Day 16 - Boadilla to Carrion De Los Condes 26.5 kilometers

The usual routine at a busy albergue has peregrino's alarms going off at 5:00 a.m. Ridiculous! It doesn't get light until after 7:00.  So we laid in bed till we got bored and finally got out of bed and hit the road at 7:15.  The morning was cool so we did enjoy our walk. A mid morning break found us eating a somewhat different breakfast than Spain's famous coffee and crusty bread. We ate eggs and a variety of breakfast meats.  Well nourished, we proceeded from there and enjoyed a nice walk on a somewhat shade country path while many pilgrims took a "shortcut" and walked along the sunny, hot highway. Upon our arrival, we were able to find a quiet room for tonight. 

Day 15 - Hontanas to Boadilla 28.8 kilometers

For whatever reason, we rose early, had a small breakfast and hit the road by 7:15.  The reputation of the Meseta walk is a desolate, dry land.  But so far we have enjoyed some beautiful views on our way.  Today we covered 20+ kilometers by 11:15. Stopped in a small town with a great super mercado which provided us a fresh lunch and we are now at a busy albergue. We have been very spoiled by some nice albergue choices so we will rest the best we can here. We closed our evening here by trying to communicate with Ruth, a woman, 32, who was walking the camino after extensive back surgery due to an accident she had while serving on a naval ship.  We had quite a conversation, with none of us well versed in the other's language. We were occasionally helped by Veronique, a French woman who had traveled some with Ruth.  

Day 14 - Tradejos to Hontanas 20.8 kilometers

For several days we have been talking about taking it easy and somehow we end up going far beyond what we thought we may do.  Today we may finally have succeeded.  The morning was much cooler and there was a gentle breeze to keep us feeling good. We stopped at every little town for coffee and at San Bol we stopped for a picnic lunch and to cool our feet in what are said to be healing waters. Now we are resting and are catching up as we have wifi (internet) after several days without and look forward to our community meal tonight. It is supposed to be paella. Our slower pace still took us a good distance and we feel very good this afternoon.  The last two albergue choices have also provided us with amazing shower facilities.  Feeling cleaner and more refreshed than we have in days. 

Day 13 - Orbanejo to Tradajo 23 kilometers

We made it to Burgos, a large city. We went to the gothic Cathedral, one of the largest in Spain and a world heritage site. Next, was time to resupply...cash, food, and new socks for Joan. As we approach the Meseta the weather is dry and hot and so our afternoon through the suburbs was not very enjoyable and I (Joan) ran out of water, but our reward was an outstanding albergue and dinner at La Fabrica in Tradajos.  The beautiful stone building was some sort of historic site with glass floors in the dining area so as to view the ancient building's foundation. 

Day 12 - Villafranca Montes de Oca to Orbanejo 27 kilometers

We prepared ourselves for some major climbing today due to our guidebook's elevation maps.  But those maps were inaccurate and it was not a big deal. We traveled 12 kilometers in around two hours. A small time later we found ourselves in a village where we thought we might stay but it was very early so as usual, we pressed on.  We found ourselves mid afternoon in the last town before a long trek to the city of Burgos.  We knew we couldn't go on but there appeared to be no place to stay.  We went in a local cafe/bar and asked the owner if he knew of any place to stay. Although we could not understand him, he pointed us back up the road 100 meters to a Casa Rural.  We found the owner there and she had just finished cleaning after a group had occupied her house for a month.  How lucky for us!  The Camino Provides!

Day 11 - Granon to Villafranca Montes de Oca 27.6 Kilometers

Not sure one calls 27 kilometers short, but that was what we were thinking when we set out today. With stout winds in our face all day, we arrived with Roger from Australia in a small village at the foot of a small mountain range that we will climb tomorrow. After our daily chores we partook in a large pilgrims meal before resting. We have left behind the miles and miles of vineyards and now the fields have been harvested of the hay, and are dry.

Day 10 - Azofra to Granon 22.4 Kilometers

After our small breakfast, we headed out (8:00 a.m.) and found ourselves in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. We stopped at the well-known Cathedral and took a look around. We also climbed up in the bell tower which was quite cool.  Our next hot, seven kilometer sprint landed us in Granon where we found a neat hippy albergue.  The place features a very small, quiet and shady courtyard where we are resting and catching up on our blog.  We will share a communal dinner tonight.