Zamora to Riego del Camino

Next day was hard. It started well though, with a good breakfast: eggs, bread and butter, juice and we departed at 6:30. From the mere departure, trying to find the way out of town. One street cleaner acted as our “guiding angel” for today and pointed tu us the way out of the city. Although was still dark, it was very hot and humid, muggy. Temperature was already 32 degrees!

A short stop in Roales del Pan. Then one of the fabulous sunrises. I lost my hat among those wheat fields.

Didn’t take us long before we relalized that we missed our trail. So we had to go back for few hundred meteres, and were “back on the trail”. The space was open and this helped to orient us easily. That was the first time on this Camino that we had to make „steps back“.

*Again, it might be one of the learnings: in order to go on, sometimes, one have to make few steps backwards.

After a long stop (one hour!) at the bar Marce’s in Montamarta (Cola and coffee for 2.80 Euros), a beautifull exit from this town offers a nice green valley and a church on top of a small cliff Ermita de la Virgen de Castillo. We walked over Arroyo de las Arrieras river as in this time of the year is dried (green).

It seemed an old man was waiting, specifically for us, to show the right path. Another of our guiding angels. Flecha amarilla and graffiti „Que Dios te acompane“. Later, we will figure out why.

Hard time was actually just coming: open soil, highway building and strong wind carrying all that red dust. Again, losing a little bit the track because of bad signs and this highway being constructed. This is so tireing, both mentally and physically.

A risky walk so close to the motorway. Few times the path is forcing us to cross the road, back and forth.

Before finally reaching Riego del Camino, we stop at this gas station for some tapas, lemonade and big botle of water for 3.80 Euros.

On top of all those impediments, a small dust storm is tormenting us!

In the end, and finally we entered Riego del Camino. Went to look for Albergue de Reregrinos run by Miss Dorita. We found her home, not so distant from the Albergue. The accomodation was… sad, very sad.

But we were so tired that any accomodation would do. Newspapers more than ten years old were “offered” in the “living room”? “Decmposing“ interior, spartan equipment, two small bottles of infusion (used God knows how many years ago?). Miss Dorita offers lunch, dinner and even breakfast for tomorrow.

I felt like talking to an old witch! Her need to extort every last penny from us was simply… unbelievable. She owns also the only grocery shop in town and the only restaurant bar. Actually, there is another gocery shop but it closed as the owner was – sick?! By chance? Bocadillos are offered for 1 Euro and breakfast consisting of 4 small muffins for 1.50 Euros. She pushed the “donativo” box directly in front of us. Are you totally insane, you crazy lady?!

I promised that we will come for lunch at her restaurant bar. For early dinner we went, at 7 PM to her Bar Pepe. “Produdly selling ice” stood on the entrance. It was like entering another dimension, time… “Twin Peaks” (an American mystery-horror serial drama television series from 1990s).

The old lady just served us with the only menu the offered i smply ordered: “You will eat this and eat it all!“. It might sound rude now but actually it was very lovely. Of course, we were “free” to sit exactly at the table she had chosen for us, not any other. Lovely again. In the end we had some salad, some pork or eggs with franch fries. Some open red wine was already offered and put on the table, actually looked like a rose, and we concluded that they simply mixed all red and white wine the had. It was acid but since they added some water in the wine, then it was – “fine”. A small apple per person was our dessert.

A loud knocking on our door! Mrs Alonso was furious why we went to eat at Pepe?! And that we are obliged to put some money in her donation box beacuse she needs to…paint the walls. “You stupid all bat!!! Those walls are in need for paint for decades!” Eventually we accepted to pay in the donation box 2.50 Euros. She was even more furious. Went to sleep at 8:30 PM and wake up by 3:30 AM.

Riego del Camino to Benevente

“Escape” from those “Twin Peaks” as soon as possible and we departed at 6:05 AM! It was still very dark and we were on some path parallel to the main road. Soon, we encountered huge machineries, with two shining “eyes” high as a house emitting demonic noises. Struggling through big trenches. Yes, we found ourselves in the bull’s eye of a highway construction. I felt so small and vulnerable in trying to find the way out of that obscure place.

Still confident and determined. We knew our target and direction and were aware of our conditions. Emerging from this area we entered Moreurela. Exactly at the time – between night and day. The sunlight was coming up and we ended a little bit disoriented. Coffee, bocadillos with ham, Cola, beer for 8.50 Euros at the local albergue Bar Tele-Club helped to get to senses again.

We have to choose now. Although, from the beginning we had in plan to continue to Astorga and join the Camino Frances, last few days we changed the preference for Camino Sanabres. This morning we changed our decision again and we will proceed to Astorga.

This lovely lady remained in our memories forver! Her sincere and genuine comments are simply embracing our human kindness. “Are you going all they way to Finisterre? End of the world?! Some people are saying there is the End of the world some other says it isn’t. It may or may not be – who am I to judge!“.

After a “never-ending path” finally we arrived in Benvente. It is a small city with a small city albergue La Trucha. A double room is 39 Euros. They have rooms at first floor, close to the neon sign that is flashing and playing all night. This will not help gettin asleep. Washing clothes, drying on luster.

For dinner we went to restaurant Copacabana Gastrobar red wine Catedral de Leon Tinto. It is a nice local restaurant managed by a lady from Romania. Local soft drink Gaseusa Schuss was a new discovery for us. Dinner and a lottery ticket 12 Euros.