Patterns & Textures
One of my great pleasures when walking distance is looking across the landscape and up at the sky. I'm often watching for patterns and textures. Knowing they are there is one thing, finding them is another. Sometimes I'm in too much of a hurry when I start walking. Perhaps I set off with too much energy and anticipation to begin? Not unusual for me. Often, unless there is an obviously brilliant sunrise early in the day, it takes a while until my mind settles and syncs with my eyes, and I start to look a little deeper. Without too much surprise I often find the patterns and textures in the clouds, a reliable fallback when I'm initially having challenges finding them elsewhere.
Today was such a day.
And then...
Dad and Mom, looks like today might have been opening day at the yacht club. Sorry you're missing it with all the social distancing and isolation. Perhaps this photo will help. Hmmm, or maybe not.
I stopped in at my parents place to have a rare in person outside visit in these pandemic times with appropriate distancing. There were wild ducks, trout and everything in the pond; ) That's my wildlife spotting for today. We went out late morning after the rains passed and my painting for the day was complete. See Neil, you can do both!
The sky continued to dazzle.
Finishing my walk I experienced a significant double take! I could have been back in Japan walking the Henro. Sadly I wasn't, but just for a moment...
As I was arriving home the sky game me a different look. One that said, "don't be fooled I carry loads of moisture!" And indeed it was delivering a significant downpour in the NW highlands.
As I sit here writing the sky gives me a different look.
The walk to Astorga is a favourite for me because the landscape begins to change to a more hummocky terrain and I also get to stop and say "hi" to an interesting fellow. Just past Hospital a variant turns off to the northwest. My small map book calls it the walker's route. The main camino runs along the N120 which might sound terrible, but I walked that way in 2018 because I was pushing through, and I found it a surprising beautiful walk.
In August 2016 we knew it was going to be a scorcher and we were up and away early. It was a beautiful start.
Santibáñez ahead.
We wondered if our welcome would be friendly?
Ya, ya, ya, always looking for coffee for Rob. I received endless messages to make sure that he got his coffee!
This was the first real pile of stones with names and messages in many different languages that we found in 2013. It was unexpected. We stopped again 2016 and took some cheesy photos of each other. I won't put those in, lol!
Our legs weren't quite sure what to do with this hill! Muscle memory anyone?
Along the route is David, someone I'd read about before our first camino. He'd set up a place before Astorga to provide a peaceful rest place with refreshments by donation. La Casa de los Dioses, The House of the Gods, was the name he'd given to his remote place.
We arrived not knowing what to expect. What we found was a simple place where peregrinos could rest and visit while enjoying refreshments. It was such an unlikely find, and yet it was perfect.
That's David in 2013. Super nice guy who gave hugs to everyone and his stamp for the credentials was very simple. A red heart. My favourite stamp from the entire walk.
It was such a memorable experience for me in 2013 that Rob and I visited with him again in 2016. We discovered that David had partnered with a lovely woman named Sarah from Adelade, Australia who had helped him to transform the place. That's Sarah in the back ground. There was now a simple place where you could stay overnight if you wished to.
He had other permanent residents as well.
This was our view as Annemarie and I walked away. We joked that when David's day was over the back door on the barn would drop open and as a trust kid he would roar away in his Ferrari and back to his villa. The truth is of course much different. I've since learned that he came to the camino looking for a different way of life, genuinely wanting to help the pilgrims, and frankly that's the way I've always thought of him. Hence the effort we took to find him again in 2016.
The same view of the improved La Casa de los Dioses. I sometimes wonder how he's made out, particularly in these unusual times. Hopefully he will still be there to meet with pilgrims in the future.
I'm going to pause and shift here to 2018. Don't worry, we'll get into Astorga shortly where the variant joins up with the primary route.
Frankly the walk along the N120 in 2018 was one of those special days. I set out from the truck stop in that crispy early morning light, and instead of going back into town I headed off down the side of the highway with my walking lights glowing. I knew that I'd eventually connect with the Camino route. All there was out there was me, the morning birds and a few lorries barreling past. It's November and the sun comes up late.
The patterns and textures in the sky suggested that this would be a special day. Sometimes you just know it's going to be this way.
Looking over towards the walker's route and the town of Santibáñez in the early morning golden light. (see above photos)
Eventually I was able to shift to a small track to the right of the highway. I know that Ken would give his eye teeth for a small path along side the roads he walks in Saskatchewan.
Before long the track moves onto an old road that parallels the N120. Nicer walking, even if it's still a hard road surface. Clearly fall was in the air. Much earlier than anticipated for this time of year. Usually the average temperature along the Frances is 16-18 degrees at this time of year. I know because I looked before leaving home. Having started our Alzheimer's Awareness Journey by first walking the Chemin de Arles on September 21st, World Alzheimer's Day, I knew that I'd be crossing the Camino Frances late season. I'd need to be prepared for late season weather as I approached Galicia, but frankly I had expected much warmer weather.
