10. Etappe nach Mansilla de las Mules

I woke up several times during the night and because I was in bed at 9 p.m., I got up at 5 a.m. I had a long leg ahead of me today and in my destination there is only one accommodation with 18 places where you cannot reserve. So I packed my things in the hallway and then went over to the breakfast room. You could have breakfast there for a donation. I wasn't expecting much and thought I'd grab a coffee, but I was really impressed by the selection and had a good time. And since I didn't have any change, I donated a five-euro bill for breakfast. The 2 coffees and tea alone were worth it. I quietly ate breakfast alone for half an hour because everyone else was still asleep. Yesterday I remembered that at the pilgrim café there was a guy from France who was walking from Lille to Lisbon to take a stand against obesity and discrimination. He used to be fat and was bullied at school. Today he is sporty and makes videos of his message on social media. Afterwards I would like to give lectures about it. I found this very impressive. And I also asked myself why I was taking this path. The reason is similar: I used to be fat, and losing weight made me enjoy physical activity, especially jogging and moving outside. And that is the main reason. I love being in nature. I don't expect enlightenment and I think that such a path can contribute to change, but the answers always lie within you. It was important for me to walk each Camino de Santiago alone, at my own pace. But I'll do a separate post about that. Back to breakfast: After strengthening myself, I got ready at 6 a.m. and went into the dark. This was definitely the earliest I have been on this Camino. And unfortunately I didn't take a close look at the first path because it led through a forest and then a long stretch along and on the highway. It was a bit adventurous, but I survived. When we arrived in the next town at half past seven, where everyone was still asleep, we had the choice between 2 routes and I chose the nicer and recommended option: the Calzada romana. This led along the still clearly visible route of an old Roman road described later. You cross a forest and bush landscape and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. The disadvantage is that in the second part there is little shade over 18.5km and basically no opportunity to rest. The first part hung along a railway line, which was later crossed. The path was filled with pebbles and was therefore difficult to walk, but it was worth it. I actually wanted to have a coffee in the town of Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, but apparently none of the people who lived there did, which is why everything was still closed. So I took a short rest on a bench and then the long stage began. She really had it all. I was also a little physically damaged. I felt my left ankle and ignored it, hoping the pain would go away. It got light and the path was really beautiful. It went through the pampas and I even saw two deer that ran into me. In the meantime it got a little windy, but it stayed dry. A podcast shortened my time a little. I generally avoid music to get involved in the journey, but the pain meant I needed a little distraction. Later we went over a motorway bridge and then the motorway to our destination for today: Mansilla de las Mulas. The last few kilometers dragged on, but then I did it. And really made 3 crosses. And luckily there were still places in the accommodation. Otherwise I would have had to get a more expensive hotel room. After a shower, I booked accommodation for the next two days. Tomorrow I'll be in León, a relatively large city in Castile and that's why I booked there. And I found accommodation in a 4-bed room right next to the cathedral. And so I only have 20km to go tomorrow and can then take a look at the city in peace. My body is definitely happy about that. Then I went shopping briefly and spoke to a friend on the phone. Afterwards I ate something at the accommodation. The accommodation is nice, even if the owners seemed a bit distant. A larger group stayed in my room, including a German. I'm looking forward to my "short" journey tomorrow and I can go to my accommodation at 1 p.m. tomorrow. So I'm still relaxing in bed and will probably go to bed early again today.