27 September 2017
Walking Day 15:
20.5 kilometers
27,277 steps

Today is Wednesday (I am pretty sure, that is), and it was another very beautiful sunny day on the meseta and the Camino de Santigo. I left Frómista with Tom and Julie (from Australia) at just about 8:00 AM. It was a brisk (10 C, 50 F) morning, but no wind, and the sun was just rising in back of us as we headed westward towards our destination for the day, a slightly larger town of Carrión de Los Condes, population 2200.

Today, most of the route is adjacent to a highway, although not nearly as busy as the N-120 (which is not too far off, and we shall cross several times in days to come). Fortunately, there is an alternate route along a small river, the Rio Ucieza.

We left Frómista at 8:00. Here is Julie at the end-of-Frómista sign:

For a couple of kilometers, we walk along this minor highway. We crossed over highway A-67 on an overpass and found this interesting Camino sculpture. The name of our destination city, Santiago de Compostela can be translated as “Saint James in the field of stars.” So the stars in the sculpture may refer to the star field to which the pilgrim is headed on the way to or under the stars to Santiago de Compostela:

Once over the highway, we settled into the path along the highway. The main Camino path between Frómista Carrión de los Condes is almost all along this minor highway. While not a terrible pathway, it is not terribly inspiring. There is an alternative route that goes through fields and along a small river to the Hermitage of Our Lady of the River, a small church at a bridge over the River Ucieza. We opted to take the alternative route to be away from the highway, and also because it only adds about 1.5 kilometers to the walk today. Here is a look at the path along the minor highway:

The Camino path is not on the highway, but adjacent. At Población de Campos, we found the split point, and veered right to the path away from the highway. The alternate path does not get close to the river for several kilometers, but it is still better being away from the highway.

This picture above shows the path along the river to the right – no highway in sight.

Soon we reach the Ermita de la Virgen del Rio, a church built in a very different style than we are used to seeing along the Camino, not Gothic and not Romanesque.

The inside is very much a familiar church, as is shown in the picture below.

After visiting the church, the alternate path makes its way back to the main path along the highway at Villalcázar de Sirga. This translates to town of the canal towpath, and has been welcoming pilgrims since the 12th century. We took a lunch break here, even though there are only about 5.5 kilometers left to Carrión de los Condes.

We found a cafe/bar and I saw the Korean couple I have been seeing off and on since my second day on the Camino. They told me they immigrated to the United States over 30 years ago, and lived for some time in Koreatown in Los Angeles and now live in Diamond Bar (a suburb of Los Angeles). I do not yet know their names, but they allow me to practice saying hello in Korean, “annyeonghaseyo” … I am getting better, but they say it much more beautifully than I.

After an early lunch break, we continued on over the meseta to Carrión de los Condes. The wheat fields, now harvested, are expansive. This is a quiet stretch, and in spite of the highway, there are so few vehicles, it is not bothersome. And being relatively quiet, there was ample time for contemplation.

And the expansive wheat fields are on both sides of the highway, for as far as we can see, the meseta in its finest and most typical:

Finally, we arrive in Carrión de los Condes. They welcome us with these nice waymarkers and this sculpture of Saint James as a pilgrim:

In the central part of the town is the Church of Saint Mary (Iglesia de Santa Maria). Here is the rather regal entrance:

And inside, the church is quite nice as are so many along the Camino de Santiago:

My hotel is right across the street from the church. As is almost always the case, I get checked in, get a shower, change into my clean clothes and either wash of find a way to have my clothes washed. This hotel has an outdoor courtyard with a clothes washing sink, and a place to hang clothes. With the sun heading west and down, I am hoping for enough warm sun for my clothes to dry.

Then I met Tom and Julie at a bar for a mid-afternoon snack, including my favorite, an after-walk Coca-Cola (on ice). I’ll have dinner with Jeff and Tracy from Minnesota and Annie from Iceland. We are all staying in the same hotel and dinner is included.

This was a very good day for me. On my last visit to Frómista and Carrión de los Condes, I had become quite ill, and was transported to a hospital in Palencia where I was well-cared for and re-joined the Camino at Sahagún. The walking I did today and will do the next two days are new to me, having been unable to walk those days in my spring 2016 Camino as I recovered from a thankfully short illness.

Next: Another short day, 22.5 km from Carrión de los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza. We will be at the half-way point at Sahagún on Friday.