Camino Day Nineteen

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Leon to Villar de Mazarife

22.2 km (13.8 miles)

Morning picture in Leon

Rachel, Amber, Andrew, Colleen, Adam

It was a cold morning! We did set out early, around 7 a.m. or so, but it was something like 8* C, which is around 46* F. A little cold for this lady, especially in shorts.

leaving Leon

Bodegas--where wine is kept, because it has a constant temperature

Part of "the group:" Mitch, Colleen, Lee, Andrew, and Jeff

That day we planned on walking on past the stage in the book, but we stayed where the group was staying. Adam and I were given a private room--just one bunk bed instead of many! :) There ground floor of the albergue was a bar, so Adam watched the Euros football game there with a bunch of people. I took a break from the group, eating nutella out of the jar and playing around on the internet on the iPod.

From my journal: The laziness of the afternoons and evenings is starting to wear on me. I really think if I had a book, or maybe if we walked a little bit later into the day, I wouldn't feel as bored. I know I should relish this free time, but it is a daily occurrence--it is not something I'm lacking in my life right now.

Camino Day Eighteen

Friday, June 8, 2012

Mansillas de las Mulas to Leon

Cathedral in Leon

preschool children playing in front of the cathedral in Leon

A protest in Leon. I had my earplugs in my jacket pocket, so I stuck those in my ears, and it was still too loud, with horns and loud gun shots.

The morning photo--oops! Forgot to take it that morning. After this we had an amazing meal at a L'Union, a vegetarian restaurant. We both were extremely satisfied with our meals there. 

We had supper at an Indian restaurant with ten or so other pilgrims who were also looking for some different food. We met four pilgrims that night who we had never met before: a woman and her mother from Greenland, M from Denmark, and Jenny from Germany. Our albergue had a closing time of 9:30 (this was a Friday night, in a city--eek!), and we got our food at about 9. We gobbled it down, then rushed back to the albergue...and of course they didn't close the doors until after 10 pm. 

Gaudi building in Leon

Camino Day Seventeen

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Hermanillos de la Calzada to Mansilla de las Mulas

24.5 km (15.2 miles)

Morning photo

The Roman Road (Calzada Romana). It was a windy day, and the road was flat and hard on our feet. 

From my journal: I had so little energy when we got to this albergue. Adam went to the store and got me a candy bar, which I had been talking about. We had an apple and orange + coffee (each) at breakfast, then some bread along the way. And we hiked 24 km or so by 1:00. So I'm thinking about food. :) And napping.

I did get a nap, then went to the mercado and bought some groceries. They had frozen brussels sprouts, so I sauteed those first, and we gobbled them up!  We ate an early supper at 4 or so. It turned out to be great timing, because everyone else wanted to cook later, and there were only four stove top eyes for them all to share.

The view of the courtyard from the room in which we slept. We had a great night out on that patio, with a group of about a dozen, sharing snacks, meals, ice cream, wine, and gin and tonics.

Colleen and Steve making supper. 

Andrew (from New Jersey) getting some love from Jeff (from New Zealand) and Adam

Laura, who runs the albergue, terrorizing Liz (from Chicago). We met Liz the night before, and guess who helped us get our guidebook back? Somehow Liz found out that her French friend Marie had picked up an English guidebook the day before. Liz hilariously described herself hobbling after Marie, trying to catch her in town before she got on the bus to Leon. Then when I walked into our bunk room later, the book was on my bed, and Liz was trying to sneak out of the room without being seen :)

Camino Day Sixteen

Wednesday June 6, 2012

Moratinos to Hermanillos de la Calzada

23.7 km (14.7 miles)

Morning picture at San Bruno albergue

Rachel's feet in Sahagun--the halfway point between St. Jean Pied de Port and Santiago

bridge in Sahagun

We walked 2 or 3 km past this bridge when we realized we left our guidebook at the albergue where we had coffee. After much deliberation, Adam turned back to get it, and I continued in the direction we had been walking. We planned to stay in Hermanillos de la Calzada at the municipal albergue.

