A Week in one day! (50Km!!!!)

Well that was the most stupidest thing I think I´ve done in a long time. I think my ego woke up first this morning and declared that I could get to Santo Domingo no trouble! Why not? IT´S ONLY 50 KILOMETRES AWAY WITH A COUPLE OF LITTLE CLIMBS IN THE WAY!

From talking to a friend of mine I met on the track, the pilgrim of yonder used to just walk about 10Km a day. So I covered about a weeks worth today alone. 12 hours. (inc a nice big 3 course lunch though!)

My ego woke up first this morning...

Ironically enough, the only thing I´ve bought so far is a T-Shirt that say "No Pain, No Glory" showing sore feet on it. I was sitting in mass yesterday evening in Logrnos ruminating about it...

Everyone else was suffering from sore legs, blisters of all sorts and other problems. I had a little suburn on the back of my legs which is easily soved by just wearing long trousers for a few days. I didn´t think I had any pain. Did that mean I wouldn´t get any glory...?

Well that was promptly solved the next morning! If you ever feel you aren´t getting enough pain when you should be - SMILE - and be grateful!

I didn´t and now pain has visited.

It started when I woke up and bent my leg. Straight away pain in the right knee. For those that don´t know, I´ve had trouble with my right knee for a couple of year if it gets prolonged use. I´ve seen doctors and there´s some medical reason for it but basically it´s just sore to walk on after a while. Unfortunately, it doesn´t ever really kick in until I stop my chosen exercise. Walking around the town, I´ve been overtaken by hobbling old men with canes!

I´ve learnt my leason and will only do about 23Km tomorrow - if that!

Now the history behind this town I´m in is that Domingo wanted to be a monk. But as he was illiterate, the monostry said no. He said screw that and did his own thing by setting up a refuge or pilgrim travelling between Logronos and Burgos as it was heavily bandit infested. He ended up building a bridge, church and eventually a town and now´it´s a pop.5000! It has a hospital dating from around 850 and had it´s own bishop from about 1034. When he died, his disciple, San Juan de.. Saint John of the Nettles took over the town and became an architectual genius! But more on him in a day or two when I pass through the town of his name.

Another cool story is that the church has a cock and hen in the bell tower. Always. And yes, they´re alive. The stry behind them is that a fmaily of Mum, Dad and Son were on their way to Santiago and stopped here for the night. The innkeepers daughter fancied the young lad but he didn´t like her chances! Pissed off, she put a bag of money in his suitcase. The next morning, after the family had left, lo and behold, the moneys gone! (I´m getting to the chickens hold on!)

The son was captured, tried and sentenced to hang from the neck ´til dead.

The family continued on the Santiago and on the way back popped into the village. Mum was convinced that her little bundle of joy wasn´t dead and went to check. Waddayaknow - she was right! So they went to visit the judge person to beg him to cut the son down. The judge said (here it comes) "The boy´s no more alive than this cock and hen are to fly" Oliver sudden the cock and hen started flying to prove the boys innocence! So the boy was cut down. A cock and hen (not the originals) are kept in the bell tower as a reminder today.

That´s about all today. I´ve got too many photos considering I´ve only been going for 8 days. About 470! Some are doubles of me trying to get a better shot but still not all of them were taken twice. One lady has about 700 for a weeks walking!

Adios Amigos!