Learning to Walk, Learning to Not Walk, Learning to Listen to Your Body, etc. Week 8, October 16-20

Goodness. I am in my 8th week of this journey. I think my last day of walking, apart from walking around the cities I’ve been in this week, was last Friday, when I hobbled my way into Pamplona. After a week of rest, I am looking forward to walking again tomorrow. It should be an easy day elevation-wise, but unfortunately, it will be mostly, if not entirely, on pavement. Hoping my new shoes that I’ve been wearing all week serve me well and allow me to finish the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

It has been an odd experience to stop walking. I’m trying to think of myself as a different kind of pilgrim, but I haven’t really felt like one this past week. I am glad I had the opportunity to spend time in these beautiful, ancient cities: Pamplona, Burgos and Leon, with their centuries-old, sometimes older, architecture and their glorious cathedrals. I will have to come back someday and spend more time in Spain.

First, Pamplona. I shared with you the wonderful nightlife and send-off party we had last Friday. I loved Pamplona—I have loved all three of these northern Spanish cities. Pamplona has a wonderful spirit—relaxed, people out and enjoying themselves. That was probably in part to it being a weekend with beautiful weather, but it was a nice spirit none the less. However I cannot imagine being there during the running of the bulls time.

I’ve been referring to “we” a lot as I write. My Canadian friend and I met about two weeks into the Chemin in France. Then met again a week or so later, and just kept making plans to stay in the same place. We both started having foot problems at the same time and have taken rest days in the same places. We are going to start walking again together tomorrow. It has been nice to have company during these days of not walking. I don’t know if we’ll keep going at the same pace, but I’m grateful for the friendship. That is one of the most precious gifts of the Camino—the people you meet along the way. Some you will never be in touch with again, and some you know you will have as lifelong, if long distance, friends. It reminds me a bit of my acting days. You form such an intense community with your fellow actors during the rehearsal period and the run of the show, then you disband and that close community of folks disperses. There are some you keep in touch with for years, and others who drift out of your life. But we all make an impact and impression on each other, even if our time together is brief.

I’m going to stop and publish this one, and write a separate post about Burgos, and then another about Leon. I hope. I also need to get to sleep tonight since I am planning a 20-21 km walk tomorrow!