Day 15: Peñaflor to Medina de Rioseca

Date	Jun 23
Today's Distance:	16 miles / 24 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	179 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1579 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Vittoria Collona  @ $ 30
Total Lodging:	$ 370
Buses / Trains:	$
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 48
Food:	$ 25
Total Food:	$ 256

Meaningful Moment

The change in the weather throughout the day was not unexpected, as we had been reading the weather reports .

However having the sky change from partly cloudy / partly blue, to a dark gray with the rain - although not strongly - but still coming down caused the temperatures to drop significantly. 

We had expected the rain but we did not expect how cold it got.

Then later in the day when the sun came back out while we were in the windmill field, it got hot again.

Quite a weather day.

Random Thought of th Day

The weather forecast yesterday said chance of rain today, and it was raining when we woke up. By the time we prepped it seemed to have broken though, so perhaps we'll have a good walk after all. 

Back hurts. Feels like a little bit of a lower spine, hip joint twinge. Think I should be all right, especially if I go slow.

It's close to noon and we had a rain shower for about an hour. After the rain shower, the temperature seems to have dropped to 59° f. That will make it the coolest yet that we've been hiking in.

Had a 15-20 minute climb out of Peñaflor, and it made me wonder, because I'm looking at it and thinking that this is just too much. :-) How did Deb and I ever cross the Sierra Guadarrama mountain range, on only our fourth day of hiking, which required an entire morning in mid-90 temperatures? Lol

Will have to confirm early tomorrow that we can find lodging in our next stop, Cuenca de Campos. There are rumors that the albergue is temporarily closed, although we have heard both ways.

On the Road / Notable memories

Being incredibly tired and exhausted, we were looking for something to eat around 7:30 pm. Since everything in Rioseco was closed because it was too early to eat for the Spanish, Deb and I end up at a kebab restaurant, deep in the heart of Spain.

But we did get delicious pastries at the local supermarket.

	Prepping the shoes for rain
	Looking back at Piñaflor
	Rain on the way
	Deep in a windmill farm, hundreds of windmills
	An entire afternoon, field after field of grain and windmills
	Valverde de Campos
	Windmill farm

Day 14: Simancas to Peñaflor de Hornija

Date	Jun 22
Today's Distance:	14 miles / 23 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	163 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1563 miles
Lodging:	Municipal albergue @ $ 4
Total Lodging:	$ 340
Buses / Trains:	$ 25
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 48
Food:	$ 20
Total Food:	$ 231

Meaningful Moment

United airlines canceled our flight on the 29th of the month. Deb rescheduled for the 30th. Although I was a little annoyed at the one day delay, it's giving Deb and I the opportunity to slow down a little bit and enjoy a little more around us, or perhaps just head to Madrid for an extra day.

Random Thought of the Day

Various body issues going on, mostly related to the feet and legs. Little bit with the lower back. I don't think there's anything that's unexpected there. Have my creams and pills to keep things under control. Just a good thing that I did training before I got over here, so that I got my body somewhat acclimated.

On the Road / Notable memories

Had a nice meal of comfortable food at the local town bar. I don't think anyone would qualify it as 5 star, but the bartender was a nice lady who presented the food with a smile and helped with our special Camino requests.

While we were having dinner, a Pilgrim who was bicycling came into the restaurant / bar. Deb invited him to join us and we had some nice conversation in Spanish  over dinner.

Met Jackie and Lynn, two very nice women from Australia, who are also doing the Camino Madrid. They started the same day we did, but just now have our paths crossed.

	Entering Ciguñuela
	This was essentially the entire day except for a few very small towns.
	Monument in the town of Wamba to King Wamba, King of the Visigoths. 7th century. During his reign, the Visigothic kingdom encompassed all of Hispania and part of southern Gaul.
	10th century Gothic Church in Wamba

Day 13: Puente Duero to Valladolid

Date	Jun 21
Today's Distance:	9 miles / 15 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	149 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1549 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Enara @ $ 40
Total Lodging:	$ 336
Buses / Trains:
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 23
Food:	$ 15
Total Food:	$ 211

Meaningful Moment

Deb and I visited the house where Cervantes wrote Don Quixote. It was an amazing feeling to be standing in the place, presumably at the desk where this great author wrote one of the classics of fiction.

