Azofra-Santo Domingo de la Calzada

The Albergue in Azofra is nice with very small rooms with only two beds. I´m sharing a room with Lynn, from Norway. She has also just quit her job of 15 years teaching Kindergarten. She tells me about a ceremony that she will be volunteering for in Africa after the Camino. It is called ¨For The One Dance¨.

Sally, Katie and I head out to find some dinner, fish (Hake) a salad, ( my first ¨real¨salad while here), and flan for dessert. We share a bottle of wine and I feel a siesta coming on. I will probably forgo the siesta for fear of not being able to sleep tonight.

After dinner we head off to Mass,( I have yet to see inside a church, they are always closed when I arrive). No Mass, but we do get inside the church. Here we meet Jim, from Florida. He can´t believe I am from Champaign- he lived in champ/Urbana for 5 years (1985) and worked at the Krannert center. Amazing!

Wed a.m.: There is a full moon in the sky upon leaving Azofra this morning at 7:45, it looks more like an evening sky. Once again I am at a crossroad with no way marking ( often the Albergues are not on the main path). I wait only a minute and a gentleman drives by in a truck and points me in the right direction.

Today is only a 15.2 km day, with an acrued ascent of 1198 ft.( all in one hill I believe). This will be the last of the shorter hikes. Probably 22km at least from here on out. The walk today was overcast again and peaceful, it´s fun to see pilgrims pass you, and you them, that you have met along the way. Lunch is early today, 10:00 am, I have already gone through 2 ganola bars and my tuna salad ( I must be getting my appetite back).

I arrive in Santo Domingo de la Calzada about 11:35 and write in my journal while I wait for Sally and Katie to catch up. We arrive at a very nice Albergue, very modern, and early enough, that I get a bottom bunk. I notice, however, as the pilgrims begin arriving that the women are sorely out-numbered. I fear a night of many deep meditations!

We (me, Sally, Katie) have already been to the market and picked up a few things for cooking our own dinner. Pasta and grilled vegetables with a bottle of local wine.

Tomorrow we catch a bus to Burgos at 9:15 in the morning, do some sights and then another bus to Leon- making up some lost time.

Until next time...