We left Castrojeriz at 7 o’clock. We continue to improve our early getaways. This morning was very misty, and it seemed that we were climbing, into the clouds. It was a long climb, and at the top we were completely in the cloud with no visibility at all.
Near the hilltop was a little rest area where a young woman offered juice, fruit, and coffee for donation. And there, lying on the ground, was the cutest little baby, her child, just smiling and looking up at the trees and enjoying being outdoors.
Later, as the morning grew warmer and we walked along a country pathway, we thought we saw a bus or tour vehicle turning around just up a small hill. Climbing the hill, we saw the canal: the vehicle was a boat, now full of pilgrims riding to Fromista, our destination for the day. We had literally missed the boat. Oh well, we never expected a boat ride anyway. And so we hiked another three miles along the canal to Fromista.
We stayed in the Hotel San Martin today with our own room and bath. Evan is struggling with a persistent cough, so we like having our own room, not only for the convenience, but also because Evan hates to be keeping others awake in the shared rooms.
We visited two beautiful churches today. The Iglesia de San Martin was consecrated in 1066. It’s a unique church with a distinctive Romanesque style in contrast to the more gothic churches that are more common in Spain. The Iglesia de San Pedro is more gothic, from the 15th century, and also houses an interesting museum.
And happily, we were able to enjoy our “evening meal” between four and five o:clock. Most restaurants so far tend to open no earlier than 7:00, and often not until 8:00. The food and service were great. We also ran into Joe and Dolly again and had a couple of drinks with them. From our hotel room window, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the Iglesia de San Martin. The evening was a bit noisy, since we were right above the outdoor café and bar, but we still enjoyed a good night’s sleep.
