Day 12 - Santovenia de Oca to Burgos

 Santovenia de Oca is an enchanting, small village, slightly off the main path with one basic but very well-run hostel. There were about eight of us in the dormitory and I had an excellent meal with three of them, two Canadian women and an Australian chap, originally from Zimbabwe and a real advocate for all things African.

At a table on the other side of the restaurant were another two of our room mates, an Italian couple with and age difference of about 30 years. The three of us enjoyed speculating if they were father and daughter or whether there was a sugar daddy thing going on. If the latter, my heart goes out to the young lady as I was later to discover that the volume of this chap’s snoring must be nothing short of a medical miracle.

Well into week two and as I amble along, I find myself falling into a quiet contemplation of aspects of my life, some I can view with pleasure and pride, others engender a certain sense of disappointment. There are many people you meet on the path who are happy to share their life experiences, perhaps because of the ‘safe space’ that characterises ‘Pilgrim’ relationships. The Camino seems to attract thoughtful, questioning individuals who are good to talk to and helpfully, who you’ll probably never see again!

Short and rather dull section today with the path running along a main road past fields and factories to Burgos, a big industrial town. Hostel doesn’t open until four, so I think I’ll go and get a haircut.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 3 - Thoughts from Pamplona

Image
The Albergue El Palo De Avellano in Zubiri was excellent and very full. Eight beds in our room, multinational snoring was well moderated, and I avoided a top bunk, which is always something to be grateful for.  Dinner was an improvement on yesterday, a Danish ski instructor, a young American Civil Engineer, an Australian homeopath, a couple of Canadian retirees and a selection of inscrutable Swiss and Chinese. The good (and not entirely surprising) news is that everyone hates, I mean really hates Trump! Another 20km today, good to get some of these shorter ones in early to help the body acclimatise and so far, so good.  Today’s companion was a Canadian chap; apparently, he still holds the sales record for some kind of industrial widget and remains bitter and twisted about his divorce 20 years ago, verging on the misogynistic, I’d say. The endless YouTube Camino advice videos you can get should include one on the etiquette for getting rid of exceptionally dull pilgrims who lat...
Read more

Day 1 - Thoughts from Roncesvalles

Image
I survived my night in the plan B albergue surprisingly well – probably my first night in a dormitory since boarding school. My French friend was delivering a consistent B flat, the Mexican a C sharp, and the bloke of uncertain nationality who claimed the final bed in our room at around midnight, I would assess as D with a slight vibrato. I escaped early and was on the road a little before dawn, I was not the first on the path, several wispy figures moved in and out of the mist in front of me as we started into the Pyrenees. The word is that the first day can be the toughest, and I have to tell you, the narrow roads leading into the mountains are seriously steep. To provide context for the cyclists amongst you, even Jeremy Gittins with his revitalised knee and a rear sprocket the size of a dinner plate would have had to get off and walk. What a fantastic morning, as the mist cleared, the Pyrenees materialised in all their majestic glory for the little collections of pilgrims on the p...
Read more

Thoughts from St. Jean Pied de Port

Image
So here I am in the queue at the pilgrim’s office in St. Jean Pied de Port to get my ‘Pilgrim Passport’, the document that makes me an official pilgrim – and clearly, given how long I’ve been standing here, many appear to be seeking the answer to life, the universe and everything, not surprising given the state of the world. Left Jack and Liv’s place in London at about 06:30 and the Journey was all pretty smooth, apart from the gentlemen of passport control at Biarritz who had taken it upon themselves to induct everyone into the new Schengen electronic visa system – absolute chaos. The Hostel (with the rather suboptimal name of ‘plan B’) seems fine, clean and tidy. Sharing with a French guy who doesn’t speak English or Spanish and a Mexican who doesn’t speak French or English so should be a peaceful evening! You know it feels strange standing here with all these people, all nationalities, all ages, and all doing the Camino for their own important reasons I’m sure. Life has been so hec...
Read more