| 08/06/03 |
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I had a big ole' insomnia attack last night, got in bed around 8 pm but fell asleep only around 1 am. If it hadn't been for a bunch of rude pilgrims stumbling in, turning on the light and loudly talking while undressing and packing their stuff, I would've been asleep around ten. Un-be-lievable. It comes as no surprise that those pilgrims are Spanish. The hospitalero arrived on the scene after about 15 minutes, read them the articles and turned off the light which more or less shut them up. I turned this way and that way and the other way around and finally fell asleep only to be woken up around 4 am by extremely early leavers. Sigh. I finally got up around 5.30 but only got on the road an hour later. It's still dusk. We walk the 4 km to the abbey of Benevivere along the carretera, I up the tempo a bit and get there after about an hour where I rest a bit. The sun is slowly rising, highlighting the pretty purple flowers along the road.
The camino now braches off from the main road and turns into a gravel path for the next 13 km. It's flat flat flat as far as the eye reaches and except for some poor lonesome trees, there is nothing, nada, niks. O...kay. I fear this will be a mindless walk. My feet aren't happy with the uneven gravel and dozens of small mosquitoes think I'm a walking amusement park as they play slide and springboard with my head and face. Bloody bugs.
After about an hour I'm about ready to collapse, when -miracle of miracles- a concrete bench and table appears (and about 20kg of garbage). I rest for about 15 minutes with two Dutch ladies. Geez, my feet hurt but I can't keep sitting around, there are still many kilometres to go and it's already getting warmer so I go on and cross a tarmac road. This makes me happy as it means I've already done about 10 km. Yay. On we go, slow and difficult. My muscles seem to pull the wrong way, my blisters burn and it's heating up. The mosquitoes won't stop bothering me and it's so endlessly flat. Tiresome. You look at the same row of trees for an hour and they don't get any closer. I rest again on a concrete block next to a dried-out brook. This country is dead and over farmed, water won't stay here. There are a lot of birds though. It's gotta be hell here by the end of June and later.
I rest a lot today. Suddenly, the roof of a tower appears above the horizon. Aha, could that be the tower of the cemetery? I walk on and the road disappears somewhere down, a step and another step and *gasp* it's the roof of the church tower! Halleluiah!! I made it! Woohoo! The road suddenly dips about 50m and in the bowl lays Calzadilla. You don't even know you're there until you're right on top of it. The refugio only opens at 1 pm so I sit around a bit on a bench. This was a hard bit.
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| 09/06/03 |
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After much pondering and doubting I break down in Terradillos de los Templarios.
I get up around 6.20 in the morning, everyone seems to take their ease and get going around 7.30. It's nippy and good walking weather. The first 6 km to Ledigos go without a hitch, my tempo is good and the views are very nice. The camino goes along the road but it's nice and not a painful path. I rest a bit in Ledigos, have a bite to eat and go on. Ja tereire. Suddenly, my foot decides enough is enough, my blister hurts a lot, my muscles pull the wrong way and I sweat too much.
The next three kilometres to Terradillos drag painfully and I'm happy to see the church. Thankfully, the refugio has a garden and bar where I can rest up a bit. I plunk down and half-decide to stay here. After buying some food in the small shop I decide to go on to Sahagun. I sit around a bit longer and suddenly the two Dutch ladies come in accompanied by a German lady. They decide to stay. I change my mind once more and stay also. One of the ladies forgot her credencial in the hotel last night but the owner suddenly appears by car to return it to her. That's nice. We basically sit around, eating olives and waiting for the refugio to open.
I'm glad I decided to stay and take the opportunity of doing absolutely nothing today. Heaven.
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| 10/06/03 |
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I had a great night's sleep and got up around 6.30, had a small breakfast and on. There's a lot of wind today which is making my eyes and nose run. The road is nice but after three days of endless wheat- and whateverfields I'd like to look at something else. The camino runs parallel to the road but it's so tranquil it doesn't matter. I have my first rest in Moratinos and eat some delicious apricots. My feet are keeping up but my blisters are still painful.
After crossing a bridge we find ourselves in the province of Léon. I can see Sahagun in the distance. We cross a Romanesque (rebuilt) bridge next to a nice Ermita where I eat the rest of my apricots in company of the Dutch and German ladies. A final push to Sahagun as it's already getting hot. The refugio is in the Iglesia de la Trinidad, a deconsecrated church. It looks nice but the showers are so-so. Oh well, for three euro, one can't complain.
