Russ
Hi everyone,
Well, now we've REALLY completed our Camino. We arrived in Finisterre yesterday afternoon after three though days of walking - 90 km in all, two of the three days in rainy conditions. This morning, after an evening in an overrated one star hotel we walked the last three kilometers to a lighthouse that marks the spot the Romans called Finisterre - the end of the earth, as it was the westernmost point of land known to them. This is the end of the Camino Finisterre and the end of Linda and Russ's Camino. We walked about 900 km and crossed the entire country of Spain.
Late this morning, along with our Danish friends, we got into a taxi (the first non-walking transportation since St. Jean PDP in France six weeks ago) and drove north to the town of Muxia, where we will spend the night. We wanted to see this town because they filmed here in The Way. We saw the location used in the movie scene and have spent the afternoon wandering about. Tomorrow we will take the afternoon bus back to Santiago and spend a couple of days there before going on to Madrid, then Amsterdam for a few days. We need to spend more time in Santiago to contemplate our Camino and what it means to us.
Now that our pilgrim days are over we are adjusting to being tourists, getting our feet healed and thinking more and more about returning home. We are especially eager to return to our family - we miss you all very much. We've had wonderful news about Tim and Nic expecting a baby sister for Talen. We are also eager to meet Greg's girlfriend, Evelina, who is in Vancouver now.
We may post another blog or two between now and our return, Nov 5.
TTFN
Sent from my iPod
Showing posts with label Camino de Santiago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camino de Santiago. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Certified Pilgrims!
October 23
Linda
Hola amigos! Yesterday we walked into Santiago at approximately 10:30 AM. It was exciting and a little surreal to enter the city and see the huge Cathedral, and know that we had done it!! Our Danish friends, Erik and Margit, actually met us on the street as we entered, so that was a very nice surprise. They showed us where the pilgrim office was, so we could register and receive our "compostela" before the noon pilgrim mass. They also were kind enough to take our backpacks to our hotel so we didn´t have to deal with them at the mass. The mass was in Spanish but very beautiful and at one point the priest read out all of the pilgrims who had completed the Camino that day, and where they had started from (3 people from Canada started from St Jean Pied de Port) - that was as much detail as he gave,but it was still nice to hear! While walking around the town we kept bumping into fellow pilgrims who we had met at some point along the way, so it was a very joyous atmosphere, and everyone was congratulating each other. Some people were planning to continue on to Finisterre, while others were saying goodbyes as they would be heading home shortly.
We had decided previously to continue on to Finisterre with our friends, which we started this morning, and it was a perfect day- beautiful warm weather, lovely forest paths to walk on, and great company. We had to walk 22 km to get to a town with albergues,but tomorrow we may have to walk 30 km. The towns are farther apart on this route, so not as easy to stop when you feel like it! We will see how the weather is tomorrow, and decide then how far we feel like going. Now that we´ve completed the main Camino, we do not feel as rushed about this part!!
That´s it for now.
Linda
Hola amigos! Yesterday we walked into Santiago at approximately 10:30 AM. It was exciting and a little surreal to enter the city and see the huge Cathedral, and know that we had done it!! Our Danish friends, Erik and Margit, actually met us on the street as we entered, so that was a very nice surprise. They showed us where the pilgrim office was, so we could register and receive our "compostela" before the noon pilgrim mass. They also were kind enough to take our backpacks to our hotel so we didn´t have to deal with them at the mass. The mass was in Spanish but very beautiful and at one point the priest read out all of the pilgrims who had completed the Camino that day, and where they had started from (3 people from Canada started from St Jean Pied de Port) - that was as much detail as he gave,but it was still nice to hear! While walking around the town we kept bumping into fellow pilgrims who we had met at some point along the way, so it was a very joyous atmosphere, and everyone was congratulating each other. Some people were planning to continue on to Finisterre, while others were saying goodbyes as they would be heading home shortly.
We had decided previously to continue on to Finisterre with our friends, which we started this morning, and it was a perfect day- beautiful warm weather, lovely forest paths to walk on, and great company. We had to walk 22 km to get to a town with albergues,but tomorrow we may have to walk 30 km. The towns are farther apart on this route, so not as easy to stop when you feel like it! We will see how the weather is tomorrow, and decide then how far we feel like going. Now that we´ve completed the main Camino, we do not feel as rushed about this part!!
That´s it for now.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
52 km to Santiago!
Linda- Oct 20
We are in Melide for the night, and are pretty bagged after walking 31 km today. The weather has been wonderful since my last blog entry, and we are savouring these last few days of walking. Melide is known for its pulpo (octopus), and we have just finished a "snack" of pulpo, bread and white wine at the best restaurant in town for this dish. It is served on a wooden board with toothpicks, and is cut into nice small pieces which have been cooked in garlic and butter- wonderful.
We have been thinking about our next few days, and will likely arrive in Santiago on the 22nd. At this point we plan to leave for Finisterre on the 24th, and it takes 3 days to walk there. We have heard that only 4% of pilgrims carry on to Finisterre. Apparently the albergues are quite nice along that route, so we are looking forward to it. We need to be back in Santiago on the 27th to meet our Danish friends who we haven't seen for almost a month.
We certainly have mixed feelings as we approach Santiago. We wonder if we can walk like this at home, and realize it won't be the same without the smell of cow dung and wood stoves as the sun is rising! I can understand why people return to the Camino year after year (we have talked about it, and agree that our bodies couldn't do it a second time!).
Adios for now......
Sent from my iPod
We are in Melide for the night, and are pretty bagged after walking 31 km today. The weather has been wonderful since my last blog entry, and we are savouring these last few days of walking. Melide is known for its pulpo (octopus), and we have just finished a "snack" of pulpo, bread and white wine at the best restaurant in town for this dish. It is served on a wooden board with toothpicks, and is cut into nice small pieces which have been cooked in garlic and butter- wonderful.
We have been thinking about our next few days, and will likely arrive in Santiago on the 22nd. At this point we plan to leave for Finisterre on the 24th, and it takes 3 days to walk there. We have heard that only 4% of pilgrims carry on to Finisterre. Apparently the albergues are quite nice along that route, so we are looking forward to it. We need to be back in Santiago on the 27th to meet our Danish friends who we haven't seen for almost a month.
We certainly have mixed feelings as we approach Santiago. We wonder if we can walk like this at home, and realize it won't be the same without the smell of cow dung and wood stoves as the sun is rising! I can understand why people return to the Camino year after year (we have talked about it, and agree that our bodies couldn't do it a second time!).
Adios for now......
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Galicia!
October 17- Linda
Well, we now know what it´s like to walk in the rain!! We entered the province of Galicia yesterday, and our guidebook had mentioned the frequent rains and the green countryside, and it IS beautiful, but the rain can really wear you down when you´re in it for five or six hours! Yesterday we walked about 25 km before starting our ascent to the village of O´Cebreiro, and the climbing part was about 1.2 km of vertical, mostly on trails which had become small rivers, and lots of rocks and muck to dodge. Not a lot of fun! I really struggled at one point and realized I had just simply run out of gas, and once we stopped for a snack and hot chocolate I was fine. Guess finding out what your limitations are is part of this! Even when things are looking pretty glum, things happen on the Camino that lift your spirits - just when I was having the most trouble, I noticed a small round rock with a bright yellow happy face smiling at me! Shortly after that, Russ and I were stopped on the trail while he was helping me retrieve my hat from my pack, when along came four HUGE cows (complete with very large horns), right towards us! An elderly woman was leading them, and casually gestured for us to move aside (I´m sure she saw the look of fear on my face), so we just waited while they plodded past, and her husband brought up the rear (no pun intended). I´m sure they deal with these pesky pilgrims everyday, but it was definitely the highlight of our walk yesterday.
