Day 12: Valladolid to Medina de Rioseco

I wandered down to the train station last night to check out what time I needed to leave in the morning to get back to the Camino. I had planned to continue walking with the guys so I wanted to take a bus to Castromonte, then walk the same stage as them to Medina de Rioseco but the only bus left at 1:00am!
So my choices were to take the 8:00am bus to Medina and wait there all day, or get there then make my own way to Castromonte - I chose the latter.

Taking the bus in Europe is a bit of a mystery to the North American. My ticket agent said the bus would leave from berth 10 - 13; so at 7:45 I stood waiting there, looking for the bus. One pulled up and everyone piled on but it was clearly marked "Segovia", so I held back. Another pulled up but the driver hopped out, locked the bus, and quickly walked away. Then, at 8:05 he returned, and people started getting on. The sign on the bus did 'not' state Medina, so I waited my turn then asked the driver. 'Yes, yes, it's the last stop', most everyone us going there'. Well, who knew?

And no one but the locals know where the bus stops are in the little villages. In one town we just stopped at the side of the road to let someone out - no bus stop sign or marker, nor did he pull any kind of buzzer or anything. Another time we just pulled up in front of someone's house and 2 ladies got on. Again there wasn't a sign, nor did they flag the bus down or anything! How do they know?

Luckily MdR had a proper bus station, so I knew where I was to get off. My problem, however, was to figure out where I was going....



mammoth tortilla de patate sandwich



So I took a seat at the station cafe and had a coffee while I pondered my situation. I could walk the Camino backwards to Castromonte, then turn around and go back, but then it'd be 34kms total which was too long, and it's so hard to find the arrows in the reverse direction. And I'd first have to find the Camino! The other option would be to find the road between towns and walk as far as Valverde, the town between here and Castromonte, and then return. It wasn't perfect but at least I could get my exercise in and get back to being a pilgrim. I bought a huge potato tortilla sandwich To Go for my lunch and set off looking for the right road.

A police car stopped and asked if I needed help (I must have look totally bewildered, looking around wondering which way to go). The nice men drew me a map, and pointed me in the right direction. Then, shortly down the road, a nice school teacher named Maria Jose stopped and gave me a lift all the way to Castromonte. I laughed with her that the 10mins drive would take me 4 hrs to walk back!

The initial walk was through a lovely shady area with very tall, dewy grass; just a few hundred meters long but my shoes got absolutely drenched, so badly that I was squishing with each step.

I stopped in the sun to let my shoes drip a little and apply some sunscreen and along walked Estefan & Michael! I hadn't thought I'd see them till the end of the day but they had an early start from Penaflor in order to make time before the heat, and so there they were!

And did the heat come! A very hot day on a route with no shade. Pretty much straight farming dirt roads. Lots to see in the Springtime with the wildflowers and variety of cereals and grains growing but one would imagine it to be quite desolate in the summer and fall once all had been harvested.

We reached Medina De Rioseco about 2:30pm and promptly got lost. The arrows disappear completely so we wandered up to the main square looking for the albergue. We were very hot, sweaty, tired, and each limping a little for various reasons so we decided to have lunch first before tackling our accommodation issue.
Sufficiently sufonsified by the traditional 3-course lunch, we got accurate directions to the convent at the edge of town, and a nice nun gave us our rooms in the albergue. Private rooms with two single beds in each (with sheets & towels!), a large fully-equipped kitchen (with washing machine!!), and a huge lounge room. A very special treat.

convent albergue

Medina was quite a surprise to us, being used to small, quiet farm towns. The main drag was a long, narrow, arcaded street with old wood and stone columns, lovely shops & bars and a plethora of churches and museums. We only managed a quick glance at the old part of town (stuck trying to figure out the convents' washing machine!), before the skies opened up and a torrential rain descended.

Medina de Rioseco main street

evening bite

We ducked into a cozy looking Irish bar which had wi-fi, and spent an hour sharing my iPhone checking emails. A quick bite, then back to the convent and our laundry.

Well, the washer had finished but had not spun the clothes very dry. It was already 10pm so I was going to have the ignominious pleasure of walking tomorrow with my damp laundry hanging from my pack to dry! :(

Pilgrim Notes: there IS a bar in Valverde, right in the little town plaza, building #1. It had the ubiquitious ice cream sandwich board sign out front; and they have a really nice sello. A sign in the bar says they do simple sandwiches as well.

The albergue in the convent is directly across the road (huge yellow building) when the Camino reaches Medina. Do not cross over the bridge into town; instead turn right and it's just across the street. €6 for pilgrims with a credential.

The Camino goes right thru town (take right after crossing the bridge), and a little while after entering the new town you will see the canal off to your right, thru a little plaza.

Thanks, Allison
Sent from my iPhone