I'm sitting at my desk, I have been staring at my computer for the last 8 hours, there is 50cm of snow outside and the shoes I'm wearing will barely get me across the parking lot, let alone a whole country.
I miss you, Camino.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I am writing this from a cubicle. How depressing.
I have been putting off the wrap-up entry for some time. It's not that I hate writing. I just really don't want to admit it's over.
Since the beginning of our trip, I have been telling Becky that the hardest part of the Camino is maintaining the lifestyle and the "living-in-the-present" state of mind. We even came up with a catchphrase: Maintain the Spain.
I am extremely happy to report that we are doing just that! Becky and I have signed up to play on a soccer team together (What's more Spanish than that?) and have taken steps to keep on rolling with the Mediterrannean diet! :) It's lovely. I've even learned how to make Tortilla de Patata (google it.)
The state of mind is a harder thing to maintain, if not, impossible. When I was walking the Camino, I felt so at peace and so happy with myself. Now that I am back to "real life", I feel self-concious and slightly depressed. Just being honest.
All in all, I hope to someday combine my home life with that state of mind. To be honest, I think it has a lot to do with ridding your life of materialism. We'll see.
Hopefully, this isn't the end of my escapades.
-J
PS: Thank you to everyone who paid attention to our journey and gave us supportive feedback. It was very nice to hear from you when we were abroad. We missed you so much.
PPS: I am wearing my Camino shoes right now. :) Heeheehee.
Since the beginning of our trip, I have been telling Becky that the hardest part of the Camino is maintaining the lifestyle and the "living-in-the-present" state of mind. We even came up with a catchphrase: Maintain the Spain.
I am extremely happy to report that we are doing just that! Becky and I have signed up to play on a soccer team together (What's more Spanish than that?) and have taken steps to keep on rolling with the Mediterrannean diet! :) It's lovely. I've even learned how to make Tortilla de Patata (google it.)
The state of mind is a harder thing to maintain, if not, impossible. When I was walking the Camino, I felt so at peace and so happy with myself. Now that I am back to "real life", I feel self-concious and slightly depressed. Just being honest.
All in all, I hope to someday combine my home life with that state of mind. To be honest, I think it has a lot to do with ridding your life of materialism. We'll see.
Hopefully, this isn't the end of my escapades.
-J
PS: Thank you to everyone who paid attention to our journey and gave us supportive feedback. It was very nice to hear from you when we were abroad. We missed you so much.
PPS: I am wearing my Camino shoes right now. :) Heeheehee.
Monday, September 15, 2008
7 Weeks Later
Now, I don't know how many of our loyal readers will still be checking this blog, since Jess and I have both returned safely from Spain, but I thought I would post an update just in case anyone still cares. It has been a little over 7 weeks since I returned to "real life" and I must say, much of the Camino has stayed with me in day to day life. At least once a day, I have Camino flashbacks, when this happens I force myself to remember the scenario or place that flashes through my brain. It always puts a smile on my face to remember some of the highlights of the adventure. The seashell from my backpack is proudly displayed in my bedroom, and I am way more proud of my Compostela, than of any of my diplomas! I made a lot of promises to myself while walking the Camino, but the main one is to never forget the experience. I'm terrified that one day it will fade to the back of my mind and I have pledged to keep it as fresh in my memory as possible!
For anyone who was curious whether or not Jess and I would still be friends after spending those 6 weeks together ( I know some of you had bets going!), you can rest assured we are better buddies than when we started. In fact I need to give another great big thanks to my travel/walking buddy for being so great the whole time! I definitely couldn't have done it without you Yessi!
We'll keep you all posted with details as to where the next adventure will take us! Any suggestions?
For anyone who was curious whether or not Jess and I would still be friends after spending those 6 weeks together ( I know some of you had bets going!), you can rest assured we are better buddies than when we started. In fact I need to give another great big thanks to my travel/walking buddy for being so great the whole time! I definitely couldn't have done it without you Yessi!
We'll keep you all posted with details as to where the next adventure will take us! Any suggestions?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Proof!
Sleeping outside the albergue!
Dirt city.
Me celebrating at Cape Finisterre. No, there is no cigar, it was too wet!
Surreal to see ZERO kms left.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
One Day From Finisterre
I am 14 k.m. from the ¨end of the world.¨
After I said my sad goodbye to Becky in Santiago (see below), I immediately began walking to Finisterre.
The first day of walking was relatively easy, apart from a section of very steep climbing. After spending a few hours sitting by a river I found in a beautiful, small town, I made it to Negreira at 5:30 p.m. I should have been hastier because the hostel was full.
I slept outside that night. That´s right. I´m tough. In the company of a few fellow pilgrims. I put my backpack behind me, laid my sleeping bag at the front of the hostel, and put my purse in my sleeping bag. It was a horrible sleep, but I survived and it was an interesting experience. I have a photo to post later. FYI -- the coldest part of the night in Spain is 5 a.m.
I also have to mention that the showers (all women) did not have walls or doors -- just a big room. Whatever.
The second night was not much better. I got a bit lost and ended up walking about 40 k.m. in the blistering sun, only to arrive in Olveiroa to find the hostel full yet again. I slept on a gym mat in a barn-esque area of the hostel, which reeked of cow poop and was full of mosquitos. The good part about that was that I was forced to go out and party at the bar across the street, and I ended up meeting a lot of new, interesting pilgrims and local folk alike.
Tonight, I am in Cee. I am also sharing a room with two Germans at a one-star pension, which might as well be a Hilton considering the last few nights I´ve had.
People say that the beginning of the Camino is life, the dry Meseta signifies death, and the last, green bit in Galicia is rebirth.
I call the walk to Finisterre, CHILDHOOD. It is absolutely beautiful. It is very tough, as you are always walking up and down mini-mountains. Two blisters have emerged on my right foot, but I reached the ocean today and it is incredible.
Tomorrow, my Camino will end. I think I will head back to Santiago with these crazy Germans to celebrate once I finish.
- J
After I said my sad goodbye to Becky in Santiago (see below), I immediately began walking to Finisterre.
The first day of walking was relatively easy, apart from a section of very steep climbing. After spending a few hours sitting by a river I found in a beautiful, small town, I made it to Negreira at 5:30 p.m. I should have been hastier because the hostel was full.
I slept outside that night. That´s right. I´m tough. In the company of a few fellow pilgrims. I put my backpack behind me, laid my sleeping bag at the front of the hostel, and put my purse in my sleeping bag. It was a horrible sleep, but I survived and it was an interesting experience. I have a photo to post later. FYI -- the coldest part of the night in Spain is 5 a.m.
I also have to mention that the showers (all women) did not have walls or doors -- just a big room. Whatever.
The second night was not much better. I got a bit lost and ended up walking about 40 k.m. in the blistering sun, only to arrive in Olveiroa to find the hostel full yet again. I slept on a gym mat in a barn-esque area of the hostel, which reeked of cow poop and was full of mosquitos. The good part about that was that I was forced to go out and party at the bar across the street, and I ended up meeting a lot of new, interesting pilgrims and local folk alike.
Tonight, I am in Cee. I am also sharing a room with two Germans at a one-star pension, which might as well be a Hilton considering the last few nights I´ve had.
People say that the beginning of the Camino is life, the dry Meseta signifies death, and the last, green bit in Galicia is rebirth.
I call the walk to Finisterre, CHILDHOOD. It is absolutely beautiful. It is very tough, as you are always walking up and down mini-mountains. Two blisters have emerged on my right foot, but I reached the ocean today and it is incredible.
Tomorrow, my Camino will end. I think I will head back to Santiago with these crazy Germans to celebrate once I finish.
- J
One Night In Paris
You thought that when I got home, I would stop posting on this blog.......but you were wrong! I can't stop, I'm addicted to it! And so, I will proceed to tell you about my trip home, there are some good highlights that are worth mentioning.
