Finding Lisa..

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

1:58 AM Arizona 10:53 AM Spain

It is almost 11 AM and I’m still in my little camping spot.  Breakfast of bananas and soymilk with coffee, then packed up the camp and deciding whether to take the road or not.  Well it is time to get going if I intend to make it to wherever.  I look at the highway and there on the other side is an arrow pointing to the Camino.  The Camino it is as the highway is buzzing with trucks.  The road flattens out as I ride through a forest some of which is just coming into bloom.  I stop at an overlook above a beautiful valley filled with the colors of spring.  I pass a farmer as he lazily moves his cow down the Camino path.  The weather has turned warm, the sky blue and my mood lighter.  Another biker and I get lost for a bit, but soon I’m on the way actually riding more than walking.  I’m having trouble finding a non-highway into Burgos and stop at a café for some wine.  Sitting in the sun, drinking vino Blanco along with some almonds I’ve brought with me from home.  I’m right with the world again, but where is Lisa!

Today with lots of sitting, some riding, not much walking, and a few missed turns I arrived in Burgos, find the Albergue Amigos del Camion de Santiago, check in, unload, and have lots of time to look around town.  There is a beautiful Cathedral in Burgos which I stop to take pictures of.  Not paying attention as I move to get a better picture I find myself pitching sideways as I fall off a step.  Quickly I jump up hoping that no one saw me.  How silly to be ashamed of a mishap, which if I had fallen to my left instead of my right, would have taken me down a set of stone stairs.  I finally find a store that has a wine bottle opener which I purchase, but no wine.  Arriving back at the Albergue I have dinner using the stuff I picked up earlier.  I am missing Lisa and wondering where she is hoping she is O.K.  After dinner it’s time to walk around town some more where I find a shop that sells beer, wine and shots for one euro sound good to me.  Than back to the Albergue to get my computer, then wander around looking for a bar that has internet.  Finding one, order a wine then settle in to see what has been going on for the last three days.  Several notes for Lisa, which seem to indicate she has been one day behind me, still riding and hitting the same towns.  The last message indicates she has sent her bike back and has taken a bus to Burgos and should be here today, but I wonder where.  I leave her a message as to where I’m staying hoping we can meet up somehow.  She also states that she will take a bus from Burgos to Leon the next day.  If I can’t find her tonight I’ll not see her again until we return home.  I’m disheartened, finding no reason to continue as I had hoped we would start and finish together.

Back at the Albergue its time to do a wash and after loading the washer I plan to sit down to type a bit.  I do a double take is that?  Yes it is there is Lisa at the computer station across the room, I’m ecstatic that I’ve found her all is well with the world!  She is surprised when I sit down beside her and we hug, kiss and share an emotional moment.  We share our tails for the past three day that we have been separated.  I’ve really missed, her along with being worried if she was O.K. riding the bike.  We find that we have stayed in the same towns either a day before or after each other.  She has been as worried about me as I of her.  We share some joyous laughter over our thoughts for the past three days.   It is so good to see her.  We head off to sleep with a plan of sorts for tomorrow, but any plan is O.K. with me if we are sharing the rest of the Camino together.

Buen Camino.