O´Cebreiro was a very foggy and damp place, and we stayed in a hotel rather than the albergue in the hopes that our belongings could dry out a bit better. Today we had another rainy walk, descending down the mountain, but the fog lifted often enough for us to enjoy some lovely vistas of green pastures divided by lines of trees, which made a beautiful patchwork on the hills. We have also observed what looks like young bulls in the pastures, so we think they may raise them for bullfighting. Tomorrow we walk to Sarria, which is 113 km from Santiago. It is at that point that many pilgrims join the trail who wish to walk the minimum 100 km required to receive a certificate in Santiago. Not only will there be more pilgrims on the trail, but getting accommodation can be challenging. As tomorrow´s walk is only 18.7 km, we may go past Sarria to the next small town.
Til next time....
Well, we now know what it´s like to walk in the rain!! We entered the province of Galicia yesterday, and our guidebook had mentioned the frequent rains and the green countryside, and it IS beautiful, but the rain can really wear you down when you´re in it for five or six hours! Yesterday we walked about 25 km before starting our ascent to the village of O´Cebreiro, and the climbing part was about 1.2 km of vertical, mostly on trails which had become small rivers, and lots of rocks and muck to dodge. Not a lot of fun! I really struggled at one point and realized I had just simply run out of gas, and once we stopped for a snack and hot chocolate I was fine. Guess finding out what your limitations are is part of this! Even when things are looking pretty glum, things happen on the Camino that lift your spirits - just when I was having the most trouble, I noticed a small round rock with a bright yellow happy face smiling at me! Shortly after that, Russ and I were stopped on the trail while he was helping me retrieve my hat from my pack, when along came four HUGE cows (complete with very large horns), right towards us! An elderly woman was leading them, and casually gestured for us to move aside (I´m sure she saw the look of fear on my face), so we just waited while they plodded past, and her husband brought up the rear (no pun intended). I´m sure they deal with these pesky pilgrims everyday, but it was definitely the highlight of our walk yesterday.
O´Cebreiro was a very foggy and damp place, and we stayed in a hotel rather than the albergue in the hopes that our belongings could dry out a bit better. Today we had another rainy walk, descending down the mountain, but the fog lifted often enough for us to enjoy some lovely vistas of green pastures divided by lines of trees, which made a beautiful patchwork on the hills. We have also observed what looks like young bulls in the pastures, so we think they may raise them for bullfighting. Tomorrow we walk to Sarria, which is 113 km from Santiago. It is at that point that many pilgrims join the trail who wish to walk the minimum 100 km required to receive a certificate in Santiago. Not only will there be more pilgrims on the trail, but getting accommodation can be challenging. As tomorrow´s walk is only 18.7 km, we may go past Sarria to the next small town.
Til next time....
Monday, October 15, 2012
Bonus - photos
I found a computer that had an SD card reader so here are a few photos:
Dawn in Orrison - this is the second morning of the trip, part way through the Pyrenees.
Having a drink with our Danish friends - Erik and Margit - part of our Camino ´family´
View of one of the towns we stayed in (name escapes me). It´s in the Rioja district, as you might guess by the vineyard.
View of Burgos cathedral - impossible to get the whole thing in one photo.
The Meseta
One of many bridges we crossed built by the Romans.
The ´Bishop´s Palace´ designed by the architect Gaudi, located in Astorga. You should check out Gaudi on Wikipedia - amazing stuff.
Fire Salamander - and a bit of rain on the camera lens.
Dawn in Orrison - this is the second morning of the trip, part way through the Pyrenees.
Having a drink with our Danish friends - Erik and Margit - part of our Camino ´family´
View of one of the towns we stayed in (name escapes me). It´s in the Rioja district, as you might guess by the vineyard.
View of Burgos cathedral - impossible to get the whole thing in one photo.
The Meseta
One of many bridges we crossed built by the Romans.
The ´Bishop´s Palace´ designed by the architect Gaudi, located in Astorga. You should check out Gaudi on Wikipedia - amazing stuff.
Fire Salamander - and a bit of rain on the camera lens.
Cruz de Ferro and beyond
Russ
Hi everyone,
Yesterday we experienced the toughest weather of the trip. It was cold, windy and rainy for most of the day. We started out in the dark and reached Cruz de Ferro at dawn. We were the first ones there and had a somber few moments when we place our rocks at the base of the cross. The rock pile is about 15 feet high and is made up of thousands of rocks brought by pilgrims. People leave rocks there for various reasons: some commemorate loved ones, some ask for blessings, some ask for forgiveness. Linda and I placed our own rocks along with a few tears, and also two small stones on behalf of dear friends Mike and Beth. This was a very special moment for us, in spite of the cold and rain.
As we walked on from the monument I almost stepped on the most beautiful amazing creature we have seen on the Camino. It was a jet black salamander, about ¨6 inches long. It had bright yellow markings on it. I would have sworn it was a kid´s toy but when I gently touched it with my pole it moved!! It was a fire salamander - look it up in Wikipedia!!
We walked all the way to Ponferrada yesterday - we went the extra distance to try and visit the templar castle located in the town. However, because it was Sunday, it turned out to be closed. Nonetheless, we saw the castle from the outside - it is spectacular. It was built in the 12th century and is one of the best preserved Templar artifacts in the world. We stayed in a nice hostal (hotel, really - had our own bathroom and double bed! What luxury!), and our room had a perfect view of the castle across the road. At dinner time we had read in the guide to try the local specialty - pork sausages. Seems reasonable, right?
Nope - we ordered the three course meal, starting with blood sausage and egg appetizer - this was actually quite good but a very generous portion. Next came the main course. I blanched when I saw the huge size of the plates - in addition to several potatoes, half a cabbage and a pork sausage, there was this big ¨thing¨ in the middle of each plate. It turned out to be something like a very large pig´s knuckle - called botillo in Spanish. Look this up in Wikipedia too! It wouldn´t have been so bad except the seasoning was not especially pleasant. It seems the only thing Spaniards like more than large portions of meat for dinner is large portions of nitrite-laden cured meat! Thank heavens the last course, dessert, was pleasant. Add to this that you can´t eat a meal in Spain before 8 p.m., the time when Spanish restaurants open, and you need to get to bed by about 9 to get your body rested for the next long day. Well, it doesn´t work so well.
By the way, we are in Villafranca del Bierzo at the moment, about 185 km from Santiago. Tomorrow´s walk is to be a very long one with a big climb so we´ll see how that goes. Bodies holding up well at the moment.
Bye for now.
Hi everyone,
Yesterday we experienced the toughest weather of the trip. It was cold, windy and rainy for most of the day. We started out in the dark and reached Cruz de Ferro at dawn. We were the first ones there and had a somber few moments when we place our rocks at the base of the cross. The rock pile is about 15 feet high and is made up of thousands of rocks brought by pilgrims. People leave rocks there for various reasons: some commemorate loved ones, some ask for blessings, some ask for forgiveness. Linda and I placed our own rocks along with a few tears, and also two small stones on behalf of dear friends Mike and Beth. This was a very special moment for us, in spite of the cold and rain.
As we walked on from the monument I almost stepped on the most beautiful amazing creature we have seen on the Camino. It was a jet black salamander, about ¨6 inches long. It had bright yellow markings on it. I would have sworn it was a kid´s toy but when I gently touched it with my pole it moved!! It was a fire salamander - look it up in Wikipedia!!
We walked all the way to Ponferrada yesterday - we went the extra distance to try and visit the templar castle located in the town. However, because it was Sunday, it turned out to be closed. Nonetheless, we saw the castle from the outside - it is spectacular. It was built in the 12th century and is one of the best preserved Templar artifacts in the world. We stayed in a nice hostal (hotel, really - had our own bathroom and double bed! What luxury!), and our room had a perfect view of the castle across the road. At dinner time we had read in the guide to try the local specialty - pork sausages. Seems reasonable, right?
