Day 6: Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagún

Posted on by Terri Langhans

Oh, what a 23K day.

We got an early (for us) start hoping to arrive at our destination by 4 p.m. which was when rain was predicted to start there. It had rained during the night, so the predicted 8 a.m. bout didn’t materialize as we walked out the door of our hostel.

A hostel, by the way that proved you can’t judge a book by its cover. When we arrived there yesterday, we looked at each other and said, “Really?”

The rooms, thankfully, were in the white part of the building.

Inside last night’s lodging was a delightful surprise—the decor, the coziness and the people we met and the people who worked there.

The rooms surrounded and open atrium of sorts. That’s Donna peaking out from the second floor, on her way down to Floor 0.
And on Floor 0 is the bar, cafe and dining room. Behind the bar is Cesar, who is the barista, receptionist and food server. We think he is the jefe who is skilled at all jobs.,
Cesar’s favorite job is wishing the guests a fond farewell and Buen Camino. He kept telling the person who was taking this picture, “Un otra, un otra.” [Another, another.]

We knew from our walking notes that this stage would be full of “Cuezas” or little valleys, which we actually looked forward to after several days of flat crop walking. We were also promised a few “peaceful oak woods.”

Our notes tell us where we can expect to find a place to buy a snack [knife and fork emoji] or a coffee [coffee cup emoji]. They also tell us exactly how many kilometers from our starting point we should start looking for them. Today we knew we’d have 10K before cafe.

Arrows come in many shapes, sizes and materials as seen here and below.
My shoelaces were apparently in need of frequent finessing.
This sign made us very happy because the Ks we had left to go now started with a 3 instead of 4. Zoom in.
We stopped for dos cappuccinos at an albergue, at 9.5K and when we left, there are Andreas (L) and his brother Christian from Germany. Our paths have been zigzagging at lodging and on the trail. No, the flag is not attached to my backpack. Or cranium.
Fixin’ to come a storm. We stopped beside these grapevines to don our raincoats and cover our backpacks in case it rained. We didn’t want to bother with rain pants because we really didn’t care if our Lululemon leggings got wet. It wasn’t cold, and they dry fast. Big. Fat. Mistake.
The Rain in Spain…turn on your sound.

Rain, rain went away?

The Camino started heading for brighter skies and we could see our destination in the far distance. We thought we had pretty much arrived when we got to this beautiful 11th century church.

We ducked inside the church where a docent explained the history of the church and then showed us a map of Sahagún, pointing out that we were two kilometers from town. “Two kilometers!?” I gasped. Yes, and our hotel would be at least another one kilometer. And she said she had to close the church right away…just as the next deluge of rain began outside.
Again, turn your sound up or on.

We arrive, sloshing, squishing and soaked.

Teaching moment: Just because your fancy schmancy comfy leggings can get wet, you don’t want them to get wet when the water wicks right down into your socks. Which then get soaked and full of water. Those techie Gortex hiking shoes are made to keep water out, but if you let the water in via uncovered ankles, they also do an awesome job of keeping the water inside your shoes.

We, the California Chicas del Camino do solemnly swear that when we put on our raincoats, we will put on our rain pants too. Always and forever, hallelujah, Amen.

After the rains, we ventured outside our hostel for tonight. Donna is relieved to be DRY.

5 Replies to “Day 6: Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagún”

  1. You two are crazy ? . I feel for both of you but you seem to be doing okay. Your pictures are great ?. Miss you ? . Love ? you. Mom

    Reply

  2. Yikes! At least our rains were walking through thin stand of trees, so it provide a little shelter, but mostly, I bought gators to cover tops of my feet and ankles. I wore them every day! Kept out rain and mud when wet, and those pesky pebbles when dry!!! Chicas, it makes for better stories, and some hysterical giggles, que no?

    Reply

  3. What an amazing trip so far Terri!! Love seeing the sites, the landscape and the people you are meeting are a true joy I’m sure. Thank you for helping us feel as though we are a part of this special trip and continued enjoyment to you both!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *