After a great night's sleep in an unforgettably hospitable gite, we tucked into the usual breakfast, but this time our host sang a lusty pilgrim song to us, a specific blessing from her gite to the day's travellers.
We loved the satirical pilgrim postcards on sale - like the one of pilgrims dozing in a field with the caption - Deep Meditation.
The heavy early morning mist hung low as we started out but we welcomed the cool getaway and were happy the sun didn't appear until 11 am. Much of the terrain was easy underfoot today but we are only too aware of not getting blasé - we meet people in almost every gite who are nursing injuries, the latest being a big strong guy from Melbourne who slipped inside a shop and now has a serious ankle injury.
We are getting used to the way all of the towns or villages we have stayed in are either perched high up a steep hillside or lying low in a valley. This means that we always have a steep ascent or descent at either end of the day's walk. When you're full of energy in the mornings, this doesn't pose too much of a problem, but it's another matter at the end of the day when you're hot & tired. It's been around 98% humidity the last couple of days and we're needing to drink around 3 litres of water per day. It never ceases to astound us, with the cumulative effects of long distance walking, as to how the body regenerates itself overnight. You can go to bed utterly exhausted thinking that you'll never be able to do it all again the next day, but you can and you do.
The dominant fragrance today was hay drying in the sun and for sound it was of raucously croaking frogs from the numerous ponds.
Random thoughts:
We love the way Caminos are such levellers of people - no-one asks anyone what they do, as back home, where jobs can categorise. No one seems to need that information - we are all fellow travellers - refreshing indeed.
We're quietly amused by a hand gesture that we get in response to where we're from (Wow - you've come such a long way!), or to something tough - the sideways flapping of the hand held at neck height.
It's been a mental challenge to see a sign that says 5 kms to go to your destination only to walk 3 kms and find a sign that says 5 kms to go! We are trying to approach the signage with good humour; as the Camino saying goes, if you just put one foot in front of the other, you'll eventually get to Santiago.
Bon Courage
Geoff & Lyn
No comments:
Post a Comment