Since this is going to be another “rest day” I leave Belorado fairly late at 8 a.m. Thankfully the way, though it still runs parallel to the busy N-120, is for the most parts in the countryside on paths and earthen tracks. I can also slow down and walk leisurely. Bliss.
The church San Roque in Villambistia.
A quaint house in Espinosa del Camino.
I stop at the first café I see in Tosantos for breakfast, but if you are walking the camino I highly recommend waiting till the next village Espinosa del Camino. The café/taverna here is outstandingly good and they even serve proper homecooked food. Here I meet Johanna from Ireland, and we connect instantly, and have a really nice long chat.
After she continues on her way I stay on, as it’s only another 3-4 km to my destination. Feeling a bit chilly I go back in and inquire about something more to eat. The cook tells me he has a pot of homemade lentil soup on the stove and even invites me into the kitchen to see for myself. It looks delicious and I even get to taste it, so I have this for my lunch.
Leaving Espinosa del Camino behind me with a stomach full of food, I discover it’s nearly just as hard to walk on a full belly, as an empty. No, I take this back. It was much, much harder to walk the other day on an empty stomach. I’m enjoying the peaceful countryside and the absolutely perfect walking weather, and I don’t have very far to go now.
Instead of the noise from yesterday’s walk beside the motorway, the quietness and pretty views are like a balm for the soul.
Passing the 9th century ruins of Monasterio se San Félix de Oca, with its Mozarabic horseshoe arch, with an ancient milestone beside it.
Down there is my goal for today, Villafranca de Montes de Oca, a town that has welcomed pilgrims as early as the 9th century.
I cross the river Oca and the path now narrows off the last bit up towards Villafranca de Montes de Oca. What an idyllic setting!
It then comes as an assault on my nerves to find that the N-120 runs right through this little town, and I have to be careful about sharing the road with big lorries whizzing past! Thankfully, San Antón Abad, where I’m going to stay, has large grounds and gardens around it.
San Antón Abad, a grand old stone building, was formerly a hospital for pilgrims. Today it’s both a hotel and an albergue, as the owner of the hotel has travelled the camino himself and wanted to ‘give something back’ to the pilgrim community.
The church of Santiago in the evening sunshine just outside my window. The town Villafranca Montes de Oca is situated at the foothill of the mountain Montes de Oca. The word Oca in Spanish means goose, so the goose theme is still present.
This is my rest day, and I’m happy to have a large garden at the back to hang my clothes to dry after washing them, while I have an afternoon siesta.
I go down to the dining room for dinner, and in no time at all I’m sitting at a table with the fellow pilgrims Margarita and her daughter Abby from Colombia, Brigitte from the Netherlands, and Ksenija from Croatia. We have a wonderful dinner together and laugh a lot!
Margarita has seen a poem about the Camino written on a wall on the way here, which she kindly shares with us. This is my translation.
Dust, mud, sun and rain
is the Camino de Santiago.
Thousands of pilgrims,
and more than a thousand years.
Pilgrims, who calls you?
What hidden force attracts you?
Neither the field of stars,
nor the great cathedrals.
It is not the bravery of Navarre
nor the wine of La Rioja
nor the Galician seafood
nor the Castilian fields.
Pilgrims, who calls you?
What hidden force attracts you?
Neither the people of the road,
nor the rural customs.
It is not history and culture,
nor the rooster of the Calzada,
nor the palace of Gaudí
nor the castle of Ponferrada.
I see everything as I pass by,
and it is a joy to see everything,
but the voice that calls me,
I feel much more deeply.
The force that pushes me,
the force that attracts me,
I cannot explain it myself,
only the one above knows.
This poem resonates with me, because I too have felt this force that pushes me, a deep calling I can’t explain myself. What a wonderful way to end the day, with new friends around a table of food and wine. I am grateful. Tomorrow I’m walking to Atapuerca. Will you follow me there?
Check out my earlier posts to get the full context of this pilgrimage and the one I did the year before, and sign up to be notified when the next post is released. If you enjoyed this post, please give it some love by sharing and liking it!
All photos copyright Anita Martinez Beijer © All rights reserved
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