Today I took a bus from Sahagun to where I should have stayed last night had I not gotten sick. I then walked from El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas. I am back on track!

It turns out the bus system is a major transporter of pilgrims along the Camino from what I could tell. Some people immediately offer an excuse when they showed up at the stop. One woman had a bad knee and was going to do half the distance each day necessitating her to take the other half by bus. She figures it is better for her knee and will enable her to complete her walk.

Another woman needed to get to León where she planned to meet her son in the city today.

It is great to know the bus option is there if you need it. There is also a train out of Sahagun, but it didn’t stop in the town I wanted to start walking from.

Before the bus arrived I had a chance to take some pictures with the morning light on the monastery. I am really eager to paint the scenes I am capturing later this winter.

The 15 minute bus ride that would have taken me 5 hours to walk is a big reminder of just how darned long walking takes compared to other modes of transportation.

I spoke with a couple of women at breakfast from Oregon who are biking the entire Camino. They aren’t going particularly fast, but are covering three times the distance as I in the same amount of time. I think that typical riders would cover more like 4-5 walking stages per day. Of course, on the tough hills they are pushing their heavily packed bike up very slowly and then taking everything they have to control their bike on the way down.

Coincidently the bus stop was right at the hostel I was supposed to stay at last night so I picked up right where I should have left off. The only difference is that my normal start time is closer to 7am than the 10am this morning which means I will be getting in later than normal.

We are still on the very flat part of the Camino so the walking is pretty easy; of course walking 11+ miles a day is never easy, but relatively, it is.

The temps and weather could not have been better. Honestly that has been the case for the entire 8 days. I know I am very lucky.

I like to stop and reflect at the memorials and markers along the way. Some are for specific pilgrims and others are just markers for the Camino.

The sky was beautiful and the cloud formations a great subject for future paintings.

I past another reforestation project. What I don’t understand is why they plant in perfect rows. I need to do more research. Here you can see that this was a multi year project with a lot of newer trees more recently planted.

Little encouraging signs along the way really help.

I stopped for “lunch” and this is what worked with my BRAT diet from the offerings at the bar. But it worked and I was on my way.

I walked a little while with Eva and Leah from Canada. They didn’t know each other before meeting a few weeks ago in Logrono. Leah’s best friend threw in the towel there and went home. Eva met her walking out of town and they have walked together since then. They are now best buddies.

One thing they are doing that I found interesting is they are both listening to the same audio book and are roughly at the same point. They books have heard so far have held Camino messages; at least that is what they have gleaned from them. So it is like a walking book club. I hope I bump into them again.

I had lunch at the Pension I am staying at. They have a beautiful courtyard for dining. I had scrambled eggs :-(. Fingers crossed I can get off of the BRAT regimen tomorrow when I get to León!

I took a walk around town and bought some bananas and an apple for my nighttime snack.

This is a sweet town. It feels like there is money here. As I was eating lunch George Clooney’s twin came in for an espresso. He was dressed very well and obviously lives here. I love the lifestyle of people in Spain. They stop for a mid afternoon coffee. Not a venti choco mocha latte frappe ordered at the drive through, but for a demitasse cup of espresso and a small treat and, most important, conversation. It is a lovely tradition.

Reflections

I am enjoying my solitary time. I haven’t yet found my Camino family. It might not happen. I am not staying in dorms and I know that doesn’t help. I have talked with several people and have enjoyed the conversation, but most of these people are lone walkers like me. I am sure that not feeling well hasn’t helped either. I just wanted to go into a corner and be by myself. But I am loving every step of the Way!

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.

Today was a first for me on the Camino. I didn’t walk the full distance today. The last 8km were by taxi. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice.

The morning started as all mornings do. I stretched and that eased the pain in my back. This made me feel better because the tenderness reminded me of the back pain I had with a kidney infection several years ago. Between that and some other symptoms, I was starting to wonder if this was more than just sore muscles. But I convinced myself because the stretching helped that it is was just muscular.

Everything was packed and ready to go a little after 7am. I took off in the dark and as it became lighter a fog moved in and became thicker.

Given the somewhat unremarkable scenery, the fog made the walk quite beautiful. It also gave me additional cover if I needed to duck behind a tree. I had some dysentery problems the night before that seemed to be lingering on.

Positive signs boosted my spirits and I knew it was another short 20k day so I was optimistic.

