Camino Day 36 - October 12

Day 36.. The day we arrived in Santiago.. That still sounds and feels very strange.. It's hard, in fact, to put the day into words, but I'll try..

 

Today, on our last day of walking, we walked 20 km from Arca do Pino to Santiago de Compostela. We started off after a very poor night's sleep, thanks in part to some neighbours close to where we were staying who held a very loud outdoor party into the wee hours of the morning.. To make things more challenging, just as we left for the day, it started raining.. Today's walk again had lots of ups and downs with ascents and descents, and took us mostly through wooded areas. Perhaps because it was our last day, or perhaps because of the rain, we ended up stopping more than usual for coffee and a break..

 

Eventually, we arrived at Monte do Gozo, which is the place where Santiago first comes into view. As one of our guidebooks says, "millions of sighs of contentment have been uttered by people on Monte do Gozo in the course of the thousand year history of the pilgrims - countless moments of the highest pleasure (in Spanish, gozo) at the first sight of the towers of Santiago's cathedral."

 

Seeing Santiago felt a bit overwhelming to me, and emotions started to rush to the surface.. I was ready to be finished walking, I was sad to be finished walking, I was ready to be out of the rain, I was excited to get to Santiago and spend some time exploring the city, I was sad to be parting ways with some walking friends, and so much more..

 

We arrived at Santiago around 2pm, and then spend about another hour walking across the city to the pilgrim's office. At the pilgrim's office, we joined a long line of pilgrims waiting to receive their compostela - the certificate of completion of the Camino. The wait in the cool rain felt long. Around 4pm, our turns came to receive our certificates. We officially registered, and the volunteers there looked through our pilgrim passports, and were satisfied that we had met the requirements of pilgrimage in order to receive the compostela. The certificate came complete with Latin text and Latin-ized names - I was 'Susannum' Reed. We also both asked for the certificates of distance, which name our starting and ending points on the Camino, our ending date, and the distance we travelled, which they indicated as 775 km.

 

Receiving the certificates was pretty emotional for me. After 36 days and nearly 800km, we had arrived at our destination, and our walking was finished. I felt, in that moment, a huge sense of gratitude for the journey, and a huge sense of accomplishment. I tend not to hold up my accomplishments as much as I could, as I worry about crossing the hazy line into bragging, but I was very proud of myself for arriving at Santiago and completing a physically and emotionally intensive journey. I've never done anything like this in my life, and I just proved to myself that I could in fact do it.

 

With profound gratitude to you all for your support and encouragement along the way,

susan

Camino Day 35 - October 11

Something miraculous happened today in Galicia.. It didn't rain!! We had thick fog in the early morning, clouds later on, and at times it looked like it could rain, but it then got very hot and sunny in the afternoon.. It was so nice to walk for a day without rain.. As a result, my shoes are now dry.. Rob's are drying, but not quite dry yet.. Despite wet shoes, though, our feet have been good.. Wet shoes often lead quickly to blisters, but no  sign of blisters yet for either of us since the wet shoe episode.
 

Today we walked 22km from Ribadiso to Arca do Pino. We saw more lovely scenery today, which I enjoyed even more in the sun! We walked through a number of small hamlets, and across dirt paths, stone paths, and through forests. Many of the homes we passed today had lots of flowers and huge palm trees outside. For some reason, it had never occurred to me that there would be palm trees in Spain, but it turns out there are actually lots of them.. I enjoyed holding my head up and looking around today, which I haven't  always been doing in the last few days of wind and rain.. I really enjoyed all I was seeing, and felt very content "just walking.."

This is our second last day of walking, which feels really strange.. Both of us have been feeling what I often do as something of any length comes to a close - I am still trying to be in the moment and take in as much as I can, but part of me is entering into closure mode, and feeling ready to be done. So it is with this Camino for me. I am feeling both ready and sad at the prospect of arriving in Santiago and finishing walking.. The wet weather, my shin pain, and having walked for over a month are all certainly contributing to my feeling ready to be finished, but at the same time, I am so enjoying both the walking and the rhythm of the days. After 35 days of this, it has become my new routine, and I have loved it! All being well, though, tomorrow will be our last day. It really feels surreal..

Many blessings from Northern Spain to wherever you may be,
susan
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Camino Day 34 - October 10

Day 5 in Galicia, and day 5 of rain.. (Are you noticing a trend here?)

 

Today, we walked 27 km from Palas del Rey to Ribadiso da Baixo. It was much like the past few days.. It rained off and on, and we saw lovely, green scenery as we wandered up and down the hills.. What was different for me today, though, was that it felt like a normal walking day for me, for the first time in many days.. The pain in my shin is gone, the discomfort and strain is minimal, and I have been able to increase my walking pace a fair bit. I'm still walking more slowly than I was, but I'm sure both injury and fatigue have contributed to that.. I felt good to have my walking back to normal, finally..

 

We had actually considered walking further than Ribadiso tonight.. The next town along isn't too far down the road, and is considerably larger. Ribadiso is also said to be a popular place to stay, so our guidebooks cautioned that the albergues are often full early in the day.. But, as we approached Ribadiso, it felt like we were ready to stop, so we decided to stay there if we could find accommodation, and we did.. We settled in to a private room at the albergue, and were even able to get outside and sit in the warm sun for a while in the late afternoon when it emerged from behind the clouds.. After not seeing or feeling too much sun over the past few days, this felt really good!

 

One funny part of the day happened as we were heading out (two doors up the road) for supper. We heard bells.. Now, I know I have written about the church bells, but there is also another kind of bell we've been hearing a lot of, especially recently.. What is the expression? "We need more cowbell"? Many of the cows here - and there are a lot of them - wear cowbells, and the bells ring every time the cows move their heads, including to eat, which they seem to do a lot.. It is funny sometimes how much noise comes from a field full of bells constantly on the go.. Sometimes, the bells are especially loud, which tells us that a cow is very close, as they have been on a few occasions, separated from us usually (but not always!)  by a fence. And not only do the cows here wear bells, but so too do some of the horses and many of the sheep.. There are a LOT of bells ringing here in Spain..

 

So, tonight, as we were heading out for supper, we heard bells. Ribadiso is a very small town (population 10), with one main street running through the middle of it. And there we saw a herd of cows, ambling down the street, right in the centre of town, with the farmer behind them, guiding them into a barn right across the street from where we were staying. It's not everyday we share the street with a herd of cows.. Seems like they were more used to it than I was.. Quite a racket of mooing and bells.. Definitely made me smile! Also made us watch our step extra carefully as we walked down the road behind the cows..

 

I hope you have had at least one moment in your day which brought a smile to your face, as the cows (and their bells) did for me..

 

Blessings,

susan

 

 

Camino Day 33 - October 9

Day 4 in Galicia, and Day 4 of rain..

 

Today, we walked 24 km from Portomarin to Palas del Rey.. It felt like a pretty regular day today.. The scenery was again lovely, and made extra lush and green by all of the rain.. And it was another up and down day in terms of elevation.. Lots of climbing up and down the hills in the area, but nothing too strenuous or extreme.. Painwise for me, things were alright today.. I still have some discomfort, and can still feel the strain in my shin, but the pain is less.. What I have noticed now is a swollen ankle, perhaps from how I've been walking due to the muscle strain.. There is no pain or bruising in the ankle, so I'm not too worried, but I'll keep an eye on it..

 

After the pouring rain of yesterday, and thanks to the large room with lots of space to spread things out, I am happy to report that our gear is mostly dry. Our backpacks and sleeping bags had dried out (both got just a little wet from seepage around the edges of our pack covers). And it felt SO good to put dry clothes on this morning, even though we knew the rain would come again and the clothes wouldn't stay so dry.. It felt a little anticlimactic after the dry clothes, and a little disappointing, however, to put on wet shoes.. Our shoes had dried out a fair bit overnight, and mine were drier than Rob's, but both pairs were still pretty wet. My only other pair of shoes, though, are flip flops, so wet hiking shoes it is..

