May 5, 2015 - Day 10 Santo Domingo --> Belorado 21K
A fairly spartan breakfast at the monastery. Made me a little concerned about the day. Still, it was nice to see the smiling face of the nun who checked us in and wished us "Bon Dias."
Since we made a reservation to stay at the same hotel in Belorado as Steve and Leon, Donna decided to try and send her backpack ahead with theirs. We were feeling a little concern with taking advantage of their good graces.
It was quite cloudy and overcast as we started out, and a little cool. Later, it cleared up. But mostly what struck me was how gusty it was. As a biker, I can tell you that what causes me the most grief is wind, not rain or hills as most people assume. We traversed across mostly paths alongside small roads. Their was a gradual incline throughout most of the day. Another portion of the hike was, once again, out through the farm lands where we saw quite a few farmers on trackers working the fields. I can't get over how lush and green and immense the land is. It is kinda mind-boggling.
Steve and I walked together for a long time today, sharing more life stories and philosophy of life. It is strange how in situations like this you will meet and immediately bind with complete strangers, telling them more about yourself than most people you know at home on a daily basis. I recently watched a documentary on the Camino with my Mom, and one of the people interviewed suggested that if President Obama, President Putin and all the other world leaders hiked the Camino together they would likely come much closer to resolving many of the world's disputes. I heartedly agree. You get a much better sense of what is really important.
We did not stop for an official lunch, only taking a couple of snack breaks along the way, and arrived in Belorado around 3:00 pm. Donna's feet were killing her. Surprisingly, this was my strongest day of hiking yet. My legs have been feeling stronger and stronger, but today my feet held up better than usual even to the end. And I still had some energy as we arrived at the Hotel Verleance. The afternoon before, I could barely walk at the end of the day - today I am almost feeling spry. Go figure.
Donna's feet were really hurting, and she was getting that glazed look from lack of food. So I went out on reconnaissance again looking for a market or something to snack on to hold her over to 7:30 pm, the earliest time you can find a place to eat here. I had no luck. Everything in town was shut down. After about an hour of wandering around, I returned to the hotel.
We got together with Steve and Leon later to go for dinner. Stopped for a coffee and visited with a lady named Judy from Charleston, SC that we met in Los Arcos. Caught up on her Camino. Steve and Leon wanted to go to the 7:00 pm mass, so Donna and I went went them. All in Spanish, but a very old, impressive looking church, and we sat quietly for a few minutes.
For dinner, we had another pilgrim's menu - I had spaghetti with tomato sauce, grilled steak with peppers and fries, and gelato. I was starving, and ate every bite. We also found a market open and bought some apples and snacks for tomorrow. Also agreed that we would stop for lunch along the way tomorrow to make sure we didn't get caught ending the day starving and nothing to eat until late dinner.
Tomorrow we hike approximately 24 K (15 miles) to a small town with a population of about 20 people. The tiny hotel where Steve and Leon are staying was booked, so I emailed the monastery and reserved a couple of beds at the albergue there. Sounds like a very Spartan place, but we will in Burgos the next day at a nice hotel. Should be an interesting Camino experience.