I stopped in the first town I came to for breakfast but thought better of having coffee and instead had a banana and an Aquarius. Several bathroom runs later I took off for the next town another 3km away.

The transformation in my health over those 3km was stunning. I was overcome with nausea, I developed chills and my entire body started aching. By the time I reached Terradillos de los Templarios I wasn’t sure I could go on. But I didn’t see a bar or anywhere I could go to sit so I decided to walk on to the next town.

Lucky for me, Kari came around the corner and saw I wasn’t doing well. She said she would walk with me the 3km to the next town and make sure I got into a taxi.

I have been a purist about my Camino. I have wanted to walk every single step. So, I knew I was feeling bad when I no longer had that conviction. As we walked I only felt worse and worse. Poor Kari had to listen to me moan and groan while always keeping an eye out for a good tree for me to duck behind if necessary.

We passed this memorial to a fallen pilgrim who died here in 2013.

I thought I saw the rooftops of houses in a town and was really relieved, but it turned out to be solar panels. It is the first time I have seen solar panels in Spain. We kept walking and to keep my mind off of how I felt I kept thinking of how I would asked someone to call me a cab. I could do it in French but all I could come up with was Necessito Taxi por favor in Spanish.

The town of Moratinos was a welcome sign indeed.

At the first bar in town, we stopped and my “necessito taxi” worked. Within 10 minutes of the bar keeper calling, my ride was there.

Kari was my Camino angel.

One of the German women I had been seeing over the past several days told me I needed to ask what it would cost before I got in the cab. This country bumpkin just doesn’t think that way and I appreciated her tipping me off.

The short 9k into Sahagun took less than 10 minutes. We went past hordes of pilgrims slowly making their way into the city. I didn’t care. I knew I was doing the right thing.

The place I was staying let me check into my room early when it was obvious I was not well. They gave me a map to the local clinic and carried my pack up the two flights of stairs. It is amazing how much these simple gestures of humanity can mean when you feel like I did.

I was too tired to do anything but sleep so I took a nap and when I woke up three hours later dragged myself to the clinic.

Thank goodness for Google Translate. I was asked for my passport and insurance card. When I showed her my insurance info on my phone (I purchased travel insurance just for this purpose) the intake person would have none of it. It had to be a physical card. I didn’t get that from my travel insurance. She sent me to a “special” waiting room which I believe probably was the free clinic.

I took the time waiting to write out, in Google Translate, my symptoms and timing of events. The woman who saw me was perhaps a doctor or nurse practitioner, I am not sure. She sat behind a desk and we communicated phone to phone. She didn’t think I had a kidney infection because I was lacking some symptoms. I have had one kidney infection in my life and what I was feeling now was consistent with that experience.

The Dr. thought that I had some type of gastrointestinal virus that is “going around.” She was going to give me something to help rebuilt my “flora” and send me on my way. But instead something else happened. For the first time ever, I was assertive with a doctor and asked her to test me for the kidney infection. She rolled her eyes, gave me a cup and told me to go pee in it.

Lo and behold, there was blood in my urine. And, with that, her demeanor changed. She prescribed an antibiotic and Ibuprofen and still the packets of stuff to help the “flora.” She said I may or may not be well enough to walk tomorrow, but probably the next day. I got the prescription filled on my way back to the Hostal and slept the rest of the afternoon. Upon waking I was already feeling better, no doubt thanks to the 600mg ibuprofen (that I had sworn off after last year’s Camino, but didn’t want to defy Dr’s orders).

So, now you know most of the gory details. I ended up reserving another night where I am staying and canceling the reservation I had for Tuesday night. Last year’s pilgrim Robin would have started walking from here on Wednesday. However, this year I have made several reservations for the coming nights and I want to keep with my original schedule so I can still walk to Finisterre. So later today when I decide that I can continue tomorrow I will determine whether to skip ahead to Leon missing two stages or get a taxi to the start of the stage before Leon and walk into the city on Thursday as planned.

Pilgrim Tip

When I was sitting at the bar in Calzadilla de la Cueza in Sunday I saw a sign with the number for a taxi. Had I snapped a picture of it, I would have been able to call sooner for a cab rather than waiting until I walked into the next town. From now on when I see a number for a taxi I will snap a photo of it. Likely, I will not need it, but you never know. And, if not for me, it could be for another pilgrim in distress.

Reflections

I never imagined getting sick on the Camino in this way. I guess I was somewhat prepared having a small supply of Imodium and antibiotics that I brought from home, but it was always an injury that concerned me the most.