My last day in Spain, I got up and left the hostel with Jess in the morning, we walked to the town square together before she continued on to Finisterre. Having to say bye to her was tough, it made me realize that I really was leaving! So after some big hugs and a few tears from me, I sent her off to continue the adventure that is the Camino, and I headed off to find a coffee. Little did I know that a wonderful surprise was in store for me.
I don't think we have mentioned them before on the blog, but since about our third day of walking, we ended up seeing this Korean family everyday. They always stopped in the same places we stopped, and we always passed them at least once a day while walking. We didn't speak any Korean, and they didn't speak any English, so we used big smiles and lots of waving as our way of communicating. There was a mother, father, aunt and a nine year old daughter, she was the best! Whenever we would see them, she would be the most excited, and usually greeted us with hugs. Anyway, they became welcome regulars on our Camino, and about 2 days before we reached Santiago, we lost them. We figured they would catch up and appear when we least expected, but when we hadn't seen them by the time Jess left for Finisterre, we accepted that we wouldn't see them again. This is where the nice surprise comes in; when I was sitting having my coffee that morning, they walked right by the cafe I was sitting in! I ran out the front door and yelled out to them as they passed by, and was greeted with the usual cheerfulness and big smiles that they had become known for! It was great to see them one last time before leaving Santiago! I feel like something would have been missing if they had never turned up again!
After my coffee and fix of Korean cheerfulness, I walked around a bit and did some souvenir shopping for the support crew back home. When I had finished, I figured I would walk around and find a taxi to the airport, but instead a taxi found me. I was coming out of the last store, and was nearly run down by a taxi, so I hopped in and was on my way home! I'm sure it was just the fact that I hadn't been in a car for 6 weeks, but the drive to the airport felt particularly dangerous. The driver was about 89 years old, and drove about 150km an hour. Yikes! But I arrived in one piece, and got myself checked in, and about an hour later I was on my way to Paris.
My plan was to stay in one of the hotels in the Paris airport, because I arrived around 5pm and was leaving for Montreal the next day at 1pm, so it wasn't worth it for me to get a taxi all the way into Paris, just to turn around and come back. Here is where the plan went a bit sideways....upon further inspection, the only hotels in the airport cost a minimum of 550 euros a night. So obviously, I did not stay there. My pilgrim training told me just to find a "comfortable" spot and sleep in the airport, so that's what I did! In true pilgrim style I whipped out my sleeping bag, used my backpack as a pillow and got at least a few hours of decent sleep! By the time 10:30 rolled around and they let me check in for my flight I was one happy pilgrim, it was time to go home! After a very long flight, and a quick tour through Canada Customs, I was very happy to find my parents waiting for me at the airport. A few huge hugs later and we were rolling down the highway back to Ottawa.
When we arrived at my house, I was thrilled to see that Chris and Derrick were there to surprise me, and I was informed that everyone else would over shortly! What a great surprise! I missed everyone so much, and it was so great of them to give me such a warm welcome home! A few faces were missing, ( Devon, Jen, Lindsay, Liv and Barbara, can't wait to see you guys! ) but the evening was great. I went to bed early, and was up and off to work this morning! Business as usual! I did find that I appreciated every little thing about being home though, for instance, my shower, my bed, my clothes, everything!
It is good to be back!
My last day in Spain, I got up and left the hostel with Jess in the morning, we walked to the town square together before she continued on to Finisterre. Having to say bye to her was tough, it made me realize that I really was leaving! So after some big hugs and a few tears from me, I sent her off to continue the adventure that is the Camino, and I headed off to find a coffee. Little did I know that a wonderful surprise was in store for me.
