The Big Red Tomato Returns!

Rain, rain, didn’t go away.  The showers of yesterday afternoon that interfered with my laundry drying satisfactorily returned this morning as a steady drizzle.  I walked most of the day in my striking red rain poncho, with my damp socks pinned to my pack, dangling underneath.   I had on my shorts and sandals (with socks, of course) so I made quite the fashion statement though nary a cow nor sheep deigned to give me any attention 😦

Okay, there was one curious cow

I only saw 3 other pilgrims on the road today, I think most of them snuck out of the albergue in the dark. Christian had definitely disappeared by 7am.  I again waited till almost dawn to leave, and was sipping the last drops of my cafe con leche in the neighborhood bar when the church bells chimed 8 o’clock and then I too was off!

Lunch during a break in the clouds

The first half was very pretty, like the pic above, but I happened to take that in the only tree-less section of that 11kms!

The second 9kms were by the road/highway or on hard gravel roads so it was a pleasure to reach Monesterio at last.

Ham capital of the world!!

I’ve booked into a cheapo hotel – a single room with private bath and TV for the same price the albergue charges one to sleep in a room with 7 strangers!  What a deal!! I’ve stocked up on cheese, bread, and a box of wine so it’s a picnic dinner and telenovelas for me tonight.