We left La Virgen after I mailed some postcards at the post office, going downhill by the main road, then veering off just after this little pilgrim statue onto a dirt track through fields. We chose to do an easy day today of about 14 km. It was either that or about 30 km and we just don't want to do any days that long if we can help it. We chose to do the road that leads through the countryside, so it was very quiet and peaceful. 
The cuckoo was at it again in a few places, and you could tell there were bogs someplaces by the sound of the frogs. We passed through a few small villages - Fresno, Oncina, Chozas de Abajo - none of which were too remarkable, though I suppose if you live there you might think they are. We are out of the meseta, and so the land is a little more hilly here and there. There are wildflowers - decidely fewer poppies, though a few handfuls in pockets. Mostly yellows and whites for the flowers now. A different variety of lavendar, and I still run my hand over it periodically for the fragrance. The sky is gray and overcast for most of the walk, with a few raindrops, but I'm glad, because it would be a blistering walk if the weather were hot.
I took a break in Chozas. It has an interesting little bell tower. Decidedly modern for the rest of the town.
Just down the road a hundred yards or so, there is a half timbered house! Quite a contrast. 
By the time I finished my tea, Stella arrived. I went on to Villar de Mazarife. On the way out of Chozas, there was a unique Camino sign. 
More fields to walk through. So far, we have noticed that no one lives 'out in the country.' People only seem to live in the villages or cities. There are no farmhouses in between. So when we are walking through the fields, it's really just fields.The guidebook has described Mazarife as a 'pilgrim-friendly' town and it is. It is always easy to figure out the towns that welcome us by the signs (or lack thereof) or artwork or whatever. On entering Mazarife, there was a big mosaic sign and yet another little pilgrim statue on a pedestal (as well as one on the central square). I gave the little welcoming statue a 'high five' which is what he seemed to be doing,
and sat down to wait for Stella, so we could figure out where to stay. There are three or four alburges in the nice little town. The mosaic even includes the storks that nest in the bell tower of the little church. 
It wasn't too long before Stella arrived and we decided to go to 'Tio Pepe's' alburgue.
This mustard yellow building sits right in the center of the village and our window overlooked the little square. [Mary, Lexi and Josh will stay in this same alburgue several days after us and Mary's room will be the one right next door.] 
We did our laundry out in the courtyard (it's usually hand laundry using a washboard - what fun in the 55 degree weather we're having!) 
and then went for a walk around the town to explore.We tried to get a few more postcard stamps at the store, but the lady behind the counter of the little part-grocery/part-everything store had run out of the regular overseas stamps and it would take three VERY large ones that would practically cover the entire postcard! Oh well. We walked back out to where we entered the town and
Stella played 'soccer' with some little boys who seemed to keep kicking the ball out of the play area on purpose. It isn't a very large town and it didn't take long to cover all of it. So we came back to the alburgue, got a huge sandwich each, which we both managed to consume, then got on the computer. And that brings me to the present.We come back to Tio Pepe´s (also known as Meson Rosey´s) after our walk around the town. I end up watching Switzerland beat Spain in the World Cup Soccer match, but out of better thinking, don´t cheer out loud, since I am sitting in a Spanish bar. I feel I have to root for some of my ethnic origins. I get the sense that there are others present who would like to cheer also but who are being sensitive, so we all just go, "Eh, well then, what can you do?" (Two days later, as I´m finishing this entry, I´m watching USA and Slovenia play - go USA!)
We have a good dinner at Rosey´s - first course is white asparagus and mayonnaise wrapped in Spanish ham (they could do without the mayo and Stella and I would be happy), and a peculiar mixture (by our standards) of chopped potatos, corn, peas, pimento peppers, perhaps chopped eggs and a little mayo. Sort of like potato salad, but not. Second course was a fried fish with the inevitable french fries. Dessert was just a little unremarkable dish of ice cream.
Our room was right at the head of the stairs leading up from the bar. For a long time into the night, Stella and I wondered what could possibly be so funny as the locals downstairs laughed and laughed and laughed...maybe they were telling pilgrim jokes. "A pilgrim walks into a bar..."
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