Penultimate Day

A word about Sarria, my stop over last night – compared to all the other towns and villages – a disappointment and I could have easily pedaled a few kilometres further on the day with promise of a more transcendental village and hostel.

A delightful morning ascending along country roads and tracks. Dairy farms and villages with complex smells of cow manure, hay, cheesy sweet aromas added. Like the bouquet of a complex barn-yard red wine. As it is not quite autumn, there is the seasonal smell of ripening (and often dropped, rotting) apples and pears. Small purple fruit litters the ground – looking like some type of crab-apple ( they also look like, but can’t be,the fruit of the Lilly-Pilly tree!) Mulberry trees abound and they are in season, so its a free for all!

The lasting smell is that of fire and sooty houses so that the whole olfactory experience again is evocative of my elective on Nepal and the 2 week trek I had down from Everest basecamp!

The trail is packed this morning peak hour traffic. Lots of Italian school children and for the first time I caught up with 3 nuns in virginal white habits. I could have sworn one of them was humming “Maria” . There are more Pilgrims the closer one gets to Santiago! It is accepted officially that one has ‘done’ the trail if one has walked a minimum of 100 km or 200 km on a bike! So most people will take a few weeks and start at a location that meets the minimum criteria. Hence I suspect the sudden increase in traffic as I passed the 100 km marker! ( 100km! what bludgers!)

Analysis of my Garmin over the last weeks reveals that for all the ups and downs and variations between stony dirt track, bitumen, ascending and descending, I have averaged 11.4 km / hour on most days! Of that about 20% has been walking and pushing the bike uphill. I use different muscles so that after a walk and getting back in the saddle, my gluteals, thighs and adductor group, complain.

Moreover I have looked at my Garmin for the day and the summary of my efforts documents that I ascended some 1400m although the high point was at an altitude of 665m, in other words a lot of bloody up and down- AGAIN!

Two beers tonight! The octopus was great ( soaking in olive oil, paprika and salt) not to mention the crusty bread and the vino the Spanish equivalent of a Coolibah Cask!

Golly – have just discovered that the sunburn especially from day 1, has caused me to peel on the arms! I have been applying copious sunblock from Day 2.

The closer one gets to Santiago de Compestelo, the more I am aware of pilgrims with possible chronic medicaL conditions! Added to these are those who perceived themselves as fit, but are now hobbling, sore and sorry with elastic support bandages around the knees and ankles. All along the trail in the last few days, crude painted signs nailed to trees or the side of a house, tempt Pilgrims with the word ‘TAXI’ and a mobile number!

Tomorrow I reach Santiago de Compostela!

Dirty washing

My cup runneth over, washing sorted early. Thanks to Google translate.

“… posible recoger la ropa por la noche? me voy en el Camino de la mañana. ¡gracias … ”

Loosely means, ” could you finish my laundry by this evening ? I am a Pilgrim. Thank you . ”

The friendly short statured woman behind the counter, not only guaranteed to complete it as requested but deliver it to my hotel.

As I was a pilgrim, she asked, a big favour: “would I consider giving her one of my pair of cycling knics as a memento? I tried to clarify if she would prefer them prewashed?

Humbled by this I explained that I only had 2 pairs to last 3 months and would a 1 cm square of the chamois, cut from a non vital part, suffice? She was ecstatic, fell to her knees and partially genuflected – no kisses – I did not have a ring.

As this undertaking had inspired such a totally expected response, I began to seriously consider the possibility of offering small squares of chamois along the trail. The more pieces of chamois I offered, so I would improve my chances of reaching heaven. Kind of llke a mounted Mormon?

However I quickly quashed this idea for several reasons : firstly by the end of the trail I would have a red, raw sore bum secondly it would dilute the intent if I gave out too many. One only needs to recall that in terms of catholic relics, as we know, that if ALL the pieces of Jesus’ foreskin held by individual catholic institutions were sewn together, they would cover a football pitch!

The final sign that chamois offerings may be displeasing the almighty is that a pigeon has just poo-ed on my iPhone! Now if it had been a dove, that sign may have been a bit confusing and interpreted differently.

I am sitting in glorious sunshine in the plaza outside the Leon cathedral, sipping cafe con leche and totally relaxed. ( “con” = with and you will recall that “sin” = without )

The ancient parts of Leon are awe inspiring ! I am glad the tour company suggest a rest day here. Lunch is another serve of ensalada.

Day one!

The pic is my boxed BMX at Pamplona

Well that was the WORST day cycling in my life! I feel like I have ridden and run an ironman and got a bad case of sunburn to boot. It can only get better surely. I may as well self flagellate !….. Hang on this is a pilgrim trail , perhaps it was ordained, meant to be? I feel better already! The brochures say walk, ride bike or horse. Well a fourth option is to walk pushing your BMX bike ( definitely NOT Olmo territory ) up and down rocky indeed boulder strewn hills/ mountains . These rocks are SO slippery and mobile that one is at risk of roller coasting down a hill and frustratingly slipping and rolling backwards down the hill one is climbing.
I am changing faiths and detouring to Mecca.

PS have had a shower and feel
A little better! Peter would advise a glass of wine , Bruce four pints of local beer .
Have just been to reception, moaning about difficult ride and sunburn. She seemed delighted that I was as red as a lobster! ” you will become bronzed” !! Sigh