Day 19: Castrojeriz to Boadilla del Camino, 19.1km
We couldn't get out of the Albergue fast enough this morning! It was so cold, I didn't want to get out of bed because my sleeping bag was so warm. We stopped at the bar down the way for some cafe con leches and tostada with jam and butter. The owner brought out olive oil for us to try on the bread. It was good!
Today was a bit more challenging, terrain-wise. We had a nice uphill today with a spectacular view of Castrojeriz behind us. It flattened out a bit before a nice downhill into Itero de la Vega where we stopped for lunch. I had a bocadilla and cafe con leche. I finally figured out how to ask for "lunchmeat style" ham instead of the cured stuff. It's called Jamón York, instead of Jamón. Petra and Henrik met their first Swedish peregrinos. They were from Stockholm. At first I thought they were from somewhere else because their Swedish didn't sound like Petra and Henrik's. I guess the people from Stockholm have a "special" accent. :) It's kind of funny but I'm starting to understand a little bit of Swedish from hanging out with my favorite Swedes.
Originially, Petra and Henrik were going to try to get to Frómista, to get a bus to León, but Petra started having foot problems again, so they decided to join me in Boadilla del Camino at the private Albergue, En El Camino. Compared to Casa Nostra in Castrojeriz it was heaven! Hot water AND heat in the rooms. They also have a lovely courtyard for lounging, lots of places to hang laundry and a pool!
When Henrik and I were checking into the Albergue, we met a Canadian woman and another American! Yay! This puts the count up to seven, I think. Only this guy was not friendly at all. He was from Bozeman, MT and I gave him crap about it, like any good Grizzly would. Only he didn't "get it". I even asked if he was from Bozeman or just went to college there. He was kind of annoying, too. He is one of those Americans who speaks a language really well, so he's too good to speak English or hang out with other Americans. Henrik overheard him "translating" for the Canadian woman and she politely told him to stop. I wish I could have seen that! I even tried to smooth things over by bringing up the book, "Three Cups of Tea", whose author lives in Bozeman. The guy had never heard of the book! Oh well. I tried.
We were in the bunk room and the owner of the Albergue came in to turn on the heat. We were ecstatic! Okay, maybe a little overzealous, but we had been freezing the night before. He asked us where we had stayed the night before and we told him of our experience. He was so upset because he knows the guy who runs the Albergue. We told him we really liked his facility and that he should be proud of it. He said to us, "I have no problems sleeping at night!" Such a great guy.
They served dinner at the Albergue. I ended up at a table with a bunch of Germans and three French women, all of whom spoke very little English. It was amusing, to say the least! The first course was two different kinds of soup. One with red beads, one with white beans. Words cannot express how delicious this food was. My only regret is I did not ask for recipes. The second course was chicken with salad. Dessert was flan. Bread, wine and water were served as well.
I went to bed with a full belly, a hot shower and a warm place to sleep! A successful day, indeed.
Today was a bit more challenging, terrain-wise. We had a nice uphill today with a spectacular view of Castrojeriz behind us. It flattened out a bit before a nice downhill into Itero de la Vega where we stopped for lunch. I had a bocadilla and cafe con leche. I finally figured out how to ask for "lunchmeat style" ham instead of the cured stuff. It's called Jamón York, instead of Jamón. Petra and Henrik met their first Swedish peregrinos. They were from Stockholm. At first I thought they were from somewhere else because their Swedish didn't sound like Petra and Henrik's. I guess the people from Stockholm have a "special" accent. :) It's kind of funny but I'm starting to understand a little bit of Swedish from hanging out with my favorite Swedes.
Originially, Petra and Henrik were going to try to get to Frómista, to get a bus to León, but Petra started having foot problems again, so they decided to join me in Boadilla del Camino at the private Albergue, En El Camino. Compared to Casa Nostra in Castrojeriz it was heaven! Hot water AND heat in the rooms. They also have a lovely courtyard for lounging, lots of places to hang laundry and a pool!
When Henrik and I were checking into the Albergue, we met a Canadian woman and another American! Yay! This puts the count up to seven, I think. Only this guy was not friendly at all. He was from Bozeman, MT and I gave him crap about it, like any good Grizzly would. Only he didn't "get it". I even asked if he was from Bozeman or just went to college there. He was kind of annoying, too. He is one of those Americans who speaks a language really well, so he's too good to speak English or hang out with other Americans. Henrik overheard him "translating" for the Canadian woman and she politely told him to stop. I wish I could have seen that! I even tried to smooth things over by bringing up the book, "Three Cups of Tea", whose author lives in Bozeman. The guy had never heard of the book! Oh well. I tried.
We were in the bunk room and the owner of the Albergue came in to turn on the heat. We were ecstatic! Okay, maybe a little overzealous, but we had been freezing the night before. He asked us where we had stayed the night before and we told him of our experience. He was so upset because he knows the guy who runs the Albergue. We told him we really liked his facility and that he should be proud of it. He said to us, "I have no problems sleeping at night!" Such a great guy.
They served dinner at the Albergue. I ended up at a table with a bunch of Germans and three French women, all of whom spoke very little English. It was amusing, to say the least! The first course was two different kinds of soup. One with red beads, one with white beans. Words cannot express how delicious this food was. My only regret is I did not ask for recipes. The second course was chicken with salad. Dessert was flan. Bread, wine and water were served as well.
I went to bed with a full belly, a hot shower and a warm place to sleep! A successful day, indeed.