Fields to City
September 24th
I woke up this morning in Los Templarios, literally in the middle of a field, in complete darkness. When I went to leave, I discovered that the hallway connecting my room to the main part of the hotel was locked. Apparently they really did not want anyone wandering around before 7:00 a.m., so I had to find my way out through the emergency exit. I waited until 7:00 for my café con leche and then started walking in the dark. The sunrise was spectacular.
sunrise
But I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. For the past 16 days, the sun has risen on my left as I walked. Today, it was on my right. It completely changed the light, the shadows, and the way the landscape looked. Even more beautiful was that while the sun was rising behind me, the colors in the sky in front of me were just as vibrant. I took way too many pictures that honestly just don’t justify how pretty it is,
Early in the morning I met Regina, who actually saved me from going the wrong way in the dark . Regina is originally from South Korea. This is her third Camino, and she also leads Korean groups here. She grew up in Argentina, speaks fluent Spanish, and has two children, 26 and 22. Her son is studying to become a priest which I learned is a ten-year commitment. We walked and talked for a while, another one of those fascinating conversations that seems to happen so naturally out here.
Sahagún was also a huge milestone, everyone has been talking about it for the last few days , it is the official halfway point of the Camino Francés. You can actually receive a halfway certificate there. I tried twice to find the municipal office and somehow couldn’t find it. With such a long walking day for me, longets yet ( 20 miles ) , I finally decided I couldn’t waste the steps searching anymore. That’s okay I’ll get the certificate that really matters to me when I reach Santiago.
On my way out I met Meghan from Nashville sitting beside the Camino path on the way out of the city. Meghan has a small plate on a stool small basket with a sign that said pink prayer /blue blessing with folded up pieces of paper . She was stopping people and suggested to take one. I stopped and talked to her , it is her 6th Camino .I chose blue. When I opened it I got the chills it was one of my absolute favorites, the blessing of Saint Patrick : “May the road rise up to meet you…”Of all the blessings I could have picked. Nothing seems to happen by mistake out here. I tucked it away and will treasure it.
meghan from nashville
Somewhere along the way I crossed into the province of León. I stopped and talked with Arthur from California and another pilgrim from Austria, dont remember his name , Eventually I walked ahead of them because I wanted to spend as much of today alone as possible. Laura arrives tomorrow, and I’m so excited to see her, but I also knew this would be one of my last full days of walking completely by myself for a while. I wanted the quiet. Then I came to a fork in the Camino, had never happened to me - I have just been following the arrows. Two yellow arrows. Two different routes. I needed to eventually reach a village with a train to León, so I chose left. And I am so glad I did as suddenly I was walking beside cornfields and underneath this incredible tunnel of trees. After hundreds of miles of open fields, vineyards, dusty paths and endless sky, it felt like the first truly shaded tree-lined path I had walked on the entire Camino. The branches stretched across the trail above me as if someone had planted them thousands of years ago knowing that someday pilgrims would need this exact stretch of shade, it was awesome to have some very needed shade in the heat.
Twenty miles later, I finally reached the tiny village of El Burgo Ranero where I hoped to find the train station. I asked a local man where it was, and instead of simply pointing, he started walking me toward it.We rounded a corner by one of the only restaurants in town.And there stood Alice. Alice is from Italy, and we started the Camino together on sept 8th!! I hadn’t seen her in about ten days. The second we saw each other, we hugged like two people who had been friends for ten years instead of people who had met a little over two weeks ago. It was such an unexpected reunion.She was staying there in an alburgue , we had a beer and than I said goodbye and found the train station. After 20 miles on foot, I was on a train to León.
Leon……OMG such an incredible city and am staying in a beautiful old monastery/church hotel, with a room appropriately named “September.” The city is alive with some annual medieval festival that started today , people everywhere, food, music and energy. What a contrast from where my day began — alone in the dark, in the middle of a field. That may be one of many things I love about the Camino .
You can start a day having absolutely no idea what is ahead of you. You make a left turn instead of a right. You meet someone you never expected to see again. A stranger walks you toward a train station. You pick one tiny folded blessing out of a basket. You walk through a tunnel of trees that feels like it was waiting for you.And somehow, by the end of the day, it all feels connected.
Halfway...and soo excited Laura ( my best childhood friend of 48 years ) arrives to walk the 2nd part with me to the end. We will stay in Leon for 2 days , my body needs a rest and start her Camino and my 2nd part on the road to Santiago .
Buen Camino.