It´s a beautiful, warm (but not too hot for walking) late spring day. The walk was very pretty, an easy 23 kms, at least once I got through the suburbs and the industrial park. Seems to be a pattern with entering and leaving cities, you have to put up with a lot of yuck before it gets nice.
Since today is a holiday, the Roman ruins at Italica were closed. Good thing I was able to visit them last time.
There has been a lot of rain here, months and months of it, and I had been warned about crossing the "arroyo" before Guillena. It was high last time, so I expected to have to swim this time. Last year I had shimmied across on a fallen tree and was afraid I was going to topple the whole way across. So this time I tried going off and into the bushes on the left, and lo and behold, there was a very manageable path!
I have met two other peregrinos on the way. The starting conversations are always the same, with the same questions -- where are you from? Where are you going? (depending on time of day, this could refer to your final destination or your destination of the day) and Is this your first Camino? (answer usually no on any camino but the Camino Frances). So far the tally is one German and one Spaniard, both going to Santiago, and not the first camino for either. One question that doesn´t make it onto the list, though, even though it´s usually one of the first things we Americans ask each other is -- What do you do? Maybe the reason people don´t ask it here is because in Spanish the question "¿que haces? can mean both What are you doing now? and What do you do? Or maybe it´s because over here people´s identity is not so closely connected to their professional lives as it is in the US (and as I say this I can hear Joe groaning and telling me to give up with the pop sociology). Or maybe it`s because the reason we´re all on this Camino is because we want to get away from our work life so why would we bring it up.
The albergue is full (14 beds) and when I stopped by it seemed to be filled with two big groups of Spaniards. So I´m in the Hostal Bar Frances, where room and breakfast is 23 euros. And it has sheets! And a clean bathroom! And clean towels! What more could I ask for? I´ve already heard about a big group of 14 French walkers who will be staying in the same Hostal I´m in. Walking on the same stages as such a big group puts a crunch in things, especially when there aren´t so many places to stay.
Well, I am off to walk around the little town -- there are many First Communions today and everyone is all dolled up. Kind of funny to see the 10 year old girls with floor length white dresses and their moms in mini skirts and high heels!
Happy Labor Day -- I think we are the only country in the industrialized world not to celebrate it on May 1. In the US, it´s Law Day, but then every day is Law Day in the US!
Since today is a holiday, the Roman ruins at Italica were closed. Good thing I was able to visit them last time.
There has been a lot of rain here, months and months of it, and I had been warned about crossing the "arroyo" before Guillena. It was high last time, so I expected to have to swim this time. Last year I had shimmied across on a fallen tree and was afraid I was going to topple the whole way across. So this time I tried going off and into the bushes on the left, and lo and behold, there was a very manageable path!
I have met two other peregrinos on the way. The starting conversations are always the same, with the same questions -- where are you from? Where are you going? (depending on time of day, this could refer to your final destination or your destination of the day) and Is this your first Camino? (answer usually no on any camino but the Camino Frances). So far the tally is one German and one Spaniard, both going to Santiago, and not the first camino for either. One question that doesn´t make it onto the list, though, even though it´s usually one of the first things we Americans ask each other is -- What do you do? Maybe the reason people don´t ask it here is because in Spanish the question "¿que haces? can mean both What are you doing now? and What do you do? Or maybe it´s because over here people´s identity is not so closely connected to their professional lives as it is in the US (and as I say this I can hear Joe groaning and telling me to give up with the pop sociology). Or maybe it`s because the reason we´re all on this Camino is because we want to get away from our work life so why would we bring it up.
The albergue is full (14 beds) and when I stopped by it seemed to be filled with two big groups of Spaniards. So I´m in the Hostal Bar Frances, where room and breakfast is 23 euros. And it has sheets! And a clean bathroom! And clean towels! What more could I ask for? I´ve already heard about a big group of 14 French walkers who will be staying in the same Hostal I´m in. Walking on the same stages as such a big group puts a crunch in things, especially when there aren´t so many places to stay.
Well, I am off to walk around the little town -- there are many First Communions today and everyone is all dolled up. Kind of funny to see the 10 year old girls with floor length white dresses and their moms in mini skirts and high heels!
Happy Labor Day -- I think we are the only country in the industrialized world not to celebrate it on May 1. In the US, it´s Law Day, but then every day is Law Day in the US!
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