Hugs, Kisses, and No More Steps

We did it! We walked into Santiago at noon yesterday. About 800 kilometers or about 500 miles. So hard to believe.

We entered through a tunnel of stairs with Celtic music and anticipated an uplifting but reverent square. However, we stepped out into a huge plaza in which the Santiago Cathedral sits and found ourselves in the midst of a giant circus! There were tour buses, a tourist train, a large venue of children’s basketball tournaments,  vendors, and a broadcasting radio station. But, of course! This is the city’s main square and the locals put it to good use. 

And, although far from what we expected we found an area of celebrating pilgrims and gave and received high fives, hugs, and kisses. We took each other’s photos. We went to a bar and celebrated with drinks. 

Our Camino had come to an end. We felt a myriad of emotions - excitement, joy, pride, thankfulness, and even some disappointment. 

Today we’ve been wanderers. We’ve met with friends and said some goodbyes. We’ve explored this beautiful city. And, we’ve thrown away some clothes. We would have liked to throw them all away, but we still need something to wear for a few days! 

Tomorrow we go on a bus tour to Finisterre to see the coast. We’re staying in The Parador Hotel as a treat to ourselves Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we fly to London and get to see our family which is always a wonderful thing. 

We’re excited to return home. We have experiences and memories to fill our brains for many months to come. 

Thank you all for following along with our blog. We loved hearing from you and felt as if you were a part of our journey!

Buen Camino. 

Water and other beverages

When you walk 20-30 kilometers a day you think much more about where will I get enough to drink. Like everything on the Camino you have to carry what you need so it is important to carry enough but not much more than you need. Fortunately there is water available all along the Camino from public fountains. You do have to check to make sure the water is potable . It is normally good to drink and if it isn’t it is marked with words or symbols that indicate it is not potable. You do have to pay attention though. The water from these potable fountains is very good and generally very cool. The fountains come in many varying shapes and sizes from plain to very ornate. In any case water is important and always a factor in our daily planning. 

Of course other beverages are a part of the daily routine. We also drink other drinks in the day to help give us an energy boost to keep our legs moving. A gator aide like drink called Aquarius is great for a boost of energy with some of the nutrients your muscles need. Also, Coke tastes great and has lots of sugar and caffeine. Both essentials for making it up the hills late in the day. I have consumed more coke in the last month than I have in the last 40 years. So sell your Coca Cola stock because we arrive in Santiago in two days. Therefore sales will drop significantly !

The locals, different from the pilgrims are frequently in the bar at 10:00am drinking a beer or glass of wine. I would love a beer at ten after already walking 15 kilometers but I would not be able to walk 10 or 15 more kilometers. Thus, the glass of coke and keep on walking. 

The cana ( draft beer ) when you are done walking is the best beer you ever drank. Until the next days beer. 

Sometimes a gin and tonic is the beverage of the day. 

We are only about 40 kilometers from Santiago with two fairly easy days to reach Santiago on Saturday. I’m sure we will spend a great deal of time contemplating what this whole adventure has meant to us and what we have learned about ourselves. It has been a glorious time with each other and all of our new Camino family. 

I

Buen Camino

Almost There

Walking through Galicia has been a treat. It’s a  cooler, wetter climate so the area is more lush. For three days we’ve been walking through chestnut and oak forests on paths between old stone walls. Meadows and cows abound. Villages are composed of small farms scattered with chickens, cats, dogs, and gardens. Large orange and white pumpkins are lying in the fields and women are roasting pimento peppers above small stone stoves. 

We are 100 kilometers from reaching Santiago, and I can’t finish our walk without doing a blog about churches. For centuries people have walked The Camino de Santiago to reach the cathedral to pray for their cause where tradition has it that the Apostle James’ bones are interred. European Christian pilgrims could travel either to Rome or to Santiago. Pilgrims stepped outside their door and began their journey. They faced thieves, murderers, wild animals, and the elements. And, if they even made it to Santiago they had to turn around and walk back (the thought of that horrifies Chuck and me!). 

