Calzada de Valdunciel to Villanueva de Campeán

Distance: 33 km / 20 mi

Random thoughts

Salamanca. Jos, Justino and Stanley are clearly under the influence of beer, and I am with them in a restaurant at 9 30 pm, but the albergue locks the doors at 10 pm.

Stanley, Jos, Luna, Beatrix and I ate in a restaurant in San Pedro de Rozado and had a wonderful discussion of life. Luna is a German lady in her 50s who works as a physical therapist for seniors with alzheimers. Beatrix is a German mother of 5. Stanley is a retired Korean-American businessman. Jos is a retired policeman from the Netherlands who has also lived much of his life in the South African city of Johannesburg.

Stanley gave me the 25 cent tour of Salamanca. We went to the top of the tower of the cathedral, had lunch on a pedestrian street, walked along Plaza Mayor and saw some of the buildings of the university of salamanca.

On the way into Salamanca, I was with the others and then all of a sudden, I was not. Got lost trying to find the albergue, but did.

The meseta is challenging me like so many others. The constant view to the horizon of unending farm fields leaves little to imagine.

Justino and I almost made a major error on the way to Salamanca. Not being able to find a way marker, we misunderstood what direction to go. We almost went into farm fields at a perpendicular direction to the Camino. The sun was brilliant, the temperature was hot … we would have been in serious trouble. Alone and without a sense of where we were, I rang a doorbell to get help. The owner pointed us in the right direction.


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A really good start;  a really not so good end
Reading in the hostel in Valdunciel. Down time.
Breaking dawn on the way out of Calzada de  Valdunciel
It was pitch black for the night,  and the Camino figuratively disappeared under me in the darkness. Took a chance on heading across a field and came upon this sign on for N630.
The Meseta. More in the coming days.
15 miles into today's hike.  The heat and sun were overpowering.  I found this nice place to lie under a tree in the shade with a cool wind wind blowing across the plains.
Once again, the Meseta.

So it happened to me. With less than 5 kilometers to go,  I misread some markers and ended up under the sun,  wandering thru grape vineyards trying to figure out where I was and where I wanted to go.
I easily added 3 miles to my 22 mile hike.  I had become both overconfident and self-doubting. A dangerous combination.