Walked 25.5 km, 6 hours 2 minutes
Ascent: 150 meters
Descend: 120 meters
Kilometers to be traveled: 342.4
Photos / Video / Day back / NextDay
This morning goes like many a previous morning, it said that we now more or less wake up from a box bed with 2 bunk beds. The bed “make up” pack the stuff after being dressed and washed. In the room for the bedsteads we prepare a provisional breakfast with the things we bought yesterday. All pilgrims, the walking pilgrims, share food and drink with each other. Then we say goodbye again and leave at 10 minutes past 6.
We start again on the road in front of the alberge, where we entered the alberge yesterday. You walk another 500 meters through the village, then you are back on a country road, asphalted, between the meadows. And in the back the sun slowly climbs out of its valley to climb higher and higher to reach the firmament. Every time you can take beautiful pictures in this phase. Partly due to the change in the landscape, you can hardly ever take the same photo twice in the morning, unless of course you stay in the same alberge.
After a good hour of walking, we arrive at another piece of historic camino, I think rather a very old piece, because we are on the Via Trajana Romana. This is a Roman road from Astorga to Bordeaux, often referred to as the Calzada de los Peregrinos. It should be a “piece” of 18 kilometers where you can not encounter anything, in the form of snacks etc. It is the lonely pilgrim feeling that you encounter here.
Even though we started again with three people, most of the time you walk alone, with your own thought, or an empty head or thinking of something that is not with you. No music on, as on every walking day enjoy the sounds around you. The weather is great again, nice walking weather. For the first time, I’m really looking back, figuratively then. In my 4th week I look back on those 3 previous ones. It flew by and am I now changed or is the change still ongoing? I do not think mentally, it is difficult for a person like me, but perhaps I look at it soberly. Physically I have changed, it is going well, no setbacks, almost no cramp and despite sleeping not going well, I do not feel tired.
The adventure that is going on is actually hard to describe. It is a privilege that things are going so well and that there are no complications, in whatever form. And those 18 kilometers on the Via Trajana don’t seem to be 18 kilometers, they are easy to bridge and quietly disappear behind me. When I get back to civilization, well civilization, it is a liquorice that is half asleep and half empty, it is time again to eat something and to wait that we are together again.
Reliegos was the lunch place and now on to the overnight place, Mansillia de las Mulas. Long, very long ago, this place was an important intersection of trade routes. The history goes back to the 1st century. There are quite a few inns in this place. It is not a small alberge where I sleep and here I also meet some Dutch people. The number of countrymen is not too bad, luckily not too much… ..
There are also quite a few Koreans present, already reserved in advance by the group leader. After a short rest period, shower and wash for the dirty laundry in search of a restaurant. It is Sunday and we see another procession roaming the streets. In this period processions and parties are taking place in many villages and towns.
After a tour through the village we found a restaurant and ate together by ordering several dishes and sharing them together. You can now try the local delicacies with impunity. They are tasty dishes again. After dinner back to the alberge for a more extensive nap and of course not to forget to update the vlog and blog section.
By the evening we see 2 lost sons, the Spanish Victor and the French Oliver. We lost them a few days ago, or they lost us, but now we are together again. So we agree to eat and catch up in the evening. They, too, do not want to arrive late in Leon tomorrow, a great place to visit. By keeping a short approach route, you make time to visit the place. This allows you to maintain a tight schedule and combine things.
Everyone from our club of 5 sleeps in the same alberge but all in a different room, because there are many. So after dinner we can “isolate” and prepare for tomorrow. The Dutch who also sleep in the same room as I do, some do not understand the habits of many a pilgrim. But fortunately all pilgrims are unique in their actions, actions and uses. That makes it interesting to see the people again. A hobby of mine, people watching, whether during a walk with my dog through the center of my hometown, or on King’s Day in Amsterdam.
The room is full, all beds are occupied, all other rooms are fully occupied, because there is a sign at the entrance that it is full. Despite the high number of pilgrims in this alberge, you hardly notice it, not much noise, no crowds at the facilities.
Accommodation: Albergue Peregrinos
