Camino Frances 2024 Day 11 - Jun 15, 2024

23 km to Belorado from Santa Domingo a la Calzade. It was hot but not sweltering and passing through towns that Saint Domingo himself had frequented, including his birthplace. He did a lot of work to build and inspire the infrastructure of the way. I am seeing a lot of the detail of these spaces and the way people here live. Still the Camino leaves you preoccupied with your own way so not much sightseeing is happening. But you do learn a lot just talking to people not only about their own lives and experiences but also about the history of the camino and of other places as well - like each village and town in Spain has its own patron Saint. It is always striking how quiet and empty these village feel though people clearly live in them. Every now and then we walk by a highway and are reminded of the world out there where people need to get to places in a hurry. I met Scott walking with Izzy and we talked about our hows and whys. It seems each of us was motivated to this camino quite serendipitously by someone else. We kept seeing the German/Canadian couple and today talked more with William the British/Argentinian man who is walking alone and quite engaging. David from England who just retired and Janet from Ireland and I reminisced about some old New York experiences. Amanda and Samira her 17 year old daughter from Indiana were at the stop and we saw them here and there during the day as well as Vicky and Anna from the Roncesvalles stage. We saw Rey the Cuban American gentleman and his wife but could not speak much. At our stop for lunch Colleen approached us and introduced to her friend Ola who had spotted us from a bus. They are a doctor and government official from Namibia, one of the few Africans we have met outside of the many South Africans. At this point people are adjusting so they can make the goal and not complaining as much as trying different things to be comfortable. The attitude is that problems can be managed. It is also about balancing mind and body and above all listening to both, shutting out the noise. It is better to just listen and walk you way as opinions are complicated. It is better to let others walk their own way and for you to walk yours.