I had never contemplated spending a night in a castle dungeon, giant granite bricks, a single narrow slit window at floor level with high ceilings framed with large timber beams. With the lights off it was the perfect sleeping spot with its king bed and quality sheets. So we awoke fresh and ready for the 28km ahead of us.
Breakfast in the cafeteria was beautifully presented just for the two of us, ours served at 0700 and everyone else in the restaurant at 0900. We were away by 0720 and walked the stone bridge across the moat and through the castle grounds. The swimming pool is almost completely renovated, and across are grape vines on the southern side and landscape gardens surrounding the castle and moat. The driveway is tree lined with more grape behind. Through the electronic gate and down a bitumen road for two kilometres to rejoin the camino. More grape, wheat, barley and cork boundaries our track. It was quiet other than for the birds, until one of these confounded electric cars approached us from behind, soundlessly, and let us know his presence with the car horn. If I had 'the dickens' I reckon that would have scared them right out of me.
2km down, now on the camino for 26km to our next stop. The track is a single lane walking track beside a two lane dirt road. On the other side is a fence before a double lane each way freeway. The farmland is all utilised with grain crop and the ever present cork, but now too we see the yellow flower of canola.
There are many farm houses, often deserted. The way is a plain although the camino manages to find a series of hills for us to climb, mainly rising up to the level of car bridges crossing the freeway. Our track is excellent being flat and smooth although limited use allows the broom bushes to overgrow the path but can easily be pushed aside.
A pilgrim passed us, a rare sight we realised by days end. He is Brazilian now living in Spain, but a while ago he had an Australian partner so is familiar with our digs.
Three hours later and 15 kilometres we stopped for coffee and a wee break. Limited seating so we shared with an irishman from Galway who is cycling the camino and aims to complete next Wednesday before flying home to his wife and family, and back to his IT job. Turns out he has lived in Brisbane a few years ago, at the Gap. Lovely man who said his journeys been quiet and lonely.
Back on the road we headed through lucern, wheat and canola fields with crops in various stages of maturity, and a single harvester in use. There was a deal of mown grasses ready for bailing and use as hay. The cattle in the fields must need more grass in winter. But for now feed is plentiful. It was a slow rise in open plain with the horizon never seeming to get closer. Then new grape was here and heralded the brink of our plains horizon, and what confronted us brought sighs of pleasure ad amazement.
Below us was a drop down to another plain travelling tens of kilometres to a very distant and hazy mountain range. In the middle is a colourful array of farmed squares. The crops were of many hues of green, gold and indescribable colours. The trail remains a dirt track, rutted now with water runoff. But the track for walking is good, just a little more jumping and redirecting. Much crop and particularly grape escorted us to our destination, an old home beautifully renovated with six guest rooms (only us and one other).
It was a surprise walking into town to find the two Dutch ladies, sitting outside a bar (their favourite spot in an all the little towns/villages along the Camino). We had expected not to see them again. (Although they are adamant they are not continuing beyond Zamora, which is tomorrow.)
The bar a block later provided sustenance for ourselves as well. No choice for dinner, just one option. Paella. But it tasted nice and they excluded the meat for Jenny’s serve. Ate with the two Dutch ladies. Chatted with five other pilgrims who emerged from nowhere, some together , some solo, all male and all very nice.
Back o our room and a very cosy band comfortable rest.
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