Day 23: Leon to San Martín del Camino (26.1 km/ 16.2 miles)

April 15, 2017

Today’s lesson was that if I talk a lot, it makes time go by so much faster. I had the pleasure of walking with Molly from Canada again, we talked the entire 26+ km! It was so refreshing getting to talk to her about my inner struggles and share parts of myself without any judgement. And to have her share as well. If only more people realized that sharing yourself is such a gift to the world!

We started the day around 7:15ish. Again I had a rough night of sleep. It was hot and sticky and loud. I swear Spainards don’t sleep, OUTSIDE OF SIESTAS! Haha! After the Good Friday procession I thought they would quiet down (it was an ALL day event.) NOPE. There were still people drunk and partying when we left in the morning.

Our walk wasn’t scenic at all. We had mostly industrial buildings to look at. But again, it could be a metaphor for life. We aren’t always having a wonderful time. Sometimes we have to work but it helps us appreciate when we get to have fun aka see beautiful scenary.

We took 2, one hour breaks during the day. I gotta say that is amazing. And it helps prevent blisters. After our second break, I noticed I had 2 more blisters forming. We named them Michel and Matej, aka M&M, hah! The shit you do when you’re walking all day— name your blisters after the 2 guys hiking with you.

We arrived to town before I realized we had been walking for almost 7 hours (including our breaks.)

During one of the breaks, myself, Molly and Matej realized we will all have time to hike to Finisterre. You see it was an idea I had to hike to Finisterre and Muxia after santiago. But with my day off in Burgos and then breaking up two 30+ km into multiple days, I had resigned to taking a bus. But then we did the math AND I DO HAVE TIME. Boy oh boy did that bring a wonderful smile to my face 😆

After arrive around 2pm, I was able to lay out in the sun, read and listen to music.

Then the group gathered for dinner at one of the 2 restaurants in this town. The bartender told us he was a pilgrim last year and returned to this little town to work afterwards. So interesting how many people you meet were pilgrims or know someone who was a pilgrim. In the USA I know of 4 people who did it. And many of them were friends of a friend. It’s a shock to even talk to someone in the States who knows what the Camino is.

I am sitting here a bit socially drained. I love the people around me but I need to find a balance of having quiet space to think. I came here to reflect. When I am around a large group I find myself lost trying to follow all the conversations. The past couple of days have been filled with more socializing than introspection. I really want more time to ponder what the hell I want to do with my life when I return in May.

So tomorrow I will hike by myself. I am looking forward to the solitude, AND THE LAST DAY IN THE DESERT!

Just a beautiful building in Leon. Reminded me of San Francisco. Had to share!