Catching up - Leon, Spain - September 23
Hello! I’m so sorry that I have been lax about blogging the last few days. Rich is going to do a blog later about the walk from Ages to Burgos. He probably won’t mention that he and Olga found me in Burgos in a puddle of tears bc I happened to pass by a souvenir shop that had those pretty hand fans and I remembered I got Mom one of those on my first trip to Spain. The thought that I won’t be bringing her back any souvenirs is devastating to me.
I have been missing Mom a lot during this trip. I miss calling her everyday and telling her what I did. I know if she was still here she would give me the confidence that only a Mother can give.
Confidence in myself is what I am lacking most on this Camino. Every evening I look at the next day’s plan and say to myself “aint no way my fat ass can do that” and then I convince myself it would be better for everyone if I just take a bus or a taxi. Here’s the thing though, maybe I can’t do it BUT maybe I can. I didn’t think I could climb 4500 feet in 5 miles but I did. I need to at least try. Now, enjoying it is a whole other question. I have never been one to do something just so I can say I have done it. I need to enjoy the experience. I am always in awe of people who run marathons (looking @ you Heidi, Chrissy, Grace). You all seem to have a gene that I don’t. I’m not really all that competitive and at the first sign of discomfort I am looking for the closest off ramp. That is something I hope I can break on this Camino. I want to feel like I have accomplished something.
Wow, I am doing a really bad job of what I am supposed to be doing, which is catching you all up! Ok so, when last we spoke I was in Ages and determined to not give up. I took a taxi to Burgos, which is a bigger city and while waiting for Rich and Olga I found a comfy new pair of shoes (picture to come tomorrow). We had a down day in Burgos which is a lovely city to explore. Burgos marks the start of the sometimes dreaded “Meseta” section of the Camino. A lot of people skip this stage because it is relatively flat and wide open. For me, it kind of sounded like heaven (the flat part) however, it is pretty remote and the towns are much smaller and farther apart. I was hoping I could stick with my plan of walking the first 5-8 miles and then catch a bus but it turns out bus service is quite sparse. So, we decided the best course of action would be for me to skip ahead to Leon (our next big city) and Rich and Olga would meet me 6 days later. At the last minute, Rich decided to come with me (I am sure bc he is worried about me). Olga has been walking like a woman on a mission. Two back to back days of over 19 miles. Seriously, I don’t know how she does it. She walks 19 miles, gets to the albergue and rests for 30 minutes, takes a shower and then goes and explores the town! All the while, I am still trying to unlace my shoes!
So, Rich and I are having a mini vacation in Leon. We have a super cute loft apartment that is right off the main square and most excitingly has a washing machine! We are also excited to have a little kitchen so we can make our own meals. Being vegetarian on Camino is HARD. Our meals have mostly been tortilla (spanish omelette), bread and cheese. Salads at restaurants all seem to have some form of meat so we are pretty excited to make our own.
We are going to spend the next few days exploring the city, museums and breaking in my new shoes. Olga will join us on Sunday and then we continue our Camino on Tuesday. I will try to keep you all updated on our city adventures (and Olga’s walking)
Here are some pics from the last few days:
