Day 4 on the Camino

This was, by far, my worst day on the Camino. Sal and I started out strong from Ponferrada. We were lucky to have 2 good bunkmates, but the albuerge had over 200 people in in, and we favored more of the smaller towns as the trip went on. We had our usual coffee and started west. A quick stop for lunch from a local tienda in Camponaraya was a good one. We scored some jamon serrano, bread, cheese, and a big Coke then found a spot in the town center to eat. Maybe it was the fountain or maybe it was the lack of sun, we don’t know..but it was cold. That was about 10 km into the day. We didn’t have many elevation changes that day as we stayed around 500 to 600 meters. We finally made it to the stone and walled town of Villafranca del Bierzo. Normally the stone towns are quite impressive, but on this day the stones were also underfeet. Both of us wondered if there was a local bus station or railstation…me more so than Sal. I was tired and sore, and I was DONE with the Camino. Why was I here? Where was I going? I asked myself these questions and more. Then we ran into Ondres who we had met earlier in our trip. He encouraged us to press on and so we did towards the small village of Trabadelo. Ondres went ahead of Sal and I as we walked along the river. By the time we arrived, I was ready to really toss in the towel. The town was too small, it was beginning to rain, we were in the middle of nowhere, I was tired and sore, and I was at the end of my rope after another 30 im plus day walking with my bookbag. What made it worse was that there was a small truckstop just across the small river, and that stop meant cars, busses, etc…civilization!

Then a few things happened. First, I took a hot shower. Amazing what a hot shower can do on a cold day. Second, even though I didn’t want to, I joined Ondres for Mass in the tiny village. Mass was in one of the many churches we had passed that looked empty and old from the outside, but on the inside it was clean and ornate. I guess you really can’t judge a book by the cover. The Mass almost brought me to tears. I’m not sure what the readings were, but I was humbled by the Sacrifice of the Mass and was reminded that this Mass was being said all over the world. Third, I had a wonderful dinner with Sal and Ondres, and I was reminded of the power of being with family and friends. The meal was excellent as Ellie and Santiago (more her) put on quite a spread. The highlight was the fried calamari, deelish! Visit Ellie and Santiago in Trabadelo if you can, they ahve great food and even have rooms. Lastly, I had a great night’s sleep. I was constantly reminded through the Camino that from the poem DESIDERATA that “fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Great point.

Day 4 was in the books and to that point we had covered 133.6 kms and had averaged a bit over 30 kms per day.

Tags: bad days, camino de santiago, falling down, spain