Day 06: Valsain to Segovia

Date	Jun 14
Today's Distance:	10 miles / 16 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	70 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1470 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Corregidor @ $ 23
Total Lodging:	$ 173
Buses / Trains:	$
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 18
Food:	$ 25
Total Food:	$ 110

Meaningful Moment

Sharing a cold drink, bought at a local supermarket on the way into Segovia, with Deb on a bench under the shade of a tree.

***

After having all the restaurants last night in Valsaín closed, we started the day with a serious calories deficiency. In fact, we think we've Benning running a calorie deficiency for the entire Camino to date. 

Combine that with temperatures easily breaking 95 every day in the afternoon, having serious hydration issues in the heat, it's no surprise that our bodies felt unusually beat up even for experienced hikers.

So walking around Segovia in the evening, we stumbled across a bar that was open with a Menu del día that sounded delicious. It was early for Spain, only 6:30 p.m., for the kitchen to be open but I asked anyway. And were we surprised that the kitchen was open.

Deb had paella and I had a similar dish only over noodles instead of rice for our first course.

The main entrees were pork and chicken, we got one of each. And for dessert it was flan and ice cream.

I had a really cold cervesa to drink, and it was like heaven.

Then we followed it up with a little walk around Segovia, and ended up in a small park where we went to a little sushi vendor, not for sushi but for more cold drinks. A white wine, a tinto verano, and two more bottles of water LOL.

Random Thought of the Day

Ended up walking along the road for the entire day.

But it was very, very flat.

Halfway thru we crossed over a large reservoir which made for a nice view.

On the Road / Notable memories

Deb and I had some great rest stops along the Camino today.

In the town of Ildofensa, I had coffee con leche and pineapple juice. Deb had a cafe negro and tortilla. After all, we had to make up for there being no restaurants open the night before. 

On the way into Segovia, we stopped in a supermarket for Zambuchas, found a bench with shade and drank up. 

Since it was still not check-in time, we stopped in a restaurant in a plaza, where we had tapas and tortillas. Being unbelievably thirsty, I ordered a coca cola and orange juice and Deb ordered a seltzer and orange juice. 

Each rest stop today was so enjoyable as a simple moment of pleasure.

Roman aqueducts of Segovia, 

built 2000 years ago

Day 05: Cercedilla to Valsain

Date	Jun 13
Today's Distance:	14 miles / 23 km
	Route Video
Total This Camino:	60 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1460 miles
Lodging:	@ $ 40
Total Lodging:	$ 150
Buses / Trains:	$
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 18
Food:	$
Total Food:	$ 85

Meaningful Moment

What is said to be one of the hardest days on the Camino de Madrid is now behind us. Although it took a lot of effort and struggle, we made the climb of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range.

After 5 hours of struggling up 1800 ft of elevation gain, Deb and I made it to Fuente de la Fuenfria. When we made it to that place, we were standing in a pass created by the Romans 2,000 years ago to link the Spanish, that is to say, Roman cities of Merida and Zaragoza.

It was a pretty awesome feeling to realize that where I was standing, that 2000 years ago, Roman legions crossed here.

I can't wrap my head around how the people of two millennia ago  we're surviving in this area and thriving in this area. I wonder what it must have been like for the locals to face the 

P coming Roman invasion and all the changes that would bring to their way of life.

Random Thought of the Day

While we were walking around Valsaín, we came across this beautiful white cat with yellow green eyes just sitting on a dirt path.

Also feeling better than yesterday. Perhaps I had a touch of heat issues from a potential loss of electrolytes, combined with a protein bar that just did not agree with me. In any event, I drank Powerade and water during the hike, along with eating some meats and cheeses and that seemed to be okay.

On the Road / Notable memories

After reaching the summit of the mountain, we had about a 9 mi hike still to the hostel.

It was downhill for quite a way, but then suddenly it was back up hill, climbing and climbing, not as steep as before but certainly just as long.

The day finally ended with a prolonged downhill climb along the road which made it somewhat difficult on the calves.

After 9:00 and 1/2 hours of hiking, when we reached our casa rural in Navelhorno, we discovered that there were zero restaurants open and zero stores open for purchasing foodstuffs. Deb and I were lucky to have some food saved from today's long hike: some cold cuts, some sliced cheese, some flan, some yogurt, some grapes and some power bars. Because that is supper tonight.

However the place had an open pool. What was crazy was how, despite being about 93F,  cold the water was. That did not stop me from going in twice. 

I could live without a restaurant, but I surely needed that pool. Deb put her feet in, and we started to unwind from a most physically demanding day 

	The path started out as pavement at the beginning.
	Then turned into a dirt walking path.
	On the way up the Sierra de Guadarrama
	The land use around the Madrid area is for housing development, farming and ranching. So all the green in this national park was a sight for sore eyes.
	The last third of the trail and the steepest part was rocky. It is very difficult on the feet and knees as there is near constant torsional stressors on the joints.
	And so begins the long descent.
	The trees are mostly pine.
	It was a beautiful day for a walk in the national Park. After this we have mostly farmlands and ranches, all flat, all the way to the end of the Camino de madrid.