Morning:

Well, it is morning in Fromista and I’m not walking today.

I left the pensione early in order to catch the train. Seeing people start the trail this morning while I was stuck taking the train bothered me a fair bit. I know I’m doing the right thing, but it is still hard watching them walk away.
I expected the train at about 7:00, but it seems to be Sunday (who knew?) so the train will not be coming until about 11:00. So, I’m sitting in a café having café con leche and tortilla. There are a few other pilgrims about. They are the late starters who seem to be wise enough to sleep in and start a bit later. More power to them; wish I could do that! Nevertheless, somewhere between 5:00 and 6:00 my eyes pop open.

So the plan is to take a train to Palencia and then transfer to a train to Sahagun. The others should arrive in Sahagun sometime tomorrow.

Afternoon:

The Fromista train station is actually quite pretty. I got there early and noticed three or four other injured pilgrims. As well, I saw a group of tourigrinos. They were easy to spot as their packs and equipment were spotless and they had two tour guides with them. I hope that these people don’t stay in the albergues. No walking (or cycling), no albergue.

Palencia is a pretty city and the train station is right beside a lovely park that I had the pleasure of walking through. I then sat in the train station café and had some tonica and a bocadillo. The tonic was fine, but the sandwich couldn’t hold a candle to the ones you get in the small towns. It came from some vending company somewhere else in the city, wrapped in plastic. Oh well. I caught my next train and was off to Sahagun.

When I got here, I looked for a hostel or hotel. I lucked out and found the Alfonso VI. I went in to ask about rates for two nights, and was originally quoted 35 euros per night, but he looked at my limp and my pack and changed it to 30 euros. People are really nice to pilgrims here. The owner and his wife seem to run the place on the their own. They have cheap internet available, so I was able to exchange a fair number of e-mails with Sandy today. That improved my mood a lot.

After a rest I walked about the town and did some shopping for supper and tomorrow’s breakfast. Sahagun is a lovely little town with a lot of character and some very beautiful buildings. I walked down some older streets looking for the medical clinic (which was closed – so I have to go early tomorrow) and found some cool graffiti. I went to the café that is on the corner just down from the hostal and had a beer and some snacks. Now I’m off to rub on some ibuprofen gel, pop some pills, and go to bed.

Last night was somewhat strange. Late night Spanish television is bizarre, especially if you don’t speak Spanish. It is filled with call-in money games and bad adventure movies with women in tank tops, and a more than fair share of how-to-speak-English programming. However, and although it may have been the painkillers, watching an English animation movie about two Spaniards dubbed into Spanish just seemed somewhat surreal. There I was in the middle of the night watching Road to El Dorado on Spanish TV.

Early this morning I finally dragged myself in to see a doctor. Nice guy and with some pantomime we were able to communicate. He proscribed another huge dose of ibuprofen (600 mg 3 times per day for 3 days) and three days of rest. I´m working on my second day (if you include the light day of travelling by train to Sahagun). So, I should be able to walk either tomorrow or the day after that.

I am going to have to take a train or bus to get to the point (most likely Leon) in order to get to Santiago on time, but I’ve come to terms with that. Sometimes I wonder why I just didn’t do the official Camino from Sarria to Santiago. It is only about 120 km, but no, Michael has to do things the hard way and try for the 950 km or so route. Go figure.

After visiting the doctor, I stopped in at the corner café for some breakfast and down time. Then I did some shopping, cleaned my gear up a bit, and then lazed around the centre of town until almost noon. There was a nice little bench right beside the municipal albergue. I lay there and watched the incredibly blue sky while listening to some songs on my headphones, most memorably What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. It truly was a glorious day with a lovely sun and a calming little breeze. I lay there for quite some time watching the swallows swoop through the sky; flying in and out of their nests that lay within the corrugated tile roof of the alburge.

Finally I decided that I need to move again and I walked up to look at the bullring and to lounge by the train overpass until I decided that a mid-afternoon cerveza was in order. On to the corner café. I wish I could remember what it was called. It was on the corner of Calle de Antonio Nicolás and Av de la Constitutión, but the name escapes me.

While sitting there I spotted Mette! After a big hug, I walked her down to the Alfonso so she could get a room there as well. I then moved back to the café again while she settled in and rested. While sitting there I spotted Keith and soon after Birgit. So we sat for a nice cerveza in the sun. We were joined later my Mette and a German lady named Sarah. Finally, Peter and Morag passed by and joined us and talk turned to dinner.