Today’s pilgrims walk for a myriad of reasons. But, whether it’s a spiritual journey or a hike the path takes every pilgrim via the village hermitage, the monastery, the church, or the cathedral which are always centrally located in the old town or city. Because of these churches we’ve seen and learned about the history, the architecture, the art and artisans, beliefs, and politics of this area. Did you know that it was the mission of the Templar Knights to protect pilgrims?
 

We have toured and visited churches and cathedrals that are magnificent. We discuss the money and labor involved. The magnificence of them was meant to awe, teach, and inspire believers. 

Funny but speaking to fellow pilgrims today, most of us prefer the smaller “ermitas” along the way. Maybe because our modern lives are so busy and we’ve seen so much we find these simpler places to be more inspirational. 

In many of the larger churches there are special pilgrim masses or pilgrim blessings. And, smaller churches in the villages are often open and walkers may step inside to light a candle, say a prayer, reflect, or just get a stamp in their book. 

Today we’ve walked from Sarria to Portomarin. We’ve showered and done our laundry like every day on the Camino. We’re ready for our evening ritual of wandering the town, grabbing a drink and a bite to eat in the plaza, and checking out the local church if it’s open. So, until later, “Buen Camino!”

Horses and people

Today was another untypical day on our Camino. We started by riding horses from Herrerías  up a 7.5 kilometer mountain trail to O Cebreiro. Victor, a former economist who now owns the six horses and leads the ride up the mountain everyday. He walks while everybody else rides. He then brings the horses back down the trail to do it again some days.  Needless to say he is in very good condition. He arranges for lunch upon  arrival in O Cebreiro. A very delightful man who is living the life he loves and enjoys. He does travel the world extensively when his horse business is closed in the winter. 

Among the other people we have made friends with are  a recently retired college president and his wife from the U.K. They moved ahead of us when we took a day off in Astorga to visit the chocolate museum. So we are now stretching our walks to try to catch up with them and our other Camino friends Rick and Donna from New Hampshire. We did reconnect last night with our wine making Camino friends from Colorado, Kevin and Gina. We actually had lunch with them but they were staying in that village and we walked on another 12k to our planned stop. We do have plans to reconnect with them in Santiago. 

One of the most fun parts of the Camino is meeting and remeeting people as well as making new friends from all over the world. While eating lunch today Kathy jumped up and ran out of the bar. She had spotted the young Korean man ( Yongbae Lee) we had walked with for many days early in the Camino but had not seen in a couple of weeks. Last week we met a woman from Namibia. Who would have thought. 

Young and old walk the Camino. We befriended a wonderful young woman ( Isabelle ) who is walking the Camino alone  during her gap year before she will attend William and Mary University. She is fluent in Spanish, French and English and a delightful young lady. It seems everyone walking knows Isabelle. 

Kathy talked to two young women walking alone and discussed if they had any fears on the Camino. They said they never felt safer traveling as they do on the Camino. It is an international community that watches out for each other. 

The Camino is a joyful place with many wonderful people from all over the world all walking the Way for their own personal reasons. We are looking forward to our final week of walking as we expect to arrive in Santiago on Oct 5. 

Isabelle with Kathy and her father who joined her for just 3 days of walking. We were lucky enough to see them in Leon where he joined her. 

On to a Santiago. 

Buen Camino

Who Knows

This evening we’re on top of the world! We’re in a tiny little village (Foncebadón) on the second floor of a hostel near the highest point on The Camino. We can see Astorga in the distance where we stayed for the last two nights. 

As Chuck said in his blog, often things happen that you never expect. For instance, a few days ago as we were walking down a deserted country road we saw a man sitting in the drivers seat throwing his fishing line out the window and into the ditch. He’d fling his line back into his car with what appeared to have been frogs! 

And, while walking down the hill into Astorga an eccentric older gentleman was playing his Spanish guitar. He made up a delightful, but goofy song about Americanos Peregrinos! 

That guitarist reminded us of the woman earlier in our walk who was sitting under a tree on a small stool serenading pilgrims with her accordion. 

We are often amused by single shoes sitting beside the road. Did the walker have a blowout? And, how about pharmacy vending machines which sell knee braces, feminine products, and drugs among other items! G

We’ve run across an archery meet in the middle of nowhere, a crawdad with claws snapping ready to defend his road, and a farmer’s tractor flinging cow poop in his field (as well on the pilgrims walking on the trail)! 

