On my way to Villafranca del Bierzo twenty miles away. I will now start my Santiago countdown. Today was tough but tomorrow is the most difficult day of the Camino. I have been dreading it since the moment I committed to walking the Camino again.

I will explain the Santiago countdown shortly but first yesterday. The walk to and from Cruz de a Ferro was very difficult. That said I arrive in the village of Molinaseca around five thirty. I left at nine thirty and had some work to be done and also took several breaks along the way. Net result is that I cover the  walk in eight and a hall hours.

When I arrive in Molinseca my guide summary tells me the accomadstion is directly on the left side of St. James way buy it fails to tell me that it's actually past the entire village, when I get to the end of the village I think that I've missed it but I don't now how. The street between the buildings is barely wide enough to get a single car through. I ask an old man siting on his steps and he tells me to keep going in the same direction away from the village. I feel like I flew in to New York and booked a room in Newark. 

I'm very tired, it was a tough day. The last thing I want to do now is to have to walk back into town to eat or buy water etc but it dawns on me that won't have a choice because I need to find a pharmacy for my toe problem.

On my way back to town to find the pharmacy I meet up with Peter, Charlotte and Sonia. I've been calling her Sophi but it's Sonia. We meet for dinner and the conversation is about the next days twenty mile walk. I agree that it will be a long hard day but I'm  already thinking ahead to O'Cebreiro. 

I leave for Villiafranca at 7:30'in the morning. It's dark  I can't wait to get out of the Hotel. As I'm putting on the Limos I stand up and catch the corner of the prehistoric TV mounted on the wall about five feet from the floor on my head. Och!, to say the least in about two hours I can still feel it, no blood but a nice lump to take along with me. I really don't like this Hotel.

I'm of my way I will just have breakfast in Ponferrada. It is a beautiful village with an impressive castle and lots of shops and cafés. I have breakfast and check my email. There will not be a lot to report today, it's just long.

I make my final stop in Cacabelos which is about six miles from Villiafranca. I'm sitting in the shade and Tim and Agnes join me and shortly afterwards Peter, Charlotte and Sonia are there. Tim and Agnes had to take a taxi to finish yesterday, she was sick and the last five miles would have been to much. Peter's shoe has fallen apart and he now has several nagging blisters and will need to take a taxi into Viilliafranca from here after he finds a pharmacy.

Villiafranca will most likely be the last time I meet with all of them before Santiago. They are all going to attack the O'Cebreiro monster in two days while I'm going to the top in one day. We exchange emails so we can catch up in Santiago for dinner. 

Now the countdown. When I leave for O'Cebreiro on Wednesdsy morning on October 30th I will have eight days of walking remaining. Santiago has eight letters so I will track my final countdown by assigning one of the eight letters to each day. Wish me luck and pray that my toe does not get worse.

That's it, good night and Buen Camino.     S_ _ _ _ _ _ _ !

Today I will place the stones at Cruz de Ferro on my way to Molinaseca a very difficult seventeen mile walk.

LFirst last night.  I am in the cafe getting online and having a beer. There is a couple siting nearby, it's the Irish guy I almost had a conversation with two days ago before being interrupted by the woman who asked me what my room rate was at the roadside Hotel and Casino. We start to chat and immediately I know this is a guy I want to get to know. He introduces himself, his name is Peter and his wife is Charlotte. They are originally from Ireland but moved to New Zealand nearly forty years ago. He tells me that Inspite of the time in New Zealand he will not give up his Irish accent nor will she. Why should they, it's just fun to listen to them speak.

Sitting with them is Sophie. I just assumed hat she was related because I did see her with them two days ago. I just thought that she was their daughter. When I ask they all burst out laughing. They met early on at the beginning or the Camino and jolkingly Peter says we just can't get rid of her. Sophie is from Ottawa Canada and she is walking the Camino alone. She and her husband had planned years ago to walk the Camino but she retired and he could not so here she is. They are all Catholics and are devoted. Peter and Charlotte have five children but pre-deceased by one. They also have seven grandchildren. They left Belfast because there was just no future and the political issues made living there dangerous and not a place you would want to raise a family.