We wandered a bit looking for a place and found one that advertised paella. We should have known something was wrong when the waiter pointed out that most of the menu was not available; no paellas left, just some of the pizzas, and certain pasta dishes. He even told us now many he had left of each; after he checked the big drugstore style ice cream freezer with the sliding top. Yup, all the food there was microwave dinners. We even had to send one back – I think it was Sarah’s – as it wasn’t fully defrosted, much less heated. The wine was bad too.

We went for a walk about to banish the memory of the meal and see the sights. We ended up at the café for a nightcap. Finally, off to bed and meds.

I have just finished up spending two nights in Sahagun. I´m travelling by train this morning to El Burgo Ranero (a ten-minute train ride) where I will overnight , then I´m on to Leon to spend two nights. This will give me four rest days, which is one more than suggested. But I want to be sure of my legs and it will sync me up with my travelling companions.

Although most days are spent walking at your own pace, groups tend to form of people with similar walking schedules who will tour the towns, cafes, and restaurants together. The groups shift around at times as not everyone is always on the same schedule, but they often sync back in three to four days. I´m in a good group.

I often travel with:

• Anne: A Canadian angel! She is a nurse and is always help people with their ailments. My feet thanks her!
• Birgit: A German woman who is unfortunately leaving to go home in the next few days but she will finish the Camino in the fall. She is filled with life and she has an infectious smile.
• Danny: A German woman who works in food marketing. Danny is full of humour and one of the most determined people I’ve met.
• Keith: A retired Scot who sings in the rain and is our main Spanish interpreter. Good man to share travels, beer, coffee, and walks int he rain with.
• Mette: A Dane who I met the second day out. Like so many of us, she is looking for answers and supplying some (to me) at the same time.
• Mo: A Canadian proferssor! She has a sharp mind, quick smile, and can keep a long conversation going. Useful when walking, and walking, and walking for hours at a time.
• Morag: An Australian climate researcher who is Peter´s wife and guide. An inspiring woman, she is a minister, a researcher, an excellent conversationalist and has the warmest “hello” on the Camino.
• Peter: An Australian climate researcher who happens to be blind. Charming, and so very, very funny.

Well, I made it easily to El Burgo Ranero. The rail system in Spain is wonderfully on time and cheap. However, the town turned out to be over a kilometre from the train station. I was worried that it would undo some the healing I accomplished in Sahagun. But there was nothing for it, so off I went. The town itself was a little less than I had hoped for. It didn’t feel like a place I’d want to spend a rest day, so I started looking around for any sign of a bus station that might get me to Mansilla de las Mulas which I read was a very nice place to stay. I ended up in front of the albergue, which was closed. I peeked in the window and noticed someone cleaning up, so I tapped on the door hoping for get some info. The door opened to reveal a young Spaniard with a thick beard and a broom in his hands. I asked about the bus to Mansilla, and he smiled and pointed behind me. While standing there at the door the bus had pulled into El Burgo behind me. I grinned back and said “Gracias!” and ran to the bus.

I got to Mansilla de las Mulas in good time as the bus system in Spain is every bit as good as the rail system. The bus itself was very clean, air conditioned, and the driver had chosen a decent radio station to filter through the sound system. I noticed that most radio stations in Spain seem to play a lot of North American music, not just the modern pop hits either, some good back catalog pops up. Don McLean’s American Pie on a bus in Spain, nice.

When I arrived in Mansilla, a little old lady decided that I needed help in finding the city centre and hostel. She was very kind and could not speak a work in English, this did not stop her and she kept up a monologue most of the way, stopping only to genuflect when we passed a church. I followed her for almost an hour while she happily chatted in Spanish. I did not want to be rude and just trudge off, but she had gotten me to the city centre and I knew I wouldn’t have a problem finding an albergure or hostel, but she was determined to see me to shelter. Finally I we came across a local that conveyed my thanks and that I would be fine now. So she smiled and led one last time to the plaza and wished me well with a hug. I love the people in Spain.

