Stage 17, a short walk to Carrion De Los Condes .... I meet The Candy Man of The Camino.

I am now more than half way to Santiago. Today the distance is not only a short 12 miles, it is also flat. No challenges today. 

Today's blog will also be much shorter than my previous posts. Yes, it's your lucky day. No wine needed.

Michele comes to meet Rainer and me at our Hotel. It is 9:00. Rainer and I have had breakfast and I am packed and ready to go when Michele arrives.  Rainer will leave after us and as is now the norm we will meet for dinner.

We are moving very quickly . There will be nothing once we pass the last cafe about two miles from our starting point. We will stop there. Michele has not had breakfast and wants something to eat with his cafe. I am just not hungry in spite of today's "breakfast" being next to nothing. 

I order a cafe-con leche.  I really can't get use to the beard and the con leche combination but I am trying. Michele orders a bocadillo and we take a seat outside. It's cold today and the wind is blowing pretty hard. It will really get going once we get into the open. There will be nothing to slow it down and it will be the only challenge . 

Almost on cue from around the corner Fernando and Nelly arrive. Michele as always, in his booming voice shouts out "Brazil" . This has now become the standard greeting for the Brazilian couple.

Nelly is bundled up with a wool hat, gloves, a turtle neck sweater and her rain jacket. She looks like she is looking for a Double Blue Run in Aspen! I ask her if she is going skiing and she laughs and interprets for Fernando who just laughs and says "Jim, Jim, Jim". He thinks I'm funny.

We finish our visit and wish them Buen Camino and head back to The Camino. From that point on this piece of The Camino is a combination of trail and roads. The roads are not busy so it's just making the walk that much faster. The wind is howling and its getting colder because of it.

We are on a pace to get to De Los Condes in less than four hours. At about the half way point you have two routes to choose from. The trail route and the road route for the second half. The road route will be faster but it's a busy road even on a Sunday. We select the trail, we don't need to be any faster. Camino rules. If one of us wanted to take the road route no problem we would just split up and meet later. I wonder if the Weather Girl has figured this out yet.

Here is only one thing that makes today's walk special. There's always something. The trail is narrow and we are walking single file. I see a man up ahead, an older man. He is looking at us as we approach. He is holding a bag of something . 

He says to me in a very bold voice "Buen Camino", reaches into his bag and hands me two wrapped pieces of candy. He then offers to shake my hand and is speaking to me in Spanish. I don't know what he is saying. He repeats the candy process with Michele. We visit.

The Candy Man, a name I have now given him, tells Michele that he has spent everyday for the past 12 years driving to points along the Camino close to his home to keep in good repair the Camino signs which help direct the pilgrims. He points to the sign behind us where he has just cut the grass with a hand tool. I have a picture. 

We thank him several times and he sends us on our way. The highlight of the day. We arrive shortly thereafter to De Los Condes. A short beer. And then on to our different Hotels . 

Dinner is at 7:00 with Rainer and a couple of the "children". It's ok but not memorable. An early night. It will be needed because tomorrow stage 18 will be the longest walk of the entire journey. Tomorrow I will walk for the 18th consecutive day, a walk of 21 miles. 

That's it for now. I told you it would be your lucky day.