It was nine kilometres to my first coffee of the day, today. And I suffered. It would be nice to be able to say I did so in silence. Except I didn’t. I asked, myself: Why are we doing this, again? No reasonable answer was forthcoming. I asked John. He didn’t have a suitable answer either, which isn’t surprising – this caper was my idea from the get go.
And at about the 7k mark, my body was wracked with aches and pains, my throats was raspy. “I’ve got your cold,” I complained. Hardly surprising, John’s been coughing and sneezing for three days now. Only thing is once I’d had the coffee and we were back the road my turbo booster was operating again.
Today’s path between our coffee stop and El Burgo Ranero
After that coffee I flew along the trail, helped along by a tail wind, slightly cooler temperatures, and a soft walking surface – all of which were kind to my feet. The blister situation (I have 11 in total, all at various stages of the blister life cycle) is no worse than it was, in most cases it’s better.
We’re staying at the Municipal Albergue tonight. It was recommended by some pilgrims along the way. No two nights are the same here. There’s a huge variation between albergues. Last night’s was dire. It seemed pretty smart from the outside but the dormitory was dingy, and airless, the staff impatient with our palty attempts at Spanish. As for the showers, they were so small it was almost impossible to manage the job without my clothes getting an unintended wash. The fact that the bunk was about six inches too short for John didn’t improve matters.
Tonight’s albergue is built of adobe, each room sleeps only eight, its light and airy and the welcome was cheery.
John, making up his bunk for the night
It’s staffed by volunteers, part of the Camino Association, and the fee is a donativo (or Koha for Kiwis.) As for the showers, there are plenty, they’re roomy, and they’re clean.
Albergue Domenico Laffi
For the first time, there’s an autumnal feel in the air. It’s almost chilly sitting in the shade and the leaves have begun to drop.
Way marker outside our albergue
El Burgo Ranero is a sleepy village (pop 250). And, as I’ve seen so often over the last few weeks, the farmers like to park right outside the house.
Parking in El Burgo
Tomorrow we head to Mansilla de las Mulas. We should reach Leon by Thursday and then the Meseta will be behind us.
Categories: Camino de Santiago, Europe, Spain
Jill's Scene 
I hope you get your coffee everyday to not have to endure more than what you already do!
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Sorry to hear about john’s cold, hope you don’t get it. Is John getting any time for sketching?
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Coffee is really a good start to the day 🙂 Hope the blisters continue to improve.
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la messeta est un plateau a perte de vue. En y pénétrant à pieds, humblement, en regardant le moindre brin d herbe on comprend qu il participe à cette immensité et c est simplement magnifique
Buen Camino à vous.
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glad you’re having a better night
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Sleep well, I hope you get your coffee before you leave in the morning! Amazing what a fix it is 🙂
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So true Jill, no one day is the same and thats some of the magic of the Camino. Some days you will ask yourself …”Why are we doing this again” ???…… to be expected on perhaps a challenging walking day. Some days better than others weather, energy and feet-blister wtise. Roll with the challenges and struggles as they are intermittent…..keep upsizing the gratitude mantra’s…this is very much a once in a lifeime dream…keep up the kiwi spirit !
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I highly recommend the Museo Etnografico in Mansilla de las Mulas, if you can make time. The website says it is open weekdays from 10:00-14:00 and 17:00-20:00 (but closed Mondays). The museum gives a good idea of the local history/culture over the last few hundred year, focusing on the day-to-day life, and most of the displays have English notes.
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Thanks so much for the tip. We spent an hour wandering through the museum yesterday evening. I particularly appreciated the exhibit demonstrating the building of the adobe houses. And the jewellery. A great recommendation and close to the albergue, too.
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