I checked out one of the hostels along Calle de los Mesones, but I had heard of a nice, if a little pricy one on Calle de La Conception. So I went in search. I am so glad I found it! It is called the Alberguería del Camino. It is a charming little place with a café/bar on the main floor, a courtyard in back, very nice sitting/gaming/reading room upstairs and beautiful rooms. I’m very happy that I found such a nice place. After showering and settling in, I went downstairs for a cerveza and the best cheese bocadillo I have ever had; the bread was fresh and crusty and it has at least three types of cheese including a very pleasant Camembert. It was so very good!

I then went out for a little walk to check out the open air market. It had everything from clothes to watches to rugs to baked chicken. It was a nice little diversion and I found I had to really reign in my temptation to spend my euros. Afterward, during siesta I was window shopping for a store to buy some food supplies for the next day. A local saw me and said, “Hey peregrino!” then pointed at the closed shop I was looking at and stated “No, no – mucho dinero!” and then he directed me to the local Dios that not only was open but was decidedly less expensive.

While heading back with my small cache of chorizo, bread, oranges, and chocolate I saw Keith, Birgit, and Katie sitting in the central plaza! I was especially surprised to see Keith as he was supposed to have stopped at a town a quite a bit before Mansilla. However, he had found himself past that town rather unexpectedly and decided to head on rather than backtrack. Lucky for me as he is always good company. We were all quite happy to see each other again and decide to have dinner together. We decided that based upon my lunchtime bocadillo, we would try the dinner at my hostel.

While waiting for dinner, Keith and I sat in the hostel’s lounge and talked about our travels so far, our families, and thoughts on the Camino. It was a nice downtime and Keith shared some great stories about how he met his wife, Alice.

At dinner, we all opted for the rather simple but very flavourful fried eggs. Yum! We chatted a little with another pilgrim sitting at the next table who was walking the Camino solo, and at a nice slow pace. It gave him a lot of time to explore the areas around the towns he is staying in. It would be tempting to do that in the future at some point, take perhaps 6 weeks to walk from St. Jean to Santiago. Finally, the food and wine started to hit us and after dessert we went our separate ways.

Tomorrow they walk to Leon and I will take my last bus of the walk to Leon. Keith and I have a pensione pre-booked for two nights. Peter, Morag, and Danny are also booked somewhere in Leon for a two nights.

The Camino does what the Camino does. As I was waiting for the bus to take me to León this morning, in walked Peter and Morag. Morag´s ankle is starting to get inflamed so they decided it would be best to bus the last bit of the walk to León and to take a rest day. I provided her with some of my Ibuprofen 600s and we climbed onto the bus and chatted a bit and relaxed.

We hit León in fairly short order and we gathered our gear and set off to cross the river. The river in León is a lovely area with green space on both side and what looks like hydro electric stations along it. We passed a small plaza and set about looking for a café to have some food and drink. We found a lovely little cafe and we each had two cafe con leche and tortilla. It was a very nice meal and the conversation and the company were great. We discussed both faith and politics and I’m sure we were there for at least an hour. Afterwards, we continued our walk to the Cathedral and set off to find our respective beds.

Keith and I have booked a double room in a pensione. It is worn, somewhat clean, and cheap. All good. The big plus to the room is it overlooks the Plaza Mayor and you can see the top of the León Cathedral in a few blocks over. I arrived before Keith, but I spotted him walking across the plaza towards us while I was sitting on the balcony. Later, Keith pointed out that I put far too much faith in that balcony, which is most likely true. However, it was so nice to sit on this tiny balcony in the shade of the pensione watching the market below me.

Keith and I set off to explore a bit and to find someplace to backup my photos onto a disk. We toured the maze that is the side-streets in León and almost got lost once or twice. Along the way we found a nice little sporting goods shop. Keith picked up a very nice poncho that has an expandable hump for his pack and I picked up a pack cover.. We found a nice little bookshop that sold pen and paper, an British newspaper, a cool female pirate statue in front of a novelty shop (photo op!), a camera store near the river that transferred by photos, and on the way back to the pensione we hit upon a nice little neighborhood bar that had very good lomo bocadillos, so we ate. Back at the pensione we sat about reading and writing postcards. I also wrote a letter to Sandy and package the CD to be sent home.

We went off to post the stuff and met with Birgit. Off we went sightseeing with Birgit. We hit the old walls and followed them about and back toward the cathedral.

Then at 7:00 we met with Peter and Morag, Birgit, Katie, and Ellen (from Sweden?). During dinner I decided to exchange my pack cover for a poncho like Keith’s. Fortunately the restaurant was right beside the sporting goods shop. It was a nice dinner, and said our farewells to Birgit, Ellen, and Katie as they would head off in the morning.

