October 01st, 2015

     Battling the gnats on the Meseta.

     Sorry I didn't post yesterday, as the WIFI at our albergue was, as described by one Australian pilgrim, "patchy".
​     Anyway, I've stopped wearing my watch while walking the Meseta to avoid the temptation of looking at it every five minutes to see if we're almost there yet.
     I don't think the Meseta is  soul-numbing, as is sometimes said of it.  It  just feels like a long day every day. The worst thing about the Meseta is the scarcity of trees and bushes for a quick pit stop.  Sometimes the best you can hope for is a bit of camouflage.
    
     The day before yesterday we did have a bit of variety on the Meseta.  Instead of brown fields on either side as the eye could see we walked with brown fields to the left and highway to the right as far as the eye could see, .

...​for 20 kilometers - 12 miles- from Fromista  to the town of Carrion de los Condes
     We passed through a couple of pleasant oases along the way, though.     
     Outside the small village of Villarmentero de Campos we stopped for cheese baguette sandwiches at a cute little cafe out in the middle of a field,

...where there were geese running around in the yard.

     We also stopped at a bar in the pretty town of Villacázar de Sirga.

....for slices of yummy apple tart.    

       Villacázar  is famous for the magnificent altar piece found in its 13th century cathedral.

     As the cathedral is located across from the bar Tom went inside to see the beautiful altar piece while I stayed at the bar to rest my feet.
     When we reached our destination 19.2 kilometers - about 11.5 miles  - from where we'd started, the town of Carrion de los Condes, we headed for the albergue where we stayed last time and that had loved, the albergue Espiritu Santo.
     Espiritu Santo is a lovely convent  

....where our hospitalieras were two sweet, cheerful nuns who made us feel very warmly welcomed.
     The dorm rooms were  pretty, bright and spacious and the beds, 5€ each, were twins, a welcome change from the ubiquitous albergue  bunks.   

      There's a lovely little pilgrims' chapel,

....and the bathrooms were the best.
    Gender segregated, the beautiful pink marble showers were plentiful l and there was a chair considerately set outside each stall upon which to set our clothes to keep them dry. 

     This place had good feel to it that came from more than the wonderful facilities.​  Perhaps it was the sisters' graciousness that gave  this place such a  nice aura, a feeling that there was joy within these walls, and kindness.  But it felt good to be there, and Tom and I found ourselves wishing we could come back at the weary end of each day on the Camino to  Espiritu Santo..