Nope - we ordered the three course meal, starting with blood sausage and egg appetizer - this was actually quite good but a very generous portion. Next came the main course. I blanched when I saw the huge size of the plates - in addition to several potatoes, half a cabbage and a pork sausage, there was this big ¨thing¨ in the middle of each plate. It turned out to be something like a very large pig´s knuckle - called botillo in Spanish. Look this up in Wikipedia too! It wouldn´t have been so bad except the seasoning was not especially pleasant. It seems the only thing Spaniards like more than large portions of meat for dinner is large portions of nitrite-laden cured meat! Thank heavens the last course, dessert, was pleasant. Add to this that you can´t eat a meal in Spain before 8 p.m., the time when Spanish restaurants open, and you need to get to bed by about 9 to get your body rested for the next long day. Well, it doesn´t work so well.
By the way, we are in Villafranca del Bierzo at the moment, about 185 km from Santiago. Tomorrow´s walk is to be a very long one with a big climb so we´ll see how that goes. Bodies holding up well at the moment.
Bye for now.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Cruz de Ferro tomorrow
Linda - Oct 13
We have had two fairly long days of walking-yesterday we walked into Astorga, and it was a LONG haul! Since it was 31 km, we didn´t arrive until the hottest part of the afternoon, so the last couple of kms were not enjoyable! After the siesta and laundry, etc we found enough energy to do a bit of sightseeing- in particular the Bishop´s Palace designed by Gaudi, which is very impressive. It was a holiday for the locals, so there were many people out enjoying the nice weather. No stores were open as a consequence though, so we were not able to stock up on our bananas, which we enjoy in the morning while we´re walking.
Astorga has a large cathedral as well, but it was of course closed due to the holiday. The town is also noted for its production of chocolate, and we stumbled on a wholesale outlet shop which was like nirvana for me! An elderly Spanish gentleman invited us in to try samples of different chocolate bars, and of course we purchased one for the road the next day (Russ will carry it - what a guy!).
Today we left Astorga and walked farther than the recommended stage in our guide book, thinking that it will make the climb tomorrow a bit easier on Russ´s ankle. So we are in the mountain village of Foncebadon, full of derelict buildings but apparently recovering due to the volume of pilgrims on the Camino, so there are three albergues here. It´s very beautiful and we can see the trail we will walk tomorrow, which climbs up to Cruz de Ferro, the highest point reached on the Camino. It wasn´t until we arrived here that we found out that we have actually climbed the worst part already, however there are some pretty severe downhill stretches, so Russ will take it slow.
We have heard that it will rain tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed that they´re wrong! We really want to see the views from the top, and the thought of rain or even snow at 1500 meters elevation is not pleasant (in mid Oct). We have gloves and toques, etc so are equipped for the worst.
That´s it for now....
We have had two fairly long days of walking-yesterday we walked into Astorga, and it was a LONG haul! Since it was 31 km, we didn´t arrive until the hottest part of the afternoon, so the last couple of kms were not enjoyable! After the siesta and laundry, etc we found enough energy to do a bit of sightseeing- in particular the Bishop´s Palace designed by Gaudi, which is very impressive. It was a holiday for the locals, so there were many people out enjoying the nice weather. No stores were open as a consequence though, so we were not able to stock up on our bananas, which we enjoy in the morning while we´re walking.
Astorga has a large cathedral as well, but it was of course closed due to the holiday. The town is also noted for its production of chocolate, and we stumbled on a wholesale outlet shop which was like nirvana for me! An elderly Spanish gentleman invited us in to try samples of different chocolate bars, and of course we purchased one for the road the next day (Russ will carry it - what a guy!).
Today we left Astorga and walked farther than the recommended stage in our guide book, thinking that it will make the climb tomorrow a bit easier on Russ´s ankle. So we are in the mountain village of Foncebadon, full of derelict buildings but apparently recovering due to the volume of pilgrims on the Camino, so there are three albergues here. It´s very beautiful and we can see the trail we will walk tomorrow, which climbs up to Cruz de Ferro, the highest point reached on the Camino. It wasn´t until we arrived here that we found out that we have actually climbed the worst part already, however there are some pretty severe downhill stretches, so Russ will take it slow.
We have heard that it will rain tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed that they´re wrong! We really want to see the views from the top, and the thought of rain or even snow at 1500 meters elevation is not pleasant (in mid Oct). We have gloves and toques, etc so are equipped for the worst.
That´s it for now....
Thursday, October 11, 2012
farewell Leon
Russ Oct 11
Hi everyone,
We left Leon this morning and are staying in Villar de Mazarife tonight, a mere 300 km from Santiago! The last two days of walking - into and out of Leon - have been rather tedious. We have been mainly in industrial outskirts and from time to time have had to cross highways and manoever around heavy traffic. Think of it like walking to Victoria´s inner harbour from Langford higlands, staying a night at a nice hotel on Government Street and then walking back out the next morning.
The trip into Leon was well worth it. The core of the city, the old town, is absolutely beautiful, with many very old and well preserved buildings, interesting shops and of course fabulous cathedrals and other historic buildings. We toured the cathedral. It is significantly smaller than the one in Burgos but it is far more impressive, in my opinion. It is built in the true gothic style with very high vaulted ceilings and a tremendous number of stained glass windows. We also toured the Pantheon. It is the final resting place of a bunch of Spanish royalty, as well as having impressive 10th century frescoes - it is called the Spanish Sistine Chapel. The Pantheon is also a repository for a large number of ancient texts, including a 10th century Bible written in Latin. A fantastic display of medieval treasures.
We would have liked to stay another day in Leon - we barely scratched the surface, even though we had made sure we got into Leon early in the day to see the sights. We were almost forced to stay because I reinjured my ankle on the way into the city and I needed rest to heal again. However, we are still feeling pressure to carry on towards our ultimate goal. I think we would like to return to this area sometime in the future - it is a stunningly beautiful and appealing inner city that we would be happy to enjoy again.
Tomorrow we set out for Astorga, about 30 km away. From there the topography becomes significantly more hilly and I´m apprehensive about negotiating the hills. It seems my ankle is fine on level terrain but steep hills damage it and that cuts down on our progress - we may end up with shorter days in future. I´m still determined to avoid using any public transportation but who knows? Linda is hanging in there - just some minor blisters. I gave her a scare yesterday but she is a rock and always looking to the positive.
Russ
Hi everyone,
We left Leon this morning and are staying in Villar de Mazarife tonight, a mere 300 km from Santiago! The last two days of walking - into and out of Leon - have been rather tedious. We have been mainly in industrial outskirts and from time to time have had to cross highways and manoever around heavy traffic. Think of it like walking to Victoria´s inner harbour from Langford higlands, staying a night at a nice hotel on Government Street and then walking back out the next morning.
The trip into Leon was well worth it. The core of the city, the old town, is absolutely beautiful, with many very old and well preserved buildings, interesting shops and of course fabulous cathedrals and other historic buildings. We toured the cathedral. It is significantly smaller than the one in Burgos but it is far more impressive, in my opinion. It is built in the true gothic style with very high vaulted ceilings and a tremendous number of stained glass windows. We also toured the Pantheon. It is the final resting place of a bunch of Spanish royalty, as well as having impressive 10th century frescoes - it is called the Spanish Sistine Chapel. The Pantheon is also a repository for a large number of ancient texts, including a 10th century Bible written in Latin. A fantastic display of medieval treasures.
We would have liked to stay another day in Leon - we barely scratched the surface, even though we had made sure we got into Leon early in the day to see the sights. We were almost forced to stay because I reinjured my ankle on the way into the city and I needed rest to heal again. However, we are still feeling pressure to carry on towards our ultimate goal. I think we would like to return to this area sometime in the future - it is a stunningly beautiful and appealing inner city that we would be happy to enjoy again.
