Boadilla to Carrion de Los Condes

Day 15

Another glorious day on the Meseta. The sun broke thru early.

I had been telling someone just yesterday that I needed to find more sheep cheese. If you want to taste along with the cuisine here – stop by a local cheese specialty shop (or Whole Foods) and ask to try the Manchego. It’s a specialty of the region and has a very distinctive, rich taste.  Lucky for me it’s also a hard cheese and packs well in my pack. Today I saw a hiker coming towards me with his dog (off leash, per usual) and asked him if I could give his perro some queso. He agreed so the pup sat patiently while I broke him off a piece. We thought for a moment he wanted to switch owners and we both laughed – but they continued their walk together.

I have relatively few photos from the day – not because it wasn’t beautiful scenery but because by definition it changes very little. Gorgeous rolling fields of wheat or hay, bordered by wildflowers, trees are optional. There was one lovely stretch where the path led along a river which did have numerous trees growing along the banks.

Also, few photos because if I stopped to take picture of every beautiful roadside bank or to document each new type of wildflower, my trek would take an additional two months. As patient as my family and employer have been thus far – I don’t think that would suit anyone.

I turned off my music couple days ago to listen to the birds and think. There were plenty of birds along the river. When the path started to border the roadway in the last 6k the birdsong disappeared and when I stopped walking all I heard was a light breeze through the grass.

At one point early on I stopped and offered to take a photo of an Italian couple as she was taking picture of him solo. In return he took this picture.

At the end of the day I checked into the Santa Clare Monastery and splashed out 25€ for a single room. Much to my shock it also came with a private restroom and bath. The bath didn’t have a way to plug the drain so I improvised with a flimsy plastic bag the shopkeepers insist on putting a single piece of fruit into. Worked like a charm.

In the absence of copious photos today I thought I might touch on a few topics that have come up in the comments or private contacts. Housekeeping, as it were.

Directions. The Way is clearly marked with signs at every turn. Whether a yellow arrow spray painted on a curb, road, or sidewalk; a stone arrow laid out in the middle of the path; a road sign with a pilgrim, shell, and arrow; sometimes tiles in the sidewalk that point the way; metal markers of shells embedded in the sidewalk; sometimes fancy copper shells in a row.  I don’t actually have a full map. I have a guidebook that tells me logical starting and ending points and areas of interest along the way. Only a few times have I looked around and not seen any arrows or signs in towns. In those instances, townspeople are more than happy to point the direction. Possibly out of respect for pilgrims. Possibly because they don’t want me wandering accidentally into their backyard. Either way, it’s a very easy route to follow thanks to the planning of the Spanish. The path marker pictured is one of the most common ‘official’ markers. Also one of the most reliable. The small side of the shell is pointing the way.

Reststops. With or without actual bathrooms. Ideally nature calls as one is approaching a town and the sign for a Bar is in view. Bar owners are more than happy to provide facilities to customers. Emphasis on customers. Fortunately bars here provide cafe con leche, orange juice, fruit, sandwiches, bottles of water, ice cream, etc.  There is always something feasible to purchase in exchange for amenities. So, what about elsewhere?  Well, nature sometimes calls in nature. It’s just a thing. Discretion is the best rule. And a handy hygiene pack.

Snoring. Tales of snoring in albergues have reached epic proportions. Sometimes they’re true. Albergues can be set up in any configuration – from private rooms to huge dorms of 48 bunk beds in one room. Pilgrims hike all day and sometimes hit the pillow dead asleep, snoring almost instantly. Ear plugs are essential.  Sometimes I don’t remember to put them in right away. Last night was such a time. I awoke about midnight for a restroom break and a few pilgrims were awake when I got back to the loft. The snoring going on below the loft was reaching ear splitting levels. One pilgrim who is Italian and speaks little English made a mooing sound like a cow. Those of us who were awake burst out into laughter because it fit in perfectly with the sounds from below in the repurposed barn. The Italian pilgrim was happy to have made a multilingual joke. I got out my ear plugs shortly after.

More later…

This is being posted the next day from a cafe. The sisters are famously hospitable but don’t do wifi.