Dear Mum, family and friends,

We left Itero de la Vega this morning to the trumpeting of roosters. We don't usually hear them till 8ish so these ones were really sending a message.

Today we followed beside a canal and then the river. The canal used to transport the grain but these days it's used for irrigation. We passed through corn, oceans of sunflowers, harvested fields, and fields under cultivation. At one place the alfalfa was in flower.

It's been a flat landscape but with enough bends and meanderings. We chose to walk on off-road scenic options.

I'm nursing a sore muscle in my leg and hoping a little TLC will settle it. I might need to give it a little rest.

Last night a group of German young men shared our room. Margie and I thought we'd be in for a rowdy night - but as they promised - they slept without a snore.  

 We came around a bend and there was the Monastery Virgen del Rio - think that means "Mary by the river" and the haystack standing solidly.

We're in Villalcazar de Sirga now and it's hot-hot.  Our albergue is packed with sweaty pilgrims so we're going to explore the town and find a drink. A huge church of golden limestone seems to dominate the town.

With love to you all. I was thinking of you along the way.