Day 22 - Knights Templar : Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios

This morning we awoke at the leisurely hour of 6 am, and enjoyed a breakfast of bread, jam, and orange juice purchased from the grocery store yesterday, in our room. Afterwards, already packed, we headed out into the early morning twilight, westward along the old Roman roadway. 

 

As we hiked, a nearly full moon set in front of us while the sun rose behind. Adding to this magical moment was the fact that, mercifully, the temperatures had dropped throughout the evening into the low 20s. Some time afterwards, as we stopped for our morning break, we watched as the sun rose through a stand of trees, sending streaks of light across a nearby farmer's field. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful mornings we have had yet on the Camino.

 

The landscape we passed slowly through continued to impress us with its subtle and inspiring beauty as the morning unfolded. One change we noted today was that we began to see an increasing number of upright concrete maps and markers noting the distances between towns along the Camino. Outside of Carrion de los Condes one of these concrete markers indicated that there were two possible routes to the village of Calzadilla, along the highway or on a pathway. Opting to avoid the roadway, we chose to walk along agricultural fields and beside their ancient irrigation systems. While largely an uneventful day, we nonetheless enjoyed our hike past the Via Aquitana, and through the villages of Calzadilla, where we had lunch, and Ledigos, a historical legionary outpost.

 

By early afternoon we arrived in Terradillos de los Templarios, a town which is the former site of a Knights Templar fortification - though nothing but the history of their settlement remains today. Indeed, from a distance the albergue where we are staying appeared to be a roadside gas station or variety store. Upon closer inspection, the Albergue Los Templarios revealed itself to be welcoming, clean, and spacious - including a large back yard to relax and hang our laundry in. When we arrived we were told that all of their bunks were full, but that they had one room left, so we again opted for a private space.

 

 

 

Happy to be out of the afternoon's warmth, we were soon unpacked and showered. Given the facilities, we opted to wash all of our clothes (apart from what we were wearing) in an attempt to get rid of what we have come to call "the pilgrim smell" - an ever pervasive scent which seems to last beyond even the daily washing our clothes get. 

 

With all of our belongings hanging on the outdoor clothes lines, we wandered across the surrounding prairies, examining the pretty purple and yellow flowers of the Meseta, and looking for the small lizards we had glimpsed during our hike earlier in the day. 

Our afternoon of exploration eventually led us to visit the Iglesia de San Pedro, which had a structure that was different in design than what we are used to seeing. San Pedro in fact is a building constructed of brick and adobe, with a central front tower without the vaulted archways and huge doors of most Spanish churches we have seen so far. The remainder of the local town was quiet and peaceful, but very small. 

 

Later on, after collecting our laundry, we enjoyed dinner at the albergue, during which we recognized a number of American and Canadian pilgrims whom we had regularly seen throughout the previous weeks. Here I have to admit that while it is exciting to meet new people and have new experiences, finding people with whom you can sit and chat, and whom you feel you have come to know, is wonderfully relaxing at times. After dinner we went back outside to enjoy the cool evening air and watched a beautiful sunset which set the sky on fire, illuminating and silhouetting the regional church. With so much time on our hands today, we have been able to roughly plan our next week and catch up on our blogging!

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Practical information:

Distance: 26.8 km
Max Temperature: 21°C
Accommodations: Albergue Los Templarios (38 Euros for a double room, no meals)