Sophie has three children, twin girls who are twenty five and a younger son who is as she puts it helpless without her. She goes on to say that he is emailing her constantly asking how to do his laundry. Bottom line is that they are all good people able to laugh at themselves and they see the Camino the same way I do. They are on a spiritual journey. 

A short time later a younger couple walks into the bar ,we are all staying at the Hostal. Peter, Caharlotte and Sophie know them. They introduce me, it's Tim and Agnes. Actually  her name I can't pronounce but it's Agnes in Polish. They live in Chicago and he is a drop dead ringer for the actor Sam Shepard. Even sounds like him. They too are  Catholic and not taken with themselves. He sits I get introduced and he immediately buys everyone what they are drinking ... I like this guy. He's fifty nine and retired from the personal jet services business. I think he did it well. 

At 6:45 Peter gets up and says that Mass will be starting in fifteen minutes so let's go. Come on Jim we want to get a seat. We all go across the street to the Chapel. It's spectacular. Mass is in both Spanish and English. I do get to take one picture after the Mass ends which I'll send. Afterwards it's back to the Hotel for the pilgrim's dinner. The food was okay but the Company is much better.

There is some conversation about the next days walk to Molinaseca. I don't say much but I know it's a very difficult day up to Cruz de Ferro and much more difficult on the downside from the top. Lots of Sapnish Potatoes, about the same or worse than the Hill of Forgiveness out from Pamplona. On the way up to the Cruz de Ferro it's a long uphill trek with some shade. I left this morning at nine thirty and it was cool. Perfect weather conditions. I pass a number of groups on the up hill portion, they are struggling. They don't know it yet but this is the easy part. On the way down from the top you will get a real test.

I reach the top, the Cruz de Ferro and as I come up the final hill I can see about twenty pilgrims standing under the Cross. Where did they come from? Then I see the Bus parked in a lot across the street from Cross and I get it. A large group with the Donkey service is here. Okay I'll just wait until they have all taken their pictures and then I will take care of my business. I could use a break anyway, it was a long hard uphill climb.

The group moves on but many of them are walking toward the Camino, no packs but it does appear that they are going to walk down from the top. That should be interesting. I get all of the stones placed and take a few pictures and I'm ready to go. The weather is still very nice, cool, which is helping. In a short fifteen minutes I reach the first roadblock. There is a traffic jam on the hill. It's very steep and it's covered in Spanish Potatoes of the very large variety. There are a number of people buched together trying to figure out each step. The problem is that the trail is very narrow so we now have a single file group that stretches out and I'm now trying to figure out how to get around them without adding to what is already a very hard downhill section. While trying to get around them I'm walking in areas that have more rocks and I end up smashing my right foot into a very large deeply imbedded rock. I know I've done some damage because it hurts immedtsly and is not subsiding. For sure I will be losing another toe nail. Hopefully it's not worse.

This downhill challenge goes on for hours. The toe is getting worse and I'm going slowly. In total today will take me eight and a half hours. That includes the time at the Cruz de Ferro, several stops for a break and traffic jams. Thats traffic jams plural because I run into another group with about two miles to go. The last three miles is really treacherous.

On of my breaks I meet up with Tim and Agnes. They are taking it slow, Agnes is having a minor relapse of whatever it was she had in Astorga which kept her in bed. This is not a good walking day to feel sick on. They are not sure where they will stop or if they will try to get a taxi if she does not improve. I did not see them again . 

I walk into Molinaseca at about 6:00. The last two hours near the bottom of the hill the temperature went up quickly and it's now hot. I'm worn out and my right foot has a serious toe issue. I walk to my Hostal. I walk all the way to the end of town and I have still not found it. I ask an old man siting on the steps of a house and he tells me to keep going. I am out of town. I check in and the clerk tells me that the dining room will be closed and the cafe is also closed but he does point out that I can walk back into town to get someting to eat. Thanks.

