30.2 k whooohoo and my feet feel it, but legs, back and energy level fine. Today was the longest stretch of 24.5 k without a cafe!!!! Left the small town with long name following the shiny bronze shells in the road. As the guide says, once on the ancient rocky roman road with once again the moon ahead, the sun behind, the mountains on the left and the railway on the right, there are no asphalt roads, no senda, no farmyard, no houses, no water fonts and very fre trees, it is a beige, beige, beige vista for much of the day. I just keep on walking, there is a heavy frost in the morning and it doesn't really warm up until lunchtime, despite bright sunshine, the air is chilly. This is the exact path that emperor augustus took now called the calzada romana, apparently 20 centuries old, the original road from rome to Leon used by armies of Islam and Christianity and millions of pilgrims. What I feel today is peace and surrenity.
Sadly as this stage ends on the outskirts of mansilla de las mulas, this historic path disintegrates into an unkept badly marked track through scrubland and much litter. Most towns and villages along the camino have lovely shell waymarks but this one had none, just the odd yellow arrow sprayed on the ground. Although I had been planning to stay here I decide to walk another 6 k or so to the next town. Now the mountains are ahead, dried corn on the left, busy road on the right (one nice silver alfa spotted) and dust behind (yeah right). I find a beautiful old restored alburgue with a gracious host, this place sleeps 64 people and there is only one other person here and he is from Slovakia. We each have our own room for 24!!!
I miss "the young people" I have spent the last 3 evenings with, but look forward to a quiet relaxing evening by the log fire catching up on my blogg.
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