Spain 2018, part 13 (Way of St James: Carrión de los Condes – Terradillos de los Templarios)
Following the afternoon break, Francesco and I prepared food for us and enjoyed eating out in the open, in the spacious inner courtyard of the albergue. We still had on the menu pasta with some bought sauce, but also a large bowl of mixed salad to which we also added some canned tuna thus getting a properly delicious meal. Needless to say, there was also a bottle of good red wine. However, regardless of the tasty meal, Gabriel had decided to go and have a treat at some local restaurant, so Francesco and I had surplus food in the end. But, something like that was never a problem. Francesco went to the communal dining room and asked some guys there if they wanted to eat and drink whatever we had left. They agreed gladly, but as a token of appreciation, they insisted that they should wash up all the dishes. In the end, it turned out satisfactorily for all of us and what was important – the food was not wasted.
A little later, Francesco and I went to the Church of Santa María del Camino where we first attended the regular mass, followed by a special mass for pilgrims. I found it all very interesting since I had never attended the entire mass (it did happen that I entered churches while a mass was going on, but it was not in order for me to attend it). The part that referred specifically to pilgrims was particularly nice and after we had received blessing from the priest and one nun during which we also received hand-coloured paper stars as a symbol that should keep us safe on the Way, there was also a brief prayer in front of Santa María del Camino o de las Victorias. This is a painted stone sculpture made in the 13th century.
The following morning we left exceptionally early and the main reason was that we had a lot of kilometres to cover. Still, although it was pitch-black at first, we were not alone. From time to time, we were even overtaken by some pilgrims who walked very fast, although we did not drag ourselves by any stretch of the imagination.
That morning, like any other after all, all three of us were silent, even Francesco, and we just kept pressing on. But, as the day dawned, we started to come across a myriad of snails on the road and we really paid a lot of attention, lest we should step on some of them in our brisk walk. The snails were not a rarity these days, but here they seemed to be more abundant than usual. They not only crossed the dirt road we were on, but they also occupied the plants growing by the road.
The section that comes right after town Carrión de los Condes is 17 km long and later I heard from many pilgrims that this was actually one of the most difficult sections. It seems like a very simple and easy stretch, everything is flat and straight, but I guess that the monotony of the landscapes makes one tired even psychologically apart from wanting to cover this uninteresting part as fast as possible thus tiring oneself physically as well. Except in one place, which was almost at the end, there was no suitable place where one could make a break and there were no trees on which one could lean for a short while and catch breath in the shadow of the tree top – no, it was just a flat land and a straight road ahead of us.
In the meantime, the three of us had developed a habit of making a second break after the breakfast break in order to refresh ourselves in a bar in some of the places we were going through. For Gabriel, the refreshment came in the form of a caña, i.e., draught beer, Francesco would take a caña or a coffee, while I regularly ordered a clara, the version when the draught beer is mixed with gaseosa, a type of a soft drink (this is much more tasty than it may appear at first). At some point I also realised that in those small places on our Way, if there were even a single bar, it would always be located somewhere by the local church, so I declared:
“Where there’s a church, there’s a bar!”
We all found this rather funny and it also helped us psychologically, so with time we introduced a habit where, like sailors watching for the sight of land from the high seas after which they yell: “Land, ho!,” as soon as we noticed the top of the local church’s bell tower ahead of us we would at once cry out:
“Caña!!!”
because that meant that the desired and necessary break was at hand. Each time we giggled at these cries of ours.
Still, relatively little before getting to the next village Calzadilla de la Cueza, we did come across a small lot made there for pilgrims, but apart from a couple of benches there was nothing really that could refresh us and help us get our strength back even a little, so we did not stay there for long.
I barely managed to drag myself to the village, but fortunately there was a bar at the very beginning, so I just sat there, took my trainers off in order to get back to my senses and get some strength back. Still, this took a while and by the time I ordered my breakfast and started to eat, Francesco and Gabriel were already ready to move on. I told them to go and not wait for me, because I still needed to rest. Gabriel only drew my attention to the fact that there were two variants for the continuation of the Way after this village and thus we parted.
