Carrión de los Condes
Happily, the prediction of an 80 percent chance of rain today did not come to fruition. Still, there were some menacing clouds and I kept up a good pace to beat any possible weather to our next destination.
The scenery was not as interesting as on previous days. More flat and more routine. Although along the way there were occasionally some sights to see. One albergue was very simple to identify, with its huge sculpture of a human hand out by the entrance.
At one point there must have been 50 students, junior high to high school age, walking the opposite direction on the Camino. They were all very friendly. The teacher at the end of the line gave me the traditional greeting, “Buen Camino.”
Later, there was a choice to follow a path along the side of the road or take a somewhat more scenic trip through fields and along an irrigation conduit. I took the option of more scenery and less traffic. It only added another 10-15 minutes to the walk time. Totally worth it, although you had to be very careful along this path through the farmland not to step on snails. There was no shortage of the little creatures.
Along the way I met a gentleman from South Africa named Keith. He was from the Cape Town area and was involved in water management as a civil engineer. He shared a very interesting story about how his society came together to cut water usage when faced with a huge drought a few years back. He spoke of how they had a countdown to "zero day," when the city would run out of water if drastic measures were not taken. As the populace engaged in conservation, the zero day moved further and further back until finally, with the rains, it never took place.
After about 30 minutes we caught up with Keith’s wife, La. When the two of them started some minor bickering, I thought I made a clever comment. La reacted by immediately suggesting what I could do with my trekking pole. I like her! She also said she had heard about "the guy" doing a Camino blog. It's funny how information travels up and down the trail.
Further down the road I ran into Rosa from Frankfurt. She is 19 years old, and like many European youths, is taking a gap year before starting university, where she plans to study psychology. She said she wanted to do the Camino all her life. She is 19! She was delightful and positive, and I tried to share some "old man" perspective. We both agreed that daughters are tough to deal with in their teens.
Our accommodations today are conveniently located near a historic church. Maybe a little too convenient. If I spoke Spanish, I could tell you every detail of its history. I have heard six tour guides give their speech directly below my window.
Later I took a walk during the rainy evening, and discovered an array of colored stones along the Camino, and some entertainment in a local bar.