Tomorrow we set out for Astorga, about 30 km away. From there the topography becomes significantly more hilly and I´m apprehensive about negotiating the hills. It seems my ankle is fine on level terrain but steep hills damage it and that cuts down on our progress - we may end up with shorter days in future. I´m still determined to avoid using any public transportation but who knows? Linda is hanging in there - just some minor blisters. I gave her a scare yesterday but she is a rock and always looking to the positive.
Russ
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Leon Tomorrow!
Linda
First of all, thanks so much for the Thanksgiving greetings and encouragement! We have had several long days of walking lately (25-30km), and on some of those days there were long stretches with no towns or facilities. Our bodies coped very well other than a few ongoing blisters that we are treating. We are single handedly supporting the Compeed industry here- it is a "second skin" product that is very popular on the Camino and protects the blisters while you walk. It is not available in Canada- Russ's theory is that not enough North Americans walk enough to need it!
Today when passing through the town of Mansilla De Las Mulas, we came across a wonderful farmers market-huge cloves of garlic, beautiful Spanish onions, all kinds of grapes, oranges, apples.. then there were the cheeses and smoked meats(including delicious pig snouts & feet). We managed to leave with only two nectarines & two apples- that's the problem when everything is being carried on your back!
We have a short walk into the city of Leon tomorrow morning(13 km) so will book into a hotel and spend the afternoon sightseeing. Apparently the walk into Leon is not pleasant, and many of the other pilgrims take a bus or taxi for that stretch. Since we can't really afford a day off at this point, we will be continuing on the next day. We are now out of the Meseta, so are anxious to see the more varied scenery that awaits us.
Until the next post, adios!
Sent from my iPod
First of all, thanks so much for the Thanksgiving greetings and encouragement! We have had several long days of walking lately (25-30km), and on some of those days there were long stretches with no towns or facilities. Our bodies coped very well other than a few ongoing blisters that we are treating. We are single handedly supporting the Compeed industry here- it is a "second skin" product that is very popular on the Camino and protects the blisters while you walk. It is not available in Canada- Russ's theory is that not enough North Americans walk enough to need it!
Today when passing through the town of Mansilla De Las Mulas, we came across a wonderful farmers market-huge cloves of garlic, beautiful Spanish onions, all kinds of grapes, oranges, apples.. then there were the cheeses and smoked meats(including delicious pig snouts & feet). We managed to leave with only two nectarines & two apples- that's the problem when everything is being carried on your back!
We have a short walk into the city of Leon tomorrow morning(13 km) so will book into a hotel and spend the afternoon sightseeing. Apparently the walk into Leon is not pleasant, and many of the other pilgrims take a bus or taxi for that stretch. Since we can't really afford a day off at this point, we will be continuing on the next day. We are now out of the Meseta, so are anxious to see the more varied scenery that awaits us.
Until the next post, adios!
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Russ / Oct 7
Happy thanksgiving to family and friends. As we rest in Terradilerros de los Templarios we are thinking about our family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thanks, Maureen, for getting everyone together. We wish we could be with the family this one evening. We miss you all and would love to be back there just for a short time, to get and give hugs.
We are also thankful today - it happens that we've reached the halfway point!! We have now travelled 400 of the 800 km of our journey to Santiago, exactly three weeks since we started (and we had about 6 weeks to work with so we are optimistic about finishing).
Over the last few days we have been able to maintain a good pace - about 27 km each day. My ankle has improved steadily, thanks to the level terrain. We both sport blisters but they are under control. We are in very good spirits and have really enjoyed our daily walks, particularly the first three hours or so. It's wonderful to watch the sun rise each day. Today's walk ended at one thirty, before the sun became uncomfortable. The weather continues to be ideal for walking - no more than 23 degrees or so and often a bit of cloud cover.
We will miss our traditional turkey dinner tonight. Needless to say, we won't be getting that. I got lucky last night and had rabbit for dinner while Linda had fish (pescado). Usually, though, the menu is fairly predictable - chcken, fish, pork or beef, almost always with french fries. The Spanish live in an almost condiment free world (Jim, you'd love it). The food is also much more bland than I would have expected. Also, try and find an ethnic restaurant - not happening!
Linda may add some comments as well. Before I sign off though, I want to say that we really appreciate the emails and blog comments people have sent. They make our day when we are resting our tired feet at the albergue. That's provided it has wifi, of course (pronounced wiffey over here).
Bye for now and Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy thanksgiving to family and friends. As we rest in Terradilerros de los Templarios we are thinking about our family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thanks, Maureen, for getting everyone together. We wish we could be with the family this one evening. We miss you all and would love to be back there just for a short time, to get and give hugs.
We are also thankful today - it happens that we've reached the halfway point!! We have now travelled 400 of the 800 km of our journey to Santiago, exactly three weeks since we started (and we had about 6 weeks to work with so we are optimistic about finishing).
Over the last few days we have been able to maintain a good pace - about 27 km each day. My ankle has improved steadily, thanks to the level terrain. We both sport blisters but they are under control. We are in very good spirits and have really enjoyed our daily walks, particularly the first three hours or so. It's wonderful to watch the sun rise each day. Today's walk ended at one thirty, before the sun became uncomfortable. The weather continues to be ideal for walking - no more than 23 degrees or so and often a bit of cloud cover.
We will miss our traditional turkey dinner tonight. Needless to say, we won't be getting that. I got lucky last night and had rabbit for dinner while Linda had fish (pescado). Usually, though, the menu is fairly predictable - chcken, fish, pork or beef, almost always with french fries. The Spanish live in an almost condiment free world (Jim, you'd love it). The food is also much more bland than I would have expected. Also, try and find an ethnic restaurant - not happening!
Linda may add some comments as well. Before I sign off though, I want to say that we really appreciate the emails and blog comments people have sent. They make our day when we are resting our tired feet at the albergue. That's provided it has wifi, of course (pronounced wiffey over here).
Bye for now and Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Russ / Oct 7
Happy thanksgiving to family and friends. As we rest in Terradilerros de los Templarios we are thinking about our family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thanks, Maureen, for getting everyone together. We wish we could be with the family this one evening. We miss you all and would love to be back there just for a short time, to get and give hugs.
We are also thankful today - it happens that we've reached the halfway point!! We have now travelled 400 of the 800 km of our journey to Santiago, exactly three weeks since we started (and we had about 6 weeks to work with so we are optimistic about finishing).
Over the last few days we have been able to maintain a good pace - about 27 km each day. My ankle has improved steadily, thanks to the level terrain. We both sport blisters but they are under control. We are in very good spirits and have really enjoyed our daily walks, particularly the first three hours or so. It's wonderful to watch the sun rise each day. Today's walk ended at one thirty, before the sun became uncomfortable. The weather continues to be ideal for walking - no more than 23 degrees or so and often a bit of cloud cover.
We will miss our traditional turkey dinner tonight. Needless to say, we won't be getting that. I got lucky last night and had rabbit for dinner while Linda had fish (pescado). Usually, though, the menu is fairly predictable - chcken, fish, pork or beef, almost always with french fries. The Spanish live in an almost condiment free world (Jim, you'd love it). The food is also much more bland than I would have expected. Also, try and find an ethnic restaurant - not happening!
Linda may add some comments as well. Before I sign off though, I want to say that we really appreciate the emails and blog comments people have sent. They make our day when we are resting our tired feet at the albergue. That's provided it has wifi, of course (pronounced wiffey over here).
Bye for now and Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy thanksgiving to family and friends. As we rest in Terradilerros de los Templarios we are thinking about our family gathering for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. Thanks, Maureen, for getting everyone together. We wish we could be with the family this one evening. We miss you all and would love to be back there just for a short time, to get and give hugs.
