Camino de Santiago Day 20: Reliegos

The Elvis Bar

Walking in the Meseta has its challenges, but it is also uniquely beautiful. The challenges are obvious; it is hot, there are fewer places to stop which means you have to carry water/food etc, and it is mentally taxing as you look ahead for miles and miles with no signs of life. However, if you're able to overcome these challenges then you will be rewarded with magnificent sunrises, peaceful solitude, charming towns, and a true sense of community (I will elaborate on this a bit later).

Today I chose to walk alone, I slept in a bit and made my way downstairs to say a quick goodbye to my Camino family. They were wrapping up breakfast in the same dining room where the night before we were loudly "shhh'd" by some bikers who didn't appreciate our loud laughter, banter and wise cracks. Fair enough. Tonight our group is staying in two different towns. The ones who booked early enough are walking 16+ miles to Mansilla de Las Mulas, setting them up nicely for a short day into Leon tomorrow. For the rest of us, we are walking 12 miles today and stopping in a small town called Reliegos, which makes for a little longer of a day into Leon.

Around 8AM I decided it was time for me to begin my walk for the day. Walking out of town it was very quiet, I may have been the last pilgrim to wander out of this one-horse town. It took me only 4 hours to walk 12 miles to my destination. I didn't stop once, and just embraced a quick pace, fueled by T-Swift, all the way to town. The walk was gorgeous and only once did I see anybody else on the trail. It was a day full of true solitude. The scenery along the way was ancient roman roads, foggy forests, long and straight trails, railroad crossings, and many farmers taking care of their land.

As I made my way into Reliegos, I stumbled across the only cafe in town only to find my entire Camino family enjoying delicious empanadas for lunch. I joined them, we shared stories about our day, and eventually we said goodbye to half of the group as they continued on to the next town! With Leon in our future tomorrow, everyone is excited and the energy in the air is palpable.

After checking into our Albergue, the five of us staying in this town decided to do some exploring. The charming and quaint towns along the Meseta create an incredible atmosphere of community. Many of these places only have a single bar/cafe and therefore they quickly become the place pilgrims go to for dinner. In most of these towns we sit at large tables with 20 - 30 people sharing bread, wine and a delicious meal. These moments are what this experience is all about.

We had one of the best dinners yet at this little cafe, Frances and John both tried the blood sausage pudding (I sampled it and I must admit that it was delicious). After dinner, we discovered one of Spain's most hidden treasures ... The Elvis Bar! This place was a dive bar on steroids and was the perfect place to finish off our night. We drank a few beers, ate some chips and olives that were complementary, and signed our names on the wall. The owner was a character and a very kind and enthusiast man. Of course I had to take a photo with him. This will definitely be one of the most memorable nights thus far.

Tomorrow we head to Leon!