El Real de la Jara - Day 4

We have now started to get into a bit of a routine, having had 4 days walk under our belts and 3 nights of communal living with 30 or so other Peregrinos. Some of us are fussing over blisters and other things that start to hurt after walking about 85 km. Others (Barb is one of these) are just going with the flow, without any aches or pains.

 There have been quite a few veteran walkers who have left us behind in the dust. One of those fellows (a Dutch guy of 63 who does a marathon every year and has at some time in the past walked the Camino from The Netherlands), is probably checking in about now at an Albergue 50 km ahead of us and he left Seville on the 16th!

The routine is pretty simple, get up before sunrise and pack up, eat whatever you bought the night before for breakfast at the Supermarcado, and walk until you get to your destination. We stop when nature calls or if the foot, blisters or bone/muscle aches call for a break, but otherwise we try to finish the days walk before 2:00 p.m. when we check into the next Albergue. 

It seems we always first debate whether we have the strength to walk to the next stop along the way but so far the vote has been no. There isn't much between stops and the distance can be as much as 30-40 k although most are 17-25. We have not had to do more than 23 km as yet. Today we arrived in El Real at only 11:30 so probably could have carried on to Monesterio except for the 200 meter incline over 13 km and my sore toes and Ian's blister. Well that will be tomorrow's fun.

El Real de la Jara is a cute little town and we have wifi so we are happy to be here for a longer day.

After checking in we find the shops for a coffee and something to eat or a store to buy the makings for much. The shops all close from 2:00 to 5:30 and there is nothing, not even coffee to be had in these small villages during siesta.


So we wash our clothes, go look around town or nurse our winds and maybe nap.

At about 7 or 8 we wind up at a restaurant where they will serve a "Peregrino Meal" for about 8 Euros. This includes 3 courses (premier, secunda and sobremesa), wine and bread. Then it is back to the Albergue to get whatever wants doing before bed at about 9:30.