Day 15
This day is dedicated to Nancy Butler Cosman.
We had breakfast at a wonderful cafe called Los Tonales, by the Cathedral. Manolo, the owner, was so sweet. It also had great Wifi, which is a rarity indeed, so we took that time to upload pictures, especially. We walked 22 km, of which three quarters was the Meseta. Most people bus this part- they find it flat and boring. It is a challenge, as you are really out in the open, with nothing but small brown hills on either side. In spite of that, we had a great day. We met interesting locals like Maria and had a little picnic lunch in the square of the tiny village of Tardejos, complete with cerveza.
Maria was a lady near Rabe who adores Canadians. She watches for them, on her bicycle, and makes sure they know how to navigate the detour, caused by the construction of two huge, new overpasses.
I think she does this because she loves to meet and talk to people, and if they speak Spanish, all the better.
She is a language teacher, who no longer teaches, because the structure of the family has broken down totally, per Maria, and the parents rule. Hey, teachers out there - does that sound familiar? I told her I knew exactly how she felt.
She was thrilled to receive a Canada/US pin from Nancy, and wanted my email address and my blog site. All the time she is talking, she is smiling and laughing. Treasures like Maria are why we walk the Camino, and don't bus any part of it. Not yet anyway. We soldier on!
When we finally saw our destination, the tiny pueblo of Hornillos in the far distance, when we crested that last hill, after over five hours, we were ecstatic!
I started to climb up a small hill, to go have a whiz, when Nancy says - "Joanne, there is someone there sleeping." There was! It was Martin, our shoeless Frenchman from Day 8 in Viana. He is wearing shoes today, and has a backpack, but he is still not talking. He always acknowledges me when I speak to him, by tapping his heart and gesturing outwards. Later, I saw him listening to a young Frenchwoman.
We have met people who have been hiking since July (Germans), Quebecois who had already been hiking 45 days through France, before we met them in Granon for our Italian supper.
For many people, this Camino is a big, physical challenge. I know for me, that part was initially, and still is, a very important component of my journey. However, I am discovering many other aspects to this walk. When I told Nancy today that sometimes I think I would have no trouble just to keep walking indefinitely, as long as I had Vimy, she said "Are you going to do a Forrest Gump on us?"
Today is Nancy's birthday. She has a been a wonderful walking companion. She is always cool and calm, and never gets her knickers in a knot, like I do ( a lot!), but then I calm down quickly. She is the better pilgrim, because she is walking on, day after day, in spite of a lot of physical adversity, which I will leave her to share, but which I can tell you has a lot to do with her feet.
May God bless and keep you well, as we journey this wonderful Camino together, mon amie! Happy Birthday!
With love and gratitude from Hornillos del Camino, Spain.
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