Day 2 on the Meseta, and even colder!

It is now evening in Itero de la Vega and it has begun to rain.  What's more, looking at the forecast we can expect to slip and slide our way all the way to Leon in about 5 days time!We slipped and slid a lot this afternoon and it hasn't rained for a few days and so that is the foretaste of things to come!

Today began however as a "sepia" kind of day.  We left the municipal albergue, tucked in at the top of the stairs right next to the church tower, which struck the hour and the half hour throughout the night, and crossed the road to the bar for brekky.  Jill wanted to know what would be on offer and my response was that it could be anything.  Today it was coffee and cake!

A "sepia" start to our day.

Hitting the road we discovered that, once we had left the shelter of the village, it was very frosty.  As well as freezing the mud and making it easier to walk, the frost also had the effect of taking the colour out of our world.  It was shades of brown all the way to Castrojeriz.

Walking towards Castrojeriz the path, and the road, go past, and through, the ruins of the convent of San Anton.  The monks here used to treat pilgrims who had Saint Anthony's fire, a skin disorder which if allowed to develop would lead to gangrene, and ultimately death.

Walking into Castrojeriz, we saw this church get gradually closer.  When I was here last, in 2007, this whole town was in a state of disrepair.  The roads were dug up and many buildings were at risk of collapsing.  Now this church looks as if it has been restored, the streets are all paved and the whole town looks much more prosperous.

We were feeling very peckish by the time we got there, but could find absolutely nothing open so kprosperous.through the town ready to do battle with a fairly hefty hill.  At the top we rested briefly, admiring the view and replenishing our fuel with some bread and cheese, before tackling the steep descent.  This part of the path is now concreted and so the stones and gutters that made this a tricky descent last time are no longer there.

Looking back towards Castrojeriz, showing clearly the path we followed.  The church in the photos above is actually on the other side of the hill out of sight.  This is a very long village which follows the contours around the hill.

The steep descent, after the climb.  When I walked this way in 2007 this path was a rocky, deeply rutted road.  It is now concrete, but no less steep!

A memorial to a pilgrim who died on this descent about five years ago.

Looking back towards the hill we climbed leaving Castrojeriz.  The white concrete on the descent stands out.

The albergue (closed for the winter) where the hospitaleros conduct a foot washing ceremony each night.

The bridge, Puente Itero, crossing the rio Pisuerga.  Once across this bridge we were in the province of Palencia.

Because today has been so cold it meant that we didn't linger on rest stops, but kept pushing forward.  There were parts of the road where we grew several inches from the mud, and so we were quite relieved to get to Itero de Vega before the rain came, which would have made it worse. We were even more relieved to find an albergue open, otherwise we would have faced another 8 km walk with no guarantee of an albergue being open.  Tonight's albergue even has a heater and so with luck our washing might be dry in the morning!

One thing I neglected to tell about yesterday was about the hunters.  As we walked into Rabe del Calzados I heard what I assume were shots being fired.  As we left the town we ran into the shooters - all 18 of them, complete with what I assume were quail hanging from their waist, and a variety of hunting dogs - from very large to very small - in tow, and all of them carrying guns!

Its late, Jill went to bed an hour ago, and I am tired.  I am even more tired of waiting for these photos to upload.  Thus, you will have to be content with one for now and I will try again another time.  ( photos now added!)