Day 10 (29 April) From Vineyards To Fields — 15 Miles

The vineyards of the past two days have given way to fields of wheat, oats, and soybeans. Plots of onions are interspersed here and there. The early mornings are still cold (in the 30s) but afternoon temperatures reach the 60s. It is indeed important to have a range of outerwear that can be layered as conditions change.

Grañón is the first town on the road after leaving Santo Domingo. Pilgrims receive a very warm welcome as they enter the town. At the top of the steps is a food truck offering hot/cold drinks as well as breakfast and lunch snacks. I ordered a double cafe con leche to boost my energy level.

About 2 miles down the road, an ostentatious sign marked the border with Castile and Leon, the largest state in Spain. I guess that’s why the powers to be put up such a sign. As we move from Basque land, tapas replaces pinxtos as the proper name for those small bite goodies.

Down the road a piece, a recent metal sculpture was placed in Redecilla dedicated to Camino pilgrims. The small towns along this stage are really quiet with few people out and about. Also, much of the Camino path goes along a major highway. Thank goodness pilgrims can walk separately from the highway.

On this stage, I took time off from reflecting. I listened to an Ann Cleeves novel, Red Bones, a crime of mystery set in the Shetland Islands. This book tells the story of Detective Inspector, Jimmy Perez upon which the first season (two episodes) of an excellent British TV series, Shetland, is based on. How does this book tie into the Camino?

While walking to Los Arcos (Day 6), I met a fellow named Don who lives just south of Edinburgh. He is a retired Scottish detective. He told me that he had heard good reviews of Shetland. However, he does not watch police procedural shows because he would be constantly criticizing them. He now works part time guiding walks around Scotland. Given his pace, I don’t know if I could keep up with him after a few miles.

He said that on one of his tours, an American woman who was a Shetland fan wanted him to take her to the pier where the ferry from Aberdeen to the Shetland Islands was docked. Her reason was that the central event in one of the Shetland seasons was a murder that was committed on the ferry. Don said, “Can you believe it?”

I’ll digress with two more stories. This is the first time on any of my walks on which I met a mother, Manon, as she said like in the opera, Manon Lescaut, was walking with her son, Martin, an attorney. They are from Trois-Rivières, Quebec. She had already taken her older son and daughter separately on other segments of the Camino. Manon and Martin also hiked the Pyrenees on the same day that I did. No taxis for her.

The other story was told by Lizzie from South Africa. I met her at the end of my first day along with Raye, Holt, and Daniel (see Day 2). Lizzie completed her residency in pediatrics and was taking a break before deciding where to practice. She told the story about her mother who without warning told her husband and four children that was taking a “gap year” from her family to do the Camino. She did so but not for year.

Her mother thought the experience was so profound that she invited her husband to go with her to Lisbon to do the Portuguese Camino. They started together but after three days, she told her husband that he was on his own because he needed to learn how to wash his own clothes and manage how to feed himself. She would meet him in Santiago.

Lizzie said that they are still married. I had never heard this reason for going on the Camino. I am sure there must be equally interesting stories that are yet to be told. Lots of material on the Camino for a soap opera.

I against enjoyed dinner with Roy and Shannon who graduated from McGill University. To my McGill friends, her dorm was Molson Hall. Dinner was adequate but I’ll add that the beans (my fifth) were superb. Can’t get enough.

Hotel Verdeancho: 2