Category: A Very Short Story

My server was down for 3 days. Sorry. This will be a combined post.

Yay. Hälf way ? Not. They say it is but we are well past half way. As I said before there is the camino kilometer and then the real world kilometer. Road to Leon was boring as can be. 28 klicks today but mainly through the industrial area of the city. But then we were rewarded with this:

 

There are no words to describe the beauty of this place. The city was alive. Fantastic architecture, wonderful food, beer was refreshing and the wine plentiful and cheap. Spaniards are super friendly but one should know that nobody speaks English…no body. Not that they should but just a warning for future travelers. The larger cities do not seem to have a homeless problem like we do. If they do it is hidden. And,i heaven forbid, they clean their streets in the early morning hours. I love this country.

What is truely amazing is that the Spaniards put a great deal of detail to the facades of their buildings. Fantastic.

16 September.

Walk out of Leon was tough and slow and lots of hills. The landscape was flat and non descript. Clear skies and hot. Headed to Villadangos, which resembled  a truck stop. Passed a school and yes moms were waiting outside for their children, just like us. We ended up in a religious residential school where we only had to pay a donation. The place looked very clean but on closer inspection the place was lacking on planned maintenance. Plumbing was bad, light fixtures didn’t work, dryer was broken. Oh well. It did remind me of our roundtable the óther night about why we do the Camino. So I asked Jerry about that and did he feel there was an out of this world, out of body existential feeling about the Camino. He looked at me kind of funny like with his head slightly askew: “ you mean this walk?” he says. “None of that shyte. Its a great way to lose weight!!”

And there you have it.

17 September.

Walked to Astrioga. About 27 klicks. It was a hard slog. We did not follow valleys but crossed them. Up and down, up and down. Getting hilly again. Y,know the hills are okay. Going down is hard on the knees. We have started the hill climbing now.

 

Yes Jerry. Life is good.

A Jerryism

Jerry has a tendency to belch and pass wind a great deal in the morning. So I said to him:

“Gee Jerry,one of those farts are going to have lumps in them.”

” No worries,” he says “If yer ankles aren,t brown then your ok mate.”

And there you have it. Astrioga:

Astrioga – the chocolate capital of Spain. Yummy.

A hard slog but worth it. Hard core thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Loved it. I love this country.

A hard slog tomorrow.

Read ya tomorrow.

Cheers.

 

Tough day on the range. Wifi is spotty. Bruce from San Diego having a short respite from the walk. That s what we call it now: The Walk. He is a Padres fan.

So what is our daily routine then:

Hoping to be up at 6 but wide awake at 4am. Toss and turn and curse the snorer beside you until around 6am. Then the keeners get up. They get out on The Walk while it is still dark.  Bad idea as the terrain underfoot is terrible. Then the fighting starts for the single shitter and  shower stall and that is when those walking sticks come in handy. I was here first. No you weren’t. Yes I was, no you weren’t and on and on it goes just like it says in the ” So You Want To Be A  Pilgrim Do You? Handbook. I know, I know. A real classic it is.

Jerry and I wait until the morning mayhem ceases. Then we get up and dobie (wash), get dressed and hit the trail. Usually around 730. Civil twilight is good until sunrise,which is around 8am. We try to put on 5-10 kicks before we find a cantina to have our morning coffee and beps (bun). Then off we go. We always meet up with those early risers so you see,getting up early doesn’t  pay.

That,s a me. Yay. Directing Pilgrim traffic.

A usual craic (conversation with Jerry) normally starts like this:

“Hey bye”

” Yeah Jerry

” Do ya have a hankering for burrs where you live?”

“Burrs?” I say

” Yeah. Burrs?”

” What,s a burr Jerry?”

” Ya know, those big black tings in the bush. You know, does a burr shyte in da woods bye?”

” Oh, you mean bears?” I say.

” Yeah burrs.”

” Yeah. We have burrs Jerry. In da woods Jerry and da pope is catholic.” I add for effect.

“Whew.” He adds.

Northern Ireland word of the day:

“Dinky”-  means posh, la di da

We walk until about 12 noon. 2pm if covering off more than 25 kicks

Then we play ” Find the Alberque” which is a real game of chance I can tell you. Check in, find your bunk. Then a shower cause we stink and no bar or cafe is going to let us in. We are the unwashed, the unclean. Hey. We’ re even mentioned in the bible. And while the majority of the pilgrims lie down for a few winks Jerry.and I are off for a few pints. Back, find a restaurant, have a meal then back to our bunks and start the routine all over again.

After a dobie that is. I also ĺìķe to walk around the town, village or city  to get a feel for the place I am at.

One of the more frustrating things about this journey is that the majority of the pilgrims keep to themselves and will not socialize.

I miss the German group snd Alberto the Italian and his girlfriend.

All for now. Read ya later.

In Leon tomorrow.

 

 

 

Well that was a real over reaction. The 17 klicks turned out to be a non event. The young Spanish entrepreneur set of coffee stands in very strategic locations, about every 8 kilometers, so the 17 kilometer hike was not bad. We covered it off in about 3 hours. The German group are still with us and a lot of fun. Claudia, one of the german ladies is a bit intense. We call her the Camino Nazi. Last night we had dinner together and I related the Seinfeld episode about the soup nazi. No Soup For You, and then I realized what I had said and it went over like a hindenburg zeppelin. Not good. John, stop putting you foot in your mouth.

There they are and they are still smiling at me. The soup nazi front and centre.
The walk was uneventful. 5 th day on the Maseta. Flat, flat,flat but cool and finally walking was pleasant. We covered off 27 kilometers. I think I might have made a wrong turn somewhere.

We arrived in Carrion of the Lost Condom late afternoon. We stayed at a monastery. After buying some flip flops, we had to attend a round table on The Way and tell the other folk as to why we are doing the Camino.. It was interesting and very emotional for many who attended. For most doing the Camino related to some personal tragedy.  A death, depression, lost opportunity, not knowing what to do etc. I talked around the end. So, why am I doing the Camino? Well, for those that know me they know that I love to walk. Walking puts one at peace with one self, with nature and with the world in general. Walking provides an oppotunity to reflect on the past, immerse oneself in the present and peer into the future. With nature it gives you a sense of peace, well being and a sense of belonging in the natural world around you. Added to that you can enjoy the culture,history, architecture, art, people, food, wine and ambience. I felt that way when I did the French walk and now the Spanish way. It is the same sense of intellectual passion and expression and that is why I am doing the Camino.

One can read too much into the Camino. I feel that they are promoting the Camino as something that it is not. After all it is just a trail, a path, a route not unlike many others out there such as the Appalachian trail, the Bruce Peninsula trail or the many others. That is my take on it.

But at the end of the day, sitting there in the garden with a cold beer and reflecting on the days slog one can only smile at the day,s grind. All is right with the world. Life is good and    even moreso with good family and friends.

Luv ya Dot. Happy birthday.

Cheers.