17 km Almaden to El Real de la Jarra

We didn't hit the road until about 10 am, but still made it to La Jarra by 2:30 pm. The refugio here is very close to where the trail enters town, but it is necessary to go all the way across town to the city hall to get a key. But city hall closes at mid-day like everything else, so we were stuck. We ended up in a private "pension" that only cost 2 euros more and was closer to the center of town as well. We washed out our socks and underwear, hung them out in the sun and headed out for lunch.

At lunch we ran into another French couple, Michele and Danielle, that we've seen off and on the past few days. He is walking the route and she is driving their motor home. He's a retired engineer and she's a retired banker. She used to walk as well, and did the Camino Frances in 2005 from their house near Nantes, about 1600 km. She's developed heart problems, though, and can't walk much anymore. He's continuing to do about 1800 km per year with her providing support. They invited us over to their motor home for a tour and a glass of wine. Frere Pierre, I almost called you to put you on speaker phone and translate. Between charades and an electronic dictionary, we managed to have a very interesting afternoon. We traded phone numbers, but then laughed at the prospect of attempting a conversation over the phone.

The route today was supposed to have been through a private estate, but it has recently been closed to the public. Michele walked it anyway, alone. I think he was lucky not to run into a herd of toros or guard dogs. We walked along the road, which was nearly deserted and very scenic as well. The weather continues sunny but cool, perfect for walking.

Conchi developed the firs blister of the trek. Came out of nowhere yesterday, even though she had covered the hotspot with moleskin. Today, she walked the last 4 km in her chacos, and wished she'd put them on earlier.