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Tomorrow’s Easter and I’ll be walking on to my next stop. Today was a good easy 12 mile day. I’m liking the mesata with its gently rolling hills. The trails are much easier to tackle when you don’t have these steep hills to climb. I’m in another nice alberque. I just finished dinner, getting ready for bed. I sat next to a woman at dinner from the Netherlands who is walking with her husband’s ashes. She plans to spread them in Finisterre, (the end of the land). It’s on the Atlantic a couple of days walk past Santiago. It’s considered to the pilgrims to be as holy a place as Santiago. I came across the ruins of a 14th century monastery, (pictures below) that was the place of a “donativo”. These are places where volunteers set out fruit or snacks, maybe water for the pilgrims to take, asking you to make a donation if you are so inclined. I’ve come across a few of these on my walks, including homeless people looking to help the pilgrims and also help themselves. It was a good day today (except for the brutal non-stop wind and cold). It’s supposed to be warming up a bit. I’ve been able to dodge the rain these past few days. I hope my luck continues.

Easy walk today. 12 miles with no big hills to contend with. I am entering the area of Spain called the meseta…or plateau (probably from the Spanish for table…mesa). I will be in the meseta for the next 8+ days. It’s the largely empty land of wheat and grain fields. The villages are few and far apart, with no trees or streams/rivers. I’m told that this is the part of the Camino that is harder on your head (mentally) than on your feet. Other pilgrims say that this is where they’re able to solve their problems, decide their future and reconcile with their past. There are few distractions to intrude on your thougths. Some say that this part of the Camino is boring. Others find it enlightening. I’ll let you know.

I’m in a wonderful alberque tonight. I’m rooming with a lovely couple from Aix-en-Provence in France, and a man from Portugal. I had dinner tonight in the alberque, sitting with a woman from Perth, Australia and a young man from Calle, Colombia. It was a great evening. A picture of our paella dinner is below. We shared stories of the Camino with our pictures and tales of the road. The couple from France did half of the Camino last year…St. Jean to Burgos. This year, they started in Burgos and will walk through to Santiago. Tomorrow’s another day and another walk. Life is good. My nephew James (the most knowing of these kind of things) said…”Danny…I don’t like my hikes until I’m two weeks into them. Today is my two week mark on the Camino. It was a good day….I hope James is right.