Evan's Spain adventure

I’ve been on the Francis route of the Camino for quite a while now and honestly all the days have started to blend together. There is a constant stream of towns, almost every five or six kilometers. That’s like usually four to five towns a day. Everything kind of mixes together. This happens especially when you’re wind washed and sun baked. I see lots of farm land on my walk. Rows and rows of twisted grape vines. They’re bent in odd shapes and trimmed bare. I see ashen grey olive trees that lay in muddy groves, and then the grass, it stretches for miles and rustles like the ocean. When your walking it seems you’re at sea, where the only change in scenery is sun breaks and cloudy shadows.

My body feels great, I feel strong. No blisters or pains at all, I feel so blessed. Everyone around me spends nights popping blisters with needles, fumbling with second skin and devising the next plan to avoid blisters or painful swelling. You know, things are almost great. One of my wisdom teeth is growing in and that is causing a decent amount of pain.

On a more academic note, I was originally working on poems and short stories. As of late though my direction has kind of changed. I’ve been thinking a lot about telescopes and light. More specifically the electromagnetic scale, crystallography, and optics.  These ideas have wracked my mind during the walk, driving me to insanity! I have to know more, but it’s a lot to learn so I’m going to start learning and see where it takes me. I’m really excited to be able to ponder these ideas with more depth while on my walks.

There have been a few really extraordinary towns on this walk. The town I’m in right now has a hotel carved into the side of a cliff, that’s also part of an old castle!

While our days are usually eight or nine hours long, the last few days have seemed especially long. I couldn’t tell you why. They haven’t been longer distances or even a steeper incline. I think it’s constantly being around other people that makes things difficult. You never get that real time of your own, you’re always on the groups time. It gets kind of tiring. For a while I had been toying with the idea of leaving the group. Not because I haven’t had a blast or because I don’t like the members of my group, but I think it would be nice to have time that’s truly my own.

Wine fountain!

Another thing that could be contributing to the long days is that while alburgues are only  7-10€ A night, you end up sharing the room with up to twenty other people. People who snore loudly.  So loudly  in fact that sometimes you can’t even sleep! I’ve been getting up early and just hanging out, so I’m sure that’s contributing to the long days as well. I guess I’m complaining, but I’m having such an incredible experience and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyday carries a unique experience I’ll carry for the rest of my life.

Though, it has been interesting seeing what’s going on at home, how much everyone misses you and the role you play in their lives. How when you come back everyone, including yourself, expects you to fit that same role or mold again. I already know that I’ve changed in the short time I’ve been here. It’s going to be so strange to come back and fit in. I’ve changed the way I eat, sleep, how I spend my day, who I spend them with, and what I’ve had time to think about and confront with myself. I’m only two weeks in, but when your walking everyday for eight hours you have a lot of time to think. To examine the puzzle pieces of yourself and others. You really find out about what you truly find to be important. I love and miss everyone. I have all of you in my heart!

-Evan

~ by Evan on April 11, 2016 .