The room is okay but the wifi is not working. It is now 5:42 am as I write this, the wifi is finally working. I will send a note to the travel people about this a accommodation. I get everything taken care of and when I do take off the right Limo and the toe is a mess. It's swollen and I have a blister on the end of the toe. I will need to get to the pharmacy to buy bandages for this problem.

On on my way back into town and I run to Peter, Charlotte and Sophie. They all are worn out from today and all agree that it was even tougher than the first two days. We agree to meet for dinner back at their Hostal fir the pilgrim dinner. I'm off to the pharmacy.

The toe is a problem I just don't know yet how big a problem because tomorrow my walk to Villafranca  will be more than nineteen miles! One of the three longest days on the Camino. This is not a good time for a Psssenger problem. It's now 6:09 am, I need to pack and get going while it's cooler and most of all I need to see how the toe us going to impact today's long walk.

Good night or morning. Burma Camino.

On my way to Rabanal a dusty walk of about fourteen miles. Dinner with some fun people!

Okay there is much to cover but I'll do my best. First let me apologize for all of the photos. I can't keep track of them so if there are duplicates just know that I'm not doing it on purpose. I have so many I did not send. I'm also challenged by the list creation so just know that I'm doing my best.

My night in Astorga could not have been better. I'm feeling pretty good, the passengers seem happy and I dot have any other physical issues as long as you don't count just being sore and tired. Given the fact that I have watched a number of people drop out because of injury I'm feeling quite blessed right now.

Dinner at Restaurante Serrano was on my must achieve this for this second Camino. I went through the schdule several times well in advance to be sure that I would not be in Astorga on a Sunday. It's the only day Serrano is not open. If I can't get a table that's okay but I know I can't get one if they are closed. I had the Foie Gras which was prepared in the same way it as two and a half years ago. I know because when looked at the I see the Foie Gras and I ask how it's prepared? The Chef's sister tells me that he only prepares it one way because that's the way he likes it and so do the customers. Great. 

For the main course I ask for suggestions and she tells me that he is preparing a roasted lamb and that it is one of his most popular dishes. I'm in, the lamb it is. Both dishes are just incredible and the 2011 Malleleolus was perfect. I say my good by's and return to the Hotel. The Catherdal and the Gaudi are now lit up and it completely changes the look of both. 

I get a good nights sleep and I leave around 9:30. No rush it's a short walk of about fourteen miles. There is a hill test today, not terribly significant elevation change but a long hill and it's completely in the sun. The walk takes me through a few interesting villages where I stop a few times for a cold drink. 

One of my other items on my "things to do list" is to stop at the pilgrims chapel which Is a little more than a mile out of Astorga. The church is managed by volunteers and is financed by donations. Most pilgrims will enter and make a donation and then have their credential stamped and spend a few minutes in the chapel. Well on my first Camino I had a real problem and I had to return to Astorga. In the end I visited the church again on my second departure from Astorga that day and I had the volunteer hold my credential while I took her picture, I took the same picture again today.

I'm one day away from the Cruz de Ferro where the stones will be placed. There are now ten stones. Rebbica, a friend of Robin's father passed away in July and Robin sent me an email that Rebbica's mother passed away just two days ago so I will now place both names on a single stone. One other addition is a stone for Mary Alice, Robin's mother who fell last week and has not been feeling well ... She needs a stone.

I have two stones that have made the entire journey. Betty Young, Beth Morre's mother who passed away two years ago and the stone for Lori with two names on it, her sister Diane who died as an infant and Jeri her mother who just had surgery after a bad accident.  All of the other stones are from the Camino. The question I was asked is how do you pick them? I don't they pick them, they pick me. There are countless stones I'm walking on every step on the Camino. As I am walking and looking down at the stones suddenly one will just look right and it will stop me and I'll pick it up and put it in my back pack. All shapes, sizes and colors. The only stone I was trying to find was a stone in the shape of a kidney. I saw many but none picked me. I do have one I think is close to the shape.

