Today, we walked from Castrojeriz to Fromista. It was about 25.5 km, and puts us over 350km walked altogether. We are quickly approaching half-way in our journey..
Our day started at 6am, when soft music was piped through the speakers of our albergue.. As the man running it had promised us - Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven, Enya.. Our walking day started with a big, steep climb, and a big, steep descent. There was a 12 % grade going up (over a 1.2 km stretch), and an 18% grade going down.. Fortunately, despite the rain the night before, it wasn´t too slippery, especially going down.. The rest of the day was mostly across the open plain - open fields, corn fields, open skies.. Seeing lots of John Deere and Case IH farm equipment here, among others..
I know that some find the meseta really challenging, but I am enjoying the openness of it. The light breeze today made it much more comfortable, but also unfortunately masked the fact that I was getting quite a sunburn.. Only down the left side of me.. I guess even 60 sun block only lasts so long.. Several other pilgrims commented on my burn, so it was quite obvious, but I don´t think I was alone..
One delight of today was running into our Langley friends Jo and Lou after not seeing them for almost 10 days.. We all shared big hugs, and said how good it was to see each other again.. It´s amazing how quickly we make friends, and recognize fellow pilgrims, and how nice it can be to see familiar faces again. It´s also nice meeting new people. Overall, a real sense of community. We may all be walking for different reasons, and coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and lived experiences, but on this journey, we are all pilgrims..
I really do welcome your questions and comments.. If there is anything you are wondering about, please feel free to ask. I´ll certainly respond as I´m able..
Blessings to you all.. We do think of our friends and family often, and hope you are keeping well..
susan
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