Day 24. El Burgo Romero

Today was a transfer day, where I started at a hotel, walked the designated distance -18 km - then got driven back to the same hotel I started from. Tomorrow morning, a taxi will return me to the place I reached yesterday, where I will continue on. There are few places with accommodations between here and Leon, the next big urban centre.
Today‘s journey was largely flat, nondescript; the biggest feature were the groves of poplar trees along the way.
I met Philippe , from Montreal, who did find the passport he had left behind at the auberge. Philippe is getting run down from carrying a backpack weighing close to 30 lbs. Mine weighs about 10 lbs. He suffers from sleep apnea, so carries a 10-lb portable device to deal with it. He has decided to ship the device ahead to the auberges he has booked before he gets there. Also, I found out that the German girl who lost her mother last year, will be continuing. Tomorrow, she plans to take a taxi to Leon, where she had planned on spending two rest days, then continue on to Santiago.
Many people with injuries, and on a flexible schedule, slow their pace, while others on more definite schedules walk as far as they can, filling in the gaps with taxi rides.
I picked up my Halfway Certificate in Sahagun when I returned this afternoon.
I do meet many pilgrims older than I am, some considerably older - if that’s possible - journeying by themselves, with backpacks weighing 20 lbs or so. They all walk at a slow pace, that invites a deepening of the experience. I enjoy my chats with them as they convey a sense of peace and purpose.
I am looking forward to connecting with Cathy in two days. What has, up to now been My Camino, will become Our Camino.Read more