I wake feeling very well rested to the sounds of 30 people stirring around in the room. I'm amazed that I've slept this late but it was apparently what I needed.
After I pack things up, I head in for a quick breakfast & then Eduardo totals my bill and gives me the special envelope. Bed, hot shower, laundry, amazing dinner, and breakfast all in a beautiful setting for 25 euros, on credit no less. You just can't beat that. He gives me directions, smiles his big smile and then says, "See you soon, in Hawaii!"
As I head off for Fromista, the sky is crisp and clear. We all discussed the forecasts for the next few days at breakfast and it looks like things will continue to improve. The walking is getting so much easier for my body and feet to endure each day and then recover from, and with the terrain mostly flat now, the only thing left to worry about is weather. I feel so at ease on the Camino now, it's taken 20 days for me to settle in.
I get into Fromista, get cash, go to the pharmacia to replenish my Compeed and to get new cream for dry, cracked hands. My final errand is to go to the bar and pay off my debt, I also plan to have a second breakfast while I'm there. The bar is nice, I hand over the envelope to a woman who says, "Ah, yes, for Eduardo!" And then he brings me tortilla, Napoleontana, cafe con leche, and a queso, jamon, & tomato Bocadillo to go.
Life is good! I have 200 euro, which makes me feel wealthy after being down to 8 for two days, I have clean laundry, I have all the pharmacy supplies I need, I have a full belly full of food, and I have my next meal. I'm really not sure that it gets any better than this on the Camino.
I start off again and continue on another 15k before stopping for a break. Most of the path is just flat gravel road that runs alongside the road, so it's not very eventful. This is a nice change though as my mind is just free to wander. Along the way, I do see a very sweet small church off by itself in the trees and I had another sheep encounter. This time we met while crossing a bridge.
I made a good choice when I stopped because as I enter the bar I see Tim & Beth who have just settled. They are just as excited to see me as I am them. The day has been a long solo walk, it's nice to see familiar faces. Several local people come in just after me an the small bar gets very loud so we move outside. There is enough time for us to exchange stories and photos about children, they have three grown children as well, but I still don't manage to find out how he learned his Spanish.
As I am leaving town, another couple stop me and ask if I'll take a photo for them. While taking the photo, I apparently laid my thin running gloves down & then left them. When I realize this I am absolutely devastated and about 5k down the road. The thin gloves have been my saving grace every morning when I set out early in the cold. Another Camino donation that I'm really not very happy about.
It begins to get overcast and colder and looks like it could rain at any moment. It's so funny how quickly things can change on the Camino. I start to move as quickly as possible and then I see a large mob of people up in the distance on the path. A sheer moment of panic strikes as I think it's a tour group and they are going to arrive in Carrion just before me and fill up all the albergues. As I move closer though, I can see that they are children and it appears that they are standing sill waiting for me to reach them. When I get to them they are all smiles and one little boy asks if I speak Spanish, I answer "un poco" for a tiny bit, and ask if they speak English. When I do several of them shout, "Hello!" and then smile. The same little boy asks where I'm from and when I say Hawaii, they all begin to hula or pretend to surf. We attempt to talk a little bit more and then the teacher (it was a group of school children with their teacher) prompts them to let me move along. They ask if they can walk with me and I say, "Absolutely! or I mean, Si, Gracious!" And then he says, "we walk with you and we sing, okay?" It just doesn't get any better. They marched right along with me and sang this song which had a certain cadence to it and periodically, I could make out "Coca Cola!" (I made a very short video of them, sadly it was the end of my day & the darn phone died. I will post it on my fb page) I did talk with the teacher and learn that they were all from Carrion and were on a Camino field trip for the day, to walk along with and talk to the pilgrims. Just another magical day on the Camino!
It was so much fun, and before I knew it I was standing in front of Monesterio Santa Clara, tired, but very happy. I get a private room with no laundry, dinner, or breakfast for 22 euro. Not a great deal, but it's late and I'm happy enough to have a bed.
Take my shower and lay with my feet on the headboard while I look at the map & make my dinner plans. After a bit I head out and find wifi, amazing pimento rellanos, and the two beautiful Canadian boys all in the same bar. They are exhausted, Josh is literally asleep, head down on the table.
On my way back to the Monastery, I pop in a shop to buy a pair of pink fuzzy gloves in the window, and my young English speaking friend is in the store. His parents own the store and he takes great pride in introducing me to them and telling them where I'm from. He then takes my gloves from me and removes the tags ever so carefully with scissors. I like this boy!
When I walk out I almost run into Kathy & Wayne from Canada. I haven't seen them in ages, but it's very comforting to know they are here. We started in St. Jean Pied de Port together, and met just after getting off the train. It's nice to know that they haven't had any injuries or problems and it's also nice to know they aren't days ahead of me at this point. They give me hugs and ask all the kind, caring pilgrim questions about feet, blisters & rashes. I tell them how good it is to see someone that I started with and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
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