A long day of walking, specially because during the 29 km there in nothing, no villages...my day will be walking through trails and trails. My mind is prepared for a lonely day, my pack is heavy as I am packing extra water and food. Even 1 kg more in the back pack, when walking long distances, for me, makes a big difference.
During the last two weeks, my pack only felt heavy when I lifted it, and as soon as it was on me, the weight disapeared in the motion of walking. This morning my pack feels heavy, it may be close to 10 kg. As I walked, I adjusted it, as tight as I could to my hips.
This morning I was the first one to leave the albergue. I am mentally prepared and filled with the energy, that will carry me through the day. Today's walking takes me to the highest point of this area ~1150m and on the top, there is a large wooden cross of Santiago.In the distance I see the gigantic windmills that provide energy to the villages, and know that I will be walking under them in approx 5 hours.
I walked and walked, lots of uphills, and to my surprise no one is showing up or passing me.
Two Italian man, three Germans, a very tall Icelandic, a Ducht woman...I wondered where they all are? I would be happy to see someone and have the reassurance that we are in the right place and not lost. I continue ascending, decending...and finally arrive to a very small quiet road.
The landscape is rolling and I can see in the far distance, a farmhouse. I hope someone will be there.
Great !!! I smile when I see a woman working, feeding the pigs, and together we sit in an anciant stone bench and enjoy each other's company.
She tells me, that I came on the right trail and I am in the right place. I stayed there for a long while and slowly one by one, my piligrim friends, start appearing.
We have 10 more km to walk, we all look tired and muddy from the light rain and off and on we walk together to San Pedro de Rosados, feeding on each other's energy. It was not only me, who thought that I was lost. To my surprise almost everyone felt the same. Over dinner we had great conversation and laughs.
Tonight a woman from USA, retired CIA agent, has appeard. She is a writer working on a book, carries a small day pack and has a large suitcase that is transported for her, from hotel to hotel.
The farm woman, tells me that in this farm where she works, there is 120 chickens, more than 1000 pigs, and they also breed bull fighting bulls, behing a very firm fence, across the small road.
Arriving in San Pedro is a relief, most of the piligrims stayed in a little hotel at the entrance of town, except two of us, that decided to check out the albergue. To our surprise it is a brand new albergue, has three rooms and on top of each bed there is perfectly ironed white cotton-linen sheets with little white embrordary flowers. Wow !!!
We each take a room, showered and the lady next door cooks us a great Sunday evening paella meal.
Tomorrow I will walk to Salamanca and in Salamanca, I have reserved a nice hotel room by the cathedral.
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