I don't think we have mentioned them before on the blog, but since about our third day of walking, we ended up seeing this Korean family everyday. They always stopped in the same places we stopped, and we always passed them at least once a day while walking. We didn't speak any Korean, and they didn't speak any English, so we used big smiles and lots of waving as our way of communicating. There was a mother, father, aunt and a nine year old daughter, she was the best! Whenever we would see them, she would be the most excited, and usually greeted us with hugs. Anyway, they became welcome regulars on our Camino, and about 2 days before we reached Santiago, we lost them. We figured they would catch up and appear when we least expected, but when we hadn't seen them by the time Jess left for Finisterre, we accepted that we wouldn't see them again. This is where the nice surprise comes in; when I was sitting having my coffee that morning, they walked right by the cafe I was sitting in! I ran out the front door and yelled out to them as they passed by, and was greeted with the usual cheerfulness and big smiles that they had become known for! It was great to see them one last time before leaving Santiago! I feel like something would have been missing if they had never turned up again!
After my coffee and fix of Korean cheerfulness, I walked around a bit and did some souvenir shopping for the support crew back home. When I had finished, I figured I would walk around and find a taxi to the airport, but instead a taxi found me. I was coming out of the last store, and was nearly run down by a taxi, so I hopped in and was on my way home! I'm sure it was just the fact that I hadn't been in a car for 6 weeks, but the drive to the airport felt particularly dangerous. The driver was about 89 years old, and drove about 150km an hour. Yikes! But I arrived in one piece, and got myself checked in, and about an hour later I was on my way to Paris.
My plan was to stay in one of the hotels in the Paris airport, because I arrived around 5pm and was leaving for Montreal the next day at 1pm, so it wasn't worth it for me to get a taxi all the way into Paris, just to turn around and come back. Here is where the plan went a bit sideways....upon further inspection, the only hotels in the airport cost a minimum of 550 euros a night. So obviously, I did not stay there. My pilgrim training told me just to find a "comfortable" spot and sleep in the airport, so that's what I did! In true pilgrim style I whipped out my sleeping bag, used my backpack as a pillow and got at least a few hours of decent sleep! By the time 10:30 rolled around and they let me check in for my flight I was one happy pilgrim, it was time to go home! After a very long flight, and a quick tour through Canada Customs, I was very happy to find my parents waiting for me at the airport. A few huge hugs later and we were rolling down the highway back to Ottawa.
When we arrived at my house, I was thrilled to see that Chris and Derrick were there to surprise me, and I was informed that everyone else would over shortly! What a great surprise! I missed everyone so much, and it was so great of them to give me such a warm welcome home! A few faces were missing, ( Devon, Jen, Lindsay, Liv and Barbara, can't wait to see you guys! ) but the evening was great. I went to bed early, and was up and off to work this morning! Business as usual! I did find that I appreciated every little thing about being home though, for instance, my shower, my bed, my clothes, everything!
It is good to be back!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Last Day
Today is my last full day in Spain, and as excited as I am to come home and see all of you and talk your ear off about the Camino, it is also quite sad to say goodbye to the country that has taken care of me for the last 6 weeks! Tomorrow I will be flying from Santiago to Paris, and then on Tuesday I fly from Paris to Montreal, and then back to Ottawa! So today I have to play the One Last game; one last glass of wine, one last Spanish coffee, one last picture of a beautiful cathedral, etc.
I also have to say how much I am going to miss being a dirty pilgrim. I didn´t walk 20km yesterday and therefore felt as though I accomplished nothing! I´m already having walking withdrawl! The other thing I am going to miss about being a pilgrim, is the aspect of it that makes it socially acceptable to look like a hobo all the time!. I have been wearing the same 2 shirts for the last 6 weeks, ( yes, they were washed often ) , I can´t remember the last time I brushed my hair, I have forgotten how to use makeup, am constantly covered in dirt or sweat or both, and yet everyone expects this from pilgrims so there is no problem! Going back to a life where you are expected to be presentable most of the time is going to be quite and adjustment!
Although, I am very much looking forward to my first shower in my own bathroom! It´s going to be the best welcome home present ever!
Enough of the silly-ness, I have to be off to get my fix of everything Spanish! This may be my last opportunity for Internet access until I get home, so if that is the case, I´ll see you all in a few days!
