Day 10: 2/3 left until Santiago!

Its been 4 days since the last post. I kept up with Kevin for a couple of days and got to know him. I went to a few Catholic masses, and learned more about Catholicism. According to Kevin, the word “Catholic” is Greek for “Universal.” Their churches and cathedrals are very beautiful. In every town or city in Spain, there is always a church. But not like the small “chapels” back in Utah. To me, they are BIG, but Kevin says they are still small by Europe’s standards. I have yet to see a big church.

We walked so fast that we caught up to my old friends from the earlier days! Alecio, Eddie, and Hailee. Also the Koreans. We stayed together in this nice, big albergue with a large kitchen and plenty of space.

The next morning, we passed them and went to the next city another 8 kilometers beyond the destination for the day.

On day 8 though, I had my fill. Kevin’s style was certainly exciting and fast, but I wanted to take in all the sites and beauty of the Camino. I also was tired of bothering strangers by asking them where we could sleep for the night. It was something I was not comfortable doing. Who’d want 2 strangers asking them for a place to stay? We’d always get directed to the nearest albergue anyways.

These darn pilgrims, they have albergues available to them all along the Camino. They just need to search for them on the internet. And here they come asking for a free place to stay in my house.

That’s what I would imagine going on in their head when I asked them. And it’s true, I have the albergues at my disposal on my phone because of the Gronze Maps app. Why am I bothering the locals for a place to stay? I’d only do that if I didn’t have money.

Oh yeah. I don’t know how Kevin does it.

So the next morning on day 9, when he asked me how far I was planning on going, I said not 40 kilometers. And just like that, he said “thank you for all the help you’ve given me” and went on his way. He’s probably still walking even as I write this.

I learned a lot from him. I know how to cook pasta for dinner now! I’m glad I met him.

It’s funny, as a pilgrim, when one blister on your foot finally turns into tough skin, another starts to form in a different spot on the foot. But you walk through it. When you get to your place to stay for the night, you feel like your feet won’t work for a week. But the next morning, your body somehow feels better and you get up and start walking.

Here some pictures over the last few days.

Last night I stayed in a Donativo. That place was incredible. The cost to stay there was however much you wanted to donate! I’m sure some people have paid as low as €1 before. This Donativo operates year-round. Volunteers come and work 15-day shifts, then another couple replaces them at the end of the 15 days. And they are so kind! They cooked this huge dinner, had organized activities, and a delicious breakfast in the morning! I ate at least 10 pieces of toast and jelly. And lots of hot chocolate. And muffins.

And the best part was, my old friends happened to stay there too! That was fairly unlikely to happen. I thought I would be all by myself, but I got to share this gem of a place with them!

Oh, I did cut my left thumb while slicing tomatoes to make help with dinner. I’ve got a big band-aid on it now, but it should heal soon enough. Typing this with one thumb on my phone is frustratingly slow.

And now, today was the same drill as always—lots of walking. The kilometers are flying by at this point; it feels like 5k goes by in just a few minutes. I’m staying in a small albergue run by German owners who love cats. I think my friends are up ahead.

Such is the nature of the Camino. You never know when your path with others will intersect and split.

I still have a long ways to go until Santiago de Compostela. The journey is far from over.