Eight of us in the dorm last night and another champion snorer revealed himself , a Canadian guy. John actually woke him up to try to stop him snoring , which worked for about 5 minutes until he went back to sleep again. One of the four German guys in the room went so far as to take his own mattress out into the hallway to try to get some sleep. That didn’t work either. I knew I’d spoken too soon when I said I was getting used to it .
When I rose at 7.00am I was more than usually numb below the waist and I also noticed that I’d gotten my first blister after 250 miles. My body was sending me messages so a short day was planned. I set off walking with John , a group of Germans and a big Austrian guy who would make a good Templar Knight. This guy had a hand held GPS device and was keen to go ” off piste ” so that he could miss some of the roadside paths , the so called ” senda”. We took his lead and followed a path through fields that was certainly more scenic though longer , not helped by the fact that we had to remove our boots and socks to ford a river that didn’t show up on his GPS. I got chatting to the Austrian guy who told me he had already walked 1100km from Le Puy. His intention was to walk not just to Santiago but onward to The Camino Portugues , then walk further to the south coast of Spain , catch a ferry over to Morocco and continue walking. I asked him why he was walking The Camino and he told me a tragic tale. His wife had been killed in a road traffic accident 18 months previously , 6 months before she had been due to qualify as a doctor. He had been so depressed thereafter that he’d though often of taking his own life. He said it was only the thought of the upset it would cause his Mother that had stopped him. So for him The Camino was a form of therapy and after 6 weeks of walking and talking to other Pilgrims he said he felt much better. I’ve heard a few sad stories on The Camino so far but I think that’s the saddest yet.
On a cheerier note one of my fellow Pilgrims appears to have found love on The Camino. He met a lady from the US on the very first day’s walking and they got on like a house on fire , spending two weeks walking together. She just had the two weeks holiday so returned home but they have been texting each other daily since she left and have every intention of continuing what has started. There are lots of single people of all ages on The Camino and I guess with the long days of walking and talking it’s no great surprise close relationships form.
I’m staying in the convent hostel in Sahagun tonight and have just enjoyed a communal meal with a lovely couple , Servan and Edith from Nantes in France , five Australians , a German lady and a really great guy from Oregon named Forrest. The wine seems to have got the blood flowing to my legs again so I’m looking forward to another 20+ km tomorrow.
Buenas noches amigos.
iwouldwalk500mls 
Hi Doc,
Therapy – yeah, by David Lodge. If not read yet, then when you get back.You might wish to read it when you’ve settled down after you’ve had time to adjust back to our world. Good thinking laterally, go off piste whenever the fancy takes you, it may be longer but its usually more rewarding. Congrats on the Camino pequeno! Now, gird up the whatever it is you gird and start to look forward to Los Montes de Leon, they’re a blast. Buen viaje!
Funnily enough Michael it was a TV programme on The Camino by David Lodge nearly 20 years ago that first sparked my interest.
Just to demonstrate that many are following your lead, Tina and Jane navigated succesfully to Ikea last night, albeit by automomobile rather than on foot. They then found themselves following the one way route around the swedish retailer in a very Camino like way. They avoided the lure of the Warrington refugio by buying more meatballs and coming home.
Ha ha , I’ve done the Ikea Camino many times myself. A very tough section , even more of a mental challenge than The Meseta I’d say.