Day 2.5/34: May 2, 2017 León to San Martín del Camino

San Martín del Camino, Spain

May 2, 2017
San Martín del Camino; Albergue Vieira

18.33km; 5:05hr; 29700steps; 99m elevation gain

Today was our first warm and sunny day. The sun was out but it wasn't too hot; so, it was a beautiful day for walking the Camino.

After going through the industrial suburbs of León, we passed through a series of small towns along the highway, and indeed much of the route today was on a dirt path directly next to the highway. The sound of the cars and trucks flying by made it difficult to hear each other on this one-lane path; so, much of the day was spent walking in silent contemplation. There was an alternate route with less highway walking, but the configuration of towns and available accommodation made it impossible to find lodging that wasn't a common sleeping room with 40 other snoring pilgrims.

Each town seems to have a old church with a signature Spanish architectural feature, the three-bell campanario, or bell wall. In these small towns almost every bell wall also has three stork nests. This must be the time of year when the storks' chicks are in the nest, because every nest was also occupied. Oddly. In the larger towns the nests are either cleared away, either that or the storks avoid the busier towns. The end result is that most pilgrims come away with a large collection of photos featuring multiple nearly identical bell walls and storks (I have 43).

Like the identical bell walls and storks, each town now seems interchangeable: a cluster of lonesome mud brick buildings along the highway. The local bar always has a blaring television with bizarre Spanish talk shows, which all seem to be hosted by women who look suspiciously like drag queens. There are always a few regular patrons at the bar, looking sad and depressed. Pilgrims might come in for a coffee and bathroom break, but scurry on as soon as possible. The flat expanse of the Meseta really does feel like the middle of nowhere. It's depressing.

We reached the destination for the day, San Martín del Camino; yet another sad featureless town along the highway. The Albergue Vieira sits on the edge of town, and stepping across the irrigation ditch into the yard, you expect to find a sad, run-down Inn and Inn-keeper. We found the opposite. We were immediately greeted by the enthusiastic smiles of Amelia and her all-female staff. The cheerfulness was contagious and soon we found ourselves in colorful rooms, and then relaxing on the front lawn drinking beer and eating local cheeses.

The Albergue offers a communal meal, and we signed up (there aren't a lot of options in San Martín Del Camino). After the hearty garbanzo soup/stew we were worried that dinner was over (guidebooks indicate that this Albergue offers vegetarian meals). So, we had another bowl, only to find out that it was the first of many delicious courses (including meat and fish) We were seated with Frederico and Julio from Alicante, and joined by another Frederico and Tomáš, a Camino-cyclist from Prague. Fortunately, as usually happens in these situations, English was the common language, with a smattering of Spanish.

Julio didn't speak any English, but was increasingly convinced that Lisa and I understood Spanish perfectly, as he chattered away with us, disregarding our blank expressions. It turns out that you can really understand a lot, if you listen. Julio was quite an interesting guy and told us that this was his 6th Camino. It turns out that he also volunteers with a group that helps physically-challenged people complete the Camino from Sarria to Santiago (the shortest distance that qualifies for a Camino Certificate). Apparently they unload their charges in Sarria and have their Pilgrim Passports stamped, then take them to the Monte de Gozo, the hill near Santiago where pilgrims get their first sight of the cathedral. From there, the disabled pilgrims are lead or otherwise supported. Julio showed us a picture of himself harnessed like an ox to a wheelchair, pulling the wheelchair-bound pilgrim into Santiago. What an incredible effort, and what a precious gift!

So, what started as yet another day trudging across the Meseta, ended in cheer and awe. People can overcome the constraints of environment to build a cheerful home based on their attitude alone, others can transcend physical impairments and accomplish impossible goals.

When we woke and looked to the West, our destination for the day, for the fist time we see hills, and mountains beyond. These are the first hills since Burgos, 240 KM (150 miles) behind us.