Day 26 - Epic day on a Roman road

Apologies in advance for a worse than normal blog as we just finished our toughest day on the Meseta , nearly 25km, little shade ,36 deg heat and no cafes ... and the "Colzada Romana" , the longest section of Roman road still existing in Spain today. I know that Emperor Augustus's footsteps had graced the road but he didn't have to walk on its fragmented stones 2,000 years later... ouch ☺
But first let me recap on the lovely Hostal Rural we stayed at last night, a converted family home, large rooms, home made cuisine and lovely owners ... we met another Pilgrim there called David ... a recently retired Attorney from Sth Africa who has walked all over the world. We have been bumping into him regularly...so it was great to share a home made meal and some fine wine together...alas our very early start (6am) didn't go well with a later than normal bedtime.
Regardless we beat the sunrise up and were enjoying the cool pre-dawn temps and the beautiful light at that time.
We churned through the Km's by the time the beautiful sunrise broke through but with the temp quickly climbing , beautify but difficult landscape and the rocky Roman road we started to wilt ... we took breaks when we could find shade (see pic) . . . having some trains flash past lifted our spirits . .. finally we jumped off the alternate route to the Camino proper at Religeous .. to get some cold drinks . After a further 4km of boring and hot walking beside the highway we had made our way into Mansilla feeling like the Pilgrims statue (see pic) we saw soon after arriving. We went back to our previous routine of eating early . Replenished our stocks from a tough day.. . . . again in saying that it was ... inspiring,historic and stretching day which we are so thankful for.
A brief reflection borrowed from John Brierly's Camino guide....
"Only the weeds and wild flowers have changed in the two millennium since this path was laid. While Roman artefacts lie behind glass cages in dislocated museums in the cities, here you walk on the original Roman road itself. The muted silence of the Museums....are nothing to match  the original stone in its original setting and the golden silence  of the wide prairie. Here the call of the occasional bird of prey only seems to emphasise the silence and adds to the tranquility. The hum of the bee busily extracting pollen from the will flowers brings a sense of unhurried calm that pervades this place. The bee transforms the pollen to golden nectar. Will the alchemist (transformer) In you extract the purest gold from this day?"