Carrión to Calzadilla de la Cueza

Today was the long 17.5 km walk without any villages at all along the long, lonely path across the Meseta, but the weather was nice, a bit cloudy, so it did not get too hot for the long, flat walk along the wide dirt track, without much shade.
It was not a very interesting landscape, barren fields and the straight track as far as the eye could see. I felt a bit tired, but made good time already checking in at the Brazilian albergue at 1 p.m. The tiny hamlet of Calzadilla is just a small farming village, desolate. However, I had a really nice dinner with Susan, Angie and Bonnie, all three Canadians, and a young, lively Mexican girl named Lola. One of the topics of conversation were the bedbugs we had all been exposed to along the way, and how to best get rid of them. We found out that 3 of us had gotten bitten in the same albergue Casa Nostra in Castrojeriz! We were wondering why not more is done to eliminate this plague, and part of the reason we all assumed was that the Spanish want to keep it hush, because the Camino is such a big money maker, and most of the little villages we pass through would have no way of making a living, if it was not for all the pilgrims passing through. It's going to be a huge problem next year, because it is a Holy Year they expect about twice as many pilgrims as this year! A good reason to avoid the Camino next year!