Tuesday, May 31, Day 9 on the Camino

Today we trekked about 20.29 miles and reached the village of Nagera, population 8,500. It is on the Rio Yalde and has a picturesque bridge crossing dividing the city.

We started trekking around 8:00 AM and I got here about 2:30 PM. The terrain was fairly flat most of the day, with only a few short steep uphills. Almost all of the area we went through today was planted in grapes as this area is known for the vineyards and wine made here.

The weather today was ideal for trekking because it was cloudy most of the day and in the mid sixties. It was perfect for many of the pilgrims because it is one of the longer distance days and some were concerned about going that far.

There has definitely been a noticeable difference in the speed people are now trekking. I passed many pilgrims throughout the day, where before many passed me by a very fast paced. I see many of those same people that passed me by walking or limping much slower. The euphoria and excitement has quieted a bit and the injuries and reality of the long distances still ahead have soaked in.

Nagera is an older town mixed in with newer large buildings that are apartments or condos. It doesn’t appear to be as prosperous as some of the other small villages. It does have the typical large church built on the highest part of town. Usually you can see the steeples of churches from a great distance as they were the guide markers for the pilgrims for hundreds of years.

I think I was ahead of many pilgrims today but found the first hostel in town already full. They gave me directions to one that we ended up getting tonight. It was a three bed private room with our own bath. I think we have been fortunate. Within a few hours many of the hostels filled up, which seems to be typical in the smaller villages that are noted as stopping points in the guide books.

It was a bit of a challenge today pulling the Wheelie up some of the steep parts of the Camino because I only had one trekking pole. I generally find it very useful using two on the steep and rocky terrain. I was very fortunate today to run into a man that I met a few days ago. He is polish and now lives in Australia. I had stopped at an old church (again!) and he happened by. He asked how I was doing and I told him fine, but I wished I had my other trekking pole because the tip was broken on it. He happened to have a rubber replacement tip that he had purchased in Pamplona and he offered it to me. I was able install the rubber one and it works great! I am happy!

Tonight we will probably go to diner with some of the many people we have met. Everyday I ended up walking a least a few miles with someone new, and of course it’s usually someone from another country. It’s interesting and part of the experience of trekking the Camino de Santiago. As they say, if you are not really social, trekking the Camino de Santiago may not be for you. It’s definitely different than my other solo treks, but it is a challenge and a great fun experience, just different.

Best wishes,

Ted