Day Nineteen

When I wake I am nervous to feel my knee. It bends ok without pain. I put pressure on it and it feels ok.

I have decided to make today’s walk short it’s about 11km to the next town or 21km to the following.

After “the fall” yesterday I am feeling extremely grateful and humbled for all the help I received and very thankful the injury is minimal.

It was such a simple trip on the curb, I was tired and also distracted looking for the way, I realise I was very lucky not to have really hurt myself.

The Camino is divided into three sections, the first to Burgos “The Body” the 2nd To Astorga “The Mind” and The 3rd to Santiago “The Soul”..

I feel today having left Burgos like I have had all three over the last 18 days.

The Body; definitely getting into the rhythm of walking each day, looking after my my feet, dealing with being sick, being strong enough to carry my pack, negotiating the hills, rocks, slopes and the cold. I am in awe of how my body has coped and so thankful.

I have questioned why on earth am I doing this, why would anyone do this, at a low point yesterday after falling and feeling so shaken I wept quietly to myself, I felt completely cracked open.

Yesterday I met a woman doing this with a three wheel walker she survived major brain surgery, she is 75, I saw two men walking very close together as we negotiated the rocks, last night they were next to me in my dorm, one is sight impaired the other his caregiver. I have seen people walking so slowly because of the blisters they have, it’s all they can do to put one foot in front of the other, I have seen people praying the rosary as they walk.

I have met people doing this for adventure, for a holiday, for deeply religious reasons and people like me who are not really sure, but just really want to do it, I am here, I am doing it and that at the moment is all I can explain.

This morning a Spanish man bade me a Buen Camino then asked are you going to Santiago? God willing! I replied. His reply Ultreia Et Suseia.! (Let’s go further, further up).

This is Burgos Cathedral.

I walk to the town I have planned to stay at Tradajos, I don’t have a booking for the night, I know there are a couple of options but the thing is when you don’t have a booking you need to arrive early enough to secure a bed.

When I arrive I see an Alburgue with a bar and restaurant so in I go. ‘ No problem for a bed’! I book in and have a rest a shower, do some laundry such is the life of a pilgrim.

Down in the bar there are locals watching a soccer game, pilgrims drinking and eating. I have a drink and some pintxos, one is prawns with quail eggs the other octopus with olive oil and paprika.

Later I sit with a German lady I met days ago she has terrible blisters and has had to go slow. There is also a German Father and Daughter and a couple of other German men at our table. We have an evening of fun and laughter, we each have the pilgrim meal, there are German drinking songs and google translate helps a lot. The daughter will be in Sydney in October of course I have to invite her to visit.

There must be a word for when the time and place and people are all just perfect, what ever that word is tonight was that.

Distance walked 11km.

Elevation 800m

One German spotted the next day drinking a bracing “red wine and coke” for breakfast.

X