Camino Frances 2024 Day 12 - Jun 16, 2024
After 33 km walk from Belorado to Atapuerco, we are staying in a quaint old 200+ year old farm house. Atapuerco is a small village and many pilgrims stopped in the towns before, including San Juan de Ortega, that have more accommodations. Lots of walking and conversation partners today - Irene the Chinese Indonesian Greelandic Dutch teacher, Franco the German Australian who just moved to Spain, Javier and Antonio the hiking club buddies from Astoria and some familiar friends - Vicky and Anna the mom daughter duo from South Africa and Australia who gave me some meds. We also caught up with the young crowd Izzy, April, Scott and their friends Joey the Mexican American and Mia from Lebanon who is moving to London. We met an America couple from California at breakfast and Zoey and Joey who we later saw a couple of times on the trail. We passed Clive settling in for the day at our lunch town (he is one of the inspirational stories) and Colleen and Golda were there too. We got to meet one fast walker we had seen before Jovanna from Brazil. We saw Diego as we left Belorado, perhaps for the last time. We have not seen them for a couple of days but Annette, Trilas, Lother/Werner sent nice notes. Everyone seems to be nursing something and learning how to adopt and the camino has done that too - next to a rocky road people have cut a smoother path. One things that helps is to focus on real things and not made up problems and pointless fears. You have no time for that. There is also a move to minimalism - shedding the extra or excess stuff that serves no real purpose. In this part of Spain, people are helpful and hospitable. They know and respect the Camino and the pilgirms - their spirit and word matters to your success. They have a cordial humanity and who say what they mean and mean what they say. No funny games, no up charging, no double talk, no stealing or cheating, no price gouging, no broken promises. Their professionalism makes a difference.