Soundscape – León Open Air Market

It was a cool morning with grey clouds and some light drizzles that made the cobblestone streets slick. Keith and I started with breakfast in a nice café by the Cathedral. We sat in the warmth of the  café by the window and watched the Leónese move about town in the morning light. The café con leche was marvelous and the croissants a little bit of heaven. We sat and chatted a while. A pleasant morning indeed…

As we sat there, four postal workers came in pulling their mail trolleys behind them. They stood by the bar and ordered cafes and a shot of some sort to warm up. This isn’t that uncommon in Spain from what I can see – I’ve even saw a police officer have a beer on his lunch break in one town. You would never see that in Canada, well, not without a huge uproar. But here, in Spain, it doesn’t seem to be an issue. People tend to drink very responsibly here. They may have one drink or perhaps two, but then go on with their day.

Eventually, Keith and I left the café and headed out in search of a bank machine. We quickly found our little pots of gold and then headed back to the pensione to rest up and to finish up some correspondence before lunch.

Danny was expected to reach León at midday, and Keith and I had arranged to meet her, Peter, and Morag by the Cathedral at noon. There were greetings and hugs all around. We all went to visit the Cathedral, and I have to say it was an amazing experience. It is magnificent. While the Burgos cathedral was a stunning experience, the León cathedral somehow seemed more… well, grounded. The Burgos Cathedral has a bit of a touristy feel to it that the León does not seem to have. I loved the Burgos Cathedral, but I felt something more here.  It was a deeply emotional experience, but perhaps too overwhelming. I still haven’t processed all that I saw and felt.

Afterward, we headed out in the rain to see the León parador. Along the way we found a lovely calligraphy shop. The gentleman who runs it – Antonio Suarez Gordon – was very nice and he produced beautiful work. I chatted with him for a few moments and offered up some vellum samples for Sandy, as well as his card and picture. Sandy would love this place!

We were a bit tired by the time we hit the plaza where the parador is, so we sat by a statue of a pilgrim for a few minutes and took some photos. Then we dropped into the parador itself to have a look around. Nice! I have high hopes now for the parador Sandy and I are going to in Jaen.

One the way back to the city centre, we separated with plans to meet again for dinner. Keith, Danny and I met Mette. We all stopped for some bocadillos, cerveza, and infusion de menta in the bar that Keith had discovered yesterday. I talked with Mette and caught up on her travels, and then we parted until supper.

Finally more rest, and then packing and preparing for tomorrow’s walking. I am so looking forward to walking again. My mind and body seem to need the walk. I’ll see how far I can go, I won’t push it.

For dinner we visited the same place as last night. It is a nice, little place with decent food and nice wine. There were a lot of us tonight, and a good three quarters of us were German. The mood was bright and once we filled our bellies, we streamed out into the shiny, wet León streets in search of our beds.

Soundscape – Bells of Leon

I did 29 km today. My ankle swelled up a bit a but I found that if I changed my stride a bit the pain diminished quite a bit. I left León a bit before Keith. But he, of course, passed me at some point. I must have been sitting having a café con leche or orange juice at the time.

I met up with Morag and Peter at Villadangos del Páramo. They were leaving as I arrived, but I found Danny and a German named Anne. I chatted with them while I had a quick fresh squeezed orange juice. They walked ahead and I very shortly had to rest at the side of the road to eat my packed lunch.

I met up with Peter and Morag a second time at San Martin del Camino, had a Pepsi with them and met Pixel II. Morag was a in a bit of pain and they both seemed tired today. I met up with them a third time as we entered Hospital de Orbigo. As we walked to town we saw cloth hanging from lines between the buildings and we debated whether the hangings we saw where banners or laundry. It turns out that they were banners for an upcoming festival. We ended up in the German albergue. It is very beautiful here and the hospitaler is quite nice too. He was talking to some people about how he felt that something needs to be done about the tourigrinos that do not walk or bike. Apparently he is working with other hospitalers to institute a black list of tourigrinos.

Keith is here too, but he took the taxi to find a dentist. While he was gone it started to rain. I took his socks from the line and I put them on his pack. When he got back, without any aid for his tooth, he thought someone had stole them. Morag told him the good news that I had saved them from the rain.