 

One of the things I have found fascinating throughout this journey has been the history of some of the communities we have stayed in or passed through. Portomarin, our starting point this morning, is one such place, with a really interesting more recent history in particular. Portomarin is said to have once been one of the most flourishing and one of the richest places in the region of Galicia. The old town, however, was sunk under water in the 1960s to create a dam and reservoir. But before the town was sunk, the two old, large, and beautiful churches were taken apart brick by brick and piece by piece, and rebuilt in the new town. The new town is on the top of a hill, with the water below. The water looks lovely, and it is a bit wild to think that the remnants of an old town lie beneath.

 

So much history on this journey, and so much I'm learning about centuries past.

 

As always, many blessings to you all,

susan

 

Camino Day 32 - October 8

A bit of info about the Camino before I talk about today..

 

Those of us who travel the Camino as pilgrims are required to carry a document called a credential (pron. cre-den-see-al) or pilgrim's passport. It is a little booklet with our name in it. We are required to get at least one stamp a day in that passport. The stamps are available at the albergues, hostals and hotels, at restaurants and bars, and at many churches, museums, and other places, as well as at local Red Cross and Police stations. Once we arrive at Santiago, if we choose to check in at the Pilgrims' Office (which we will), we have to show our credential, and if it checks out, we will receive a compostela, which is a certificate of completion of the Camino. In order to receive the compostela, pilgrims must walk a minimum of 100 km. For that last stretch, at least two stamps a day are required - from different communities - I guess to prove that we really did walk from place to place..

 

Sarria is 113km from Santiago, so is considered the starting point for this minimum distance of 100km. Statistics show that throughout 2013, about 25% of pilgrims began their pilgrimage in Sarria.

 

Today, we walked from Sarria to Portomarin, which our books said was around 22.5 or 23 km, but which we figured was actually a bit farther (according to the concrete pillars every 500m marking the distance remaining to Santiago). There were a lot of pilgrims on the road today, including many just beginning their pilgrimage. There was a bit of a strange dynamic of new, eager pilgrims, and others of us who had been walking for a while, and were pretty tired.

 

Day 3 in Galicia.. Day 3 of rain.. It was spitting rain in the morning, then started raining fairly hard around 1:30pm. But mid-afternoon, the heavens opened, and it POURED. For about 45 minutes, the rain came down in sheets. We were in a treed area, but there was really no shelter, so we kept going. I don't know that I've been so wet in my life. My pack cover kept my pack mostly dry, and my rain jacket kept the top part of me mostly dry, but the rest of me was soaked through. I could actually feel the water pouring down the inside of my pant legs and into my socks and shoes. My shoes were full of water and sloshed and squished with every step. When we walked uphill, the water poured down towards us, and when we walked downhill, the water poured down from behind us. The path was mostly dirt, so it was turned to mud. At times, the water covered the whole path, so our only choice was to walk through it. At times, it was several inches deep.. Our shoes then became full of mud.. The rain eventually cleared..

 

We got into Portomarin in the late afternoon, and had already decided that we would opt for private accommodations if we could. We found a room, and it ended up being quite large, which meant we could spread out all of our wet things to dry out. The folks running the pension (pron. pen-see-own; like a guesthouse) also did our laundry in their washer and dryer, which was so great.

 

Another exciting day.. Plus side - very little pain today.. Or maybe I was too distracted by the downpour to notice it.. This rain is definitely a new kind of challenging from the blazing heat, especially at this stage in our pilgrimage.. But again, the scenery was really beautiful, and the people we met (who were all in the same wet boat that we were) really brightened my day..

 

Hope it is warm and dry where you are,

susan

Camino Day 31 - October 7

First of all, today marks one month since we began walking.. Hard to believe!

 

Today got off to another rough start for me.. We set out from Fonfria and were planning to walk 9 km to a larger community and stop there for breakfast. But as we walked, the pain in my shin got worse and worse, especially during downhill stretches. By the time we got 5 km to Filloval, I was in a lot of pain and in tears. I wasn't sure how far I could walk, or if I could even keep going at all. We stopped at a lovely bar in Filloval. Between a really good breakfast, a rest, and some more painkillers, I felt much better. I still didn't know how far I could go, but I knew I could keep going.. (It seems as though this pain is an every second-day thing..)

 

Well, this turned out to be our longest walking day yet, and was quite fine for me after the breakfast break.. We walked just over 30 km from Fonfria to Sarria. We had considered stopping before Sarria, but Sarria is a larger centre. Rob thought that if I needed a doctor or other medical help, Sarria would be a better bet. And, being a larger place, it would have more options of places to stay, and we were hoping for a private room, which is what we ended up finding fairly easily. By the time we arrived, I was feeling good, and didn't go to a doctor, but did go to see a pharmacist, and got some cream to relax muscles and ease pain..

 

The other challenge of the day was the ground condition. More specifically mud.. And added to that, we were walking past a lot of farmyards, and past a lot of cattle.. In these areas, there are often farms right in the communities, and animals are walked right through the streets of town from pasture to barn. (Warning: explicit content ahead..) I told Rob that the game of the day was called "Dodge the Droppings," and especially in the muddy stretches, where we really weren't sure if the soft brown stuff we were stepping in was mud or something else.. It was kind of gross, but also kind of amusing..

 

Aside from the pain, the mud, and the weather (rainy and very windy at times), I actually really enjoyed the walk today. We wound up and down paths in the forest, past farmyards, and a bit alongside the road. We walked through one wooded area that looked to me like an enchanted forest. It was closed in on the sides and overhead by trees, and the tree trunks were all green with moss. The whole area seemed to glow green, and there was something magical about it all.

 

Today felt a bit like a marathon, and had lots of ups and downs (elevation wise and emotionally), but we got through it just fine.

 

Hope all is well where you are..

Blessings,

susan

 

p.s. - Day 2 in Galicia ("The rainy region") .. Day 2 of rain..



Camino Day 30 - October 6

Today was a big day, as it contained our last major climb of the Camino. We walked just over 25 km from Vega de Valcarce to Fonfria. This walk included about 700m in ascent, which was at many times very steep. We also entered the region of Galicia today, which is the last of several regions of Spain which we will be walking through on the Camino. It is the region we will end in, so this day felt like the first day of the last stage of our pilgrimage. 

 

Galicia is known for a few things, including rain.. Our guidebooks said that rain was not only a likelihood, but pretty much a certainty. We have only had one two-hour stretch of rain in the first 29 days of our Camino, and we figured that would soon change.. We figured right.. Indeed it rained today.. The rain started a couple of hours into our day, and continued for the rest of the day and through the night. It made the dirt paths very muddy, and the steep climbing on dirt paths a little more treacherous and a lot more sloppy. We were careful to watch our step and tried our best to dodge the puddles..

The first high point we reached was the town of O Cebreiro, which as a town has been declared a Unesco Heritage Site. We arrived there tired and really wet, to find a town full of tourists, as we should have expected. I think I counted 8 tour buses parked at the entrance to town. There were people everywhere! We were going to stop there for lunch, but decided to keep going and get away from the chaos and busyness. Before we could leave, though, one of the tourists stopped me and asked if she could take my picture. She turned me so that my backpack would be visible.. It was a bizarre experience, but I didn´t say no.. Funny that I might be in someone´s holiday album..

 

After O Cebreiro were had some up and down climbing and descents for a while, and then started the descent. The rain was still really heavy, the clouds were low, and the wind was high. I think the views were lovely, but we couldn´t see much of them..

