- Time of past OR future Camino
- some and then more. see my signature.
As I write this I'm back home after a week walking ( mainly on the Meseta ) and although my intention was to finish again in Santiago , my knee thought otherwise. Some very personal musings about this Camino.
I started this year in Carrion de los Condes where I stopped in 2013. Getting there from Madrid is quite easy. Train from Madrid to Palencia en then local bus to Carrion de los Condes.
1.Walking that first day on the long stretch to Calzadilla de la Cueza : felt so different than when I walked it in 2011. Felt less hard and long than in 2011 , even with the cold and occasional snow and hail.
I was worried about not being able " to walk in my own zone " and meeting big groups but the opposite was true. I walked most stretches on my own or with an individual /a pair of pilgrims in sight. But certainly not the bigger groups like in summer.
2. Those small hail stones hurt like hell! This combined with the cold ( feeling temperature under zero degrees ) makes you so happy with all the layering of clothes ( short sleeved shirt, long sleeved one, fleece ,rainjacket, longjohns and walking trouser ).
3. During that hailstorm you start cursing all the weathergods and yourself : what were you thinking in the first place to go on this mad adventure once again? And then after some time you notice that you are even are enjoying the moment and are doing a little dance in that storm....
That is when the magic happens.
4. Then you arrive in Reliegos and you stop for the day and you are literally the only pilgrim that stays in town that night ( all the other ten pilgrims I noticed that day went on to Mansilla de las Mulas ). And the lady of the bar welcomes you ( as do the other six visitors who are playing cards ) and finds you some food and puts you next to the stove .
And her husband shows you how to clean the fresh anchovies and you get a crash course how to prepare them too....And you talk politics...that he started because I never begin with that....
5. And the eerie feeling at night when you are the only pilgrim in this new albergue.
6. Being rather proud of my basic knowledge of spanish which makes it possible to engage in conversations. It is very subjective of course but to me it makes all the difference in making some deeper connections. It also is a matter of respect to the Spanish people.
7. I was communicating beforehand with a farmacist in Sahagun regarding some prescribed meds I had to buy. We exchanged some emails and when I arrived on that partiular day I got such a warm welcome . I even received two kisses and I ended talking with them for quite a while.
8. Meeting with my fellow countrywoman Christine who is the owner of the lovely albergue in Villares de Orbigo. The bed is a fixed price but dinner and breakfast is donativo.
I'm biased of course but I do think it is one of the nicest albergues I ever encountered. Not only for the clean and beautiful albergue but evenmore for the wonderful, vibrant and wise Christine.
There was only one other pilgrim; a young man from Denmark, but the talk we shared that evening will last me long.
9. The fellow pilgrims : like I said, most individual walkers or couples. Respectful, funny and generous. Respecting nature and environment. Respecting themselves and each other. The hugs we exchanged, the jokes we made...the quiet moments that were not akward at all.
10. Falling asleep with an icepack on your knee is not something you want to repeat : a cold blister and luckily I saw it on time. Not my finest moment! And then crying because the hospitalera was so friendly.
And then missing the chance to go to the Mass at the local church because , due to the stress with that icepack thing , you were on the verge of throwing up...Again not my finest moment....
11. Meeting David from Casa de los Dioses. A good man. A man who radiates light. What can I say more...
12. Meeting the priest at the Cruce Santo Torribio just before San Justo de la Vega. He was a pensioned missionary and he studied years in my country so he insisted in talking French with me. He hugged me and asked me to return the hug to San Tiago.
13. As a lapsed Catholic myself I was surprised to notice how good I still seem to know the Script and the symbolism of the faith of my youth. A fellow pilgrim who was raised an atheist did not have any connection with a Faith so he asked me to do some explanations. I welcomed this because I was able to replace some of the anger towards the Catholic Institution I have into something positive.
14. The moment in Astorga that I realised this Camino had to end and my knee ( even after resting ) was not sufficiently better. That even after a walk of only a week you can have some sense of fulfillment and " being ready".
15. Three nights in Santiago where I had the great pleasure meeting some wonderful people and was invited to a more than memorable meal and not just because of the food!
I know this selection of 15 moments / feelings is rather random and personal but to me they are important...
