Or: A glorious day along the N-120 highway I tried to avoid it, but missed the turnoff to the nicer (but slightly longer and hillier) route. In the “yellow German guide”, now available in English,  Raimondo Joos writes “This route is only recommended for pronounced masochists, hardcore car enthusiasts, and people who want to purge…

Today really was a short day. This morning I hoped to sleep late, but somewhere in the hostal an alarm clock  started beeping at 6 a.m. and didn’t stop. It wasn’t loud, but woke me anyway. At least I slept well before that. In between a leisurely breakfast and a trip to the laundromat, I…

That sounds like a short day, right? However, it was preceded by 2 hours browsing in a museum and followed by a ramble through and about Leon, so my feet are sore. I highly recommend the Museo Etnografico in Mansilla.  It is very well laid out, with information in English and Spanish, and gives insight…

Nothing exciting is happening. The weather has turned perfect – mostly sunny with temperatures up to about 19 C. While walking, one has time to look and try to figure out the agricultural practices. What do you think about this crop? Is it rocks or winter wheat? Today being Saturday, the villagers gathered in the…

Grey and cloudy day, on a dirt footpath parallel to a highway, which is great for efficiently moving through the kilometers, although some people bemoan the monotony of it. Music helps pass the time. The big excitement was passing the halfway mark! After we entered Sahagun and passed the train station where I departed a…

This included the longest stretch on the Camino Frances without services – no cafes, bars, accommodation for over 17 km. Just a couple of picnic tables and benches, which were very welcome! Here’s a photo of a clump of pilgrims starting the long stretch. There is, I think, a Korean, German, Irish,  French and Spaniard…

I set out on my own this morning for a day totally of my own choosing.  I decided to go for a walk. Westward. No surprise there. It rained most of the day, which was a long one. I was counting on finding the nice restaurant in Villalcazar de Sirga that I remembered from last…

Whoops! I’m getting behind here with inconstant WiFi, the need to conserve battery usage, and the need to conserve my own energy! Today’s walk started with a steep hill UP in a driving rain. New Yorker J described it as sheer hell, but he’s a writer and exaggerates. Here he looks perfectly happy, having reached…