Media (10)
Dawn in the little church, long stop in Frómista, and night departure.
From Ermita de San Nicolás de Puente Fitero to Frómista, with a night plan toward Giselle's village.
The alarm was early not only to use the morning coolness, but also for breakfast. It was beautiful, by candlelight: around 5:30/6:00 it was still dark outside and, without electricity, you could see nothing inside.
The albergue was basically a little church (probably deconsecrated): inside there were bunk beds (about 12 places) and the shared table for dinner and breakfast. The bathrooms, instead, were in the external annex, so at night, if you needed them, you had to go outside.
We set the table together with candelabras and had breakfast at 6:00. During breakfast the sun came up, and we set off.
I arrived in Frómista shortly after 9:00 and lay down in the grass near Bar La Gaspara: trees, shade, benches, and tables. I stayed there for hours, watching many pilgrims pass. Shortly after noon I even filmed a particular one: he was walking on foot and using a horse only to carry his backpack.
In the afternoon Catherine finally arrived too. She stopped to rest near me and we had a long chat while drinking beer. I was happy to see her again, also because I had already planned to leave again that evening.
Meanwhile I was coordinating with Giselle: she was farther ahead, so we had to align. At 14:15 she wrote that she had taken an albergue in Villalcázar. The idea was that I would leave earlier, reach her village, and then continue together. After several messages we agreed like this: she would not leave before 5:00, while I would leave Frómista at 22:00, without taking an albergue, to get there, sleep a bit outside, and have her wake me in the morning. When I started at 22:00, I also sent her live location so she could know where I was at any moment.
On the practical side there was also the charger problem: I had lost it in Sanbol. And I had almost finished my powerbank too, because in San Nicolás I had let other pilgrims use it to charge their phones (there was no electricity there). I had only one bar left, which had to be enough to keep my iPhone 8 alive until I found a new charger.
I started looking by asking around. Normally in these cases the first attempt is the accommodation reception, because they often have chargers forgotten by pilgrims. But that day I had not booked any albergue, so I asked Carla to ask her hospitalero: no luck. So I switched to total power-saving mode: very little phone, no photos, no videos, no social media, only saving energy while looking for a solution.
Candles at dawn, cool grass in the shade in Frómista, cold beer in the afternoon, and then the mind already oriented to the night again.
In the mesetas, the difference is made by management: timing, energy, logistics, and the right people to coordinate with.
If reading this diary makes you feel the Camino might be calling you, but you still need to clarify a few things, start with the free guide.
Day notes