July 5th. The walk
today from Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz was wonderful. I think I am going to become a Champion for
the Meseta. I really don’t understand
why so many people have written or spoken about it in such negative ways. For me, this is the perfect landscape. What I love about it is how open it is. We can see so far in every direction. It reminds me of hiking on Exmoor or walking
in the Quantock Hills in Somerset. The
terrain is extremely varied and in some places the path circles around the side
of the hill giving it a decidedly alpine feeling.
We saw new wild flowers today including a lovely yellow thistle that I
have never seen before. We also
discovered that the crackling sound we always hear in the wheat fields is made
by hundreds of tiny bird - obviously having the feast of their lives!
We are now in Castrojeriz - a very old town with a long and varied history. Its origins are pre-historic but it also has an interesting Roman past as well as a Moorish one. The entire village, much of which is in very bad repair, is currently being renovated. All of its old buildings are being restored to their original state (we later discovered that Castrojeriz is a World Heritage site, which explains the frantic building activity). Our hotel is in one such (already renovated) building and it is quite lovely.
July 6th. Today, walking from Castrojeriz to Fromista was also very beautiful. About 4kms of the walk were beside the Canal de Castilla and we saw bulrushes and teasels as well as more yellow thistles and white periwinkles. The town of Fromista is quite modern and has a central market and lots of restaurants and outdoor cafes. That said, it also has a very old (looking as if it is about to fall down) church. Our hotel is very modern and has some interesting designer furniture in the lobby - quite different from yesterday where the hotel in Castrojeriz was furnished in the traditional Spanish style.
Tomorrow we walk to Carrion de los Condes - about 23 kms (Stage 16 on the Camino map!). We have now covered over 300kms and will soon be getting to the half-way mark!
We are now in Castrojeriz - a very old town with a long and varied history. Its origins are pre-historic but it also has an interesting Roman past as well as a Moorish one. The entire village, much of which is in very bad repair, is currently being renovated. All of its old buildings are being restored to their original state (we later discovered that Castrojeriz is a World Heritage site, which explains the frantic building activity). Our hotel is in one such (already renovated) building and it is quite lovely.
July 6th. Today, walking from Castrojeriz to Fromista was also very beautiful. About 4kms of the walk were beside the Canal de Castilla and we saw bulrushes and teasels as well as more yellow thistles and white periwinkles. The town of Fromista is quite modern and has a central market and lots of restaurants and outdoor cafes. That said, it also has a very old (looking as if it is about to fall down) church. Our hotel is very modern and has some interesting designer furniture in the lobby - quite different from yesterday where the hotel in Castrojeriz was furnished in the traditional Spanish style.
Tomorrow we walk to Carrion de los Condes - about 23 kms (Stage 16 on the Camino map!). We have now covered over 300kms and will soon be getting to the half-way mark!
Hello Wendy,
ReplyDeleteI looked up Castrojeriz and Fromista towns on Google. There are many interesting old churches and other structures, as you mentioned in your blog. I would like to see all the wild flowers you describe. I have a yellow thistle flowering in my garden right now. It attracts bees, butterflies and humming birds. I wonder if it is the same. Take a photo if you see them again. Have a good walk to Carrion de los Condes tomorrow!!! Another hot day in Ottawa...with temperature around 30C. Hugs, Vera
Hello Wendy, How was your hike on Saturday and Sunday? We biked about 45 km around Ottawa this morning. We had a short break at Bridgehead near your house. I thought about you when we rode by. Afterwards there was a swim get together at my house. There were twelve of us. It was good.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hear from you. Vera
Hello Wendy, Where are you now? Christine, our new biking group member is planning to walk the Camino trail with her friend. They plan to start in third week of August, 2012. She loved reading your blog and would like to talk to you about your Camino experience when you get back. Christine and her friend do not have enough time to walk the whole trail at once, so they plan to do it in parts over several years.
ReplyDelete