Hard day today, no two ways to say it. Not too much uphill, not too hot (well, hot, but I have walked in worse). But making so much of the road look exactly the same was a bit cruel towards the poor pilgrims. I never knew I could have so much spite for the plane tree, but after looking at them for almost two full days, planted 10 meters apart, in a straight line next to the straight as an arrow highway, I’m not really sure how I feel about them. Or highways. Or gravel paths. It’s just hard on the head, you know? A couple of villages swooshed back, as well as Mansilla de las Mulos, where they used to sell mules. Everything hot and rather empty.
One thing came up during the day. We both seem to not possess the “self-pity trigger”, Lidia and myself. Like, we keep going until we are there, be it here at the Camino or with anything, really. Sure, we’d stop to rest, we’d go into churches that are open, we’d talk to people who want to talk to us, but I suspect that many “Camino purists” would say we’re rushing through it. So, I’m thinking, like, how do we know if we are getting a “message” to fix this? Or are we okay? Like, should the universal truth for any modern urban person be “slow down”? Is it wrong to enjoy getting shit done? I honestly don’t know if I’d be happier if I sat around more than I do. I don’t really want to have to figure it out in some brutal way. Anyway, the current theory is, we’re fine.
I have a practical question, though – for anybody who can enlighten me:
I have this exact bench in my garden in Ålesund. What is the nest they all crawl out of? It’s not the first time I come across this and a couple of other designs that are not just similar, they are exactly same to the ones we have at home. Who sprinkled these hefty beauties across the whole Atlantic coast? Being made of cast iron, it’s not likely the Gulf stream takes them around, is it?
As far as today’s monotonous stage is concerned, let’s suppose the Camino is emptying our heads to take in León tomorrow. Big day for a pilgrim who’s used to rural sights and peasant diet. We have a very short walk into the city and a private room waiting for us – not too keen on albergues in big towns.
Hasta mañana.
