Simple Realities

Although the mountains are more demanding physically, we are happy to be back into the more diverse countryside.  We only have 112 more miles  to go out of almost 500 miles total.  So the end is in sight, even if in some ways we don’t want it to come.

The weather has been nice and cool, but heating up again.  We start walking as soon as there is enough light, so we can enjoy the cool weather as much as we are able.  

Our bodies are feeling healthy , the weather nice, the beds soft, the food good, and the relationships sweet.  Those are the simple realities that govern our lives here, and give us reason to be grateful.  May it never change.

  

Pilgrim Meals

One of the routines that make the Camino fun is the pilgrim group meals.  They are inexpensive and you have a few choices of options.  The food is generally mediocre, but good enough.  The main attraction to the meals is getting to know other people, generally others that are staying at the same hostel. Some nights, especially if we are in a city, we go out to eat for supper for better food.  Even then, it is always with other pilgrims.  

A typical pilgrim meal would be like a couple of nights ago.  The food was only OK, tuna spaghetti and store bought “flan” in a yogurt-like container. 

As usual, we met many people that day, but there were a few from our meal that were more interesting than others.  

First were two ladies, traveling together, one of whom is legally blind. They are from Michigan and have been hiking buddies.  They hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro together, the Grand Canyon, rim to rim and other places. Now they are doing the Camino.  They also hiked during the previously mentioned mega-rainstorm, which seemed amazing to us.

Also, we met a guy from Germany who had to walk 34 miles looking for a hostel, not able to find an open bed until the fourth town he looked in.

Third was a a guy from Illinois. Someone called him the Midnight Pilgrim, and he adopted that name. He wakes up soon after midnight and starts walking about 2 AM generally.  He puts in high mileage.  Not sure why anybody would want to walk at night, but apparently God told him to do that and it is working out for him.        

Also, 3 Finnish guys, one of which speaks five languages.

Lastly, is a lady from California.  We ran into her on the trail earlier that day, but we didn’t chat because she walked so slowly. While hiking, she appears pretty pathetic.  She looks to be in her 70’s, short, and must barely weigh 100 pounds.  Dressed all in black with a hoody, hunched over, using walking sticks, and going so slowly, she reminds one of Yoda.  As we passed her numerous times earlier in the day, we exchanged the standard Camino greetings, although hers were quiet.  Then as we were hanging out eating a snack, she slowly strolled by again, chugging slowly along.          

           
At our hostel, we sat next to her for dinner.  Like Yoda, she is different than one would expect. She scheduled a one week walk on the Camino.  But after that week, she changed her flight and all her plans at home and decided to do the whole darned thing. She was a recently retired nephrologist at Stanford, perhaps making in excess of $400,000 a year.  Now, she is staying at $15 per night lodging and eating flan out of a yogurt cup!

Still on the Meseta plains, but seeing the looming mountains we must cross in the distance (looking forward to it!).

Cooling my feet in a creek after a 20 mile day.

Coffee.

Not coffee.

Entering in to Leon.

Pilgrim meal.

Pilgrim meal.

Not a pilgrim meal.  A whole lot of octopus.

Halfway there!

 

Yesterday we made it over the halfway point!  I think we are supposed to feel encouraged by that.  But actually, I felt a sense of, “What, we are only halfway!?” 

We certainly have seemed to walk a lot of miles. The toughest part isn’t the energy needed, but avoiding injury.  All around us we see people that are having difficulty making it, so we keep a close eye on our aching feet to make sure it is just aching and not something that would make us have to stop.  

For the last few days, we have been walking through the Meseta like high plains, which are a little less exciting than what we have been doing.  That being said, there is some value in not having as much to look at. It does give more time for just walking and thinking. 

We are really enjoying each day, each day being different.  It is a stretch for us, and a good one, that every day is unpredictable. Yes, every day we get up, walk for a long, long time, secure a place to sleep, eat,  and go to bed.  Repeat.

Yet in the morning, breakfast may be at our hostel, or maybe 5 miles down the road, or some snacks out of our backpack. How to acquire my essential afternoon coffee can sometimes be a sport.  We never know who we will be meeting that day. Some days we talk with people almost the whole time we are walking while sometimes we are by ourselves for extended times.  Some days it is super hot, but this morning it was cold and windy. Today we got to our hostel and they overbooked, so had no bed for us (they put us on a pull out couch in the lounge area with only one other person, so no problem!).  We don’t know what part of our body will be hurting each day.  Often, we’re not sure what we are going to get when we order food. 

We are very used to a pretty cut and dried life, where we are in control.  But in spite of the unknowns here, we always get breakfast, the food we order usually comes out tasting good, and we get a bed every night.  And if not, it will also be OK.   

It is a good stretch for us.