We have enjoyed some very stunning sunsets of late. Last night was no exception. A quiet way to end end a busy day on the camino.
While I watched the sunset I reflected on how when walking in the spring time we see so few sunsets because we are usually in the bar eating or heading to bed. In the fall the sun sets much earlier so it’s easy to miss the sunset as gear is washed, blogs/journals written and then its time to go out in the early twilight to find a meal. Of course the morning sunrises make up for this in often spectacular fashion. Perhaps one of my favourite moments during the walking day is walking through the early morning pre-light as the sun slowly joins me.
Today for a variety of reasons we were a little late getting out and onto the trail. No sunrise today! However, most importantly, we did make it. A bit cooler start, but once we had walked a few kilometres our bodies warmed up as did our minds. A shorter stage today as we'd pushed a bit more yesterday.
Last night we socialized, online of course, with two new friends we'd met in Chile late last fall who live in Quebec City in eastern Canada. They reported that there is still snow on the ground with sub-zero night time temperatures and the walking isn't very good yet. This served to remind us yet again just how fortunate we are to live on the west coast where winter conditions basically departed some 2 months ago.
Meanwhile, on the virtual camino things are also progressing well. We have arrived into Santa Domingo where each of the virtual crew stayed in 2013. It's generally downhill the last leg after a slow steady climb before that. Ok, there was one long, gentle climb first.
During this crossing I made a note that we came upon Neil and Sarah resting along the way. Neil's knee was beginning to feel better, but now Sarah was having foot problems. When walking with a partner, the problems one party experiences rightly becomes a shared problem. When you walk solo, you can assist others you meet with blister repairs, tape jobs and stretching. Then move on. I've found advantages and disadvantages with both scenarios.
According to my blog in 2018 I caught up to and walked into town with a woman named Colleen who for the life of me I can't remember. As Annemarie says, sometimes these things happen on the Camino. There were so few people compared to 2013 that you'd think I would have remembered. Odd.
2013. Warmer, much warmer!
As usual, one suddenly finds them self in town. We thought we'd booked a hostel, but it turned out that we hadn't quite. In 2013 I wrote;
With a Town Named Santo Domingo...
we must be staying in a nunnery tonight...and we are! After a shorter, but hot, dusty plod through the rolling farm land and yet more grapes, we arrived to discover that we had booked ourselves into this nunnery. The front desk comes complete with two small, formally dressed and very cute nuns! It was difficult to keep a straight face as these lovely ladies directed us to our room about three times and the oldest one then walked over and held the door to the elevator for us. It was great! No pressure sales here at this hostel, "pay us any time" (said in Spanish)...and the room is very nice. As we entered Annemarie commented, "don't even have to look for bed bugs here...the nuns will have scrubbed everything"...and spotless it is.
I did try to pay, three times! I basically had to force the cash into their hands before they accepted payment after the simple breakfast provided.
Across the interior court was the albergue where it turns out the other members of our virtual camino were staying. We walked over to check it out, but didn't see any of them.
Ken has shared his memories;
When I got to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, I made a list of the things I was grateful for that day. Here’s part of it:
- The Kitchen Sink--washing clothes, soaking feet. [I used it again in the courtyard of the albergue in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, just before I wrote this entry, I believe.]
- Beer in vending machines. Also Aquarius in vending machines.
- The landscape here, especially as the sun comes up behind us and illuminates the vineyards, each leaf distinct.
- The haze of dust kicked up by a tractor plowing under stubble.
- Looking back to see how far you’ve come and being nicely surprised.
Looking forward to touring the church and seeing the rooster and hen. I had thought from Brierley that the “spares” would be here, in the courtyard of this albergue, but no. [They must be at another church-run albergue.]
Also grateful that my cold has more or less dissipated. It’ll be even better tomorrow.
As Ken has suggested there is a rooster and hen which is in a gothic cage located inside the cathedral based on the legend that a roasted chicken crowed a condemned man's innocence. Ever since a cock and hen have been kept in the cathedral.
In 2018 when I visited I can only assume they were out for dinner, or had in fact become someones dinner as the cage was empty.
These two were simply in jail for some transgression, lol.
The cathedral is quite a nice specimen.
I found this video from 2013, but I'll warn you, I was still trying to get use to making videos and I thought it would work which ever way I pointed the camera. It doesn't. Only horizontally, so you have to turn your head to watch. I'm way smarter now!!
The last time I stayed in Santo Domingo it was late season and the nuns had closed for the year, so I found myself a bed in a cheap little hostel (not the Parador) and I was a bit chewed up by bed bugs that night. My one and hopefully last encounter with them! Thankfully with everything put away in dry bags, my pack sprayed with permethrin and hung on a wall hook they never did manage to hitch a ride with me. I gave many thanks for that blessing!! The thought of decontaminating everything gives me the chills.
Our way out of town tomorrow.
Buen Camino!
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