It must be Saturday, because it was hard to get a dinner reservation.

It took a few calls this morning to get a taxi from the truck stop back to the Camino. The front desk called the driver whose number is posted on the wall and in every room, but he was busy.

Finally the driver from yesterday picked up and agreed to take me back to the Camino.

Difficult, but not impossible.

My reading glasses came apart in my hand as I got into the taxi. Very glad I didn’t leave my spare pair behind in Pamplona to cut down on weight.

Today’s hike to Santo Domingo de La Calzada was a “normal” distance, about 20k, through vineyards and a few rolling hills. The weather was nice, although rain is expected later this evening.

I had somehow booked a Parador hotel for tonight. Very fancy—it must have been the only thing available without a taxi ride when I was trying to get things nailed down. Paradors are historic buildings converted into hotels by the Spanish government. This one had been a pilgrim’s hospital built by the hermit St. Dominic in the 12th century. I’ll make up for the splurge tomorrow by staying in a 12-Euro albergue. Maybe I’ll get the bottom bunk this time.

Many of the Paradores and municipal albuerges were built in the Middle Ages as pilgrim’s hospitals. Pilgrims were generally too sick, or too exhausted to continue along the Camino at various points.

I washed my clothes in the sink and took a shower, then headed out to find a snack (what we would call “lunch“—as I’ve said, there is no precise word in Spanish) before everything closed at 3:00.

A couple from Scotland that I had met on the Camino invited me to share their table at a cafe in the Plaza Mayor. Gwyneth and Phil were doing their first Camino, in celebration of his retirement and in observance of his father, who passed away in January at the age of 99.

The cathedral of Santo Domingo de La Calzada was open, unlike every other cathedral I’ve seen so far. Apparently it costs 5 euros to go to church here, but the interior was stunning.

The ticket included admission to the clock tower, so I went inside. The lady directed me to a stone stairway that went up—and up and up. Not exactly what I had planned after a long day’s hike.

The stairs were very tall, even for me. How did the medieval monks manage it?

I enjoyed seeing the internal clockworks, based on the original mechanism driven by sand bags. When I reached the clock, I thought I must be near the top. If you look at the photo, I was only about halfway.

I decided to make a dinner reservation at the Parador, which is also known for its food. The kitchen opens at 8:30, but they could not seat me until 9:00.

I ran into my “Camino friend” Bronwyn from Australia for the 3rd or 4th time checking into the Parador. She is doing a better job keeping on “pilgrim time,” and had found an early dinner nearby at 7:30.

The dinner at the Parador was very good, and I was in bed by 10.