 

We arrived in Fonfria wet, tired, and ready to stop for the night. We stayed in the one albergue in town, which offered a community meal (with vegetarian option). We signed up, and had a lovely supper with about 25 others from our albergue. We had a Galician vegetable soup to start, and the main dish was rice with a meat and vegetables. I got my own dish or rice with vegetables, eggs, and cheese.. We ended with the Tarte de Santiago (an almond cake). So tasty, and so nice to share in with other pilrgims. It was a great end to a long day..

For those of you wondering, my leg pain was still there today, but less, which is encouraging..

 

Blessings to you all,

susan

Camino Day 29 - October 5

Today, we walked 24 km from Cacabelos to Vega de Valcarce. It was another challenging day for me, as the steep and painful downhill climb from a couple of days ago caught up with me. From that super-steep and lengthy descent, I developed some sort of strain in my right shin muscle.. It made itself really known today, and was fairly painful at times, but manageable with regular stretching and ibuprofen. I also had a really poor sleep last night thanks to some VERY loud snorers on one side of us, and some very loud early-morning risers on the other side.. So, sore and tired, but these are two of the usual challenges along the way which many pilgrims deal with..

 

On the positive side, this morning, I met a man from France with a really interesting story.. He´s been walking the Camino from his home - one week per year - for 9 years.. We talked for a while,  and had a good conversation. At the end, he congratulated me on my excellent French. That felt good! Speaking French is certainly allowing me the opportunity to talk with more people, as there are many French-speaking pilgrims on the way..

 

Also, despite the physical discomfort, I actually really enjoyed the walk today. The path split at one point, with the choice of a hard climb (but more scenic) through the mountains, or an easier route following the highway. One of our guide books actually said the mountain route was ¨not suitable for inexperienced climbers.¨Suffice it to say that we chose the highway route, and actually quite enjoyed it. There wasn´t a lot of traffic, and the scenery was quite nice. We wound in and out of a few small communities before we arrived in Vega de Valcarce. We found a lovely, small and quiet private albergue to stay in there, and enjoyed our stay. 

 

So, some challenges, but definitely lots of blessings and bright moments today. 

 

Hope you all are keeping well,

susan

Camino Day 28 - October 4

Today was a much better day for me. It started with a really good night´s sleep, and an easier walking day. We walked 23 km from Molinaseca to Cacabelos. A couple of hours into our day, we arrived at Ponferrada, which has a really amazing castle that looks like something out of the movies. The Castillo de los Templarios was originally finished in 1282, but has been extensively modified and renovated since. It was a castle of the Knights Templar. We looked around it a bit, and took some pictures there, but had to move on as our day was taking us further..

The rest of the day´s walk was pretty uneventful, and went smoothly.. 

I know I have talked a bit about the people we´ve met on the way. A couple of days ago, we encountered a group of women from France. There are 17 women walking together. We´ve crossed paths with them many times over the past two days, and have chatted with some of them a bit.. Today, as we were arriving at Cacabelos, we were approaching a rest area, and saw a group of people gathered there.. As we got closer, I said to Rob, "I wonder if those are the French women?" A moment later, they spotted us, and this great group of people waved and said all together (and enthusiastically), "Allo, les Canadiens!" (Hello Canadians!) We exchanged hellos and carried on. Both Rob and I said that totally made our day.. Even though we don´t know the names of most of the people we meet, we get to know the faces, and we chat as we walk, and we end up creating community. It is good to see familiar faces again, and especially to be greeted so warmly by people we hardly know..

Oh, one more thing about today.. In Cacabelos, where we stayed the night, we came across our first Pulperias. We understand we will see lots more.. A Pulperia is a restaurant, and pulpo = octopus.. We both understand this is a great delicacy in Spain, but neither of us intend to try it ourselves.. Just seeing the pulperia signs make us both cringe a little.. However, we know lots of others eager to give it a try..  

Hope you all are keeping well..

Many blessings,

susan

Camino Day 27 - October 3

Today, was a challenging day for me.. We walked from Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca - around 25.5 km. The first part of the day was mostly climbing, and was at times quite steep. Rob asked me at one point if I could see my improvement with climbing.. It is now easier for me.. I stop fewer times and can walk a bit faster, but it´s still pretty hard.. The great part of the climbing this morning was how beautiful the scenery and views were.. Once we got up into the mountains, the views were quite spectacular!

In the morning, we arrived at the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross). It is at the top of a hill, and is a small metal cross on a tall pole. There is a large pile of rocks (and some other things) under the cross.. Many people carry rocks from their home, and leave them at the Cruz de Ferro, as a symbol of leaving something of themselves, and also often as a symbol of setting down burdens along the way. Rob and I had taken small rocks from our yard, and had carried them with us until today, when we left them at the Cruz.. The experience wasn´t quite what we had imagined, as there were a lot of people there when we were, including a large group that arrived just after us, and there was a lot of noise. But it was still a significant place and powerful experience for me.

The hardest part of the day for me came in the afternoon, when we had a lengthy and steep descent. It was also very hot out. The path was very rocky, the rocks varied in size, and some were loose. I found the rocks really hard to walk on, and could feel more pain in my feet as I descended the mountain. Some of you will also know I don´t have great balance, so I found I was putting all of my energy into placing my feet just right and trying not to fall.. The descent took a long time, and by the time we got down, I was really sore, and almost in tears.. 

We stopped in Molinaseca for the night, arriving around 5pm, which is pretty late in the pilgrim day. We had hoped for private accommodation, but thought we´d take about the first thing we could find, because I couldn´t walk much further. We found a hostal (guest house, sort of like a hotel), and were thrilled to find it wasn´t full. We thought we´d landed in the heavens somewhere when we saw our room. It was huge, and the bathroom was just about as big! Nicest bathroom we´ve ever had in a hotel, and one of the nicest rooms.. That made the rough day feel a little better. We ended the day with a nice meal and early bedtime..

I knew going into this journey that some days would be hard, and would be physically as well as emotionally testing.. This was certainly one of those days.. But all part of the journey..

Blessings to you all,

susan

Camino Day 26 - October 2

Today marks one month since we left home on this great adventure.. That seems so hard to believe.. Today was a shorter walking day - only 20 km from Astorga to Rabanal del Camino. After a longer day yesterday, it felt good to have a short day.. But it turned out to feel like a long day.. Between climbing and hot sun, we were pretty wiped by the end of the day.. We had actually thought of walking father than Rabanal, but once we got that far, we knew it was time to stop for the night..

Along the journey a few times, the way (the path) has had chain link fence on either side, sometimes for long stretches. In those places, people have woven sticks and twigs and branches and other such things into the links to create crosses. In some places, the whole fence is just packed with them. Today, we saw something new.. There was a wooded stretch not long before Rabanal, and there was a chain link fence across one side.. Again, people had woven twigs to create crosses. But this time, the crosses were wrapped with various materials in various bright colours. There were scarves and scraps of fabric, twine, plastic cord, and even beads. Some were quite faded from weather and time, and some still quite brilliant. There were a number of us walking through that area at the same time, and what I noticed is how quiet it was. Everyone was walking in silence, looking and the crosses, and possibly thinking - as I was - of the many people who have walked the Camino before us, and have left these signs and symbols in the forest.. 

On this  journey, we are certainly not alone..

susan

 

Camino Day 25 - October 1

If memory serves, my grandfather (McKenzie) drove a bread truck and delivered for Weston´s bakery for some time. I´m not sure what his routine was, but I´m sure he drove a bread truck..  (Mom - please correct the details in a comment below.. My memory of this is fuzzy)..