We are also thankful today - it happens that we've reached the halfway point!! We have now travelled 400 of the 800 km of our journey to Santiago, exactly three weeks since we started (and we had about 6 weeks to work with so we are optimistic about finishing).
Over the last few days we have been able to maintain a good pace - about 27 km each day. My ankle has improved steadily, thanks to the level terrain. We both sport blisters but they are under control. We are in very good spirits and have really enjoyed our daily walks, particularly the first three hours or so. It's wonderful to watch the sun rise each day. Today's walk ended at one thirty, before the sun became uncomfortable. The weather continues to be ideal for walking - no more than 23 degrees or so and often a bit of cloud cover.
We will miss our traditional turkey dinner tonight. Needless to say, we won't be getting that. I got lucky last night and had rabbit for dinner while Linda had fish (pescado). Usually, though, the menu is fairly predictable - chcken, fish, pork or beef, almost always with french fries. The Spanish live in an almost condiment free world (Jim, you'd love it). The food is also much more bland than I would have expected. Also, try and find an ethnic restaurant - not happening!
Linda may add some comments as well. Before I sign off though, I want to say that we really appreciate the emails and blog comments people have sent. They make our day when we are resting our tired feet at the albergue. That's provided it has wifi, of course (pronounced wiffey over here).
Bye for now and Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, October 05, 2012
A hundred million
Russ Oct 4 -
We have finished our second day of walking since leaving Burgos. We are in Hontanas, about 470 km from our destination Santiago and have been in the Meseta two days. Yes, it is dry and somewhat featureless just like they say.
So far my sprained ankle has withstood a 13 km day and today 18 km. Hopefully the ankle will improve - so far it has just not gotten worse. Tomorrow we hope to go about 28 km.
There's lots of time to think as you walk along. We have been able to walk without a lot of other pilgrims around us. Combined with the perfect clear cool weather it has been lovely to be back walking again after our time in Burgos.
One thing I was thinking about this morning is that it takes me about 65 paces (130steps) to go 100 meters on level ground. Taking into consideration that hills tend to shorten the stride somewhat I reckon I take about 140 paces per 100 m and therefore about 1400 steps per km. To go the full 800 km I expect to take about 1.12 million steps. Now, although we won't have statistics for this year for a while, there has been an increasing number of pilgrims on the Camino Frances each year, in excess of 100,000. So, this year there will probably be more than 112 billion steps taken by pilgrims. (someone should check my math on this - right now I'm whacked out on Ibuprofen)
Other stuff I think about on these morning walks is how lucky I am to be on this adventure, and to have Linda at my side. We see each sunrise shortly after the day's walk begins. Our walk usually ends each day around noon and we check into the day's accommodation. Today, for example we are staying in a private albergue. It is clean and up to date with nice showers and laundry facilities. We got lucky today - the proprieter asked if we were a couple after we checked in and gave us a little room with two beds that we get to ourselves. This is a bonus bit of privacy for us. No Internet in the whole town, though, thus the delay in posting this last entry.
That's all from me today.
Russ
From Linda
As Russ mentioned, it has been so wonderful to be walking again, and Mother Nature has blessed us with perfect weather.
Our spirits were lifted yesterday when we were reunited with a good friend we had met on the first day of our camino, and had not seen for about ten days. This type of thing happens often, and is one of my favorite things about the camino. You connect with people but may not see them for sometime, then have these wonderful reunions! Our friend is still just ahead of us, but we will likely see her again.
Due to the fact that we are currently walking shorter distances than the guidebook recommends, we are spending the nights in small villages, which I much prefer to the larger cities. The population of Hontanas is 80, and it is described as "a classic pilgrim village tucked down in a fold in the Meseta". The church steeple is often the first sight we see from the Camino, and a welcome sight many times too! Although the scenery here consists of mostly rolling fields of cut hay, there are wind turbines to break the monotony, and the odd clump of trees. We see evidence of sheep or horses on the trail, but no sign of the animals themselves. Although we did see some birds we think were pheasants this morning, there are very few birds in general.
Tomorrow we pass through Castrojeriz, with castle ruins on a hill which sound interesting.
Adios for now!
Sent from my iPod
We have finished our second day of walking since leaving Burgos. We are in Hontanas, about 470 km from our destination Santiago and have been in the Meseta two days. Yes, it is dry and somewhat featureless just like they say.
So far my sprained ankle has withstood a 13 km day and today 18 km. Hopefully the ankle will improve - so far it has just not gotten worse. Tomorrow we hope to go about 28 km.
There's lots of time to think as you walk along. We have been able to walk without a lot of other pilgrims around us. Combined with the perfect clear cool weather it has been lovely to be back walking again after our time in Burgos.
One thing I was thinking about this morning is that it takes me about 65 paces (130steps) to go 100 meters on level ground. Taking into consideration that hills tend to shorten the stride somewhat I reckon I take about 140 paces per 100 m and therefore about 1400 steps per km. To go the full 800 km I expect to take about 1.12 million steps. Now, although we won't have statistics for this year for a while, there has been an increasing number of pilgrims on the Camino Frances each year, in excess of 100,000. So, this year there will probably be more than 112 billion steps taken by pilgrims. (someone should check my math on this - right now I'm whacked out on Ibuprofen)
Other stuff I think about on these morning walks is how lucky I am to be on this adventure, and to have Linda at my side. We see each sunrise shortly after the day's walk begins. Our walk usually ends each day around noon and we check into the day's accommodation. Today, for example we are staying in a private albergue. It is clean and up to date with nice showers and laundry facilities. We got lucky today - the proprieter asked if we were a couple after we checked in and gave us a little room with two beds that we get to ourselves. This is a bonus bit of privacy for us. No Internet in the whole town, though, thus the delay in posting this last entry.
That's all from me today.
Russ
From Linda
As Russ mentioned, it has been so wonderful to be walking again, and Mother Nature has blessed us with perfect weather.
Our spirits were lifted yesterday when we were reunited with a good friend we had met on the first day of our camino, and had not seen for about ten days. This type of thing happens often, and is one of my favorite things about the camino. You connect with people but may not see them for sometime, then have these wonderful reunions! Our friend is still just ahead of us, but we will likely see her again.
Due to the fact that we are currently walking shorter distances than the guidebook recommends, we are spending the nights in small villages, which I much prefer to the larger cities. The population of Hontanas is 80, and it is described as "a classic pilgrim village tucked down in a fold in the Meseta". The church steeple is often the first sight we see from the Camino, and a welcome sight many times too! Although the scenery here consists of mostly rolling fields of cut hay, there are wind turbines to break the monotony, and the odd clump of trees. We see evidence of sheep or horses on the trail, but no sign of the animals themselves. Although we did see some birds we think were pheasants this morning, there are very few birds in general.
Tomorrow we pass through Castrojeriz, with castle ruins on a hill which sound interesting.
Adios for now!
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Russ
Hi folks,
Just a quick update... we're still in Burgos but plan to leavetomorrow. Most medical problems have been resolved and we feel we can now continue. It has been a trial waiting here for the last four days. Here is a picture our Danish friends (now far ahead of us) sent us, taken about a week ago.
Wish us luck, we are about to embark on the Meseta, a semi arid, flat and apparently boring 100 km stretch of the Camino.
Russ and Linda
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Burgos
Linda
Hola from beautiful Burgos. We arrived here yesterday around noon. An elderly Spanish fellow led us into town via pathways through a large green space, saving us from dealing with busy streets. We were a bit nervous about being off the official Camino trail (have become very dependent on the yellow arrows!) but one of our friends was monitoring our progress on his IPhone and knew we were headed in the right direction. The locals have been very kind everywhere.