I really enjoyed the break and so, recuperated, I continued walking at some point. When one leaves village Calzadilla de la Cueza, the main route of the Way which is also good for cyclists, goes parallel to an asphalt road. However, there is also a possibility to follow a local dirt road, but there were no arrows there that would guide a pilgrim. Still, with full confidence in what Gabriel had told me, I headed that way. That version is around 1 km longer, but it is much more pleasant because one does not walk next to an asphalt road with vehicles.
The dirt road ascends mildly and then one walks over a flat area. There was absolutely nobody around and I just kept hoping I was on the right track. I comforted myself saying that the dirt road had to lead somewhere, so I simply followed it. At some point, however, I came across an “intersection,” i.e., another dirt road to the left, but no sign or arrow in sight. I hesitated a little and then I relied on my hearing. I heard the sounds of traffic in some distance to my right, so, since I knew I had to go parallel to the asphalt road more or less, I continued following the road that went straight. A little later I also came across a fork, but there was finally a sign albeit rather pale. Still, this calmed me down significantly.
After some time, this alternative route joins the main one and there you have to go by the asphalt road, but those who maintain the Way have indeed tried to make the path as pleasant as possible and nowadays there are numerous bushes of Spanish or weaver’s broom (Spartium junceum) with bright yellow blossoms that radiate fantastically wonderful scent, so I really enjoyed this.
Before entering Ledigos village one needs to cross the asphalt road with special signs that draw the attention of the drivers that the road they are on intersects with the pilgrims’ Way and that they should be alerted of the pedestrians crossing the asphalt road. From there, one takes a street in order to get to the centre. I felt exceptionally well and unexpectedly light, so I decided to continue immediately along 3 remaining kilometres in order to reach the final destination of the day. Just as I reached the village centre, I saw my dear co-pilgrims getting up from a local bar. Each of our encounters was a cause for a great joy, and this one was too, so all three of us just continued walking together.
Village Terradillos de los Templarios was not too far, but in this section one has to walk along an asphalt road all the time. By the way, it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that village Terradillos added an extension to its name and nowadays it is Terradillos of the Templars, since in the past the Order of the Knights Templar had a large manor here.
As soon as we got to the albergue I made an appointment for the massage of my legs. I also got all of my laundry and wardrobe that I didn’t have on me and gave that to our hostess to wash it in the machine, after which I hanged it all outside to dry. Then I lay down in our room and fell asleep like a log. I was woken up from that deep sleep by the masseuse when the time for my appointment came. And it was – fantastic! A great woman who does her job absolutely perfectly.
Since a lot of pilgrims had gotten to the albergue in the meantime, the internet connection was rather poor and I could not post my text at all. So, I asked if there was another bar or a restaurant around (they often have excellent wi-fi), but as it turned out, I had to go back to an albergue that was located just before entering the village (there and back – over 1 km). In order not to have an interruption in my daily reports, although not too happy, I did walk to that other place and there indeed the connection was great and the albergue itself seemed fantastic. In addition to being able to post my text, I also picked information about some other hostel recommended for our next destination.
Day 20: “Everybody has their star”
Yesterday we stayed at an exceptionally good religious albergue intended solely for the pilgrims. While we were checking in, the volunteer working there told us that there would be a mass at a nearby church at 7:30 pm and that they have a very nice stamp showing Christ Pantocrator which they put into the pilgrims’ passport. They bought me with the stamp.
I went there together with Francesco and first there was a mass which was, I guess, like any other. I yawned a little, but I did recognise when “Our Father” started, so I recited it in Serbian in parallel. Then, of course, I joined the line to take the body of Christ. I simply had to try it, since I had only watched it in films so far.
