Spanish Days and Spanish Nights

It's all in a days' walk....

Following the route at sunrise

Monday Sept 9th, 2019
Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagun
22 km, 35,000 steps, walking day #19

Starting early has it's advantages, like seeing deer in the farm fields. We looked at each other for a while, then I had the pleasure of watching it bound off into the sunflower fields, its white tail flashing!

I walked most of the 22 km through gently rolling hills, with almost no other pilgrim in sight, in front of me or to the rear. It was very nice, peaceful and quiet. I stopped now and then to take a picture or listen to birds.

People take advantage of every surface for graffiti and to make a public manifesto. Here's a particularly verbose one. I only post the photo. I do not subscribe to the message!

A very eclectic mix of demands

Street Art

I don't even know....

Mud and straw construction is common in this region

I left Calzadilla de la Cueza at 8:00 am. I arrived in Sahagun at 3:00 pm. I didn't expect it to take so long. I guess I stopped for a lot of pictures. And I did walk pretty slowly. No need to rush, since I had my hotel reserved already. 

I did meet the occasional pilgrim today!

After arriving and checking in I had a nice long siesta then went out to do a little exploring. 

 Sahagun

 Monasterio de Santa Cruz

I arrived just in time to have the special treat 

of listening to nuns singing in the Monasterio

  White Storks in their nest on the Monasterio gate

It was getting late so I returned to the area of my hotel and found a little restaurant for dinner. As I sat eating olives and drinking vino blanco while waiting for my entree, (risotto with shrimp and mushrooms), in walk the same seven people I had dinner with in the hotel last night! Seems like we were meant to be together tonight, too!

Here's a picture of last night:

Clockwise from me: Martin from Ireland. He is lovely and sweet and funny, and he has the most devilish twinkle in his eyes. He educated me about the Irish Immigration to Canada (Toronto in particular) and how there is a monument in Toronto, memorializing the many Irish immigrants who succumbed to Typhus. (Wikipedia: "Ireland Park")

Next is Patricia and Richard from San Francisco. He is a podiatrist that speaks all over the world and is about to publish a book. His publishers are sending him the galleys to proof while he's in Spain! Then Roberto. He is originally from Italy and now lives in England. Next is Catherine and Sioban. They met as ex-pats in Dubai. They have been living there for 30 years with their husbands. Catherine taught school. Her husband will retire soon and they will return to Ireland - after 30 years! Sioban teaches Irish tradition dance in Dubai. She and her husband have three children. The youngest one they adopted from Vietnam. She also plans to return to Ireland upon her husband's upcoming retirement.

We all think that Siobhan always looks so elegant,
like she has spent the day relaxing at the spa!

I think Richard is the reincarnation of Barry Bostwick 

from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Barry Bostwick as character Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Roberto is having a rough time - his feet are giving him problems. If he has to stop walking, he can pick up his camino in the future, starting where he left off, and still earn his Compostela if he completes the walk to Santiago.

It's all in a day's walk. 

Tomorrow I will reach the half-way point.