Day 17: Carrion - Mansilla de las Mulas ( 78 km)

Phew are we tired. BIG day!! No no, only joking. We took the bus like the big cheaters we are.

It felt a bit sad and boring to not walk today: much smokier too. We constantly smell like smoke because every bar and restaurant is filled with it. When we walk we don´t notice it as much because we air out a bit, but today we only sat it bars so we smell quite rank.

It was funny walking around a town too and not being on the trail. Everywhere we walked people (especially older men) would tell us we´d lost the trail and ask if we needed directions to an alburgue. It was very sweet.

Most of the day we wandered around, went to bars when we were cold, found a fun outdoor market (Justin replaced his lost scarf), nothing much. At 1pm we took the bus and got in around 2:30. If you want to get somewhere quickly I recommend this way over walking- much faster. The buses here have been insanely nice suprisingly - big comfy seats and lots of leg room. I´ll get Justin to tell me about the one Jess mentioned though. Sounds like a good story.

The alburgue is MUCH nicer than last night. The one last night was the most expensive we´ve paid - 7 euros with no kitchen, internet, real common area, etc. Plus the beds were very uncomfortable. I don´t recommend it.

This one is 4 euros and the internet is the cheapest we´ve seen, 1 euro for an hour. Everywhere else it´s 1 euro for 20 minutes or so. There are some very friendly young people who are cooking dinner for everyone tonight so we (by we I mean Justin) are making a salad and trying some grilled mushrooms with garlic we ate at a bar.

For John - thanks for the question! We both have ipods and have had NO trouble charging them plus our camera and cell phone. There are usually lots of outlets free. It´s been nice having it as well for the night if it is noisy and if you want a change of pace while walking. Other advice would be pack as lightly as is possible. I have one outfit for the day and one I change into in the alburgues. Bring REALLY broken in shoes - I´m doing sneakers and I think it´s helped with the blisters. Also bring lots of vasoline or a&d to grease your feet up with before you start walking in the morning. That also really helps with the blisters. And I like having a guide book. The one we got seems to be the smallest (and I think best)- ít´s called the Rother Walking Guide by Cordula Rabe I believe. That was a lot of advice- let me know if you have other questions.

Thanks to all our loyal readers and their loyal questions/comments!! Warm thoughts to all!