30.3km

Areum decided to take a train to León with the couple, while Ji Sung and Samuel leave early. Ingrid and I want to start the day with coffee so we first find a nearby bar.

It was a long walk yesterday, so if we want a shorter day, we can stop at El Burgo Ranero at 17km. But if we feel good, we will go on to Reliegos at 30km.

We leave the bar after sunrise at 8.45am, when it’s no longer raining. We take a bridge out of town and follow a path alongside roads. After a road junction crossing, we are to make a choice between two routes, that will meet later 36km away at Mansilla de las Mulas. We take the original Camino route because it gives us more options for accommodation this winter.

We follow a roadside path which has row after row of leafless trees arching over the path, which I’m sure would be great shelter for the pilgrims during summer. It’s a mostly straight gravel path, and nary a car passes us by (they probably take the nearby highway instead), so the walk is idyllic.

As we are about to reach the first town, a strong wind starts against us. Wheat rustles in a field across the road on our right.

At Bercianos del Real Camino, we bump into two others emerging from the supermercado. One of them stays to have a break at the bar with us, while the other says she will continue on steadily because she walks slower. The one that joins us is Edoardo, an older Italian. This is not his first Camino, and he did one last year in winter as well. At the bar, I get a napolitana chocolate and cortado (a coffee with less milk, my first that’s not a café con leche).

The wind picks up and buffets us as we leave the town. If the wind yesterday was strong, today is even stronger, the strongest I’ve experienced so far. It’s at least 50km/h, because it feels like the wind in your face when you ride a motorcycle. Sparse raindrops hit my face like bullets so I angle my face downwards.

I was expecting a boring day, a repeat experience, but it turns out to be so different. Which I guess is the variety of a winter Camino.

As we enter El Burgo Ranero, the wind blows the smell of faraway goat farms toward us, motivating me to walk faster to escape the stench. Ingrid and I search for a bar to take a break from the strong winds but there are no bars open. Just when we pass an albergue, Edoardo, who had gone ahead as we were walking, opens its door and beckons us in.

We take respite in an empty but open albergue, eating some of the food we have. Edoardo offers chorizo he brought labelled “el mejor chorizo del mundo (the best chorizo in the world)”. We also have cheese, bread, sachet “cappuccinos”, and Takis. The chorizo turns out to be the best—if not in the world, the best I’ve ever tasted.

We continue on, resisting strong gusts of wind. The word “primordial” comes to mind. There’s a slight depression after the path, which is shielded slightly from the wind and provides a good area for a break.

Less than 1km from Reliegos, over a bend, down a slope—the town appears. We reach at 5.30pm. Three other Koreans I’ve seen around but haven’t really talked to have reached a little earlier. The woman who was with Edoardo had reached the albergue first. She’s an Austrian whose name is Gerlinde. It’s a quiet town with lots of cats.

There’s no restaurants in town open, but there’s a decent kitchen here so Edoardo offers to cook some pasta. We head to the one supermercado in town, which is a bit of a misnomer for that small grocery store. The supermercado is also run by the guy running the albergue. Feels like he’s sorta the king of the town. We make do with the limited selection of ingredients.

Edoardo makes the fusilli with a tomato-based sauce and black olives, with some prep assistance from the rest of us. It is delicious.

We also find out later that Ji Sung and Samuel reached León today, after walking for 55km. Wild. And finally it is goodbye.