Walking a part of the
Camino Frances these days it is interesting to see the changes since I started my caminoillness 10 years ago.
When I stayed in Rabanal del Camino in 2005 there was one tienda, now there were several. There were a lot of new places to sleep only since I last went past i 2011.
Foncebadon was in 2005 a town of ruins, I guess there was an albergue parrocial, but I am not sure. Nowhere even to buy a cup of coffe. Today there are several albergues, a quite new opened the day I stayed there in 2011, and at least two hostales/habitaciones. El Acebo had a couple of bars and one abuela had a small shop which today is Casa Josefina. I wondered if Josefina was the name of the abuela in the shop who helped me with my bleeding arms and legs after a fall on the way down. Today there are several albergues and hostals.
At the Cruz I noticed as in 2011 that it no longer looked like a bump of garbage, "søppelhaug" as we say in Norwegian.
The years I went past earlier It was a sad sight in my opinion.
And after only a few days on the camino I see that there are more people but less paper, bottles and all the things people leave behind. Is it early in the season or have we become more responsible? I clearly remember the difference after walking from Le Puy in 2009 through a clean France and enterring the Frances and a lot of leftovers everywhere.
The way down from the mountain seemed easier to day, perpaps because it was in the morning and not as on my earlier caminos in late afternoon walking from Rabanal or Foncebadon
Still freezing cold in the mountain, felt like still being in Norway.