I take a walk through the town to San Tirso and the arc which are in a very bad state and crumbling. I go for lunch where I bump into my Dutch ladies again so we end up having lunch together. Very nice.
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| 11/06/03 |
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I didn't have a great night's sleep and only left around 7 am. Sleeping in an old church is nice and all but the bathrooms were rather dirty and smelly. Anyway, there is a fresh breeze on the way to Calzada del Coto to which we walk on a gravel path (again). Along the sides of the road grows a shoulder-high weed with yellow flowers and another yellow-flowered weed with a strong sweet smell. Calzadilla del Coto appears rather quickly which - if I want to avoid following the Camino Frances Réal - I shouldn't enter otherwise I'm stuck on the old roman road. I manage to navigate a large busy intersection and find myself on the correct road. Flat, gravel, lined with young poplar trees that provide shade if the sun is right. It's a bit kitsch but I can appreciate the concrete benches placed every 500m. The next village is Bercianos del Real Camino 5.5 km further. The air is starting to heat up but it's okay. My tempo is decent and after a rest at an Ermita before Bercianos, I can cross the village without stopping. Village is a big word though for about two dozen adobe houses and a crumbling church. But, people still live here and there are children so it's not dead yet. The walk through the village is hot as the asphalt reflects the heat. The concrete benches along the road are hot too but when you're tired I can assure you don't care.
The road stretches away in the distance as far as the eye can see, a straight line of poplars. It's rather depressing. But I really have to reach El Burgo Ranero today so I will have to cover the next 8 km. As the route is not very inspiring I let my mind wander only to be yanked back to the present when a large green lizard shoots across the road. Holy Shmoly! That thing was at least 30 cms long not counting the tail, yikes. I can hear them rustle in the dry grass but can't get another glimpse at them. Did I mention I have my own team of cheerleaders? It's a small cloud of mosquitoes that calmly swarm along with me and stop when I stop. Isn't this fun?!
As I'm getting very tired, I decide to rest up two days in Leon. I want to be rested before I attempt the Cordillera.
The sun is starting to scorch and the air seems to boil; I have to rest a lot. Luckily, I soon catch view of the church and enter the village itself after another kilometre where I'm greeted by a confusing array of arrows. I follow the arrow pointing to the albergue but run astray. I dredge up my rudimentary Spanish when I see a local and after "donde esta"-ing and wandering about my eye falls on parasols and backpacks. Thar’ she blows! I'm the eight' to arrive but the refugio only opens around 1 pm. Luckily, the bar is open and I order a cerveza and tapas. Yummy. The Swiss (ex-German) lady got here before me and after half an hour my two Dutch ladies arrive also. There is a smallish struggle when the refugio opens as the hospitalero seems a bit overwhelmed but 5 euro and a stamp later I have my bed. The refugio fills up in under an hour. Shower, wash and phone call and it's 2 pm. I order another bunch of tapas which I share with the cutest saddest hungriest stray cat. Poor thing. If I didn't have such a long way to go, I'd take it with me. But, impossible so I give it my tortillas and shrimp making sure it at least gets a decent meal for once.
The albergue is an adobe house, the rood supported by a wooden construction garnished with dust- and spider webs, a fact which I ignore if I want to get some sleep.
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| 12/06/03 |
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I slept really badly as it was too warm and my leg hurt. It started raining somewhere after midnight which cooled things down enough so I could catch some sleep. I get up around 5.30 and leave at 6.10. It's still dusk and wet even though my thermometer already indicates 18°C. I keep my tempo rather high to get as many kilometres behind me as possible while it's still more or less cool. After an hour I have my first of many rests. I fear it won't be easy today, walking is hard and my body hurts.
There seems to be some froggy meeting going on as they're making a lot of noise, the birds are also doing their uttermost and here and there lizards scoot away in the bushes. Also, bugs - flying ants this time - love me again.
After a long walk, I cross the railroad which means we're getting close to Reliegos but all I see are fields. I struggle on. The sun is up and heating things up. Up a hill, down a hill, up a hill and suddenly the entire valley opens up. I see Reliegos, Mansilla de las Mulas and in the far distance I glimpse Leon as a large smoggy spot in the further valley. Wonderful. Everyone heads into the bar at the next village and I follow suite. I have some excellent coffee, french toast and tortilla, a better breakfast than a few muesli bars.