I also have to say how much I am going to miss being a dirty pilgrim. I didn´t walk 20km yesterday and therefore felt as though I accomplished nothing! I´m already having walking withdrawl! The other thing I am going to miss about being a pilgrim, is the aspect of it that makes it socially acceptable to look like a hobo all the time!. I have been wearing the same 2 shirts for the last 6 weeks, ( yes, they were washed often ) , I can´t remember the last time I brushed my hair, I have forgotten how to use makeup, am constantly covered in dirt or sweat or both, and yet everyone expects this from pilgrims so there is no problem! Going back to a life where you are expected to be presentable most of the time is going to be quite and adjustment!
Although, I am very much looking forward to my first shower in my own bathroom! It´s going to be the best welcome home present ever!
Enough of the silly-ness, I have to be off to get my fix of everything Spanish! This may be my last opportunity for Internet access until I get home, so if that is the case, I´ll see you all in a few days!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Can´t Stop, Won´t Stop
We´ve arrived safe and sound and I can finally brag that I completed the Camino de Santiago sans blisters.
But, I´ve decided to tempt fate and continue on to Finisterre. It´s a three day trip to the ¨end of the world¨ and I´m excited to continue my walking regimen on Monday morning.
It´s too bad that Becky does not have enough time to come with me to the coast, but I am extremely proud of her. She absolutely conquered the Camino. It´s insane to enter into something like this without debating it back and forth for months or years. Even while in the worst pain, she would always pick herself up and keep going. I can´t express how amazing a person she is and what wonderful company she was along the way. I am a difficult person to travel with, I´m sure, and Becky is a CLASS ACT.
Classy lady, go home and hug your family and friends. :)
I have chosen not to write about Santiago as my final destination because I don´t feel that way. I shed a few tears when I saw it in the distance for the first time, but it´s a bit anticlimactic. Although, even if I was presented with Jesus floating on a spaceship, after walking 788 km, I´d still be kinda disappointed, you know?
Woohoo!
-J
But, I´ve decided to tempt fate and continue on to Finisterre. It´s a three day trip to the ¨end of the world¨ and I´m excited to continue my walking regimen on Monday morning.
It´s too bad that Becky does not have enough time to come with me to the coast, but I am extremely proud of her. She absolutely conquered the Camino. It´s insane to enter into something like this without debating it back and forth for months or years. Even while in the worst pain, she would always pick herself up and keep going. I can´t express how amazing a person she is and what wonderful company she was along the way. I am a difficult person to travel with, I´m sure, and Becky is a CLASS ACT.
Classy lady, go home and hug your family and friends. :)
I have chosen not to write about Santiago as my final destination because I don´t feel that way. I shed a few tears when I saw it in the distance for the first time, but it´s a bit anticlimactic. Although, even if I was presented with Jesus floating on a spaceship, after walking 788 km, I´d still be kinda disappointed, you know?
Woohoo!
-J
We Made It!
Well everybody, we made it. After 38 days of walking, we finally arrived in Santiago yesterday around 3pm. It was a great walk from Arca, but turned into a very hot day, so we were very hot, tired and thirsty when we got here, which made the fact that we were pilgrims so much more obvious. It still hasn´t quite sunk in that I´m really at the end.
We immediately headed to the cathedral, which is where the Camino technically ends, so we felt we had to walk there first before we could do anything else. We sat in front of the church for a while admiring the architecture and people watching before decided we wanted our Compostelas. So we headed to the Pilgrim´s Office, to register and get our documents making us certified pilgrims. From there we found a small hotel to stay in, and dropped off our stuff, got showered and dressed and headed out to explore the city. Our timing was excellent, yesterday was the first day of the Fiesta, so there were tons of people everywhere, people busking on the side of the streets, marching bands and fireworks, the whole shabang! We decided that the festivities were in our honour, and that they were just welcoming us to Santiago.
