April 25 - Day 12

Day 12 - Santo Domingo to Belorado - 23 km

Did I mention the roosters yesterday? Well, chickens and roosters are a big deal on Santo Domingo. There is a story about a hanged boy who didn't die and a miraculous chicken. Because of this, there are chickens in the cathedral AND in the albergue (in the yard that is). And the roosters started crowing at about 5:30, well before sunrise. Between them and the snorers in the room, I did not get a lot of sleep.

So we got up, got ready, and tried something new today. Since Rachel’s feet have been so sore, she got a gel insert for her boots. Plus, we sent our bags ahead by van. They have this awesome service where you put 5€ on an envelope, write on the envelope where you will be staying, and the bag magically appears when you arrive. Of course the van travels a bit faster than we do.

So we just took a light bag with us and had a leisurely walk for 23 km. We also took more breaks than usual and Rachel’s feet weren’t quite so bad.

Our first stop was in Granon, at a bar named “My Way”, where they have interesting artwork and Frank Sinatra style music. Got some cafe con leche there.

Then in the next couple of towns we just took brief rests. There was on/off misty rain, so the benches weren’t very dry. One town had an open church, so we could stay dry there.

Even the tiny towns have lovely churches

The last town before our destination today had a nice restaurant along the highway, and since it was noon, we stopped for soup, bread and a coke. We were a bit surprised with a 22€ bill (for two). The most expensive lunch we have had! The soup was very good, with whole cloves of garlic and a runny egg. But 8€ for soup!

About an hour later we arrived at Belorado. We are especially thrilled as this will be a rest day. We have booked a hotel room for two nights!

So we have twin beds (not bunks) and our own bathroom! Still inexpensive, just 20€ each per night. No alarms, no snorers, no roosters! We can sleep in, watch Spanish TV all day if we want. Actually I think we will explore some medieval ruins on the side of a cliff. But it’s still a rest day!

Tonight we went downtown for vino and a pilgrim meal. Quite a nice one, almost a gourmet meal!

Also, no mandatory lights out a 2200h. Won’t make much difference though. We’re tired.

Today’s lesson: backpack delivery service can be a good idea.

Yogurt .50€

Bag delivery 5€

Cafe con leche and half tortilla 3€

Lunch 11€

Cafe 1.5€

Hotel 20€

Pilgrim dinner 11€