beauty! Now we have begun our march across the relatively flat and dry Meseta. I realized today that there is great beauty here, too. You just have to appreciate where you are and look for the beauty around you. With that in mind, I began listening to the birdsong this morning, looking up at the ever-changing clouds, and drinking in the cool shade when we find a grove of trees. If you click the video (above), in which we are just leaving the village of Castro, you can hear the crunch of our feet on the trail and enjoy the panoramic views. Yep, great beauty here on the Meseta. And life is good!
"Heaven is under our feet as well as above our heads." – Henry David Thoreau
A story from Mike:
Today it seemed there were many fewer people than previously on the Camino. Only about 1/3 of the pilgrims choose to walk this middle portion of the journey, and I'm glad we are among them, glad we have the opportunity to test ourselves against the heat, lack of shade, and relative monotony. It's a different and equally valuable experience, with fewer villages, farther apart. This takes a bit more planning, food and drink-wise, but we are happy to be on the Meseta with its wide, flat views and old, often crumbling buildings. Walking the long, straight Camino today, we were able to see for a great distance...maybe two or three miles ahead. Sometimes we could count as many as 25 people on the trail going forward, but they were stretched out across the miles. These were many of the same groups or individuals we have traveled with and befriended at the bars as we either stopped or passed through each village or town. This afternoon, it appeared we were the only ones on the Camino from about 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM, when we arrived at Fromista. The solitude is nice, but it is also good to travel with a friend. We are learning that there is power in putting one foot in front of the other.
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