Evan's Spain adventure

I’ve been walking shorter days recently. This has been great for my  research project. I’ve been walking about 17 k then taking the remainder of the day off to rest and study, it’s worked out really well. I’m not tired by the end of the day and I’ve done enough walking to get my mind churning. On the other side of that, because we’ve been taking shorter days we’ve been ending up in strange towns. Most recently, we stayed in this tiny village with a tiny little grocery store that was packed with things from the 80’s. That town was trapped in a time bubble. 

I had my birthday in Burgos on the twelfth. I ran into a lot of people I knew, which was cool! That morning we all split ways which was a positive thing. Falling from the grape cluster, it was all I could do to be happy! There was too many people all the time. 

Though I’m still with others and while the allure of freedom sings, even presently, it’s not bad. I have space to breath life on to paper as kindling sparks to flame. I have the freedom to walk rolling hills alone and think.

Here is something I found interesting. NPR has spoken on how when faced with homogeneous surroundings for long enough, say your lost at sea, or in my case in plains. NPR said your mind begins to make its own music. While that sounds like insanity to me. I can’t help but think of the same things over and over, which has a recognizable beat…..

The weather has been pretty wet. The landscapes have been amazing. Endless rolling green and grey skies make me feel like I’m trapped on a Gateway computer screen saver. Yesterday, I walked down one of the most beautiful roads I ever have. It was raining and the road was muddy, but reeds stuck from foaming rivers like porcupine quills. Rusty fences and rotting posts slowly sunk in muddy fields. I trodded along as small brown birds stared in the pouring rain. My experience here has been nothing short of amazing!

I normally keep to myself on the camino. Occasionally, I talk with my fellow walkers, but the interaction is always short. I’m usually pretty disinterested, but when I was approached by a man named Patrick I could tell right away that there was something different about him. It was little things, like how he positioned his body at angled positions to other people’s bodies. I dont know much about fighting, but I know enough to recognize a trained person. Then I saw he was missing the thumb of his left hand. I noticed how he dealt with people, politely enough, but with the coldest efficiency.

I was very surprised when he approached me to talk. Until he was 45 he was a French armor captain. When he retired he was approached by big oil to run private security. He told me of his experiences all around the globe from Saudi Arabia and Yemen to Nigeria. How important diplomacy was in his work, he talked to me about getting to know a tribe and the way they would go about dealing with people. He explained how once they left the area it would become completely destabilized. It was just interesting to share a space with someone like that. It’s not very often that you meet people from that walk of life. When I asked him what he took from it all he told me, “Patience.”

I’ve been dreaming a lot more since I’ve been walking the camino. I usually can’t recall them, but I always get them mixed up in my day to day life, I feel like a fraying thread. I’ll bring up conversations that I’ve thought the group has talked about, but I’ve only dreamed the interactions, strange things like that.

I’m writing this blog post in an old cathedral turned albergues. One that’s been rebuilt, it’s sides are original, but it’s innards and roof are completely new. It’s very beautiful.

I know this is kind of a disjointed post. It’s hard to summarise everything because there is just so much. Each day is an overload to the senses. It’s a very overwhelming experience. I’ll try to post with more frequency.

My project is going well. I’ve been writing a lot and I’ve been reading some great publications about light. The strange thing about it all is that I don’t really feel like I have a goal with any of my work. I’m just doing it, because well, I guess it’s distracting from the magnitude of everything.

Thinking about everyone, I miss you always. I’ll write again soon 

-Evan

Terrallios de templarios

Made it to Carrion de los condes. Things are going well on the camino. There has been lots of rain and mud, but I’ve grown quite accustomed to that now. Anyway expect a more detailed update tomorrow. I’ve had a tough time piecing everything together in a good way. Thinking of you all!

-Evan

San Mames de campos

Itero De La vega

Hontanas Spain

In Rabe de las Calzadas.

My birthday!! In Burgos

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

Today was a windy and rainy day. Found out female cows have horns. Made it to a wonderful town called Ages. Bad weather, but very good day.