San Bol to Boadilla del Camino Distance 33.5 km (20.1 mi / 21.5 ) to go432.5 km

The experience at San Bol was most unusual, even for the Camino. No WiFi, no phone service. The albergue was the lone structure in site. The young lady who registered us also did the cooking. Everyone laid down to rest while waiting for the (approximate) 7 p.m. start time.

She stepped into the sleeping area and announced dinner is served. We walked out to a nicely set, very large, round wooden table. 

The food was sitting on the table and she was outta there! She came back after dinner to clear the table and do the dishes, then announced "last one to leave in the morning, lock the door and put the key under the mat." I'm guessing this is a part time job.

This morning I was up and quickly on the road, getting my boots muddy by 6:20 a.m. Walking through a heavy mist was surreal.

 I think I shot a nice artsy picture but haven't been able to download it yet.

(Note: This is it. What do you think?)

The miles went quickly, with frequent stops to briefly break up the routine. I walked for quite awhile with Graham, a 21 year old from South Dakota who is studying History at college in Minneapolis. Through a series of comments I found out that he was Catholic and had found that part of his Camino has ended up being a religious experience, much to his surprise! He also remarked that he regretted leaving home without a rosary! That, I believe, was a cue! So I gave him a rosary along with the story behind it.

 Last night I met Marie, a young Aussie teacher who had been teaching Religious Ed part time, in addition to Math, and had come to the Camino sans beads. I had supplied her also with a rosary and the back story.

We stopped for lunch in Itero de la Vega, but I saw nothing interesting on the menu, so I had a chocolate donut and two cokes! Can't even find Pepsi.

I had planned to stop there because:
A) It was 1:30 p.m. and
B) I had already walked 13 miles and
C) It was another 5.5 miles to the next town. When I went to the albergue to check-in however, my first question was "Do you have good Wifi?". The hostess hesitated and rolled her eyes, telling me all I needed to know. Last night was completely without communication with my wife, and I knew, from the empty feeling in my heart, just how much she was missing our nightly Video Chat. 

I made a quick decision that would find me walking for another hour and a half in the heat of the Meseta. Ok, maybe that's a little overly dramatic. It is quite warm but not hot! Most of the effort came from moving my heavy feet near continuously over a total distance of 21.5 miles. It was a difficult walk, and once I arrived at En El Camino albergue and found a group of day one friends that confirmed the difficulty of the endeavor. 

After resting for awhile I searched high and low for an empty receptacle to charge batteries. My phone battery was down to 3% and it may have been at least part of the difficulty in downloading pictures. What I could really use is a top notch Wifi connection, a fully charged battery and... some sleep. Did I mention I'm tired?

Some Spanish artwork and sights of the Camino:

Good night my sweet Alicia, and keep your left elbow bent.