Another 30km completo. This walking business can be hard after 10 days straight.
I slept ok considering I was on an exercise mattress laying butted up against a Hungarian man and a snoring lady!
We were asked not to get up before 630am to let everyone sleep, but pilgrims were rising at 530am, so I was up around 6am. I packed in the dark for the rainy day forecasted from the day before. Sylvia and I walked together again and this was lovely... I needed her today.
I woke feeling heavy in myself. I couldn't find my sleeping bag cover, my leg was sore as though I was developing shin splints, we passed through 2 towns who weren't open for breakfast and I felt like taking off and walking alone. After 19km, we finally found a place where we could have a cup of tea. Sylvia said to me in her soothing royal English accent, "This walk is not just about physical pain, it about the emotional side too." And then she copped it. The tears, the stories, the weights on my mind.. None of it making sense, but I guess it is just a release. I walked away from that little cafe leaving my gush of nonsense behind and feeling much lighter.
After yesterday's 'communal type' Albergue, which was amazing, I thought I would go to a private one today (warm showers!). It is luxury! We are staying in a building adjoining a grand hotel. The hotel owner did the Camino, and opening the back of his hotel for pilgrims was his way of giving back to the Camino. It is just €5 to stay and €12 for dinner - restaurant quality! And the pilgrim wine is not a 'recorked' bottle- this is true class!
Sylvia and I met a French gentleman, Michel, in the hotel lobby where we were both on the internet. He has done the camino several times, from different areas and had some lovely stories to tell and gave us some great hints - including encouraging us to walk the camino at night, at least just once. The name of the camino is 'Camino de Santiago Compestella' - 'compestella' means 'field of stars', so it is fitting to walk it by star light at least once. Hmmmmmm got me thinking!
Michel is a retired French teacher who is now writing a book on the Camino, so he is a wealth of knowledge. It's great - you meet people here just when you are supposed to. Sylvia and i had spoken of places we were considering going to but due to a lack of local knowledge had decided not to. Now, after meeting our camino expert, we shall go there!
We spoke about the first day and how hard it is on pilgrims up the pyrenees and Michel said that perhaps they should do a few days walking before the mountains... I told them I disagree (surprised? Haha). I think that for the pilgrimage to have a significant impact on you, you must first be broken down, then rebuilt - but it is the rebuilding process that allows you to become stronger, more focused, have more space, become more in touch with reality and who you are. It allows you to see your cracks and forces you to be honest with yourself about your flaws, limitations and faults. I guess for any change to occur in anyone's life, they need to first see the parts that need changing or improving as wrong or incorrect in the first place, and they need to take ownership of that (ie don't blame anyone else for they way they are), only then can sustainable change occur. Here on the camino, it is my choice to walk it. - of any of that makes sense... ?!?
Tomorrow, I have dubbed the 'heart monitor day'. First up, we are faced with 3 steep ups and downs all in a row! Like a heart beat, boom-boom, boom-boom, boom-boom. Then we will stop just outside of Burgos, one of the main cities. So 26km in total - give the feet a break.
After that, I have the meseta before me - the long stretch of flat. Apparently it's 3 days of no rises or falls in the road of more than 150m. This will be a nice change after tomorrow!
Time to finish my fine wine, get in my washing and sleep the deep pilgrim sleep!
Buenos noches :)
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