Gratitude is the portal to happiness – Cantor Roger Eisenberg
May 19 Carrion de los Condes to Ledigos
Today’s miles – 15.0 Total miles 244.2
Elizabeth: A friend on our blog asked about restaurant reservations and whether or not they were necessary. Thank you, Cindy, for the prompt. Love getting ideas of what you all want to hear about. I will elaborate on the whole meals category ; )
Restaurants in larger towns, and more commonly cafes in smaller villages, do not need reservations. Many are closed between 3:30pm until 7:30 or 8PM for their siesta time. Stores, etc., also close. Employees go home for rest and family time. Common in Europe and very common in the smaller villages. We are noticing over the years, that more and more, the businesses are staying open for pilgrims throughout the day….but not always. We like to eat a main, bigger meal, around 3-4pm before they close. More time to digest before going to bed around 9-10 PM. There are occasions where you might have to wait for a table or you sit and have to be patient about the time it takes to be served but we do not mind. Where are we going to go? We are in that town for the night.
One difference in our routine this year as it’s been chilly so the outside dining has been limited. People just aren’t hanging out on the streets, in the main square or outside cafes much at all. Makes socializing during mealtime limited with other pilgrims who are eating or those just passing by due to most of us being indoors.
Meals are different here, than our personal usual lunch or dinner choices at home. For one, we eat a lot more, in general, here since we’re walking 12-15 miles each day. There is almost always a Menu del Dia, a menu of the day. I might have touched upon this already. The first course choices are a mixed salad, pasta and bean or vegetable soup. The second course is usually a ham or some form of pork dish, a chicken choice, beef option and often fish. The entre (2nd course) usually comes with fries. Bread, wine and/or water are included and you get a dessert too! Your choice of flan, ice cream cone, rice pudding or a chocolate cake. The meals above that are basic, simple but good, run about $13 for all. The nicer places, on weekends or in cities cost a bit more for the Menu del Dia…could be $25-30 for all, per person, but it’s much fancier or elaborate choices. Incredible prices for your main meal out and lots of food!! Another difference is that there is often a 1 euro cost per person to be served on a patio vs inside the restaurant and the above prices include tip and taxes!
When there is more than 5-8 miles between towns during the day’s walk, we often are treated to a food truck. Today’s truck was awesome! G and I ordered, and shared, two fried eggs, loads of bacon, two slices of toast and fresh squeezed OJ. There is outdoor seating only, rain or shine, and is usually a wonderful gathering point for those we’ve seen many times along The Way as the trucks are within feet of the Camino path.
Shopping at the Dia (grocery store chain name) in the afternoon or evenings, for tomorrow’s breakfast is common for us. Fruit, yogurt a Danish and snacks for the following day’s walk…cashews, dates, a banana, mandarin/Cutie orange, cheese, sliced ham etc. are common examples.
Weather?… perfect walking temps. 45-55 F. Unfortunately, we ran out luck this afternoon re: the rain. It’s been raining after we stop walking…until today. We were blessed with a shower during our last 3 miles, but we were on an alternate/green route dirt road and never saw another person the whole time. It was wonderful! We’ll take soggy sneakers compared to a crowded walk beside a road on the main route anyday!
Cooper and Chelsea loved their hotel last night, even with the wedding reception going on below them till well after 11PM. They sort of crashed the party earlier, they said, by sitting just outside the reception area, enjoying the music! They slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and strolled into Ledigos a couple hours after we arrived. We stopped in at the Albergue They were book in, paid for their bunk and went around the corner to our place, La Morena, our 5th time staying here!
We were joined this evening by Cooper, Chelsea, a Korean gentleman and Joanne, from Oregon, a woman we met 2 weeks ago and enjoy seeing each day.
May 20 Ledigos to Sahagun
Today’s miles – 10.0 Total miles 254.2
Elizabeth:
Last night we paid for the Korean man and our Oregon friend’s dinners. The Korean man was very thankful and wanted to pay but I told him, half joking, that if we saw one another on the trail, he could buy me a coffee. At the halfway mark of our day’s travels, at about mile 5.5, he came up to us at a café and bought me a café con leche! He was pleased and felt no more debt to pay and I was tickled and touched he remembered. He is leaving today so we will not see him again.
We have run into a man from Michigan a couple times. He is older and quite heavy. We love his story. He has been doing 8-10 miles a day so we thought we would be in front of him quite quickly…but he showed up at the monastery where we are staying this evening after hiking 14+ miles. He has a couple family members that headed out two weeks after he started and they plan to catch up to him towards the end…so sweet. We hope to see him again, you never know.
We are in Albergue Santa Maria, a monastery, in Sahagun. We each (both couples) have a private room (cost less than $22 per room for the night). No frills. Two beds, fitted sheet, a blanket, pillow with heavy rubbery plastic material on the outside and a bathroom, no towels or soap. We each will use our own bedding. I carry a pillow case and a down blanket, Gary and both kids have sleeping bags. Gary will use a tee shirt over the pillow and there is no heat in here so we are glad for the blankets as it is raining and 54 degrees at 7:30PM. It’ll dip lower for sure. Why is this the 5th time we have stayed here? The hostel is run by volunteers from all over the world, they lock the doors at 10PM and silence is required between 10PM and 7AM. I am always humbled by the small rooms that used to house nuns. There are still several nuns that live here but just a few and they live in one section of the monastery away from the pilgrims. There is a social hour offed at 5PM, a meet and greet of sorts; mass at 6:30PM and at 7PM they do a pilgrim blessing as do almost all churches in every town. There is a lovely grass courtyard, a washing machine you can use for 3 euros and a wonderful two level drying area for clothes. We got ours done before the early evening rains began.
1/2 way point statues entering Sahagun 
Characters from The Way. It says “in/on the path” En El Camino. 
Chelsea celebrating another wall art 
Sahagun’s museum…see E?? 
C and C with their half way completed certificates! 
Three “baby” storks r..e..a..l..l..y close to flying out of the nest!! Mama watching 
Sahagun arch, monastery’s church to right where we stayed 
E in front of the monastery we are staying at. 
The boot rack – typical at an albergue.
We walked the ¼ mile to the museum in Sahagun and the kids got their ‘halfway there’ certificates! G and I have them from previous trips so we chose not to get them again.
We had a great pilgrim Menu Del Dia in the square, went to the pharmacy for more “vitamin I” (ibuprofen) and got a few supplies at the Dia grocery store. We’ll finish this journal, for us and of course, for all of you and off to bed early.
What we find in a soul mate is not something to tame, but something wild to run with.
Robert Brault
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 