Villages

This was another road trip day. In fact, it was the longest to date. We left Leon and drove all the way to Santiago de Compostela, the end point of the Camino. We went from flat, arid land to hilly land where it rains a lot.

Along the way we stopped at two, out-of-the-way villages. Both had long, unpronounceable names. At the first village we had a presentation by Oliver who is a beekeeper. Oliver not only makes honey (and knows a great deal about bees), but he also gives presentations to elementary school kids about bees. He had all of his school props out for us.

Down the block we visited Casa Pepe, a very old inn that has been nicely remodeled. After a look around the old kitchen and smokehouse, we were invited to lunch in a new dining room. 

The meal was quite good, starting with soup, with a main course of very unique meatballs, and a yogurt dessert. Of course, there was wine, but this time it was sangria.

Back on the bus we had a bit of siesta time, then stopped at another village along the Camino route. This one featured a castle, though we could not get inside.

Likewise, a very old church on Romanesque style that in Medieval times had papal appointment for an "indulgence door." In case a pilgrim grew ill on the way to Santiago de Compostela, and could not complete the trip, passing through this door granted the same blessings as the destination.

We also visited one of the oldest hostels on the Compostela route. It wasn't a place we'd choose to stay, if we had a choice.

We continued driving through rain and watching a DVD of The Way. Fortunately, about the time we arrived the rain ended and the skies cleared. Our tour leader took us on a brief orientation walk, and then on to a restaurant for a very average (or slightly below average) evening meal. At least there was wine.