Today we walked the longest stretch of the camino without villages in between. 17km of straight mostly flattrack. I remembered this from last time- it is gruelling. But thanks to great company and great conversations, the time went quickly.

The walk out of Carrion is beautiful. You cross a river, and walk past ancient monasteries and churches.

And then…

The poppies are still with us, the road is straight as!

Today we honoured our grandparents as we walked this road. Marg and I shared their stories and our childhood memories, and reflected on the influences our grandparents had on us. It’s humbling to think about the challenges that generation faced, and their courage in overcoming them, and how we wouldn’t be here walking this path if they hadn’t walked theirs all those decades ago.

At the end of the 17km stretch there is a tiny hamlet called Quintanilla de la Cueza. It has 2 bars for thirsty pilgrims and not much else. We needed to stop there of course for a rest and some fortification (cerveza and Spanish ibuprofen for my sore feet 🤣) before the next 6km to Ledigos.

Always for me the Camino has been about the people you meet along the way. Today I walked alongside Joe, a farmer and winemaker from Victoria. We swapped stories and reflected on how Camino calls us, and impacts us, and the lessons we learn while walking. We both agreed that the most humbling experiences are hearing the stories of those you meet along the way. I marvelled again how the Camino creates the space for deep conversations with (im)perfect strangers.

And I also discovered that Joe’s wife is a naturopath – who I went to see a few years ago at her clinic in Bell St…What are the odds!!??

The last 6km felt longer than the first 17, but finally we arrived at our stop for the night. We had a disappointing pilgrim meal. We stayed in a rustic albergue (it was clean and functional but soul-less). I didn’t get good vibes from this town so I was happy to leave the next day.