Leaving Santo Domingo de la Calzada was a little sad for me. I had such a great and inspiring experience there. Domingo Garcia was a simple man who lived in the forest in the 11th century. He never really excelled at much until he dedicated his life to serving pilgrims who walked the Camino de Santiago, as the trail passed through the forest in which he lived. He built bridges, places to stay and services for the pilgrims to make their spiritual journeys easier and more meaningful. The first thing we did leaving town was to cross a large bridge he’d built over 900 years ago.

The rest of the day’s walk was through farmland that has now mostly changed to wheat fields. We had a constant, steady light rain the whole day. We had to put on our rain gear and I wore my waterproof boots. Despite the rain, it was not cold. One thing about walking in the rain, under overcast skies, is that i forger to take breaks to drink, eat and simply rest. We pretty much carried on for 14 full miles with only one short stop for a coffee break. This proved to be a mistake, as I felt weak, dizzy and ill when we arrived in our small village of Belorado. I laid down, rested, slept abs then ate a meal Donna found for me in town. After a bit more sleep, I felt a lot better. Our hotel is a charming country inn that truly looks like it should be in rural Spain, as we are.

Camino from Santo Domingo to Belorado

Donna and Eladio walking the Camino

Camino in the country

Green door on the Camino to Belarado

Our inn in Belorado, 400 years old