Day 21 – León to San Martín del Camino – 23.9 km

After one relatively easy day and then a proper rest day yesterday, I felt good and energized. Totally seemed like everything is back to normal. Planned today’s route as usual – lately… – during breakfast, reserved the beds, had the morning cafecito and venga vamo’…

… Remember the shit-show I mentioned yesterday? There’s more to it. I told you it’s coming. I was enjoying too much in the past like 2 weeks since my blisters healed. I was too comfortable, I got used to walking by now – something had to happen, it’s about time, right? Right.

I was still smiling here but you can tell it’s not real

We didn’t even leave León just yet today, and I started to feel pain in my left achilles tendon. Never felt this before, so it was kind of odd – out of nowhere after the rest day and everything. I was like, okay maybe it just needs a bit of a warm-up or something, it’s gonna be fine. Well, it wasn’t getting any better – in fact, worse, yes. I had to stop every 10 minutes, the pain wasn’t going away. I felt like I’m just wasting Cindy’s time, but she said she is not gonna leave me out on the street like this alone. – I’ve been telling you all this time, she is the best. Every step was painful, I had to face the truth, which was very simple but also quite sad – I can’t continue like this today. I was scared of a bigger injury – if it’s not big enough already… so after around 7 km today, I gave up in La Virgen del Camino. I told Cindy I don’t want to ruin her Camino too, I don’t want her to take the bus for me AGAIN… I want her to walk and enjoy – and meet her at the Albergue later in the afternoon.
So, that’s what happened, I took the bus for the next 17 km, stopped by a pharmacy – for a change … – and got some Voltaren gel and Ibuprofen, they have the good stuff in Spain – the 600 mg horse tranquilizer size 🤤 exactly what I needed. It was time to rest and pray that tomorrow I wake up like nothing happened and this was indeed just another bad dream created by those spider bites…

There’s probably not one better gif out there in this universe I could put here now, other than this…

Day 22 – San Martín del Camino to Astorga – 22.1 km

Today I woke up better or maybe I was just proper high on painkillers – chances are… not gonna lie. I felt like I could continue with the guys to Astorga. Luckily, today is still the same old meseta.
I also used this backpack transport thing for the first time today to take the weight off – at this point, I didn’t care about any judgment*** I just wanted to continue my Camino. It was much easier like this, I’m not gonna lie – my legs appreciated it so much.

… And this afternoon, magically, God – or at least the fairy Godmother or someone… sent a practicing physio girl into the Albergue where I was staying. 🙏 She checked me, and taught me some stretches and massage techniques, and she taped my leg – all this will help, right? All good, right? Not really… No.
She told me I need to rest 2-3 days at least… And tomorrow’s walk? Forget about it. She literally told me, if I hike up to Cruz de Ferro tomorrow – 1500m altitude, it’s the highest point of the Camino – I can go home the next day, if I’m lucky – if not then to the hospital.

Wait… ***Judgment, you ask? You know, these bad talks are going around on the Camino behind your back, or even with a cringy smile sometimes face to face, or even on the comment section under your various social media posts – and that is not part of the Camino Magic, at all … I wrote a post about this on my Instagram back in the day – and I still stand by it.
Oh, it’s easier on the bike, oh that person is just walking 10 km a day, I push it I walk 40km every day. Oh, that one is taking a bus? A taxi??? Oh, you are doing one of those organized tours, sleeping in hotels every day? Oh, you pre-book your Albergue, that’s cheating… Wait, where is your backpack anyway? Oh, you sent it? But carrying it is the essence of the Camino you know… What is that a pilgrim or a tourist? Oh, you are in pain? I mean, everyone is in some sort of pain, that’s the point after all, don’t you think… You arrived at the Albergue at 7pm? Oh, cuz you start at 9am? Whatever I mean… I start walking at 4am. Oh wait, are you walking only from Sarria? And you want a credential? I mean, I started from Antarctica but okay…. whatever.

After my achilles tendon injury, I couldn’t carry my backpack anymore. Am I a tourist? No. I was walking with bad blisters and an open wound, it was fine. But with this injury – I was very stubborn, so believe me, I tried, but I couldn’t. I had to take a few day rest after Astorga. I had to skip the hill with Cruz de Ferro and take a bus to Ponferrada.
I had to realize health comes first, and I do NOT want to go home, and/or end up with an injury I will struggle with all my life.
…I just really want to finish my Camino…
***spoiler alert*** I did. I arrived in Santiago, all the way from Saint Jean Pied de Port. With – and sometimes without – my backpack, with extra rest days, with a bus ride. But I finished, and I wasn’t a tourist on an all-inclusive holiday – I was a pilgrim on every meter during that 800 km.
Everyone is – in their own way with their own struggles you don’t know anything about.

Day 23 – Astorga to Ponferrada by bus – 52.6 km

I said goodbye to the gang, and promised to meet again in 2-3 days in Ponferrada – and off they went. It was quite sad honestly, I’m not gonna lie. But now I have to focus on recovery to be able to continue in a few days, and soon finish my Camino.
Before taking the bus I took a quick stroll in the center. I promise, it really was just a quick one, and luckily the Albergue was near the Cathedral, and I also had to see the Gaudí building nearby – another one after León? Yes.

This is Palacio de Gaudí – It was built between 1889 and 1913, and it is one of only three buildings by Gaudí outside Catalonia. Today the palace stands as a museum of religious art called Museo de los Caminos, dedicated to the Way of Santiago.

The details of the Cathedral are honestly breathtaking…  This is one of the most beloved cathedrals on the Camino de Santiago – I’m not surprised even though I’m not a church kind of person, but this one was amazing.

It was built between the 15th and 18th centuries and it combines Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical elements – quite a surprising harmony.

Also, since you are here, you can’t miss out on the other good part besides amazing architecture: chocolate. Chocolate manufacturing was one of the main industries of Astorga and its region during the centuries, and still today making a living for local families.

There goes my sightseeing for the day – I didn’t want to push it.
I sat down in a nearby coffee shop since I had a couple of hours to spare before I had to catch the bus to Ponferrada. I guess the guy there sensed that I’m not living one of the best days ever today, so he made my café con leche with a smile as a special ingredient and gave me a free tortilla de patatas with it. I was there for a while so I asked for another coffee, that one came without a drawing, but with a cookie. Thank you so much! See? Camino Magic…. or just a single bartender? Or he just had some leftover tortilla? Or he has to give a cookie to everyone?
I don’t know, but I choose the Camino Magic.

See you at the next one,

Buen Camino,

Noémi

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