Day 19 walking. Less than 400km to Santiago. 10 May

We must be half way. Woohoo

22.7 km today and enough sun to have shadows.... Yeah
They talk about 3 stages of the camino

1. The physical stage - usually associated with the period of acclimatisation with surrounding physical conditions, carrying a pack, walking, blisters, living in close proximity of hostel accommodation.... and so much more.
2. The mental stage - usually associated with the Meseta, which is often described as long, flat, insignificant, and even boring. People start to question why they are walking, and frustration can often set in.
3. The spiritual stage - usually associated with inner peace and reflection, tranquility and appreciation of surroundings which usually come in the final stages.

Looked for a geocache here, but didn't find it. Was being observed closely by a local. ;-(
By now we should be used to the weight of our packs, our shoes etc. Don't think I am there yet. I don't find my pack too bad, in actual fact, and my boots are comfortable. But by the end of a day's walk, I usually ache.

Today's walk across the Meseta, didn't bother us at all. It was basically flat, not unlike much of Australia. We felt quite at home. The biggest difference is the distance between villages. 17km today - by far the greatest distance so far, without bars, fountains or toilets. Often, when people travel this section, it is very hot and full sun. We had broken cloud, cool breeze, leading to a full sunny afternoon.

Found a little shade along the way today.

We are sitting in the back yard of our Albergue, in warm sunshine and it is 7pm. Out wet clothes have dried while we visited the local bar for a few drinks and something to eat. Couldn't wait until pilgrim meal time - we had pizzas. Had to have 2... They were good, especially for frozen ones. Light, puffy, crusty. Amazing.

Today we had a leisurely start to the day. Breakfast was included with our accommodation, but not served until 8am. But at 7.45am, we could wait no longer. We were off. The day looked promising. Still lots of cloud, but sunshine poking through. We looked out onto scenes that were probably similar to those missed the previous day because of the rain. As we approached the 17km stretch, the few people we saw on the path seemed to be taking it easy too, many using the picnic spots, or their own make-shift ones. Nice- just what we had planned for the previous day.

At one point we rejoined the path after a picnic stop, only to find ourselves in the middle of a large crowd of very chatty walkers. They seemed to be out for a Sunday stroll. Not far in front, another lady walking on her own stopped and chucked her walking sticks onto the ground, an action that seemed to say 'Enough!' We walked on past, and just a short distance further people were carrying food and utensils out of 2 vehicles. The penny dropped. Apparently, these people were part of a tour group, dropped off and one point for the walk, provided with refreshments along the way. I can only wonder how far they were going. To each his own.

Tonight as we were sitting outside the local bar... on the street, as is the tradition,we overheard a discussion with a group we had shared a picnic spot with throughout the day. An older lady ( in her seventies) and what appeared to be her three grown up children. They were discussing whether they (particularly mum) could walk the 6km to the next village. By this time, we had checked in to the Albergue, showered and hung out our clothes, effectively calling it quits for the day. Here they were discussing going further, and mum was the motivator. Amazing. But it is also her eighth time on the camino. Double amazing. She looked like I felt as she got to her feet, and at this point one of her daughters slung mum's pack onto her front, carrying twice the weight.

Notes to self

• 22.7km  Villacazar to Calzadilla de la Cueza
• Albergue  Camino Real 7€ each. 
• Another thing for me to get used to ... Mixed bathrooms, with urinals in the common area.
• Not so easy to use 'baño natural ' with lots of people on the path.
• Great to share the journey with Karen today. Thanks
• We are about half way. Woohoo.
• Today feels different in the Albergue. When we came in this afternoon, there were several people curled up in sleeping bags asleep. Now, at almost 8pm, it is empty. Several are outside here in the sun, and I assume others are out for dinner at the bar. Summer has arrived. But I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

Sign on the reception door of this Albergue. So it's official.

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