An unexpectedly beautiful walk to Laguna de Castilla

DAVE: we had an amazing stay the night before in Villafranca. The albergue was a lovingly restored building of stone and wood, cared for by two lovely sisters. It was originally run by their grandfather, passed on to his children. I must say, I could have stayed there for days.

Our original timeline was to depart the following day at 7:00 am. But, those plans were scuttled when we awoke at 7:00. Oh well.  We left around 7:45.

Our journey today was to be a 26 kilometer walk, mostly along a main road, with elevation.  Nothing we looked forward to, but an alternative route would have been longer and much more difficult, elevation-wise.  We chose the more direct route since it was already going to be a long day.

We left in the dark, as we always do, and wormed our way out of town.  

No need for headlamps this morning, since we were following the main road for a good portion of the walk. We had no expectations today, othher than assuming the walk would be boring and ugly for most of the way.  We were so wrong.

Sure, the path was close to a main road for much of the morning walk, but our path hugged a beautiful rushing stream.  The sounds of the rushing water, the occasional waterfalls, and the farmland that was undoubtably irrigated from the stream made this journey today one of the most peaceful and beautiful.

 The route today was a climb from start to finish, with the grade becoming quite steep for the last 4 kilometers or so.  We passed through quaint little villages and marveled at the private homes and albergues with their crafmanship of stone and wood.

We climbed and climbed with no problems, but the last few kilometers was challenging.  One particular stretch had us walking among what appeared to be an ancient path through the woods.  I named this particular path "dear God, when is this going to end?". Well, it eventually ended in a tiny village gwo kilometers from our final destination tonight.  We rested, had a beer and crepes (yes, that is correct. Crepes). We then ascended through the now barren hills (reminded me of the mountains from Sound of Music, except for Laercio singing Don't Cry For Me, Argentina instead).

We finally reached our destination at Laguna de Castilla for the night, tired but happy.  We re-connected with old friends we met a while ago on the Camino.  To ight is rest and reflection on what we have done today.  It was such an unpected journey of beauty and serenity.  One to remember for a long time.

Buen Camino