El Cid
- Dad
- May 18, 2018
- 2 min read
We were back at the pilgrim's table in Boadilla this morning, preparing like the others for a shorter walk to Carrion de Los Condes. After the past two days, the Camino average distance of 24.5 km (15.2 miles) seemed easy. However, thunderstorms had been forecast all week for this leg. The morning was cool and sunny, but the mid-afternoon forecast was for rain so we needed to get moving.
Another cool beautiful morning walk along the Canal de Castillo got us to our second breakfast in Fromista. While Ben enjoyed a French conversation with another traveler, I spoke English with a young guy from Switzerland. He pointed to the REI logo on my shirt and said "You're an American, REI". I proudly said that I was not just American, but I was from Seattle too, home of REI!
The rain never came. We had a perfectly cool, breezy, cloudless day. Way to go Papa Jarvis, your Osage dance is working perfectly! While the Way today was relatively boring, tracking alongside the highway, it was nice to have an easier walk to Carrion. (Pronounced "Carry On", I could not get "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas out of my head all day, which I thought Buen Camino reader Mike King would find amusing.)
We were only an hour from the target when we stopped for bocadillos in Villalcazar. This town was under the protection of the Knights Templar back in the day, a medieval military order responsible for protecting pilgrims. The order was disbanded after grand master Jacques de Molay was arrested and burned at the stake in 1307. There have been several tales of the Knights the past few days, I think they'll show up again.
Carrion de los Condes has a name that relates to another legend around here, El Cid. If you haven't heard of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as El Cid ("The Master"), he's basically Spain's national hero. He was born about 6 miles north of Burgos, so he's a really big deal around here. The town is named for a legend that his daughters married counts in the area "los condes", who Cid had killed after they robbed him. For more about El Cid:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid
Carrion was a really important Camino town in the Middle Ages, with 10,000 inhabitants and 14 pilgrim's hospitals. It seems that the number of pilgrim's hospitals is a statistic of note for these towns. I guess if I were walking this in wooden sandals I would be looking for the hospital as well. After a relaxing afternoon in the sunshine, Ben and I enjoyed a tremendous Spanish guitar concert in the Iglesia de Santa María del Camino.
I too just binge-caught-up-on many blog posts on this lazy Sunday morning. Your posts are interesting and inspiring and funny, I too laughed at the XP photos. This blog makes me long for my days in the travel industry, time to plan a non-blog-worthy trip. If you are in need of some new music (and get enough WiFi to download some iTunes), try the Carry On My Wayward Son cover by Yngwie, it’s a fun alternative. Good luck on your journey! -Tiffany
Glad to hear that the rain never came, I'm guessing it's not super fun to walk miles when you're soaking wet. Not exactly the same as a short run in the rain. I'll have to research the Knights Templar, sounds like something Matthew would be really interested in.
Hola Greg! Thanks so much for checking in. I've thought of you often, as you're one in my world that might be nuts enough to do something like this. I think of you most morning as the birdsong we walk to out here is spectacular. Ben and I have talked about how nice it would be to have you there to introduce us to our entertainers.
A lot to think about in your comments, and I have a lot of time out here to think about it! Looking forward to unpacking all of that with you on our return, perhaps a week later to celebrate your birthday.
Congratulations to Hailey!
I agree with Greg. This is an amazing adventure/effort and I love your stories and pictures. Go pilgrims and come back safe and sound.
I just ordered a custom t-shirt from Amazon that says: "I just binged 17 posts of Buen Camino and now I really feel like a lazy slob. Time for a nap." Wow - I've been out of the loop. We just got back from a trip to Phoenix for Hailey's ASU graduation and a road trip through Utah (Moab, Arches, Canyonlands). I spoke with Brad yesterday and he reminded me of your blog. Holy $#!#. Is that appropriate for pilgrims? Sorry if you are a man of the cloth now. And by cloth, I mean Mole Skin. I digested all of this too fast - I will need to take it in again, especially the incredible photos and referen…