Somewhere Slowly

After a quick breakfast of café con leche, Aquarius and some bread and jamón, we made our way out in the dusk. I did feel better, though not great, and attributed it to going more or less without food for two days and having the camino flu. I loved being back on the road again though!

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I was looking forward to seeing Moratinos again, now that the bodegas have been refurbished. I also kept a keen eye out for Rebekah from Big Fun in a tiny Pueblo, hoping to at least say hi and thank you for all she does for pilgrims – hosting the Ditch Pigs camino clean-up every autumn, instigating and fund raising for pilgrim related projects, doing a lot of good. As well as writing and translating fascinating camino themed books! Thank you, Rebekah!

As it was, there were so many people filling the chairs outside the nearest bar, and so many milling around the bodegas, we just kept on walking. It becomes the default setting – moving, walking, always a little bit further.

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It was yet another hot, brilliant, clear blue sky day and I was so glad to be out on the road with my walking mate again. We met people it felt like I hadn’t seen for ages, after being off trail for two days! Hopefully this was it and I would be back to normal from now on. I still took care what I ate so I wouldn’t aggravate the camino flu or whatever made me ill.

When we got to Sahagún and checked in, it was already three o’clock. The next day was a long one – another 30 km to Reliegos – and the Scouse Spouse suggested we walk a bit further, to cut down on tomorrow’s walk. I was less enthusiastic; it was hot and I still didn’t feel a hundred percent, so in the end he decided he should go and see how far he got. He also wanted to find the church where they award half-way certificates, while I just wanted to sit down and rest. Just as we walked past this bar, a familiar voice called out – it was the Irish gentleman with the blisters who I had shared a taxi with from Fromista to Carrion. So I stayed with him for a chat while the Scouse Spouse went off to burn some kilometres off tomorrow’s walk.

When he returned, he had cut about ten kilometres off the distance and got a taxi back, then found the church and got the half-way certificate, while I had only managed to get through a plate of chicken and vegetables. We had another drink with our Irish blistered friend before he went off to the communal dinner at the albergue, and then we wandered back to our own room to get ready for the next day.