Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz
I left the albergue early this morning, a good thirty minutes before sunrise. My plan was to get the majority of the day’s walk in by noon or so. The temperatures on the Meseta are warm, not Texas summer hot, but warm enough and there is little shade.
Aside from having to get out of bed, it was nice leaving early and getting a head start on the sun. I had put some distance between myself and Hornillos by the time it came over the eastern horizon.
Today’s hike was relatively short but there were not many stops between the start and the end. I grabbed breakfast in Hontanas, bacon and eggs, seems like the deeper I get into Spain more likely it is to find my kind of breakfast!
A few kilometers before Castrojeriz are the ruins of the San Antón convent. The place tops the list of my things to do differently next time around. There is a donativo based albergue in the ruins that is off the grid. I spoke with a pilgrim that stayed there and it sounds like a fantastic experience. Maybe closer to a “true” pilgrim night…
I arrived in Castrojeriz by 1:00 pm, the benefit of leaving early. I got a bed at the second albergue that I stumbled upon, and after settling in, I went out to explore the town. There was not much going on out on the town, it was a Saturday, and I was there right in the middle of siesta.
I found an open restaurant with outdoor tables, there were great views of the surrounding countryside. I ordered drinks and tapas and spent most of the afternoon reading Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene.
Later in the afternoon, I walked to town’s plaza and found a little sandwich shop for supper. The food was okay but the background music for my meal, excellent.
Won’t Be Fooled Again by The Who was playing when I sat down and followed by Can’t Get Enough by Bad Company, Crocodile Rock by Elton John, My Sharona by The Knack, Two Princes by the Spin Doctors, Rock the Casbah by The Clash, and ending with Sheena is a Punk Rocker by The Ramones.
What a supper! Sitting in an obscure little restaurant in a town of 500 people, in the middle of the massive Meseta, in the middle of Spain, AND listening to some of my favorite music from the 80’s and 90’s!
It was a nice ending to the day.
Pilgrims and Prophets 
David – I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying reading this blog, and finding it way too inspiring. I am continuing to extend my daily walks, now up to six miles a day, four or five days a week……
Greg
Greg,
Sorry for the delayed response, the internet has been down at my house for several days. How did we ever get by without it? Thanks for reading and keep up the good work on that walking, impressive!!!