Camino Frances Rejoined and Reflected : Sahagun to Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon

Two days ago we finished our walk on the 322 km long Camino Madrid, walking from Spain's capital city to Sahagun, a town on the Camino Francés.  We have spent the past two days walking 55.3 km from Sahagun to Léon on the Camino Francés, making an overnight stop in Mansanilla de las Mullas along the way. Essentially we are simply connecting two routes - the Camino Madrid and the Camino San Salvador, but we have been curious about what our second time on the Camino Frances would be like.  It was an interesting experience.  

We first walked the Camino Frances in 2016, and we've come to the realization that both the Camino and we have changed since we first ventured out here.  We see now that we were incredibly fortunate to have walked this way at the right time in our lives.  It felt like a great big adventure, full of meaning and magic, and it changed the course of our lives.  It feels different to us now, and perhaps like it isn't the place for us at the present time. 

We had been hearing rumors that after two years of closures due to the pandemic and a Holy year that was delayed twice, that the number of pilgrims on this route was currently filling the available albergues to capacity.  Admittedly, both mornings we set off around 7:30 am, which could have been several hours after the typical morning rush, but we never saw any evidence of the crowds we had been imagining.  

Heading out of Sahagun we stopped at a lovely café for a breakfast of café con leches and croissants, which we enjoyed on an outdoor patio in the cool, sunny morning air. There were two other pilgrims in the café, and a couple of Civil Guardia officers, whose insignia had the symbol of a shell.   We hadn't seen any evidence of this on the Camino Madrid at all, but we encountered the same level of pilgrim presence and support over both of our days on the Camino Francés. 

When we headed out of Sahagun, across an old stone bridge, we picked up a dirt Senda that ran along beside the paved road.  Essentially we followed this tree lined dirt track for the remainder of the first day and part of the second, which made for easy if not especially interesting walking. 

When we reached our first town, Bercianos de Real Camino, we immediately saw the extent of the development that has occurred along the Camino over the past six years.  When we originally visited this sleepy town there was a single donativo albergue and one bar which was frequented by locals.  As we approached the town today we encountered a brand new looking, warehouse-sized albergue, which we stopped at for coffee.  Bercianos now includes at least three albergues, two hostals, and numerous bars and restaurants.  This development seems to have brought the village from rags to riches, hopefully bringing some benefits to the local residents.  The towns we passed through over the rest of that day and the next seemed to have undergone similar changes. 

As we walked we also reflected on how much we had forgotten. The trail we covered over the past two days may never have been the most memorable of stages, but we found ourselves walking beside a huge mountain range off to the north.  The steep rock and snow covered peaks provided a striking and dramatic background for the green, yellow, and brown fields. We have no memory of seeing this mountain range at all during our first walk along the Camino.  It made us question how well we actually know the things we think we know because we've been there, done that, and or had that experience.  

As we walked we also realized how different we've become.  For one thing, our focus has shifted.  Just after Bercianos del Real Camino we came across a bird watching area, and Sean didn't hesitate to wade out into the marsh to take photos of a Black-backed Stilt.  On this Camino we are much more aware of the birds and other wildlife we're seeing along the way than we were six years ago.  We're also much more willing to make detours, take our time, and add extra distance. 

We also have a different perspective on walking.  The first time we walked this trail we stuck to the daily stages suggested by our Brierly guidebook, obediently walking around 20-25 km each day.  It didn't really occur to us to walk farther, and we often felt that those distances were enough.  This time around we walked almost two of those stages at once, and we now know we are capable of going farther than that.  However, after about noon on both days we saw only a handful of other pilgrims on the trail, and it almost felt like we were doing something wrong.  The culture of the Camino is so strong it felt like we were violating some unwritten Camino rule and we should be off the trail and not still out walking.  

Even looking at the landscape, we see it differently now.  Rather than experiencing each town as a brand new and mysterious community, we realize we are steadily walking towards the outskirts of Léon.  We were aware of the freeway beside us and the high speed train corridor linking the towns.  We are becoming better at reading things in context, but at the same time we've lost some of our wonder and capacity for feeling lost in the moment. 

Having said that, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the trail over the past two days.  On the morning of our first day, just as we were leaving Sahagun, we were hailed by the Polish pilgrim we met on Day 3 of the Camino Madrid.  We were so thrilled to know he made it, and also curious about his stages because we never saw him after Manzanares del Real.  

We ended our first day in Mansanilla de las Mullas, where we shared dinner in the albergue with Theo (from the Netherlands) and Muffin, Morris, and Tripp (from Texas), all of whom have walked the Camino Francés from Saint Jean Pied de Port.  It was wonderful to share a good meal and stories of the Camino with other English speaking pilgrims.  This is something we've missed so far, and will perhaps miss again when we head back onto the lesser known routes.  

On our second day, which was only about 20 km, we continued to enjoy being part of a larger community of pilgrims, and to enjoy the amenities that were provided along the route to support us.  These have been two wonderful days on The Way, and they have  given us much to think about.  

 

 

Today we reached Léon, where we re-lived many wonderful memories from the time we spent here in 2016.  Indeed, it felt like we were walking through our past, and perhaps this led us to one of those highly unnerving moments of déjà vu.  We were walking towards the cathedral in Léon when a man walked towards us on the street.  He was the exact twin of someone we had hiked the Camino Frances with in 2016, and he smiled and waved at us as though we were long lost friends.  We passed each other without speaking, but it was like walking past a ghost.  It made us wonder what the message in this strange encounter was as we prepare to set out on a new adventure along the Camino San Salvador.