I had walked about 37K. I had been walking for about 10 hours without only 2 breaks. My shoulder was sore. I was plodding along the empty highway instead of navigating the grassy path. No cars. No other pilgrims.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
I wanted some chocolate from inside my pack, but I didn´t want to stop. Almost there. Keep going.
A car swished by me, passed me. Then it stopped about 75 meters ahead. A man got out of the passenger side holding a package. He crossed the road, placed it on the guardrail and yelled back at me in English: "This is for you!" He crossed the highway again, got back in the car, and sped off. By the time the car had disappeared, I had arrived.
I felt like 007 getting instructions.
There it was, a small white package. I picked it up. I opened it up.
A chocolate croissant. The first one in days.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
el camino no es un maraton
Another pilgrim was given a little wallet-sized card that lists the ten commandments of the Camino. Number one: "el camino no es un maraton."
I´m not much of one for rules, so I decided awhile back that I was going to do a marathon day. I did it today. 40K plus. I have no desire to ever train to run that far at once, but I thought I should at least walk it with a pack on my back. To be clear, this terrain was the equivalent of the Oklahoma marathon, not the San Francisco marathon. I did take a couple of short breaks.
I was planning to go about 25K today, but then I didn´t feel like stopping. Then, I got to the next place, and I still didn´t feel like stopping. My feet felt fine. My hip wasn´t hurting. On I went. It felt great. I feel great. We´ll see how I feel tomorrow.
Of course, now all of the people I have been spending time with, including the recently introduced Iain, are a day behind me. New crop.
I´m not much of one for rules, so I decided awhile back that I was going to do a marathon day. I did it today. 40K plus. I have no desire to ever train to run that far at once, but I thought I should at least walk it with a pack on my back. To be clear, this terrain was the equivalent of the Oklahoma marathon, not the San Francisco marathon. I did take a couple of short breaks.
I was planning to go about 25K today, but then I didn´t feel like stopping. Then, I got to the next place, and I still didn´t feel like stopping. My feet felt fine. My hip wasn´t hurting. On I went. It felt great. I feel great. We´ll see how I feel tomorrow.
Of course, now all of the people I have been spending time with, including the recently introduced Iain, are a day behind me. New crop.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Fromista to Carrion de los Condes--395 K left
I never remember the damn names of these towns. Today, on our way into town, Iain declared, "I´m going to carry on." I wanted to pretend not to get the joke, just to watch him suffer in explaining it to the ESL speakers, but I couldn´t help laughing.
A very short day today, only 18K. Lots of towns to stop in and hang out. It was lovely, except for the very end where there was a long stretch of sun with no shade in sight. Tomorrow, I hope there will be clouds.
Two locals in this bar where I´m writing have just offered to buy me a drink. Off we go . . .
A very short day today, only 18K. Lots of towns to stop in and hang out. It was lovely, except for the very end where there was a long stretch of sun with no shade in sight. Tomorrow, I hope there will be clouds.
Two locals in this bar where I´m writing have just offered to buy me a drink. Off we go . . .
a free coffee
On the heels (we do so like to talk about feet around here) of a patriotic entry about Coke and a poetic entry about arrows, allow me to provide another interpretation of the Camino.
It´s kind of like that McDonalds Monopoly game where you collect the little stickers. Or like a card at a coffee shop where the 10th coffee is free. The game is silly. There is no particular outcome of any consequence, but you keep playing. You want to find the Boardwalk sticker, even though you know you won´t. You want that free coffee. It´s a pain to get that card out every time, but you keep collecting the stamps anyway.
Here, each pilgrim has a card, called a credencial, and every time s/he checks into an albergue, the credencial is presented and stamped and dated. Churches and restaurants and other places have stamps (sellos) as well. The credencial itself is so unofficial looking. It´s just an accordioned piece of heavy stock paper with my name and the date I started, but I have to guard it with as much care as I do my passport. It entitles me to sleep in the albergues, and when I arrive in Santiago, I will show it in order to earn my Compostela.
