Still one day ahead of schedule, we trekked a bit over 9 miles during a drizzle from the very start. We sloshed through muddy paths going between fields, but vowed to stay on paved roads, especially after falling in the mud.
The day started with our hosting pastor introducing Eddie and me at mass and mentioning that we were the first pilgrims and first Americans in his church (built, incidentally, in 1699!). After a huge breakfast and sandwiches made to go, we basically headed north to Jaroslaw, a city founded in 1031. The pastor had called ahead to arrange a room at the Monastery of the Benedictine Sisters founded in 1611. Our Spartan room (that makes a Motel 6 seem luxurious) is rather modern belying the cloister's erection on 1635! We're on grouds surrounded by defensive walls with eight observation towers. Although we'd like to see more, our chores of washing clothes and removing today's mud left little time. Just happy to look outside at one of those towers.
The first pic shows our host last night in front of the church's altar, a close-up of damage the Ottomans wreaked on a side door while trying to break into the church looking for gold (1700s some time) and a sampler of our mud encounter. The second pic shows the entrance to the monastery, one of the towers and a glimps at modern austerity.
