Today's Camino route was from Las Pedroneras through three fair sized towns, El Pedernoso, Santa Maria de las Llanes, Moto del Cuervo, and ending up in El Toboso. In all about 18 miles or 31 km, according to the guide book. However I think I may have walked an additional two km, as I apparently took the wrong direction on an unmarked fork (or perhaps I missed the yellow arrow) just outside of Santa Maria.
I caught up with the two pilgrims who are keeping the same pace as I as we were walking into El Pedernoso. The are a German woman and a French man. We stopped at the local bar for a cafe con leche. They took the photo of me by the statues of Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza. Remember this is La Mancha and it is definitely Quixote country.
After my afternoon menu del dia, I took a walk around El Toboso. I did not realize it, but this town is one of the oldest in La Mancha, an important spot because it was on the Roman road from Toledo to Murcia. And it seems to be in the very heart of Don Quixote country, apparently where his platonic love, Dulcinea lived. The church here dates from the 1540's, before Cervantes wrote about Don Quixote.
Don Quixote and Dulcinea
The church in El Toboso
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