It is amazing the impact small gestures of kindness can have. Kari insisting she walk with me was exactly what I needed at that moment. The concern of the hotel owner has been amazing. He is just so sweet.

I am filled with gratitude and looking forward to a full recovery by tomorrow.

I slept last night!! All through the night. It was glorious and I felt refreshed this morning. No more dorm-style overnights for this princess pilgrim!

Today felt fairly short, probably because there was a village every 5km or so. I started in the dark at 7 and navigated my way out of Fromista. It was flat and I was moving along at a good clip. The day could have been totally along a two lane, but fairly major road had I not bumped into a mother daughter duo at the first coffee break. Loretta and her daughter are from Toronto and are walking the Camino to celebrate Claudia’s 40th birthday. They had a great rapport with each other so when they headed off on the “scenic” route, I went with them. It was lovely along a river and there was shade. We went past the most interesting “forest.” I really need to know what this was.

Clearly it is man made.

I stopped with Loretta and Claudia at the next town for a cold drink and just as we were leaving Kari from Alberta was coming in so I said goodbye to mom and daughter and had a cafe con leche with Kari and then we walked together.

Kari and I seem to keep finding things we have in common and I enjoyed chatting with her for a while. She is on her third Camino and I on my second and we both have a pretty good idea of what works and doesn’t work for us. She needs frequent breaks to rest her feet and refuel. I prefer plowing on until I reach my destination so I left Kari in a lovely little park in the shade and walked the rest of the way into Carrion de Los Condes on my own. The scenic path met back up with the roadside path so the rest of the walk wasn’t much to talk about.

In the area where Kari stopped to take her break we saw our first bodegas! Bodega means cellar and it is where wine is stored. They are built into hills so they are partially underground and keep the wine at a perfect temperature. In this town there were three that I saw.

I need to learn more about them, but at least here it seems like the are community wine cellars? Obviously, they come in all different styles.

As I was leaving that town, a bunch of tourists were reboarding a bus and a few pointed to me. As happened to me last year at the wine fountain in Irache, I was part of the local flavor people had paid to experience. “Look, there’s a pilgrim now!”

It was a somewhat hot slightly uphill slog into Carrion de Los Condes without much to see.

Field of dead sunflowers can get depressing.

But soon I could see the town and perked up! My Spanish lunch was now imminent!

It was just a little after noon so when I passed a church with it’s doors open, I stopped in briefly. It was a sweet little church.

I lit a candle for my dad and sat down for a little while to think about what he would make of this journey I am on. I am pretty sure he would this is is awesome!

i passed a couple from South Korea who were doing the Camino with their daughter.  They are distinctive because they pull a small cart with their packs on it  I figured they were resting and walked by

Later when entering the town I saw Loretta and Claudia and they told me that the mother had injured her ankle and could not walk  they rearranged the wagon so she would sit on it and be pulled  I hope she can recover so they can continue their Camino  they are experienced hikers and are not sure of what caused this injury.

After the check-in and shower routine, I went to the restaurant at the Hostal I am staying at. There, at the first table were Denise and David who I bunked with my first and second days out of Burgos.

I invited myself to join them and we got to catch up. I hadn’t gotten any contact info from them or a picture so this was a chance to do that.

My lunch was killer! I had the Shrimp in garlic and olive oil. The waitress brought it to the table and asked me if I was ready? Of course! She took off the lid and the shrimp was bubbling away! I stopped up every last bit of it with bread. I followed that with a salad of all kinds of things. Denise had gotten the same thing and had already been served so I could see what it looked like. It was interesting and a perfect addition to the shrimp

They are staying at the same place as I and, as is Kari who I met up with after lunch and we went to a grocery store looking for some food to take with us tomorrow as there are no services for the whole 17km.

Tonight, in the church right across the street, there will be a guitar concert that I will go to. There seems to be a lot to see in the town. I will admit to sticking close to my home base. Maybe I will explore a little after the concert.

These last two church photos are from the church across the street where I will be attending the guitar concert.

Later that same evening…

The Guitar Concert was beautiful. It was put in the Camino Arts. This is one of those things that just happens by luck and timing. The acoustics in the church made the music of just one guitar rich and full. The performer was passionate and very talented. It made for a great way to enjoy the evening.

As I am sitting here in the plaza with a glass of wine at nearly 10pm, I hear children playing    right in the square  this is the third night in a row I have listened to kids playing games at what us would consider very late at night for little ones. They sound so happy. Their parents aren’t nagging at them, telling them what they can and cannot do.

