Day 18, Monday, September 9th, 2019: Villarmentero de Campos to Calzadilla de la Cueza
The midpoint day of our Camino dawned cool and beautiful. I cannot get over the beauty of a simple sunrise. It happens every day, but how often do we behold the true wonder of it?
We made our way to a nice cup of coffee and Spanish Tortilla in Carrión de los Condes, where we also found a nice souvenir shop geared towards Peregrinos on their way to Santiago. We took our time wandering the village before beginning the long stretch of 10.6 miles to our final destination for the day.
Along the way, we met new friends in Will and Marlene and Don and Laurel; all 4 friends from North Carolina making the trek together. Terri hiked on ahead when I stopped to fix a shoe issue, and I hung back and chatted with them for the last few miles. Will and Don both retired from Revlon as Execs and we hit it off pretty well!
So well, in fact, that we spent the bulk of the afternoon sitting together at the Albergue Camino Real, with them and Jean from Montreal, and some other new friends, taking in the relaxation of a warm day and learning about each other and our trivia memories!
Dinner was delicious and I tried something I had never eaten before: stewed beef cheeks. The meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork and the flavor was outstanding. Leading me to today’s “Camino Lesson:” Try new foods, especially in new places! Really doesn’t need an explanation, does it?!?
In awe.
The Peregrino statue in Carrión de los Condes
Facade of the old Monastery-turned-5-star-hotel in Carrión de los Condes
Terri on a great pace for the day!
Hanging out with new friends!
