Day 25 Sagahun to Leon

Distance traveled 46 km by bus,  about 27 .6 miles. Slacker pilgrim day and days ahead, but I have decided to give myself a break. Feet need to heal. 

Today I took the bus into Leon. Tonight, I am staying in a monastery for the night. This albuergue is run by the Benedictine order of nuns. It is immaculately clean and divided into sections. Women, men, and couples. Nice. I just had a nice lunch with a pilgrim I have met before, Jenny, a nurse educator in Singapore, and Anna, a retired banker from Italy. Spring is finally starting to come to Spain there are flats of flowers being put out for sale for planting, and the weather is starting to warm up. This morning when I left sagahun, it was about 45 degrees, and now it feels mid 50s. Better. 

I have included a couple of pix of my bags I keep in my pack. I have 2 clear bags. One for clothes, and one for everything else. I also have a sleeping bag, my raincoat, a pair of flip flops, and a light pair of tennis shoes. It all weighs about 15 pounds. I would like to get rid of some of it, but I truly use everything. Also below are some pics of arches in sagahun. Sagahun was a town which was built by the Romans. Charlemagne was there, and the monastery was a focus of Arab invasion. 

All very interesting. 

I am doing well, feet are in bad shape, but I am planning a couple of days rest and that will be good for me. 

Day 24 Ledigo to Sahagun

Distance traveled about 18 km around 11 miles elevation increase was about 50 meters, basically gently rolling hills.
Today was a good day. My legs remain tired from my very long day yesterday, but I slept well. Heard from others that I was snoring....

Rolling hills walk today, and the countryside was beautiful. I have developed a new blister on my right heel, and applied compeed to it and drained it. My right second toe is now an issue... Gonna lose what is left of the new toenail. Oh well. As it goes.
The saying on the camino is that the first third is physical, the second third is mental, and the last third is spiritual. I am definitely still in the mentally hard part. Wondering why this was important to do, and not really knowing why. My life is in good shape, I have no major mental issues with my kids, John, my sibs or anything else. I do still feel that I have hang ups over my divorce, but that was 10 years ago... Those feelings have been at bay for a while now.
My feet are a mess again, so I think I might hang out here for a day and then take the train or bus into Leon. My hotel reservation is not until Thursday. The other option is to bus ahead and then walk into leon..I think this is what I will probably do. It's would skip me up around 37 km, about 24 miles. Saves my feet.. Then I would walk about 10 km tomorrow, and 10 into Leon on Thursday. That actually sounds ok...
Today was the official passing through the first half of the camino. There was a big pillar marking the spot so 240 miles done 240 to go, oh my.....all I can say is that I will do my best.
I feel proud of myself for being able to order food and find places to sleep without crying or getting too stressed out. The things I worry most about is going into the big cities and obtaining lodging, and also the transport systems. I don't speak the language and they don't understand me. Good thing is though that I look Spanish, so that is helpful. And the people want to be helpful. So all is good.
Until tomorrow everyone! Please keep up your prayers and good wishes, I can feel them.
The last picture is of the fences they have put up here in sagahun for the running of the bulls this weekend.

Day 23 Villacazar de Sirga to Ledigo

Walked 33 km today, about 19.6 miles elevation of about 100 meters.

Today was an extremely long day for me. The way the camino was laid out, it was a necessarily long day. 16 km, or about 9 miles was on a straight away  with no towns. It followed an ancient Roman road, and was boring, and mentally hard to walk. Allen, my walking friend walked with me, and that was really helpful. My legs are dead.... And a blister on the side of my right heel is back. Not hurting badly. My right foot is acting well right now, no problems.

In tonight's albuergue, there are about 12 beds, and sleeping right by me are the two priests from Venezuela. So, just FYI, and not to be at all disrespectful, that is really interesting. And strange. They are going to try to arrange mass for tonight.

I have made a fabulous discovery. Hot chocolate. The hot chocolate here is like a thick melted chocolate concoction. Fantastically wonderful.

So again, all is well. I am trying to make it to Leon for my birthday,  I am probably going to hop a bus and skip some miles, and dont know exactly how many. John has booked me a hotel for two nights, gotta love that man. Even from the states He's helping me.
Below are pictures of my wonderful chocolate drink, and the walk from today.
Also my dinner mates, Minor from Japan,  and Allan and Peter from the United Kingdom,

