We woke to thunder and lightning this morning. I was thinking that maybe a rest day would be nice. I checked the hourly weather forecast. Rain expected until 7:30. Perfect timing. The morning had been all noise and show and the rain hadn’t hung around so the morning was dry as we ventured out. An hour later and we were at Terradillos de los Templarios, the half way mark from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. Half Way Dave tried to show a little enthusiasm but that was ok as I was excited enough for the both of us

We walked on through Terradillos de los Templarios and past the albergue Jacques de Molay which was named after the last of the Grand Masters of the Knights Templar. Jacques de Molay had lead the order from 1298 until it was dissolved by Pope Clement V in 1312.

A Templar flag flies in the courtyard of the albergue.

Looking back from where we came this morning and the sky was dramatic and beautiful.

Coming into Moratinos and I exclaimed oh look Hobbit Houses.

We decided to check out the Hobbit House. On a board in English was information about them. The first line read

No the Hobbits don’t live here!

But in short these are Bodegas. They say some may be 500 years old. Vineyards once covered this area and families made and stored their own wine in their Bodegas. Nowadays the Bodegas that are still in use are used as party rooms and storage areas.

Coming into Sahagun and many pilgrims took the direct route down the highway into town. We opted to follow the arrows and we were so glad we did. We came to a beautiful old bridge that crossed a dry creek that lead to a small church. There was a very helpful lady there who gave us a map of the route through town and a walking tour to visit the old monasteries and churches.

But the bonus was that several meters in front off the church there were two statues that marked the half way point between Santiago and St Jean Pied de Port. Half Way Dave got to share my enthusiasm for the second time in one day.

We made it a short day and stayed in Sahagun, once again beating the rain. But mad dogs and well a couple of hungry Aussies decided to go out in the rain and try to track down the only food market that was open during siesta time. After a soaking and a failure to find the market we decided to return home. The rain had cleared, our map was unreadable and wrong directions from a local left us a long way from home. As the thunder rumbled it’s warnings we desperately tried to find a familiar landmark. On the positive side our clothes had dried but looked to be in peril of another soaking. Finally a local that knew where we were going and we made it home dry and the thunder was all noise and no show. Feeling like we now knew Sahagún and with a new map in hand we ventured out on the walking tour of the churches and monasteries.

Sahagún dates back to the 8th century. The original monastery Saint Benedict was begun at the same time but was later destroyed by the Arabians. The monastery was rebuilt in the 10th century and dedicated to the Saints Jacundo and Primativo. It was once one of the most important abbeys in the Iberian Peninsular. It’s decline began in the 15th century and it was nearly totally destroyed by fire in the 19th. Sahagún is now an agricultural village but it has become the cultural and historical region of the Land of Fields -Terra de Campos.