Might as well see the place while I’m here!

Carrión de Los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza – day 17 – 17kms ( of farms and stone tracks…so I heard!)

Actually 4kms for me today…dropped bag at 8am, took breakfast…walked into town and stocked up on snacks….chips, chocolate, biscuits and more sunblock! Then explored the beautiful Monestry of San Ziolo …which my hotel is attached to:

Beautiful garden cafe…

Breakfast room…

Rugby field? Or maybe in Spain soccer pitch…at breakfast I caught up with an Australian group of four, and Gail, one of the wife’s was looking to take a taxi too, due to blisters and shin splints! So we agreed to meet and visit the Monestry (free for us as we are staying there) at 10am when it opened!

The cool stone walkways around the two internal gardens…

The fountain garden (with Sue framing the photo) I asked Gail to not include the feet at this point that are relaxing in jandals for the day!!! and not looking pretty!

And here the tree garden….

The covered pathways around each square sport amazing concrete architecture… let me tell you at this point the history behind this Monestry…

San Zoilo was founded by Count Gómez Díaz and his wife Originally dedicated to John the Baptist, it obtained its current name after receiving the relics of Saint Zoilus in 1047. In 1076, the widowed Countess Teresa donated the monastery to the Monks where it became a hospital and sanctuary for pilgrims (probably also with sore feet!)

The chapel inner sanctuary…

The crypt housing Teresa and her family…

And the library….gorgeous ceilings and original hand illustrated bibles on display..

And the Arches in this library….solid wood framing the stone semicircles…not for the tall in stature!

Of course it was cool within this massive stone building, with the chanting of monks in the background…until I realised….no monks, a Tv on repeat! I guess as not a functioning monastery now, more of a museum, this is the next best option…

After an hour of cultural!! Gail and I had time to take a coffee in the garden bar…resting our sore feet, legs…

The taxi turned up just before midday…first dropping me (at this one horse village – actually no horse) then taking Gail to the next village where the rest of her team were meeting….all for a mere €45 – €23 each! As I spend €20 a day on blister plasters, this was €3 well spent) and my sore foot was relishing being out of Jail for a day!!

This town has less than 60 inhabitants (pilgrims probably making up 55 of this number on a daily basis) …. However bags all arrived and so did a lot of very hot Camino walkers (having walked 17kms through open farmland!) i haveseveral Camino connections staying here, so is fun to catch up!

However, for my hot sweaty friends, we were all informed on check in there is no water! It’s been out for two days! No showers, no flushing…no tap water! But luckily on the 3rd day….our day….it has just come on!

I will take dinner tonight…at 6.30pm and breakfast tomorrow at 7am then I will fold my feet back into the salmons(shoes) to fight another day….on the homeward stretch to Leon !