Lost and Found (to Terradillo de los Templarios)
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2008
1
18
24
Trip End
Oct 02, 2008
Terradillo de los Templarios,
Spain
Friday, September 12, 2008
Now, today we will walk a good part of the stage on a very ancient road already used by the Romans called the Via Aquitana. It goes pretty much straight for 18 kilometres, without a well or any other water source in between. Rumour has it that they put a bar out halfway, but whether it would be open remains a mystery until we get there
Sunrise around 8 am in Carrion de los Condes
. So better not take any chances and fill the water bottles up to the max. Actually, water supplies add considerably to total weight, so if not necessary, I don't fill up both bottles. I wonder how it must be in the desert, what with no wells and stuff. I easily drink up to four litres per day.Luckily for us, the sky is a little bit overcast, and the sun is partly hidden beneath the clouds. Past experience has told me that breaks are really not helping much, so I ask Agnesa if we could do the whole 18 kilometres in a go. She agrees, and so we do the first part in good time. We pass the bar, not sure whether it's open or not.
The weather holds until we reach Calzadilla de la Cueza, the village that marks the end of the Via Aquitana. My left foot is hurting badly for a break, so I sit down and have lunch, while Agnesa joins Christina and Louise at the bar. As it starts raining, I quickly put my stuff together. It doesn't rain much though, so nothing gets seriously wet. For a short time I consider staying at the local refuge, but then again, I can't let myself be beaten by mere 18 kilometres, can I?
When Agnesa returns from the bar, she tells me an amazing story. Christina had lost her bumbag, along with all the documents in it. When she realised she had left it somewhere, she actually ran back, almost crying. Now, luckily, there's Petra and Max coming a little bit later after them
The Via Aquitana
. They rest in exactly the same place, Petra notices the bumbag lying and around and being curious by nature, she opens it and skims through the contents. Only then she realises that it belongs to Christina, who must have gone crazy by now searching for her bumbag. And there goes Christina, running back, frantically scanning the Camino left and right for her bag. Petra, happy to help, whirls the bag above her head, shouting to Christina if she had forgotten anything. Now Christina is more than happy and thankful at the same time. Imagine what could have happened! And Petra, of all pilgrims that had passed in the meantime, finds the bumbag and decides to take it with her! That definitely is one of those Camino things, and we celebrate this as we chance to meet again in the next bar some hours later. Now there's Max, Petra, Agnesa, Christina, Louise and Gerd, who I haven't seen for some time now, sitting in the bar and socialising. Even Joanna from Poland (the girl I met outside Logroño over a week ago) enters the bar, if only to pass through to secure a bed at the adjactant refuge.This day we make it as far as Terradillo de los Templarios, where they have a new-built refuge, which reminds us a little bit of a luxury resort for pilgrims. We've got a room with just four beds and even a shower and bathroom for ourselves. In our room - another chance - we meet Nicole from Burgos again, in the company of a Spanish guy named Yanú. Bad luck for Nicole though - both she and Yanú got sick, and what's more, today is her birthday.
So, I realise that according to plan, with today's stage I covered half of the distance of the Camino. Way to go!
