Alternatively titled "The Breaking of the Fellowship". Our good friend Nancy parted company today, charging ahead she desired to partake in a special monastery albergue experience. After that, her Camino will be a solo journey for a while. Totally understood as only a fellow Peregrino can understand. Besides, the Camino has a habit of constantly reuniting Camino family over and over :)!
We choose an alternative and more scenic route option, mainly besides a small stream with plenty of shade trees, always else to see the Peregrino highway totally exposed in the middle of an open landscape.
Some observations as a Peregrino. You get really happy when a restroom has soap, a means of drying your hands is bliss. If you score a room that provides towels your day is perfect. Doctor Bronners soap bars REALLY do clean everything, clothes included. It doesn't matter WHAT time you go to bed, 10pm is bedtime and 6 am is wake-up. The Spanish really really really love their bread, seriously, you could order nothing but bread, and it would come with a side of sliced bread. Spanish love their potatoes almost as much as their bread, the put it in omelettes (Spanish omelette). There are no big stores to speak of, supermarkedo can be two shelves of goods in the back storage room of a bar, the biggest I have seen is probably still smaller then what we call corner conveinence stores. Spain has a ton of tiny Pharmacias, and the pharmacist acts almost as a doctor - tell them what's wrong, and they produce some Spanish cure, often prescription strength in the states, and detailed instructions on use. Spanish pharmacists KNOW how to tend to blisters, they treat enough of them :)! 9am is bright and early for most Spanish people, midnight is their bedtime (or later). Spanish people, particularly the elderly, show a lot of respect and love for Peregrinos - I have never seen so many hugs and kisses from total strangers. On that same though, I don't think I have ever seen and bad feelings towards Peregrinos, in a festival they just moved over and let you in... It is so much a part of their culture that you automatically fit in... You can walk into, what is obviously the locals hangout, and they just don't care.
I have finished up my 19th day walking, earned every blister on my feet, which have taken to screaming, or is that barking, at the end of the day... Doesn't matter, they get their rest at night. The amount of mileage walked varies greatly by guide and assorted confusing signposts.
Using a guide that seems to be the most accurate, around noon tomorrow I will pass 1/2 way point... I may have today at noon, who knows? Let's call it just under 400km walked, that's just under 250 miles, so just about 1/2 way there! I often still find myself during the day having a hard time believing I am here undertaking a journey as large as this. I keep looking back at maps and even looking back in the distance, telling myself that I did it, I brought myself here with my own two legs... No wonder my feet hurt at the end of the day :). I prepaid so long mentally, physically, evolutionarily, & spiritually that it feels odd.
I got talking with some Peregrinos today we meet in Pamplona. We got talking about walking out of Saint Jean to begin our journies and it all seems so far back now. The have been so many things happen during our walking that it boggles the mind.
Anyways, tomorrow is an early start, a place opens for breakfast at 5:45am... Allegedly! Guess who's looking to put them to the test?! Early start on the Meseta means beating some of the worst heat of the day, means we get to burn some trail!
Buen Camino!
Kevin
Have a great breakfast of bread and cafe con leche (and whatever else they might be serving if you luck out), and enjoy your contemplative Meseta experience today (Friday).
ReplyDeleteTake care of those feet. Yes, we were very impressed with the helpfulness & knowledge of the pharmacists. And those great big 600 mg. ibuprofens. Yep. I started depending upon them about right where you are now.
Buen Camino. Kathleen (and Ross) ps: I cannot believe how much bread we ate on our Camino. Bread and more bread. And wine, of course. If I never see another "chip" (frozen french fry), that's cool with me. But the bread was worthy of eating. lol
ReplyDeleteOne more thing: I share your happiness for soap, and towels. In Calzadilla de los Hermanillos at Via Trajana Albergue/Restaurant there were SHEETS -- WHITE SHEETS -- AND BLANKETS AND TOWELS. OMG!!!
Also, it's pretty sweet to have toilet paper. . . . .Munoz albergue in Los Arcos ran out. Of course, just in time for "serious need". omg. . . the joys of being a peregrino.
I am so proud of you, honey! I am glad to hear that they treat you really well there. Yes you did prepare yourself for this journey in every way possible. It was very hard to prepare yourself emotionally, though. Maybe that's because it was hard to know what is was going to be like. This has been extremely difficult for us being away from each other for so long of a span, especially where we do EVERYTHING together. I hope that your blisters are healing and that they don't cause you any pain or delay you from moving on. October 22nd seems so far away. I can't wait for you to come home. We miss you a lot. We understand that this was something that you had to do and have helped you achieve this goal. Believe it that YOU have made it this far on this journey and will finish it with lots of pride. Yes, it is amazing how well Dr. Bronner's soap does on clothes. Hopefully you will have that breakfast at 5:45 tomorrow morning. Good luck on your journey tomorrow. I can't wait to hear all about it. I am looking forward to your call tomorrow:)
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