Prior to coming to the Camino I read everything I could find, and to finally see it in person is truly a unique expericnce. Like St Jean and the Pilgrims on horses today I encountered a Pilgrim with a donkey, chalk another up for the journey that is like no other. The morning is a great time to walk, the weather is cool, you´ve recovered from the previous day, the birds are chirping and the farm animals set the ambiance with their aroma. But thats OK, it´s all a part of the Camino.
Today I am in the pueblo of Puente de la Reina. Todays walk was one of the easiest so far for the simple fact I sent home about 12 lbs of things I don´t need. So let this be a warning for you when you do your Camino, be careful what you pack cause you gotta carry it!
Over the past couple of days my stops have been in the pueblo of Zubiri where I originally had not planned on staying, but I ran out of water about 45 minutes before I arrived and needless to say when I got there I was done. I sat down in the pueblo plaza and the Camino gave me the gift of the pueblo water fountain. A few minutes later a Spaniard I had met the previous day came into down and he directed me to the Alburgue. The Alburgue was quite a bit smaller than others but still getting used to sleeping with pèople you´ve never met is unsettling for some, I´m a little used to it from my other travels and my time in the Navy. Monday in Zubiri it was so hot! Kind of like those Santa Ana days we get in San Diego, you didn´t want to move, and that´s why the Spaniards shut down everything for a couple of hours in the afternoon, all stores close, nothing, I think they have the right idea!Since Zubiri I´ve teamed up with the Spaniard in my walk and with another Spaniard, the funny thing is they both have the same name, Augustin, makes my life a little easier. Yesterday we arrived in Pamplona, after being in the mountains, on the trails and in the little pueblos the big city was quite a change. It was nice seeing the home of the running of the bulls, too bad that isn´t till July, but I heard it´s a madhouse when it occurs. Today we walked up to a peak called Alto de Perdon. The climb on paper looked tough but we were up before I knew it.
I´ve come to find out I can do about 20-25 km a day which takes about 6 hours give the occasional breaks. The beauty of the Camino though is the people, there are so many from all part of the world. In the past couple of days besides the ones I´ve mentioned in earlier posts I´ve met a Brazilian who had to stay in Zubiri to recover from a severe blister. A young lady from Portugal who always has a smile on her face. I just met a woman from South Africa our room in the Alburgue looks like a United Nations convention. For the most part everyone walks alone on their Camino, to me this is one of the reasons it exists. Today I was thinking the blessing I have that I can do this, good health and the means to do so, so many in our world don´t. I´m often asked how long will you be here, my response I am under no timetable, that is truly a blessing. When there are couples it tends to be the older set, OK my set and older. I don´t think I´´ve seen one in their 30´s or 40´s but that group is well represented by people walking on their own. When we pass a simple ¨Buen Camino¨ is exchanged But when the day is done and we all meet at the Alburgue the friendships continue with sharing of stories of the Camino and life in general.
When you´re on the Camino you have no responsibilties other than to yourself, it´s your walk, your camino, you do it as you please, for as long or short and in pain or good health, fast or slow. I´m holding up well compared to others, probably the biggest injury is blisters, I haven´t had them yet, and from my prvious hikes I don´t tend to get them. Well enough for one day, one of the things I promised myself is I wouldn´t spend too much time on computers and such, and as you all know that´s not my cup of tea anyway. So bye for today, hope you all are all well and thanks to all for the encouragement I get in the emails!
Buen Camino,
Barry
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