Camino Entry 14

Day 14, December 8th, 2012
272.5km completed

Expenses, Day 14
Kabob: 7.50
Fruit: .83
Bread and cheese: 4.50
Albergue donation: 5.00
Total: 17.83
Trip Total 352.99

Day 15, December 9th, 2012
305.4km completed

Whew, I just threw down a pair of 30+ kilometer days. It’s nice to know that I can do it, but I’m glad for a short day today (and so is my body). Only 22.1 km to Bolea.

Huesca is a nice city. At 48,000 people it feels massive; I am in for some culture shock when I get home. It is nice to know that there are still some small places left in the world – places with no internet and no McDonald’s.

I struggled with hunger yesterday. I was so tired the day before that I forgot to provision . . . and due to the holiday, all the shops were closed. Still, I had a little cheese and a carrot left over, and then mid-afternoon a nice guy in Fañanás bought me a cup of coffee and the remains of a stale sweet cake. Something about that cake must have been magic because it carried me the remaining 15km to Huesca without a problem.

The albergue here in Huesca is another palace . . . I think Aragón is trying to spoil me. Again, I’m right behind the school group that last night’s hospitalero mentioned – the chaperones left me another half bottle of wine, but I decided against it this time. There was a fridge full of cold cuts and bread, though . . . mmm . . .

It’s funny what the body wants after two weeks on the road. I had no interest in the sponge cake, but I could’ve drunk a gallon of the fruit juice.

I took a look at the guest book. It looks like the place is brand new; just opened this year. I may be the first American to stay here. I couldn’t read many of the messages, but the intent was clear – lots of love and well-wishes. It’s nice to hear some echoes of my fellow pilgrims. I hope to actually meet another one someday – I was lucky to run into Martin, but since then there has been no one!

The albergue is located on the edge of town as you enter Huesca from the East. This has led to some conflicts of signage as the Camino has been rerouted to pass by the albergue. There are yellow arrows crossed out in yellow paint, and then more yellow arrows underneath in different directions. The new arrows seemed to be going backwards, and so I ignored them and headed into town (passing right by the albergue!). Eventually I arrived at the tourist office and the guy behind the front desk showed me my mistake – it was a half an hour’s walk back! That’s alright, though, as I got a chance to see Huesca on a holiday night and the man at the tourist office had to call someone to unlock the albergue anyway.

This experience has led to a new Camino rule, though – number four, I believe.

1. Allow others to be generous.
2. No Pilgrim is alone.
3. Let your feet do the walking.
4. The arrows are always right (but that doesn’t mean you should always follow them).

Expenses, Day 15
Pastries: 2.40
Albergue Donation: 5.00
Total: 7.40
Trip Total: 360.39