Camino Ignaciano: Alda to Santa Cruz de Campezo (Day 4)

Day 4: Alda to Santa Cruz de Campezo
Stage 3 of Camino

We started today's walk going through some wide open plains where the views were quite different. It was interesting to see our companions all lined up ahead of us, trudging along like obedient soldiers.

Wide open plains and the long road ahead

After a quick 5 km walk, we arrived at the town of San Vicente de Aranda, where we saw quaint houses, playgrounds and quiet streets. What struck me was how quiet and sparsely populated these towns were. They reminded me of the provinces in China, where only elderly and children were left, as people started migrating to cities for work. 

Bob spotted this bent-up car as we entered San Vicente de Aranda. This is why you don't use a car on the Camino! 

The first part of the walk was quite deceiving. We thought that it would be an easy walk through towns and fields. Lo and behold, for the second leg, we walked up to a gate which led us through some woods. The landscape here was quite different. It didn't have the high altitude like the previous day's trek, but the path was strewn with loose stones. Stones, smooth and in varying sizes, lined up our way. I found it quite dangerous as one could slip anytime and get a sprain. The whole time, I remembered my ankle injury from last year and worried that it might happen here in the middle of nowhere. 

Towards the last few kilometers, I was really getting cranky. I lamented why this trail was chosen, why the guide didn't warn us of this terrain, why it was taking so long to reach the end. I wanted to throw a tantrum and just sit there and not move! I was quite surprised at my own reactions too, and up to this day, I still can't figure out why I reacted that way. Along the way, I thought to myself, I guess that's life. There are times we don't like the path we are trekking but we have no choice but to see it through. It is only by going through the path that we reach a destination which will bring us hopefully to somewhere new.

We took our time, so as to take extra caution to avoid injuries, and finally arrived at the town of Orbiso. This town seemed empty as well, similar to the previous town. But it had Instagram-worthy details, such as old water facilities that seemed to have been built during the Medieval Age, antique wooden doors with vintage handles, giant red peppers hanging from the roof and beautiful flowers in upcycled containers. 

An old water "fountain" in Orbiso,

When we reached the pit stop, my companions didn't want to do the last leg anymore. Meanwhile, the group which went ahead had already reached the last destination, Santa Cruz de Campezo. I still wanted to walk, but since I didn't want to hold up the group, I consented to skip the last leg. 

We made our way to where the rest of the group were. Then we were brought to a wonderful family restaurant where the food was delicious and the waitress so hospitable. She was extra pleased to see my plate clean after the main course and paid me extra attention during dessert time. They had homemade cheesecake, which was not cheesy and hard at all, but soft like flan. I'm a sucker for cheesecake, but this was honestly the best cheesecake I ever tasted. A sweet reward for a difficult walk!