Albacete 21 September

I've been on the go since 4 am Wednesday until now (6 pmThursday) with only about three hours of poor quality sleep on the airplane. Taking the time change into account, that's about 30 hours. I'm feeling the tired. The airline flights went smoothly from Sacramento to Charlotte then on to Madrid. Once I cleared customs, I took the Metro subway to the Estacion Sur bus station. From there, it was a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Albacete, which is situated southeast of Madrid on the plains of La Mancha. The bus went through many of the towns that I will be walking through in the coming days, so it was good to have a bit of a sneak preview.

I checked into my cheap hotel here, then went for a menu del dia meal around the corner. I really felt right at home in Spain again. Albacete is a lot like Woodland: an industrious,  unpretentious, non-touristy farming city. I like that about it and I know I will like viewing the agriculture of the La Mancha region in the coming days, which I will share with you. Next, a visit to the local cathedral, which was unfortunately closed, the grocery store, and scouting out the way out of the city for the start of my walk tomorrow. I did not see a single yellow arrow or scallop she'll to way mark the path, but between Pocket Earth and my guidebook, I hope I have it figured out. I'll find out tomorrow. Early bed time for me tonight.

   

 On the bus to Albacete

At the restaurant.

 My lentils, yummy! 

 Cathedral San  Juan