Camino Frances Day 33: Castrojerez - Villalcázar de Sirga

La más larga caminata comienza con un paso

Longest day yet: 38 km!

Set out from Castrojerez at dawn. The first part of the walk was a steep but short climb to Alto de Mostelares, at 910 metres, with spectacular views eastward of the rising sun and Castrojerez and westward over the Mesetas.

The gravel road then dropped even more steeply back down to an elevation of about 800 metres, where it will remain for the rest of the Mesetas. Around 8 am I stopped by San Nicolas, the former hermitage now operated as a pilgrim hostel with only 12 places by the Italian branch of the Confraternity of St. James. I had heard it was a really special place, but my guidebook and the website said it didn't open until the first of June. It turned out that the Italian ospitalieri were already there, airing the blankets, and they gave me a true Italian espresso and a new pilgrim credential to match my first three, in case I run out of space before I get to Santiago!

Meanwhile, my walking buddy had continued on, and so had the Power Trio (Rod, Australian; Patrick, Irish, of course ; and Seret, Estonian), so I walked the rest of the day alone, though always with pilgrims in sight ahead of me and/or behind. After passing through the village of Itero de la Vega and crossing some beautiful plains I came to Boadilla del Camino, where many pilgrims ended their day, but continued on through Fromista, where I stopped to visit the beautiful church.

From here the route continued from one small village to the next. I caught up with Marius in Villamentero de Campos and continued on alongside a highway for another hour to Villalcázar de Sirga, where we turned in for the evening as guests of the Knights of the Order of Malta, otherwise known as the Templars.