Saturday, May 6, 2023
Walking from Montamarta to Granja de Moreruela
23.4 kilometers

Today, the bed race was in full force. The next town, Granja de Moreruela, is very small with only one albergue with 30 beds. The two private accommodations are already booked. Leaving Granja de Moreruela, the Camino route splits. The Via de la Plata continues north to Astorga, and the Camino Sanabres starts here and goes northwest more directly to Santiago de Compostela. The next town on the Camino Sanabres is Tabera. With over 30 pilgrims in Montamarta, we are hoping a few will continue to Tabera or take the alternate diagonal route directly to Tabera which involves many kilometers of walking on the shoulder of a highway. So we were up early and out the door by 7:00 AM. The private house we were in last night was very nice, and I slept well. Even with good sleep, I’m not sure my left leg tendonitis and right foot are up to a race today.

Here is the front of the private house in which we slept last night. It is early and still a little dark.

At the end of the town, there was a church with a taxi parking place, so I got a photo of Tom and Javier as we started the sprint to Granja de Moreruela.

A short distance out of town, we were walking through a reservoir that is empty because of recent drought conditions in this part of Spain, and we noticed the almost full moon low in the sky to the west.

After moving up into the farm fields, we were again in expansive flat fields, some recently plowed and planted.

Later in the morning, we were near a rail line, and like yesterday, a train passed too fast for me to get a photo. I did get a photo of Javier along the rail line, and then a photo a little closer. I’m sorry I did not get a photo of the train – the high-speed trains in Spain are very sleek and look fast even when they are stopped.

Javier got a photo of my shadow as I was walking in more of the expansive fields.

Later in the morning, as we were on a rise in the path, we could see what we think is Granja de Moreruela in the distance through the wildflowers. There is still a long way to go, and today’s pace is fast. We will probably be in Granja de Moreruela by noon.

Looking west from this same rise we could see some of a large lake in the fields.

It might seem that by seeing the photos I have posted, the views are repetitive and of the same farmland over and over. That is partially true, but those views are stunningly beautiful, and walking through them, you feel more connected to them and the earth. I do not have adequate words for the feeling, and it is a very good feeling.

We did see something different today for which we did not find an explanation. These are some old ruins of something and likely Roman.

Then for the next hour, we were in expansive wheat fields again. Repetitive, yes, also beautiful.

In a relatively short time, we were in Granja de Moreruela waiting at the bar to check in to the albergue down the street. This is typical – there is no one at the albergue itself; the bar/cafe owner also owns or manages the albergue, so you check in and pay at the bar, then go to the albergue to get settled. Here they do not start checking pilgrims in until about 1 PM, so we waited. There are only a few people ahead of us, so we have a bed for the night.

End of the pilgrimage walk

I made the decision during the walk today to stop walking. My left leg is getting worse and needs serious rest. I need to stop walking on my right foot for it to heal properly. The large blisters on my right foot are right on the ball of the foot which gets stressed with every step, so even wrapping and padding the foot is not enough for thorough healing to take place. Every step with my left foot is painful because of the tendonitis, and every step with my right foot is painful because of the blisters, so it is time to stop walking. Add to that my darkening mood over the bed race and staying in albergues and I’m done. I’m disappointed in myself for suppressing my feelings about the albergues for so long. If I return to Spain to walk the Camino Sanabres (essentially continuing from where I stopped), I’ll not stay in even one albergue. The albergues work for many people; they do not work for me.

Tomorrow I will take a local bus to Benavente and from there catch a regional bus to Ourense. I have the bus tickets, and have booked a very nice apartment-type room at a place called Casa Miño in Ourense for three nights giving me two full days of rest. The plan then is the following:

Wed May 10 – train to Santiago de Compostela, retreive package at Casa Ivar (Ivar runs the Camino forum)

Thu May 11 – train to Madrid, stay overnight near the airport

Fri May 12 – Delta flight 109 Madrid to Atlanta, Delta flight 484 Atlanta to Los Angeles

Everything is booked or changed. My 2023 pilgrimage has ended at just under 700 kilometers. There were many, many ups, and some downs, and I learned a lot. I am emotionally and physically drained. I’m sad to be leaving the Camino pilgrimage road; it will be there should I decide to return.

Next: traveling home (if I have the energy) or returning to Chiang Mai, Thailand in November