A “ short “ day
September 20 | Hontanas to Castrojeriz
Every day on the Camino continues to bring something I don’t plan, and today was no exception. Most people who walk the entire Camino commonly take a rest day about once a week. I don’t have the luxury right now to do that because I’m pressed for time to arrive in León by September 25 to meet Laura, so I have to keep moving and do some longer days and the next day try to make my milage shorter.
My walk was only about 6 miles, so left a little later . Sun was coming up and there were a few groups of people before and behind me but to be honest I was in such a pretty part of the walk that I enjoyed it so much No cars. No noise. Just the sun rising, the birds, an incredible blue sky , the trail and a few pilgrims. It was a true definition of peace and a beautiful way to start the day. The landscape today was once again so different. Wide open fields , more endless miles of sunflower fields and all I think about is how incredible this walk must be when they were in bloom.
About half way into the walk, I came upon the ruins of the 12th-century Convent of San Antón, once a hospital and sanctuary for pilgrims . It is an albergue where you can stay with no electricity if you want for a nominal fee, but it could by far been one of the most beautiful structure I have seen yet. I left rocks in honor of Philip and Betsy , a very special spot and walked a mile for them
I stopped and had coffee there to soak it all in and met Alan from Atlanta. Alan had been walking the Camino but decided he might be able to cover more ground by bicycle. Somehow, he managed to find a bike to rent for a few days, which apparently isn’t always easy to do along the Camino as it books months in advance. I have learned while talking to people there seems to be a rivalry between the walkers and the bikers out here. I think both are awesome. You’re out here. You’re moving forward. You’re doing the Camino your way. Alan was great but we exchanged pictures we took on Whatsapp but while talking to Alan it gave me an idea.
I need to be in León by the 25th which means base don my milage I will need to skip a town along the walk ( essentially miss a day of walking ) . My original plan was to take a taxi 20 miles to make up time. But after meeting Alan, I started thinking…Why take a taxi 20 miles when I could ride a bike 40?This is what the Camino keeps doing to me. One random conversation over coffee and suddenly I have a completely different plan.
THEN , about a mile into my walk after I had another one of those crazy Camino moments happened. Literally on on the side of the trail was a man sitting in a folding chair in a field with professional photography equipment. Of course I stopped. His name was Luca, a photographer from Italy. He had been on the Camino months earlier and became so taken with this particular spot that he decided to stay close by for a few months . Now he rides his bike out every day with his professional photography equipment to this particular spot and photographs pilgrims as they pass and plans on publishing a book. He has set up an “ office “ with ride-along luggage for his bike and a cardboard box, two computers, an insane camera, two flashes and a silk-ish sheet as a backdrop . He asks only for whatever donation they would like to give, and his dream is to eventually turn the photographs into a book. Seriously, I cannot make this stuff up!!!
He asked if I wanted my picture and of course I said yes……minutes later I was having a full professional photo shoot in the middle of a field on the Meseta which is supposed to be the boring part of the walk in my hiking clothes.
Luca was legit !! He took about 30 photos and then walked me to his “ office “ to download and show me . We went thru them one by one and he asked me which ones I liked , he made edits and then airdropped them to me. I obviously gave him a donation. When I looked at them, I actually got a little emotional as he captured exactly the essence of how I feel here. Happy. Peaceful. Grateful.
Today also came with a completely unexpected Camino treat. My hotel was a brand new and by far it was the most deluxe accommodation I’ve had on this entire trip. After all these days of walking, I was able to get reflexology and then swim 3 times in a stunning pool !! It honestly felt like I had won the lottery and my feet were VERY happy too :)
Apparently, the village I was staying in is considered one of the prettiest villages in Spain, which made the whole experience even more special.
Today was only six miles. But somehow, it was a very full day.
Buen Camino.