Ponferrada

“You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget. Those are your friends." - Mark Twain.

Day 20 - Ledigos to Sahagún 16 km - approx 5 hrs walking
Sahagún to Ponferrada by train

Had a fairly decent sleep in my coffin-style bunk last night. Got a bit warm and the pillows were ridiculously fat, but otherwise a decent sleep.

Nancy, Dave, Louie and I headed out just after 7am for our 16 km walk to Sahagún. Today’s walk was in decent terrain for the most part - a bit rocky and narrow in places but other areas were smooth and somewhat soft with grass or sandy soil underfoot. It’s actually nice to be out before the sun comes up, on these clear and crisp mornings. It also means we get a good 4 km under our belts before the sun starts shining and the temperature gradually creeps up.

We were all having foot issues today. Yesterday was a long hard walk and we paid for it today! Dave walked the first 6.4 km in his water shoes as they were better for his ankles. Louie had an open blister on the ball of his foot to go along with his shin splints, Nancy has sore soles and ankles and I of course still struggle with my ankles (right is a lot better) and now have some plantar fasciitis and of course my new blister. Worse than that is the pain in the joints where the feet meet the legs. Man, that can ache like nobody’s business!! We had a rest stop in Moratinos for a quick breakfast and a hot drink. Lovely little restaurant/bar here! I kept expecting Carolyn to come striding by, but she didn’t. When we finally left, we still had almost 10 km to go and it was rough getting going again.

We literally slogged it out and. the kms clicked slowly away. As we were nearing Sahagún, I turned to make way for some bike pilgrims and there’s Carolyn, striding toward us without a care in the world. Lovely to see her, but man are we slow compared to her! She’s about 10 years my senior, started 30 mins before us (at 6:30 am) and 7 km behind us. Come on!!! Talk about impressive (and kinda embarrassing for me hahaha). Just after this, we walked through the geographical half-way point of the French Camino de Santiago as stated in the Codex Calixtinus. It was still a couple of km to the city, but we finally arrived in Sahagún just after noon and made our way to Nancy and Dave’s hostal to get them checked in. Our bags had not yet been delivered, so we went for leisurely lunch and well earned beverages!

I have been struggling with my Euro cash card for the last week. Can’t tap it, PIN won’t work, can’t use it in stores or machines. And to add insult to injury, the phone number for international assistance doesn’t work. I had a brainstorm today and called the Canadian toll free number from my Spanish SIM enabled phone. Bingo!!! It took almost 30 mins, but I got my darned PIN changed. None too soon either as I am down to 70€. Enough for a couple of days since my accommodations are paid for today and tomorrow. But, good to get it sorted out finally.

We roamed around a bit before I had to go and collect my backpack from the Hostal where I had sent it, along with Nancy’s bag. Saw Jenny and Carolyn again as Jenny was coming into town. Carolyn already had them checked in as she was in town before us. Collected my backpack and before I knew it, it was time to let my companions have their showers and a nap, and for me to head to the train station for my 150 km + trip to Ponferrada. Necessary in order to make my timeline to Santiago - and I do want to get there and get my Compostela.

Today’s the day I have been dreading for the last week. Leaving my Camino family. I’ve already said goodbye to so many people. Some have made bigger impacts than others. But these last ones are really hard. I haven’t seen Linda since on the trail yesterday. I’m worried about her and hope to hear from her. I’ve loved spending time with Jenny and Carolyn and getting to know each other. My train was late and so I got to say goodbye at the train station to both of them as they had come for a walk to find where the station was, and I was still sitting there waiting! I May still see them again towards the end of my journey - yet to be determined. And maybe a trip to AUS is in my future again…. And then there is the Barcenas family. It was so special to be a part of their journey and them, mine. I will really miss them as we are not likely to meet again on The Way. Maybe I also need to visit Washington state :-). It’s strange how you can know some people for such a short time and yet feel like you have known them for years. This is what it is like with all these people - they have all had a big impact on my journey, one way or another. And they will not soon be forgotten.

Buen Camino, my friends!! Thank you for your companionship and befriending this solo traveller xxxRead more