Life's a Stitch

A day of superlatives, we woke up from the best night's sleep on the Camino and walked for a beautiful day mostly on an alternative path that took us through farm country then along a river with birdsong in one ear and church bells in the other. This is the Meseta that is described as so bland?

We walked along a river on a path that looked like scenes from a watercolour landscape instruction book.

Autumn Crocus were poking through the hard earth.

Arrived at our hostel at Carrion de Los Condes for the most unique room of our trek.

Aside from the quirky decorating, the place was fabulous. The dining room offered the best peregrino meal ever. Ordering lamb stew, I expected watery broth with tender but fatty chunks of meat. Instead I was presented with lamb shank in mushroom sauce. I was afraid to accept it thinking there had been a mistake.

For dessert we were given several choices and we ordered the chocolate mousse. The server told us NO! in firm Spanish. She presented us with two specialities de la casa, knowing the mousse was prepackaged, and ordered us to share both. They were a rice pudding and a custard with cinnamon that tasted like they were from my grandmother's kitchen.

The entire dinner with a decent bottle of wine came to 22e for the two of us. This family run hostel made it a point to spoil pilgrims.

Tomorrow is a long stretch with no services for the first 17k. Hasta manana.