So with that I will sign off and take the stones to their place at the Cruz de Ferro. I had dinner tonight with some really fun and nice people. We all went to the pilgrim mass before dinner in the village's stunning little chapel which is more than six hundred years old. I have a photo. More on that tomorrow but now I need to get some rest. 

My guide book says "today we head up through the pass of Iragoto the highest point of our whole journey". It will be a steep ascent up to the Cruz de Ferro and it comes early. The distance to our next destination, Molinaseca will be sixteen and a half miles. I am now within one hundred and fifty miles of Santiago. Seven hundred thousand steps taken, three hundred thousand remain. 

Good night. Buen Camino.

I am on my way to Astorga and the Gaudi. It will be a long walk in the sun but in the end there is Serrano!

Before I tell you tell you about my nearly twenty mile walk today let's go back to last night. I arrive at the Hotel and Casino in Villanangos. It's been long, hot, flat and just not very attractive. There are some points of interest along the way. The bridge across the river and into La Virgen Del Camino is a surprise. But other than that it's just flat, dusty and noisey every step of the way.

I arrive at the Hotel and when I walk into the bar, cafe, card room and front desk I'm ready to get things taken care of and get into the shower. The walk to day to Villadangos is short, only about thirteen miles. Without shade is feels much longer. I have my credential stamped and head to my room. Of course it's on the third floor. It's a small room like most a Camino rooms are but there is a large window which will work well for the laundry.

I'm back downstairs and I order a small beer and decide to go outside and sit and watch the trucks fly by. The bar is noisey and the bar stools are not what I want right now. The little tables outside do have more comfortable chairs. I sit at a table  next to a white haired gentlemen and he asks me where I'm from? I tell him and he tells me that he lives in New Zealand but that he's from Ireland. I'm about to ask him a follow up question when this women , yes an American, just steps between us and asks me directly "what did they charge you for your room?" Before I can say anything she turns and asks the Irish guy the same question. She is obviously not with him and I'm not going to get to know her. I stand up and simply tell her "I don't know" and move back inside. I'm not spending another minute with this person. She sits at the Irish guys table and I just say to him "nice talking with you".

I'm now convinced more than ever that I will not be sitting at the pilgrim dinner table tonight. I purposely go to the dining room late so that I'm certain the pilgrim table will be on course two so there is no way I would have to sit there. I made a good decision because Miss "what did you pay  for your room" is at the table. 

I sit at a small table next to a couple. We start to talk and it turns out they lived in Westport Connecticut and he commuted to New Your about the same time I did. He tells me that they moved to Del Mar which is just south of us. Nice people. They are taking it slow, she has blisters. They will walk half way to Astorga tomorrow and will reach Santiago about four days after I do.

I decide to get up early to start the nearly 20 mile walk to Astorga to get in as many miles as I can in the cooler temperatures. I walk out at about 7:15. It's dark, really dark. The good news is there are practically zero turns today so I don't need to keep searching for the yellow arrows because if I did there would be a problem in this darkness. It is chilly, which is good and it will be great walking conditions for about the first three hours. After that it's warm and dusty.

After covering about fifteen miles I finally reach the Cruceiro Santo Toribio. One of the most famous places pilgrims leave their stones. There are two young Germans there asking for donations to help them build  a new Hostal on the Camino. I make a donation and he helps by taking my picture at the Cruciero. While this point does tell you that you are near Astorga, which you can see below the hill it's still about five miles to the city center. I'm already tired but I've made good time. The goal is to clean up and go to the Restaurante Serrano to try to get a table for dinner. I was there for dinner two yeas ago and it's still one of the best restaurants I have been to. It's now famous and I'm told it could be tough to get a table especially on Saturday night. I will walk over at about 6:00 to see if it's possible.

