Day 22 (Camino II): Sahagun to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos

Waking up, I check the AccuWeather which states it will be cloudy most of the morning, but as we go out to the dining room, we have to take the rain. I recheck the website and it's been updated to rain. Well, it's not a forecast but a postcast then, which will always be accurate. Breakfast is simple but it's the first time it lacks in both quality and quantity. How is this going to sustain pilgrims? I think about different states you can be in to suffer misery on Camino - cold, wet, hungry, sick, injured, lost, and confused. We have so far managed without most, but today, we might experience the first three. Hopefully there will be a bar open in the first and only town we will hit on the way where we can have some protein. At least the person serving this morning is a polar opposite of the guy yesterday, and he actually goes out of his way to call JacoTrans in order to make sure our suitcases will go to the right place.

Breakfast: strictly continental

The rain has stopped and it is a pleasant morning. We visit another pharmacy - Compeed even comes in different sizes for second vs third toes! Leaving town, we admire the San Benito ruins complex one last time. After about an hour the Camino splits into two and soon we are in Calzada del Coto and find our way into a bar.

Leaving Sahagun: Using pilgrim props to pose in front of the magnificent San Benito arch

A poplar grove, "Corpses of Charlemagne's lances": legend has it that these trees sprang up when the lances of his army were planted on the ground.

Tree-lined path at the beginning of the route today

These ponchos are so flimsy that they make the 4-Euro ones we bought earlier on Camino look luxurious, not to mention my super-lux eVent.

 

Some colors on the way

Glory of the Roman Empire reduced to scribble on the side of a highway. But this Roman Road is where we are heading today and it is a helpful sign.

In Calzada del Coto

After fortification with a bocadillo jamon y queso, we are ready to attack the Roman road, Via Trajan. It is pretty wide and not too wet, so footing is no problem. I am more worried about tomorrow, when we have a longer route on this type of road and the forecast is rain. We see only one person ahead and toward the end an elderly couple on the Camino. I remember now why there was a double charge when I booked my luggage transport for this segment. It was not an error but because there are no paved roads in and out of here.

Beginning of the Roman road: 8km to our destination

Mini-tracks within the road: you can walk on grass, gravel, mud, soft soil, hard soil, or any combo, or if you want, tire tracks or even puddles. Moving from one to another breaks the boredom

A cartoon character waymark has apparently upset some people, and the next few ones like this have been defiled or even taken down.

The only semblance of a landmark on this 8km stretch, a fountain for pilgrims.

After two hours on Via Romana, we arrive at this small village which to a walker feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, although it's only a 45 minute drive from Leon. Our Casa is easy to find. The couple running the hostal presents another Camino love story. The wife is from this town of population of 100 but speaks excellent English. The husband is originally from Cuba and met his wife while doing the Camino. I tell them the story of El Molino. This impeccably maintained house is filled with heirloom and mementos from the lady's family. The husband quickly whips up some delicious food for our lunch. It really feels like we are guests in their house.

Tractor tire marks have messed up the road, especially in the last half hour when it rained, but at least we have reached the entrance to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos

 

An inviting well-kept home that is now a hostel, Casa El Cura.

 

An unexpected lunch here starts with a plate of goat cheese and beef jamon, a regional specialty. The lady's grandfather is in the big picture on the wall.

Wedding clothes for the ladies in the family, dating back 4 generations.