Baamonde (Spain) | A Day of Gentle Reminders - Day 118

Leaving town this morning, I pass this sign and divert from the trail to take this photo. I enjoy capturing these signs in photos.

Day 33 takes me from Vilalba to Baamonde. The stage is 20 km (12.5 mi) and has one climb about halfway through the stage. The total elevation of the climb is about 100 m (300 ft) and maxes out at 520 ft (1,706 ft).

The morning air is fresh, and it is still dark when I leave the Albergue around 8 am. Only three of us were in the Albergue last night, and I slept great! I have been on a sleep schedule lately where every couple of nights I struggle to sleep. This likely is a result of being in Albergues with people that snore. I have realized that people that snore always fall asleep first because they don't get a solid night of rest. When they hit the bed, they pass out quickly. My earplugs, soft squishy foam ones, are not great for blocking out the low frequency of snorers. Some other Peregrinos have wax earplugs, those to prevent swimmer's ear, and I hear those work much better. A tip for the next Camino.

I stop at the bank to grab some cash. I try to carry around 100 euros on me at all times. I never know when an Albergue or restaurant won't take a tarjeta (i.e., credit card), so it is handy to have some cash on hand. After the quick stop, I start walking southwest and put distance between myself and Vilalba. I am not excited about carrying all the extra food I mistakenly purchased yesterday this morning.

I am looking forward to finding solitude on the trail today. However, I am unsure how the day will go. I haven't carried my rucksack in several days. The Albergue in Baamonde, where I plan to stop, is not serviced by Correos. Since I couldn't find another option besides the municipal Albergue, I opted to carry my large pack today. Shortly into the walk, Dennis, an Asian-Canadian man from Victoria, overtakes me from behind. I can hear the conversation his husband Jim is having behind us with another Peregrino. I notice Jim loves to talk.

Soon, Dennis falls back, and Jim and I walk together. The couple has done 7 Caminos, and Jim shares little lessons about the Camino with me. "Too many people are focused on the end, getting to Santiago," says Jim. "They miss the journey, which is the best and most important part. That's why we walk no more than 20 km per day," he continues. I nod in agreement. Walking with him reminds me to stay committed to my shorter days.

When my trapezius tense up, I know I need to stop, shed my pack, and put my first rib back into place. So, I tell Jim I will see him down the trail. I use the opportunity to put some distance between us. Walking with Jim this morning isn't what I am looking for. Jim walks faster than me, and I am not interested in walking that fast this morning. While I am stopped, I shed my jacket too. I forgot how much warmer I get carrying my rucksack.

I hear someone yell "MAR-TIN!!" from behind me. I turn around and see Timo heading my way. I think to myself, perfect! When Timo arrives, I grab my pack, and the two of us continue on. I enjoy walking with Timo. The pace is just right. Timo is in rare form today and eager to chat, so we start catching up.  

When I pass this tree, I stop briefly to take a photo. When I first noticed it, I thought it was a single tree with a beautiful large canopy. But when I look closer, two trees are close together. It is like a metaphor for life. Sometimes, you meet people and complement each other. Both people fill in the gaps in the foliage for each other. It reminds me that life is best when let people in to shared life with.

Timo and I proceed across the beautiful old stone bridge as we follow the Camino this morning.

Spending a few days with Timo, I know he is always hungry. How are you doing on food, man? I ask Timo. "I'm completely out. I need to hit the Supermarcado in Baamonde," he replies. Before you do, I could use your help and would love to give you several snacks for the road. I have doubled and tripled all my snacks on accident. After discussing my snacks, Timo replies, "That would be cool, man." We continue chatting our way to Baamonde. Then I stop, we only have 6 km (4 mi) to go. I reach into my pack, and pull a bag of trail mix. It is assorted corn nuts, peanuts, and corn trinkets with a Picante flavor. This should help us reach Baamonde. We share the snack as we continue our trek.

Timo and I made a great time, and the conversation was great. Around 12 pm, we reach Baamonde and pull into the Cafe. The Albergue opens at 1 pm. My feet are way more tired today than in the past few days. The extra weight really makes a difference. I feel great, though, and would be up for doing a few additional kilometers today. 

I tell Timo there's an Albergue about 7 km from here. I will call them and see if I can make a reservation. "That would be chill. We could walk together a bit longer," says Timo. He plans to continue to Miraz,  another 15 km (9 mi) further today. No dice, man. The Albergue is closed for the season. "You could come with me to Miraz," Timo says. 

The offer is tempting. Though my feet are tired, and my first rib is not happy with me, I feel good. I told myself a few days ago that I wouldn't walk 30+ km days anymore. So I check in with my body. I tell Timo this is where our paths diverge again. I am staying here tonight. I remember my commitment to myself. I tell Timo, look for a tall girl with African braids and Celine if you go. They are in Miraz too. If you find them you'll be with good peeps for the night.

I pull out my rations, divide them, and hand Timo several pounds of food. He is thrilled, and so am I. I remind myself to check my snacks before going to the grocery store next time. He's doing me a huge favor. Shortly after, Timo heads down the road. Below is the view from the Cafe in the small town of Baamonde.

I head to the Albergue and am one of the first to check in. I am really enjoying arriving early in the afternoon. Soon other Peregrinos arrive, Sergio, Julia, then Stefan and Soskia. It is good to see them all again. I am surprised to see Sergio here. He did a 30+ km day and recently told me that was too far. "Angeles is coming too, but she is not walking so good," says Sergio. I met Angeles, from Argentina, on my way to Ribadesella about two weeks ago. She was walking incredibly fast and doing long kilometer days. But unfortunately, she has inflamed the tendons in her right foot and now walks very slowly. 

Injuries can happen anywhere along Camino. Just because you made it this far, doesn't mean you will go without injuries. Angeles' injury reminds me to be grateful for each moment I spend on the Camino.

In the Albergue, I pick a bed on the opposite end of the snorers. I recognize several of the Peregrinos here and laugh. It may be a long night. While writing, a young American girl heads over and introduces herself, "I'm Virginia from Virginia. Are you Canadian or American? I can't place your accent," she says. I laugh. Virginia also started the Camino on September 3rd. This is the first time I have seen her. After a brief exchange, we part ways. 

Stefan coordinated a group dinner. Eight of us decide to go to the nearby restaurant, but it doesn't serve food until 845 pm. So, Sergio, Stefan, Soskia, Angeles, Petra (Czech), Julia, and one other (who speaks only Spanish) joins us. When we are done with dinner, the owner shares the story of the tree below with us. Sergio translates.

The tree next to the church is > 800 years old. When the city wanted to widen the street, they cut a small hole in the tree trunk and found it was hollow. So the city wanted to cut the tree down. The townsfolk petitioned to keep the tree, and this man's uncle carved a door into the tree. Now, a small altar is inside the tree and room for four people to stand. 

These social threads and experiences are all over, waiting to be discovered. I remind myself that all I need to do is make time to experience them.