A Million Steps

….and man, does it feel like it! I feel great! My back is strong. My knees are doing well. I’m not slathering my body with Tiger Balm (analgesic cream) or downing the Ibuprofen anymore. Everyday is fairly easy after the initial warmup in the morning. The meseta has been very peaceful with warm sunshine and a cool breeze. The past two days an easy 12 miles each. 
Last night we stayed in a sleepy little village with very few beds to offer the tired pilgrims who came stumbling into town through early evening. Many were turned away to walk or taxi to the next town. Some slept two in a tiny, twin bed and some slept outside on the steps of the cathedral. We were so grateful to have arrived early enough to get beds! 
Our friend, Nadav from Israel cooked a family dish for lunch called Shashooka. It was so delicious! I love how so many here want to share their culture through shared meals.
Later, we heard there was a bar in town run by two Irish sisters. The rumor was that not only did they have good food but there would be live music! So, our plan was to scout it out then go back to the albergue to get organized for the next day’s departure. Once there, we were immediately offered a cold drink by Emma, one of the sisters. An Irish couple we’d met a few days prior was there helping set up for the night’s dinner. So, we stayed and enjoyed the lively company. As the night went on we ended up at a table with five Irish people. The night was filled with laughter, good food and music. After the main act, Nadav got up and led the crowd in a few songs. It was all very fun! That is until we got back to the albergue. All lights were out and my things were all over the place! My phone didn’t provide enough light to find what I needed so I just went to bed with my clothes on and hoped in the morning I could pull myself together, again in the dark.
After a not so restful night in a hot room, I threw everything in my pack hoping I hadn’t left anything. With clothes on from the day and night before I pulled my boots on and tromped on to the next town. It was another beautiful walk through the meseta. Once checked into the albergue, you can bet the first thing I did before leaving for dinner was get organized! 

Shashooka

I woke up this morning with this song rattling around in my head. 😳 I don’t recall hearing any Billy Joel songs recently so I think my body…or my brain might be trying to tell me something!

Anyway, tonight we’re in Burgos. This is the largest city we will encounter on this trip. Many people take a day of rest here and stay two nights. We’ve decided we want to move on tomorrow so Scott and I are taking our rest in a hotel! Ahhhh!!!! This is deluxe! After taking a wonderful nap, I took a long, hot bath complete with muscle relaxing essential oil. After that, I took a hot shower. I even put on some mascara! I feel like a million bucks! 

Tonight, we’ll get some solid sleep and tomorrow we begin our walk through the meseta. The meseta is a long, flat plateau that takes about 10 days to cross. There is little vegetation and not much to look at. I’m not entirely sure of what to expect but many say it’s the least desirable part of the walk. Buen Camino!

Outside our alburgue a few days ago sat three women. They were just adorable, old friends it seemed, and I really wanted to take their photo. As I walked by I asked in my best Spanish if I could take a photo of them. Two of them nodded so I focused my camera on them. At this point the dialogue began. The lady in black didn’t want her photo taken because she was “muy fea!” In Spanish that means very ugly. The lady on the opposite end of the bench started scolding her. The lady in the middle just seemed a bit confused. Anyway, I started snapping photos and got this beautiful sequence. 

This is my pilgrim credencial with a stamp from each place we’ve stayed so far. Currently, we get one stamp each day but once we are 100 km away from Santiago we have to get two each day which we will accomplish by shopping at grocery stores or going to restaurants. 

This is the only photo I’ve been successful in uploading. Maybe tomorrow I will have stronger wifi. We will be in Burgos! 

It’s been 3 days since I’ve had decent wifi. And when I say decent, I mean it only takes 15-20 minutes to upload one photo. Tonight Scott and I are staying in a hotel in San Juan de Ortega. And guess what? The wifi is just as bad. So, I still have photos to post for the “This is How We Live” post. Hopefully I can get caught up in the next few days!