Santo Domingo to Belorado, 13.6 Miles

I started this morning planning to walk solo all day, wanting some alone time. About two miles in, I stopped at a bar for breakfast and met Pete, a hospice chaplain from London. He was a very nice man, and we ended up talking the entire walk. Everyone has a story, and life can be hard as we all know. Pete had four children, but two died young from a very rare genetic disease. After that is when he became a chaplain—prior to that, he was a professional photographer.

It was a flat walk today, and I barely used my sticks. This was the only section of the Camino where it ran parallel to a highway, so it was not the most scenic route.

I realized today that I haven't told you much about the towns and villages we're passing through and staying in. Every town is built around a church. In fact, the first hint of a town coming up is a single spire peaking out among the rolling hills. There is always a town square in front of the church where people gather all day and evening, it seems. Sometimes there are restaurants in these gathering places—depends on the size of the square.

These churches all were built in the 1200s to 1400s and truly are beautiful, magnificent structures. Last night my friend Mary and I paid five euros to climb to the top of the bell tower in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The stairs were so high I was having a hard time even climbing them with my short legs. But once we got to the top, the views were beautiful and inspiring.

Makes you wonder how they were able to build such beautiful and lasting structures hundreds and hundreds of years ago. I'm so glad I made the effort to do that.

I did not sleep well last night, so I'm very tired now. The albergues are amidst the regular homes, and everything is built on very narrow cobblestone streets and built straight up. It doesn't get dark out until 10 pm, so children are outside playing, mothers are outside calling their children, friends are strolling the streets talking and laughing—and you hear it all. It is all part of the experience of the Camino, however, so you can't be mad, and it is fun to be in the midst of things. I just hope for a better night's sleep tonight.

I'm having the pilgrim's dinner tonight in my albergue instead of going out and about. I explored when I first arrived earlier today, so I'm good with just staying put. Pilgrim dinners are usually salad, bread, maybe some type of potatoes and meat. Tonight's main course is chicken paella, and I'm sure it will be delicious.

Buen Camino!