Day 2.7: Sahagun (0km day)

Today I holed up in Sahagun recovering from who knows what I have. I am thinking a kidney infection plus maybe something gastrointestinal, but I am not sure. I feel much much better. The chills and aches are gone as is the back pain. But the other, less pleasant symptoms linger on.

It could be my fault for eating something other than the BRAT (bananas, rice, apples and toast) today. These things are hard to come by. Plain rice is just unheard of here. It all comes in the form of Paella. Bananas too have been a challenge in this town. All I can find are those that are banana-bread ready and that just isn’t appealing if not baked into a loaf. Toast is available in the morning and I had some but not later in the day. I reason that bread should work also so I have that and apples.

But, I was pretty hungry at lunch and had some salmon. Maybe not a good idea. But the benefit is that I am now convinced that BRAT is what I will eat for the next few days. That and some electrolyte replacement drink that I can make thanks to the NUUN tablets Nancy T gave to me. I think she imagined they would help power me up a challenging hill, but not today.

Rest, Laundry and Playing Tourist

I timed my trip to the laundromat between when today’s pilgrims left and when the new ones hadn’t reached town yet. The instructions on using the machine was clear but I still managed to wash my wool tops on the blanket cycle which is cold water, but it took about 90 minutes. So, I sat across the street with an Aquarius and did some pilgrim watching. Pilgrims can travel all different ways. Some bring big rolly suitcases that they have shuttled from town to town.

In fact, this is what greeted me at the hostel a couple of days ago when I checked in.

No judgement. If someone can walk 500 miles with or without a pack, more power to them!

Then I saw this cute couple and chuckled because it could just as easily be Ray and I.

They tried to mix up the colors so it would look like they aren’t dressing alike but as with Ray and I, it didn’t work. I think this is the sign of a solid marriage. Just like when a couple develops a common disdain for many of the same vegetables or when both in the pair simply don’t like hamburgers. Do we pair up because of the similarities or do we adapt and mold ourselves to each other over the years like a well worn pair of very comfortable loafers? I think it is a little of both.

Then, a farmer rolled into town on his tractor.

He got out, very carefully locked it up and went into the bar. Of course you are thinking he was on his coffee break and would be enjoying a hot cafe con leche.

That may be the case, but it reminded me of the 5-6 farmers we saw in the bar yesterday morning. Unless they were drinking their coffee in shot glasses they were imbibing in adult beverages at the early hour of 9am. Of course, they may have already been working for several hours but sunrise is now 8:16am. I think they were revving up for the day!

After the laundry I headed out to explore town taking the Brierley “scenic” tour of Sahagun. (Brierley is the author of one of the foremost English language Camino guides.) One thing very interesting about this town according to Lord Brierley, as some call him, is that the churches were build with brick because stone is hard to come by in this part of Spain. The result is that these structures, albeit old by our standards, are crumbling down.

Above is the remains of one of the most important Benedictine monasteries in Spain, San Benito. The architecture of all of the churches is different from what has been elsewhere on the Camino. Unfortunately none were open when I went by so I didn’t get to see the insides.

I have passed several structures that I believe are Cobb construction. But today I saw the first in a city.

This might be TMI for most, but if you are into sustainable architecture you may be interested.

I have a plan for tomorrow to either bus to where I would have been tonight and walk from there or to bus all the way to where I have a reservation for tomorrow night. It depends on how I am feeling. Long sections with no bathrooms can be quite uncomfortable.

I took a test walk to the bus and it is a good thing because where the app Omio told me it was is on the complete other side of town from where it is now located. But, on the walk I saw the local bullfighting stadium.

I saw a running of the bulls once last year on the Camino and that was enough animal abuse for me. I know some argue that this tradition is deeply embedded into the Spanish culture, but it is not for me.

One thing I want to learn about are these trees. I remember seeing some like this last year as well. I suspect they do bloom and have leaves at some point in the growing season and then they get trimmed back. Any thoughts?

Reflections

The innkeepers where I am staying have been wonderful to me. More than anything they showed empathy and I needed just a little of that over the past two days. I went into town looking to get something small for them and found little so I stopped in a bakery and got them some cookies. I was embarrassed when the girl said the total was just €2.50, but it was the thought I reasoned.

I gave them to the woman who, with her husband, runs the place. She was confused at first but when she read the note I wrote on the bag she came around the desk and hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks. I was so touched.