A Day of Twists, Turns and Endurance
Well I got up this morning thinking I might stay in Aldeanueva del Camino to let my knee rest another day. The place I was staying was really nice, sheets on the bed, a night stand and a lamp. Also there wasn't much to do in the town so I figured I would actually stay off my feet and rest my knee. But I was drinking coffee and talking to Jerard Zegers, Iris, and the three Austrians and my feet started to itch. They wanted to be on trail. There was a 9.6km stage to Baños de Montemayor where there was an albergue. That's only six miles. I asked my knee if it felt like it could do six miles and it responded positively. Everybody else left and I began packing up. I removed several things from my pack to lighten the load. I figured I wasn't hungry and I figured I would eat when I got to Baños.
I got out of the albergue about 8:30am, which I didn't think was a big deal because I only had to walk six miles, that's about two and a half hours with taking pictures and stuff. I ended up walking 22km or almost 14miles. Lest you think this was just poor judgment on my part, let me explain or say something in my defense.
I was immediately thrilled as I started walking, feeling the wind in my hair and my feet on the ground, and that old familiar feeling of my body moving through space. Even though the first few miles were on the highway with only a tiny little strip to walk in outside the lane, there wasn't much traffic and there were lots of lovely and interesting things to look at. Then the trail went up this narrow, steep, rocky trail between large boulders. It was amazing. I climbed over the mountain and down into Baños de Montemayor.
I walked into town on the high way and followed the signs pointing to the tourist information office, so I could ask them where the albergue was located. The signs took me all around the town, then led me back to the highway about a half block from where I started. And I hadn't seen any sins of the albergue. Oh well. I walked across the highway to the tourist information office. I turned the handle to open the door and it didn't move, it was locked. Then I noticed a sign on the door that said the office would be closed from May 8 to May 12 and then it said in Spanish, "Sorry for the inconvenience." Well then. I went back across the street and sat on a bench to reconnoiter. I asked a passerby if he knew where it was and he said he didn't, but suggested I go to the plaza and ask at the bar there. So I did they said it was closed, but said there was a hostal, Hostal Terma that had special prices for peregrinos. They gave me directions, saying it was up the highway. I didn't eat at the bar, had an Aquarios, because I thought I would get settled at the hostal and go have lunch.
On the highway I saw this spa like place named La Terma, so I figured the hostal was attached, but I couldn't find a way in, there was only the entrance for the spa or baths. So I ask an employee who going yard work where the Hostal was. He pointed to the spa door. I went in and asked if there were any beds. They said I could have a bath for three euro, but they didn't have any beds.
So I went outside again and checked my app. It said there was a nice hostal 3km further on, so that did seem like, off I went. Off I went up the road, some man came up behind me and said,"Buen Camino!" I said, "Gracias," and confirmed with him that I was going the right way. Queen of Lost here is a little sensitive on the lost issue. Moments later I see all the smoke. I'm like, "Yikes, another fire. This is getting old and I don't want to sacrifice any more clothes, especially if I'm wearing them. But it was just someone burning trash or vegetation they had cleared. They do that in Spain. It is a major health problem, but nobody seems to notice, except me. I covered my nose and mouth but still inhaled some of the smoke. I was just hoping they weren't burning anything toxic or with chemicals. I was having trouble breathing. Of course the cause of that could be I was going up a steep hill.
After an hour I realized I should have seen that hostal it never materialized, but across the valley, on the highway was something that looked like a hostal. The Camino had gone off the highway. Oh well. At this point, there really wasn't anything to do but soldier on. I had snacks in my pack, but I've never really gotten into sitting y the side of the trail and eating. My knee still felt ok, so on I went. We are in the mountains now and the scenery was green, wet and varied it reminded me of the Camino Frances, especially the walk to Samos. There were beautiful rivers and it was warm turning hot. At one point I topped and dipped my thing I wear around my neck in a stream that was tumbling downhill over rocks by the side of the trail. The water was icy cold, but it felt good. There were a lot of water hazards, and one trail through high prickly vegetation to get around a water element. Water element is a landscape design term I've been using to make these things seem more friendly. lol
I kept thinking where is this place, Calzada de Béjar? It seemed like I had been walking forever. My knee hurt, though my knee keeps remind me it is not it, the knee, that hurts, it's my tendon. Whatever! Then I saw a sign that said Calzada de Béjar was only 1.7km, about a mile. Yay!! The sign did disclose the fact that most of that mile was up a steep rocky hill that had my muscles burning. Oh well. I hadn't eaten since the night before and I ran out of water, I was only sucking air from the tube to the water bag, just as I entered Calzada de Béjar! As I started through the village, I looked up and some of my Camino friends were standing in a yard hanging clothes and waving to me. I said, "Albergue?" They said, "Yes." And I waved my hands in the air let my head fall back and shouted, "Graciás Dios." They laughed. 
No comments:
Post a Comment