We found a few other pilgrims and met a few new people, had dinner, and started celebrating our arrival! We left the bar around 2am, and the streets were still packed with people, and music and craziness, so we felt it would not be right to go to bed, instead we got some ice cream, headed back to the bar in our hotel, got another bottle of wine and continued the party! The 38 days of walking caught up with me around 4am, so I turned in for the night. Jess, being the hero that she is, ended her night around 7:30 this morning! We were both quite slow getting up and ready this morning, but because we are good little pilgrims, we got our butts out of bed and headed to the cathedral to attend the mass they hold for the pilgrims at noon.
Since then we have wandered around the city, found a nice cheap room for tonight and have been on the lookout for any pilgrims we may know that are arriving today. Now I believe it is time for a snack, as it usually is.
All around, it has been an amazing trip. Lots of tears and lots of laughs, definitely the best thing I could have possibly done for myself. After finishing the Camino, I feel like I can do anything, I am Superman!
Anyone else have a country they want me to walk across?
We immediately headed to the cathedral, which is where the Camino technically ends, so we felt we had to walk there first before we could do anything else. We sat in front of the church for a while admiring the architecture and people watching before decided we wanted our Compostelas. So we headed to the Pilgrim´s Office, to register and get our documents making us certified pilgrims. From there we found a small hotel to stay in, and dropped off our stuff, got showered and dressed and headed out to explore the city. Our timing was excellent, yesterday was the first day of the Fiesta, so there were tons of people everywhere, people busking on the side of the streets, marching bands and fireworks, the whole shabang! We decided that the festivities were in our honour, and that they were just welcoming us to Santiago.
We found a few other pilgrims and met a few new people, had dinner, and started celebrating our arrival! We left the bar around 2am, and the streets were still packed with people, and music and craziness, so we felt it would not be right to go to bed, instead we got some ice cream, headed back to the bar in our hotel, got another bottle of wine and continued the party! The 38 days of walking caught up with me around 4am, so I turned in for the night. Jess, being the hero that she is, ended her night around 7:30 this morning! We were both quite slow getting up and ready this morning, but because we are good little pilgrims, we got our butts out of bed and headed to the cathedral to attend the mass they hold for the pilgrims at noon.
Since then we have wandered around the city, found a nice cheap room for tonight and have been on the lookout for any pilgrims we may know that are arriving today. Now I believe it is time for a snack, as it usually is.
All around, it has been an amazing trip. Lots of tears and lots of laughs, definitely the best thing I could have possibly done for myself. After finishing the Camino, I feel like I can do anything, I am Superman!
Anyone else have a country they want me to walk across?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Christmas Eve
Technically I am supposed to be in bed right now, the albergue shut its doors and turned off the lights about 20mins ago, and I only have 3 minutes of Internet time to post this. Just wanted to say goodnight to all of you on the equivalent of our Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we will arrive in Santiago after 38 days of walking. Unbelievable! I am so excited, but also sad that this means the end of this wonderful trip is coming.
Goodnight to all, and our next post will be from Santiago!
Hasta Manana!
Goodnight to all, and our next post will be from Santiago!
Hasta Manana!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Honorable Mentions
I just wanted to follow up Jess´s entry with a little side note about some great pilgrims we met last night in Palas de Rei. The two men who were sleeping in the bunks beside Jess and I turned out to be some great people. The first is an older Austrian man named Rudy, who started walking the Camino from his front door in Austria, as is the tradition for European pilgrims. This means that he has been walking for about 3000km now.....which makes me slightly less proud of my 800km walk......only slightly. He recently won a long battle with cancer, and his way of saying ¨thank you¨ to the powers that be, is to walk this ridiculous distance. He is a hero! He had much to say, and we were even treated to a little traditional Austrian yodeling, which was awesome!
Note to self: learn how to yodel.
The other gentleman in the room was a guy who is from Galicia ( the Spanish province we are in, for those of you not paying attention ), and he is so proud of this area, that he whipped out tons of beautiful pictures he had taken and told us a lot about the culture and specialties of this province. His contribution to the evening´s entertainment, was that he was also a piper, and played us some traditional Galician tunes on his flute. It was quite a musical evening all around! He also walked with us today for a bit, and continued playing his flute while we walked.......it was really great, but made me feel a little like I was marching off to war.