We experienced twice today what we have in a number of places so far - the bread truck. On our journey, we have eaten a LOT of bread. Bread is served with everything. And most people here either bake it or buy it it fresh every morning. This morning, as we were arriving in one community, we heard a series of several long blasts of a horn. ¨Bread truck,¨Rob said. And sure enough, along came a small pick-up with cap from one of the local bread shops. (Panenderia - bread shop, which is different from pasteleria - pastry shop).  People pour out of their houses with their bread money and wait on the street. The woman driving stopped for each person waiting, and sold them baguettes or large round loaves of crusty bread. Then off the truck goes with another series of horn blasts to let the next street know it´s on its way..

This afternoon, it was a slight variation.. Several long, loud blasts of the horn, followed by several long, loud blasts of a whistle.. It´s all very loud, and the trucks move very quickly, careening (sp?) through the streets.. Quite a lot of drama for something as simple as bread.. The Spanish word for bread is pan, and pronounced as it looks.. In observing the bread trucks today, Rob said that it is PANdemonium.. It really is.. And nice play on words to Rob!

It´s experiences like this that make the Camino so much fun for me. I´m definitely enjoying the history of the pilgrimage, the scenery, the towns, the people, the weather, and the food, but these little experiences like the bread truck make it all the more enjoyable and memorable..

We did also walk today, from Villadangos del Paramo to Astorga. I´m not entirely sure how far it was. One source we have said 26.5km, and other sources said 28 or 29 km. Either way, it was a long walk in hot sun. We were glad to arrive at Astorga, which is a really lovely city.. More about that later..

Many blessings to you all,

susan

Camino Day 24 - September 30

Today, we walked from Leon to Villadangos del Paramo. It was just over 20 km. It was the warmest morning we´ve had in a while, and it got to be quite hot by the afternoon. The first part of our morning was spent walking through Leon. Leon led right into neighbouring communities. We stopped a few km out - at Virgen del Camino -  for breakfast.  As we were leaving that community, the Camino split into two paths. One choice was the principal route, which is a little bit shorter, but runs mostly alongside the highway. The other choice was an alternate route, longer, but farther from main roads and more scenic. Both routes passed through various communities, and the two routes will meet up sometime tomorrow.

 

We had already chosen to go the principal route. We walked mostly on a dirt path close to the main highway, so there was a bit of traffic smell and noise.. But it was really quite fine. We had thought of carrying on to the next community beyond here (about another 6 km), but we were both feeling a little weary and ready to stop.

 

One of today´s highlights had nothing to do with the Camino.. We are staying at the municipal albergue here in Villadangos. Out front, there is a patio and lawn area with tables and picnic benches. Several of us were sitting out there after showers and laundry. There is also a large chestnut tree in the yard, and chestnuts all over the lawn. A small orange and white cat came by, and stayed quite a while. It was sort of friendly, but super playful.. It started playing with the chestnuts, batting them around, and chasing them. Rob spent probably half and hour tossing chestnuts at the cat, and the cat went nuts chasing them. It would chase for a while, then pick up a chestnut in its teeth, carry it under a table or near a tree, flop down, and play with it some more. It was hilarious to watch. Great entertainment for all of us after a long, hot day..

 

Hope you´ve had moments of delight in your day, as we have in ours.

 

Blessings,

susan

 



Camino Day 23 - September 29

Today, we stayed in Leon. This was a rest day, and just our second rest day so far this journey.. It was a pretty low-key and relaxing day.. One big highlight is that we took all of our laungry to a laundry service.. It cost a little bit, but we were prepared to pay to have our clothes properly cleaned and dried.. Most days, we hand wash our walking clothes in a sink - either a designated laundry sink, or else in the bathroom sink if that is the only option.. There is a phrase I´ve been using a lot on this trip, and particularly with my long-sleeved shirts, which I wear occasionally in the mornings and the evenings. When I pull them out of my pack, I often say, ¨This smells like bag..¨ And trust me, it´s not the most pleasant smell in the world to be wearing.. Mostly old and stale smelling.. So imagine my delight when after having our laundry properly done, my shirts no longer smell like bag.. They will soon, but for now, they just smell clean!

 

We also took some time to wander around Leon. It is a really beautiful city. Lots of old buildings, old fortress walls, fountains, sculptures, and statues. It has a lot of character. And in this city, as in many other places we´ve visited, the streets come alive at night. The Spanish schedule is  quite different from what we´re used to. Stores, bars and restaurants are open until 1 or 2 pm, and then closed for the afternoon siesta. Things open again around 5pm, and restaurants usually start serving supper around 7. The pilgrims and tourists eat on the early side, and the locals eat around 8:30 or 9 pm. And in those mid-evening hours, the streets are jammed with people, and full of noise. Sometimes the streets are so busy, it is hard to move through them. It is not unusual to see children running around and families visiting at 9pm or later.. In the cool of the evening hours, the city really becomes vibrant and loud and full of life.. 

 

It was a great stop in Leon, but now we prepare for another two weeks of walking. If all goes according to plan, our next rest days will be in Santiago, which is our end destination..

 

As always, many blessings to you all,

susan

Camino Day 22 - September 28

Today, we walked from Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon. After walking 26, 23, and 26 km the last three days, this walk of 20 km felt short. We also connected again with our friends Bill and Jo, and walked a fair part of the distance with them, chatting as we went.. That seemed to make the time pass more quickly.

Leon is a larger city (around 180,000, I think), and is full of beautiful, old buildings, and lots of history. And guess what we found when we arrived? A fiesta! People were dressed in traditional costume, and there was music, dancing, and parades through the streets. We went to the tourist information office to inquire about a place to stay, and the man there said it was lucky we didn´t arrive the day before, or everything would have been full.. He contacted a hostal for us, who said they had rooms available, so we checked it out and stayed there. We have a lovely view of some of the old buildings right from our window.

After settling in, we went in the later aternoon to see the Leon Cathedral. This one didn´t seem quite as big as the cathedral in Burgos, but still very large, and stunning in architecture and design. This particular cathedral is known for its stained glass, and has about 1900 square metres of it! A huge amount of glass.. All of the symbols and pictures in the glass have particular meanings, and the narration we heard through the portable device was very clear in explaining the history and meaning of the details in the building.

We also toured the museum next door to the cathedral, which has all sorts of sacred Spanish art and artifacts.. It is amazing to see icons and crucifixes and other art dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries.. It´s interesting to see what is different and similar between those and modern images..

We are taking a rest day tomorrow, and ready for it. We´ll spend more time touring and exploring the city, will run some errands, and will generally relax and prepare to start walking again..

More from me soon..

Blessings,

susan

Camino Day 21 - September 27

Today, we walked from Bercianos del Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas. It was 26.3 km, our second 26 km day in three days, and it felt like it.. I was pretty tired by the end of it.. It was pretty easy walking again, though.. A big open stretch (about 12-13 km) without any villages, but very little climbing, and easy terrain to navigate..

Not too much of particular interest about the day, so I thought I´d talk a bit about some of the symbols of the Camino. The two main symbols are the scallop shell and the yellow arrow. The scallop shell, which we see in various artistic representations, is thought to be connected with the sea in this area, and particularly with the town of Finisterre at the coast, which is the very end of the Camino (we are not walking quite that far). Many people, including us, have scallop shells attached to the outside of our backpacks. This marks us as pilgrims. The scallop shell can also be seen on many of the signs marking the way, and often along the ground through cities or towns, marking the route we are to follow. Many of the old statues of pilgrims show them wearing or holding the scallop shell.

The yellow arrow is the primary symbol we follow to know we are going the right way. The whole route is marked with them. Some arrows are easier to see than others, and some areas have more of them, while some cities seem to have relatively few. They are painted on the roadways, on rocks, on the backs of signs, on the concrete pillars marking the way as well. The tell us which way to go, when to cross the street etc.. If we haven´t seen a yellow arrow for a while, it is a sign that we might have gone the wrong way.

