The little things

Yesterday I arrived in Hontanas to find out that there was no internet in the entire town. So today's blog will also be about yesterday and the night before that. :)

So 2 nights ago in Burgos we were having a farewell dinner, our last supper if you will, for Alexander and Anaise. There were 18 of us and we just had a blast. In this restaurant amazingly enough we were allowed to put the tables together, they even did it for us. We found it amuzing and refreshing after our little "incident" in San Juan. There was not a silent moment while we were there, we even sang our national anthems for each other. There were so many countries represented; Italy, France, Slovakia, Japan, South-Korea, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Holland, Iceland of course and I feel like I'm forgetting somebody. I didn't know the Icelandic anthem, and I couldn't sing it even if I did, so I sang for them "Ísland ogrum skorid" , a perfect substitute in my opinion! :) There was endless tomfoolery all through the night and we barely got back into the Albergue before it closed. A perfect night!

Woke up the next morning, was going to try and get an early start but ended up waiting for Antonello and having a farewell breakfast with Anaise. I like what I did better than getting an early start! :) Antonello, Anaise, Carolien and I had breakfast in the square next to the Cathedral of Burgos and then met Alexander who was wandering around the square as we came out. We got to say a proper goodbye there and Frodo and Sam...I mean Alexander and Anaise left for the bus station. As hard as it was to say goodbye and as much as I'm going to miss them, yet again it's wonderful to have made such a connection in such a short time.

I left Burgos about 10:00 in the morning and was alone, Antonello went ahead of me and I stayed behind for prayer and meditation. My tendonitis on my shin was pretty bad after a crazy previous evening so I walked as fast as I could, every step a painful one. It was so bad that if the physiotherapist hadn't told me that the tendonitis wasn't dangerous at all, only painful, then I would have taken a days rest at the very least. But I powered on and my goal for the day was the 31 km trek to Honandas.

On my way to Honandas I started thinking about the power of "the little things"! When I was younger I really believed in the awesome power of "the little things", how a smile, a compliment to a stranger or someone you know, calling someone even if just for a minute to show that you care and stuff like that - I believed that a little thing like that could totally change your whole day and perhaps even your life. I believed it because I could see evidence of it in my own life and in other people's lives. I made it my mission to try and affect as many people as I could in this way, to try and do little things to make their day better in any way I could and I practiced fully appreciating it when others did something like that for me. Good times...good times! Over the years I became jaded and my belief in the power of little things diminished. I still did a lot of it, but I didn't think it held the same awesome power that I once did.

This trip has changed me!!! I can see the incredible power behind "the little things" again, how they can affect you in every way imagineable and even change your life forever. A prime example happened when I arrived in the first town , 10 km away from Burgos. There I met Antonello and he greeted me with Hermanito (little brother). He said it twice and there was something in the way he said it, the affection and connection was amazing, I could feel he really saw me as his brother. I told him about this later in the evening and told him how it had affected me and that it had just made my day. He was so happy to hear it and he told me that this was exactly how he meant it. Good times...good times! :)

I walked alone the whole journey that day and I didn't listen to my ipod or anything like that. It was amazing the things that crossed my mind, how walking alone without any music or company can really stimulate your thinking process and help you get a better look at the different sides of everything you contemplate. I felt like I had 10 days to myself really, so much passed through my mind; so many interesting thoughts and contemplations. It was really a "think tank" of my own and I look forward to putting my ideas into action.

I walked the 31 km's to Honandas and I didn't take a break for the last 21 km's. As I approached the valley (I was on the mountain side above the valley) and the town slowly appeared as if out of nowhere I was soooooo happy!!! I took a picture of the town, more than one, and my feet welcomed the rest that I would soon feel. The first people I met when I got into town was the Mexican couple and they told me that they were just taking a break and that they were going to head on the 10 km's to the next town. They also started in Burgos so at first I thought they were crazy. Then I thought to myself that I had enough energy left for 10 km's more. I decided to give Antonello, my big brother (even though he's younger than me), a chance to talk me out of it. Italian's have a way with words and hand gestures so it didn't take him long to convince me to stay. We had a great dinner that night as Antonello made us some spaghetti, Italian style; Katrin, Colin, Antonello and I. I should have taken some time that evening to rest my foot as I would find out the next morning.

This morning I awoke at 6:00, hoping to get an early start for the 35 km's we had planned for the day, the walk from Honandas to Frómista. Sadly, someone had stolen my breakfast so I had to go visit the awesome "supermarket" (was more like a shop) guys again. I had a great breakfast with them and even though they spoke no English and I no Spanish, we proved that you don't have to know a common language in order to have a nice conversation! :)

I set out at 8:00, walked out of the supermarket and there was Pia, a Danish woman, and we walked together the first 10 km's to the next town and got to know each other. It was fun walk and we ended up singing together and generally having a good time. When I got to the next town I needed to go to a pharmacy to buy more anti-inflamitory cream and pills and some other stuff so we split up. I stopped at the pharmacy, hoping to fix my leg, the tendonitis being the most painful yet this morning. I prayed and meditated there and set out again hoping that I would be ready to face the road painfree...or at least that I could endure the pain.

This part of the journey is called the desert because of long walks without towns and it's very hot here. Not long after a very steep hill there were some men that had driven out there to give water, coffee and fruit to the Pilgrim's and only accepted donations instead. I thought it was especially nice since there weren't a lot of towns on the way so I sat down and had some oranges. Really nice guys! :)

It wasn't until after the next town after that that I hit my stride. I was getting so sick of the pain and even though I was blasting my ipod I couldn't get past the pain. I decided to try and power walk the crap out of it, just as an experiement. And what do you know, it worked! I don't know if it was the endorphins, adrenalin or a mix of many wonderful chemicals of the body, but it worked! I was pain free.

I met up with Pia again when I had 6 km's left and had some bananas. The stop proved to be interesting because Pia was turning a wheel that made water come out from a well and one of my walking sticks got caught in the wheel and got bent. We did our best to fix it but it's still a little bent. I figure that since I got one straight stick now the other one must be gay. I'm totally fine with that so everything's good. Pia and I had another fun walk and we figured that she must be my Danish wife for the day...I think everyone should experience that if only for a day! ;)

Arriving in Frómista was so amazing!!! 35 km's today!!! I can't believe it but sure enough it's true! The Albergue I'm sleeping in even has me sleeping in a bed for the first time on the trip, instead of a bunk bed that is. This is legendary for sure! :D

Well I've showered, hand washed my clothes, blogged and now it's time for some food. I hope you give yourself some time to affect others with the power of "the little things" and that you really appreciate it when someone does the same for you! :)