Allison Cowie

La Virgen del Camino to Villares de Órbigo / 18 miles

Another good day of walking! I passed by more Hobbit holes/wine bodegas/hillside storage units, and got further out of the León exurbs to finally get back to the long stretches of open land that have defined the Camino so far. I’m nearly done with the Meseta — tomorrow I’ll pass through Astorga, at which point I’ll be going up hills again! I’ve very much enjoyed walking through the Kansas of Spain, though I’m also looking forward to some more shady trees and mountain views on my path.

Today was pretty uneventful. The trail wasn’t crowded, and I only saw one pilgrim I recognized.

My highlights:

• My albergue (Albergue El Encanto) has an absolutely gorgeous patio full of flowers and comfy chairs, and I’m one of eight people staying here tonight so it is very quiet!
• I carried a can of Pepsi with me that I picked up yesterday but never got around to drinking. A can of soda has never tasted better than that Pepsi did to me at mile 12, and it powered me through the final six miles.
• I’ve officially passed the 300km mark… only ~280km to go until Santiago.
• My legs are feeling strong and I’m excited for this next stage.
• The albergue has cans of Alhambra for 1.60 euro.