After an unfruitful day yesterday, trying to buy new footwear in Burgos, but finding everything closed, today I was successful in the pursuit. I went to two stores and was able to find exactly what I needed. I ended up buying the Altra Experience Wild 3+, which is somewhat of a hybrid trail runner/road shoe. It’s actually perfect for the Camino because of the variety of terrain that we walk on.  The main difference between those and my previous shoes is that the heel is not encased in hard plastic. It’s a much more flexible material which will be kinder to the boney protrusions on the back of my heels.

So, after purchasing those, I taxied on ahead to where I left off plus a little bit more. I’m in a little town tonight called Hontanas.

I’ve been feeling a little bit down because by this point in the Camino, the “Camino family” that one starts with back at the beginning is somewhat spread out. Because of me needing to take a day and a half with the shoe situation, I figured my entire group was anywhere from 1 to 3 days ahead of me. The place where I’m staying tonight offers a really nice communal paella dinner, made from scratch. I was seated at the table, talking to people around me, when all of a sudden, Daisy from Florida came and sat down right across from me! She’s part of the original group that has been walking together and leapfrogging since the first day. It was just a really nice reminder that I’m not alone. One of the huge lessons for the Camino for me so far is that I’m not alone. I tend to be very much of an individualist, powering through problems and issues on my own, and really disliking needing to rely on others. I think one of the lessons that the Camino is trying to teach me is that I’m truly not alone in life. I don’t need to white knuckle it, and it’s OK to need other people and want other people around.

Onward to Itero de Vega tomorrow morning in my new shoes!

Remember being a little kid and thinking that your new sneakers were going to help you run faster? This is kind of like that.