Day 59 / Castrojeriz-Corrión de Los Condes / 44.32 km

At 5.00 someone decides it’s a good time to get up and start packing and make sure everyone is awake to hear. I grab a gun which I borrowed from the Burgos military museum and give the guy a neck shot, the rest of the dormitory applauds me,  after which we all fall back,gently, asleep. Of course this is not how it went. I had to use my knife as I did not borrow a gun. 

I’m not able to sleep. People get up at start packing all the time between 5.00 and 7.00. Selfish idiots ! I want to yell, but do off course no such thing. One person, a bunk next to me, does the departure act as it should be done : his backpack is packed and he takes his gear in silence, and leaves the room in complete silence. If I was not awake I would never have heared him. 

At 7.00, the lights flash on. I get out of bed per “accident” awakening the guy below me who arrived drunk yesterday evening and stumbled into bed with a lot of noise around 23.30. I’m normally not vindictive but I’m somewhat pissed today. He grunts ( not sure from a post alcohol headache or the fact I awoke him), I give him my best false apologies.

After a donativo breakfast I start running. The first 5 k is traversing the valley and climb a steep hill to a plateau. Later it will prove to be the best part of the day. The views are stunning thanks to the clouds and sun shining through the clouds.

The running goes great today. After the climb there is a descent with again beautiful views. Afterwards it goes slowly up and down. The landscape becomes very monotonous so I focus on running. At the end of today I achieve an average of 10k/hour. The only problem today is that my right foot is complaining more then usual. The underground is full of pebbles today which doesn’t help.

Sometimes I pass a small village. The villages seem poor and all of them have a depressing atmosphere. Empty and dark. In addition shop and bar owners come over as not polite. Maybe I’m still struggling with my morning mood but when a bar owner get’s angry with me when I do not want to buy a KitKat at 2 € (later I will buy 3 for that price) I think it’s not only me. 

One of the limited variations today is that I follow a path along a canal for some time until the town Frómista.I learn at the lock that it’s another 424 k to Compostela l. Later I will learn that it’s 462 k, or even 412 ....In Frómista I have an early lunch. I share a table with 2 French brothers, Jean Pierre and Bertrand, 64 and 66. They have heard about me, being that crazy runner, and ask my picture. A village before a Japanese couple also stopped me for the same reason.

After Frómista it’s another 16 k to go. The Camino follows a road, going up an down. The sky predicts rain. The scenery is boring. Non descriptive. Empty. Just after Frómista I’m alone but as I’m closing to my destination the volume of Pilgrims increase. Walking behind each other but mostly groups of 4 to 6 blocking (from my running point of view) the complete path. I’m getting tired. It starts to rain. Cold rain. 

Eventually I reach Corrión. A small city. Just slightly less depressing then the villages I passed today. In order to get some sleep I rent a private room. The room has 4 beds. It seems I can under let if I want. I shower and have a siesta until 18.00. Later,  when I’m searching for a restaurant, an American lady asks me if I know where she can find a hotel. Of course. I’m now sharing my room with a complete stranger from Minnesota. She likes her bible. She has some resemblance to Annie Wilkes. 

Lessons learned :

- It can be cold in Spain.

- The Camino can be boring.

- Although I ran at one of my best averages today it was not a great running day.

- people waking other people up at 5.00 should be transported to the village 200 k before.

- It’s fully accepted to share a room with a total stranger.

Song of today : Melvin - Arsenal

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