Bad news is that Russ has a sore swollen ankle, so we may be here for several days. He is keeping it elevated and we purchased a coldpack for it. I am not bad other than a cold and one blister. Our hotel is very nice and is situated next to the famous Cathedral. We plan to take in a 45 min tour this afternoon on a little red train that departs nearby, and requires no walking! Also plan to tour the Cathedral once Russ is more mobile.
Although this is a temporary setback, we think we will still have enough time to complete the Camino.
Adios for now!
Sent from my iPod
Hola from beautiful Burgos. We arrived here yesterday around noon. An elderly Spanish fellow led us into town via pathways through a large green space, saving us from dealing with busy streets. We were a bit nervous about being off the official Camino trail (have become very dependent on the yellow arrows!) but one of our friends was monitoring our progress on his IPhone and knew we were headed in the right direction. The locals have been very kind everywhere.
Bad news is that Russ has a sore swollen ankle, so we may be here for several days. He is keeping it elevated and we purchased a coldpack for it. I am not bad other than a cold and one blister. Our hotel is very nice and is situated next to the famous Cathedral. We plan to take in a 45 min tour this afternoon on a little red train that departs nearby, and requires no walking! Also plan to tour the Cathedral once Russ is more mobile.
Although this is a temporary setback, we think we will still have enough time to complete the Camino.
Adios for now!
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Ages, Spain
Linda
Russ wanted me to pass on the news that he IS crippled now, but is learning how to walk with the pain! His shins are sore, and also one ankle. I have my first blister, but it's a small one on the side of my heel so was able to walk today without much discomfort.
Yesterday we had our most unpleasant day yet, from Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado. We were expecting a relatively easy and short (23km) walk, but the wind was very strong and right in our faces the whole time. To make it worse it was also very cold!! I was not happy the last hour of walking, as there were no bathrooms to use, and no trees or bushes as we were on a trail beside a busy highway! The guys have it made in that respect! It was our friend Margit's birthday, so we checked into hotel rooms that night rather than the cheaper alburgue, and felt somewhat better after being pampered.
This morning we were on the trail by 7am and although a bit chilly, no wind. Turned out to be a glorious morning and the trail was winding through golden fields of hay that had been harvested. No more vineyards and olive trees - just brown fields everywhere. The destination recommended in our guide was St. Juan de Ortega, however the only alburgue in that town has a bad reputation, so we opted to walk 4 kms further, to Ages. (total of 27.9 km)
We were the first ones to arrive at the municipal alburgue, and were ecstatic to score a room for four, so we are not sleeping with the rest of the pilgrims in the main room! We are feeling very smug.
Tomorrow we walk to Burgos, where we will spend two nights. We are both looking forward to a day off. We will see the famous cathedral there, and may also take a taxi to the archeological ruins at Atapuerca, which is close to the Camino, however we will pass it very early in the morning.
More later from Burgos.....
Sent from my iPod
Russ wanted me to pass on the news that he IS crippled now, but is learning how to walk with the pain! His shins are sore, and also one ankle. I have my first blister, but it's a small one on the side of my heel so was able to walk today without much discomfort.
Yesterday we had our most unpleasant day yet, from Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado. We were expecting a relatively easy and short (23km) walk, but the wind was very strong and right in our faces the whole time. To make it worse it was also very cold!! I was not happy the last hour of walking, as there were no bathrooms to use, and no trees or bushes as we were on a trail beside a busy highway! The guys have it made in that respect! It was our friend Margit's birthday, so we checked into hotel rooms that night rather than the cheaper alburgue, and felt somewhat better after being pampered.
This morning we were on the trail by 7am and although a bit chilly, no wind. Turned out to be a glorious morning and the trail was winding through golden fields of hay that had been harvested. No more vineyards and olive trees - just brown fields everywhere. The destination recommended in our guide was St. Juan de Ortega, however the only alburgue in that town has a bad reputation, so we opted to walk 4 kms further, to Ages. (total of 27.9 km)
We were the first ones to arrive at the municipal alburgue, and were ecstatic to score a room for four, so we are not sleeping with the rest of the pilgrims in the main room! We are feeling very smug.
Tomorrow we walk to Burgos, where we will spend two nights. We are both looking forward to a day off. We will see the famous cathedral there, and may also take a taxi to the archeological ruins at Atapuerca, which is close to the Camino, however we will pass it very early in the morning.
More later from Burgos.....
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
New record
Russ
As we said in our last update, we had a short 20 km walk yesterday and rested up in Ventosa, staying in a lovely hotel last night. It was a grand Spanish mansion that had been converted to a hotel. Lots of modern conveniences mixed with a beautiful old house with 19th century furnishings. Lots of marble and old wood. Dinner was quite nice in the only restaurant in the small town and of course the Rioja wine was excellent.
In spite of the nice accommodation and food I was feeling depressed that we'd dropped back and were no longer traveling with our friends.
This morning after a good rest we struck out for Azofra, about 15 km away. We felt pretty good so we decided to carry on to the next town, Ciruena. Turns out the place is a virtual ghost town. There's a big golf course and a bunch of condo developments that are essentially uninhabited. It seems the development got caught in the 2008 downturn and hasn't recovered. Well, that left us no choice but to press on to Santo Domingo de Calzada, coincidentally bringing us back onto our previous pace. The good news is that we found our Danish friends Eric and Margit. The bad news is that I hobbled the last 10 km or so.
We walked 31 km today!!!!!
We will see tomorrow whether I'm a cripple or not.
Sent from my iPod
As we said in our last update, we had a short 20 km walk yesterday and rested up in Ventosa, staying in a lovely hotel last night. It was a grand Spanish mansion that had been converted to a hotel. Lots of modern conveniences mixed with a beautiful old house with 19th century furnishings. Lots of marble and old wood. Dinner was quite nice in the only restaurant in the small town and of course the Rioja wine was excellent.
In spite of the nice accommodation and food I was feeling depressed that we'd dropped back and were no longer traveling with our friends.
This morning after a good rest we struck out for Azofra, about 15 km away. We felt pretty good so we decided to carry on to the next town, Ciruena. Turns out the place is a virtual ghost town. There's a big golf course and a bunch of condo developments that are essentially uninhabited. It seems the development got caught in the 2008 downturn and hasn't recovered. Well, that left us no choice but to press on to Santo Domingo de Calzada, coincidentally bringing us back onto our previous pace. The good news is that we found our Danish friends Eric and Margit. The bad news is that I hobbled the last 10 km or so.
We walked 31 km today!!!!!
We will see tomorrow whether I'm a cripple or not.
Sent from my iPod
Monday, September 24, 2012
Resting in Ventosa
Linda
Yesterday we walked 28.6 km, from Los Arcos to Lograno! Since we were with our Danish friends it made the distance seem much shorter. We stayed in a large alburgue run by some very strict and somewhat cranky old men! Once showers and laundry were done we wandered to the center of the city (pop 145,000) and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon festivities while sitting at a sidewalk cafe having beer and tapas. Lots of families and some beautiful traditional Spanish clothing.
Later on while relaxing on our bunk beds a short storm blew through and when we checked on our laundry(hanging outside on racks) the volunteers were busy moving all the racks inside! They are well organized. Forgot to mention previously that we have had perfect weather since we started the Camino. Rain on two different occasions but we were in the alburgues each time. We marvel at how lucky we have been.
Although Russ slept ok there I did not-way too much noise out on the street with people yelling and having a good time til all hours of the morning.
Got up at 5:30 and the four of us started out in the dark. With the help of our flashlights we found the yellow arrows to guide us out of the city, but unfortunately no cafes were open that early so no coffee or breakfast until Navarette which was about 12km along. Our feet were quite sore from the long walk yesterday and Russ had one foot giving him trouble from tying his laces too tight. We decided to stop in Ventosa, a small village 10km short of the recommended walk for the day. Neither of us felt like we could do 30km! We said goodbye to our friends and they continued on...hopefully we will connect later, but can keep in touch by email. We booked into a very small hotel so are keeping our feet up and will only venture out to eat. We are now in the Rioja wine district and passed several large wineries today on our walk.
