Nothing clever or profound to report. Two long days of walking and I am in Beldorado. Two days from Burgos. Crossed into Castilla y Leon today. Adios La Rioja!
Not ashamed to have stayed at the Parador in Santo Domingo last night. My life philosophy is that if you are in a town with a Parador hotel you are required to stay there. Its a rule. I don’t make the rules.
My knee is holding up well. And surprisingly my achilles on my right leg is also doing just great. Usually I would be in fits over it. Not this time. And I think I know why. I am wearing my REI rain gators, rain or shine. My Achilles are staying warm in this cold wind. No complaints.
I brought a light down jacket to wear under my Arc’teryx rain shell. And I am finding I really didnt need the down jacket, just the shell to stave off the wind and rain. I stay toasty inside. And it has pit zips. A must on a trek such as this. If you are in the US planning your Camino you might consider this jacket here. This is the mens version but the women’s is similar.
The Camino isn’t about who you are when you start. It’s about who you are when you finish. I feel it doing its work on me already. Shaving off sharp edges. Making me grateful for the views, the people, and private rooms so I can spend an hour with my legs up a wall. And for the quiet. The blessed quiet.
After two long days every cell in my body is vibrating, but my mind is silent. The meditation of six hours straight of the clicking of my poles on the trail, waves from tractor drivers in every field, and old men who stop me to have a chat – so proud of the villages they were likely born in – has put me in an odd state of bliss. And tomorrow I will smile, waking up to do it all over again.
Viva Espana 