June 7 Casterojeriz

The weather was partly sunny today but we still had our fleecies on
for the whole 21 km. We had a psychologically bad start because when
we went to leave I didn't have my hat and remembered hanging it on my
chair in the bar when we had our supper. We had no idea when the bar
opened again or if it would still be there, so reluctantly I left it
behind. It was a $30ish hat, an Outdoor Research hat that had snaps
for an Arab like sun shield that protected my neck and ears. I still
have that part!
I'm still in love with the Meseta. It is very beautiful up on top
where you can see for kilometres across the ancient rolling plane.
Today we spent about half our time in the valleys and there you have a
different beauty. The valley floor is covered in wheat, barley and
peas (just right for eating right now) while the valley walls are
sometimes bare crumbling soil, sometimes grassy and with planted
trees. I couldn't tell if they were fruit or just trees. As with
yesterday, today we were mostly on paths through the fields far away
from any roads.
Casterojeriz, possibly built by Julius Caesar, is a long narrow
village built along the bottom of a small mesa with the ruins of a
castle on top. I guess that ages the village at something more than
2000 years. We got beds in a huge spacious albuqerque at the camp
ground and then had one of our best ever menu de dias for 11 Euro
each. For 1st course we had a sea food paella which we thought was
possibly even better than the one we had in Santiago. Then a huge
serving of fish followed by freshly made flan (creme brulee) all
washed down by an excellent red from Rioja, Spain's premium wine
district. Yummmmmmm!