Halfway

Lisa and I set off from Terradillos about 7:15 and got to Sahagun about 3 hours later. It was our coldest morning yet, at 37 deg F. In Sahagun, you can get a half-way certificate. Some may think that a half-way certificate is not very important, but it does demonstrate that you have walked nearly 400 kilometers. On the other hand, you can walk 100 km from Sarria to Santiago and get a certificate, or compostela, after walking only 100 km. Of course, the Camino is not about kilometers or days or sellos (stamps) or pace. What IS the Camino about? There are people who have walked it 5 times, and 10 times, and more. But I doubt they could tell you what it is about. All I can tell you at the half-way point is that it is about you.

The Camino is full of interesting characters. Today I met and walked for a while with Frank from Almería. Frank, or more properly, Francisco, is a police inspector who will be retiring at the end of this year. He is originally from Asturias and endorsed our plan to travel eastward along the northern coast of Spain after the Camino and encouraged me to try the fabada asturiana.

Lisa and I checked into our alberge, a new, modern and clean hostel built for the pilgrim trail. After unloading our gear, we decided to go into town for a beer and a bite to eat. on the way, we bumped into Frank, who was putting away one of two drones he Carrie’s with him. He had just finished doing an aerial video of Bercianos. He has a YouTube channel and has been recording his journey since St Jean. Check it out at: Francisco BL para Almería.

So how does it feel to be at the halfway point, you ask? I look back at all the experiences so far. Every single day has been wonderful. I remember that first morning, leaving St Jean Pied de Port and how amazingly good that cup of coffee in Orisson was. I remember the fourth or fifth day when I began to feel like a pilgrim and not a lost tourist. And soon after that when the familiar faces became family. And my diversions from the trail and how happy I was to get back on the Camino. Hundreds of little incidents of people and places come to mind. I will never be a virgin peregrino again.

So actually, I feel a bit sad.