Day 14-16 May 24, 2016 Boadilla del Camino to Cárrion de los Condes to Moratinos

 May 24, 2016

Moratinos
San Bruno Albergue
19.7 miles, 47431 steps, 0 flights, 7:04 hr

Well, the Meseta is nothing layered on nothing, endless stretches of vast plains with a range of mountains in the distant north. So, I don't have a lot to report.

The Camino has been good to me with regards to weather. There was a rain shower in Castrojeriz, just as I arrived for cafe con leche and tortilla, The storm dissipated just as I departed (Mary and Sara, the picture with the double rainbow and peacock is for you).

Likewise today, even though the weather report says clear, it's raining, but it held off until I was safely arrived in the Moratinos albergue.

Tonight's albergue is run by the Italian Association; so, you know the food and wine will be good! Last night, in Cárrion de los Condes I was faced with the choice of another donativo vs a cheap hotel room. The donativo offered singing nuns (seriously), but the hotel offered real towels...no contest. Ben and Linsey, my Catholic friends sent me a video of the singing nuns, that is enough.

Today was the opportunity to break away from the pack, and I did. There are only a few Camino guide books, and they all seem to recommend the same stops. So, people tend to travel down the Camino in packs. You might lose somebody for a day or two, but somehow they nearly always resurface. Early on, on my fast Camino plan, I broke away from the traditional stops, and started landing in smaller, less populated towns. More recently, because of the configuration of must-sees and the geographIc separation of the towns, I have been stuck with the pack for a while. Today I broke away and went one town further to Moratinos. It's always a risk to do this, because the smaller non-traditional towns have fewer accommodations, which fill quickly. Today's stop, Moratinos, is literally only 5-6 buildings. Two are albergues. The first was already full when we arrived, and the second had only a few beds left. We were lucky!

San Bruno Albergue

I'm currently half-way across the Meseta, and I am faced with a dilemma. I might as well allow you all to chime in. Here's the issue: I have a deadline of June 8, returning to Zurich from Santiago. This does not leave enough time to walk every step to Santiago, AND walk out to Finisterre (end of the earth), three days walk from Santiago to the ocean.

Option 1: Skip ahead now on a bus, missing the rest of the Meseta, finishing the walk to Santiago on a Friday (Fridays are when the swing the Botafumiero, a huge incense burner), and continuing on to Finisterre. This earns me the Camino certificate, and gets me out to the ocean, which was my original goal; but there would be a 2-3-day segment of the Meseta that I didn't walk.

Option 2: Continue walking and try to shave a day off by going beyond the normal distances. If I save a day, I can take a bus out to see Finisterre, burn my clothes, and still make my flight. I would not arrive in Santiago on a Friday; so, no Botafumiero. The advantage here would be walking every step of the way to Santiago, which is the "official" pilgrimage.

What do you think I should do and why?

Half way marker

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