Each of the three nights the scenario was just about the same. The adults were at the bar, talking with friends, drinking wine and eating tapas and the kids had a soccer ball they were playing with. I am starting to think that this is the Spanish culture. It is so different from what we know in the US.

Reflections

I am only 4 days into this Camino, but I am enjoying myself so much. It is very different from my experience last year. I am not sitting around with large groups of people deep in conversation about blisters, plans for tomorrow and world problems. And, I am not arriving, eating and going to bed by 6pm.

Part of it is that I didn’t start by crossing the Pyrenees. So, I am not behind before barely getting started. But, part of it is the 11 months I had the think about changes I wanted to make in my walking experience. I am happy with how it is working out so far!

So this was another easy day. The sun was shining, temps were ideal, not too many people on the Camino, but I wasn’t alone, no trips or falls, and I am still “fresh.” Of course, any change in just one variable for the day could have turned a perfect walk into pure misery. But that wasn’t the plan for today.

So, call it (re)beginners luck; I am sure that won’t be the case for every day over the next month.

First, About Dinner Last Night

The Alburgue I stayed at, Meeting Point, offers a Pilgrim Dinner for €9.50. It started with Salad, featured this amazing Chicken Paella (the BEST I have ever had) and finished with lemon yogurt. All meals are served with Wine and bread.

After preparing many Paella’s over the past year, I was especially wowed with the delicious soccrate, the caramelized well-done bits of rice that form on the bottom of the pan, that is the sign of a well-made Paella.

Ultreia

Today was an “iconic landmark day” as I knew I would be passing through the ruins of the Monastery of San Anton, but there was so much to see and experience before that.

One tip I often hear for pilgrims is to look behind you every now and then, and that was especially true today.

What a spectacular sunrise at our backs. I couldn’t stop turning around to watch it unfold.

Hontanos was the first village of the day and from the ridge above it, I thought a party was going on…at 9am. What sounded like Caribbean music was playing loudly. It turned out to be a one man show at the bar at the entrance of town.

Needless to say everyone left the bar dancing on down the Camino.

The next landmark was the ruins of San Anton, a convent built in the 14th century. They do have an Alburgue there, but it felt too early in the day to stop so I continued on to Castrojeriz.

San Anton is a pretty sweet place and I walked through the arches in awe thinking about the history and pilgrims who have been associated with this place. I could feel the energy of the Camino.

Castrojeriz is large as Spanish villages go. The town itself is about 2km long and I am grateful that my Alburgue is near the end of town since that means a quick exit in the morning.

I got to Roselia Hostel around 1. This is how I would like each Camino day to be. An early afternoon arrival allows plenty of time to shower, do laundry and explore town after getting something to eat.

I enjoyed a fabulous lunch in a restaurant across the street from my Alburgue. I had garlic soup (the first time I have had it in Spain). Delicious! Then, for the main course, I chose the fish which was a whole flat fish perfectly cooked.

I wrapped up the meal with flan. All this was for €11 including a bottle of wine.

While I didn’t intend to eat this big of a lunch, I don’t regret it even though I had already committed to dinner at the Alburgue.

It was just as well that I was still full by the time 7pm rolled around because I wasn’t super excited with the Paella made with spaghetti, which apparently is a specialty of Barcelona. It was ok, but didn’t match up to the classic Paella from the night before.

the best part about any communal dinner on the Camino is the opportunity to meet and talk with other pilgrims.

Leaving the lunch restaurant, I bumped into Kari from the bus ride from Madrid to Burgos. We exchanged contact info which is always a good idea since you never know if you will be seeing someone again when you are on the Camino.

Reflections: HOW You Do the Camino

Everyone has their own reason for why they do the Camino and this is the subject of countless books and blogs. What struck me over the past several days is people telling me HOW they are doing the Camino.

By the time I had gotten on the bus to Burgos on Tuesday I had met 4 pilgrims, each with their own ideas of how they like to do the Camino. The two brothers I met in Boston like walking slowly, but for long days. They can’t understand why people would stop walking halfway through the day. Victor, from Mexico, who was heading off to the Camino Norte (as the brothers also were) said he likes to take it nice and easy, going slowly so he can enjoy the experience. Kari from Alberta decided this Camino that she needed to walk shorter days and used a service that arranged for all of her accommodations forcing her to stop around her self-imposed 20km/day limit.