Of course, both the scallop shell and the yellow arrow are available on countless souvenirs. Both are signs and symbols of the Camino, of pilgrims, and of the pilgrimage itself.

With blessings,

susan

Camino Day 20 - September 26

Today, we walked from Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos del Real Camino (Do you see why I´m having trouble remembering the right place names, and in the right order?). It was about 23.8 km.. It was a chilly morning and a hot afternoon, but a pretty easy and straight-forward walk.. When we arrived in Bercianos, we followed the signs to one of the albergues (hostels). It was a fair walk, and we found ourselves at a building that looked big and old, and a little rough. I think this is what they call a parrochial albergue. We ended up staying there. The hospitalero (volunteer staff) who checked us in told us that the building was 400 years old, but renovated, and used to be run by the church of that community which no longer exists..

This turned out to be a lovely place.. Not the fanciest albergue we´ve stayed in, but such a good atmosphere. There were three hospitaleros working there. One greeted at the door, one did the cooking, and the third was doing odd jobs and helping people with various needs. Three men - one from Germany, one from Majorca, and one from the Canary Islands..

At this albergue, we shared in our first communal meal. I have usually avoided these, because of my food restrictions. But, the menu for this night was Spanish tortilla (eggs, onions, and potatoes), and a mixed salad, plus bread, and melon for dessert. It was a simple meal, but plentiful, and really tasty. It felt a bit like camp, waiting for the dinner bell to sound, and then piling onto long benches at long tables. We enjoyed the visiting over supper as well as the meal.

After supper, we went to the chapel service, which was open to anyone interested. It was much less structured than the mass I had attended a while back. There were readings, the passing of a candle with an invitation to share a few words, a song and prayer. It was much like a vespers service at camp, Naramata, Calling Lakes Centre etc.. The meal (which was at 8pm), and the chapel service which followed were a lovely end to the evening!  One of my favourite albergue experiences yet..

I continue to think of you all, and hope you are keeping well..

Blessings,

susan 

Camino Day 19 - September 25

Today, we passed the 400 km mark. Hard to believe. We walked from Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios, for a total today of about 27 km. It was a big day, a longer day, and a bit of a challenging one for me. Once we left Carrion de los Condes, we had 17 km of wide open space. No villages, and very little change in the scenery. We passed two small picnic areas, but that was it. It was a bit of a mental challenge for me, and (graphic content warning) a definite challenge for my bladder.. It took us about 4 hours to get to the next community. That is the longest stretch we have walked without a break, and when the first village came into view, I was really ecstatic.. I think everyone was.. The one bar in that little town was hopping, as many pilgrims were seeking a bathroom, a drink, or some food. After a short lunch break, we carried on, and reached Terradillos de los Templarios about 3 hours later. 

There were two possible routes into Terradillos, and we chose the farm track, instead of the highway. That brought us right to one of the two albergues in town. And it was full. So, we and the man who had arrived right behind us (and who had walked further than us today) walked fairly swiftly to the other albergue at the other end of town. And wouldn´t you know it, we three got the last three beds. Talk about good timing.. I do feel badly, though, for all of the other pilgrims arriving after long days only to find the town full.. It only has the two albergues.. No guesthouses or bed & breakfasts or hotels.. 

The other man (from Germany) was so relieved to get the last bed. We are in a room of four, and he is one of our roommates. Our other roommate is from Italy. When he found out we were from Canada, he asked if we knew of some Canadian musicians he really likes - Bruce Cockburn and Serena Ryder.. We certainly know them both.. It´s our kind of music, we´ve heard them both in concert, and Serena is one of my very favourites!

Aside from a long day, we are really fine.. Our feet are always achy at the end of the day, and we only hope that our room for the night is not up three flights of stairs.. Stairs are almost impossible after many hours of walking.. Rob is also dealing with a couple of blisters, but for the most part, we are really well.. Healthy and enjoying this journey.

Thanks for all your good wishes!

and blessings,

susan

Camino Day 18 - September 24

Today, we walked from Fromista to Carrion de los Condes. In the early days of this pilgrimage, I had no problem with the place names, or with remembering where we had been.. Now, it´s a different story.. Many of the place names are a few words long, and I find I´m having trouble remembering where I am, let alone where I´ve been.. Thank goodness for notes, our guidebooks, and my journal..

Today´s walk was about 21 km. There was nothing remarkable about today´s walk. Except, Rob says, that we walked 21 km in 5 hours.. One of our shortest walking days yet. It was a bit of a cooler day, and the way was flat, so we made good time.

When we arrived in Carrion de los Condes, we were met, as we often are, by a woman handing out pamphlets for one one the accommodation options. It was a hostal (not to be confused with an albergue or hostel).. This hostal had private rooms with private bathrooms.. We decided to stay there, and really enjoyed it. As we were looking for the hostal, a man on the street saw me with the brochure, and led us straight to the hostal. Now that´s service! The people there, again, were very kind, and the hostal was just off the main square. 

One thing I haven´t talked about yet is the churches.. In most communities (of all sizes), the church is at the centre of the community - often at the geographic centre, and usually at the main square, with restaurants and shops nearby. The churches also all have church bells. The bells have varied in tone and volume, but they all ring on the 15, 30, and 45 of each hour, and then have a different ring on the hour to tell you the time (6 bells is really 6 o´clock, hence the expression). What I really love is that when it´s time for mass, the bells ring madly about 10 minutes before the service is to start.. In some towns, the bells have been REALLY loud, but still haven´t kept me awake.. I´m getting used to hearing them, and really enjoy the variety of sounds..

Hope the bells are ringing sweetly wherever you are,

susan

Camino Day 17 - September 23

Today, we walked from Castrojeriz to Fromista. It was about 25.5 km, and puts us over 350km walked altogether. We are quickly approaching half-way in our journey..

 

Our day started at 6am, when soft music was piped through the speakers of our albergue.. As the man running it had promised us - Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven, Enya..  Our walking day started with a big, steep climb, and a big, steep descent. There was a 12 % grade going up (over a 1.2 km stretch), and an 18% grade going down.. Fortunately, despite the rain the night before, it wasn´t too slippery, especially going down..  The rest of the day was mostly across the open plain - open fields, corn fields, open skies.. Seeing lots of John Deere and Case IH farm equipment here, among others..

 

I know that some find the meseta really challenging, but I am enjoying the openness of it. The light breeze today made it much more comfortable, but also unfortunately masked the fact that I was getting quite a sunburn.. Only down the left side of me..  I guess even 60 sun block only lasts so long.. Several other pilgrims commented on my burn, so it was quite obvious, but I don´t think I was alone..

 

One delight of today was running into our Langley friends Jo and Lou after not seeing them for almost 10 days.. We all shared big hugs, and said how good it was to see each other again.. It´s amazing how quickly we make friends, and recognize fellow pilgrims, and how nice it can be to see familiar faces again. It´s also nice meeting new people. Overall, a real sense of community. We may all be walking for different reasons, and coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and lived experiences, but on this journey, we are all pilgrims..

 

I really do welcome your questions and comments.. If there is anything you are wondering about, please feel free to ask. I´ll certainly respond as I´m able..

 

Blessings to you all.. We do think of our friends and family often, and hope you are keeping well..

 

susan

 



Camino Day 16 - September 22

Today, we walked from Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz, about 20.5 km. I said to Rob today that it´s amazing how a 20 km day now feels like a short day. We are definitely getting used to this walking, as are our bodies..

