Day 17 – Itero de la Vega

iPhone camera doesn’t do justice to the size of the castle ruins on top of the hill. 

It must have been a formidable structure when it was built in the 9th century.

As you can see, the weather has turned for the better, raising spirits and drying socks.  A true pilgrim can be identified by the pair of socks  suspended from the back of their backpack to dry while they are walking.

Some peregrinos talk about the 3 stages of the Camino experience:  physical, emotional, and spiritual. 

The physical arrives quickly and painfully via blisters and sore muscles.  For the first few days these overwhelm ones attention making it difficult to process the significant and undeniable emotional responses to all of the new experiences.   It just bubbles up as expressions of awe at the wonder of it all and/or frustration at the inconveniences of traveling in a foreign country.   

As for the spiritual, for me that takes longer, maybe years longer, if at all.

I walked today with a women from Toronto and her 13 year old grandson, Alex.   Alex is taking a break from his job on a dairy farm where he gets up at 4am to be with the cows at 5am.  He’s saving his money to buy a new computer and a chemistry set.   He shared a lot of other life history with me before I escaped.   Alex processes the emotional challenges of the Camino through oversharing but I have no doubt that he will complete his first Camino in style.  

Update on the alien invasion via neuralfibers.  I spoke with a women from El Paso TX who told me that the trees that produce these seed puffs are actually called “Cottonwoods” and are very common in the south.  I am going to have to look further afield for a plot device in my blockbuster sci-fi epic. 

Buen Camino,

-jgp