Camino – Day 20

After a rest day yesterday I set off early this morning with Venus still shining bright in the eastern sky. Leaving Sahagun I crossed an ancient stone bridge and headed west on the Camino, which ran relatively straight for most of the morning. Within a couple of kilometers the sun, though still below the horizon, began to color the sky behind me. That is always a beautiful way to begin my day.

The path ran next to a road for most of the morning, but it was little used and hardly noticeable. For much of the way there were corn fields stretching into the distance. The mountains to the north are getting closer. At some point in the next couple of weeks they will bend south enough to cross the path, and the Camino will once again carry me over a mountain range. But not now. For now the terrain is still quite flat.

It was a short 18km day (because the next village beyond where I stopped is another 12km, and I didn’t feel like walking 30km today). So tonight I am in the village of El Burgo Renero, staying at the Albergue Peregrino Domenico Laffi (the municipal albergue). I arrived early and waited a while before they opened. That proved to be a good thing because they have 30 beds and very quickly they were full.

I have reached a point on the Camino where I am running into familiar faces quite often. I will be having dinner with two folks I have seen on several occasions over the last couple of weeks.

Because of the way the villages are spaced tomorrow may be a longer day (25km), but that is for tomorrow. In this moment I have a place to sleep, friends to share a meal with, and a body that is still ready to carry me further along the Way. And that is enough.

Buen Camino!

Here is a link to today’s photos – https://photos.app.goo.gl/bPRykqvVkNXv2sJB8