 

A couple of especially interesting things today.. (Or interesting to me, at least). We stopped in a cafe for an early lunch. All of the tables were full, so a young man who came along asked if he could join us. We had a good visit over lunch, even though it made our stop a bit longer than planned. He is from Moldova, and thinks he may be the first pilgrim from there. (My world geography is very poor; so I had to get him to explain to me that Moldova is between Ukraine and Romania.) He is walking about 40km a day, which is twice what we we are doing.. He was a very interesting guy.. One of the things I´m enjoying so much about this journey is the people I´m meeting. Each person has a different story, a different reason for walking, a different approach to the Camino, and many share it openly without my asking. It´s so interesting to me.

 

The second thing which especially captured my attention today was in San Anton, where there are ruins of a convent built in the 12th century as a pilgim hospital. Long ago, there were many pilgrim hospitals, built as places where pilgrims could rest and be restored, and receive medical attention. I could see how they could be useful. And for as many people as are walking the Camino now, I understand there were many, many more in medieval times and in the middle ages. It´s hard and amazing to realize that this pilgrimage has been happening for so many centuries, and that so many of the buildings and bridges and monuments built long ago still stand today. 

 

One final amusing thing.. Many of the eating establishments have menus translated into various languages, which is so helpful. But some of the translations are funny.. Tonight, we ate supper at a hotel close to our albergue. One the menu appeared macarones con tomata - macaroni (or pasta) with tomato sauce. The English translation? ¨Tubular powder with tomato.¨ I forgot to take a picture, but it totally made me laugh out loud.. But again, I so appreciate the translations, as even that English is miles better than my Spanish.

 

Blessings to you all,

susan



Camino Day 15 - September 21

Today, we started walking again.. We wondered if it would be especially hard after a rest day, but we found it was indeed easier. Our bodies, and especially our feet were more rested, and after a break, we were really ready to walk again. We walked from Burgos to Hornillos del Camino, which was about 20 km. Our walk started through Burgos, but was actually quite a nice walk through parkways and the University campus. After we left the greater Burgos area, we entered the meseta. The meseta is the plains of this area - wide open, agricultural, and difficult for many pilgrims because of its openness. For us, it looks quite a bit like home, except for the hills (much flatter at home..) We only walked through 8 km of meseta today, but we´ll have 8 days of walking through this region. There are nice wide dirt paths for most of it, but very little shade. It was another pretty hot day of walking..

 

The highlight of today happened just as we entered the meseta. A cyclist rode past us with a carrier (like for a child) attached to the back of his bike. As we rounded the corner, there he was again, stopped at a little utility building. Turns out it was a dog carrier. He had four little dogs lined up by the building, and was taking their picture. Hilarious. And the dogs were SO cute! A little while later, we stopped at a shaded picnic area, and there he was again. He had hig four dogs lined up beside a water pump, and many pilgrims had their cameras out, snapping pictures. The man was from Italy, and very kind to let us all take pictures. Rob took one of the man with his dogs, and the man asked for the picture by email. We´ll do it when we get home.. The dogs were certainly the centre of attention.

 

We spent the night at a fabulous new casa rural (guesthouse / bed & breakfast) in Hornillos del Camino. There was a family running it, and they were all very kind.. They kept bringing in fresh vegetables from the large garden out back for us to eat.. The local people here really are lovely. I wonder sometimes what it´s like for them to have pilgrims pouring through their communities all of the time, but I guess those who stay are choosing that life. And hospitality and patience is their business.. They are used to poor (or no) Spanish, and tired, achy people. The kindness from the people who live here is really wonderful! So many we pass in the streets take time to wish us ¨Buen Camino¨ (Good Camino, or good journey).

 

Another good day on the way..

 

blessings,

susan

Camino Day 14 - September 20

Today, we took our first rest day of the Camino. No walking today, except around Burgos. We were glad for a slower day, when we could sleep in and do as we chose in this great city.. Burgos is really beautiful! Rich history, and lots of incredible architecture. The Burgos Cathedral is definitely the highlight. I don´t know how big it is, but it´s really massive.. Some of its smallest chapels are larger than St. Andrew´s, where I am in ministry, and there are many, many chapels and other spaces in this cathedral. It was built, i believe, in the 1100s, I believe.. Hard to believe the history in some of these places.. The cathedral is ornate beyond belief.. Each room is full of sculptures, stained glass, woodwork (lots of intricately carved walnut), and other art.. In one of the rooms, there was even a painting of Mary Magdalene done by a little-known painter by the name of Leonardo da Vinci.. Admission to the cathedral also included a little contraption that looked like a cell phone of the 90s.. Ours were set to English, and had narration you could listen to in each of the rooms. The narration was extremely well done, and the process easy to follow.. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole cathedral experience.

 

We did some other looking around town, had a nap, and went for supper. It was a good and leisurely day off.. After 13 straight days of walking, this was exactly the kind of day we needed and had hoped for..

 

Hope you all are well..

Blessings,

susan

Camino Day 13 - September 19

Today was a big day for two major reasons.. First, a big walk of 26 km from San Juan de Ortega to Burgos.. Secondly, yes, I turned 40 today.. Feels weird even just typing it.. 

Today´s walk felt long.. When we approach larger cities, there is often a lot of walking on concrete or hard pavement.. This was the case today.. There were again a number of small villages to walk through in the morning, and then a long stretch of open walking without passing much. We had the choice of walking into Burgos through the industrial area, or taking a slightly longer alternate route along the river. We chose the river route, and it was a good choice.. We did walk the last hour or so in on and off rain.. That also made the walk feel a bit longer.. But, we arrived in the city late afternoon.. It´s funny to think that we left a hamlet of 19 people this morning, and arrived in a city of 180,000 this afternoon..

Burgos is a city full of history and beautiful architecture. There is a lot of history involving El Cid.. I´ll have to read more about that when I get home.. We are taking a rest day tomorrow, and staying two nights here, so we opted to stay in a hotel.. We are right in the downtown area close to the cathedral, lots of restaurants, and lots of shops.. 

After getting settled in, we walked around for a while, then enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a restaurant with lots of vegetarian options. Our view out the restaurant window was of the huge and stunning Burgos Cathedral. It was amazing.. Rob gave me a birthday card and two small gifts he´d been carrying.. Now guess who gets to carry them for the next month?! We ended the evening by stopping by a pastry shop to pick up birthday pastries.. I chose the ¨house pastry¨, which was a huge (and I mean HUGE) meringue. The base was dipped in chocolate, and the inside was mostly hollow, but contained a number of chocolate-covered hazelnuts.. So good.. I could only eat half of it.. Birthday meringue! 

It was a good and memorable 40th birthday.. 
And the scenery, the people, the food, the accommodations and the challenge of the journey itself are making this pilgrimage absolutely amazing.. I continue to be so grateful for this experience.. Once in a lifetime indeed!

blessings,

susan

Camino Day 12 - September 18

Today was another longer walking day - 24.3 km from Belorado to San Juan de Ortega. Today was an interesting day.. For most of the morning, we walked through a small village every 2-3 km.. For the rest of the day, we walked through a seemingly endless 12 km stretch without villages, through forest.. We walked on a wide dirt path with walls of trees on either side.. It was lovely, but became a bit monotonous, especially as we became more tired.. There was an interesting stop on the way, to see a memorial from the Spanish Civil War, and a place where a mass grave from the war was discovered just 4 years ago. Pretty sobering stop..

We finally arrived at our destination of San Juan de Ortega in the late afternoon, hoping that there would still be room in the 64 bed albergue, and there was.. San Juan - population 19 - has a 64-bed albergue.. It´s part of the monastery complex.. 

