May 12, 2015 Day 16 - Carrion --> Terradillos de los Templarios - 25.7K
Went to a lovely Pilgrim's mass at the cathedral across the street from our hotel. After the regular mass, the priest and nuns asked all the pilgrims to come to the front, where he said a special blessing. Then, they actually touched each pilgrim individually and conferred a blessing, after which we were given these little stars that the nuns had made for the pilgrims. It was very special and moving. On our way out, Chris made a donation to light a candle on behalf of the three of us - the one front and center in the picture.
Had a nice breakfast at Hostel La Corte and were on the road around 7:15 a.m.
Clear skies and cool weather to begin with, but we knew it was supposed to get quite warm - near 80 - by early afternoon. Coming out of town was an interesting pilgrim statue.
The first 10-15 K was a long straight dirt path that seemed to go on and on and on. Fields alongside each side.
We caught up with Gwen along the way, and hiked with her most of the day. She is such a pleasant and delightful person, and has actually visited Austin, Texas. We also spotted Sheila (from Scotland) several times along the way. Sheila is my biker compadre, and has even biked through Austin on one of her tours. Sheila tends to like to hike alone, and we all respect that.
We reached Calzada de Coto and stopped for a nice break. This is where Steve and Leon are scheduled to stay tonight. Peter from Australia stopped with us there as well to attend to some really nasty blisters. He found some insoles that he hopes will alleviate some of the effects of the constant pounding. Peter is another of those folks we continually run into several times a day. A quite cheerful fellow.
We headed out for the final 10 K to Terradillas, which included a steady incline for a while, but nothing close to the steep climbs we have encountered previously. The terrain changed a little again, with some shade trees every once and a while. Best of all, we were off the long straight path. We had reserved a room at Albuegue LosTemplarios in Terradillas. This was a wonderful Albuegue that truly caters to the needs of pilgrims on the Camino. Offers a variety of rooms and bunks to suit the budget of every pilgrim. Nice facilities to wash clothes, and a lovely cafe. Good wi-if. Donna and I shared a twin room with private bath. Sheila also showed up here, and she and Gwen got a room together. We had a nice opportunity to visit.
Around 5:00 pm Chris showed up. She is staying at the other albergue about 5 minutes from here. She stayed for dinner, so the 5 of us were together again.
Dinner was excellent. I had spaghetti, pork loin, and ice cream. All for the standard pilgrim rate of 10 euros.
After dinner, we sat and chatted a little longer. I got Sheila's contact info so we can keep in touch. She is scheduled to ride the Pacific Crest route in May 2016 with Woman Bicycle Tours, and tried to talk me into considering it. Sheila is planning on a short day tomorrow to Sahagun, so we will likely not see her again. Then again, it is the Camino and you never know...
Gwen got our Albuegue info for tomorrow night and also made a reservation at the same place. So, we will probably see her on the trail, or at least meet up with her at the end of the day. Chris indicated that she was planning to stop at Bercianos, which is several K shorter than our planned walk of 26.9 K to Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos. But after hearing everyone else's plans, you never know.
Donna started out pretty strong today, and had not taken Advil since yesterday. However, by the end of the walk she was beginning to feel the effects of the shin splint again. Also a few new blisters popped up, but she is becoming the pro at blister care. Seems like just about everyone we meet is or has been dealing with blisters. Regardless of the blister/shin splint situation, Donna has been a real trooper, and her pace is picking up noticeably. I think with the physical improvements, we are both able to actually enjoy the walk more.
Buen Camino!
Kim
