Camino de Santiago LITE: Day 19 (Camino II): Fromista to Carrion de los Condes

Although its location right across from San Martin Church is incomparable, the hostal here feels distinctly mundane, after a string of memorable stays just in the preceding four days: the isolation of the hotel and town in San Juan de Ortega, the grandeur of the cathedral and the hotel in Burgos, the intimacy of El Molino near Hornillos, and the artistry of the boutique hotel in Castrojeriz.

San Martin Church: one last look. Despite the drizzle, it's bathed in morning light.

It rained hard overnight and is drizzling as we leave. It is a flat 20 km to Carrion, so we should be able to manage despite the rain. We resume our practice of hit-every-bar-known-to-man and stop at the first town, Poblacion, less than an hour away. Our excuse is there was no protein at our hotel breakfast. It seems that they practice continental breakfast more religiously in towns so far than we remember last year from Leon to Santiago.

Carrion, correct. Pilgrim sculpture, sure. Weather, uncertain.

Poblacion: first stop for supplemental breakfast

Largest concentration of stone waymarkers in one spot. (Are they waiting to be deployed somewhere? Or is this some sort of an Easter Island simulation?) Ironically we take an alternate route from here.

After Poblacion, there is an alternate scenic route, which we take. We pass through the next town, Villovieco quickly, and follow the Camino which is now along a nice path along the river. However, walking on wet soil is a bit tough going and Chisoon has some knee discomfort. We cut across to stop at Villarmentero de Campos, which is on the original route along the highway. Alas, we cannot find a bar in what looks like a ghost town. We push on to the next town on the senda, a wide dirt path built for pilgrims along the main roads. Although it may be less scenic (and gets some flack from people like Brierley), it is definitely easier on the feet.

Walking on senda: seems like the right choice for today

Even along the highway, there is a glimpse of the meseta landscape I have become used to.

Soon the rain becomes heavy and we walk about an hour. And then, like Parthenon that rises into the Athens skyline, the church in the next town, Villalcazar de Sirga (Villasirga) above town comes into view. This is the Templar Church of Santa Maria la Virgin Blanca, which Brierley suggests that you make it an exception even if you are not into visiting churches. It closes at 1pm and reopens at 4pm, and to get there by 1pm we would have to leave earlier than usual and walk faster than usual, so we had given up. But as luck would have it, we reach the church at 1:45pm and it was still open. Siesta is alive and well in this part of Spain but hey, we'll take this exception. We gladly pay the peregrino-discounted admission of one Euro and admire the panel depicting St James' life, among other things.

Villasirga coming into view, dominated by its landmark church

Villasirga: entering the church

Villasirga church: coin, lights, photo! - a panel depicting the life of St James

As we leave the church, it is pouring and we go into the bar right across. It is filled with locals and there is no place to sit. We ask about another place to eat and are given directions to a panadaria. But we soon find a large restaurant where a waiter wearing medieval pilgrim garb is leading a tour group onto their seats. It turns out to be a historic building where a pilgrim hospital used to be. But I don't see anyone with a backpack! I am used to being a tourist and eating at these large themed-restaurants, but it feels like a parallel universe without the actual modern-day peregrinos in sight.

A large busy restaurant in Villasirga. Filled with pilgrim motives but no actual peregrino seen here today

Castilian garlic soup is a good choice for today's weather.

Carrion de los Condes is fairly large and has an attractive mix of modern and old in the center. After stopping briefly at Church of Santa Maria del Camino, we move on to our hotel just outside town. On the way, we run into Agnes who informs us that there will be singing by nuns soon back at Santa Clara Convent which we already passed, but we pass on it. The hotel is a converted monastery (San Zoilo) with all the ambiance expected. We see Holly and Alec at dinner and they did not get to see the adjoining cloisters and the church as they were wiped out by the heavy rain (boots half filled with rain water). There is an advantage to leaving late as we somehow avoided the heaviest rains today.