I did something today for the first time this trip, and likely not the last.. I went to mass.. It was at 6pm, and was a really interesting experience.. It was in Spanish, so I didn´t know what all of the words were, but I understood the flow of the service.. Opening praises, prayers, scripture readings, eucharist, prayers, benediction. It was a pilgrim´s mass.. For the benediction, we went to stand by the crypt of San Juan de Ortega, and the priest handed out the closing scripture and benediction in various languages.. It was nice to follow in English, and the words around pilgrimage and prayers for safe travels were especially moving for me.. I think after 12 solid days of walking, this was what I needed.. It was a half-hour in length, and there were about 25 of us there..

After mass, we went to the bar for supper.. The bar is also part of the monastery complex.. Simple, but good food (cheese omelet, salad and bread), and hilarious servers, one of whom had also been the scripture reader at mass.. 

One other higlight from today.. At breakfast, I ordered our usual.. Two slices of Spanish tortilla, one black coffee, one coffee with milk, one orange juice. I ordered, as I usually try to, in Spanish.. This morning, the server said to me, in English, ¨Where are you from?¨I replied that I was from Canada, and she said, in Spanish, that my Spanish was very good.. I never would have thought that.. But, I guess when you order the same thing every day, you start to improve eventually.. I´m enjoying learning Spanish words, and feel more comfortable with the language now.. (p.s. I´ve also been speaking lots of French!)

Overall, this was a good day for me..

Blessings to you all,
susan

Camino Day 11 - September 17

Today we walked about 23 km from Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado. I had a really bad sleep through the night because I was overheated, and because of some especially noisy fellow pilgrims partying outside.. I finally fell asleep, and slept briefly until the rooster crowed at 5am.. So, the walking was longer and harder because I was tired.. Some days are just like that, and some are definitely better - and easier - than others..

The highlight today was definitely as we approached Belorado.. We were walking on a path fairly close to the main road, and as we walked, three separate vehicles honked their horns several times, and waved out their windows to each group of pilgrims.. A scooter, a car, and a transport truck all honked and waved fairly enthusiastically as they passed us.. It was a nice greeting!

In Belorado, we found a small albergue (hostel) run by a very kind woman.. Only about 16 beds in the sleeping area, and only 10 of us staying there.. It was very quiet, and she shut the light off at 9:30pm because we were all in bed.. I had a great sleep there, which really helped balance out the night before..

Incidentally, for those of you wondering, this quiet, clean, lovely hostel cost 5 euros per person.. About 7 or 8 Canadian dollars.. 

Thinking of you all, and hoping you are keeping well,

susan

Camino Day 10 - September 16

It is so, so hard to believe that we´re already on day 10 of this amazing journey.. Today we travelled from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which is just over 21 km. We made 21 km in 7 hours, which is pretty good for us. Sounds slow, but in heat, climbing hills, and with 20 pounds on our backs, it was a pretty fast day. It was another harder walking day for me, only because I have acquired a blister between two of my toes.. It is settling down, but I can feel the rubbing while I walk, and probably try to compensate for it, so wind up with extra sore feet. But, the walking itself was good.. Rob said to me a few days ago that I´m either getting faster, more determined, or both.. The hill climbing is getting easier for me. Today, we had two big hill stretches. The rest was fairly straight. All day yesterday and the first part of today, we were walking through wine country - La Rioja region. Today, the vineyards slowly disappeared and the wheat fields emerged.. It´s amazing to see the landscape change so significantly in a day.. We saw scenes that we might see at home - wheat, tractors, other farm machinery.. Except for the hills, it might have looked just like our corner of the world..

We arrived in Santo Domingo and checked into a huge, and modern albergue. They have computer room and big lounges for the guests.. Very different than some other places. As we settled into our room, we could only hear one thing.. Chickens.. There is a big coop out back in the garden.. Chickens.. Apparently, there is a story in this town of a man long ago who was eating a chicken, and it came to life. So, chickens are everywhere here.. We saw all sorts of chicken things for sale in stores, and there is a chicken festival later this month. It´s pretty funny.. After supper, Rob and I treated ourselves to pastries for dessert (first time), and I had a special chicken-shaped pastry filled with apricot jam.. So good.. I can only hope that the live chickens here don´t "sing" all night..

I don´t know when I´ll next find a computer.. I´ll update as I can.. Know that we are healthy and well, and both enjoying this journey. It is challenging, but rewarding in so many ways. I am loving the people, the scenery, the food, the strange lore of the towns, and the spirit of the local people. It´s been an incredible ten days! We are about one quarter of the way through.. And on we go tomorrow..

Blessings, and buenas noches (goodnight),
susan

Camino Day 9 - September 15

Today we walked from Naverrete to Najera. We planned for this to be a shorter day, and only walked  16.5 km. It was nice to have a shorter day..  This was also the first day we walked in rain. The weather has been sunny and hot, but not too bad for walking. Today, just as we were getting ready to leave town, the rain started. We stopped to put on rain jackets and pack covers, and carried on. It rained for the first two hours of our journey. Our gear kept us pretty dry, but walking in the rain still took an extra effort. We were also walking across red clay hills, which means red clay mud. It was thick and slippery, so we really had to watch our step carefully. After two hours, the rain stopped, just as we arrived at a town, where we stopped for brunch. During brunch, our coats and pack covers dried off, and we packed up and left in the sunshine.

We arrived early than usual at our destination today, due to a shorter distance travelled. As we were walking into Najera, we were greeted by another brass marching band.. Another festival day! This one was really festive - it was their annual holiday of the town.. There were bands and banners hanging and confetti all over town from the afternoon festivities.. We checked into an albergue (a very nice, new one). We were again in a room for 4, and this time not in bunk beds.. What a treat to all sleep on floor level!

In the evening, we went out for supper, and while eating supper, the band started circulating again, and someone told us fireworks were at 11pm.. Well, the party started for real at 9pm. We were getting ready for bed, and could hear music that sounded like it was under our window.. The bands played all night. The people chanted and sang along. I slept through it easily, woke with a start when the fireworks began, then quickly back to sleep. When we awoke at 6:30, people were still singing.. The noise didn´t stop until 7.30am, as we were getting ready to leave. The fiestas here are definitely festive! All ages were out very late.. It was pretty fun, and the joyful energy was infectious!

Loving Spain so far, even the noisy all-night fiestas!
Blessings to you all,
susan

Camino Day 8 - September 14

Today, we walked about 21.5 km from Viana to Navarrete. Tiny issue this morning for me, as I opened my locker to find my pack was really wet.. I hadn´t totally emptied my water bladder (hydration system sounds nicer), and i guess the valve had turned open somehow and leaked the remaining water into my bag.. Nothing was damaged, and a good tip from a friend led me to borrow a hairdryer from the hostel volunteer. I dried out the hip belt, and was good to go. Today, we said goodbye to some friends as they were staying in Viana for the running of the bulls. We hadn´t been walking together, but had seen them multiple times over the past few days, often staying at the same albergues and eating some meals together. Bill from the US (Washington state), Tanya from Australia, and Jo and Lou from Canada (Langley!) have been good companions along the way.. We hope to meet up with them again some day..

Viana is not far from the larger city of Logrono (pop. 150,000). We spent much of the day walking through Logrono, which meant concrete. It was also really busy because there was a marathon on, so we didn´t get through the city as quickly as we had hoped. On the far side of the city, we walked through several connected parks, which were FULL of people - walking, cycling, roller blading, walking dogs.. We wondered why it was so busy, then realized it was Sunday.. We have lost all sense of days.. As we walked along the park paths, we encountered a family bike rally. Hundreds of cyclists of all ages, cycling down the path we were walking up. This is an in-joke for my family, but it was definitely a ¨thousands thundering down¨moment.

We had another private room tonight, which was a nice break from the busyness and chaos of the day.. today felt like a big of a tougher day, because the city walking was hard - especially on the feet.. But, all part of the journey..

