Day 17
Last night there weren’t many people in the dining room and I was the recipient of an offer to go sit with fellow pilgrims. Two young ladies – Sara from Portugal and Gloria from Italy. It felt good to be on the receiving end of an invite. Dinner was delicious and the conversation and company was lovely.
The weather report showed temps dropping dramatically today and overcast skies predicted. The guidebook said it was a relatively easy trail today as well. So this morning I turned off my 4:30 alarm before it rang and slept in until 6. Even with a 2 hour siesta yesterday – the extra rest was just what I needed. Out by 6:10 in no particular hurry.
First Coffee was waiting in the next town. Another pilgrim from Italy and I noticed beautiful homemade flags in the town square. I followed her into an Italian albergue and admired the beautiful garden. She chatted with the hostess who, she discovered, was originally from her same home town. I’d noticed the lady had been knitting when we walked in and we found out she was responsible for all the flags.
After serious Italian coffee I continued on by myself. I reached Sahagun (pronounced Sa-goon’) by 10:30. The pillars and statues mark the geographical center of the French Camino.
Just inside town there is a beautiful mural with characters I recognized from the film ‘The Way’.
I recalled my last Camino where Sahagun was my starting point. After poor sleep while traveling, overpacking, and in general not being in shape – I remembered that day I could only hike about 12 km to the next town. I definitely felt like I had an advantage today. I’ve already had two weeks of hiking to strengthen myself, my pack is lighter in general, and there’s a thing that happens after hiking a few weeks where one’s pack feels lighter even though it’s not. All that – plus a full night’s sleep and the cooler temps and overcast skies meant I stopped at the alburge I’d stopped in last time. But this time I had a blueberry smoothie and decided to tackle another 7.5 km.
The path split today just after Sahagun. I’d originally planned to head to the other trail but, when I saw the map – I realized why I hadn’t. The other trail has a long stretch tomorrow- of 18.5 km with no services. While I’m not above running into the bushes – I’d prefer not to if I have a choice. And, today – I did. The path from the second stop to my current location was shaded most of the way by sycamore trees.
While I’m still on the Meseta – the terrain is definitely changing. Many more green veins of water running through fields. The reintroduction of green grassland and fields containing bushes. And I saw crops of corn for the first time this trip.
Once I reached El Burgo Ranero – I walked up and town the main street looking for accommodations but couldn’t find any. I went one street over following a sign for an albergue but it was closed. I was getting very discouraged and was considering heading out to the next town. Just then another pilgrim came around the corner and we followed his GPS to a little adobe albergue.
We were greatly warmly by an Australian couple who are volunteers here for a couple weeks. It’s by donativo – so, no set price. It doesn’t mean ‘nothing’ if you can afford to pay. I took into consideration that I’d been willing to shell out for a private room but none were available. I was grateful to get a bottom bunk. And they have a kitchen as an option. When the grocery stores opened after siesta I headed out for a bag of spaghetti, a loaf of bread, and some fruit. A simple but filling meal – and plenty left over for other pilgrims. My friends from Portugal & Italy are also here.
Early night and hope to head out early. The window is open and someone in the neighborhood is playing Spanish guitar. 💕
More later…
If you’d like more information about my walk for charity:water, please follow this link. Thank you!
https://www.charitywater.org/marilyn-peterson/marilyn-s-camino-for-water