Day 27 - Villatuerte to Los Arcos - August 11

Day 27 - Villatuerte to Los Arcos - August 11

The day started about 6am again. I had a café con leche from the machine and two little plain yogurts for breakfast and packed up to go. We took the road less traveled. The trek up to the old hospital which was built in the eleventh century (wow, people have been doing this for a long time) was more over grown than when I hiked it last year. In fact I don't know if anybody has been through there since Clara and I went through last August. I could have used a machete, seriously. I trying to figure out how to pack one. The trail was almost completely overgrown with thistles and stickery berry bushes. When we finally got to the old hospital, we couldn't get to the I side like we did last year because the entrance was completely blocked by the pointy thistles and stickery berry bushes. When we got off that portion of the trail, I looked like I had tried to bathe a cat. I was bleeding on my arms and legs. 

The trail got better after that and we walked through a small forest. It was cool and very pretty. We were climbing up and down all day and at one point we climbed 500 feet up and then. The flies were driving me crazy and I was trying to think of them as my friends, I mean there was a swarm of them all around me. So I decided to put my iPod on to distract myself. And the flies disappeared. Who knew, flies don't like rock and roll. For the rest of the day I only had one or two pestering me. 

At one point I walked surrounded by butterflies for about a mile. It was great. They were like my personal escort. And did I mention the sky? It is a pure cerulean blue, absolutely breath taking. I would look up every once in a while in wonder. And the contrast with the yellow wheat fields was just too rich to look at for very long. 

After the forest it was hot and mostly rolling hills. I'd guess it was in the 90s, but I never saw a thermometer. I walked with my new friend Michael and about noon we met Michael new friend Tim from Germany and now we are in the same albergue. Here with are the three Germans Nina and Susanna who met in the same village but met on the Camino three years ago and now are friends, and Susanna's husband Mark. We met them in Villatuerte at La Casa Magica. We also met a Japanese couple the who are with us here. They speak no language except Japanese. I think it is very brave to come to a foreign country where you can only communicate in charades fashion. 

And here's another "who knew," Gummy Bears, at the end of the day when the water is warm and not satisfying, gummy bears are great. 

I'm pooped. I think we walked about sixteen miles today. 

Tomorrow I should be meeting up with the Canadians again. 

!