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April 23. Today was another beautiful day. Cloudless skies, and perfect weather for walking. The only downside was that nearly the entire Camino today was next to a highway. So although I had green fields and birdsongs…the birdsong was often drowned out by cars and trucks whizzing by. I’m in a very unique alberque…sharing my room with a German (now living in the US), 2 American women from Tucson, a Dutch woman and 2 young South Koreans. The owners are eclectic. The wife is a homeopathic healer who makes her own salves and the husband works around and property and just grunts and farts. They were, in the end, very nice people. They grew on me and it’s an unusual place, but it’s clean and safe. The village is tiny and empty. I went to one of the two “restaurants” in town for dinner. The owner/cook/hostess handed me the menu on a ripped scrap of paper….1st course (my choice), salad or soup with chick peas. 2nd course….chicken, pork or fish. Those exact words, nothing more. It actually turned out to be a decent meal (I had the salad and the pork). This was one of those lost villages where you can probably buy a house for one euro. Tomorrow’s another day of walking. I’ve got another 2 days jn the meseta…then I go back to the hills and mountains of Galicia.

April 22. Today was probably the best day that I’ve had on the Camino to date. It was chilly this morning, but not cold. The walk was flat (my favorite topography!). It warmed up nicely, but not too hot, and the scenery was beautiful. I ended the day in a really nice alberque with wonderful people AND a beautiful white Labrador retriever who is walking the Camino with its owner from South Korea. See pic below. Dinner in the alberque was delicious with pumpkin soup, braised beef and salad and rice pudding for desert. The day couldn’t have been any better. As one of the pictures show below, I’ve reached the halfway point of my walk. Tomorrow’s walk will be little shorter. I’m two stops away from the big city of Leon. I’m planning on taking another “0 kilometer” rest day there, before my final push to Santiago. All is good.

In Spain, Holy Monday is a national holiday, marking the last day of Holy Week. Everyone has the day off from work and it’s used as one more occasion to get together with family and friends and celebrate. I’m in a small village with only about 2,000 inhabitants. During the Middle Ages, this was an important stop for the pilgrims, with 14 hospitals established to aid the pilgrims. At one time, over 10,000 people lived here. Now, it’s got a quieter atmosphere. I’ve got a longer walk tomorrow, almost 17 miles. There are very few rest stops or water sources on this part of the meseta. All of the literature advises the pilgrims to have plenty of water and snacks with them for this walk. A word on the meseta….the impression I had before I entered it was that it was this barren, boring landscape. It’s anything but that. I’ve taken a few pictures, but they don’t do justice to the expansive landscape and beauty of the land. It’s an ocean of green. Yes, it’s flat and nearly treeless, but that carries with it, its own beauty. No pictures to share today.

I’m a day late writing this. Apologies to my loyal followers. My walk on Easter was a good one. Although I started my day before sunrise with temperatures in the 30’s, the wind had died down, and once the sun came up, it was a good day for a walk. I’ve got a new Camino Amigo. Clemens is German from the Bavarian town of Augsburg. He’s a real nice guy in his 40’s and, at least for me, is the perfect walking partner. We enjoy each other’s company, and are just as comfortable walking and having a conversation or not talking at all. Last night, one of the local churches had a concert, billed as a “pilgrims concert” In the 15th century church of St. Pedro, one man played a selection of organ pieces (the organ was from 1788), then came down and sang a number of Gregorian Chants and ended with a flute solo by Bach. As you can imagine, the acoustics in the church made the music that much more memorable. After the concert, 8 of us pilgrims went out to dinner. It was certainly a different way to spend Easter, but it was a good day.