Half way – Fromista to Ledigos

I can keep time with no metronome! 
I have finally, after three weeks, reached the half way point on the camino de Santiago (Yay). Today’s walk of 25k wasn’t the 28k I hoped to do when I set out at a shockingly late 7.30am however it’s the furthest Clarisa has managed all week so I can not ask for more. This half of my camino is about patience and I remember how tough my first week was – so time to exercise the spiritual muscles instead!

Today’s walk, from Carrion to Ledigos (The day before was from Fromista to Carrion but was Clarisa’s birthday so no post – this will contain double the photos!) contained a long 17k stretch that was pretty featureless (above) and well known as the low point of the camino. Many people catch the bus from Burgos to Leon precisely for this reason. Along an old roman road that would take us all the way to Astorga if, heaven forbid, we were to follow it, we trudged the entire distance in the drizzle and for the first time I felt properly cold. The highlight was a naughty dog who took a packet of dried fruit from my hand and ate the lot. Oh and this sunflower!

 Anyone who has performed a repetitive task (Walking/ironing/etc) will know the sheer joy to be had when a song gets stuck in your head for hours, and in my case, days and weeks at a time. Some earworms are worse than others, because of the tap tap of my walking poles coupled with my walking speed, I complete my daily camino walks to the endlessly repeating tune of Frere Jacques.

To combat the Earworm I prefer to sing songs outloud and in the first half of my camino a song I used to sing as a child has been my ‘go-to’ ditty to push out Frere Jacques. So, from Fromista to Ledigos then (in photos) and here is to my last night in Palencia province! Tomorrow we start the countdown into Leon.

   One more step along the world I go,

one more step along the world I go;

from the old things to the new

keep me travelling along with you:

  
And it’s from the old I travel to the new.

keep me travelling along with you.

 Round the corners of the world I turn,

more and more about the world I learn;

all the new things that I see

you’ll be looking at along with me. [Refrain]

 As I travel through the bad and good

keep me travelling the way I should;

where I see no way to go

you’ll be telling me the way, I know: [Refrain]

 Give me courage when the world is rough,

keep me loving though the world is tough;

leap and sing in all I do,

keep me travelling along with you: [Refrain]

 You are older than the world can be,

you are younger than the life in me.

ever old and ever new,

keep me travelling along with you.