Even with the commercialising , the taxis, the " Hay free wifi ", the litter on the Camino, even the Frances is still a magical route!
I started this year in Carrion de los Condes where I stopped in 2013. Getting there from Madrid is quite easy. Train from Madrid to Palencia en then local bus to Carrion de los Condes.
1.Walking that first day on the long stretch to Calzadilla de la Cueza : felt so different than when I walked it in 2011. Felt less hard and long than in 2011 , even with the cold and occasional snow and hail.
I was worried about not being able " to walk in my own zone " and meeting big groups but the opposite was true. I walked most stretches on my own or with an individual /a pair of pilgrims in sight. But certainly not the bigger groups like in summer.
2. Those small hail stones hurt like hell! This combined with the cold ( feeling temperature under zero degrees ) makes you so happy with all the layering of clothes ( short sleeved shirt, long sleeved one, fleece ,rainjacket, longjohns and walking trouser ).
3. During that hailstorm you start cursing all the weathergods and yourself : what were you thinking in the first place to go on this mad adventure once again? And then after some time you notice that you are even are enjoying the moment and are doing a little dance in that storm....
That is when the magic happens.4. Then you arrive in Reliegos and you stop for the day and you are literally the only pilgrim that stays in town that night ( all the other ten pilgrims I noticed that day went on to Mansilla de las Mulas ). And the lady of the bar welcomes you ( as do the other six visitors who are playing cards ) and finds you some food and puts you next to the stove .
And her husband shows you how to clean the fresh anchovies and you get a crash course how to prepare them too....And you talk politics...that he started because I never begin with that....
5. And the eerie feeling at night when you are the only pilgrim in this new albergue.
6. Being rather proud of my basic knowledge of spanish which makes it possible to engage in conversations. It is very subjective of course but to me it makes all the difference in making some deeper connections. It also is a matter of respect to the Spanish people.
7. I was communicating beforehand with a farmacist in Sahagun regarding some prescribed meds I had to buy. We exchanged some emails and when I arrived on that partiular day I got such a warm welcome . I even received two kisses and I ended talking with them for quite a while.
8. Meeting with my fellow countrywoman Christine who is the owner of the lovely albergue in Villares de Orbigo. The bed is a fixed price but dinner and breakfast is donativo.
I'm biased of course but I do think it is one of the nicest albergues I ever encountered. Not only for the clean and beautiful albergue but evenmore for the wonderful, vibrant and wise Christine.
There was only one other pilgrim; a young man from Denmark, but the talk we shared that evening will last me long.
9. The fellow pilgrims : like I said, most individual walkers or couples. Respectful, funny and generous. Respecting nature and environment. Respecting themselves and each other. The hugs we exchanged, the jokes we made...the quiet moments that were not akward at all.
10. Falling asleep with an icepack on your knee is not something you want to repeat : a cold blister and luckily I saw it on time. Not my finest moment! And then crying because the hospitalera was so friendly.
And then missing the chance to go to the Mass at the local church because , due to the stress with that icepack thing , you were on the verge of throwing up...Again not my finest moment....
11. Meeting David from Casa de los Dioses. A good man. A man who radiates light. What can I say more...
12. Meeting the priest at the Cruce Santo Torribio just before San Justo de la Vega. He was a pensioned missionary and he studied years in my country so he insisted in talking French with me. He hugged me and asked me to return the hug to San Tiago.
13. As a lapsed Catholic myself I was surprised to notice how good I still seem to know the Script and the symbolism of the faith of my youth. A fellow pilgrim who was raised an atheist did not have any connection with a Faith so he asked me to do some explanations. I welcomed this because I was able to replace some of the anger towards the Catholic Institution I have into something positive.
14. The moment in Astorga that I realised this Camino had to end and my knee ( even after resting ) was not sufficiently better. That even after a walk of only a week you can have some sense of fulfillment and " being ready".
15. Three nights in Santiago where I had the great pleasure meeting some wonderful people and was invited to a more than memorable meal and not just because of the food!
I know this selection of 15 moments / feelings is rather random and personal but to me they are important...
Even with the commercialising , the taxis, the " Hay free wifi ", the litter on the Camino, even the Frances is still a magical route!
Look forward to meeting him again next year..
