Buen Camino 9: on the road again.

Sitting in Astorga (west of Leòn) with red wine, pistachio nuts, dried fruit and Christine. Had a relaxing 5 days in Leon with Christine and to allow the blisters to heal.
Tried out my new boots  (full mesh, no hard bits but won't suit wet weather) on 21 km day from Leòn to Villadangas. Felt okay walking but had to force myself to walk slowly, and to stop after just 21 km as legs felt good. A bit of one blister seems to be coming up.

My regular companion - Shadow - has reappeared now that the sun is out. Because of the direction of the Camino, the sun is behind me for the morning - when most of the walking is done - so Shadow is leading the way.
The plan for the next two days is Astorga to Rabanal (21 km) or an extra 6 km to Foncebadon. Next day to either Molinaseca or Ponferrada and meet Christine again (approx. 25 km). This will take me to the highest point of the camino at 1515 metres. Hopefully the blisters will behave.
Blisters: if you don't like the sight of them stop reading now.
 I did 'surgery' on them a few times after the compeed had only worked a little. The blisters kept getting bigger under the compeed patches. The surgery rooms were an alburque kitchen table and a park bench while waiting for an alburque to open. It involved piercing the blisters with a needle and cotton. The cotton thread is left in to help drain the blister. It does seem to work and I had plenty of sterilizing liquid. The original blister on the ball of my left foot burst while I was walking. Please be aware though that these blisters don't even put me in the first division of the blister competition.

Came back second time!

Buen Camino 8: not everyone walks

It's interesting walking across the countryside and watching the plane vapour trails in the sky. NZ is a destination not a flyover so we never really see the trails. It is also fun to think where the passengers' journey is taking them. Also, those heading west will be over Santiago in minutes, the cars on the road in hours and the pilgrims still have many days ahead.
The variety of ways pilgrims make their journeys is quite varied. The whoosh of bike tyres coming up behind reminds of the stream of mountain bikes on the Camino. Also seen a tandem mountain bike and a unicycle. Most interesting has been a donkey cart with two women in it - heading in the opposite direction. Also a horse (and rider) from Italy.

 The size of backpacks varies a lot - from 30 litre daypacks to 100 litre monsters. Some travel each day lightly as they ship their bag to their next stop. Have seen people towing shopping trolley-style devices, as well as other ways to move your bag.
I wasn't quick enough to catch all but here is a sample of photos.

 Donkey cart at rest.

This Korean lady always smiling. 

 Uni-cycle parked and up the hill.

Buen Camino 7: Alburque : inside and out.

Alburque come in all shapes and sizes. There are Private and Municipal - and the quality is quite variable in either. The newer or renovated ones will often have individual lights and a socket for charging phones for each bunk. Most have double bunks with anything from 2 to 30 sets in a room. A parish alb. I stayed in had gym mats on the floor  - but a wonderful shared meal after the pilgrim mass and blessing in the historical church. Prices also vary - so far I have had: by donation, 5, 6.5 , 8 and 10 Euro per night. Even had a swimming pool at one!

                    

Bueno Camino 6: across the meseta

It has been cold and rainy across the meseta the last couple of days. Normally expected to be long hot days so the drop in temperature is okay but chilly nights. I am down to 10-13 km per day due to blisters.
While some pilgrims skip the meseta it really is beautiful. Because I am moving slowly I have lots of time to myself - the fast movers are gone quickly and the next wave doesn't come through for an hour or more.

 I have stayed at little villages I would normally only have had a coffee stop at.

 A cold wind this morning.

Buen Camino 5: Keeping on the Camino

Some people wonder how you manage to find your way on the Camino. Of course there are the numerous guidebooks that some follow religiously and others use as

a quick reference for accommodation.

There are scallop shell motifs on the pavement in the towns and cities to guide the way.
Then there are the signs and markers. Finally there are the yellow arrows painted onto any available surface along the way.