Day 3, April 28, Castrojeriz to Poblacion de Campo

Day 3, April 28, Castrojeriz (mile 201.4) to Poblacion Del Campo (mile 219). Walked 17.6. 

We've been wondering which ones of you somehow "knew" that we'd end up making the more challenging choice, despite all our words of wisdom and caution. We did indeed walk the longer distance (though it turns out to have been 17-1/2 miles, and not the 18-1/2 we thought it was. )

We started walking at 6am again, after coffee and breakfast (bread from the Albergue plus salami and cheese we found at a supermarket for Chrissy, yogurt and banana from the market for Rivy). There was a steep climb early in the day's walk and we enjoyed looking back at the lights of the village from the crest. Photo 1 doesn't give you the feeling of looking down on those lights but it's the best we could do. 

 

Again we loved watching the gradual changes from dark into light. Although the sunrise was behind us, even the western sky before us was touched by "rosy fingered dawn." Photo 2 shows the rose-colored canopy that stretched out over our heads to welcome us. 

Though of course looking back at Dawn herself was more dramatic as in photo 3. 

Though Chris might get a little bored of being asked her age and being celebrated as if being 85 were her major life accomplishment, it is fun to have the world around us join the celebration. So when the still slightly pink clouds formed themselves into two fish to honor her Pisces birthday we had to snap a photo. (Photo 4). 

We thought the trees at the crest of this hill made a lovely design in front of the morning sky. (Photo 5)

At the day's first rest stop, we shared a lovely zumo naranjo natural (fresh squeezed orange juice), some of which River managed to spill across our table. We were frantically blotting it up with napkins when the man at the bar came over and cleaned it up. River said  "Como se dice 'mess' en Espanol?" "no pasa nada (nothing happened, idiom for 'its OK don't worry about it') he said.  It reminds her of the Spanish response to gracias/thank you: de nada/for nothing. 

River is struck again and again by the culture of kindness along the Camino. She finds herself in "kindness shock." 

Here's River letting her feet rest from all their hard work after our first couple of hours. (Photo 6)

For our third stop of the day where Chrissy found her always sought after table in the sun we shared a beer and a salad (we love the simple mixed salad here, somewhat variable, but in this case lettuce, tomato, boiled eggs, tuna, and white asparagus.) This is the day we started to notice more interest in other pilgrims, for example the Italian couple just as we were leaving the first rest stop, who showed us photos from the 13th century Church of St Nicolas which was restored by Italians and is run by Italian hospitaleros as a 13-bed albergue. The photos showed the beautiful interior and the group meal at a long table. They pointed out the dinner by candlelight (no electricity in the church). The man so delighted in their rare experience. "Bella" he said, kissing his fingers in that sensual Italian way. 

We arrived finally in Poblacion and at first had the entire private albergue all to ourselves. Later in the day four Korean young men joined us.  Riv couldn't find the clothesline at first, so she stretched our little portable line across this bit of child's play equipment. You can see what was practically our own private albergue in the background. 

We had dinner at the neighboring hotel (that also operates the albergue) at a long table with people from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Most of the conversation was in German, which somewhat left out both River and the only woman (other than ourselves) who seemed to speak only schweizer-Deutch. But Chris really enjoyed the surprising fluidity with which she engaged in what is after all her first language.  

That's it for day 3. Now will the heroic urge win out again, so that our two heroes walk 20-1/2 miles to Casadilla de la Cuesa, or will they make the sensible choice and follow this long day with a short one (10 miles to Carrion de los Condes) and a nice long rest?