Even though I figured the docent couldn't answer the question precisely, I had to ask if this was where he wrote. When she told me that this was in fact the place (his home) where he wrote Don Quixote, it was a very emotional moment to realize where I was standing and for how long he was at work on this amazing piece of literature.  Solo by virtue of walking the Camino Madrid, I had this experience. 

So even though time marches on, it is possible for the traveler to visit places of great significance and, so to speak, stand in the footsteps of giants.

Random Thought of the Day

Valladolid is an amazing city. Deb and I checked out some really cool places that normally one would not consider interesting. But we both tremendously enjoyed the house of Cervantes and later in the afternoon, the museum of modern art.

Had two great on the street meals and a nice drinking experience.

For lunch we had tapas at some bar near the hotel .

For dinner, we followed the recommendation of the hotel clerk to visit a particular plaza area where we would find lots of places to eat. We did and it was very enjoyable .

And then on the way back to the hotel, we passed two different plazas with ongoing music and crowds of people gathering in the streets to enjoy the atmosphere.

On the Road / Notable memories

Short 9 mile hike day today just to get from our stopover last night to the center of Valladolid, the largest city in Castile y Leon. 

Got to the hotel but it was too soon to check in. However they let us leave our bags and we were able to go get lunch and check out the house were Cervantes lived and wrote Don Quixote.

	Rio  Duero Third time I've crossed this river: Via de la Plata, Camino Portuguese and El Camino Madrid
	Courtyard of the Cervantes museum
	The patio
	Living room and desk
	The Man of La Mancha battles giants
	The Museum of modern art is in a former clustered Abbey.
	One of many wonderful plazas full of people and evening street life.
	Chuchería A candy store
	Local music

Day 12: Alcazarén to Puente Duero

Date	Jun 20
Today's Distance:	16 miles / 26 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	140 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1540 miles
Lodging:	Municipal Albergue @ $ 20
Total Lodging:	$ 296
Buses / Trains:
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 23
Food:	$ 5
Total Food:	$ 196

Meaningful Moment

The municipal albergue in Puente Duero is actually run by contract with the Jacobean Assn of Valladolid.  Our host, Arturo, was charming, gracious, entertaining and most welcoming.

By the time we leave tomorrow, we will have had three meals here. Arturo fed us a light lunch, and will serve up a hearty dinner and a breakfast ready in the morning.

The albergue is very nice looking with a full garden from which our hosts picks the vegetables for the salad.

Random Thought of the Day

Today's 16 miles of hiking felt much easier on the body. 

Tomorrow we strike into Valladolid - 7 mile hike, which makes it a rest day - to go to the house of Cervantes and then a museum of modern Spanish art. The museum is a former clustered monastery 

On the Road / Notable memories

Same terrain as previous days (farm pastures, some range, lots and lots of pine grove/forest.

So I took pictures of markers along the way 

Running shoes worked well today. No issue with the right Achilles although a neighboring muscle is tender.

	"MP" is Latin and stands for "Millia Passum". The number represents a unit of distance from one Roman city/town to another, just like we use mile markers today.
	Camino de Santiago marker. 490 km ( 294 miles to Santiago de Compostela )
	Private land; no hunting
	Yellow arrow indicating what direction to follow to stay on the Camino Madrid.
	"Via Pecuaria":  Trails/routes used to move herds asking grazing areas or to market
	Taking advantage of mushrooms is prohibited. Picking is prohibited.
	Bike trail marker
	Picnic spot next to Rio Adaja
	In Italian: Camino de Santiago. I don't know why it's in Italian.
	Monument to Pilgrims on the Camino Madrid
	Municipal Albergue at Puente Duero
	Donations only. Much more of a communal feeling that either govt run or privately run places.
	We had a great experience here of 'welcoming'.
	Lots of character, inside and out.
	Arturo and Deb concocted a super delicious Spanish tortilla. I did the dishes.