One of the things I’ve seen and fallen in love with is play equipment for adults in or beside children’s playgrounds. What a great idea!

We are now walking in a new region. We’re back in the hills and mountains, currently in Maragato which has a distinctive and rich cultural heritage. Chuck is an adventurous eater, so he ordered a traditional Maragotan meal a few days ago. First came a platter of five meats (blood sausage, and four other indistinguishable meats).  He thought he was finished when the second course arrived which was a very large plate of chick peas, boiled potatoes, and cabbage. He could hardly dent that course when the next course arrived. It was a bowl of broth with a few noodles. To top it all off a pudding was then served. Needless to say, he won’t be ordering that again!

We climb to Cruz de Ferro in the morning to leave our stones. Then we continue on to the town of the Templar’s Castle. Who knows what we’ll encounter on The Way!

Buen Camino

City Life

Today we walked about 25 kilometers to a little town (Villavante) on the way from Leon to Astorga. It actually felt good to walk again after taking a full day off yesterday in Leon. The day off was a welcomed relief especially since it rained all day and we didn’t have to walk in the rain. 

We have now spent 3 days of not walking in the three of the biggest cities ( Logroño, Burgos and Leon ) we have gone through. We have found the activity in the cities has a definite rhythm that is quite different from US cities. We typically arrive in the cities around 2:00pm which is exactly when things shut down for siesta. The smaller towns are like ghost towns from 2pm until 5pm and even the large cities definitely slow down also. 

In the larger cities it seems everyone in town comes out about 6pm and strolls around or stops in one of the many bars with outdoor seating. The usual fare is a beer, glass of wine, or coffee and maybe a small snack which comes with the drink. The streets around the Plaza Mayor ( every city has one ) have few cars and are basically walking streets lined with outdoor bars/cafes. It can be very crowed in the bars and a challenge to get a drink or food ordered. Nobody seems to be in a rush and they are just out to have a drink and socialize with their friends and neighbors. It is a very happy and relaxing phenomena we could use a little more of in the US. 

If you want to eat a full meal in a restaurant you will be waiting until at least 8:00pm or later for most restaurants to start serving. Some of the places where pilgrims are staying will serve dinner earlier (7:00-7:30) because pilgrims tend to start their mornings around 6:30am and a late dinner doesn’t work so well. 

Some things happen on the Camino that you never expect. We decided to stay in a nicer hotel, instead of an albergue,  for our two nights in Leon. Upon checking in after walking all day the desk clerk left for a moment and returned with some Tee shirts for pilgrims that he presented to us. ( Of course they had the hotel name on it for some free advertising)   We graciously accepted our gift and went to our room.  We wondered if they gave us the shirt as gratitude for our business or because pilgrims tend to smell pretty bad by the end of the day and could really use a clean shirt. In any case I was happy to have a different shirt to wear that was already clean. 

Tomorrow we are off to Astorga where we will be taking a day off from walking.  We want to visit the chocolate factory which is closed the day we arrive. We do still have priorities beyond the Camino. 

Today we passed the 300k remaining point. Yahoo. These milestones seem pretty significant to us at the time. 

Sorry the pictures don’t really represent the message as well as we would like. iPhone cameras  don’t capture those Kodak moments as well as we would like. 

Buen  Camino

Halfway and Beyond

Yesterday we walked past the halfway point. 
Time to reflect on the journey completed thus far. Being more knowledgeable would I still say yes to this walk? Absolutely! 

Why? For so many reasons. I’m seeing a region of Spain up close and personal. I’m experiencing its food, its culture, its people, and its land. I’m experiencing peoples’ kindness on a grand scale. Every morning when the sun comes up and I’m placing one foot in front of another my only job is to keep on the trail, reflect, be curious, and converse with Chuck or other peregrinos we’re near. Pretty amazing! (To be fair, though, after the 15th mile of walking I’m neither blissful nor contemplative, but quite the opposite!)

Two nights ago was the most spectacular storm I’ve ever seen. Lightning for an hour. Wind and torrents of rain. As I was lying in bed all I could think about is what we would have done if that had happened somewhere out on the meseta. Yikes! I’m very thankful it happened after we were settled in our hostel.