I have never seen a Compostela, but I imagine it to be a pretty piece of paper that has my name on it and indicates that I have gone for a long walk and should be excused from some of purgatory. I think if I show it to Dale, it will probably be good for a free coffee, too.
It´s kind of like that McDonalds Monopoly game where you collect the little stickers. Or like a card at a coffee shop where the 10th coffee is free. The game is silly. There is no particular outcome of any consequence, but you keep playing. You want to find the Boardwalk sticker, even though you know you won´t. You want that free coffee. It´s a pain to get that card out every time, but you keep collecting the stamps anyway.
Here, each pilgrim has a card, called a credencial, and every time s/he checks into an albergue, the credencial is presented and stamped and dated. Churches and restaurants and other places have stamps (sellos) as well. The credencial itself is so unofficial looking. It´s just an accordioned piece of heavy stock paper with my name and the date I started, but I have to guard it with as much care as I do my passport. It entitles me to sleep in the albergues, and when I arrive in Santiago, I will show it in order to earn my Compostela.
I have never seen a Compostela, but I imagine it to be a pretty piece of paper that has my name on it and indicates that I have gone for a long walk and should be excused from some of purgatory. I think if I show it to Dale, it will probably be good for a free coffee, too.
flechas amarillas--yellow arrows
There are thousands upon thousands of yellow arrows and scallop shells pointing the way to Santiago. It´s truly amazing.
For some communities it is a point of pride to make a particularly nice map for passing pilgrims; they invest money in beautiful metal scallop shells, lovely tiles. Other places have hastily spray-painted yellow arrows. Either way, we can always find where we need to be.
It´s a remarkably safe and reassuring feeling. It´s so rare to be constantly guided without being trapped in an unhealthy or dull routine. Every day there is something new to discover, but there are proper boundaries to guide me.
Yesterday I met a guy who has been walking from Geneva. My Camino is almost halfway through, but he has been walking for more than 7 weeks, and his is coming to a close. When asked what he would do at the end, he replied, "I don´t know what I´m going to do when the yellow arrows stop telling me where to go."
Asì es.
For some communities it is a point of pride to make a particularly nice map for passing pilgrims; they invest money in beautiful metal scallop shells, lovely tiles. Other places have hastily spray-painted yellow arrows. Either way, we can always find where we need to be.
It´s a remarkably safe and reassuring feeling. It´s so rare to be constantly guided without being trapped in an unhealthy or dull routine. Every day there is something new to discover, but there are proper boundaries to guide me.
Yesterday I met a guy who has been walking from Geneva. My Camino is almost halfway through, but he has been walking for more than 7 weeks, and his is coming to a close. When asked what he would do at the end, he replied, "I don´t know what I´m going to do when the yellow arrows stop telling me where to go."
Asì es.
Iain
Some of you have written to me, concerned that I have not identified any pilgrims by name, worried that I haven´t met anyone at all. It´s not true. I always have someone to eat with, to tour with. Pilgrims under the age of 45 or so tend to cluster together as we are in the minority. There are many people I could mention--Peter, Carrie, Jen, Luke, Rob, Paul, Jimbo, Marta, and others. I have learned plenty from them, but just like in the Wizard of Oz "people come and go so quickly around here."
One person is receiving a promotion: Iain.
The promotion comes because I have betrayed him on this blog. It was a bit insincere of me to say that no one would have appreciated the tiny circus. He would have found proper delight in laughing at the kids who were laughing at the circus kid who was picking up poop. He happened to be off on another ridiculous mission at the time. I hereby apologize for slandering him by whining that there was no one good enough to laugh at someone shoveling shit. He laughs at me for doing it all the time.