Commented that if we had the energy it would have been fun to do some wine tasting. This village is so small that they do not even have a grocery store. This afternoon we watched a truck roll into town with loud speakers blaring, listing the fruit & veggies available. The back door of the truck popped open and there was a portable store! We bought some bananas and I got a bit of video footage before the vendor told me "no photos"! Apparently he shows up anytime between 11 and 4 daily.
Tomorrow we hope to get an early start and walk 15km to Azofra. We'll see how we feel. No blisters yet which is good, but we've seen people with tendonitis, shin splints etc so are being cautious.
Bye for now!
Sent from my iPod
Yesterday we walked 28.6 km, from Los Arcos to Lograno! Since we were with our Danish friends it made the distance seem much shorter. We stayed in a large alburgue run by some very strict and somewhat cranky old men! Once showers and laundry were done we wandered to the center of the city (pop 145,000) and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon festivities while sitting at a sidewalk cafe having beer and tapas. Lots of families and some beautiful traditional Spanish clothing.
Later on while relaxing on our bunk beds a short storm blew through and when we checked on our laundry(hanging outside on racks) the volunteers were busy moving all the racks inside! They are well organized. Forgot to mention previously that we have had perfect weather since we started the Camino. Rain on two different occasions but we were in the alburgues each time. We marvel at how lucky we have been.
Although Russ slept ok there I did not-way too much noise out on the street with people yelling and having a good time til all hours of the morning.
Got up at 5:30 and the four of us started out in the dark. With the help of our flashlights we found the yellow arrows to guide us out of the city, but unfortunately no cafes were open that early so no coffee or breakfast until Navarette which was about 12km along. Our feet were quite sore from the long walk yesterday and Russ had one foot giving him trouble from tying his laces too tight. We decided to stop in Ventosa, a small village 10km short of the recommended walk for the day. Neither of us felt like we could do 30km! We said goodbye to our friends and they continued on...hopefully we will connect later, but can keep in touch by email. We booked into a very small hotel so are keeping our feet up and will only venture out to eat. We are now in the Rioja wine district and passed several large wineries today on our walk.
Commented that if we had the energy it would have been fun to do some wine tasting. This village is so small that they do not even have a grocery store. This afternoon we watched a truck roll into town with loud speakers blaring, listing the fruit & veggies available. The back door of the truck popped open and there was a portable store! We bought some bananas and I got a bit of video footage before the vendor told me "no photos"! Apparently he shows up anytime between 11 and 4 daily.
Tomorrow we hope to get an early start and walk 15km to Azofra. We'll see how we feel. No blisters yet which is good, but we've seen people with tendonitis, shin splints etc so are being cautious.
Bye for now!
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Update from Los Arcos
Linda
We just finished Day 6 and are now 654 km from our destination, Santiago de Compostela. We are definitely feeling it in our legs and feet. We have been averaging 21 km per day, starting at 7am and finishing around 1pm. That enables us to relax in the afternoons (after showering and doing laundry) and more importantly, avoiding the intense heat in the afternoon. It was 30 degrees today and is forecast to be 34 tomorrow. The scenery has been gorgeous the last few days. Highlights included walking through the centre of Pamplona, climbing Alto del Perdon (Hill of Forgiveness) in absolutely perfect weather, walking on ancient Roman roads and bridges near Cirauqui, filling up an empty water bottle with wine from the Fuentes del Vino (wine fountain) outside Estella at 7:00 am this morning (no we didn't drink it then!!), attending a mass for pilgrims at the cathedral of San Miguel in Estella where the priest gave us a blessing and spoke to each of us in our own language, and just taking in the lovely scenery between villages. Many beautiful grape vines and olive trees, as well as fennel plants both wild and cultivated. The Camino takes us past gardens full of ripe tomatoes, huge artichoke plants and pepper plants loaded with ripe red peppers. Makes our mouths water!
Since we have been staying in alburgues for the past few nights, we treated ourselves to a private room WITH BATHROOM, in a private alburgue, for tonight. 45 euros and we sure needed the break!
Since we seem to be among the first pilgrims to complete each day's walk, it's great to sit in the local squares and reconnect with friends we have made on the Camino. Today we saw a friend from Nanaimo who we hadn't seen for six days. Some people are having problems, so are slowing down, using transportation or taking days off. It's really a unique bond that we all have though, and the first question is always "how are your feet"? We have been enjoying the company of a Danish couple and since we walk about the same speed, usually end up connecting on the trail each day and then eating our "pilgrim meal" together in the evening (10 euros for complete meal incl wine).
That's it for now - heading for Logrono tomorrow but may not make it all the way.
Adios!
Sent from my iPod
We just finished Day 6 and are now 654 km from our destination, Santiago de Compostela. We are definitely feeling it in our legs and feet. We have been averaging 21 km per day, starting at 7am and finishing around 1pm. That enables us to relax in the afternoons (after showering and doing laundry) and more importantly, avoiding the intense heat in the afternoon. It was 30 degrees today and is forecast to be 34 tomorrow. The scenery has been gorgeous the last few days. Highlights included walking through the centre of Pamplona, climbing Alto del Perdon (Hill of Forgiveness) in absolutely perfect weather, walking on ancient Roman roads and bridges near Cirauqui, filling up an empty water bottle with wine from the Fuentes del Vino (wine fountain) outside Estella at 7:00 am this morning (no we didn't drink it then!!), attending a mass for pilgrims at the cathedral of San Miguel in Estella where the priest gave us a blessing and spoke to each of us in our own language, and just taking in the lovely scenery between villages. Many beautiful grape vines and olive trees, as well as fennel plants both wild and cultivated. The Camino takes us past gardens full of ripe tomatoes, huge artichoke plants and pepper plants loaded with ripe red peppers. Makes our mouths water!
Since we have been staying in alburgues for the past few nights, we treated ourselves to a private room WITH BATHROOM, in a private alburgue, for tonight. 45 euros and we sure needed the break!
Since we seem to be among the first pilgrims to complete each day's walk, it's great to sit in the local squares and reconnect with friends we have made on the Camino. Today we saw a friend from Nanaimo who we hadn't seen for six days. Some people are having problems, so are slowing down, using transportation or taking days off. It's really a unique bond that we all have though, and the first question is always "how are your feet"? We have been enjoying the company of a Danish couple and since we walk about the same speed, usually end up connecting on the trail each day and then eating our "pilgrim meal" together in the evening (10 euros for complete meal incl wine).
That's it for now - heading for Logrono tomorrow but may not make it all the way.
Adios!
Sent from my iPod
Friday, September 21, 2012
Espana
Russ
Sept 20
First things first. We are alive, well, and healthy. Except for a slight weariness and slightly sore feet (but no blisters) we are perfectly well. We are in Puenta La Reina, a mere 697 km from our destination Santiago de Compostela. We have walked about 100 km over the last five days.
Sent from my iPod
Sept 20
First things first. We are alive, well, and healthy. Except for a slight weariness and slightly sore feet (but no blisters) we are perfectly well. We are in Puenta La Reina, a mere 697 km from our destination Santiago de Compostela. We have walked about 100 km over the last five days.
Sent from my iPod
Monday, September 17, 2012
St Jean Pied de Port
Russ
Sept. 15 - We arrived safely in SJPDP this afternoon. This is the main starting point for the Camino Frances. The train from Paris to Bayonne in the south of France was a high speed electric train - we left at the minute it was scheduled and we arrived a bit early. The French train system is very good. Our passage to SJPDP from Bayonne was in a smaller and slower diesel train. We met a nice couple from New Zealand that we talked with during the shorter second train journey.