This is what the camino looked like. There was that odd tiger character, which we hadn't seen before (and is so cartoony--what's that about?) on the intermittent signs, and there were barely any people out on the camino that day. I think if you click on the picture (to enlarge it), you can see a couple of people on the horizon of the road. 

All alone on the camino. It was beautiful, but I felt so lonely. There was a split in the camino that was confusing, and I hoped, hoped, hoped that Adam had taken the same path that I chose.

We ended up at the same place! However, the guidebook was gone when Adam got there, so he walked an extra hour or more for nothing. I was just glad we were together. We went shopping at a tiny grocery with a tiny grocer, and I was able to cook us some yummy lentil soup, plus we had bread and olive oil and red wine. We also met some really great people that night, one of whom gave us his bare-bones version of a guidebook. I wrote in my journal: More on today later, but it ended up great. Great. Good food, good people, my faith in the camino is restored.

Camino Day Fifteen

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Carrion to Moratinos

30 km (18.6 miles)

Morning picture Day 15

Rachel and Adam on the meseta. We passed the time by playing Would You Rather Camino Version. An example of one the questions I was asked: Would you rather eat cold chickpeas out of the jar every meal or ice cream every meal for a week? This was actually hard for me to answer--ice cream just doesn't do it for me like it used to, and I've been craving things like chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc. An example of one of Adam's questions to answer: Would you rather get to an albergue and only have a bucket of yogurt to eat or only have a bucket of every one else's leftover apple cores to eat? Even though he doesn't like yogurt very much, he chose that. 

stopping to sit/rest/play

From my journal: It feels surreal here at this albergue (San Bruno). It is a nice albergue (and new), as they go, with chaise lounges and a small pool to dip your feet in. Hot (enough) showers. But we are in a town of 20 people--the church seems to be falling apart, we saw not a soul as we walked through the streets to get here--we were even the first people to arrive, just after 2.

The walk was not especially inspiring today. We did meet a Belgian man who started walking in Belgium and is headed to Santiago--he has been hiking 8 weeks, which he has marked in notches on his wooden walking staff. 

I am bored here. Most definitely because there is not a group of people we know around us. Also because I do not have a book, and I don't want to spend hours and hours on the iPod. Also because there is no market in town, so we are not filling some time with that or preparing food. I miss being able to cook my own meals. 

Camino Day Fourteen

Monday, June 4, 2012

Burgos to Carrion de los Condes

Many, many more miles than we could do by foot

Fountain in a park in Burgos

Albergue Santa Clara (St. Clare of Assisi)

Can you tell what is in the clear jar?

From my journal: Went grocery shopping (less than 13 euros for dinner, breakfast, and lunch for two people) and had dinner at the albergue. A Portuguese guy, Jose, started a conversation with us--turns out he was in the same albergue as we were in Ages--2 days ago. When we walked to Burgos and bussed here, he walked the 100 km by foot. He started at St. Jean one week ago. (note that we are on day 14) He walks about 50 km a day and for 12 hours or so daily. Amazing. It's just no problem for him. He's probably in his late 30's, early 40's. 

And if you haven't figured out what is the jar, I'll just tell you: it's snails. Mmmmm, huh?

Camino Day Thirteen

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Ages to Burgos

23.1 km (14.3 miles)

Rachel, Adam, Debbie

The quality of the morning photos is getting worse...but we (um, I) just kept having them taken!

Our first drizzly day. That's Debbie and me.

labyrinth

This valley looked beautiful from our vantage point up on a hill.

Cathedral in Burgos

Cathedral in Burgos

Cathedral in Burgos

Burgos

On our way into Burgos, Frieda took us on an "adventure." She was following her German guide to the camino, and it suggested that we follow the old camino (which went through a big public park) instead of the new, re-routed one (which followed the highway). Adam and I weren't too keen on this particular "adventure," but we all ended up making it to the albergue by asking locals for the location of the camino (when we got into town via the alternative route) and then following the typical signs.