Pure Kindness of David from Bath (Day 18)

The Camino continues to change my perspective about the inhabitants of this world. On The Way you experience pure kindness and good over and over again that makes you more hopeful for how planet earth will fair up.

Yesterday, after my 24km hike, I arrived to Calzadilla De La Cueza, a small but beautiful town at Burgos and Leon’s midpoint. There, at the entrance of the town right next to our albuerge sitting at the cafe I met David. He is 76 and is from Bath England. In 2005, David did the Camino Frances and told me he had this romantic idea that there would be nun’s all around treating people for their ailments (blisters etc). But with the exception of 3-4 spots on the 800 plus km path there was non of course. When he finished his Camino he had a new calling for his life. He went back to UK and at the age 67 got certified as a paramedic. Since then every year he walks the Camino and treats people through a cart he caries with a sign that says First Aid. He pulls the cart and carries his own backpack. He is 76!

He diagnosed my most recent issue as moderate to severe shin splints and explained that I need to take much smaller steps and shorten my stride. Apparently Roman armies marched with smaller steps due to that reason to protect against shin splints. He then treated me with prescription creams and wrapped my leg. I wanted to pay him back somehow perhaps with a drink or dinner but he said that will be against the purpose of his Camino. Below is a photo with David from Bath. I hope to see him again and buy him a beer as a friend and not as a patient.

The albuerge we are stayed at is owned by Max (from Canary Islands) and his beautiful wife Letizia (from this region). They own a small very humble but spotlessly clean albuerge with 12 beds. They opened the place in 2014 and absolutely do this with joy and kindness. They treat their guests (used my first name since I arrived) as family from first moment you step into their courtyard. When I arrived, they fixed me a beautiful cheese, egg sandwich instead of my 4th Sneakers bar of the day. Letizia learned I was a vegetarian (it still shocks 90 percent of Spaniards) and decided to cook me a special vegetarian meal while the rest had the standard pilgrim menu. I took the below photo with them in their kitchen as she was cooking for me. The cost of this was 30 euros for bed, meal and drinks. I haven’t felt this royalty in the fanciest hotels I stayed around the world for work costing the companies I worked 20 times that amount.

Max and his darling beautiful bride (salute Craig Ross) Letizia.

This morning, I said goodbye to Letizia and her beautiful albuerge and started my day with an amazing chocolate croissant (thought of Amy of course).

It was one of the coldest mornings so far around 4C (<40F) but luckily quickly warmed up to a beautiful hiking day. I did my Roman soldier march for the entire 23.5 kms. Seemed to help with the shin splints and arrived to Sahagún at 2pm. It is laundary day which I am super excited (!) about.

Photos from the day. It was cold so I missed the sunrise as I preferred remembering Amy via a chocolate croissant vs a sunrise photo today.

Kms today: 23.5 kms

Kms total: 449 kms

Steps total: 158.4k Amy, 595.5k Ahmet