I was the only one leaving early from the hostel—out the door at 7:03 am There were just 12 of us staying there, three beds per room. It was very comfortable, and the landlady was brilliant. Most of the other pilgrims weren’t planning to leave until 8:00 am; all of them were covering 12–18 km a day and had started in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port about five days before me.
Although I’d done long days before, my mood wasn’t great this morning. I wasn’t really feeling it—but then again, it’s not like I had a choice. I pushed on and only saw one pilgrim in the first 6 km to the next town. There, I stopped for breakfast: coffee, a slice of tortilla (egg and potato), and a chocolate Neapolitan pastry.
As I left the rain started. It came and went throughout the day, never too heavy, but just enough to be annoying. It was warm though, so the coat was on and off constantly. I stopped again for coffee, but my mood was still low. Listening to a few podcasts helped a little, and a phone call with family helped more.
The top of my right foot was getting very sore, and I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe the tongue of my shoe was rubbing, but no amount of adjusting seemed to help. I eventually stopped in Sahagún for lunch—tuna salad baguette, coffee, and water—which was delicious and much needed.
After that, I put my headphones in and played some music. That did the trick. My mood lifted, and I picked up the pace for the last 10 km.
The landscape didn’t change much all day—vast, flat plains of crops (mostly wheat, I think) stretching for thousands in every direction. I kept up the pace, passed loads of pilgrims, and even found myself dancing a bit to the music.
And just like that, another 30+ km day was done—my last one of that length on this Camino.
Tonight’s hostel has five beds to a room (no bunks). Later, I had drinks and dinner with Mark and Ron, who meant walking another 400m into town. Worth it!
Side note: Sahagún, where I had lunch, is actually the halfway point of the Camino. You can get a halfway certificate there. Why does anyone want a half way certificate.
Tomorrow I head to Mansilla de las Mulas—26.3 km—which will leave me just 18 km short of León, where I will finish my first half of the Camino Francés.
Stats
Today
Distance: 32.39 km
Elevation: 273m
Duration: 6h23
Totals
Distance: 427 km
Elevation: 7692
Duration: 92h54
Wineries
No, the hobbits don’t live here!
These little caves are “bodegas,”
used in the past for food storage and
wine-making. Moratinos is one of several hillside winery groups visible along the Camino de Santiago trail, part of a wine culture that dates back 2,000 years to the Romans.
The fields around you once were covered in vines, and the caves were full of wine-presses, barrels, massive clay vessels, and bottling vats. Each
family made wine enough each year to meat their own needs for the months ahead.
Only two or three Moratinos families still make their own wine, but the caves their ancestors dug into this hillside are still used occasionally to store cheese, hams, and vegetables. Other bodegas were abandoned when their owners moved away to work in the city – be careful to stay away from the collapsed caves!
No one can say how old these wineries are, but the stories told about them, and equipment still stored inside, say some may be at least 500 years old.
Legend says they were dug in wintertime, a pastime for children who could keep warm and busy scooping out the soft clay. Once exposed to air, the earth hardened to a stony finish, strong enough to support the waste earth that was raised in buckets through the chimney ventilation-shaft and dumped out to form the roof of the present “Castillo.” Nowadays, cellars are used for pasy roms and storage cellars.