Day 27 - a Slog to Leon

The Meseta was not going to be conquered without a fight so with the temp climbing to 35c again and uninspiring landscape before us we set off a little later than planned having been enticed by the breakfast at our Albergue .
With a mixture of road & senda walk we were quickly on the outskirts of Leon. .  swapping places on the path with a Japanese 70+ year old man we call "ken" ( for obvious reasons) . with the combination of heat, some hills and lack of energy replenishment we hit the wall so the walk into the old city was long and challenging . .. but with a strategic cafe stop we soon found ourselves entering through the wall of the old city of Leon (named after the Roman Legion...it was a major garrison in Spain).,, directions had been good to this point but the last km in narrow streets can be challenging but . -. who should appear but sister Mary ... seriously !! a nun saw me checking my GPS and kindly directed us to our accommodation ( see pic).
So here we are in Santa Maria el Camino square,a rest day tomorrow..washing in the machine..finishing the blog with a beer and cafe..regardless of the day you have it always ends well...reflecting on the moments that we have had in the day....awesome Camino....now we have struggled through the transition..like life we are looking forward to the re-birth in Galatia..463km down...317km to go.
Ps: have attached an encouraging motif we received from the Aulds.."keep calm and just keep walking"..bought a smile to our face....and an idea for a must have t-shirt

Day 26 - Epic day on a Roman road

Apologies in advance for a worse than normal blog as we just finished our toughest day on the Meseta , nearly 25km, little shade ,36 deg heat and no cafes ... and the "Colzada Romana" , the longest section of Roman road still existing in Spain today. I know that Emperor Augustus's footsteps had graced the road but he didn't have to walk on its fragmented stones 2,000 years later... ouch ☺
But first let me recap on the lovely Hostal Rural we stayed at last night, a converted family home, large rooms, home made cuisine and lovely owners ... we met another Pilgrim there called David ... a recently retired Attorney from Sth Africa who has walked all over the world. We have been bumping into him regularly...so it was great to share a home made meal and some fine wine together...alas our very early start (6am) didn't go well with a later than normal bedtime.
Regardless we beat the sunrise up and were enjoying the cool pre-dawn temps and the beautiful light at that time.
We churned through the Km's by the time the beautiful sunrise broke through but with the temp quickly climbing , beautify but difficult landscape and the rocky Roman road we started to wilt ... we took breaks when we could find shade (see pic) . . . having some trains flash past lifted our spirits . .. finally we jumped off the alternate route to the Camino proper at Religeous .. to get some cold drinks . After a further 4km of boring and hot walking beside the highway we had made our way into Mansilla feeling like the Pilgrims statue (see pic) we saw soon after arriving. We went back to our previous routine of eating early . Replenished our stocks from a tough day.. . . . again in saying that it was ... inspiring,historic and stretching day which we are so thankful for.
A brief reflection borrowed from John Brierly's Camino guide....
"Only the weeds and wild flowers have changed in the two millennium since this path was laid. While Roman artefacts lie behind glass cages in dislocated museums in the cities, here you walk on the original Roman road itself. The muted silence of the Museums....are nothing to match  the original stone in its original setting and the golden silence  of the wide prairie. Here the call of the occasional bird of prey only seems to emphasise the silence and adds to the tranquility. The hum of the bee busily extracting pollen from the will flowers brings a sense of unhurried calm that pervades this place. The bee transforms the pollen to golden nectar. Will the alchemist (transformer) In you extract the purest gold from this day?"

