19. Day 17 to Tábara

Yesterday, two Spaniards arrived at the accommodation, whom I had overtaken an hour earlier on the way. They both had an umbrella attached to their backpacks. I briefly spoke to one of them as I was heading to the bathroom. Otherwise, I had my own room, which I hadn't left since I had the heater on my bed.

At 5:50, my alarm rang. I was motivated, but I checked my weather app, and it predicted rain for the next two hours. So, I lay back down in bed. Today, I needed to cover a few kilometers less than yesterday, but I still wanted to get going. I pulled up the blinds and didn't see any rain, so I put on my shoes and set off. Amazingly, it didn't rain at all during the first two hours. This shows once again that you can't always rely on the weather app.

I wasn't as cold as yesterday, but still cool. I was only wearing my shirt, a sweater jacket, and my poncho, and I already regretted not having put on my long shirt underneath, but I had to deal with it now. I couldn't consider changing again. So, I set off, quickly heading onto field paths. I had to pay close attention to the route since there were several paths, and in the dark, the arrows are hard to see. Generally, I like starting out in the dark, but today I hesitated a bit before getting into my rhythm. I walked alongside the highway, crossing it at one point, and then continued along the edge. The path was made up of many small pebbles, and I slightly twisted my ankle twice today. That happens when you're not always paying attention to the path. Then, I walked a short stretch on the highway, which was quite dangerous with cars zooming by at 120 kilometers an hour or more, just a few centimeters away. But thankfully, only one car passed by during that stretch. I quickly exited the highway and returned to country roads, then crossed the highway again via a bridge. After a while, I reached the first village, but I didn't enter because I was taking a shortcut. Everything there was probably closed at such an early hour anyway. So, I continued, watching the sun rise, which soon disappeared behind the clouds. I passed another village, but everything there was really closed, and I saw no one. I went back through fields, then alongside another highway, and finally reached Granja de Moreruela, where I bought some water and a snack at a small store. I liked this place and finally saw a few people. I sat down in the main square and took a break. There were two paths to continue: the regular Via de la Plata route would lead to Astorga and then transition onto the Camino Francés. However, I had already walked that path last year. So, from now on, I will take the Camino Sanabrés. After my break, I left the village and walked along a sandy road. During my break, I thought about taking off my sweater jacket but was glad I didn't because the wind picked up and it got colder again. Then I continued along a road, but the scenery was beautiful. I walked around a river and crossed a stone bridge. After that, I had the choice to continue along the road or do a bit of climbing. Of course, I opted for the climbing. The paths were narrow, and I had to scramble over some rocks. Additionally, there were various paths, so I had to be careful to stay on the right one. But I loved it, and it was a great change from the previous route. I was getting quite warm, and you had to fight through all the weeds to get to some of the paths. Then, I walked through a forest, and the roads became flatter and easier to walk on. However, the distance felt long, and I started to get a bit hungry. But I had to keep going. I passed a small place where I thought I could buy something, but no luck. Everything there was closed. Nothing was open. Another dead spot, but the church and town hall looked beautiful. Afterward, it was still 6 kilometers to my destination. This would be a challenge. I walked through the barren land again, and the path dragged on. I turned on some music to motivate myself. It even started to get a bit warmer, and finally, I reached Tábara. The downside was that the hostel was at the very edge of town. First, I stopped at the supermarket, which was surprisingly large and tidy for such a small town. I wouldn't have expected that. After that, I had another half-hour walk to the accommodation. It’s a donation-based hostel. There is a room with seven beds. When I entered the room, Eric was already lying on one of the beds. He originally comes from America but has lived in Allgäu for eight years. So, we can comfortably speak German. He just started walking today but has been doing the whole path in stages over several years. He also has a house in Spain. The shower felt really good and it was very hot. Afterward, I lay down in bed. There are blankets and a steady heater, but the room is still cool. Dinner is at 7:30, and I am curious about that. Another pilgrim from Argentina has just arrived. We will go eat in an hour. I am planning the next routes and will get back to you later or tomorrow.