First to the Gaudi which is almost directly out my Hotel's front door. The Gaudi and the Cathedral sit side by side and are both very impressive. However once you step into the Gaudi you immediately know that you are about to see a building like no other building you have ever set foot in. Up the winding stair case to multiple views of the alters and the collection of crosses. I take a number of photos but I can't do it justice. I'm sure that if you went on line there might be a better photo summary of the Gaudi. It's just stunning.

I am now on my way to the Camino shop but it's closed until six so I just sit at a table outside the cafe in the center square. Mark from Nova Scotia stops by and we catch up. They are staying in the Albegue which has 160 beds. He tells me that Mike and Teresa from Long Beach had to leave earlier than planned because Teresa had a bad ankle sprain and could not go on.

I decide to go to Serrano now to see if I can get in. I walk down the narrow street to the restaurant and as I do the back door opens. There is a small car there and a young guy in a Chefs White coat. I excuse myself and I ask him if he is the chef? He smiles and says yes and I ask if his sister and mother are still also working in the restaurant? I now have his attention. I go on to tell him that I had dinner here two years ago and that I still remember that I had the best Foie gras I have ever had. He is smiling and shakes my hand. I ask him if it's possible to get a table for one tonight? He speaks near perfect English and says" for you my friend, yes. I will tell my sister. He asks my name, shakes my hand again and says eight o'clock." I'm in!

I will close now and finish tomorrow . I'll just say that dinner was great just as I had expected. Tomorrow a short but difficult walk of thirteen miles to Rabanal Del Camino. My new poles will get their first taste of the Camino. Good night. Buen Camino.

It's my lucky day ... I get to meet Miss USA's brother! I think he is her brother but he's different, he's coachable.

I will get to Mr. USA momentarily but first my time in Leon. I think I covered the walk to Leon. Short at less than twelve miles, flat, but it's warm. It's a perfect tourist day at the plaza around the Cathedral and all of the narrow little streets with one little specialty shop after another. The benefit of having been here before is that I know where to go for the things I need. There is a Norstrom type store where I can buy a couple of things I need which will let me get rid of those that have seen their last days. 

I also know where the Camino shop is. I need desperately to buy some new socks. The old ones are really shot from the sink washing. Let's just say that I have not been using any softener. So I run my errands including the purchase of soap powder. It only comes in a large box so I will measure enough to take care of the last twelve days, yes that's whats left, twelve days to Santiago.

I have a salad at the Hotel for dinner but have to wait until 8:30 although it's supposed to be a open at 8:00. No problem, but I have a call with Robin at 9:00 my time, noon her's which had to be pushed back. There are only three of us in the Hotel dining room but that does not matter. We will still go at a speed which is just a bit slower than most of us might expect. All good. Robin and I  have a nice call although her Mom, Mary fell and is still dealing with a nagging cough. Robin is also dealing with jet lag and getting things at the house squared away. 

So it's Friday morning and I'm awake early and decide to skip the Hotel's carb fest and get started early. It's going to be warm today but when I step out of the Hotel it is really very chilly. It's also refreshing  because the Hotel was really warm, too hot for me but I can't change it.

As I leave Leon it's really a completely different view. The crowds are gone, the cafe's furniture lining all of the streets are stored and I get to see a completely different Leon from the one I have seen both yesterday and on the first Camino. It's nice, it's peaceful and the sun is rising. I'm on my way to Villadangos del Paramo, a walk of about fourteen miles on the road route. Not pretty and it is very noisey. I chose this route because it would be different from my first Camino.

When you leave Leon you will first walk about five and a half miles to La Virgen Del Camino where you must choose which route to take, Mazarife or Del Paramo. It is also important to note that if you choose the Mazarife route this will be your last chance to buy water or whatever you need for the next eight miles.

