The Meseta Begins to Leave its Mark
15 April 2013
Today Eamon and I walked a record-breaking 34 km.
The walk to Fromista along the Canal de Castilla was very pleasant; it was not yet hot (we left at 7:30), and a cool breeze blew through the trees beside the canal.
Lunch was in Fromista, where I spent some time in the Romanesque masterpiece of the Iglesia de San Martin.
From there, a straight-shot walk next to the highway that continued to the horizon, which brought home the reality of the Meseta.
This pattern would be repeated during the day, as we later walked for a while beside a small river, lined with trees, only to be followed by a razor-straight road going to the horizon like some sort of illustration of the vanishing point, with nothing but oceans of grass to either side.
Eamon typically pulls ahead of me on these long straighaways, and we are each enveloped by the Meseta, left alone to struggle with our own thoughts and our own demons.
The big news today was the failure of my footware. The heels in my shoes are rapidly deteriorating, and as a result, I´ve pounded both pairs of hiking socks to dust – heel holes in both right socks.
Also had my first blisters, both on my right foot.
Both feet are swollen and bruised. I was, however, able to purchase new hiking socks in Carrion de los Condes.
Today in Poblacion de Campos, I saw a lamp post I had seen in a dream in Carcosa and sketched perhaps twenty years ago.
Is there very much visible remainder of the Visigoths? Also: have you encountered any members of religious orders?
That castle is the only remnant that I´ve seen identified as such.
There are a lot of Roman remains, and a lot of medieval construction on Roman foundations. I´ve even seen a number of pre-Roman Celtic ruins – small things to be sure, but there. Visigoths? If they built, it wasn´t anywhere I´ve seen yet.
I´ve encountered nuns, but all sadly unhabited. I suspect there may be some in Leon, as it´s a fairly major religious center, not to mention Santiago de Compostela.