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Buen Camino!

settembre - ottobre 2023
Walking the Camino Frances with my niece Morgan. Leggi altro
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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    2
    Giorno 21

    THAT day

    9 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    So, it kind of had to happen eventually, right? Just one of those days. Started out with a nagging cough that had kicked in last night. Whacked my right thigh on a guard rail, hard, in the early morning dark. Picked up my second blister walking too fast, too long for the first 10 K en route to breakfast. Then had a pretty nice stretch, took good breaks, but then had to do the last 12 K of a fairly long, 30K day in the heat of the afternoon. Yesterday afternoon I think I described as grueling but not miserable. Today was both!

    I know I had to look pretty bad because about two miles before I arrived a local man pushing his bike up the hill in the opposite direction stopped to give me worried looks, pointed to his watch and explained it was very late, pointed out that it’s hot as hell and then told me how sorry he was. I tried to reassure him I was fine, really! Oh my.

    To cap it off our albergue today is the first one I have found just plain unpleasant . But! I’m showered, fed, electrolyte-ed and soon I will be sleeping. All really is well.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    Giorno 22

    Respite in Leon

    10 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    So, we made it to Leon today! It feels like just in time, limping to our air BnB, where we will spend today AND tomorrow before heading back into the fray on Thursday. I think I took exactly one photo as I walked today, of a distance marker showing our great progress. Only 329.5 kilometers left, it proclaims, and that was before we walked another maybe 25 Km today. We started with 800 ahead of us, so!
    The walk into Leon, like maybe any city, was not especially scenic, so not much to share, visually.
    We were happy to meet up with a fellow from Germany we hadn’t seen for days; this is such a fun part of this experience, connections that braid in and out as we all make different choices about how far to walk on any given day, while all still adhering to the same route. We greet one another as old friends!
    The air BnB I found has exceeded our expectations, as in addition to the giant tub with jets it ALSO has a small sauna. This apartment may save my life…
    Anyway, I know it’s absurd to be saying this but wow, this is an undertaking, and that’s not just the chest cold talking. I wish I had a clearer sense of what it all means at this point, but having jumped into this deep, fast-moving river, all I can really do is keep letting it carry me along. Starting again on Thursday.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    2
    Giorno 23

    León

    11 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    So, a good rest day! Lots of sleep, a leisurely start to the day, and a stop at a pharmacy to get cold meds and compeed (which, if you are not in the know, is for blisters.) My first walk of the morning apparently was at the Hour of Beer Delivery (see photo). I explored the Cathedal and an adjacent diocesan museum. The Gothic stonework and the stained glass was mind bending, it really was.

    It was nice watching so many local people circulate through the great space in front of the Cathedral and the surrounding streets of the old city in the evening. Many kids and many small dogs on leashes. All of us, milling about at our usual human scale in the shadow of those incredible flying buttresses, built of course by us humans, but clearly with such a different scale in mind.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    Giorno 24

    San Martín del Camino

    12 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Back on the road today. We had a choice of two variants, one of which was off the highway and more scenic, but also a much longer day, I’m mostly recovered but now it’s Morgan’s turn to feel puny, so we made the sensible choice and walked the shorter, uglier route. Plenty of scenery lies ahead, as we will be heading into woods and big climbs, day after tomorrow. It was a good choice for today, for us both.

    Not much for photos though. As I wound my way out of Leòn, I passed one of the Paradors, of which there are several (Five? Seven?) along the Camino. These were huge hostels/hospitals for pilgrims back in the day and in recent years have been recreated as rather luxurious hotels, stayed at by almost no pilgrims. That is what the photo is.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    71
    Giorno 25

    Astorga

    13 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Such a very nice albergue we arrived at today! Even if it had been a bad day, which it was not, ( well, speaking for myself. Morgan is under the weather and did not want to get up - see pic) this place would have made it all good. A warm welcome, a funky, appealing layout, and best of all a wood stove which has suffused the place with the cozy smell of wood smoke, which I love.

    There was also a much nicer than usual oasis along the way, also with sort of a hippy vibe. Very nice!

    Today was also cool and overcast, with occasional light rain: a welcome change! Also the landscape is changing and we had some nice climbs. It sounds weird, but too much flat walking is hard on the feet and legs.

    Astorga is a pretty town with a Cathedral and a palace. I did not fit in a walk through the palace. Next time!

    The time remaining is really getting short now! That said, my early panicky feelings that it’s all going too quickly sometimes morphs into thoughts of how nice it will be to be home. Just depends! We have a LOT of rain ahead. We’ll see how that affects my outlook. I may like it!    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    2
    42
    Giorno 26

    Sights, sounds, situations

    14 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    So, the sights have started to change for real! Today was a beautiful walk as we approached the mountains under skies that cleared over the course of the morning. No roadside walking today - so nice. And the climb was mostly gentle and in the cooler air felt really good.

