Day 17 Carrion de los Condes

Finally found a bar with internet access and a computer, and of course cervesza limon. We are about halfway!!!  Difficult to believe.  Here is a summary of the past couple of days:

Day 14 - Hornillos.   We left Burgos in the dark, Richard still suffering from his cold.  We are taking large doses of vitamin C now in the hopes that it will help both of us.  We encountered a new wave of pilgrims with clean shoes and great energy, passing everyone.  They will learn!  Walked across the flat meseta with wonderful panoramas of sky.  I have become a great watcher of the sky since starting the Camino.  And I always know the phase of the moon. We had arranged to stay at a Casa Rural, which we were to phone upon reaching Hornillos.  I sat down on a bench, up pulls a small car and a woman hops out asking El Molina?  We got in and drove 8 km or so to a refurbished mill house with resident dogs, chickens and peacocks!  I think some of the movie The Way was filmed on the grounds.  There was a large poster signed by the cast and several photos.  And later we (all 20 of us) were treated to a fantastic home cooked dinner eaten en famille.  We finished with liqueurs and went to sleep immediately.

Day 15 - Castrojeriz .  Awoke to rain, had breakfast and piled into van for the trip back to town.  There were 12 of us plus packs in a van with 8 seats....cosy.  More trekking across the meseta in the drizzle.  We decided to stay in rooms above a small bar.  After getting settled and having a long lunch of bean soup and eggs we felt much better.  We also felt much better after finding a bank machine which  spit out money.  We are finding that we need more cash than we had planned on because many places accept only cash.  Over lunch we learned that there had been theft in a nearby albergue the previous night, with about 1000 euros stolen from backpacks while people were asleep.  We rested then had dinner at the bar below us, rediscovering our new Irish friend, to replace our old Irish friends who have returned home.

Day 16 - More drizzle. And relentless head winds. The meseta instead of being hot and dry is cold and wet.  It was a tiring walk, fighting the wind all the way to Boadilla where we stayed in a really nice albergue En El Camino, run by a local family.  Dinner was at long tables and very good with lentils, chick pea soup and chicken....lots of it.  Food is definitely one of the high points of the day, and we are always hungry for dinner.  We also spent spme time planning the next week or two, as we are booking ahead, so avoid the stress of finding no room at the inn. We   have heard via the Camino grapevine that this September is particularly flooded with pilgrims because the spring was so very wet and many people postponed their trips. 
Also learned that there is a 91 year old man walking the Camino solo....so the pressure if off Richard, whose cold is much better.  The problem now is shin splints.

Day 17 - Carrion.  Awoke to guess what, more drizzle and rain.  But we are getting the drill down and just deal with it.  Started again in the dark, walking along the canal system that irrigates this agricultural area.  Needed the flashlight to avoid puddles.  Lots of pictures of sky again.  The wave of pilgrims is getting dissipated - a blessing!  We have been very fortunate to this point.  Our bodies are holding up pretty well and our spirits are good, for the most part.  We have decided that you really have to be a little bit crazy to walk the Camino.  And you also have to be quite driven.....even if you are walking in a relaxed manner.  The days are long and we are asleep by 9:30 most nights.  Actually the days are getting noticibly shorter.  We are already looking forward to a second rest day in Leon.

Adios....Hasta pronto....and Buen Camino!  and perhaps a second cervesza before dinner.