This morning started off with an apple and a fine picture of the church tower surrounded by flying pigeons. After that is was mostly walking through the open fields of the mesata with very little to look at.

The meseta is not the flat plain I was expecting. All I have heard is how flat it is. Evidentally, these people have no understanding of what flat is and should visit Kansas and Nebraska in the US. The meseta may have been flat in prehistory, but now it is broken up by huge eroded valleys to climb in and out of. This time of year the fields are barren too. Only tractors to watch along the way.

Castrojeriz was the first interesting site. It has been fortified since Celtiberian times. Following that, the Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christians populated the steep mesa. The town contours around the side of the mesa and the remains of a middle age castle sit near the top over the remains of a Visigoth fort. Interesting place and I took some good pictures but did not stop other than 15 minutes to do email.

Outside the town, several bodegas have built their wine cellars into the side of the hill. I have not seen any winefields though. The cellars are supposed to have many interconnected passages too. Further on and below, the Camino passes over a Roman causeway raised above what used to be marshy ground but is now fields. From there it is up, up, up, to the top of the meseta again and a picnic area.

Between there and Boadilla del Camino where I am now is pretty much nothing except the crappy town of Itero de la Vega whose supermercado really had nothing, so I had to feast on cookies instead of a proper meal.

Oh wait. I forgot that early in the day the Camino passed through the ruins of the monastery and hospital of San Antón. Impressive ruins from the 14th and 15th centuries although it was founded in 1146. It was here my copious picture taking split me up from the rest, and I did not see them again until tonight.

Quiet in Boadilla tonight, and it is only us in the small municiple albergue. I had a light dinner and drinks in the bar with the others. Now we are finishing up the last bit of wine before turning in to bed.