Blessings Abound - Internet Signals Do Not and The Daily Grind

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There is often so little internet signal and so little time to blog. There are many wonderous (and sometimes not so wonderous) things I would like to share. I often have wifi, but the signal is so crappy that I can't get a blog off or the time is so short after the daily ritual and communing with fellow perigrinos that I am simply too tired. For instance last night I scored a place in a private home owned by the fancy hotel across the street. I was walking out of town looking for the albergues and saw a sign tapped on the hotel sign that said 5 euros. I was like what the heck - at that price I amchecking it out! Well it was actually for the house across the street. I ended up staying there with about 8 or 9 other people. I quickly bonded with Dano and Vicky - a couple I met a day or two before from Santa Barbara - and a cyclist by the name of Carolina from Brazil. We braved the thunderstorm that had moved in and walked back into town to the little market and got dinner and vino. We cooked dinner together after that and shared food and wine. We had a great time and by the time the wine bottles were empty and the dishes cleaned we were all exhausted and went to bed. Plus the internet signal in the house was terrible and every 5 minutes the wifi would drop - ugh! So no blog, but great time communing and I GOT TO WASH MY CLOTHES IN A WASHING MACHING. Dryers are rare and because of the evening thunderstorm I had to hang my stuff around the house to dry. Nothing like bras and socks hang from the china cabinet above my bed which was in the living room! There were bunks in the other rooms, but I chose that bed, and , after the spider scare (a nest of baby spiders was discovered) Carolina slept on the couch in the main room with me!

So the daily grind - it does sound monotonous, and at times it is, but it is what a pilgrim does. It is part of the journey. And now that my journey is nearing an end - only 9 more days of walking to Santiago - I can't imagine not walking and not following this routine.

You get up - in a big albergue this often means walking up around 5am or earlier when others get ready to depart if you are a light sleeper. Leaving by 5 or 6am these days really is idle because then you are done walking before the heat of the day hits! Two days ago I put in my 6 hours/30k before 11am and was done for the day! So you get up - dress and pack your bag (which you prepped the night before) as quietly as you can so not to distrub others who may still be sleeping. You either eat the albergue breakfast if provided (usually that means cafe con leche, toast or just french bread, and jam of some sort) or fix your own. Then you do all the other prepping and getting ready before you head off. I watch some of the morning rituals of treating blisters, taping up feet and ankles, putting on the knee braces, and applying the sun screen (I do this one - you are a fool if you don't - I burned the tips of my ears the first week - no fun). I watch others preparations feeling rather guilty. I still have no blisters, I don't wear a knee brace and I don't have anything to take up. Sure I am foot sore, but what do you expect when you walk on the poor things 10-20 miles a day!

When all that is done you hit the road - sometimes with others you know and sometimes alone. For me it varies as I am not here with anyone as others are. There are also others who have bonded on the Camino and walk every day with their new friends. I have had people I have walked with on and off - sometimes for several days - but I tend to float. I see my regular Camino friends often as we usually end up at the same albergues 4 or 5 nights a week. Those I have connected with have the same tastes and we often search out the same places. I came here to meditate and walk alone though, so I usually separate me after a bit. It is nice to walk with others at times, and I do think the community of the Camino is a part of it.

So you are off and then your day becomes walking, walking and walking some more. Even when walking alone you may come along a friend - an old one or one you just met - and you chat and walk awhile while WALKING. How often you stop - if you stop at all - is dependent on the day. I have had days I have walked 6 hours straight no stopping. I have had days where at 10am I was so hot it was time for a cervasa break! Now that I no longer have my Holland friend I rarely do this. When we walked together we so looked forward to our 10am - ish cerevasa breaks! I do miss Jeroen! He is a great guy, and I hope we will reconnect in Santiago as I will be there 3 days. He is a couple days behind me due to heat issues and pushing to hard.

So finally comes the end of your walk - something you decide. I have stopped at 11am and as late as 5ish. I prefer not to walk affter 1pm though as it is simply too hot. Then you find a town and an albergue and start the evening routine. That entails fixing your bed, eating, drinking, showering, relaxing, prepping for next day and hand washing your clothes and hanging your clothes out to dry (you want to do this early so they dry before you go to bed of course). Some have a strict routine, but all those things happen inwhatever order you need for that day. I usually have to just sit for a while after get checked in an albargue and getting my bed. I am just to tired and hot to do anything. Then the next most important thing is usually showerring and washing the clothes! At night I have my routine of rubbing down my calves and feet and putting my different concoctions on them. No problems thus far so I guess it is working. My feet are going to wonder what is going on when I return home and they no longer get massaged with a and foot lotion and cared for like royalty. On the Camino your feet are everything and you best treat them well!

So it is now off to bed for me. I am tired and I want to do a private little mass before I go to bed. I can't ever seem to make mass on Sundays - the times are just wrong. The albergue where I am tonight is adjacent to a beautiful church though and it was open for a while and I was able to go in and tour it and then say some prayers before dinner.

Much love and goodnight to all!

Linda

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