All around, the people you meet along the way contribute a lot to the Camino, so I´m glad we got to meet those dudes and hear their stories, and figured there was a place for them on this blog!
Note to self: learn how to yodel.
The other gentleman in the room was a guy who is from Galicia ( the Spanish province we are in, for those of you not paying attention ), and he is so proud of this area, that he whipped out tons of beautiful pictures he had taken and told us a lot about the culture and specialties of this province. His contribution to the evening´s entertainment, was that he was also a piper, and played us some traditional Galician tunes on his flute. It was quite a musical evening all around! He also walked with us today for a bit, and continued playing his flute while we walked.......it was really great, but made me feel a little like I was marching off to war.
All around, the people you meet along the way contribute a lot to the Camino, so I´m glad we got to meet those dudes and hear their stories, and figured there was a place for them on this blog!
Arzua
First, a note to my father.
Dear Dad,
I´m very sorry I have been writing so much about nudity. However, sex sells and I do what I can to keep the readers coming back.
But seriously folks, I can´t help but share the horror stories as they are always what comes to mind when I can actually get behind a computer. However, you won´t be hearing any more from me as I am now completely desensitized. Moving on.
Now on to weather, culture, geography and the like.
We had a lovely 32 km walk today through the thick Galician forests -- imagine ´The Shire´from Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings for you non-nerds). The path often looks like a tunnel because of the overhanging trees. Unlike back in the Meseta, there are towns every 2 km or so, so walking seems to go much quicker.
Right now, we are in a town called Arzua (pronouced Are-thoo-ah) which is renowned for its smooth, creamy cheese. I´ll be endulging a bit later on tonight and I have been assured by Greg from Tennessee that it is quite delicious with beer.
It was pretty hot out today, even though Galicia is known for its soggy weather. They call this section of the walk the ´Rompe-Piernas´ which means ´Break Legs´. It´s a lot of up and down, but it´s a welcome change from giant mountains and neverending plains.
I can´t wait to upload photos of Galicia on here. No working USB jack yet, sorry.
The hostel we are staying at today is absolutely gorgeous, shower doors and all. The water was warm and the pressure good. The beds appear clean. The hospitaleros are welcoming. All in all, an absolute hit after the municipal shitholes we´ve been staying in lately.
Two more days ´til Santiago. I might have a treat for you all after that.
I miss you guys.
-J
Dear Dad,
I´m very sorry I have been writing so much about nudity. However, sex sells and I do what I can to keep the readers coming back.
But seriously folks, I can´t help but share the horror stories as they are always what comes to mind when I can actually get behind a computer. However, you won´t be hearing any more from me as I am now completely desensitized. Moving on.
Now on to weather, culture, geography and the like.
We had a lovely 32 km walk today through the thick Galician forests -- imagine ´The Shire´from Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings for you non-nerds). The path often looks like a tunnel because of the overhanging trees. Unlike back in the Meseta, there are towns every 2 km or so, so walking seems to go much quicker.
Right now, we are in a town called Arzua (pronouced Are-thoo-ah) which is renowned for its smooth, creamy cheese. I´ll be endulging a bit later on tonight and I have been assured by Greg from Tennessee that it is quite delicious with beer.
It was pretty hot out today, even though Galicia is known for its soggy weather. They call this section of the walk the ´Rompe-Piernas´ which means ´Break Legs´. It´s a lot of up and down, but it´s a welcome change from giant mountains and neverending plains.
I can´t wait to upload photos of Galicia on here. No working USB jack yet, sorry.
The hostel we are staying at today is absolutely gorgeous, shower doors and all. The water was warm and the pressure good. The beds appear clean. The hospitaleros are welcoming. All in all, an absolute hit after the municipal shitholes we´ve been staying in lately.
Two more days ´til Santiago. I might have a treat for you all after that.
I miss you guys.
-J
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The End is Nigh!
