The stage was relatively flat: a few climbs, mostly going into villages it seemed (I think they were built that way strategically), but nothing too difficult, even with the backpack.
Today I ran into some people carrying more than I am. First was Andrea from Switzerland. She's a professional oboist who raises chickens and bees! She went out her front door in mid-September to begin a four-month sabbatical from her musical life. She figured she needs three months to walk to Santiago and one month to get her oboe mojo back. She had more food in her backpack! Onions, lemons, hard boiled eggs. I realized that since the albergues lock up at 10:00 and it's tough now to find pilgrim menus served at a reasonable hour, those staying there end up provisioning and cooking for themselves when there's a kitchen.
Pedro (an osteopath from Spain) and his Slovak girlfriend, Martina, were carrying a camp stove and a tent. He was having terrible knee issues, so Andrea lent him her walking sticks, which helped. Along with two other funny Spaniards (Vincent and Ronaldo), they were gathering anything edible they could find along the way: thyme (we had tea made with this at our lunch), wild dill (which the Slovak confessed she never cared for), chicory root (as a coffee substitute), almonds, assorted low-hanging fruit … I think a lot of it was destined for the soup pot tonight.
They seemed concerned that my water bottle is so small, but unlike in Luxembourg, you can find fountains with potable water at pretty regular intervals. They are even marked on my maps. So I make it a point to drink my bottle (or finish it) every time I find a fountain and then fill it again.
I made a shorter day today in order to give my feet a break, but they went on an additional 10 km to Logrono. I'm going to walk through it tomorrow on my way to Navarette (22.7 km). Burgos looms in the not-too-distant distance with its higher altitudes and rumors of snow. I'm told there are routes there that may be closed to us if there's significant snow. So that could get exciting -- but I think it's a good 5-7 days away still. I haven't done the math.
Tomorrow marks the start of my second week. The landscape has changed a lot, my body has gotten more used to the daily abuse, and I go back and forth between really liking it and just wanting to go home. Thirty-three days is an awfully long time, and I miss my regular life and my little family. But I also really want to say I've done it. Not everyone starts in SJPdP, and I've garnered lots of respect for my haul over the mountains.
The weather looks like it will be good tomorrow, although, oddly, I can't find any weather apps with any functioning radar over Spain -- it's like they are completely off the grid. I miss having access to that information.
I hope everyone in Ohio digs out eventually -- your weather looks exciting. Lots of love and big hugs, especially to my Home Team.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Viana, Spain
Hi, Expatresse.
ReplyDeleteI'm following your day by day blog and enjoying it very much. I also use to write a blog for friends and family while I'm on the Camino (and as I'm spanish, this happens at least twice a year¡).
If you need a good weather app, you can try Accuweather (in english) or Eltiempo.es (in spanish). Both are the best you can find for a mobile phone or tablet.
And if you need any other help about towns, places, lodgins, monuments or whatever, don't hesitate to ask.
Muchas gracias!
Delete[Note: now that I can breathe again, I'm getting caught up with the daily details of the adventure...]
ReplyDeleteCarrying food sounds like a nightmare, but sometimes you do what you have to do. I'm proud of you for draining your water when you can - that's the hard one for me to remember. I never drink enough.