Day 13 - Rabē de las Calzades to Itero de la Vega

I popped down to the local bar to top up with a couple of litres of cold bottled water before my long hot walk today. The owner is the brother of the woman where I stayed last night. He gave me a little religious token on a string in memory of Santa Mariña who is the patron saint of their tiny monastery in the village. It is now used as a hostel for aged nuns who have given their life to the catholic church. Apparently they give out about 5,000 of these a year to passing pilgrims.
I now carry it as a good luck charm on my wallet.
I was a bit apprehensive about today as the Meseta has a scary reputation for some pilgrims, some even avoid it by catching a bus. As there has been a lot of rain this year it was not as desert like as I expected for late June. In fact there is a bumper crop of wheat on the biggest fields I have ever seen, they go on for miles. The wild flowers were also spectacular. Today I saw my first lot of bus pilgrims; they stay in posh hotels, get driven around in air conditioned coaches and say they have done the camino. In fact they get dropped off, walk about two kms in their high heeled shoes then get back on the coach! See photos blow.

This morning had some high cloud so was not too hot. About 11am the sun came out with a vengeance as the wheat fields gave way to the desert like flatlands I expected. I actually walked over 40 kms today (my longest yet) and have only about 8 kms of the Meseta left to walk. I have walked on my own for the last two days and my good friend Paul is a bit behind me now. I hope I will meet him again along the way. (good luck Paul, and I hope you still find good coffee, cookies and wee fee) As I am typing this update Gina from Norway has just turned up at the bar! I am amazed as she caught a bus several days ago to miss out on three or four days walking, somehow I overtook her today!
My first blister also arrived today; a small one on the side of my foot- a small stone got in my shoe.