16. Mora

Uli, a German pilgrim with whom I am sharing a room tonight tells me that we have walked 500 kms since leaving Valencia. Funnily enough, today I got a blister on my heel. Maybe a grain of sand in my shoe or a sign that I am due for a rest.

I left Tembleque before the dawn, which gave me a nice shot of the Plaza Mayor still lit up.

It didn’t take long to exceed the town limits and not long afterward the sun began to rise.

Today’s walk was in two parts. The first 13 kms were along a smooth gravel road with wheat fields extending to distant ridges on both sides.

 

This section of the walk seemed to go on and on, probably because I was hungry but eventually Villanueva de Bogas came into view. I found a nice little cafe where I had a light but welcome breakfast.

In the second 13 kms, everything changed. The road began to twist and undulate and the horizon closed in.

This shot reminded my of some of the scrub near Keith and Stella’s place in central Australia.

I crossed the Rio Algodor (a creek in Aussie terms) and continue to wind on through scrubby terrain.

The poppies even changed colour in this section.

Somehow, it felt like a relief to be in a less expansive landscape for a time. I found myself noticing things close at hand.

I wonder if the olives in these groves are different colours too??

This was also the first time of walking under a dark sky since leaving Valencia. Just near this spot a yellow-green lizard the size of a blue tongue scurried across my path. I have never seen anything like it. Sadly, it was too quick to catch in a photo.

It rained for much of the afternoon, but by then I was safely holed up in Mora. The town itself is fairly non-descript, except for the local mayor’s office which is is a stunning modern Moorish designed building with a striking ornate tiled roof.

Tomorrow, I hope to make it to Toledo, where I will take two rest days and also be joined by Sarah who is flying in from London - yay!