Walking the Camino de Santiago

August 26

And I’ll rise up
I’ll rise like the day
I’ll rise up
I’ll rise unafraid
I’ll rise up
And I’ll do it a thousand times again– Andra Day

I woke to a quiet, still sleeping, albergue. The proprietors were kind enough to deliver fresh pastries and fruit and leave it out for their guests very early this morning, so I packed an apple and banana in my backpack, grabbed a fresh almond croissant and hit the trail in the dark. Knowing the trail terrain for today, I knew it would be primarily up and down hiking through forested areas and I wanted to get a head start. There was a chill in the morning air and the sky completely overcast in the direction I was headed. I considered stopping and unpacking my hoodie for a moment because it was quite cool, but decided against it and pushed onward.

I didn’t start my morning in the best mood. My bed turned out to be hard as a rock last night, there was no air conditioning in the room I was sleeping and it made for a warm and muggy bedroom. I’m also getting a little sick of walking alone, so a lot of self talk this morning to try to snap out of this mood and push on.

As I hit the road that would lead me out of town, I could see another pilgrim walking in the distance. They were walking toward me, instead of forward on the trail, so I figured it very well might be someone heading to Fatima. There is a trail that runs from Santiago de Compostela to Fatima, using the same trail I was on but in reverse. I continued onward and made a sharp left turn onto a more rural trail, following the arrows and signs.

Four miles into the trail, I stopped to drink some water and eat an apple, when I heard the crunch of footsteps approaching me. I turned around to see Solange behind me! She had followed my lead and tried leaving early in the morning. She had missed seeing a directional sign and had walked 1/4 mile off trail before realizing it and had turned around. Solange said her leg was feeling really good, and asked if she could walk with me if she didn’t slow me down. She wanted some company on the trail, and I was certainly tired of talking to myself, so agreed to walk with her. Finally I had some company on the trail. At times we would part ways as an ascent hit and I would climb ahead, but I would wait at the top of the hill for her so we could continue on together. She was definitely walking faster today and I hoped she wasn’t overdoing it. But, I figure she’s a 62 year old grown woman, so she knows what she’s doing. 😉

Solange is from Belgium and speaks primarily French and Flemish. I speak neither of those but with her broken English and my hand signals and keeping my speech simple, we were able to have some fun conversations on the trail. We both have also traversed the Camino Frances, so we were able to discuss the differences of the trails. I learned from her that she has been married for 36 years and has two sons: ages 35 and 33. She is primarily walking the Camino for herself, but what I found so touching, is she has a list of people she walks for. Each day she chooses someone on her list and walks in their honor. A friend who lost their spouse recently, her sister who is a breast cancer survivor, and the list goes on.

With the heat wave behind us, and the coolness of the breeze today, it made for a nice journey. Not too crazy in its ascents or descents, but not flat either. The beauty of this area made for such a great time. For the first time, I had a trail buddy and I was pleased to have someone to walk with. At one point we stopped in a very small hamlet for a quick rest break and snack. A man walking with his little girl bid us both a Bom Camino as we walked past them. No sooner had we sat down, the man came walking back to us with a bag. Inside it was a local flatbread made with honey and spices and he offered it to us as nourishment for our journey. The townspeople are so nice in these little hamlets. What a kind gesture.

I was unable to secure a reservation last night at todays destination of Ansiao. While I had telephoned all of the accommodations and tried on Booking.com to the proprietors that use it, I was unsuccessful. So what’s a guy to do? You get up, you walk/hike, and you trust that “The Camino Provides”. A very common saying we pilgrims say (and agree). It worried me a little, but I figured it would work out, so I didn’t let it bother me.

As we approached Ansiao (pronounced Ahn-See-You), we had walked approximately 14 miles, and according to my app, walked 23 flights. A respectable chunk for the day. Now what to do about accommodations. Solange suggested we ask at her hotel. I had telephoned them earlier, and also tried to book with them online, but to no avail. We approached her hotel and inquired about a room. The woman at the desk apologized and said they were full. I had one albergue on my list that I had tried to phone numerous times today with no answer, so I gave the phone number another try. This time, a gentleman answered. I asked him if he had a room available. He responded that they were closed for vacation. I thanked him and was about to hang up when he said, but I have a room for you. Meet me at the albergue in 30 minutes. Yes!!! It looked like I was going to have a place to stay. With that off my plate, we both found a cafe nearby and had some much needed lunch.

After lunch, I walked to the albergue as agreed. What happened next was funny. I knocked on the locked door of this albergue and a 50-something German gentleman opened it like he was a spy. He inquired if I was Charles (as if I had the password), and invited me in, locking the door behind us. He asked me “do you speak German?” while I am rusty, I do! So I responded in German with “yes, just a little.” From then on he spoke only German to me, explaining that he was the owner and they were closed for the month of August on vacation. But for a pilgrim, he would give me a room in the completely empty and closed albergue. He handed me a key and an A/C remote, told me my room number and I paid him. I offered him my passport which is required when you stay at any hotel or albergue in Europe, and he pushed it back to me and with a smile he said, “No. We are closed.” He explained what I needed to do to lock the hotel when I left in the morning, wished me a good night and pleasant journey and promptly left. My room was nice, clean, with its own bathroom. I had everything I needed in a completely empty place. A little creepy, but safe.

After showering and resting for a bit, I had agreed to meet Solange for dinner. She telephoned me and informed me that she was bringing another pilgrim she had met to join us for dinner. We met at a great Italian restaurant in town and I was introduced to a very young man named Seibert (pronounced See-Bert). Seibert is 22, is walking the Camino from Lisbon, and has been logging 25 mile days. He is from Belgium, but unlike Solange, speaks perfect English. The three of us enjoyed a great evening chatting and laughing over pasta and pizza together and then we bid each other goodnight and off we went to get a good nights rest. I agreed to walk with Solange again tomorrow as long as her leg held out, while Seibert planned to leave much later on the trail. We figured he would pass us at some point tomorrow and we would say hello then.

My thoughts: So many gifts today. A walking buddy; meeting new people; a clean and safe accommodation for the night; a soft bed. I couldn’t be more grateful. Just like life, on the Camino you never know what is around the next corner. You just have to roll with it. Feeling blessed. I look forward to what tomorrow brings…. I’ll definitely rise up like the day….

Oh….and for those of you now worried about my accommodation’s, I have the next three nights booked ahead. 😉