The Way to Land's End

• Starting Point: Ledigos
• Ending Point: Sahagún
• Daily distance: 10.0 miles (16.1 km)
• Total distance: 251.51 miles (404.77 km)

The walk into Sahagún was picture perfect. The moon once again led us towards our destination. A fellow hiker said it perfectly as he passed us, “It’s like we are walking inside a Monet painting”. 

We passed through one small town that appeared to be occupied by hobbits. But we learned that those rooms dug inside the side of the hill are actually used for storing large wine barrels and hams. 

Sahagún turns out to be a fair sized city. It is market day and the streets are full of produce, textiles and clothing. Large crowds of people are spilling over the sidewalks. We weave through trying to find a good meal to eat, but are unsuccessful. We resort to bar food. 

Spain, we need to have a talk. Your breakfasts are meager. Coffee and toast. Maybe a potato tortilla, if I’m lucky. Then us pilgrims walk for hours and arrive in town just as you decide to siesta. Perhaps I could wait out siesta but then you don’t serve dinner until 7 pm at the earliest.  I know I’m just a visitor here, but can you help a pilgrim out? We are hungry for more than pre-packaged microwave pasta or French fries and some thinly sliced fried meat when we arrive from our hike. I get really grouchy when I’m hungry. 

And while we are talking Spain, you could really use some help on the street signs. What good is a map if you don’t hang signs on your street corners? Us pilgrims have walked all day and really don’t want to waste precious energy circling the town lost. 

Sahagún is the geographic half way mark of the Camino. They issue an official half way certificate. Laura and I walked to pick up our certificate, got lost on the way and then find out they are closed for siesta. Oh, did I mention how inconvenient siesta is! We did walk back later (more miles on the feet) to pick it up. 

Did I mention that I’m really grouchy? It appears I misunderstood the whole mind portion of the journey. I thought during my foray into the beauty of the landscape I would be having some mind blowing epiphanies on the meaning of life or some deep thoughts into the nature of the Universe. And while I have indeed had some powerful peaceful moments on the trail,  it appears the mind part has more to do with letting go of all the ways I personally think things should be. And while I know things would be easier on me  if I just let go of the “it should be this way” mindset and go with the flow, I’m still fighting it. I’m still getting grouchy when something isn’t how I want it to be. I know this is something I need to work on and, Lord help me, I’m sure the Camino is not done with me yet!