Halfway There

Today we arrived in the thriving metropolis of Terradillos de Los Templarios, population 50.  As the name implies, the town was very closely tied to the Knights Templar in the 1100s but is merely a sleepy little pilgrim burg today.  More importantly, we are halfway to Santiago, having walked now for 19 days and some 250 miles.

I had a fairly quiet birthday with 12 miles of hiking before arriving in Fromista.  We elected to stay at the Municipal Albergue.  I'm not quite sure what was wrong with the Universe that day, but it was populated almost entirely by distressingly rude older pilgrims.  It may simply have been that they were not enthusiastic about sharing their hostel with a group of young Americans, but we were equally unexcited about sharing with cranky old Europeans, frankly.

Nonetheless, we made the best of it, even though we hardly slept that night from the snoring.  Several of our roommates decided they needed to be on the road at 5:00, which was rough.  But the kids surprised me with birthday dinner and a homemade cake, which was awesome.  I've had worse birthdays certainly.

The next day was another 12 miles, to Carrion de Los Condes, where we again gave the municipal albergue a try.  I've learned that there is in fact a difference between the clientele at the 5 euro hostal and the 10 euro hostel.  We were allotted bunks in a room with six young Germans, and unfortunately, the smell was stifling.  I don't think it was the Germans specifically, I think it was the room.  But the Germans didn't help.  We made the best of it until a couple of students showed up late and couldn't find beds.  So, Alex and I gladly surrendered our spots and high tailed it to the hotel at the other end of town housed in a restored 11th century monastery, on our own dime.

It was glorious.  Even the bat that was in my bathroom floor this morning.  Pictures attached.  It was also hard to leave today.

Today was 16 miles, 11 in one shot on the old Roman Road that runs from Astorga to Bourdeax, which is how the legions transported gold from Galicia to the rest of the Empire.  Neat history, terrible walking.  We all struggled, mentally and physically, but at least it hasn't been hot.  Lots of blisters still abound and I've got a couple of kids fighting colds/fevers.  Nonetheless, morale is pretty high, which I'm grateful for.

Because of the general state of exhaustion, I took a look at the walking schedule, and polled the group, and we've decided to adjust some of the walking days to allow an extra rest day at the hotel in Leon.  How I'll work this into the budget is a great question, but I'll figure it out, and I think the kids could use the rest.

Tonight we're in a really nice private albergue, 4 beds to a room with bath, 9 Euro.  They have a restaurant on site and are even doing our laundry.  This is pilgrim luxury, let me tell you.

Halfway through, how do I feel?  Physically OK, though I am frustrated with my feet.  I've had some great conversations with the kids and my co-leaders (though we all still miss Drake terribly).  I am not too much in my head but I'm hopeful my subconscious is churning away.  I am missing home a bit again since my birthday, and I have several things on my mind I hope to make progress on over the next few weeks.  But all in due time.  This has been an amazing experience.  I am coming to love these kids deeply, and look forward to watching them experience the rest of the Camino.