I went shopping at a little store near the start of town. I then walked down to the bridge and the tournament field. We will miss the yearly festival celebrating Don Suer de Quiniones. In 1434, Don Suero de Quiniones, pledged his love to a woman who, regrettably did not reciprocate. He fastened an iron collar around his neck as a sign that he was bound to her. He vowed that it would not be removed it until he had defeated 300 challengers on the bridge. Knights poured in from all over Europe and all that summer. He met and defeated them on the bridge of Orbigo. Once he had met his challenge, he made his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It looks like an exciting festival, complete with jousting. Too bad I can’t wait for it.

Keith and I were able to switch our rooms over to the front room that Morag and Peter are in. This will let us coordinate ourselves better in the morning. After that , the four of us went out to dinner. I had an amazing trout soup. As Peter said, it the best kind of soup, one that you can use a fork to move to one side of the plate. It is several large cubes of bread, sitting in a lovely broth, and a cross-slice of trout on top. The waiter should us how to use our forks to flick out the ribs with a swoop and similarly slip off the skin,. You then mash the fish into the bread and stir. It was heavenly. I followed that up with a equally good baked, whole trout. The wine was nice too. We walked back to the albergue, quite full and content.

I thought a lot about Sandy today. I think often of how just as I am leaving in the morning she is just going to sleep and how as I go to sleep, she is just leaving work. I look up at the night sky and she sees a blue sunny sky. Strange.

Soundscape – Birds

I had a decent sleep last night. However, when I went to the bathroom this morning I forgot to take my satchel with me. Someone took the opportunity to steal 50 euros, my photos, and some papers from me. Bastard. I didn’t even notice until I was just past San Juan de la Vega.

The day started well though. Keith, Peter, Morag, and I left together and had a nice walk to Villares de Orbigo. We separated as we walked and predictably Keith arrived first. In Villares de Orbigo we had a couple of café con leches and pastries. While sitting there we met Michelle. She is a South African who was doing the Camino at a fairly fast pace. She is very fit and seems to be keeping a high pace. We chatted about the life and in particular the state of South Africa. She did not seem hopeful. She was specifically concerned that basic infrastructure is slowly deteriorating. She had recently accepted an job in Europe and she expected not to return to South Africa anytime soon.

I walked by myself for a while with little or no pain. It was wonderful. The countryside was beautiful and the sun shone warm while a nice breeze kept it from getting too warm. I came upon a lovely pilgrim’s monument set up by some artistic local. I turned left there and came upon a lovely little valley amongst the rolling hills. There was a tiny bench sitting along the path in the centre of the valley. I unburdened my pack, sat down, pulled off my shoes and socks, and started on some chocolate as I sat with the sun on my face and the loveliest wind slipping over me. It was heaven. Shortly, Peter and Morag came by and joined me. It was nice to share such a beautiful spot and the chocolate.

We walked together up to San Justo de la Vega where we had a café con leche together. I then walked ahead to met Keith at the Bishop’s Palace. It was there that I noticed the missing money, photo, and papers.

In Astorga I hunted down a bank to get some more funds and then I joined my fellow pilgrims for some lunch and drinks. I checked out the palace and found it interesting, but not too strange. I was surprised as the Bishop thought it somewhat outlandish and refused to move in. There are three lovely angles overlooking the front of the palace that I thought were particularly nice. On our way out of the town we chanced upon a little church that isn’t mentioned in any of our guide books. Which is too bad, it has amazing mosaics depicting the Camino! Very nice work, but it doesn’t seem to get noticed.

I arrived in Murais de Rechivaldo a little after Keith. It is a nice small town and the albergue is on the far end of town right beside a long expanse of the meseta. I got my spot, did some laundry, had a shower, bandaged my feet, and then sat in the courtyard in the sun with Peter and Morag and a round of cerveza. It was actually a bit cool, but the company was good and the albergue itself was very atmospheric. Keith and I made a short trip to the local bar so he could call Alice. I kept time for him on the phone’s meter and enjoyed a tonica which he chatted with Alice. We eventually trotted back to the albergue to met up with Peter and Morag for supper. We walked over to a small local restaurant for a decent enough meal. We were in the dining room all by ourselves with the locals all in the adjoining lounge area. We sat down and the first thing the staff did was turn on the TV for us. We politely asked that he turn it off again. Finally, it was off to the albergue to some rest.

Soundscape -  More Birds