Changing HOW you do the Camino is a benefit of a second (third, fourth or fifth) walk. You have a chance to reflect on what worked and didn’t work on previous walks and make corrections for a more enjoyable and fulfilling time.

While I am only 2 days in, I am happy with the changes I have made this year. 20km days feel good. I like knowing where I am going to be staying and with all the “Completo” (aka, this Alburgue is full) signs I have seen, I have been booking a couple of days in advance. I am good with that. Maybe that makes me a tourigrino?? But, it is my Camino.

Today felt easy peasy. In fact, I am happy that I had a reservation in Hornillos or I may have been tempted to go on to Hontanos, another 11km from here. I am what they call a “fresh pilgrim,” one who just joined the Camino. You can tell by my clean clothes, a little lift in my step and incessant picture taking. Fresh pilgrims get added to the Camino everyday, but especially in Sarria which is the closest town to Santiago de Compostela from which you can walk (at least 100k) and still get your Compostela (certificate).

I left Burgos at 7am with my head lamp at the ready. Sunrise isn’t until 8:05am and I really prefer getting started earlier in the morning. Luckily the Camino rush hour was on and I was able to follow several pilgrims out of Burgos. Had I been on my own, I definitely would have taken longer and likely would have gotten lost.

I didn’t see the beautiful city gates in the park where Martin Sheen bid adios to his newfound gypsy friend. This is what Informed me I was leaving Burgos.

I didn’t end up needing the headlamp and within an hour of leaving luckily turned around to see a beautiful sunrise at the perfect time.

I stopped for breakfast after about 13km in Rabe de las Calzadas. I am trying to focus my morning meal on protein more than carbohydrates (chocolate croissant) as I did last year. So, I had a slice of tortilla (similar to an egg and potato frittata) which was delicious and provided great fuel to get me into Hornillos just after noon.

One mistake I think I made training is that I always had an RX Bar with me and would eat a portion of one on each training walk. Creature of habit that I am, I started craving my RX Bar fix about 5km into the walk. Even though I typically only eat 1/3 of a Bar when I walk, it is filling and energizing. (RX Bar, Venmo me a commission if you want.) I only brought two bars with me and they are my emergency food so they are off limits. I think tomorrow I will keep a little trail mix handy as a stand in for the RX Bar.

Faster Walking Gets You There Sooner

I passed several pilgrims on the way to Hornillos. YES! I passed people. Don’t misinterpret this as some kind of competition. It is just reality. My average pace was between 3-4km/hour. My goal this year is to average 4-5km/hour. In my training this summer I averaged 5km/hour.

Here is why this is important. If I walk 20km at 4km/hour it will take me 5 hours. But, if I walk at 5km/hour those same 29km will take just 4 hours. I read a study that concluded the extra effort expended to walk a little faster is tiny compared to the extra effort to walk for longer at a slower paste. It isn’t that I want to get the walking DONE, but I want to be able to enjoy the towns I stay in and have a relaxing afternoon.

I was making great time. And then I walked past a pilgrim who started talking with me. From behind I noticed he was walking slowly, depending on a cane. I ended up walking with Juan for about 3km. He is from Spain and was a career officer in the Spanish Army. He lived for 3 years in the US and loves our country. He told me about his family and where he has lived in Spain. He also gave me a great history of this country starting over 1000 years ago. At first when I started walking with Juan, I thought, “this is going to screw up my km/hour average.” But then I remembered the real reason I am here and totally enjoyed Juan’s company.

Coming into Hornillos there is a somewhat steep downhill and Juan explained he has blisters and would bid me adios so he doesn’t slow me down. What a great way to make sure he takes care of himself and doesn’t allow another pilgrim to dictate his pace.

Juan looks like a young Jose Andres and was a very sweet man.

I won’t see Juan again. He was going to Hontanos tonight and will be leaving the Camino in two days as he is doing the Trek in one week segments each year. This is how the Camino works. People come and go…literally and figuratively.

Reflections

It is so great to be back in Spain on the Camino. I will say that it is different than my experience last year. You are only a virgin pilgrim once. The excitement, fear, anticipation, nervousness can’t be compared to the first time you start walking the Camino.

I have some friends who will start their virgin pilgrimage later this week in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I am so excited for them. I met with them several months ago to share my experience and tips, but have been careful not to give up too much about what they can expect. They deserve to learn it in their own time. Buen Camino Paul and Elizabeth!