Xativa to Mioxent- Into hills and police hospitality

‘I would like to thank members of the Moixent Law Enforcement Community for arranging my accommodation for this evening- it’s great to be here’.

That’s right - I am staying at the Police Station - well not really- I am through the brown door on the right of the Police building.

I walked into town this afternoon with little idea where I would be staying; ‘my tank was nearly out of gas; it was hot; and I was wearing sunglasses’.

[thank you 🕶️ 🕶️ Jake and Elwood Blues]

Never been shown to a room by a member of police force before. More about that later . . .

My day started with a return visit to the bar where we had drinks last night. On the way out of town I got a friendly wave from a local artist doing a mural on the school wall - parents dropping off their children pointed around the corner of the building to his other work. Very welcoming, very creative!

Friday is market day and the next town Canals had wonderful atmosphere- stalls were up, restaurant tables were filling, and passersby were wishing me a buen camino. I floated through. 

Fertile hinterlands surrounded me all day.

With stone fruit trees, olives, even a rogue mandarin tree - the like I have never seen,

Or tasted before 

I stopped for lunch under a shady tree- the routine is coming back. . .

Here is my routine: Lean your pack, take out your food, have some water, take off your boots and socks,  and take out your inner soles to give everything some air. I have also been changing socks in the middle of day. Then give your feet some tender loving care - believe me, they will love you for it. Then eat whatever you have ready,  and relax and feel the serenity.

The stories these Moorish ruins could tell! People have been engaging in agriculture in this region for thousands of years - before the Romans, before the Moors, before the Christians - I have marvelled at the engineering of the ancient and modern day irrigation systems that produce this . . . 

and can be controlled to produce this - and so support  crop rotation . . .

Today’s walk was more varied with different crops being grown as I moved into the hills.

And, I met my first pilgrim! Alas, she was going the other way. She seemed really well seasoned and experienced in the ways of the Camino. It was good to chat and learn. I gave her a mandarin that I had pinched from that ‘magic faraway tree’ a couple of kilometres back.

Tonight I am ‘solo peregrino’ once more - albeit under police protection. 

And I feel good . . . I knew that I would.