In addition to being blessed with an impressive collection of vowels in his name, he has an excellent sense of humor. I´m patiently teaching him to speak American as his British leaves something to be desired. He´s an ESL teacher, so he appreciates the challenge. Sometimes we have to speak Spanish to overcome the communication gap.
We happened to fall into the same group for awhile and then took a rest on the same day and so are in the same group again. He´s a worthy companion, and he recognizes my superiority for having started a full three days and a mountain range ahead of his pansy stroll out of Pamplona.
Heeeeeeere weeeeeee gooooooo!
One person is receiving a promotion: Iain.
The promotion comes because I have betrayed him on this blog. It was a bit insincere of me to say that no one would have appreciated the tiny circus. He would have found proper delight in laughing at the kids who were laughing at the circus kid who was picking up poop. He happened to be off on another ridiculous mission at the time. I hereby apologize for slandering him by whining that there was no one good enough to laugh at someone shoveling shit. He laughs at me for doing it all the time.
In addition to being blessed with an impressive collection of vowels in his name, he has an excellent sense of humor. I´m patiently teaching him to speak American as his British leaves something to be desired. He´s an ESL teacher, so he appreciates the challenge. Sometimes we have to speak Spanish to overcome the communication gap.
We happened to fall into the same group for awhile and then took a rest on the same day and so are in the same group again. He´s a worthy companion, and he recognizes my superiority for having started a full three days and a mountain range ahead of his pansy stroll out of Pamplona.
Heeeeeeere weeeeeee gooooooo!
saving the wasted light and water
And now, a moment to discuss light switches and faucets. It´s dull. I advise you to skip it.
Upon entering a bathroom, an automatic light comes on. Sometimes you have to push it yourself. Regardless, within a measured number of minutes, it turns off. Sometimes you are done in the bathroom. Not usually. That means you have to scramble around trying to find the appropriate part of the wall to touch in order to see. On the way out, when the light is still on, you may not turn it off yourself.
The sinks usually have one button to push to let the water gush for a measured quantity of time. That typically means that one hits the button several times, and at the end, cannot turn it off manually. More water has to be wasted. A couple of times I have encountered faucets that I have to turn off manually. I sometimes forget to do so because I am conditioned to the buttons. More water wasted.
Upon entering a bathroom, an automatic light comes on. Sometimes you have to push it yourself. Regardless, within a measured number of minutes, it turns off. Sometimes you are done in the bathroom. Not usually. That means you have to scramble around trying to find the appropriate part of the wall to touch in order to see. On the way out, when the light is still on, you may not turn it off yourself.
The sinks usually have one button to push to let the water gush for a measured quantity of time. That typically means that one hits the button several times, and at the end, cannot turn it off manually. More water has to be wasted. A couple of times I have encountered faucets that I have to turn off manually. I sometimes forget to do so because I am conditioned to the buttons. More water wasted.
Coca Cola
Every time they pour me one of these 8 oz. Cokes, I think about how Americans would riot if restaurants started serving these. 8 oz.? Sacrilege. You may have Saint James, Spain, but we have Saint Coca Cola. We will not be denied.
Friday, June 1, 2007
singing. musically.
I had been warned that it would happen, that one day I would be walking along by myself and I would start to sing.
I arrived at the hill overlooking Burgos, and I began "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee´re off to see the Wizard . . . " I even did the skipping thing.
Recently, in the middle of a big wheat field, I found myself singing, "Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain . . . "
Does it have to be musicals? Why can´t it be Hot 99.5?
I arrived at the hill overlooking Burgos, and I began "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee´re off to see the Wizard . . . " I even did the skipping thing.
Recently, in the middle of a big wheat field, I found myself singing, "Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain . . . "
Does it have to be musicals? Why can´t it be Hot 99.5?
chocolate croissant
I have finally determined why pilgrims complain about the meseta. Apparently, there are no fresh chocolate croissants made here. This places an unfortunate wrinkle in my daily routine as the main incentive to begin walking is to find a croissant (Napolitana).
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