The next six kilometres are hard, it's hot and the village doesn't seem to be getting any closer. My feet hurt and I rest several times and the last kilometre or so leads us on scorching smelly asphalt. The crucero in the village has a fairly ironic statue of three tired pilgrims lying at its feet. Hm. I find the refugio easy and they let us in after about 15 minutes. The room sleeps about 20 people in bunk beds. After a lukewarm shower and some footcare I go get lunch where I'm joined by the Dutch ladies Nan and Rie and the Swiss lady Margaretha.
As it's too hot to do anything after lunch, I rest up in the refuge until six pm. I fear it's going to be another hot and sleepless night. It's time I leave the meseta behind me and enter the cooler Galicia (where I'll probably curse the rain). I do some more shopping and wander around aimlessly. It rains shortly but a few minutes later the streets are dry enough to make me doubt my eyes. I decide to see the Ermita where I luck out in finding it opened for a group of German tourists. A few pictures and off.
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| 13/06/03 |
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After a long hot uncomfortable night, I get up around 5.30. Halfway through packing, Yvonne the Canadian tells me she and her sister will take the bus to Leon. I take stock of my situation: my Achilles tendons hurt, I'm tired, my feet hurt and it's going to be hot today (38°C in Leon, up to 44°C in Granada) and I decide to join them. We wait for the bus which gets there at 8, load up the backpacks and drive 25 minutes over a distance that would take me 5 hours to walk. Depressing. I see Margaretha walking on the road along the way amongst all the other pilgrims I met yesterday. I'm a bit disappointed but I know that my health is more important than being obstinate.
Once in Leon, the search for a cheap hotel begins. I follow my guidebooks advice and head first to the creepy-looking Hotel Oviedo, njet. Then to the hostal on the second floor where no one opens when I ring the bell, njet again. Up to Plaza Francisco where Pension Sandoval is also hermetically closed. In the mean time I've located the cathedral and the post office. I finally locate Hotel Don Guzman el Bueno which is open and which has a free room. Yay. I dump my backpack and explore a little. I accidentally find myself in the San Isidore cathedral where I fall in love with the remains of the Romanesque absis captured in the actual church. I then go on to THE cathedral which is very imposing. It's very dark inside which comes as a surprise. I imagined the stained glass windows to be lighter but they used a lot of dark blues and reds. Of course, photographs are prohibited and not enough postcards are being sold. I don't stay very long as I didn't bring my guidebook but decide to have some breakfast.
I decide to seek out the post office and pick up my mail which - as luck would have it - arrived today, for the first time they ask me to sign for it. Great, guidebook, vitamins, funeral card and letter. I head back to the hotel; my room is small but very decent with a shower and TV. I rest until 3 pm, have lunch, phone home and visit the cathedral with guide in hand. The windows are really wonderful; my favourite had green and red leaves against a dark blue field. The Museo Dioscesano was also worth visiting, featuring Romanesque and gothic art that was rescued out of the crumbling churches around Leon. Especially beautiful were an ivory Madonna, a sober Romanesque pieta, Romanesque frescoes and a long-tressed Saint Lucy. The visit was guided, but in Spanish. After the visit, I luck out as I get to witness a wedding accompanied by a very fine choir. I finally stumble back to the hotel around 9 pm. I'm exhausted.
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| 14/06/03 |
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I slept well, for once and after a quick shower I head to the post office to send some stuff home. Another bi-lingual (English Spanish) pilgrim helps me out and I end up sending 2.8kg home. Good riddance, I hope it helps. After a quick breakfast of coffee and mediocre croissants I head over to the San Isidore to view it from all sides. It really is very nice but the museum and pantheon are even nicer, especially the beautiful frescoes and glorious wooden Romanesque St Anne with both the Madonna and Christ in her lap. Quite exquisite was also a wooden reliquary with ivory plaques and an ivory Christ Pantocrater. The library can boast some gorgeous gigantic medieval Cantors. I'm literally drooling.
After the extensive visit, and as my feet and body are complaining, I rest up at a bar where a Heineken goes straight to my head? I only hope I didn't put too much nonsense on the postcards. This is a lazy day.
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| 15/06/03 |
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I wake up with a slight turista problem caused by - I suspect - some undercooked spaghetti Bolognese I had yesterday in a bar. I pop some Imodium and ercefuryl and hope it'll sort itself out.
I visit the San Marcos, the old monastery and Pilgrim's hospital which was turned into a magnificent parador. If I only had the money.... The lobby boasts a splendid mudejar wooden ceiling.
The museum was limited, some Neolithic pottery, and roman steles and coins, some Romanesque to baroque religious art, a pretty Flemish primitive triptique and a nice ivory Christ.
Another lazy day, which I need.
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