Day 18 To Villalcazar de Sirga
Day 18 Sept 26 Destination = Villalcazar de Sirga / 438 km to go. I didnt start out knowing my final destination today since I’m feeling pretty good, today I may ‘push it’ and go ‘long’. (Bad call) The weather, however, should be fabulous, and the terrain will be quite flat. I don’t have a room prebooked & that may also determine if I have to move on further down the line when I get at least 23 km out and find all habitationes ‘Completo’ - or full. Last nights (private room in Albergue above a not so ‘super’ mercado) lodging and sleep did the trick as I slept extremely soundly (during those segments of time I was actually asleep - bed 1.75m long… me 2m long… feet hang off bed frame 0.25m) I’m pretty sure I occupied one of my innkeepers children’s former rooms. I bought some goat cheese, nuts, a red pepper, a (more than) day old baguette, and an unlabelled bottle of wine that was 1.4 Euro (shared later in the evening with Martin)
“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” – Frank A. Clark
This map was along the roadside and covers the next 12 days. It nicely shows the many pueblos between the ‘stages’. Almost every town has at least one albergue. (I am planning a full day in Leon as a rest & sightseeing day). Additionally, I will cross the halfway point sometime in the next three days depending on how you count the total distance of my Camino. I spent last night at the town at the very bottom of the map - Itero de la Vega. To say it was sleepy was an understatement. Too tired to move on the the next town for better ‘options’. Good call, I had my own room, helped the local economy by buying some post dated provisions for dinner and my early morning desayuno before departure. Besides it rained pretty good by the time i settled into my room.
I never tire of the old signage and the countless pilgrims that have passed it. I am now one of ‘them’.
Very long canal on the Mesa… with daily ‘boat service’. Started in the 1700s finished somewhere around 1850 ! One such ‘barco’ passed me and the tooted the horn and they all waved to me and called “buen camino!”
Endless kilometers and kilometers of aqueducts irrigating the fields frequently seen along the camino. Must be thousands of kilometers of them. Most still appear to be in use to some degree
A ‘hand off’ of sorts (or handy storm shelter)
Really getting tired by 1400…today. I should learn the 20 to 24 km is my max per day for the rest of the journey . Left foot was kind of numb at the end of the day. Right pinky toe looking in rough shape. Talk of toenail abdication of the throne and threatening not to join me in Santiago . As I deviated from the road to take this picture one of the farmers shouted to me that I was going the wrong direction. The locals are always eager to help the wayward perigrino!
Today’s (ancient Roman) road was brutal for a couple of miles - exactly like driving over rumble strips for about two hours, but at least my shoes are drying out - only damp today - right front bumper delaminating… may have to buy some superglue at a supermercado
Had a great late lunch just prior to this bend in the trail. I was thoroughly ‘bushed’ and would have camped in their yard had I had a tent. Calories Now! I had 2 juevos, bacon, and potatas bravas WITH 2 glasses of Vino to lessen the aches before setting out again. Thanks to the vino I felt a siesta would have been in order but I could barely get up as it was. Ultreia! I still had a ways to go! I always like the trail best when it is single track. How many tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands have walked this over the centuries? Someday will my esposa, daughter, or son-in-law, or granddaughter walk their own Camino and pass by here as well?
That would be wonderful.
Cathedral de Santa Maria La Blanca A transition from Romanesque to Gothic style. Began in the second half of the 12th century and finished in the last third of the 13th century. The town‘s name “Sirga” makes a reference toward the path that leads to Santiago. This church has three naves crossed by a double transept with five sections wow! Arch ribbed vaults and dome construction absolutely amazes me think of all the wood that was used to get it set up before the keystones went in.
Me and ‘the dude’ we’re having a little bit of conversation before the church opens again at 1700. I said “Hey, Tiago wat up?” but he essentially chastised me - “hey, amigo, just do it, but take a chill pill, caballero, and Slow. Way. Down”. I went back down the hill a few blocks to my hostel, into the bar / restaurant area and had a very good chicken dinner, baguette, patata bravas, along with the ubiquitous and gratis pitcher of vino tinto. You can’t judge a book by its cover. The hostellero of this humble aged albergue did a good job and delivered the goods in spite of a significant shortage of toilette papele en lost banos en la mañana.
I would’ve liked to of gone into this little chapel but it was locked today on Sunday - go figure …..but I walked back to the door since there was a little keyhole that I was able to take a picture through to see what was inside
Oh my gosh I think it’s St Joan of Arc - one of my favorite cast of characters - reminded me of that favorite (Luc Besson) movie too. While I enjoyed the image and connection, I thought of the unbiblical theology of beatification while I looked through the hole in the ancient door.
NOTE: There are currently hundreds of unique visitors to my blog so a quick comment on religious commentary. I won’t. I won’t talk about my own theology in this blog as I’ve made my vision and reason for creating this website clear. To inspire others to walk their own camino.
That being said the whole of Camino IS theology for everyone I’ve met walking whether they have a personal or formalized religious view or not. Whether the peregrino or peregrina knows it or not. It IS embedded and woven into the very fabric of the road on this ‘pilgrimage’ - this is what the Bonhoeffer quote (below) illuminates so well. However, I may from time to time -with license - reference or quote a scripture that is in context to my experience or best captions a photo. Such is unavoidable.
Phil 2:12 …case in point
Noticia: I have finally given up on the idea of keeping a paper journal as it was too much effort at the end of the day to write and duplicate a lot of what I am putting on this website / blog. I’m now reserving the late afternoon, once I have arrived at my lodging, to update my blog, correct prior typos, and take a siesta before dinner.
So here is a good faith disclosure:
Since I will be now capturing more of my random thoughts throughout the day there will be a marked increase in inane, pedantic, and vacuous ruminations which will be self-serving as documentation for a future date (for me) when I can no longer remember the beautiful details and minutiae of each of these days. Such is the nature of memory, I hear.
… So, that being said it may appear from time to time that I am either rambling or losing my mind. Among some I know, this is no longer even being debated.
Water under the puente (bridge) or down this canal as ‘they’ say.
