Monday, March 3, 2008

Day 6 or The Miracle of Pacharan



Notes on Day 6, March 1, Puenta la Reina to Estlla



Today I played leap frog on The Camino with Ladio and Anchenka (Czechs). Ladio snores like car with no muffler. Last night he slept above me in the bunk. ¨When I go like zis¨ (he made a snoring noise), ¨You go ´tsk, tsk, tsk,´ an I stop zis, OK?¨ I smiled and gave him the thumbs up. Elena said she was going to buy some,¨How you say...,¨ she put her fingers in her ears.

¨Earplugs,¨ I said.
¨Eeeearrr Plllabs,¨ she repeated.
¨No, earplugs.¨
¨Eeear plubs.¨
¨Plugs. gs.¨ I made the ´g´ sound for her.
¨eear plubs.¨
I smiled and gave her the thumbs up.

Today´s path took us along what my guidebook says is one of the best examples of ancient Roman road on The Camino. I walked over the deteriorating, jumble of cobbles wondering ¨Who put these stones here? When? What were their lives like?¨



In Villatuerta I was introduced to a carbohydrate bomb of a lunch. I had a sandwich with some kind of potato, egg and cheese filling, and cookies. Indeed the diet on The Camino is devoid of fiber or vegetables of any kind. For breakfast you eat bread with butter and jam, some coffee or tea or hot chocolate. For the camino you pack a sandwhich with bread, queso and jamon (cured ham of some kind), some fruit, some chocolate. Needless to say the gastrointestinal camino is not travelling smoothly either (I have a little affliction we in my family call ¨The VC,¨ short for Vacation Constipation). I would kill for a plate of vegetables and a cup of Metamucil right now.

People, I have blisters underneath my blisters for fuck´s sake. I am beginning to think about taking a leaf out of Irish Charlie´s rule book and taking a bus. The silicone inserts I bought in Pamplona helped with the pressure on the bottom of my heels, but raised my feet in my evil boots so that the backs of my heels rubbed against a higher part of the boots. Hence, new blisters on my heels. This is the law of unintended consequences, I suppose, so today I removed the inserts.

I was feeling pretty challenged today. When I arrived in Estella, a town which I really wanted to see, I could bring myself to do no more than sleep for three hours. I did not see the church, the royal palace, the cloisters. I took a siesta.



Later in the albergue I met a German woman who was on her way back to Germany from Santiago. She averages 40km a day and has been walking since June 2007. (I was already feeling like a lame-ass for bringing up the rear everyday and being the last to limp into each of the albergues, schlepping my crap and whimpering like a kicked dog). But she showed me one of the stamps she had collected on The Camino (at each albergue we get a stamp in our ¨passport¨ as proof that we have walked to Santiago). The stamp was of a little pilgrim with his cloak and staff, walking merrily along. ¨Look at him,¨ she said. ¨Does he look like he cares when he gets there? Remember the little pilgrim and trust that you will make it to Santiago.¨

Sometimes, she told me, on The Camino you meet the people you need to meet, and sometimes you are the person someone else needs to meet. I think I needed to meet her today. She gave me courage for one more day.

That night Irish Charlie and I went out again for dinner. We had some passable Paella, but then we meandered on to a little bar near the albergue because he wanted me to try a typical Spanish drink called Pacharan. ¨But I will not be responsible for the consequences if you do drink it,¨ he said by way of a disclaimer. ¨Charlie, now I have to try it since you said that.¨

Pacharan is an exquisite invention. It is an anise and berry liqueur, taken chilled and after dinner. It is my new amour. For twenty sublime minutes I made love to this glass of beauty. And Charlie and I toasted the goal Barcelona scored against Athletico Madrid with the rest of the crowd at the bar.

Note: Um, you can get beer in vending machines here. That´s fucked up.

2 comments:

rach said...

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, (and you really don't have a choice) is to bring me back the recipe for this drink. Seriously.

Samantha said...

"Look at him,¨ she said. ¨Does he look like he cares when he gets there? Remember the little pilgrim and trust that you will make it to Santiago."

favorite new bit of advise.

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