Day 11: Coca to Alcazarén

Date	Jun 19
Today's Distance:	15 miles / 24 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	124 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1524 miles
Lodging:	Muni Albergue @ $ 10
Total Lodging:	$ 276
Buses / Trains:
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 23
Food:	$ 16
Total Food:	$ 191

Meaningful Moment

Yesterday when we started hiking it was 70° and by the end of the hike it had climbed to the low 90s. 

Today when we started hiking it was in the mid 50s and was in the high '70s when we ended hiking. 

What a difference 15° makes. Hiking is easier by far. We have more energy at the end of the day. We cover more territory in the morning.

In addition to the temperature, the weather cooperated by having oh I'd say about 50% cloud cover.

Completely changes one's attitude.

Random Thought of the Day

In Alcazarén we had a really nice bartender when we went out for dinner. Seemed like she would do just about anything for us.

It was the only bar open on a Sunday night ... Thank goodness it was open. Deb had pork slices and I had beef. Huge protein boost.

Although we had a few periods where we were walking through farm fields, most of today was all about pine forests. 

Today was the first day in this entire Camino that in the evening, I put on a long sleeve shirt and Deb put on a coat when we went to dinner.

On the Road / Notable memories

About 3 mi into our 15 mi hike today, my right heel, possibly Achilles, started acting up. By the end of the day it was pretty sore. 

So tomorrow I'm going to be switching from the Keene hiking sandals back to my trail running shoes. Most likely the real cause is all the sand that I've been walking in for the past 2 or 3 days.

Walking around Alcazarén after dinner at the bar and checking all the crane nests on the two churches.

Very common sight here to see crane nests on the church steeples.

	Some of the different types of landscapes on today's stage of the Camino Madrid.
	Farm land
	Pine grove. Resin production is big business here.
	Shade trees

Day 10: Santa Maria to Coca

Date	Jun 18
Today's Distance:	16 miles / 26 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	109 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1509 miles
Lodging:	La Casa de la Paca @ $ 30
Total Lodging:	$ 266
Buses / Trains:	$
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 23
Food:	$ 20
Total Food:	$ 175

Meaningful Moment

Saw five of the top 10 things to do in Coca, Spain.

• The bust of emperor Theodosius
• The walls of the old city
• The gate to the city
• Ancient stone carvings
• The castle

• Theodosius I, also called Theodosius the Great, was born in Coca, Spain. He ruled as a Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He led in a war against the Goths. He established the creed of Nicaea as the doctrine for Christianity.
• The walls of the old city. Dates from the XIII century.
• The gate to the city
• Stone carving of "verrascos". Ancient Iberian granite carvings of beasts. There are two outside the main gate of the town.
• The castle.

See pictures below.

Random Thought of the Day

Still in the high 90s. Today when we finished hiking, it must have been somewhere around 94 Fahrenheit. However tomorrow, according to the weather forecast, the heat wave breaks. By the time we start hiking it should be in the '60s which will be the first time since we've been here the temperature will be in the 60s. The high tomorrow is expected to be in the mid '80s.

On the Road / Notable memories

Had a lot of cloud cover today and it was greatly appreciated.

For a long stretch of road I was alternating between singing Do-Re-Mi and Flightless Bird.

	Breaking dawn over Santa Maria
	Sunrise is coming
	Nieva, Spain
	Sunrise through the pine grove
	Bunny holes
	Passing throu farm fields
	These two ladies came out to chat with Deb and I.
	Amber fields of grain
	Intensive water irrigation to grow crops in this very sandy terrain
	Terrace of our Casa Rural - more upscale than a hostel or hotel
	A verraco - ancient granite sculptures
	Bust of Emperor Theodosius, born in Coca
	Walled portion Coca
	Castle of Coca