In this mini-series of blog posts, I revisit my translated travel notes from 15 years ago, when I quit my job in Munich to start a new life. If you missed the first post, you can find it here.

Santiago I’m coming!

January 24, 2008 – 10.02am

First of all I would like to thank all of you who read my reports so carefully! Sometimes it takes a little bit longer until the comments are published, because I have to activate them first, but of course all comments will be published sooner or later 😉

I’m now in Lleida and have completed the first 110 km of the way! However, I first take a small break of 1 day, because I am sick and I have to be fit for the route the day after tomorrow – los Monegros. Besides, a distance of more than 50 km follows, since there is no overnight stay possibility in between and the cold weather does not exactly invite to sleep outside.
After my last stop, I arrived in Castelnou, a small village that is very welcoming to pilgrims. There I was allowed to spend the night in a former locker room of a soccer field and came back to strength in a Spanish cult bar with hearty Spanish food. The people were unbelievably friendly, left me their phone number should I have problems along the way, even gave me homemade jam? (it was not really jam, because it was hard and looked more like a jelly bar, but tasted very similar, I can’t think of what it’s called) as a small energy snack for the road. A truly pilgrim friendly village!

The next 20 km run like clockwork, while I have to overcome the following 10 km to Lleida; the shoes are already beginning to dissolve from the inside … the only consolation: finally a city with over 100,000 inhabitants.

But no washroom! Hmph.

The weather is too cold to wash and dry by hand, I finally want a dryer! But maybe it was fate to stay a little longer in this city.
So, another deep breath, tomorrow I leave Catalunya and will dive into the next autonomous region – hopefully with fresh laundry!