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