Day 25 - A practice for tomorrows Meseta challenge

We had planned a shorter walk today after a longer one yesterday and in preparation for our final Meseta test tomorrow . Approx 26km , no villages, no water and no shade during what they are calling an African" heat wave ... forecast 36 deg c .We are on an alternative path that not all pilgrims take due to the lack of facilities but it is what the Meseta is all about, away from the highway, immersed and often struggling in the landscape & conditions ...so we stock up on water & food and with my trekking umbrella (have I told you how much I love it ☺) and leave @ 6 am we should be fine.
Today we slept in till 7:15am (that's late for the Camino) and had a typically relaxed Spanish breakfast , a pastry and a couple of beautiful cafe con leches coffees at this lovely spot (see pic) we visited the day before. As is usual on the Camino we reconnected with an American lady who had stayed at an earlier town as she walked we enticed her to stop For a coffee & pastry.
We finally got underway and left Sahagun via the beautiful puente Romano and were soon alone on the Camino which is unusual as it can be like rush hour sometimes. At our first stop there were no no shops open (small town and being Sunday ) so we found a lovely shady spot under a willow tree and surrounded by rose bushes in the town centre ,we did though enjoy the company of the town's mangy stray dog (see pic) who at least had sense not to eat the peanut Anita gave him ☺.
The remainder d the walk to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos ( the names all sound the same row) was a mixture of wide open farming land and shrub / tree landscape . all had a sprinkling of beautiful wild flowers and if you stopped and listened the area was alive with all sorts d life ... we particular are inspired by the Camino butterfly's that seem to flutter across your line I sight just when you need cheering up.
At some points I could have been transported back to parts of my childhood with my pop -- building fences on properties near Wellington (Nsw) .
As the temp grew hotter we made it to a rise and there was our destination for the night , it was about 1:30 pm and we dragged ourselves through the empty hot streets to find a bed for the night.
So with all the chores done we .. are enjoying a well earn't beer and about to head out looking for supplies for tomorrows challenge ... then a Peregrino's 3 course dinner @ 7.30pm and then straight to bed ready for an early start and another amazing day on the Camino.
Ps: have now gone onto the back page of my Cadenza (pilgrim passport)..lucky i have 2 as we are taking longer than normal. It is proof of your journey so you can receive your Compostela...your certificate of completion...and get stamped daily at your accommodation.
Ps:  Question for the day.....who is the person shadowing me on the Camino? (see pic)..he is particularly visible early morning and late evening.

Day 24 - Just another day .... on the Meseta

You have heard the song ..." just another day in paradise" , well it wasn't quiet that but it was just  another long hot day on the Meseta. We hadn't slept that well the night before and were wanting to leave early to beat some of the heat ... but we were still probably later than many as we heard the pilgrim  army plodding past our window as early as 5:30 am !
A couple of alternate routes saved some of the Senda km's (man made paths next to highways) beside the N-120 highway ...with over 24km to walk we were glad for the villages every 3-4km so plenty rest stops were the order of the day . Highlights of the day included :-
• bumping into a retired couple we enjoyed talking to the night before. They had lived in Oz for 13yrs, becoming citizens but had moved to Germany to be close to their grandchildren ... "home is where the heart is!"
• saw our first sunflower ... we are a month too early for their full display
• hopefully getting some nice pics of "moi" on an old bridge☺
• catching up with some of the group of 19 Irish doing a week on the Camino ... they are so much fun to be around . a joke a minute relating stories of people they had met over the week ... but one call Pat , when we were alone shared that he has been walking in memory of his daughter who died at the aged 16 from a lung disease . Anita had noticed him earlier in the week carrying one pink Dr Martin on his pack in memory of his daughter...very moving listening to him on a sidewalk out side a restaurant in Sahagun..a Special Camino moment .
So an early dinner and a wander around town as is our habit now and finish our chores...only 11km tomorrow so a big breakfast and late leave.
By the way...i must ask this imponderable question i was left with after my shower...
"After walking 24km's in hot and trying conditions over often rocky ground...why do they make showers with plastic trays with exactly the same rock shapes we just walked over..grrrr!!??"☺

