As much as I feared the Meseta at the start of all this, I now consider it one of the great blessings of my life.
Not in a cerebral or flippant or “count your blessings” kind of way (or as in #blessed), but a deep sense of having been personally gifted this solo walk across those magical plains.
(It’s hard to explain without sounding as if I’ve gone off the deep end. I haven’t)
As the Meseta comes to an end at León, the transition from the remote Romana Calzada to the city was more difficult than usual.
Not only did I need to adjust to the crowds and busyness of the city (not to mention the filming of Masterchef España in the cloister at the cathedral!), but also with the knowing that the Mesetas are now behind me.
A keen sense of loss.
I was reminded of that part in The God of Small Things:
‘The God of Loss.
The God of Small Things.
The God of Goosebumps and Sudden Smiles.
He could do only one thing at a time.
If he touched her he couldn’t talk to her, if he loved her be couldn’t leave, if he spoke he couldn’t listen, if he fought be couldn’t win.
Ammu longed for him’
~ Arundhati Roy
I took forever to follow the arrows out of the city, but I walked onward and upward with a happy heart.
The Way now changes from the Meseta (the plateau) to the Páramo (the wilderness).
I took the scenic route through the veld instead of the senda again, and I’ve made my way to Villar de Mazarife instead of Villadangos del Paramo.
Imagine my delight when I walked into the albergue bar, and found everyone I left behind in Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, here in Mazarife, enjoying a glass of vino tinto and welcoming me as if I was a long lost friend
Daily Braveries 