Day 13, September 6: Castrojeriz to Poblacion de Campos (29 km; 6:05)

By 2:00 pm, I had arrived at the albergue in Poblacion de Campos. I showered and washed my clothes, had a beer at a local bar, and shopped for bread, sausage, and the inevitable bottle of Rioja. This albergue was a converted school house with 22 beds and a kitchen. The fee was by donation. Sadly, they would accept neither my half-drunk bottle of wine nor my witty banter as payment, so I was forced to part with some of my hard-won Euros.

Photo 478: Schoolhouse converted to albergue.

After 6:00 pm, only a trickle of peregrinos come into the albergue and this evening there were only eight of us, including Ken from Saskatoon, and two German ladies. We decided to pool our resources for dinner. The pasta with tomato, onion, mushroom and chorizo tasted great - despite Anna mistaking bicarbonate of soda for salt!

Photo 479: Another delightful meal with great dinner companions.

We had a bit of fun as Ken got a new wig.

Photo 480: Nice hair!

When I left Castrojeriz it was barely above freezing. A tuque, gloves and thermal underwear would have been appreciated. Immediately after leaving, I began a steep climb to the Alto de Mostalares. From the top and looking back it was easy to see how the fortress dominated Castrojeriz and the surrounding valley.

Photo 463: Looking back to Castrojeriz.

A few kilometres down the path I crossed over an 11-arch bridge, the Puente de Itero

Photo 466: Puente de Itero with my shadow in the foreground.

and then followed a canal to Fromista, a large town tucked in the middle of what was once the breadbasket of the Roman Empire. Along the canal I passed two ladies from Norway, as was apparent from the flags on their backpacks. “Har det bra” (Have a good day), I said in Norwegian as I went by.

Despite having a Canadian flag prominently displayed on my backpack I have been frequently asked, “Are you from Canada”? “No, I’m an Aussie in disguise” is what I would have liked to reply, but there was no way that I would get the accent right.

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