Fuenterroble de Salvatierra to San Pedro de Rozados 28 .4 km

We set off today at a cracking pace and made good progress. Peter and I were eager for a Cafe con leche break but Andy was keen to stop at the village at the top of the hill. Catastrophe! Not one place open for coffee and it is 10:30 am. We find a little shop and buy something to eat and drink. Peter buys his litre of milk, his standard food/drink, Andy buys orange juice and I get two bananas. A poor substitute for coffee I have to say. We find a stone fence in the sun and have our break. I had been hoping for a civilised pitstop but now I have to wait until out of the village. While we rest we see a few cows being driven out to pasture by a few people. The cows see a garden  and head to that instead of up the lane. It is funny watching them herd these few cows like a group of children. Later we see them returning with the same cows. Then there are two freesians being herded by a little bow legged farmer. He has a fine twitch but never seems to touch his two very full uddered cows. The poor things look like they can hardly walk for these massive udders. Hr takes them to a stock watering trough but we pass them and I don't know what happened next presumably they got milked. It is a gentle climb most of the morning and quite cold. This snow on the mountains doesn't appear to be diminishing and the days are much cooler as we head north. I joke about walking towards the wind turbines on the far hills and sure enough that is our objective. The climb gives us more views of the snowy mountains and the breeze chills us but it starts to feel a bit endless. We reach the top but it actually isn't! 

Along the way now we find these TeePee type structures that are shelters for pilgrims caught between places. They are quite odd but I would stay in one if I thought I was too tired to continue.

Spread before us is a great panorama that we will cross to Salamanca tomorrow but still we need to wind through the trees, continually climbing to the summit and a cross that marks the spot. It appears and I get excited but then it disappears hidden by a bend in the hill. I am feeling exasperated now. Finally the cross appears, not on an outcrop but on the hill above the track. The wind has picked up and we start to get really cold. My fingers are numb. I climb to the cross and the view is 360 degrees. It is spectacular but freezing. We eat our lunches but we are getting too cold to stay long. Coming off the mountain is quick but now it seems like an endless road. We see the pig farm and take a rest, feet throbbing. The pigs are grazing on grassy pastures or in large open pens. They are so fat they lumber along almost staggering. 

When we go up to the gate they all run off but when we remain at the gate they all come back full of curiosity. I notice a couple with huge pink round sacks hanging from their bellies. Andy says they are cysts. They are the size of a cantaloupe. We think we must be close to San Pedro but alas the road  has more hills, twists and bends with no town in sight. 

Finally we come down a lane and there is the town. Andy makes a quip that it is even the right place. I reply" I am staying here even if it isn't!"  My feet are throbbing. We have hardly taken any stops today but walked constantly since 7:30 am.