Spain is Flat, Right?

We're climbing again.  While I don't miss the relative barrenness of scenery in the Meseta, I do miss the flat walking days.  Also, the heat seems to have found us.  The high today was well into the 90s and it's supposed to be even a bit warmer tomorrow.  

I had some surprise visitors on Sunday night.  My friend Calvin McCutchen has been traveling Europe with friends for three months and he and his childhood friend Ryan had a few days to kill so they made their way to us, west of Leon.  I thought I would be a good friend and meet them at the bus station in Leon and taxi back with them, but the Spanish bus system, true to form, failed me again.  There is, theoretically, a bus from where we were staying into Leon, but it never materialized.  Even the bartender was confused, so she called the bus company, who said the bus had left Astorga on time so I must have not been at the stop on time, even though I was at the stop 15 minutes early.  A taxi wanted 40 EUro to go in to town, so I called Calvin and gave him directions to find us in Villadangos del Paramo.  

Since Calvin and Ryan were not pilgrims they could not stay in albergues.  This was a welcome excuse for me to hotel with them for a couple of days (on my dime, not the University's, of course).  They were troopers and walked the 18 miles with us the next day to Astorga.  Our hotel there was fantastic.  We had a two room suite (80 Euro) that looked out over the cathedral and the Episcopal Palace designed by Gaudi.

Calvin and Ryan had to take their leave today, so we stayed up late smoking our pipes and solving the world's problems.  I was feeling the five hours sleep this morning, but it was worth it.  Today was about 13 miles, which was not bad in and of itself, but I was feeling the previous days exertions and the heat didn't help.

Rabanal del Camino has turned out to be a fantastic little town, and we have a fantastic albergue that has cider.  Tonight is my RA's birthday, so we will celebrate Liz turning 21 in a completely Pepperdine-appropriate way.

Tomorrow we climb over the highest point in the Camino and leave our rocks at the Cruz de Ferro which symbolizes leaving part of us on the Camino, or giving something over to God.  I have carried my rock for nearly 7,000 miles and I am ready to be rid of it.  What it will signify, I have 6 kilometers to figure out.