Day 5 – Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de Templario
Slept well in Espíritu Santo, and got an early start to the day. Knee did better (dryer day), and I was first to the Albergue in Terradillos this day.
I notice I’ve been running into 5-time camino veteran, Francisco, from Italy. He is usually first out the door, and walks with such long strides that he seems to glide over the camino with ease.
Francisco has a cool and collected demeanor and has been a good resource on discerning towns and albergues to top in.
Francisco has been unemployed for the last six years, and he and I connected immediately because I have some experience in that area…
We talked about “the glass wall” and what it feels like to be “on the outside looking in.” I think this is why I empathize so much with the homeless now, moreso than before my bankruptcy… I know what it feels like to be unheard and disenfranchised.
The good thing about Francisco, similar to myself when I went through the same ordeal, is that he has chosen to stay active and to focus on activities, like the camino, that give him health and perspective in the midst of his trial.
Francisco and I left Espíritu Santo around 5:30 am… and he soon disappeared ahead of me in the morning darkness.
Just outside of town I saw a grouping of bobbling headlamps, stopping and looking around frequently, and taking wrong directions repeatedly before getting back on the camino.
I quickly gained on them as I was waking by the twilight mostly, and had a better eye for where the camino markers might be, and I noticed that the bobbling headlamps began to bobble and swivel more and more as I approached, and I was thinking I had a nervous bunch ahead of me.
It turns out that this was a Spanish family with two young kids and a very protective and uncertain dad leading or following the way. I’ve ran into them a few times, and I always try to give them a warm greeting when I walk by, but dad is always ready to defend. I suppose I’ll be the same, or perhaps more with the occasional passing cars than with the pilgrims.
After passing them up I quickly found myself on the vía Aquitania, an original Roman highway, which covered at least 18 of the 26k that I walked yesterday.
For me, the long, straight, mostly flat, and somewhat treeless stretch was a welcome chance to listen to Don Quijote on audiobook. I have an excellent translation and narration and it’s like a 40 hour long story with a seemly endless number of digressions filled with rich prose and poetry that eventually tie out into a beautiful literary work which marks western societies transition from pre to modern worldview.
This particular morning I was listening to the penance of Don Quijote, where he intended to have Sancho watch him perform a number of acrobatic feats naked (as penance and also proof of his madness), where Sancho only witnessed the first feat, with Quijote doing summer salts or cartwheels in a meadow. This is one of 100’s of hilarious scenes in the book. This is my second time listening, and I’m also slowly working through the book in its original Castilian form.
At the end of the vía Aquitania i found a great breakfast place, the first place that refused to serve a tortilla española, but instead served, fresh made, a tortilla francesa (an omelette without the potatoes). She prided herself, rightly so, on the tortilla, as typically, bars and restaurants are serving day+ old tortillas, and sometimes even cold.
I finally made it to Terradillos de Templarios, where I found the perfect little private albergue, Jacques de Molay, with a relaxing central garden, a roof terrace, and a coffee bar. Stilled in bunk rooms, nut luxury by pilgrim standards, and for $8 euro/night. I’ve mostly been staying at municipal albergues for $5 euro.
Later in the afternoon I had a gentleman in our bunk room that collapsed mid sentence and almost cracked his scull on the radiator… It turns out it was a blood sugar issue, but passing so quickly from good conversation to a falling tree was jolting, and a good reminder to cherish each moment that we have with one another. This pilgrim plans to make it all the way to Santiago, FYI.
Finally, finished the day with Jean & Christine from France, where I got to brush up a bit on my language l, but Jean also speaks excellent Spanish as he learned it while courting his wife who is Mexican.
I feel my body getting a bit stronger with each day ok the camino… some days worse than others, but on average, improving.
Next morning headed to Burgo de Ranero… 31k walk…