06/06/07
y poor notes let me down. I walked on into the next village and I was with someone and we called into an albergue that has a nice bar and we had a coffee and tortilla for breakfast on the patio and another couple joined us at our table. We two left together but I am unsure who it was now, maybe Karin, I only remember walking beside the imperial canal de Castilla with her walking behind me and when we reached the lock I stopped a while, sitting and attending to my poor feet while she went on.
The canal was built in the XVIII century and was supposed to connect Castile with the Cántabros seaports but was never completed. There are 210 kms of canal left I am told and I wonder why the track doesn't follow the canal further but alas it doesn't. This quadruple lock is a beautiful spot, from here I entered the town and looked at the magnificent church but they want money to go inside, so I never went right in. The church is not used, they told me there is another built nearby that is. Is it because this was a Templers church?
I do not know and never asked! The track seemed different to my book again. I appeared to be on a stony road that went out to a small village and here I found a small bar set on a corner with shady trees. I bought a beer and slept a while. I bought and ate a fine bocadillo and chatted to the owner and his friends and just as I was leaving two Spanish girls, Yolanda
and her friend, came and sat down to rest on the grass. I went over to them and we soon all left together. We came to the main road to Frómista and from here it is a straight line into town with not a tree for shade.
I remembered walking this in the heat in 2003 and one of my bootlaces hooked on to the other boot tying my feet together! To my embarrassment I fell flat on my face alongside my companion.
As I told Yolanda the story, I quickly glanced down to see if my socks were folded over the boot hooks this time! I had two young ladies with me and didn't want it to happen again! Even today this was a hard walk, there is little to see and we were all happy to arrive and
we entered the albergue there and while booking in were told to help ourselves to a bowl full of succulent cherries in water. I noticed there were very few cherries left, as we climbed the stairs to find our beds! We settled in and showered, we had a choice of cold or hot!!!
We did our washing then looked at the church and were unable to enter but the priest gave us a brilliant commentary all about it and why it was so unique. Much of his speech I have forgotten, but again it was because this was a Templers church and he insisted, the only really important one!
We found a little shop and managed to buy a few bits, just enough to cook a meal tonight. We did so in the little kitchen come dinning room, and we shared our produce and ate very well and the two girls were very good company.
Ermita de San Nicolás to Villalcázar de Sirga
Now again m
y poor notes let me down. I walked on into the next village and I was with someone and we called into an albergue that has a nice bar and we had a coffee and tortilla for breakfast on the patio and another couple joined us at our table. We two left together but I am unsure who it was now, maybe Karin, I only remember walking beside the imperial canal de Castilla with her walking behind me and when we reached the lock I stopped a while, sitting and attending to my poor feet while she went on.
The canal was built in the XVIII century and was supposed to connect Castile with the Cántabros seaports but was never completed. There are 210 kms of canal left I am told and I wonder why the track doesn't follow the canal further but alas it doesn't. This quadruple lock is a beautiful spot, from here I entered the town and looked at the magnificent church but they want money to go inside, so I never went right in. The church is not used, they told me there is another built nearby that is. Is it because this was a Templers church? 
I do not know and never asked! The track seemed different to my book again. I appeared to be on a stony road that went out to a small village and here I found a small bar set on a corner with shady trees. I bought a beer and slept a while. I bought and ate a fine bocadillo and chatted to the owner and his friends and just as I was leaving two Spanish girls, Yolanda
and her friend, came and sat down to rest on the grass. I went over to them and we soon all left together. We came to the main road to Frómista and from here it is a straight line into town with not a tree for shade.
I remembered walking this in the heat in 2003 and one of my bootlaces hooked on to the other boot tying my feet together! To my embarrassment I fell flat on my face alongside my companion.
As I told Yolanda the story, I quickly glanced down to see if my socks were folded over the boot hooks this time! I had two young ladies with me and didn't want it to happen again! Even today this was a hard walk, there is little to see and we were all happy to arrive and
we entered the albergue there and while booking in were told to help ourselves to a bowl full of succulent cherries in water. I noticed there were very few cherries left, as we climbed the stairs to find our beds! We settled in and showered, we had a choice of cold or hot!!!We did our washing then looked at the church and were unable to enter but the priest gave us a brilliant commentary all about it and why it was so unique. Much of his speech I have forgotten, but again it was because this was a Templers church and he insisted, the only really important one!
We found a little shop and managed to buy a few bits, just enough to cook a meal tonight. We did so in the little kitchen come dinning room, and we shared our produce and ate very well and the two girls were very good company.
END DAY 22 = approx. 28.2 km Sub Total = 203.0 km Total = 540.9 km