The colours were wonderful that day.
The road just went on and on.
I arrived at the Cruceiro de Santo Toribio where the two camino routes converge. Typically there are wonderful views out to Astorga, but in 2018 the views weren't quite there. However I had the cross all to myself.
Not so on previous visits, but then there was a trade off. I had the view!
Frankly the walk along the N120 in 2018 was one of those special days. I set out from the truck stop in that crispy early morning light, and instead of going back into town I headed off down the side of the highway with my walking lights glowing. I knew that I'd eventually connect with the Camino route. All there was out there was me, the morning birds and a few lorries barreling past. It's November and the sun comes up late.
The patterns and textures in the sky suggested that this would be a special day. Sometimes you just know it's going to be this way.
Looking over towards the walker's route and the town of Santibáñez in the early morning golden light. (see above photos)
Eventually I was able to shift to a small track to the right of the highway. I know that Ken would give his eye teeth for a small path along side the roads he walks in Saskatchewan.
Before long the track moves onto an old road that parallels the N120. Nicer walking, even if it's still a hard road surface. Clearly fall was in the air. Much earlier than anticipated for this time of year. Usually the average temperature along the Frances is 16-18 degrees at this time of year. I know because I looked before leaving home. Having started our Alzheimer's Awareness Journey by first walking the Chemin de Arles on September 21st, World Alzheimer's Day, I knew that I'd be crossing the Camino Frances late season. I'd need to be prepared for late season weather as I approached Galicia, but frankly I had expected much warmer weather.
The colours were wonderful that day.
The road just went on and on.
I arrived at the Cruceiro de Santo Toribio where the two camino routes converge. Typically there are wonderful views out to Astorga, but in 2018 the views weren't quite there. However I had the cross all to myself.
Not so on previous visits, but then there was a trade off. I had the view!
Ah, finally someone to talk with!
The next interesting sight is the big green monster rail track crossing. Everyone seems to remember this structure!
Great views of Astorga from the top of the crossing.
Astorga's two jewels, the cathedral and Gaudi's Bishop's Palace in the foreground.
Ken's thoughts when he arrived here;
Astorga
30 km is a long day and even though it was cool today my feet look boiled. But I’m here, I have a bed, there’s a fire in the fireplace, and a kind woman named Donna just gave me a glass of vino tinto.
The fire here is a nice touch--it was a little chilly at times today and I’m grateful for the warmth.
Walking through a village [today] a man carrying a plastic bag stopped me and gave me three fresh pears--light green and juicy and ripe and delicious. I ate one, then ran into David, my bunkie from yesterday, and gave him one, too. Nice kid, from Majorca, speaks English well, started in León.
Turns out one of the rooms in the albergue at Frómista had bedbugs--we were very lucky there. You have to wash or ditch all your clothes, see a doctor if the swelling is too bad, try to get them out of your pack--what a disaster. No other albergue will take you if you’ve been infested. How horrible. I feel so lucky that we got the clean room.
Had hoped to find Neil and Sarah or Geoff and Annemarie here but so far no joy. Geoff and Annemarie wouldn’t be staying here but Neil and Sarah might. I have a top bunk next to a big window, which is kind of nice.
When we arrived Annemarie wrote this poem in consideration of where we'd been and where we were going. Finally the flats of the Meseta were behind us. In fairness I actually did enjoy most of the crossing, but by the end of the 9 stages I was ready for a change of horizons which the climbs ahead would nicely provide.
Hills and Valleys
It seems that each day on this walk there is at least one hill to ascend
For whatever reason there doesn't appear to be a comparable number of descents
The geography of the Camino could be said to be a metaphor for life
The question is, do the hills represent high points or times of strife?
And what about those rocky downhill pieces that require more balance?
Are they times to slow down and rest or do they represent challenges?
We've just completed the long flat Meseta road
It does appear that his was a time of a lighter load
Not boring, a wonderful time to reflect and to look ahead
Although the days were long and at the end we were very glad to find our bed
We are coming to steeper climbs in the next several days
We feel confident we will enjoy what we encounter in this part of the way
Perhaps when we're done we'll have a better sense
Of what is represented for us in the climbs and descents
Tomorrow, because there's lots of time on our virtual camino, I'll go on a walking tour of Astorga before heading out of town. It's an interesting cross roads where the historic Via de la Plata, built by the Romans to transfer silver and gold, heads off towards the south to Cadiz, though everyone these days walks it from south to north starting in Sevilla.
It's Annmarie's birthday, so I'll be busy with that today!
Buen Camino!
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