I am feeling a bit lost in time and space….not sure what day it is , the date or the town I am in at the moment. However,what I do know is my blistered feet have brought me over 100 miles across Spain in 8 days. We are in the magical land of Knights Templar and Marqessas and have passed several castles and modern day Knights along the way. Some villages have lovingly maintained their mideval buildings yet some are in decay. While others are a mix of modern with old. Above is the classic 12th century Knight Templar castle. Below is a village past its prime. 

On the Camino Sharon & I have met many like-minded people with the same goal. I feel I have been initiated into The Camino de Santiago Culture. As with life, there are advantages and disadvantages. 

First treat in Camino Culture is the Spanish people. These feet have brought me close to many aquaintances in beautiful small villages and on the roads of Spain. Many local people welcome us pilgrims with a cheerful, warm ‘Hola! Buen Camino!’  Some stop to chat and acknowledge our presence or intention. In the villages, there are store and alberge owners that are willing to help you. Some people leave out bottles of water for us pilgrims. 

The second pleasure is getting to know our fellow pilgrims. We all greet each other on the trail. Sometimes conversations start, some are short and others go on for miles. We are getting better with our pilgrim sighting. It is easy on the trail to identify a pilgrim by their large backpack and/or walking sticks. In the afternoon & evenings, pilgrims wear walking sandals with socks, wear a fanny pack or small messenger bag and walk with a slight hobble.

I’d like to think that I do not have a hobble but after sitting or lounging for a bit those muscles start to go into walking withdrawal. That is another issue of the Camino Club, your body. You are always aware of a hot spot and trying to decide what to do and when to do it. Is it a NOW problem or a IT CAN WAIT UNTIL LATER problem.

Then there are the sleeping decisions. We’ve seen cities and villages of all sorts with multitudes of choices. We’ve stayed in a Parador, a hotel for business travelers, alburgues, and hostels. Largest dorm I slept in had 18 beds…coed. It was a rainbow of sheets, blankets and pillows. We are starting to see advertisements for sheets as optional.  (Hmmmm…anything to save a euro or two! ) The alburgue in Acebo below was new and had a pool with cabanas and bars ….like a resort. This was at the top of a mountain with a million dollar view. There were more spaniards there than pilgrims. 

Each night we plan the next day’s route. There are choices of paths…traditional, scenic or remote. We also need to decide which clothes to wear, where to sleep, what time to leave, etc. We’ve had days near 100 degrees with blazing sun and days of cold hard rain.  But onward we must go to Santiago. We have a goal date but it is getting harder to focus on it due to the previously discussed Camino Culture issues. 

We are in the middle of our journey now…I THINK! Time for me to enjoy some siesta time. Zzzzzzzz! 👣👣🌻💗🌻👣👣