    Sounds. I’ve been thinking about the sounds of the Camino. Almost every morning as I wake up, somewhere nearby a rooster is crowing. I like that.
    Sleeping in albergues you are surrounded by the sounds of other people. As 10:00 arrives and lights go off it gets quiet, but always there is breathing, snoring, rustling, shuffling. I find it all oddly comfortable and comforting, all that humanity around me. I think this way of sleeping in groups is very old. It reminds me we are primates, social creatures.
    Languages! All the time in cafes and albergues, or along the trail conversations are happening in at least a dozen languages. People find ways to communicate, we laugh a lot, smile, shrug.

    Situations! Every day follows a pattern, so if a situation is challenging one day, you know that, for better or worse you will have many opportunities to try it again ahead of you. It pushes for growth and builds confidence, and resilience.

    Tomorrow morning we climb to the Cruz de ferro, the Iron Cross, where by tradition you leave a stone representing some burden you hope to be relieved of. Something to look forward to. But now, time to curl up amongst my tribe of the day and get some sleep…    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    1
    Giorno 27

    Unburdening

    15 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    This morning Morgan and I got a fairly early start - it was dark and also foggy, very evocative as we climbed up toward the Cruz de ferro. What can I say? Just before we arrived there, something unexpectedly shifted, or, really, lifted in me. It was a great grace. The stone I carried has been on behalf of someone else, so I really was surprised, and I can only hope that person will experience something as healing as I believe I did today.

    The picture of the Cruz de ferro in daylight was taken by Ollie, who came along a little later than e we did. Thanks Ollie! You    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    3
    Giorno 28

    Topsy turvy

    16 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    I think maybe I off loaded so much baggage yesterday that my balance is off, because today I fell - twice! No damage at all the first time except to the final shreds of my dignity. The second time I scraped my knee a bit. I’m grateful I did not actually hurt myself.

    Possibly the five hours of picking my way downhill on rocky, uneven terrain yesterday may have more to do with it. After the amazingly lovely first few hours it became one of the more grueling days on the Camino and my calves are still feeling it.

    Today was an easy walk though, and a pleasant one, much buoyed by learning that our friend David, of David and Ollie, was walking today after all. He looked quite shipwrecked last night and neither he nor I thought he would be continuing, at least today. I was sad! But 12 hours of sleep apparently worked it’s magic and here he is after all and we had a great conversation this evening about our experiences at the Cruz
    de ferro. Another happy moment today? Morgan and I had FRIED EGGS and toast for breakfast, with coffee and orange juice. We were So Happy with this taste of home! It’s the little things.

    I’ve included a photo taken on the way out of town of the huge Knights Templar castle, which I did not get to tour. It goes on my list of reasons I will be walking this route again.

    Tomorrow we will start climbing again toward another icon of the trip, O Cebreiro, though we will stop about 5 K short of that mountain top where the Camino was basically reborn. Then we will drop into Galicia, or “Green Spain.” Lots to look forward to!    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    11
    Giorno 29

    La Faba

    17 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Such a nice day! The standard stage would have been 5 K longer, and a long steep climb. We opted to stop partway up after a walk through beautiful scenery in intermittent showers and gusts of warm wind. We were often accompanied by the music of full rivers and the sound and smell of wind shaken autumn leaves.

    I walked the day alone, soaking up all the sensory goodness. Morgan caught up as I sat in front of a cafe watching other pilgrims come around the corner and we had lunch together waiting for a break in the rain before heading back out.

    Our albergue is a nice one, with a beautiful little church right on the grounds , and a statue of Santiago in his pilgrim garb. Further on in the village is Tito’s, where along with David and Ollie we had a very convivial evening meal. We did get rather soaked coming back to the albergue. We may be walking in rain for the rest of the camino.

    For tonight, though, we are warm and dry, listening to the rain fall and preparing to sleep. And for the record, I managed to keep upright all day today. Another good day on the Camino.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreBuen Camino!
    2
    1131
    Giorno 30

    All over the map

    18 ottobre 2023, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Such a day! We drug our feet till 8:00 because it was so rainy, and finally set out s as daylight arrived. I was well ponchoed (is that a word?) and reconciled to a long walk through rain. After a climb I crossed into Galicia, Celtic Spain, and then entered O Cebreiro, where I visited the church where Fr. Elías Valiña Sampedro, who revived the Camino, lived and was buried. I was able to enter the church where he offered Mass and was buried. I need to read more about him!

    Then another looong downward climb. Morgan was ahead and I walked mostly with David and Ollie. I will miss them so much when we have to say goodbye! We got soaked, kept on, and then after lunch, voíla! No rain! A brisk wind stayed with us, and by the time we eased into Tricastela, we were quite dry. Amazing! Once it cleared off we were able to see some great vistas as we descended. A good day!

    Now it is raining again, but I’m warm and dry, perched on my top bunk listening to it come down. So cozy! Tomorrow a serious downpour is predicted. Two inches of rain!! We will swim to Sarria! We are so close to the end now, it’s hard to believe. I think I get happier every day, somehow. What will it be like to arrive in Santiago? I have no idea…    Leggi altro

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