Walking out of Sahagun on a highway where large trucks almost blew

me over was not pleasant. I stopped at one point to ask directions

from an old toothless gentleman who was holding a dead mouse.

Quite a character. After his careful instructions we parted and

soon after I was stopped by several bikers who had also stayed at

La Trinidad. One of them held up my mini Mag-light, a small and

invaluable flashlight that I had apparently left behind at the

refugio. I thanked them profusely and earnestly, since I had come

to rely on it a great deal. At about 11:00 I arrived at the church

of Iglesia del Salvador at Bercianos and went in to experience the

Mass that was under way. As is often the case, the Mass is

attended only by a handful of old folk and some children. The

church was beautiful, simple, and serene. After the Mass I ate

some lunch on a bench next to the church before continuing.

At this point the way is transformed into a contemporary straight

and tree-lined road that stretches 32 km to Mansilla de las Mulas.

This is a lovely idea but it makes for a very dull and uneventful

walk. The monotony of the walk is emphasized by the flat terrain

and the absolute regularity of the trees, which are all young,

straight and equally spaced. These trees are irrigated by an

ingenious underground system of hoses which come to life every so

often to water them. After a very hot and boring walk I reached El

Burgo Raneros at about 1:30 PM. This is a small town seemed a bit

desolate, though I must admit that I didn't explore it beyond the

area of the refugio which is near where I entered the town. My

guidebook's glowing description of the refuge as "one of the most

elegant and authentic" seemed a bit overstated to me. While it was

quite new and comfortable, with bunk beds in several rooms

upstairs, it seemed a little less grand than the guidebook's

description. No doubt I was spoiled by the truly spectacular

facilities at Sahagun, and anything short of a five star resort

would pale in comparison. After settling in and doing my wash, I

walked across the street to the local bar restaurant which was

quite lively with locals and pilgrims. I sat at a table and had

beer and a few snacks of boiled eggs and other tapas. Meanwhile

Gerhard, the German pilgrim enters and orders dinner which he will

take in the adjoining dinning room. This idea appeals to me so I

join him in ordering salad and calamari which we eat while

discussing the relatively boring treelined path we have been

walking lately.

I departed at 6:00 the following morning and continued along the

treelined walkway to Mansilla de las Mulas where I arrived at

10:30 AM, glad to have finished with the "modern camino."