I’m almost halfway through the Camino de Santiago. The 776 km (482 miles) will end (for me) by the end of the month. I’m a very slow walker. The secret is to leave early, around 6:00 or 6:30 am, then just walk. Some days, the pilgrim schedule calls for 21 km or 25 km. Other days, I set a time limit, until 3:00 pm. Then, I wait for the mid day heat to fade and continue walking to my hotel. I try to pre-book my rooms and let them know that I’m old and slow.

It’s been a little over three weeks of walking and I can barely remember being in France. My hotel in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port recently emailed a photo, from the pre walk dinner. Everyone was a first time pilgrim and we were all clueless about what the next day would bring. The short walk up the Pyrenees Mountains to Orisson takes around two hours. It took me closer to five. At one point, it began to rain. I sat under a tree (without a raincoat) and waited for it to stop. Welcome to the Camino de Santiago.

The first section of the Camino is physical. Your body needs to become stronger, as you walk. I’m now walking the Meseta. Some pilgrims skip this 200 km section and bus from Burgos to Leon. The Meseta is all about the mind. Hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, I am, of course, walking in August, during the hottest summer on record. Note: Do not believe that the Meseta is flat. The first three days are up and down. Things flatten out, after that.

A funny thing happened, when I wasn’t just walking, being passed by my fellow pilgrims, for eight to twelve hours each day. I actually began stopping for proper breaks and meeting people. Normally, I would walk until I couldn’t take another step, then find a rock or a bench and sit. There was one time when I could no longer lift my right arm. I just had to wait, around twenty minutes, before I could start again.

I still leave early and get passed up, by last night’s hostel buddies. But, when they stop for breakfast or a coffee, I can catch back up. I normally never see them again. I only run into pilgrims that I’ve already met, if they’ve stayed behind for a medical issue. There are a lot of people nursing blisters. Some folks have to wait, a day or two, for a blister to pop and heel enough to continue walking.

The small village of Rabe de las Calzadas is the number one reason I’m happy that I didn’t skip the Meseta. Most of the staff, at the private hostel, were from the Dominican Republic. One couple had two small kids, age five and three. It was great watching the little girl make drawings for pilgrims, while her younger brother ran in and out of the small cafe.

Their dad wore a tee shirt, with Detroit printed across the front. When I told him that’s where I was born, we had a good laugh. One week, until the final section! XOXO—-GGT