The easy 12 mile day was in fact easy, but at one point a middle aged Spanish woman, who I thought at first was a pilgrim, accosted Drake and I and asked while looking at Drake, "What's his problem?"
A pretty vague question, really, with many possible answers given the person involved, but this was the Camino so I knew she was referring to Drake's limp. I explained about his knee and my blisters, and our fellow pilgrim, who I realized had no pack and was clearly just out for her morning walk proceeded to grill me for 10 minutes about what measures we were taking to heal and and to question me extensively on my understanding of the Spanish language, whereupon she informed us she was a nurse and we'd better listen to what she had to say. I refrained from saluting as she sped on ahead. She was, after all, only trying to help.
We ended that day in the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which has two albergues: small and large. We headed for the large one, thinking the students would end up there. Nope. They filled up the small one, which was run by a bunch of nuns (not on the run) and was built in the 16th century and looked like it had not been updated since. Our albergue was much nicer, although we were treated to the Snoting French Choir of Middle Aged Pilgrims and did not sleep much. Nonetheless, we had a great lunch of lamb chops and enjoyed a shared dinner with some pilgrims from Catalunya who were impressed with my command of the Spanish language and Drake's command of non-Spanish communication.
The next day was very short - 10 miles, because we stayed at the bed and breakfast of Ana de la cruz in the tiny town of Quintanilla de la Monte en Rioja. We met Ana three years ago on the Camino and I was glad to stay with her again. We were a big enough group that I was able to rent the whole place - 20 EUR a bed, plus meals, which were fantastic. It was a good break for everyone, I think. The students are adjusting to the physical aspect of the Camino, though we are still having to sort through some food-related frustrations. I am still having blister problems, which is also frustrating.
Because we stayed at Ana's, we had a long 18 miles the next day, and a small town with few beds at the end of that, so I prepared everyone for the idea that they might need to go and additional two miles, nearly 21 in total, to the town of Ages, if they felt like they could handle it. This led to some confusion, and the group actually ended up spread across two towns at the end of that very long day.
I undertook the 21 myself, which actually went very well. We had a sizeable walking group that stuck together and made for good conversation. We passed through the Montes de Oca, a historically bandit infested part of the Camino that now hosts a somewhat defiant monument to the Spanish Civil War dead on the LOSING side. It's not often in the US that you see war monuments with words like "assassinated" and "murdered" on them.
Liz, my RA, called after we arrived in Ages (she was in the other town), to say that a number of the group who had stopped there were somewhat upset about a number of things, so we talked about that, and agreed that we would address things on our rest day in Burgos. Drake and I also discussed the issues and how to address them, and we all thought the next day would be an easy 11 miles to our hotel in Burgos and a much-needed rest day.
Nope. We were barely moving by 8:30, after a lost phone, and many other delays. Then it started raining. And it was cold. Like 50 degrees. So we donned our rain gear, covered our packs and walked the two miles to Atapuerca, where we promptly stopped for an hour-and-a-half of breakfast. This was the students first experience with inclement weather, and since we had a hotel reservation, I did not push the schedule.
I will admit that I too was struggling, mostly because of my feet after the 21 mile day, and had it not been for my walking companions and many rest breaks, I would not have made Burgos. This was very humbling, as one the last Camino, I didn't have a single blister issue. But I am philosophical about it, and it has caused me to spend a lot of time talking to God to avoid focusing on the pain. I am grateful for that opportunity.
The approach to Burgos is just awful - 5 miles of commercial and industrial district. And according to one of my students pedometers, the 11 miles was more like 14. It sure felt like it.
Our hotel is a medieval convent, and it is fantastic. The food is good, and the kids love Burgos. After dinner we had a group meeting for about two hours where I listened to and tried to address the students concerns, make it clear what my expectations where and what they should expect as well. On the whole I think it went well, and the group is in a much better place.
We also said goodbye to Drake, who returned to Malibu today. Drake, my friend, I miss you already, and am deeply grateful you were here with us. Another IP employee, Alex, is here, and she is just as awesome as Drake. They are both a much more energetic balance to my sometimes-infuriating stoicism.
So I got up at 3:15 this morning to get Drake to the bus station (which in typical Spanish fashion is not well-marked or obviously placed) for his 4am bus. Because of the directional issues, we got him on-board at 3:58. Then I went back to bed, breakfasted at 10, and was on my way to the train station with a student, Hunter, to get Alex when I ran into a couple in the lobby of the hotel who are doing a documentary on the Camino. It turns out they work for Die Spiegel, a well known German magazine, and are researching how the Camino has changed over the last 15 years. They're pretty fascinated with our group and have interviewed several students. I spoke with them as well and exchanged cards. The main writer is actually Spanish living in Berlin, and he made my day when he said "I've never heard an American speak Spanish with such a perfect Madrid accent. It's flawless!" I'll admit I actually blushed.
Alex arrived in due course, and after she got settled in, we went to lunch to get her up to speed. I've spent the afternoon catching up on work and grading while soaking my feet in the bath. Dinner tonight is duck confit (yes!) and then we have 13 miles of the meseta tomorrow. At least it apprears the weather will be cool and cloudy rather than the blistering heat we expect. We'll see how my feet do. Prayers appreciated!
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