Elisa has the only taxi in Fromista. The pilgrim trade is a big part of her business but it is seasonal and in the late autumn and winter she doesnt have many passengers.
She picked me up at 9am and we travelled along the Camino route to Carrion de los Condes, passing streams of pilgrims on the asphalt path alongside the road. Kathy walked a detour section which she said was much nicer.
The Hostal la Corte is a family run, 16 room hostal with a
large, popular restaurant. It is opposite the church of Santa Maria (who else has so many churches named after them?). It was too early to check in so I visited the tourism kiosk and had a chat to Angel. There are many Angels in Spain, some are Jose Angel, Javier Angel or Luis Angel, but he is simply Angel. He marked the supermarket on the map and pointed to where I woulg get the bus across the road tomorrow.
I walked through town on the Camino route until I saw the sign for the Monasterio San Zoilo. About a km past the monastery is where I left a gift for Pieter Panvenis in 2007, at the base of a tree on the Camino path. I'd also left a memorial for his Camino perro - Don Trigo Carrión de los Condes. The memorial disappeared years ago but I wanted to see if the box I buried was still there.
I walked back to town and the room was ready. In 2002 I had stayed at the municipal albergue and in 2002 at the convent with the nuns. Staying in a smart hostal in a decirated room, double bed and an en suite bathroom with shampoo and bath gel sachets were what dreams were made of then!
Kathy arrived and I introduced her to Jose and Rosa. Her room was downstairs off the courtyard. We agreed to meet downstairs at 4.30pm.
We visited the church and followed the Camino signs out of town, looking for Don Trigo's memorial site. I recognized the tree right away and there was a remnant of a yellow arrow on the tree. I began to dig using a stick and soon started digging up pebbles, stones and chunks of plastic but no hidden box with a brass scallop shell, buried there 7 years ago. We dug up plastic with packing tape on it but the gift was no longer there. I would email Pieter in Holland to let him know.
We visited the monastery museum and then walked back to the hostal where we had a great vegetable platter in the crowded restaurant.
Tomorrow I will get the 11.51 bus to Terradillos. Its a long walk for Kathy - 26km - so she might not get there till 2pm.
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