Today I hit the road alone. Completely alone.
I decided it was absolutely time for my solo journey to start, and I picked a good day to do it!
It was a nice day, and despite having quite a few vinos the night before, I woke up ready and raring to get going. To start the day I walked 16.5 km to Sahagun, where I stopped at about 11.30 for a coffee, an early lunch of an amazing bacon and cheese bocadilla, and a sneaky glass of red - all for under 5 euro. What a country. What a life! I relaxed at my outdoor table for a while and then decided it was time to get going again before I got too comfortable and stayed all night.
As I was leaving the city, I was stopped by a very old man, who chatted away madly to me in Spanish. He kept pointing to me and saying 'Italian'. I kept saying 'Australian', but he had decided that I was Italian. He kept pointing in the direction of the Camino - giving me directions (in the direction I was already headed). He blessed me, crossed himself and then waved me off. Very nice!
The afternoon stretch was tougher, with my feet deciding to cease up on me about an hour in. But, with the aid of a lot of breaks, I made it to my destination, Bercianos de real Camino by about 3pm. It wasn't the most scenic of routes today - the beginning of the horrible 'mesita'. The highlight was a field of yellow flowers (which were more than likely weeds). I was so excited to see colour that I must have stayed there for an hour smiling like a special kid at them.
At one point when I was giving my poor little feet a bit of a rest, I sat down by the side of the road and was having a nice little daydream, when a car pulled up next to me and honked. The driver was pointing to the back seat and laughing. The second time I've been 'accosted' by a Spanish driver who thinks it's funny to offer Pilgrims a lift between towns!
I came across a grave with a headstone on the side of the road a bit later. It was for a Pilgrim who had died on that spot in 1998. The grave is at least the 5th that I've come across since the start of the walk, and the dates are all relatively recent. Apparently on average, 4 Pilgrims will die on the Camino each year. So far on my journey there has been one - a girl died crossing the Pyranees about the time I started the walk. 4 of my friends have had to go to the hospital so far, Makes it all seem a bit scary really - it's certainly not just a stroll in the park...
The reason I chose to walk to Bercianos is because the Albergue had a communal meal and church service, and seeing as it is Easter I thought it would be really nice to try and capture the 'family' environment. The welcome I recieved on my arrival brought tears to my eyes. The lady, Suelee, from Mexico, was so sweet and friendly and greeted me with a huge cuddle and even bought me a cup of tea! I was really looking forward to meeting some new people. The 3 singers from a few days before hand were there and they were really happy to see me!
After having a shower and rest, I decided to explore town (ok, look for a bar..). I walked into the first bar I came across, sat down and ordered a beer, before looking around and realising I was the only female in a very crowded bar, and everyone had stopped their conversations and were staring at me. Akward!! There were a lot of groups of old men sitting around and playing dominos - it was a very surreal moment! I finished my beer very quickly and found another bar, with my Amigos, Jaoquin, Fernando and JuanJose sitting in it! I was happy to see them. They are Spanish, all teachers who have been walking over the school holidays, so it was their last day on the road. They have all been so friendly to me - (I remember being in a bar one day trying to order lunch to a horrible woman who was misunderstanding me on purpose, and I was so frustrated because I couldn't get my point across, when over my shoulder a man shouted at her in Spanish and she hurried off to get my order - It was Fernando, so he's been a bit of a favourite ever since!).
After a few drinks, I headed back to the Albergue to do some sun worshipping! I had a lovely hour or so hanging out in the sun, stretching and meditating before dinner. The communal dinner was lovely, and I was so lucky that there was a really special group of people staying. The prayer session was after dinner and was very nice - no open flames this time to my relief! I've already blogged about this bit, so if you want to read the prayer from this session, go to: http://whatkindofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/like-prayer.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment