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Published: April 20th 2010
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Trading a Warm Hotel Room for the Camino
When I woke, I found out what was the biggest disadvantage of having booked into a hotel room - it was still warm. No-one had turned the heating off, the wood fire hadn´t gone out and even if I had kicked the blankets off, there was nothing driving me to get dressed to get warm, and to get on the road. So it was a pretty reluctant start, but I did manage to get on the road by about 7.00 am.
Surprizingly, when I left the hotel and walked up towards the cathedral, the only noise was the early morning chirping of birds.
Getting Lost - Again
My sense that all is not right must have been considerably sharpened over the past few weeks. I probably spent less than 100m on the wrong trail, and returned to find the sign that I had missed. It also helped that I had wandered around parts of the old city of Leon yesterday, and had a general idea of where the major buildings were that the Camino passed on its way out.
Shortly after leaving the old city, I met up with Chris,
the Englishman walking to raise money for charity. He doesn´t seem to have either a walking or camping background, doesn´t seem to have done anything that would have prepared him for the quasi-communal living in the albergues, but was keeping going because he wanted to make a difference. I haven´t spent a lot of time with him before, but we walked together for 40 minutes or so until I stopped for breakfast.
A Man of Weak Moral Fibre - Chocolate and Churros
Today my moral fibre completely collapsed, and I had chocolate and churros for breakfast. This is one of the Camino delights that I have been foregoing, but it was on top of the breakfast menu, and I just couldn´t resist. I justified it as a little treat having weighed myself at the farmacia (pharmacy) across the road from the hotel yesterday. Clearly not a bare body weigh in, but I did a similar weigh in just before I left. I am down to 88 kg, 10 kg less than when I started. My belt suggests that I have lost about 10 cm from my waistline as well.
Getting Ready for the Big Climbs
Over the next week, there are some pretty massive climbs. The worst day will have a 400m climb to 1500m, then nearly 900m of pretty constant descent. Today and tomorrow are little teasers in the foothills. There were a couple of steep climbs at the edges of the cultivated areas of valleys today, and it will be the same tomorrow.
Once I was out of the traffic of Leon and its light industrial area, walking in the foothills today was as perfect as anything could be. It was warm enough and the wind gentle enough to walk without a fleece. The route that I took didn´t have many other walkers, although there were some. Add to that some pleasant changes as the Camino went through a mix of grazing and crop land, and a long section of un-farmed upland.
The Camino was far enough away from the road network not to be able to hear any traffic. So up until mid-morning, one was accompanied by the chatter of the birds in the fields and woodland. Even when the birds abandoned the fields, I could still hear them chattering in the copses that marked out field boundaries along the way.
It was so quiet and peaceful that after lunch, when I only had about 5km to walk to get to Villar de Mazarife, I slowed down a little to stretch out my time on the road just a little along the way.
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Pam McLennan
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pjmclennan@gmail.com
Obviously there are more than mental benefits to this walk of yours. I hope Elaine recognises you when you can get back. Leander is supposed to leave Sat but it is looking doubtful. Keep well in spirit and body. Pam