Initially I am less than happy with my choice but I have decided to go as many new routes as I can this time regardless of the view. The route is as was described in the guide book. I really don't care. The last four days have been long, flat and hot. So who cares if there is another. There is a benefit to this route. There will be more places to stop and rest.

I planned on going to La Virgen del Camino where the "Yogi" is located because I have been to the little cafe at that point before. If you read the first blog it's the place where I showed the Vivian ( our cat) video to the mother and she went nuts. I had to replay it several times. I get there and Mom is in exactly the same place. I order but don't attempt to explain that I've been there before. I have breakfast and move on to the road route which will be about eight miles. I am making good time. The route while noisey is flat and dead straight. I'm about four miles into the road route when I reach San Miguel. I walk past a small cafe with a patio and as soon as I am fifty feet past I decide to go back, take a break. If I'm lucky they might have wifi. It turns out that's its really a nice little place. Impeccably clean and organized. I drop my back pack and go to the counter. I'm the only customer. I order I short beer. It's about the size of a half bottle. The little lady behind the counter hands me the beer and I give her a two Euro coin. She puts my change in a little dish and I say thank you and push back the dish. 

I sit and then ask "wifi ?". She quickly points to the wall where there is an eight digit password posted. Here is what I have learned about the Camino. If you need help, want to use their bathroom or their wifi, you should first purchase something, anything, before you do any of these three things. It's really simple. 

The beer I ordered is a fraction more than a Euro so my "tip" is nearly one hundred percent. Big deal. The wifi is working and I'm starting to send photos from my departure from Leon this morning when the little women brings me a dish of Sosnish rice with a small shrimp and a mussel. That's nice, and it's good. See how it works?

With that out of nowhere this guy bursts into this tiny cafe and shoves his guide book in the little women's face ( the same one i have as well as just about everyone else) and in a very aggressive tone demands to know where some Hotel he's looking for is located. The women speaks very little English and when she does not respond he gets angry and more aggressive. I've had enough. 

I get up and get between them and simply say to him "calm down". I go on to tell him that whatever is wrong I will try  to help him. He immediately goes back to the same voice and aggressiveness. I put up my hand and just tell him to stop. If you want help you need to calm down. Again I ask what's the problem? He finally slows down and proceeds to tell me that he cannot find his Hotel which should be nearby. He shows me his guide book and points to the location. He is at least five miles short of where he needs to be. I point that out to him and he starts to go back to being Miss USA's brother and once again I give him the stop sign. He starts to tell me that his wife, sitting outside on the patio cannot go any further.

Okay. Once he calms down I tell him that first you need to order someting. He looks at me with that "what" look on his face. Again I tell him to order someting and we will find a way to get him to his Hotel. He then turns to me and says okay I'll have a beer and my wife will gave a cup of tea. Great, now I'm working here. I turn to the little lady and order both the beer and the tea and she gets right to it. I turn to him and tell him to give me five Euro. He looks at me, hesitates but reluctantly gives me a five Euro note. The little women puts both the beer and the tea on the counter and I hand her the five Euro note and when she try's to give me the change I just say thank you. That's about a one hundred percent tip but it's also about two dollars. 

I grab the tea and head out to the patio where Mr. USA's wife is sitting. It's  no wonder she can't go any longer. She's dressed lke it's going to snow and it's at least 80 degrees. I simply explain that they are at least five miles from where they want to go and then ask if they want to have the women call a taxi? I point out that a taxi will get them to where they want to be in less than twenty minutes. There is no hesitation, the wife says " yes, please yes". Mr, USA does not get a vote and I go back inside and with that universal hand signal where you hold your hand next to your ear like you are getting a call or calling someone else I just say " taxi ". She says simply, Si. That's it. In less than ten minutes a taxi arrives and takes them to wherever they are going. I don't know their names, he never thanked me and they are gone. 