Day 23 - Halfway ...Santiago here we come

Time to celebrate ,we made the halfway mark on day 20 of walking on the Camino at a village called Caldazilla de la Cueza, population 60 !! We rested our weary feet and celebrated with a Vino Tinto, now only 390km to go.(see pic)
Given the shorter day we allowed ourself a little sleep in, rolling out of bed at 6:15am, catching a light breakfast but after dealing with a spanish cyclist line jumping (there is some favoritism) and a waiter who chased us out of the establishment thinking we hadn't paid ( we had & course ) ,we were read to get on the road.
One great thing about the Camino are the people you meet like Debbie from the Gold coast or Paul from Chapel Hill in Brisbane ... you can even make friends without being able to communicate together as we did with a French couple who we were seated with a few nights ago (see pic) -.. we bumped into each other again today and it was like old friends meeting .
Today the Meseta lured us well and truly into its clutches with four days completed and four to go till a rest day in Leon. The temps were hotter. the path straight and flatter and no villages for 18km's
i e. no Cafe con Leche or supplies.
With my pack setup now causing problems for my back I realised the combination of too tight waist band and too much weight on my hips (pack weight that is) that I was getting pins & needles in my thighs ... so a few adjustments and a great rest area to recover in and I was feeling a whole lot better .
So today on the Meseta you just ground out the steps , looking up to some amazing landscapes ,some very familiar to Australian outback wheat fields. ... peer through the heat haze hoping to see some indication of a settlement , alas the pebble watch confirms still 6km to go. ... but you do have is watch out for huge farm machinery barreling down a path only big enough for Pilgrims .. who now have to jump into ditches to preserve their lives. One pilgrim stood transfixed before this huge machine not knowing which way to jump..reminded me of Tiananmen Square...the man and tank just this time the machine was not stopping.
So with a little help from an Abba song ( amongst others) . some "stop ..listen"  moments, great , encouraging community and some strange sights (including . a cyclist towing a carry trailer with his Rottweiler dog in it. I wonder what his story was but am sure he has no security problems .)...our accommodation for the night came into view...with all our water gone we dragged ourselves..unwashed and all to the bar for a cold drink.
So day 23 on the Camino..31 left...its going way to fast but..
REFLECTION FOR THE DAY-
today has enough trouble for today...let tomorrow look after itself...head down one step at a time and you will make it.

So tomorrow we start our second half of the Camino..and we know that if the fist half is any indication we have many surprises awaiting.

Day 22 - No pain no gain?

With temps threatening to climb we left before sunrise for a supposed 24.5 km walk to Carrion de los Andes ... which turned into 29.5km once we hit the door of our accommodation ... those dam apps. are never right. ☺
With a nice sunrise experienced , a walk besides the beautiful Castillo canals and a belated breakfast at Fromista it was a great start to the days walking . As the temperature rose ( and Pilgrims are silly enough to walk in the midday sun through deserted village streets ) the line of bedraggled pilgrims start thinning out . Taking an alternate route saved us from the exposed walk along the highway that surprisingly some took & cooked . We had some shade as we followed a steam . In these times thoughts wander across many topics ...
REFLECTION ?
I have let my life become one of drive through efficiency ... something walking does is slow you down ... .I see so much more ... I have learnt to savour even the smallest thing... rolling it over in my mind leaving deep memories that invoke  the whole being -.. I will stop & savour , do less drive through life !!

I was having a good day I thought ... the umbrella performed amazingy... so cool but always attract Comments ... but as the 4km straight path lays before you. the temp hits 30deg C , your Osprey water bladder develops a small leak from pressure of the  pack and makes you look like you have had an accident in your pants ... and your pack is hurting your shoulders, well your mood changes quickly on the Meseta !! But if you stop just a moment (as we often do ) & to each other.."listen!" we are overwhelmed by the symphony of bird sounds, the sound of wind as it blows through the trees, the smell of weatbix (that's Anita's take on walking through wheatfields) ...the mood changes...so stop and listen more Paul!
The last 5kms into town were beside the highway and with the sun was at its hottest and the path its straightest i knew that the Camino does not give up its secrets without pain...this is the Meseta after all...the dying to self!
Post script...Anita's top 5 things you need to overcome a tough day on the meseta
1. a cold coca cola
2. A cold Cornetto ice cream
3. A cold beer (ok two beers)
4. A hamburger
5. Shopping therapy (must be light if you are carrying it) ☺
Tomorrow a shorter and kinder day we hope.

