We have had so many experiences thus far on this Camino and yet we haven’t reached the halfway point. That milestone is approaching in the next two days. The variety and depth of experiences is hard to process because each day brings additional interactions and scenery not to mention slight changes in culture. Most of what all this means will have to wait until we arrive back home. For now each new day is to be lived from beginning to end until the next one arrives. The pace though will have to accelerate as the miles walked in the first 20 days will need to be covered in 14. There will be no more short rest days and several of our longest days are ahead. Carolyn set up the schedule and has done an excellent job of getting us to this point. We are stronger and more confident. A few more miles each day is a very doable task. Using her first experience on the Camino she has made excellent choices for our accommodations. At night we have rested well, something that is so important on long hikes..This next post will cover the 2 days from Fromista to Carrion de los Condes followed by 15 miles to Ledigos

As usual we left Fromista in the dark but this time we had a good breakfast at the hotel. Just about everywhere in Spain you can get a tortilla which is a potato and egg dish similar to quiche and quite tasty. Just outside the main part of town we took the more scenic optional path. On this route we came upon some friends from Kentucky, Lee and Molly, that we had met a couple of days before. Lee and I had a very deep discussion about our faith, simply sharing and listening. There was no agenda to change or declare a right viewpoint, only sharing without judgement. These kinds of conversations make significant bonds between people who probably would never have even interacted with each other except on a journey of this kind.

Along the way we also saw quite a few other people we knew in the little towns we passed through this day. One of closest of them was Shona, who has a set schedule different from ours and we discovered after today we will not see her again. We wished her well and will keep in touch with her after the Camino. Hopefully we can travel to England and see her again. The process of planning your Camino or simply walking and planning as you go is a decision each pilgrim has to make for themselves. It proved to be a little controversial amongst pilgrims and I will comment on that subject on my last post after we finish the journey.

The scenic path we chose today joins back into the main path at mile 10 beside a well traveled road near the town of Villalzacar de Sirga where the 13 century Knights Templar church of Santa Maria resides. This is a National Monument and houses the tombs of several members of Royalty within its walls.

The Path was easy today and we arrived at our destination, Carrion de Los Condes, around 2 o’clock. According to the Brierley book this town was once home to 10,000 people and had 14 hospitals serving the pilgrims on their way to Santiago. At some point in time it had been under rule of the Moors from Africa, who controlled parts of Spain for over 700 hundred years. It is here the movie El Cid about a Castillian warlord fighting Christians and Moors to restore his honor in the 11th century is loosely based . However I have read since then, the movie is mostly untrue. Having seen these places I am inspired to dig deeper into this period of Spain’s history.

Once in our hotel we changed shoes and went back out to have lunch at Cafe Naturale. Food choices have been a challenge in Spain. I have found several dishes that I really like but they are not always available. Carolyn too has been challenged to locate vegetarian options but this place fit both our desires. I was able to get a true American hamburger with a bun and fries and Carolyn had calamari and grilled vegetables. Afterwards, we cleaned up and attended a guitar concert at a local church which once again was sponsored to help artists entertain Pilgrims along the way. This night there was a concert of four acoustic guitarists from the Netherlands. What a joyful experience after this days walk! Tomorrow is 15 miles to Terradillos de los Ledigos with few stops along the way and our first climb in a few days…

A few pictures from Fromista to Carrion de los Condes

Once again we headed out under darkness and cold temperatures over roads built by the Romans toward Teradillos de los Templarios. This road, now covered with gravel, is 2000 years old. The path is a slow climb over 12 miles and finally a short steep climb into the town. There are wide open spaces for most of the way and one stop at Calzadilla, home to 60 people. Because this is the only stopping point, we had lunch here along with everybody else that passes this way. Ledigos is only 3 miles away and we arrive at 2:00 o’clock, averaging around 3 miles an hour. When there are no villages to stop along the way a quicker arrival time is possible

This evening we had dinner with Christian and Mary Ann from Denmark. We met them on our first night back in Borda on the French side of the Pyrenees. Mary Ann has to go back to work in a few days so they will be leaving at the half way point in Sagahun. Next year they will continue from there to Santiago. Sadly this will be the last time we see them. It was great to get to know them and if I remember correctly the only couple we saw the entire journey to this point. Tomorrow we will walk 15 miles to Berciano and pass the halfway point along the way…