I walked 20 km today.
According to legend the natural spring at Sanl-Bol is rumored to cure pilgrims feet. It is a 100m detour off trail but I went to check it out. I took off my boots and knocked my right boot into the pool of water. Oh this is just a great start to my day. I fished out the boot as quick as I could and dried it off with my wash cloth. I soaked my feet for a few minutes in the freezing cold water. I put double socks on the right foot and then my wet boot. I don't know if it was the spring or the socks but my right foot didn't hurt for the next 5km and it was a small miracle I didn't get any blisters from the wet boot.
In Castrojeriz I stayed at the Albergue San Esteban. There are some bunks and some just mattresses on the floor. I was glad to get the latter. There is a fridge and microwave but no stove. Breakfast is also provided which is a treat: toast, butter, jam, cookies, coffee and tea. No wifi.
The walls of the dormitory are covered in photos taken of/by two pilgrims who completed the Camino in 2006. They took a train leaving Santiago and lost their lives when it crashed. Very sad.
Roll call: Grace and Malcolm from NY are here. Vance from Alabama. The girl from Quebec with the black and pink hair. The French couple I have seen everyday since July 11th. New tonight is Daniel from Denmark, his second day in the camino.
Even though it was siesta I headed out to get as many errands done as possible and get the law of the land. I finally got stamps to mail postcards from a sweet old lady in a we-sell-a-little-of-everything shop. I found the pharmacy closed till 5. No Santander bank but I needed cash badly and used the ATM at another bank.
I was sitting in the park talking waiting for the supermarket and pharmacy to open. Malcolm and Grace joined me. This town is on the side of a hill and we didn't want to walk back up the hill to the albergue. So we chatted then we played cards. First we played Pitch and then they taught me Golf. Then Garret and Dirk from Wales joined us and we all played cards waiting for the end of siesta. We came up with a plan to make a big dinner in the park.
We bought all the food splitting the cost. Garret and Dirk had a small propane stove and made a meaty chilly with garlic, onion and red pepper. Grace and I hiked back to the albergue and used the microwave to make baked potatoes. While they cooked I finally took a shower.
Grace and I borrowed some supplies from the albergue and took the baked potatoes back to the park. Andy from Gremany woke up from his nap in time to join us. I tore up the lettuce and added the tomatoes and cucumbers the guys cut up and everything was ready to eat.
We had such a spread:
cheese, chorizo & olives
bread & butter
Salad with tomatoes & cucumbers dressed with oil and vinegar (the only way it's done in Spain)
Baked potatoes with butter topped with chili
Cookies for dessert
And lots of wine and beer
We hung around chatting till the sky threatened to rain. We packed up in a hurry and sought cover back at the albergue chatting and hanging out. Garret, Dirk and Andy were planning on walking at night but Andy wasn't feeling well. He said it was a hernia and was going to get a hotel and go back to Burgos to the hospital. I hope he is ok.
Garret and Dirk played a few songs on the guitars they have been carrying for the whole camino. They started somewhere in France and have already done 1200km. The hospitalera said it was time to lock up and lights out for the evening. So we all said our good byes.
Vance is in the next bed. His mattress is six inches from mine. There are thirty other people all six inches from each other. It is kind of weird in the real world way. But this is the camino and it just doesn't matter here.
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