We left the meseta behind and began to climb into the mountains today. Over the course of 21 kilometers we gained several hundred meters in altitude. We arrived at Rabanal de Camino, a town of 50 inhabitants (but three alburgues!)high in the hills of the Cordillera area of Northern Spain.
We have noticed that the density of pilgrim traffic has picked up since Leon. Early in our travels, we could walk along the Camino for quite a while and only see the odd one of two pilgrims up ahead or behind. Now, when one looks ahead there are groups of 6 to 8 pilgrims as well as an equal number behind. However, in the early stages of the Camino, a number of people were only walking for a week or two. They would finish at any number of points and return home. Now, everyone on the trail is bound for Santiago. This means the coffee bars are more crowded in the mornings and the alburgues fill up sooner in the late afternoon.
Yesterday we passed a village where one of the inhabitants (a man who walked the Camino to Santiago)has set up a tray of cookies and other treats for pilgrims. We actually got to thank him for his generosity personally as he happened to be standing outside when we walked by. Such acts are not uncommon. We are commonly greeted by Spaniards who wish us a ¨Buen camino!¨
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