Big mistake last night when I didn’t call Jacotrans early enough. It was around 8.30 pm when I suddenly remembered. By this time it was too late. It’s full, he said: we can’t take any more. That’s just a sign of the times. The Camino has never been so busy!
Luckily there was an ALSA bus this morning, leaving from outside the station at 9.21 am. This effectively cut my journey in half. It was still a shock to the system, having to carry my own backpack for the first time this year. The good thing is that my Aarn pack, with its balance pockets at the front, straps very closely to my body and is a very efficient means of carrying a load.
When the bus stopped at Bercianos, I was the only one to get off. Most people were heading straight for Leon. They had had enough of the Meseta. Bercianos was a small place with nothing going on except agriculture:
These giant haystacks were reminiscent of a scene from The Way.
The Senda today was still long and straight, but a row of trees had been planted on the southern side and provided some welcome shade. They are growing bigger by the year. There are also a number of concrete benches for a little sit down.
Now I’m just sitting in the garden of La Costa del Adobe, drinking a sangria. Three Irish girls are sunning themselves, attempting to get a tan to take back home with them. The Italians and myself are in the shade.
My washing will dry in half an hour:
View of my lodging:
Church tower colonised by three storks nests:
This is a close-up of the adobe.
Vegetarian dinner (!!):
Chickpeas w. mushrooms, asparagus, chips, salad. Not bad for a meat-eater, do you agree?
Tiramisu for dessert.
Explanation of adobe (mud bricks), made from soil with a high clay content plus straw. The bricks are left out to dry in the hot Spanish sun over summer. See:
Another good day. A lot going on, amidst all the agriculture.
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