Most High Maintenance Pilgrim Ever

Now that we've been walking for over two weeks and have gone over two hundred miles, I think I can tell you about my Job day without worrying the Mom too much or sounding like a big wimp to the rest of you. Every injury I have ever had has re-appeared at some point during our walk. On day nine, not only did I have a raging cold (thanks 70-person rooms, thanks) and tendonitis, but we also had to make a decision about whether to stay with the group or take a bus and skip the upcoming desert-esque section. If there's anything I hate more than sniffles and soreness, it´s DECISIONS.

It´s sort of funny the way that our group has come together. We´re an unlikely bunch, but also like-minded and intrigued by one another. Group dynamics and finding beds has been interesting, but on the whole it´s been fun to find out about Dutch gypsies, Mexican politics, Luxembourgish humor, and new English words from the Brits (there are now 5 Brits among us!) Plus, I think Luke and I would drive each other crazy if it was just us and the Cuckoo birds. So, it was tough to think about leaving all that behind to skip to a week ahead on the trail. We figured we wouldn´t have time to finish the whole thing, though, so something had to be cut.

I was mulling over this conundrum as I hobbled and sneezed my way into Burgos - and it was a lonnng way beside factories and fourteen-wheelers. We had to walk all the way through the city to get to the Albergue in a park on the other side. The poplars in the park were in full bloom, so their buds snowed down on us upon arrival, a sort of surreal shift from the city streets. I spent the day prostrate in my sleeping bag with John Brierly (the author of our mystical and spiritual guidebook). He made it sound like the first few days of the desert meseta were pretty beautiful, so we decided to stay with the group and walk.

BEST DECISION EVER. (I´ll insert photos of the meseta views and most glorious moment of my life later)

Over the past week, we´ve been able to go at a quick pace since the meseta is so flat. I found a brace for my tendonitis, and some CalmaGrip and honey for the cold that have done wonders. As long as I can get my coffee and croissant in the morning, I´m up for the early morning walking. The first few days were incredible, and it hasn´t been as boring as it could have because the endless wheat and barley fields are sort of tranquil (as long as we´re not walking by the highway).

Also, we get to our final destination super early and have lots of time to sit around. We walk 30k in the morning, end up in a one pub town, and sit around drinking wine and washing socks ´til it´s time for the pilgrim menu (delicious, cheap 3 course meals with all the french bread you can eat). At times, it feels like the camino is more of a glorified pub crawl than a spiritual journey. Take that John Brierly. Tomorrow, we´lll arrive in Leon and have decided to spend a couple of nights there. It´s time for a break.