Stage 18 - Grimaldo to Galisteo (22.3km): 15/09/2014 06:12

Liam, Marie Jose, Pauline and the Swedish peregrina

Today we passed the 300km mark but still have a long, long way to go.

We got off to a bad start this morning. To ensure a speedy getaway I packed my backpack the night before but had to empty it twice to find missing items, the second time quite unnecessarily. We still managed to get out on time but 50 metres up the road I felt a dampness on my back and suspected a leak in my camel. Back we went to the albergue, emptied the backpack for a third time and sure enough a connector on the camel had loosened a little. I was able repair it and we were on our way having lost just ten minutes.

We had a few minor hills to climb during day but for the most part it was downhill or level. We made very good time until we stopped for breakfast after almost four hours. We remained at the bar in Riolobos for a full hour, partly because we hadn't had Internet access for more than 24 hours and partly

because some fellow Peregrinos had caught up with us.

Our accommodation

In the final kilometre into Galisteo we were commenting on how relatively fresh we felt but that final kilometre can be a killer, particularly when it is uphill in the sun. At the end we were, in fact, very glad to get the backpacks off and a place to sit. We had been warned yesterday that the albergue here was closed but hoped that was just a Sunday problem. It wasn't - at the adjacent bar "Los Emigrantes" we were given the impression that it is closed permanently. The bar, however, had beds at albergue prices and that is where we are holed up for tonight.

Despite the long walk I managed to summon up the energy to have a look around what is an interesting little town. The old part is surrounded by a high

Praying mantis

medieval wall and I walked about half of it. On the way back some children in a playground pointed out a very large green insect, which I have since established was a praying mantis.

Once again we had dinner with Marie Jose and an extrovert Swedish woman who, despite being a heavy smoker manages to walk some remarkably long distances. By now we have gotten to know Marie Jose quite well although we haven’t walked with her for any great distance, as she is much too fast for us. She lives in Provence and for her first Camino she simply donned her back pack, went out her front door and stared walking. She did the same when she walked the Via Francigena to Rome. On this occasion she needed help to get to Seville.

That was our last meeting with Marie Jose. She had a much more aggressive schedule than us as she planned to meet her husband in Santiago to celebrate a birthday.

306km completed, 626km to go