Saturday, October 2, 2010

Day 17.


Saturday October 2, 2010
Day 17 on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
Fromista to Carrion de Los Condes
Dear Blog Readers,

I wake up this morning and open the window of the hotel room - it looks onto a square with a lovely 16th Century church - the morning star is overhead and the sky is showing the first streaks of dawn in the distance.  A pilgrim from the Albergue next door sits in the square with arms raise saying a silent prayer, a wonderful sight.  So many pilgrims are on this trek looking for answers to questions on ´life´- I feel really blessed to have chosen to do this at this time.
Have toast, jam and tea for breakfast at the hotel.  I´ve eaten more white bread in the last 17 days than I´ve done in the last 10 years in Canada - gosh the Spaniards love white bread, not a whole wheat or grain bread in sight.
Leave the town around 8:40 a.m. This is a short day only 19 kms.  The Camino is well marked and is along a secondary country road for the whole trek to Carrion de los Condos.  The way is very flat with no big climbs.  Find myself walking 5 kms. per hour and I´m not going too fast.  Pass rolling hills and plough hay fields - pass the first corn field today - turnips yesterday and corn today, however not many vegetables on your plate during meals. Have I mention that the Spaniards not MacDonalds invented french fries - no matter what you order it comes with french fries - they are good, but like white bread I´ve eaten more french fries in the last 17 days than I have in the last 10 years at home.  Walk through a few hamlets, closed up tight - even the church doors are closed - it is Saturday don´t know where everyone has gone.  See the town up ahead in the distance.  Staying at a 16th Century Monastery converted into a first class hotel with a museum I must visit - my room is in the cloister section - it is wonderful, looks down on the enclosed courtyard, where you cannot go - lots of laundry to do as I didn´t do any yesterday, thinking this is a bigger town and there must be a laundromat somewhere, no such luck, so must now do double the washing - no hangers that will remove from the closet, so I´m hanging things on the open window, a sock sails out in the wind and falls in the garden - yikes must sneak in and retrieve.
Again no hotels ahead so will stay at the Monastery two nights as only an Albergue after the 20 kms walk tomorrow.  Will get a taxi back to Carrion de Los Condos and sleep here tomorrow night, taking the taxi back to where I stop the previous day and walk to the next town, 26 kms away.  Will not take a rest or day off until I get to Léon which is two days away.
Thanks again for all the comments, Richa sends them to me since I cannot access my own blog from Spain, they still think I´m someone trying to break into my own account, so have been sending my daily blogs to Richa to post to you.  Hopefully she´s been checking for spelling mistakes, sometimes the internet café is so filled with smoke and smokers my eyes water and I smell yucky by the time I leave.  Sometimes the hotels have internet and I blog from there. 
Arrive in town at 1:40 p.m. and grab some lunch.  Now will get an early night.

Blessings from the Camino,
Yasmin
My personal thoughts for today - Tonight I’m sleeping in an old Monasterio de San Zollo.  There is a beautiful carved ceiling in the Renaissance cloister.  You can’t help but appreciate the history of places like these along the Camino.

2 comments:

  1. The answers to life are within. A pure heart and an open, clean mind is the key to realizing what is.

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  2. Hello Yasmin, Great to hear you are enjoying your experience. All the best from Canada, and we will see you upon your return.

    Sincerely,

    Paul Tsang

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