To Castilblanco de los Arroyos

There are a few days on Camino that have all the right stuff. This day had:
Sunshine
Cool  breeze
Flowers blooming
Seemingly invisible birds (hiding in the olive orchards) competing for the most beautiful song
Lots of dry dirt track, with just enough up and down to provide variety
Not too much distance
A wonderful place to stay for the evening
With warm showers
And a friendly Spanish host (of course, with the name Manuel)
Just enough other pilgrims to provide company.

I still have a little sniffle and cough, but not feeling weak. Tomorrow is described in the guide book as "the stage from hell", so it was good to have a 'easy' day today.  I got a little nap, and plan to fix a big pot of pasta for supper (if I can stagger back to the albergue after the glass of wine. I swear I didn't think I said "grande").

The theme for today was the vegetation. While preparing for this trip, I read that Spain has the greatest variety of plant life of all the European countries. The middle half of todays walk felt like a tour through the Denver Botanical Gardens. The only thing missing were the little tags telling me the Latin name for each species!

Meditation for today: Dona nobis pasem

Weather: Low 46F High 64F
Distance: 18 km
Route hints: The river just after Guillena could easily be too deep after rain. There is a road just to the left if needed, and the camino crosses the road after a few hundred meters anyway.
Albergue and town: The municiple albergue is great here, with shops, and places to eat nearby. Bar Isidoro was the source of the vino tinto in the picture.

The very slow moving 'river' near Guillena

This cactus row was impressive

Apple trees ? In bloom

Cheer up, only 900+ kilometers to go . . .

I love the way they serve wine here!!!