Blessings to you all,
susan

Camino Day 7 - September 13

Hard to believe this is day 7 already! Today we walked from Los Arcos to Viana. It was another warm day, but another good walking day for me. The highlight of the day was the evening we spend in Viana. When we arrived, we realized it was a festival day in the town. They were decorated and set up for a party, and were going to run the bulls the next afternoon. All of the locals in town were dressed in white shirts and pants (or dresses) with red bandanas around their necks and red sashes around their waists. I´m not sure yet of all of the symbolism of the colours.

After a walk around town, we had supper. Right after finishing supper, the server moved us and our table to the other side of the street, and said to me, ¨You must wait here. The big man is coming through.¨ After a few minutes, a parade started. There was a band playing Spanish music, and surrounded by hoardes of children. Following the band were two characters dressed as bullfighters and carrying costume whips. They were chasing the shrieking children trying to touch them with their whips. It was like bullfighter tag. The kids were loving the chase! After all of this, there were some large characters dressed like royalty, including a very tall character, presumably the big man. We could hear the band as it wove up and down the streets. After stopping for a brief rainstorm, we looked around at the booths of things for sale, and bought churros (mmm.. deep fried pastry with sugar..) By then, another band was going on the big stage.. There was so much festivity in the air.. 

At supper, Rob had asked our waitress, is today a festival? She replied, ¨In Spain, every day is a festival.¨

Many blessings from festive Spain!
susan

Camino Day 6 - September 12

Today, we walked from Estella to Los Arcos, about 21 km. We had quite a walk through Estella to get out of the city, and then had a morning of climbing. After a lunch stop, we headed into what we knew would be a really long stretch without villages or fountains.. It was about 12 km of open, hot, dusty road.. There was a bit of a breeze blowing, but it was still pretty hot.. We made it to Los Arcos in good time, and came across a hostel called Albergue de la Fuente / Casa de Austria. We think it was operated by Austrian volunteers. We managed to get a room for 4 - us and two other people we´d seen on the road. We had our own balcony with clothesline.. It was great.. The huge plus of this albergue is that it had a ringer for the laundry.. The laundry was out in the garden.. Most days, we handwash our laundry in the sink, and then hang it to dry, hope it doesn´t rain, and hope the clothes are dry by morning. (We have to wash our walking clothes each day.. Very dusty and pretty smelly too..) At this place, after the sink wash, we got to put them through a ringer.. It saved us triple ringing by hand.. I can´t tell you how exciting this was! The excitement is definitely in the little things these days.. The laundry was well dry by the time we got back from supper.. And, supper was our first paella in Spain.. Tasty!

Blessings to you all,
susan

Camino Day 5 - September 11

Today, we walked from Obanos to Estella.. It was 26.5 km, so a longer day, but a much better day for me.. I was feeling better, and there was a bit mroe movement in the air. Still a hot day, and not much shade, but a good walking day..

Estella (pronounced Es-tay-ah) is a larger city.. So, lots of places to stay.. But, because it was a long walking day (longer distance), we got in late and two of the albergues were already full.. We tried a third, and they had beds left! This place has some staff, but the volunteers were all from an organization for adults with mental challenges. They were incredibly kind and helpful folks (all of them), which made for a very nice stay..

Sometime yesterday, Rob had discovered that one of his hiking boots was coming apart at the seams.. He knew he needed new ones.. I found out later that his boots were 6 years old.. After getting checked into the albergue and showered and such, we set out to find new boots, and he found them, about 10 minutes before the store was due to close.. He tried on a few pairs and settled on the pair with the best fit.. They are working well for him.. The shop owner was SO, so excited to learn we were from Canada.. He had a Canadian flag on his shelf, and was eager to tell us how beautiful Canada is.. He was so over the top.. A definitely character, but very kind soul..

We had another fabulous supper tonight, at a place with a truly Spanish name, ¨The Diner¨. I had a great salad and vegetable stew.. While we ate outside in the main square, we were entertained by a young busker playing various pop hits on his trombone.. It was awesome!

Today felt like another good day.. It was good to cover so much ground..

Hope you all are well,
susan

Camino Day 4 - September 10

It has been a while since I have been able to get to a computer.. Here come lots of updates.. I like to do daily posts so that I can add some pictures and maybe more details later..

Day 4.. We walked from Pamplona to Obanos - 22 km.. We had planned to walk a bit further, but didn´t make it.. It was a tough day for me today.. It was the first of our days in the open sun, with very little shade to be found.. It was about 33 degrees, and we were out for the day in the open, blistering sun.. The first part of the day included a steep climb up, and then a steep descent along very rocky ground.. From there, the path was straight, but hot.. There was very little breeze.. We were aiming for a community a few km further, but as we were approaching, I told Rob I just couldn·t make it.. I had had too much sun, despite drinking tonnes of water, and I just needed to stop.. We stopped in one community, and the one accommodation available was full, so we pushed on another km or so to the next place.. We stopped at the first place we found - a casa rural - like a guesthouse.. We didn·t even go as far as the albergue.. The very kind owner who spoke not a word of English was very kind to us. She made me sit, then got us a room, and did our laundry.. We had a private room and private bathroom.. It was the perfect day for this sort of arrangement.

We went out for supper to the one place in town serving food (the locals don·t eat until 9pm or later), and found a number of other pilgrims there, who invited us to join them.. We had a fabulous family-style meal together - garlic soup, a rice dish, then eggs for me and meat for the others.. It was a good end to a long and challenging day.. But challenges included, this journey is still so amazing.. Hard to put into words.. 

More from me soon,
susan

Camino Day 3 - September 9

Day 3 of the Camino took us from Zubiri to Pamplona.. About 21 km.. Today was harder on the feet, due to a lot of city walking, but it was a much flatter day.. Not a lot of major climbing or descending.. It was a good day for me.. We arrived in about 8 1/2 hours, and that included stops along the way for lunch, a drink, and a few other breaks.. The weather continues to be hot, and the scenery fantastic.. The real highlight for me today was the people.. We met a couple of women last night and surprise, they are Canadian.. Further surprise, they are from Langley, which is where I grew up.. Small world..  We visited a lot, and did a "Langley picture" at lunchtime.. We have also been visiting with others from the US, England, Ireland, Australia, Korea, and Sweden..

The walk today took us through a couple of hamlets and a couple of cities, but there was also lots of open space.. As we walked through a long stretch of forest path, I found myself thinking, "When through the woods, and forest glades I wander...  O God, how great thou art..." 

We are now in Pamplona, where they do the running of the bulls.. To get into town, we crossed over a 15th century bridge, under the ramparts, and through an incredible arch.. The history and architecture is amazing.. We looked for a highly recommended vegetarian restaurant for supper, but unfortunately it was closed, so we found another great place nearby.. The main square was alive with music and there were people everywhere.. We ate at about 8:00, which is early here.. Most of the locals eat around 9:30 or 10pm.. So, as we were walking back to the albergue approaching 10 o clock, the restaurant patios were full of people eating.. 

Oh, one more story from today.. There are lots of communities to stop in which provide accommodation. Pamplona is a major destination for pilgrims.. So, when we arrived late this afternoon and headed for the municipal albergue, a fellow Canadian- from Harrison Hot Springs - stopped us and told us the albergue was full.. We made a beeline to one we had passed, only to get the very last two beds.. This albergue is less like a dormitory.. More expensive, but includes breakfast, free internet.. And big bonus - air conditioning.. Incidentally, when I say more expensive, I mean about 27 dollars per person instead of 10.. Still really inexpensive..

Anyhow, this is an incredible journey.. I am learning that I am stronger and can accomplish far more than I ever imagined.. Never thought I would climb a mountain, that is for sure.. 
I am so very grateful for this opportunity..

Blessings to you all..
More from me the next time I find a computer..
susan