Camino time

There must be a special kind of relativity that only applies to the Camino de Santiago. Time flows differently here. Days seem longer and shorter all at the same time and you manage to fit in so much time and space into one single experience that there must be some sort of paradox.

For instance, morning becomes my favourite time. I rise and escape out the albergue door leaving a scribbled thank you in the notebook. I walk and walk and walk in near darkness. Time is measured by how well you can see the yellow arrows, how far you have come from the town you last slept in and how far off dawn is when you look back.

Time is measured in distance.

I can do 4 km/h. I measure this by checking how far the next town is and checking before I leave the last one and after I arrive. A little bit of maths is good for the brain on a wet and windy day on the meseta. This all seems quite reasonable. However I will give you an example of how this system falls apart.

This morning then I reached the height of the first Mesa I saw a row of flashing white lights on the horizon to my right and a row of red to my left, far off in the low clouds. I couldn't for the life of me figure them out. We're they part of an airport? Burgos had an airport but I walked right past it two days ago. Was I going backwards? No idea. I went down off the first meseta to Hornillos de camino and promptly forgot about these lights. Two hours later I was walking past these lights, attached to windmills lined up neatly and flashing in sequence. It took me a second to believe I had walked that far in only two hours.

I arrived in Hontanas with 20km down and I was done for the day. However because I rose so early it was only 10 am and most people were only stopping for coffee and moving on to castrojeres, a further 8 km. I knew I couldn't go this, and also the village had a shop, a hostel, a kitchen, a bar, and as much free wifi as I could eat.

When you get to where you end up in the camino, there are certain things that must be done; boots cleaned, laundry put on, bed claimed and lunch eaten. After this you are done for the day. You nap, you write meaningfully in your meaningful journal full of deep thoughts and meaning like "feet are sore again today" or you eat and drink. (Guess which is my favourite?)

The day, once a long thing you woke up to and worked towards sundown, now splits into two. Your walking hardwork day, and then your rest, faff around and do what you want day. It is almost like you double your time.

It's weird

And hard to get used to real time once you get back.

This siesta thing, at least we did something in the morning to deserve a siesta.

Xx

Buen camino