Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos to Mansilla de las Mulas

First things first: I've been trying to e-mail a picture to daughter Janine that was specific to her but it's not going through, so I promised I'd post it on my blog.  We saw this sign along the way yesterday.  So this one's for you, Janine!

Now for today's post: last night we had probably the most hospitable and happy-to-see-you hosts at one of the cleanest and nicest small inns we have stayed at yet.  If you have seen the movie "The Way," you will remember the crazy owner of a hostel where the Irish journalist, when he asked to use the bathroom, was given a roll of toilet paper and directed to go outside in the backyard.  This man was twice as voluble and talkative and expressive.  The meal was great, the wine flowed freely, and a good time was had by all.  I took an early morning picture from our room, through a screen, which didn't turn out as expected but is sort of interesting...looks sort of like a cross stitch work of art.

We were a little concerned that breakfast would be so late - 8 a.m. - because we had a 24.5 km walk ahead with no town, no village, no farmyard, no house, no water fountains, and no shade along the way.  At 6:45 we lay awake and Diane said "let's skip breakfast and go now," so that's what we did.  We had water, 2 oranges, 2 small bags of chips, and granola bars that would do for breakfast and lunch, and we were off at 7:09 precisely!

The first 5 kms were on a local paved road, and you can tell it's early by the morning shadows we cast onto the way ahead...

It was not the most exciting walk today, however.  It was level, and with little change in scenery.  After 5kms on a paved road, the dirt track pictured below was our route for the next 15 kms ( see the cyclist who had just passed us?)...

...with only a slight variation at one point, as we entered a small valley where we stopped for lunch...

An interesting fact about this 14 km long path is that it is the most perfect extant stretch of Roman road left in Spain today, a road traveled by the emperor Augustus himself - minus the backpacks, no doubt carried by his servants!  So in spite of the ordinariness of our path today, walking in the footsteps of Caesar Augustus did make us feel rather imperial throughout the day!

With about 6 kms left, we ended up on a gravel road that was straight and somewhat tiresome...

...and the only thing of some interest along the way were the huge thistles - how would you like this sucker in your backyard, along with many of his friends?

We arrived at our home for the night at 12:35 in a town that seems a little depressed.  Our rooms are relatively clean and quiet, and we're grateful for that.  One small irritant we've come across more often: no plug for the bathtub.  You wonder: are these small rotund rubber discs so valuable that innkeepers have to keep them under lock and key in case a customer makes off with them?  It took the innkeeper here 10 minutes to locate a plug for us!

But here we are, settled in for the rest of the day.  Tired of eating in restaurants, we decided to pick up food supplies in a local grocery store and eat in.   We hope for another early start tomorrow, as we'll be heading into the city of Leon, our third rest stop.

Distance today: 24.5 kms

Time on the road: 5:26

Total distance to date: 457 kms

Walking days remaining: 16