5/23 Boadilla to Carrión de los Condes (16.5 miles)
I don't have a whole lot to report from today, but the WiFi here is super fast and reliable so it feels like a waste not to use it! I have gone back to the last two posts and added photos/video, so feel free to peruse those at your leisure.
This blog post is really probably more insight into who I am rather than a typical trip report because most of the day was spent walking alone. But if you like mid-nineties alternative rock, this post is for you!
Today's walk I think (?) was what will end up being 3rd longest walk of our entire trip. Depending on which route a peregrino chooses, final milage was either 15 or 16.5 miles. More on that in a second.
I think I hit rock bottom this morning as far as being sick--I mention this (again) because I was really struggling with deciding what the "right" thing to do was (walk or not walk) for my health and modeling good choices for students. I ultimately decided to walk but told the team that I was going to exercise the option to call a cab and ride the rest of the way if things went really sideways.
We ate breakfast together at the hotel and then told folks they could start the walk whenever they were ready--I didn't think I was THAT delayed (or early??) getting on the road, but once I left the hotel, I only had a few Jeff sightings and one Berkeley sighting the entire 6 hours and 18 minutes I was walking and/or having a break at a cafe. It was super bizarre! I normally catch up to folks (or there's a few speed demons that pass me and it's a good ego check :)) throughout the day, but today was the solo-iest hike of my Camino experience thus far.
You can tell it's a river by the way that it is
From the Pilgrim's Guide. Photo credit: Jeff
The image might be hard to see, but basically at Población de Campos, hikers have the option of following the main route along a route, or taking a slight eastern detour to follow the river, which tacks on about 1.5 miles. I originally told myself that I'd stay on the main trail because it passes through more towns (easier to get a taxi), but when I actually reached the juncture, I felt good enough-ish to take the alternate route--and I'm very glad I did. It sounds like most students also took the detour.
More flowers on the detour
Beats hiking next to a highway
Flowers on the detour
1) Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins
2) The Bends - Radiohead
3) A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay *didn't actually end up listening to this one
A few notes on these albums:
1) I attribute the choice of Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead--and those albums specifically--to my sister Jill, who introduced me to both those bands and both those albums. To date, they are two of my favorite bands and two of my favorite albums and I think of Jill every time I listen to them. I think Jill is probably the single biggest musical influencer of my life and I'm very appreciative of her for that. Also, the guitar solos in Geek USA (Smashing Pumpkins) and The Bends (Radiohead) are two of my all-time favorite guitar solos.
2) The third slot was a hard choice for me. I was between A Rush of Blood to the Head (Coldplay), The Colour and the Shape (Foo Fighters), and Rumours (Fleetwood Mac). Even though I feel personally betrayed by Coldplay for selling out after Viva La Vida, they got the third slot because it really is a near perfect album, and I don't especially like "Hey Johnny Park!" or "Enough Space" on TCATS. I just went back and reviewed the track list on Rumours, and it IS an exceptional album, but there are are few songs that are good but not my favorites.
This prompt also led to some fun dinner table conversation with students. I don't remember exactly who said what, but some of the albums offered by students were:
1) Animal by Ke$ha
2) America, Location 12 - Dispatch
3) Anything by Florence + The Machine
4) Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins (worth noting is that a student volunteered this album before I gave them my list! High Five!)
5) I'm missing a few other albums--students, remind me what else was suggested!
Okay, anyway, back to the walk. Jeff and I traded greetings throughout the day because our break stops were off-set from each other, and I eventually ran into Berkeley and had a lovely mile walk with her (she was trucking today so I eventually wished her well and told her to speed on without me!).
First of two food stops. You'll note two cafes con leche (both for me) and a Spanish tortilla, which is kind of quiche-like but is usually some combination of egg and potato.
Hiking with Berkeley, the one student sighting I had all day!
Upon arriving to Carrión de los Condes, students got settled into their hostel rooms and had the afternoon to explore. Jeff, Deya, and I found a local park to enjoy some Manchego cheese and a fresh loaf of bread. Based on photos shared on our group text, it looks like some students found some good outside space for general good-time-having and lots of laughs.
If you look closely, you'll note that I'm wearing the same shirt as Ken in the beach scene from the Barbie movie <shrugs>
We all met up for dinner at Cafeteria los Condes, where we had our first paella of the trip! It was *amazing*.
Deya reserved the entire restaurant for us! Photo credit: Deyanira
Flan
Oh, before I go, my friend Bill reached out because his wife will be doing the Camino during the fall shoulder season and asked for some suggestions re: footwear, things I wish I would/would not have brought, etc. Here's my take so far:
- We have a wide variety of footwear represented on this trip in our group. I generally don't list specific brands/models when making recommendations. We were pretty adamant that students had closed-toe shoes for walking but they could wear whatever shoes they wanted (flip flops, Chacos/Tevas, etc.) once we made it to town.
- Lots of trail running/distance running shoes represented on this trip--specifically Hokas and Altras. I have never personally owned a pair of either, but I know many folks that swear by them. Some traditional leather lace up hiking boots, some synthetic/mesh hiking boots, etc. I am personally wearing Salomon Speedcross 6. I think my feet have fared well on this trip because I wear these shoes A LOT both in town and on adventures. They've been the perfect shoe so far for this type of experience, but that is based on me, my foot, and how broken in they are.
- The best shoe for you will be the one that protects your foot, gives you stability, isn't too heavy, and is something you're used to.
- Honestly, wouldn't change too much from my current packing list, but I guess it would have been nice to have a "laundry day" set of clothes to consistently wear so that every other piece of clothing could go into the wash at the same time.
- I'm glad I did NOT bring a sleeping bag. I brought a bag liner and this is a MUST have. Some albergues don't reeeeally provide sheets (they provide a mattress cover and a pillow/pillow case. It's also been a little colder on this Camino trip than in previous program years. I've used my bag liner a fair amount. Lightweight, compresses easily in a pack. Useful for extra warmth and when places don't provide sheets.
- I'd budget for bag transport. I'm carrying a laptop and a ton of charging equipment, a blow-up air mattress when I thought I'd be sleeping in an airport, a tote bag (used as my airport carry-on) and a few other things that I'm just not going to use consistently on the trail. It's been really nice to pay 6-7 euros to have the tote bag (filled with the other stuff I don't need) transported between albergues rather than having to have an extra 5-10 lbs of stuff I don't need on my back on big walking days. It makes a big, big difference. Some people actually transport their entire large backpack between albergues.
- I was trying to not look super American while in Europe, so I chose not to bring an extra pair of shorts or a baseball cap. Both of these decisions were dumb. I AM American, I already look like a tourist, I immediately bought a baseball cap for sun protection because it was more comfortable than the fedora I had, and shorts would have been nice when hanging out in the hostels/albergues.
- Charging bricks -- outlets can sometimes be few and far between. I brought two large charging bricks. They're heavy (but don't take up a ton of space), but I'm actually pretty glad I brought both.
- First Aid Kit - I break into this sucker once a day. Most towns along the Camino have great pharmacies (ask me how I know) so it's pretty easy to restock the first aid kit basics, but just having a personal first aid kit is a must, in my opinion.
- Sun hoodie - I'm obsessed with sun hoodies, in all seasons. Great for sun protection and as an extra layer. I brought 2 and honestly should have brought another one. They're super lightweight. They can be a little spendy depending on which brand you buy, but you can also find them on Amazon for cheap. My next sun hoodie will be this one from Party Shirt International!
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