Entering the meseta I was worried. I am a much bigger fan of cold weather than I am hot. I often joke that you can always put on more clothes, but there comes a point where you can’t take off any more. Additionally, I wasn’t sure if I could withstand the full Spanish sun with little to no opportunity for shade without either burning to a crisp or melting into a puddle of goo.
Like many things, the anticipation was worse than the actual thing. Don’t get me wrong, the meseta is hot. The meseta is flat. The meseta seems like it will never end. However, with a little planning, it’s manageable. At least in mid-May.
While the views largely don’t change, there is a beauty to the land here. The fields are full of wheat and the shocks are fully formed it appears. Periodically, the stalks are shot through with poppies creating a beautiful contrast.
I’ve been walking, off and on, with a woman from Indiana. She was marveling at all of the building we pass that have metal shutters on the windows and the fact that they are largely shut. As a mid-westerner, I think we are conditioned by the dark winters to seek out and absorb sun at all times. However after four days in the plains, I am starting to understand the desire to hole up out of the sun in the cool quiet dark.
Distance is a constant source of joy and frustration on this trip. While there are constant signs indicating the distance to Santiago, the accuracy leaves much to be desired. Even signs on the highways that we walk along are pretty variable. The other day I walked 5k and the distance to the next town never changed, despite passing three separate road signs put up the transit authorities. I share that to provide context to the fact that I passed four separate half way points in two days. Some were halfway from St Jean and some were halfway through Spain.
Regardless of which one is ‘right,’ there is a definite emotional lift to knowing that I’ve started the proverbial ‘down hill’ of the trip. As I passed thru Sahagún, I stopped at the Oficina de Turismo (something I highly recommend throughout Europe! They actually have useful information like the ever changing hours the churches are open and who has a bed available, not just a bunch of brochures for overpriced tourist traps.) to pick up my halfway certificate. It’s a beautiful momento in case I don’t manage to make it all the way to Santiago.
I do find it curious that some folks at dinner were pretty bent out of shape because ‘they didn’t even check all my stamps to see where I started!’ Based on my limited Spanish, I’m pretty sure it only indicates that one has passed thru the geographic center of the Spanish portion of the Camino which also roughly corresponds to the mid-point between SJPP and Santiago. People will always find a reason to be cranky I guess.
Next stop is León, the last major city before Santiago and my next rest day. I’ve heard the city is amazing, so I’m really looking forward to clean laundry, people watching, and some good food!
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