I am back inside and I order a small beer and the little women just smiles at me and then brings me a little sausage on a small piece of bread. I pay her and then return to the Camino. I'm actually pleased that I took the road route today. I had a Camino experience. 

I arrive at my Hotel located right on the freeway at 3:30. It's not the Four Seasons. My only hope now is that if I decide to go to the Pilgrim dinner that I don't get stuck sitting next to Mr. USA. My goal is to get to bed early because tomorrow my walk to Astorga will be nearly twenty miles! The longest distance of any of my schduled walks. 

 When I arrive in Astorga tomorrow I will have 164 miles to Santiago. Good night and Buen Camino.

  

The villiage of Mansilla de las Mulas is sold out so I'm staying off the Camino in a place about a mile and a half away from the center of the village. My dinner partner is in tears.

I will explain the dinner thing shortly but first Mansilla de las Mular. 

I don care about the location. No big deal I will just chill out and eat at the Hostal. I really don't want to go to the pilgrim dinner group but there is no choice. I arrive at 4:00 so I have plenty of time to get things done and rest. Dinner is at seven thirty. There are only five rooms so it will be a small group. 

I go down to the dining room early and get a glass of wine and sit outside in the backyard. The weather is perfect. I take a seat and just like that there is a dog in my lap with a big stick in his mouth. It turns out his name is Pepper. He the owner's son's dog. He is completely black which I guess has something to do with his name. Photo on the way soon.

The son comes out and apologizes for Pepper bothering me. But I just let him know that it's okay.  Pepper and I play fetch for about fifteen minutes before I get called in for dinner. There are five others for dinner. Four people are sitting at a table for four and there is one women sitting alone. There is another table for one. It would be the right thing to do so I ask if she wants company and she says yes. How awkward would it have been if she said no.

She is from New Zealand, her name is Linda and she started her Camino five days before me and has had some blister related delays. She tells me that soon after she started the Camino she realized that she was not as well prepared as she thought she was. The first day over the mountain took her two days. She had to stop at the half way point and beg her way into an Albergue or try to find transportation back to St. Jean, she could not go any further. She then tells me that her two son's both think she has lost her mind doing this Camino thing but have now become supporters and are encouraging her. She now feels much better about what she is doing.

We go through the usual Camino chat and she asks about why I'm doing it again? I explain. She says she regrets that she is not haveing a Spirtual Camino. Then she decides to tell me that her younger brother recently died of Cancer and that she is bringing a stone for him. I can't stop myself and I suggest that her journey is already a spiritual one otherwise why would she be carring a stone? She reaches for her purse looking for a tissue and starts to cry! The group of four are thinking who knows what. I can't imagine what they think I've done. The son comes out with the soup and stops and just looks at me. I just look back at him and shrug. What am I supposed to do. She gathers herself and says to me "your right". The conversation switches to the belief that the Camino is broken into three parts as you make your way to Santiago. The first third is the physical, the second is mental, and the last is spiritual. 

She is fine from that point on and the discussion shifts to where to leave the stone. I'm selling the Cruz de Ferro as it is the most famous location for leaving stones on the Camino. I think she has decided to leave the stone there. That causes me to think .... Why am I selling the Cruz de Ferro to others while trying to decide where to leave the majority of the stones I'm carrying? The Cruz de Ferro is the best choice.

So. in addition to the two stones I'm carring to the Cruz de Ferro for Beth and Lori I have decided that I will take all of the stones to the Criz de Ferro. I believe that I will reach the Cruz de Ferro on Monday on my way to Molinaseca. 

Dinner is fine and I'm back in my room by nine. I am a sleep quickly and then wake in the middle of the night, blog , emails etc and then back to sleep usually until 7:30. The walk on Thursday is to Leon. There us no great way to describe it but to say that it's along the highway, twelve miles,  noisey and dangerous at times. The good news is that it's a bit less than twelve miles. The only additional drawback today is that it's hot. Hot not warm. But at leas it's not raining.