Then the local people left and the pilgrims who were there were asked to approach the presbytery. There, the priest first asked us to say where we came from. I was the only one from the “region” there. (“Region” being the area of south-east Europe). Then, one nun first showed us the stars made of paper which nuns cut and colour by hand, and then she said that the stars were made so that each one of us could get one, because anyway "everybody has their star" that follows it and this paper one was supposed to remind us of that. Or, as they would put it in another spiritual system – “Every man and every woman is a star.”
Then the priest said the prayer for all of us as a group after which we approached one by one either the priest or the nun who had spoken about the stars, they put hands on our heads and blessed us individually. This reminded me of a situation when a female Guru who had given lectures in Serbia and I had been her interpreter blessed the people present at the event and the objects they brought to her. What I want to say is that it all comes down to the same thing. At least in the spiritual sense.
This was followed by another prayer in front of Santa María del Camino o de las Victorias and then I finally got the stamp I wanted so much, but I also didn’t regret a single moment that had preceded the stamping of my pilgrimage passport.
This morning we left already at 5:15, in other words, when it was still night. It was so quiet that even the roosters at the farms we were walking by did not utter a sound. The reason for this super early departure was that we had a lot of kilometres to cover and the first section consisted of 17 km non-stop. In that part, only towards the end there was a rest stop with some benches, but no water or anything else that would truly refresh a pilgrim, so we just got rid of small pebbles from our shoes and liquid from our respective bladders, and then we moved on. Not only is this part so long, it is also extremely monotonous, without anything that might possibly entertain the brain, so I felt completely exhausted when we finally reached the first settlement and a bar in it. First I sat down, took my shoes off and did not move for some 15 minutes. It was only then that I slowly went to the bar and took coffee, while my co-pilgrims were ready to continue. I told them to go ahead, because I wanted to go very slowly and it was necessary for me to rest well. And so I did which meant that I covered the following 7 km rather easily, so much so that I immediately continued with the following 3 km. In the meantime, I caught up with Gabriel and Francesco and the three of us thus reached a village in which the Knights Templar had left a very strong mark behind them – they are now a part of the name of the village and our hostel for the day has been named after the last Grand Master Jacques de Molay. Still, the most important thing was that here we could finally rest that day, I had most of my things washed in a washing machine, had a good hour’s afternoon sleep and I would have slept even longer had the masseuse for my legs not woken me up. And the massage was also good, but too short.
In front of me: 392 km
Behind me: 475 km
Pleased that I did what I wanted, I returned to the albergue and the weather started to change. Luckily, all of my laundry had dried out by that time, so I collected it and soon we had a storm. First it poured like crazy and then we also had hail.
Later we had a very good and plentiful dinner at the albergue and of course soon after we went to bed, since we had an early start again the next day.
Before coming to Spain, I had imagined myself walking for a few hours relatively early in the morning and then resting somewhere for a couple of hours and then walking the rest of the daily distance later in the afternoon. Very soon on my Way I realised that this was not a good plan, particularly because there were not really good spots for breaks all over the place, either because there were no bars or there was no shade. Thus, I adjusted my daily schedule of walking and taking breaks to what was existing in the field (villages and bars) and not to what I had imagined back home.
On the other hand, if one drags too much, it may happen that the person gets to the hostel of choice, but that this one has no vacancies left. This is not a problem if you carry all your belongings with you, but since I kept sending most, or rather the heaviest part of my baggage, it was important for me to know that it would be possible to stay where my big backpack was waiting for me.
Then, although incredibly enough the temperatures were not too high in the parts of Spain through which I was walking, it was certainly better to take advantage of the fresher mornings to cover as much distance as possible. Later, even without excessive heat, the strength of the sunrays did add an unpleasant burden to the already tired body.
And finally, and this fits nicely with my nature, if something needs to be done, then it’s better to do it as soon as possible. It was also nice to get to an albergue earlier and then spend the rest of the day, with no interruptions or new efforts, lying down and recuperating as a way of preparing for the following day.
And in line with that, the next morning we left early again.