Ten am had struck by the time my group set out from the city of Aviles. Aidan R, Anne, and I were one of the last people to leave the dormitory that accommodated 48 sleepy pilgrims. I recovered my shoes from the empty rack and propped down on a covered bench area outside of the albergue. There was an another more private dormitory directly across from the main albergue, and I was surprised to see another rack full of pilgrim shoes. I had expected the rest of my classmates, Aiden T, Annie L, Maddie, and Jacqueline to be long gone. While they had arrived late the previous evening, to my surprise they were greeted with a special accommodation- an entire private room to themselves! For this reason, they had not been awakened at 7 am on the dot like the rest of us. Almost an hour later, I saw Aiden emerge from his room. He smiled at us and said he would go wake the others. One by one, they recovered their shoes and made their way down the steps. We walked to the bar across the street for the usual breakfast-tortilla y Zumo de naranja. Then we parted ways with two classmates and set out for El Camino.
Shakira was blasting through my headphones for most of my walk today. The music carried me through the busy inner city, along the highway, through valleys, and ultimately to my destination, Muros De Nalon. There were a few steep inclines along the way and I took them on with full force. My calves were burning, sweat trickled down my back, and my feet were sore. I tuned out my physical weary state and focused on walking to the beat of the music. Once I reached the peak of the hill, a surge of energy ran through me. I felt as light as a feather and unstoppable. I was no longer walking, I was beginning to float. I reached a stretch where the Camino was level-adorned by a straight row of trees on my left side, a dense forest on my right, and faded leaves scattered on the ground. My mind began to wander and I found myself thinking about my loved ones back home. I missed them so much and couldn’t help but feel a little homesick. I looked ahead in the distance and saw a white figure standing still in the middle of the trail. As I got closer, I realized that it was a dog who was an older reflection of my dog Migaja (Spanish for bread crumbs). I got a little teary eyed at her sight, especially once I took a closer look at her. She had bloodshot eyes and her scruffy white fur felt coarse against my fingertips. Judging by her physical appearance, she had little interaction with people. She hesitantly wagged her tail and began to follow me as I walked on. I told her that she had to stay there and she obeyed. I looked back every once in awhile until she disappeared. Later that night, I asked my classmates who were trailing behind if they had met my furry friend. They had not.
My group and I reached albergue La Naranja Peregrina around 5 pm. We were greeted by Aidan and Anne. My face was sticky with dried sweat and my cheeks were rosy red but I was gleaming. We had been informed a few hours prior that the albergue was full but arrived anyways in hopes of being offered a spot, even if that meant sleeping on the floor. I spoke to the albergue host who unfortunately did not have any spare beds left. He kindly offered a tent and a spot in the backyard. I took the tent and thanked him. Maddie and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Sometimes laughter is the only thing one can do to maintain composure. I was a little disappointed about not getting a bed but glad I wouldn’t be sleeping on the street. If I were placed in a similar situation only a couple months ago, I would have probably burst into tears. The Camino is teaching me to be more optimistic and to see the good in all situations.
P.S. I am sitting on Aidan’s bed writing this blog and an Australian pilgrim offered me his roll out mattress to sleep on. I accepted 🙂