Speaking of our hostel, we have been so impressed with the people who run the hostels, pensions, and private alburgues. Often, it’s a family. Some of them are up by 7:00 to provide breakfast to the pilgrims. They clean the beds and rooms for the next wave of walkers. By 1:00 or 2:00, they’re busy checking new walkers in and waiting on the pilgrims’ needs (food, ice for feet, laundry, serving beverages). They continue providing service until they close up the residence around 10:00.  There are exceptions, but for the most part they do it with a smile 7 days a week. I realize the Camino has brought jobs and money to many of these villages, yet I don’t know how patient I’d be on such a continual basis. It’s quite admirable. 

Just one more day of walking and we’ll be in León. It feels like a big milestone. We think of all of you often and hope you’re having a good September. Buen Camino

Another day another 30,000 steps

Today we arrived in Carrión de los Condes after logging about 30,000 steps on the Fitbit coming from Frómista. We started a little later this morning so we could eat breakfast at our hostel. The previous two mornings we have had to walk about 10k before our first cup of cafe con leche. That was not going to happen again today. We really like starting early and walking a little while in the dark ( using a headlamp for navigation). The sunrises are spectacular and worth getting up for. Also, the temperature is much cooler and enjoyable for walking. Distance to the first coffee has become a major factor in our start time in the morning !

The distance and the weight we are carrying is starting to take a toll on our bodies. We visited the local Farmacia to replenish our supply of ibuprofen, tape and bandages for our feet and a knee brace for my knee. My knee was quite sore walking today so I spent the afternoon icing and resting it. Hopefully I can baby it along until we get to Leon where we are going to take at least one additional day off from walking. You can always identify fellow pilgrims when walking around the town because almost all have a limp, bandaged feet, a knee brace or all the above. 

In spite of pain we are still having a great time seeing the country side (even the much maligned Meseta. ) Yesterday in the middle of nowhere we came upon a canal with a small ferry going up the canal. Unfortunately it was going the opposite direction from us. We would have gladly paid the two Euros to ride it to where we were headed if it had been going our Way.

 Also, we have enjoyed spending time with “ old “ Camino friends and making new ones. So many interesting characters walking the Camino. The small pain is worth the rewards. 

Adios and Buen Camino. 

Creatures

We are now walking across The Maseta, the expansive, flat plains of central Spain. It will take us approximately 10 days to cross it. Tonight we are in the quaint and historical town of Castrojeriz. We’re looking forward to a communal dinner here that is cooked by the hostelier’s wife followed by a tour of his old press and wine cellar!

Besides forests, streams, rivers, and a plethora of villages we are entertained during our walks by various domesticated animals (we have seen very little wildlife). Herds of sheep, sheep dogs and shepherds have crossed our path. The cows wear bells and are unusually beautiful! Over the Pyrenees we saw horses roaming wild. In some villages we’ve been tricked by caged birds calling out to us. Once we were passed by a pilgrim with a donkey. We thought of primitive times until we noticed the donkey had a GoCam strapped to his pack! Often we’ve watched playful kittens outside of barns or cats scurrying among old stone ruins. The cats are  small and thin here but very cute.

Of course there are dogs who let us pet them which never fails to bring a smile to our faces. Last night at our hostel we met the hostelier’s young lab, Gringo Starr. Isn’t that the greatest name?

Today, we walked through the ruins of San Anton’s monastery. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of animals. So, naturally, I had to stop in for a minute to feel thankful for the animals in our lives; Buck, Dodger, Squirt, Tessy, Ann & Harper, Ella, Sumo, Ally, Sandy, and Rocky. I left a medallion in a niche and put in a request for The Saint to be sure to take good care of our Marley. Sure hope she’s getting to chase lots of rabbits in dog heaven!

Day 16 of walking tomorrow and only about 443 more kilometers to go (about 265 miles)!

[We understand that it’s difficult or impossible to put comments in the blog. We don’t know why?? But, we’re loving it when you text us via WhatsApp or email us. Thanks everyone. It’s been great hearing from you.]