Author: cpcrowley

Way Markers, Why Markers?

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Charlie. I decided that I would take a photo of most of the way markers we pass. Most because I wanted to avoid the cult of the completist. I thought I could combine them into movies when we get back and that is still the plan.

I love the yellow arrows along the way and the small concrete Camino posts. The variety is amazing.

I am finding that recording them gives me an excuse to document the trail. There is a photo every one to five minutes of walking.

So I am making an album of the markers for each day with names like “Marker 9-24” for today.

These albums are not for the faint of heart. Some (or many) my find them boring. Those people should skip them when they see the “Marker” marker.

Here they come for the last eight days in reverse order.

Foot of the Goose

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Wynette. Tonight we are in the tiny village of Torres del Rio and staying in a private room in an albergue named “La Pata de Oca”, “The Foot of the Goose”. (Our room is more like a hotel room but we get to use the albergue facilities like washing machine and patio and visit with the other pilgrims.) Last night we stayed in slightly less tiny village of Los Arcos in a private room in the albergue La Fuente de Austria (or something like that). Tonight’s place is pretty and comfortable (photo above), private bath, and costs 40 euros including a small breakfast. Last night’s was awful and cost 41 euros. A saggy bed crammed between 3 walls in a tiny room. Bathroom down a steep flight of stairs.  No top sheets or towels. Shabby everything. Unhelpful hospitalero. We forgot to take a picture,  dang it. We are amazed what a difference for the same price. Next time we reserve a private room we’ll be sure to ask if sheets and towels are included. Of course most pilgrims stay in albergues in a room full of bunkbeds (snorers are legendary), no sheets, etc. We did bring sleeping sacks and tiny backpack towels for the times we need to stay in albergues. In a few places, that will be our only option. But mostly we are having it easier than for most pilgrims and are working on taking what comes without too much complaint. I admire those who do that well.

Patio of La Pata de Oca:

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The lavadora on the patio:

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Our clean laundry outside our room window:

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The Irache Wine Fountain

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Charlie and Wynette. No Camino is complete without a visit here. Free flowing wine for pilgrims.

We met these delightful South Korean men on the trail earlier when we had stopped for a bit to watch some birds swooping in circles. They told us the Korean word for “bird” I think. Later, we met them again at the wine fountain. They were very excited and worried we’d pass by without stopping. Of course, we did stop. All this communicated with no common language.
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The Reincarnation Camino

I talked in the blog last year about goal and destination, how the point is the journey but you need the destination, like ying and yang. It sounds trite but there is an analogy between the Camino and life. You start out the day walking with 400 miles to go and at the end you still have 385 miles to go. It seems like it will last forever and the end seems far in the future, too fast to worry about. Kind of like going from age 25 to 26, the end is just as far away. The days are fun and long and seem like they will go on forever.

Then you get close to Santiago and everybody is sad that it is coming to an end. It is hard to concentrate on each day without thinking about finishing.

Our plan this time is just to go on day to day until we are ready to change. Then we are going to take the bus to Santiago and start again going to Finisterre and Muxia.

So it is like in life. You go as far as you want then you take the bus and start a new one that will be different.

The Camino at Half Speed

Charlie. A typical pilgrim goes 15 miles (25 km) a day. In 2013 we averaged 11 miles a day about 75% speed. This time we planned 7-8 miles a day and are making a bit over 7 miles a day over the first six days so we are right on target.

The idea was not to walk a specific number of miles but to take our time, stop whenever we want, have afternoons to explore towns we passed through too quickly last year,  etc.

It had been working out great so far. We love having free time each day. We are not exhausted at the end of the day. We are being gentle with Wynette’s feet.

Another way to look at it. Say the average pilgrim is 40 years old and walk 15 miles a day. That is 600 mile-years a day. We are walking 7*65=455 mile-years a day or 75% speed, much better 🙂