Day 21 - A classic Meseta day

Finally we saw the Meseta in its brilliant "Blue" best today . We were on the road by 7 am with the Pilgrim hoards (they seem to thin out through the day ) to be met by a crisp morning (10 deg C ) and a daunting climb up Alto Mestelares ,both woke us up completely . The views from the top were awesome ( see pics) .
We were planning another 20 km day walk today to Boadilla del Camino ... for some this is half a day. We enjoyed a dinner with a couple of Norwegians an Aussie from Melbourne and an american.... the guys planned forty km days some days , it must be said that some had hospital visits or layover due to injury ... hmm something to be said about plodding ( we average 19km) and have recovered from our blisters now and have no other ailments to speak of and by the end of tomorrow we should nearly be half way!!
Today's walk covered some classic Meseta territory with the path snaking its way down into valleys and between wide open wheat fields..and the odd hay bales stack as seen on the movie "the way" (as you can see from the pics. ) .,. with a light cooling breeze , a good dirt path and my trusty umbrella the day was not too arduous at all though we did ensure we had plenty of breaks in some beautiful spots.
Approaching one village there was a guy handing out a promo flyers to Pilgrims for a bar ... the deal on the bacon & eggs was to good to refuse so after an average breakfast @ the Albergue we decided to have an early lunch. So there we were in a small village in Spain tucking into Bacon & Eggs @10:30am watching Bruno Mars singing "uptown funk" on a music video, life is strange sometimes.
As we made our way cross the meseta the blue sky resembled a thatched roof of vapor trails as jets from all over the world seem to make the meseta their crossing point at 30,000 ft . We also had our first attack of insects during the Camino
.. no I didn't have to bring out my insect netting headpiece just yet... that world be just too much.☺
So we made it its Boadilla del Camino by 1:30pm and the famous En el Camino alburgne ... it featured on the documentary series ''walking the world" which was one of the trilogy of  Camino confirmations, for coming. My how things had changed in years since filming ... the Alburgue retained its initial impact as you walked through its rustic portal into a real oasis ... jut that they have grown from a 26 bed converted barn to many new buildings and even a hotel next door .... the Camino business is a very lucrative business for some!
So tomorrow we are tackling a 25 km walk to Carrion de LOS Andes ... we have a couple of shorter days coming up after to make up  for it... you often find route planning challenges on the Camino ... that half the fun.

Day 20 - an even milder Meseta

With a forecast for a cloudy but warming temp we arose early so we had breakfast and were gone by 7am... but were faced with a cooler ,overcast day with odd periods of light drizzle , downright cool at times ... Day 2 on the Meseta and we are still waiting for its dreaded hot and demanding reputation to materialise ... but we have plenty of time left for it to leave its mark.
After a late dinner last night we agreed to mix up meals...some lighter and smaller options with no alcohol...may be even be adventurous and make our own.☺
The walk was over 22km's with infrequent villages though once we left Hontanos we walked mostly through valleys and along tree lined roads...the cooler temps helped us make good time into Castrojeriz which sits at the foot of the 9th century castle, Castillo...a very picture perfect small sleepy Spanish town.
As usual we meet the "world" each day from a group of 16 Irish doing a few weeks on the Camino each year, a Spanish couple cycling to their daughters wedding at Portomarin...on electric bikes...and a lovely French couple who we sat with at last nights dinner, they had already walked from Le Puy in France clocking up 500kms more than us already unfortunately they could not speak English and we French....we did laugh when they showed as a pic they had taken that day of me with my umbrella...something that continues to attract lots of attention. It reminded me how limited we Australians are with just one language where most Europeans have 2 or 3.
Walking with the smell  of moist wheat fields in my nostrils my mind wondered during the day...one thought was around the no. 1 topic on the Camino...blisters. there are lots of expectations coming about how to avoid them but even if you are well prepared as we were they are most likely going to happen...don't feel down...you are not a bad person just treat them sensibly and get on with walking.
Our routine has been to
- massage our feet with Voltarin at the beginning and end of the day
- treat blisters at both ends of the day...for what its worth i generally released the blister fluid(in as sterile conditions as possible) and dosed with betadine then applied a light bandage or compeed depending on location.
- other beneficial aids we use are
> glide on feet to reduce friction inside the sock
> toe protector
> felt to relieve pressure particularly if blister is under foot.
....and when your feet complain..stop and deal with them..as simple as shoe off and a massage.
So that's as much wisdom as i can muster...so till tomorrow 

Buen Camino

post script..we passed by the much vaunted San Bol today...the oasis on the meseta (no power etc), maybe it was the cloudy and colder conditions that made it less than the romantic picture we had in our minds...we walked on by.