Our first glimpse of SJPDP was like seeing a Swiss village. We no sooner arrived at the albergue when a great procession of costumed musicians and dancers paraded up the street. Evidently it is a once a year celebration of the designation of the Camino Frances as a World Heritage Site.
We met several people at our albergue (like a hostel - bunk beds in dorm rooms with shared washroom facilities). We had a welcoming apertif and introduced ourselves before the dinner. Two other Canadians including one from Nanaimo were in the group.
We had a nice evening sharing stories about what led us to the Camino. Lights out at 10 and an exciting first day of walking to look forward to.
Sept 16 -
By the way, since we don't have regular Internet access we will post our blog updates when we can. Also, we will be checking emails from time to time so you should be able to reach us by the usual email addresses if you like.
After a good breakfast Linda and I left and took our first true pilgrim steps. We are now at today's destination, Orisson, eight kilometers straight up the Pyrenees mountains. Our training has paid off handsomely. We had no trouble and found our pace was faster than most other pilgrims. Forget about looking up Orisson on a map - it's nothing more than an albergue, still on the French side of the Pyrenees.
So, we're sitting at a table shortly after arriving at Orisson and talking with that NewZealand couple we met yesterday and a big bang goes off. A huge boar goes racing up the slope right beside the albergue with two hunters and a bunch of dogs giving chase. They were not successful. I would guess the boar stood about three feet at the shoulder and at least 200 lbs. A little excitement for our morning.
Today's walk only took us two hours so we were feeling like we could go on farther. However, since we had already booked this place we are staying here tonight. It will make tomorrow's walk to Roncesvalles that much easier.
The scenery on this morning's walk was spectacular and the weather perfect. A morning fog when we started off and we quickly walked above it. The pictures we took show a beautiful fog in the low lying areas.
We are so happy to be on our journey at last and are feeling very blessed.
We had quite a bit of leisure time before dinner and we got to know a couple of fellow pilgrims a bit better - Caroline from Quebec city and Brenda from South Africa. We spent a very funny and enjoyable hour helping a woman from Colorado get rid of about 10 lbs of the 27 lb pack she had carried up the mountain that morning. Great fun - we are of course experts now on the strength of the last day of Camino walking. A young man from Chicago also entertained us with his guitar and we sang a bunch of John Denver and James Taylor songs ( yes, I did sing along albeit quietly). All in all the afternoon was quite wonderful.
The Orrison dinner was superior to the previous night's. We retired shortly after nine.
Sept 17 -
We set out for Roncesvalles this morning at 7:30, just light enough to see our path. As we climbed, the most beautiful sunrise greeted us. I hope we can post a picture. Our weather today has again been perfect - mainly sunny but not too hot. We could easily have had poor weather going over the pass (it's called the Route Napoleon because Napoleon used it in his conquest of the Iberian Penninsula). At this time of year we could easily have had stormy weather and been forced to go back to SJPDP and on to Roncesvalles through a lower pass, along a busy highway. Today we made good time also and reached Roncesvalles at 12:30. The last part was steeply downhill and that was NOT FUN. We both found the downhill walk very hard on the knees. Give me a hill to climb any day rather than downhill.
Because we'd made good time and were feeling still fresh we decided not to stay at Roncesvalles and walked on another 3 1/2 km, making the total day's walk about 20 km. We are staying in a modest but clean pension (also known as a casa rural) and will go down to the church tonight for the pilgrim meal. By carrying on past Roncesvalles we will miss reuniting with our new friends, which we regret. However, we do travel quite a bit faster than they do so it was inevitable we would leave them behind at some point. We hadn't foreseen this and we had not yet exchanged contact information with them. We will miss them if we don't see them again.
Russ
Sent from my iPod
Sept. 15 - We arrived safely in SJPDP this afternoon. This is the main starting point for the Camino Frances. The train from Paris to Bayonne in the south of France was a high speed electric train - we left at the minute it was scheduled and we arrived a bit early. The French train system is very good. Our passage to SJPDP from Bayonne was in a smaller and slower diesel train. We met a nice couple from New Zealand that we talked with during the shorter second train journey.
Our first glimpse of SJPDP was like seeing a Swiss village. We no sooner arrived at the albergue when a great procession of costumed musicians and dancers paraded up the street. Evidently it is a once a year celebration of the designation of the Camino Frances as a World Heritage Site.
We met several people at our albergue (like a hostel - bunk beds in dorm rooms with shared washroom facilities). We had a welcoming apertif and introduced ourselves before the dinner. Two other Canadians including one from Nanaimo were in the group.
We had a nice evening sharing stories about what led us to the Camino. Lights out at 10 and an exciting first day of walking to look forward to.
Sept 16 -
By the way, since we don't have regular Internet access we will post our blog updates when we can. Also, we will be checking emails from time to time so you should be able to reach us by the usual email addresses if you like.
After a good breakfast Linda and I left and took our first true pilgrim steps. We are now at today's destination, Orisson, eight kilometers straight up the Pyrenees mountains. Our training has paid off handsomely. We had no trouble and found our pace was faster than most other pilgrims. Forget about looking up Orisson on a map - it's nothing more than an albergue, still on the French side of the Pyrenees.
So, we're sitting at a table shortly after arriving at Orisson and talking with that NewZealand couple we met yesterday and a big bang goes off. A huge boar goes racing up the slope right beside the albergue with two hunters and a bunch of dogs giving chase. They were not successful. I would guess the boar stood about three feet at the shoulder and at least 200 lbs. A little excitement for our morning.
Today's walk only took us two hours so we were feeling like we could go on farther. However, since we had already booked this place we are staying here tonight. It will make tomorrow's walk to Roncesvalles that much easier.
The scenery on this morning's walk was spectacular and the weather perfect. A morning fog when we started off and we quickly walked above it. The pictures we took show a beautiful fog in the low lying areas.
We are so happy to be on our journey at last and are feeling very blessed.
We had quite a bit of leisure time before dinner and we got to know a couple of fellow pilgrims a bit better - Caroline from Quebec city and Brenda from South Africa. We spent a very funny and enjoyable hour helping a woman from Colorado get rid of about 10 lbs of the 27 lb pack she had carried up the mountain that morning. Great fun - we are of course experts now on the strength of the last day of Camino walking. A young man from Chicago also entertained us with his guitar and we sang a bunch of John Denver and James Taylor songs ( yes, I did sing along albeit quietly). All in all the afternoon was quite wonderful.
The Orrison dinner was superior to the previous night's. We retired shortly after nine.
Sept 17 -
We set out for Roncesvalles this morning at 7:30, just light enough to see our path. As we climbed, the most beautiful sunrise greeted us. I hope we can post a picture. Our weather today has again been perfect - mainly sunny but not too hot. We could easily have had poor weather going over the pass (it's called the Route Napoleon because Napoleon used it in his conquest of the Iberian Penninsula). At this time of year we could easily have had stormy weather and been forced to go back to SJPDP and on to Roncesvalles through a lower pass, along a busy highway. Today we made good time also and reached Roncesvalles at 12:30. The last part was steeply downhill and that was NOT FUN. We both found the downhill walk very hard on the knees. Give me a hill to climb any day rather than downhill.
Because we'd made good time and were feeling still fresh we decided not to stay at Roncesvalles and walked on another 3 1/2 km, making the total day's walk about 20 km. We are staying in a modest but clean pension (also known as a casa rural) and will go down to the church tonight for the pilgrim meal. By carrying on past Roncesvalles we will miss reuniting with our new friends, which we regret. However, we do travel quite a bit faster than they do so it was inevitable we would leave them behind at some point. We hadn't foreseen this and we had not yet exchanged contact information with them. We will miss them if we don't see them again.
Russ
Sent from my iPod
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