Tag 19 - Moratinos nach Bercianos del Real Camino

Last night we sat in the common room and Anton and Tom from the Czech Republic played the guitar. It was a pleasant end to the day.
The night was freezing cold. No heating, no stove, just a thin blanket over my sleeping bag. I woke up several times because of the cold. In the morning I walked outside to the bathroom. Everything was frozen. It was unbelievably cold. After breakfast I started walking very slowly to get my body warm. At this point it was not very windy along the fields. Before the first village there were several houses built into the hill. They were cave houses that were meant to protect against storms or predators. Also to protect against religious or racist persecution. We continued along the country road towards Sahagun. After several kilometres there was a dangerous junction where accidents between vehicles and pilgrims have often occurred. Then we continued across fields, slightly offset. We passed an old chapel that used to be a pilgrims' hospice and two monuments that formed the old border between the provinces of Palencia and Leon, and continued towards the city limits. There were some beautiful street art pictures in the city again. I take a detour and go to the Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina, where I collect my certificate that I have completed half of the route. Here I also got the last stamp to fill out my first Credencial. I already have a new one and will inaugurate it later with the stamp from the accommodation. I am now completely alone on the trail and there is not even anyone around me. Then it started to rain. First a little lightly, then heavier, until it was pouring down. And of course there was a very strong wind blowing from the front.

Again there were crosses in memory of people who died during the Camino. This time it was a German.

I continued through the storm for kilometer after kilometer... So I decided to head for the nearest accommodation. I discovered that my trousers were no longer waterproof. In Leon I would get rain covers for my trousers. The first accommodation from this point on was of course already occupied. A little further on I came to the town of Bercianos del Real Camino. The second, third and fourth accommodation were also full. In the end I was lucky to get one of the last beds in an accommodation run by the local community. With my trousers completely wet I watched as other pilgrims had to be turned away from the accommodation because it was full. My advantage: I won't be sleeping in a dormitory, but in a four-bed room that is actually for hospitaleros. It is a donativo, i.e. accommodation that costs nothing and is financed entirely by donations. With the donation you get everything like in a normal hostel, except that here you also have a communal dinner, a communal breakfast and, if you want, communal prayers. The Hospitaleros are volunteers, former pilgrims from different countries who do everything on a voluntary basis.
More and more people I have met are abandoning the Camino. Most of them because of injuries. It's sad, but almost everyone wants to come back and finish the Camino when their situation allows it. Now the only person left in my area from the first few days is Ryan. But I'm sure that I'll see them again on the rest of the Camino and I'm looking forward to that. Like yesterday, when I met Maciel from Brazil and Giuliano from Italy, who walked part of the way together. Anton will also take a few days off because of a lot of blisters, and Ryan will also stay in Leon for a few days. Today we walked separately, but met up again at the hostel.
From here it is another 45km to Leon. There is no accommodation available along the way. So I will see how far I get tomorrow and when I can find something. Otherwise I will walk as far as I can and then take a taxi to Leon. There is more than enough accommodation there.
Cost of the day:
Accommodation 20€ Donation Breakfast 4€Food on the way 5,50€ Dinner included in the donation