047: Sardinians, Sidewalks, and The Camino de Santiago
What our sidewalks don’t teach us about the Camino
Sardinians, Sidewalks, and The Camino de Santiago
“Just like Sardinia!” my husband exclaimed as I huffed my way up the hill to our house.
We have never been to Sardinia.
But we watched an episode about people who live til 100—and one Sardinian hill town has a lot of them. One of the reasons for their longevity is that they not only get a lot of exercise just walking to get their groceries and meeting their friends, but that the terrain is uneven. So they have excellent balance.
I have no plans to live to 100. But my genes may have other plans. Great-Grandma Riggetano lived to 93. Grandma Gallo lived to 99. My father just retired (at 77) and shows no signs of stopping.
Though I’m much younger than any of them, I have a habit of falling--usually in a spectacular fashion that results in scraped up palms, a bruise on a knee. I had this problem long before I lived in Europe, but it was exacerbated there by the fact that sidewalks and walkways (if there are any) are more likely to be uneven.
“More likely” is putting it too lightly. Walking surfaces in Spain, France, Italy — they are a lot more uneven than what we’re used to in the US.
What Our Sidewalks Don’t Teach Us
Pamela Marshall commented on last week’s newsletter about the simple way I train(ed) for my walks on the Camino de Santiago, suggesting that—in addition to walking—“people train for their Camino by doing 15-30min of exercises and balance training to strengthen the feet and ankles.”
Remember those Sardinians? Their ankles and feet train daily on uneven surfaces, making them so much better than we Americans when it comes to balance.
I thought of those Sardinians again yesterday when I drove my car to the market, got out and walked on a smooth parking lot surface to a smooth sidewalk, then got back in my car again to do the same thing over and over for each of my errands.
In Spain, daily errands gave me plenty of time to practice my balance. I did the majority of my errands on foot and noticed every new hole in the road (because the first part of my trek had no sidewalks) and every cracked or buckled sidewalk. I recall wearing my platform shoes just once after our move to Valencia. I made a spectacular fall and decided Spain wasn’t the place for my beloved platforms.
“Make sure you tell them about the rocks”
When I accompanied Lois on her 500+ mile walk across Spain she told me, more than once, "When you tell people about the Camino, make sure you tell them about the rocks!” Pictures don’t do it justice, but I tried (see below). On the Camino, you’ll walk across surfaces with all sorts of sizes of rocks. And I don’t mean lovely crushed rocks—I mean the uneven, ankle-twisting kind. I recall one section on which it looked like someone took sheets of rock layers and turned them 90 degrees so that we had to walk along the edges of them.
So if you’re in the US training for the Camino, any walking is good practice to get some steps in. But better yet? Go find some uneven surfaces.
With love,
Rebecca
📸Scenes from the Camino - Rocks!
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If anyone is looking for more training ideas, try walking on Portugal’s cobblestone sidewalks—many of which are in a state of hazardous disrepair 🤨
I have skin on my left knee that is a different color because of my falls—on the same knee. Doing better since starting balance and coordination exercises which helped on the first leg of my Camino. Walking on cobblestones is an “art” form.