Return to the El Camino Via De La Plata: Puebla de Sancho Perez to Villafranco de Los Barros

Experience 1

Woke up, fell out of bed,
Threw my stuff into my bag.
Headed out to the sunrise,
Coming up in the east.

Passed a chorus in the street,
Singing ´Ave Marie´ to the morn.
Cool morning air passing over my skin,
Pace picking up as we head out of town.

Experience 2

I have come to learn that a person with depression can not explain what it feels like. I know that on the El Camino mine lessens. Last night as I lay in my bed in the albergue, I came to realize why I love the song ´Flightless Bird´ by Iron and Wine so much. (Aside from the fact that the chorus sums up the love story from the Twilight Saga ... and don´t you purists go getting all elitist on me.)
The song - for me - captures what depression from love lost feels like.

I was a quick, wet boy, diving too deep for coins.
All of your street light eyes wide on my plastic toys.
Then when the cops closed the fair, I cut my long baby hair.
Stole me a dog-eared map and called for you everywhere.

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping.
Or lost you? American mouth.
Big pill looming.

Now I'm a fat house cat,
Nursing my sore blunt tongue,
Watching the warm poison rats curl through the wide
Fence cracks.
Pissing on magazine photos,
Those fishing lures, thrown in the cold
And clean blood of Christ mountain stream.

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding.
Or lost you? American mouth.
Big pill stuck going down.

By Iron And Wine

Video of Edward and Bella to ´Flightless Bird´

Unfortunately, the mix is just a tad lower than top quality, but it works for me.

*** If you can´t get passed the fact that the video features scenes from Twilight, that´s your problem.

Being on this trail, solitary but not alone, helps me understand. As they say, ´The Camino provides what you need.´

Experience 3

While in the middle of nowhere along this farm road, around the corner ahead of me, came a shepard and his flock of sheep. Pretty soon I was knee-deep in sheep as we all wanted the road.

Experience 4

I was talking with the owner of the hostel. It seems that there has not been many pilgrims coming through. This strongly implies that I will not be seeing very many people as I hike along. This is a significant change from my first experience. Of course, now I am in a more remote part of Spain for international hikers. That could explain part of the difference. It further implies that I will be on my own much more often. ... Did I mention that I am the only one in the albergue/hostel tonight? I have a 2 story building to myself.

Experience 5

Went to a neighborhood bar last night for a beer. It was about 5 or 6 people (all locals, no pilgrims). As I am sitting on the barstool, I feel something crawl underneath my feet. Looking down there is a mix min-pin/chihuaha running along the baseboard. I asked the guy next to me about him. It was the dog´s owner. So we chatted for about 5 minutes about how important our dogs are to us and what we would do and not do to take of them. He moved from Mallorca and made it a point for me to know that he brought the dog with him. A feeling that I completely understand. Two guys in a small Spanish village talking about their dogs. ... Priceless.