Day 22 Boadilla to Villacazar de Sirga

Today I walked about 22 km, about 13 miles, no elevation climb today.
Today, I walked with a fellow from England, Allan who has become a nice travel friend. He walks much faster than me, and so we walked together, and my pace was so much better. We walked the 12 miles in about 5 hours, with 2 short breaks. Not bad. I think that the walking slowly has been a mental thing. I can do it physically, but my head was not in it for the last couple of days. I think it's been because I've been walking alone. I'm a head case, a bit tired, but doing well. Tomorrow, I will reach the half way point, 250 miles in 3 weeks, 250 to go. I will be happy to be home on June 20th. 25 days to go.
Yesterday, in boadilla, we were with 2 priests who are doing the camino. They were from Venezuela, and they know PopeFrancis. So neat. The very large church there has no priest, so the priests wanted to celebrate mass, so they got some nuns from a convent to come and open the door. We had mass, and it was beautiful.
Today, when we came into town the church here was open, this church was built in 1300. It is more of the roman style, and the knights Templar were here.
I am having fun, I've found a new walk mate and actually a bunch of people, so all is well.
Below are pics of the churches from yesterday and today. Some pics of the scenery, and there's a pic of Allen. The one of the building has a storks nest up top.
I facetimed just now with John for about an hour, it was so great to spend dome good face time with him. I am really, really, missing him. I do love that man, that's for sure.
Thanks for all of your great Facebook comments everyone, I'm feeling the love.

Day 21 Castrojeriz to Boadella

Km walked 20.2 about 12 miles. Elevation climb 300 meter climb over about 1.5 km. Very steep climb. What a way to start the morning.
Another good day. Very sunny, but cool. I am feeling good.... Although I am a very slow walker. But I get there, eventually.
Not much to report today. I'm making lots of camino friends along the way.
Today, I met a couple from Sarasota. They have walked a couple of times, very nice. Cool thing is that she wrote a book about the way that I have, so what a coincidence.

Long walking day. When I got to the albuergue after paying my 6 euros, I wash clothes, set up my stuff, check for Internet, and then go shower. Then it's. time for relaxing and chatting with the people around. Have some wine, and go to bed around nine.
If there's a church with a mass, I go to mass.
Pictures below are from today... I passed big hay bales like in the movie.

day 20 Hornillas to Castrojeriz

Recap
Days 18 - Burgos rest day
Day 19 Burgos to Hornillos 21 km- 13 miles
Day 20 Hornillas to Castro Jerez 20.2 km about 12 miles elevation climb, about 100 meters, nothing at this point
 I had a wonderful time in Burgos. Went to the cathedral 2 days in a row. One to celebrate my daughter Andrea's birthday. Burgos is a wonderful city, I also visited the museum of human evolution. It was a very  cool museum, and since I had been to Altapuerca, it was nice to tie it all in together.
The last two days have been walking lower hills and looking at wonderful greenery. It's been mostly gravel track, so easier going.
I am doing well. Feet aren't giving me as many problems, toughening up, I guess. My knees have been kind of sore, so I've been keeping my legs up as much as possible. I'm doing well, lots of thinking going on, my heads been in a weird place, I feel like I should be making all kinds of decisions about my life, past, present and future, but nothing much is really being churned out.
Below are pics of the last couple of days...

Day 17 Ages to Burgos

17 km walked, 10.2 miles, then a bus through the city center, 5 km approximately.
Elevation climbed, 150 meters, 450 feet.

This morning, as I left my albuergue, which was wonderful, El Pajar, the sun was shining brightly. The walk was on a country road and then changed to an extremely rocky climb through a hilly pass, back to a country road, and the on the side of a road for many kilometers. The change in the terrain was amazing. From the rocks to the city of Burgos. When I got to the outskirts of burgos, it started to rain AGAIN!! and I came upon a group of pilgrims my age, catching a bus through the city. The city concrete is boring, no meditation going on there, and also hard on the knees.
My feet are doing better, and I am feeling fine, but I am going to take. Rest day here in Burgos. A pilgrim that I met and is on Facebook, is staying here. The hotel is called La Puebla, and I was. To able to get a 1 person room, so I'm paying 50 euros for a 2 person room. Still not bad considering I've been only usually spending about 8 to 10 euros per night. My average spend per day is about 25 euros per day, so not bad for this long trip.
I went over to see the beautiful cathedral here, and it is gorgeous. Attached are some pictures of it. I will be going to mass at 7:30 tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to take a tour.
Today on the iPad, I listened to some Joel Osteeen podcasts and some music I have downloaded. It makes the walking easier somehow, with the brain diversion.
I was feeling homesick yesterday, but since the weather is improving, I felt better today.
I am so fortunate to have this iPad technology, John and I have been talking by FaceTime each day.
So here are some pix of my albuergue last night, the walk today, and the burgos cathedral.

Also, I passed a town called Altapuerca, this is where the earliest human remains ever discovered were found. The book says over 900,000years old!! Wowser is all I gotta say... I can't say that I walked back the 2 km to see the original cave,,, sorry.

Also the statue in the pic is El CID.