Dear FAmily and Friends
a no blister day! Yeah!
I started out this morning a little after 7 in the dark and a half moon to guide me. It was a bit cool but not like it has been. I had some difficulty finding the trail but an early cyclist pointed the way. I was feeling very spiffy in my fresh air dried clothes. Once again it was a beautiful morning, rolling hills, rich vegetation and a beautiful sunrise. At one point I stopped at a picnic ground and had some dark chocolate in a piece of yesterdays French bread. A tasty little treat that kept me going till I found a bar open in a village. Two young Spanish men walked by,each carrying large Spanish flags hung on their walking sticks. They were very colourful. I had met them last night with Marcie and Jenny, my young friends from Bellingham with whom I had walked for the better part of the first week. It was like old home week seeing them again. They had stayed in Burgos 2 days to celebrate Marcy's birthday which made us back in step again.
I was happy about my decision to stop at Calzadilla de la Cueza. It was a long woay to terradillos de los templarios and I learned from a young German woman I met enroute that they filled the private auberue there early and a woman she met had to walk back to the next town to get a place to stay.
Last night at dinner an Hungarian woman named Judith joined Sheila, Janet (NZ) and I. She has done the Camino 3 times and is working for 4 months at various aubergues. In our discussion around issues that come up on the camino, she said that each person receives issues thatcthey need to deal with. The shoes are not the issue with blisters or foot problems. The issues start from the ground up and manifest in the body. By the end of the camino, mind and body come together. To me she made a lot of sense and I began to see my blisters on a different light. Actually, I recall Nicole telling me something similar in the early days of my foot issues. It certainly is a time for me to walk my walk.
We passed a small vinyard today where there were many colourful scarecrows in the field. My camera wasn't powerful enough to capture them but I stopped to talk with him and took his picture. I'm proud to say I got on quite well for a bit before I had to say no hablo espagnol.
Something might be sinking in this old head.
Sheila and I met up for lunch and met a couple from Brazil. She has walked the Vamino several times and her husband twice. He too prefers to stay in hostals because he loses/leaves too many things in the aubergues. He told his wife it was cheaper for them to stay in hostals rather than have to replace all the things he has left behind.
The walk from our lunch stop to Sahagun was quite an easy one. Sahagun is quite a big town as seen from a distance. It struck me as I was walking toward town, here I am, 64 years old walking with a pack on my back, with everything I need....walking across Spain. It hit me in a strange new way and I felt very free. It is nothing I have ever done before. I had never travelled away on my own when I was young, like many do- backpacking Europe or Asia. I suppose when I was young I did not appreciate the breadth of choices available to me at that stage of my life. So having that thought as I entered this town was quite wonderful.
I am not sure where I will be tomorrow night. Either el Burgo Ranero or Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos. Until then Buen Camino. Heather
Hi Heather - just sending along a word of encouragement! I am enjoying reading about your impressions of the Camino walk! Very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteHey Heather
ReplyDeleteBoth Chris and I are so enjoying your daily blog posts. You hit a chord with me when you talked about how free you felt. I remember, years ago, whilst watching the film "Dances with Wolves" thinking about how it must have felt for someone in Kevin Costner's shoes when he rode out to the west for the first time. There is a scene when he arrives at his destination, alone and in the middle of nowhere in the vast plains. The first time I saw the film, I remember thinking how vulnerable and alone someone would have felt in that situation. A few years later, I spent my 29th year travelling, solo through Europe 'a velo' - riding, pretty much whichever way the wind was blowing. I saw that film again, in french, during that year. When it came to that same scene, I remember thinking how awesomely free and exciting that would have felt. How amazing it is that solo experiences and challenges can empower a person and change one's perspective on quite a deep level. I think we may have talked about that before. But you brought me back to that thought, so I thought I would mention it. Anyway, we're thinking about you every step of the way - blisters and all! Lis.