I leave early and just go right at it. There is no need to delay. Leon will be one of the last major cities before Santiago, the other being Astorga. I will send photos of Leon as quickly as I can. The Hotel's wifi system will not let me use two devices with the same email address. Don't ask, I don't understand either. 

Tomorrow I will walk to Villas angus Del Paramo. Fourteen miles and fairy flat. There are actually two destinations fir today. The other is Villar de Mazarife which is where I stayed on my first Camino. I'm trying when possible to change it up so I'm going to Paramo. It will be warm but I'm in no hurry. I have two goals today. The first is to just get there and the second is to try to avoid making anyone cry at the pilgrim dinner.

I will  send the photos as soon as I can. Good night, Buen Camino.

Today is my twenty first day of walking to Santiago de Compestella, I have about two hundred and twenty five miles to go.

I'm not really sure about the distance remaining but I think my estimate is close. Actually my guide book says I'm closer. If my calculations are correct I have now taken about five hundred and seventy five thousand steps of the Camino's one million steps to Santiago. I will look more closely and get a better estimate when I post again.

Today is another long walk with little shade just like the past three days. I make good time and arrive at this very small town searching for the Hotel with seven rooms. I hate to say this but there is nothing about this village which can be described as an attraction ... Nothing. 

I walk half way through the village and find my accommodation. It's a little Hotel with seven rooms. Owned and operated by a husband and wife team that truly works hard to make sure that you have a memorable stay in an otherwise forgettable village.

There are ten of us for dinner. A group of five from Seattle, three of them are family, the parents and their son who has recently graduated from college. The other two from Seattle, a married couple who are friends of the family. A couple from North Carolina, a guy from New Mexico and a recently retired women from central California and me.

Dinner was good but there isn't much else to say about it. The conversation was mostly about the Camino and seemed to focus on which parts to skip and how to get things shipped ahead. The guy from New Mexico never spoke a word .. Not one.  With that I'll just say that at this juncture I may not be posting any blog updates more frequently than once every couple of days. I can't imagine anyone wanting to read this. 

I will post when and if something of interest crops up but will of course post the details of the placing of the stones. The fact is that the Camino I'm seeing today is very commercial and since my last walk has become a tourist event not the challenge of the pilgrims of the past.

Packing your bags to be picked up by the Donkey service, shipped to the next piace on the Camino which suits your willingness to push yourself is just a turnoff. I have now figured out why I don't see any of the same people. It's because very few of us are on the same Camino. When I was eating dinner the other night alone and Vickie invited herself to sit with me she shared with me that she left the Camino for three days to take a train to Paris and when she returned she just started back by jumping ahead five days to avoid one segment which was going to be difficult. It's no wonder that I don't see the same people.

On my first Camino I really got to know people very well. We all walked the same segments, suffered the challenges of the snow and more. At the end of each day we would all meet for dinner and celebrate that day's success together. We all shared the same experience and walked the same Camino. I'm not getting any of that now. For most of the people I'm meeting this is just a another morning walk around the neighborhood but when needed you can buy a boccidillo from a neighbor.

Today I left Hermanillos de la Calzada and the Hotel with seven rooms at 8:30 on my way to Mansilla de las Mulas.  It's a walk through a completely open space. No towns or villages, nothing. The walk is a distance of just a little more than fifteen miles. I walked alone for ten miles without a break passing just a few other pilgrims because the segment today was without any place to stop until the ten mile point. Was today a day where I saw a lot of pilgrims? No, actually very few. Why? Just to hard and just not as interesting so just skip it and go ahead to Leon? Probably.

The good news is that I continue to be motivated by all of the great people, family and friends who have been so generous in their support for my Walk for Water. That will overshadow any of the other feelings I'm having about this Camino and keep me just putting one foot in front of the other. Only about four hundred and twenty five this and steps to go!

So with that rousing summary I will sign off and most likely post again on Friday or Saturday. Good night and Buen Camino.