Three more days of walking! That´s just plain nuts! I can´t believe we have been walking for 36 days straight! That´s not normal. But then again, I think at this point it´s blatantly obvious that we are not normal.
I just need to put in my 2 cents on the whole public showering situation.
Yesterday, when presented with the women-only showers with no doors-curtains-or-anything-situation, I thought it was going to be a bit awkward, and had to take a moment to get over my Canadian aversion to being naked in public. But, after a few minutes of summoning up some courage, I conquered the whole naked ordeal. I felt like such a trooper!
Then today´s extra-special shower arrangement came up.
I no longer felt like a trooper, but more like I was being taken to the very edge of my comfort-zone, and then violently thrown off it.....turns out yesterday was just a warm up. But like Jess said, we prevailed! We planned our timing carefully, and were prepared to scream loudly should anyone have the misfortune of walking by our door-less shower stalls. Just when you think you have gotten the best of the Camino......it throws you another curveball!
Back to the non-public nudity portion of this blog.
Yesterday we walked from Sarria, through some of the most beautiful landscape we´ve seen yet, to Portomarin. During this walk we passed the 100km-to-Santiago mark, and ended the day with about 90km to go! Amazing!
Unfortunately, to get your ¨Compostela¨ (certificate for completing the Camino ) you only need to walk the last 100km, so obviously this is an option that many people take. I mean, who is crazy enough to walk 700km more than needed to get the same certificate? But for us, who are just that crazy, it means we have now been joined by a lot more people on the trail. And nothing against people or anything, but it is a big change from the peacefulness we have enjoyed the last 5 weeks, and I´m not thrilled about it! And I understand that most people do not have the luxury of being able to leave their real lives for 5 or 6 weeks to complete the entire Camino, but still! I think there should be a different certificate for people who have walked the whole thing, perhaps a slightly nicer one on fancy paper or something, something that says ¨Hey, I´ve been walking since France!¨. Is that too much to ask?
Apparantly.
Anyways, enough time spent ranting about the injustice of being a pilgrim, I´m running out of Internet time, and have yet to say how despite the doorless showers, hoards of new pilgrims, hot sun, and sore feet, I am going to miss the old Camino in about 3 days when I have to say goodbye. And on a bigger scale, I´m also going to miss the beautiful country of Spain in about 6 days when I have to fly back to Paris! Where else do they sell wine in vending machines and willingly get trampled by bulls?
But for now, I have to go enjoy one of my last pilgrim´s dinners, and absorb as much of the Spanish culture as I can to take home with me!
Hasta la vista, baby.
I just need to put in my 2 cents on the whole public showering situation.
Yesterday, when presented with the women-only showers with no doors-curtains-or-anything-situation, I thought it was going to be a bit awkward, and had to take a moment to get over my Canadian aversion to being naked in public. But, after a few minutes of summoning up some courage, I conquered the whole naked ordeal. I felt like such a trooper!
Then today´s extra-special shower arrangement came up.
I no longer felt like a trooper, but more like I was being taken to the very edge of my comfort-zone, and then violently thrown off it.
Back to the non-public nudity portion of this blog.
Yesterday we walked from Sarria, through some of the most beautiful landscape we´ve seen yet, to Portomarin. During this walk we passed the 100km-to-Santiago mark, and ended the day with about 90km to go! Amazing!
Unfortunately, to get your ¨Compostela¨ (certificate for completing the Camino ) you only need to walk the last 100km, so obviously this is an option that many people take. I mean, who is crazy enough to walk 700km more than needed to get the same certificate? But for us, who are just that crazy, it means we have now been joined by a lot more people on the trail. And nothing against people or anything, but it is a big change from the peacefulness we have enjoyed the last 5 weeks, and I´m not thrilled about it! And I understand that most people do not have the luxury of being able to leave their real lives for 5 or 6 weeks to complete the entire Camino, but still! I think there should be a different certificate for people who have walked the whole thing, perhaps a slightly nicer one on fancy paper or something, something that says ¨Hey, I´ve been walking since France!¨. Is that too much to ask?
Apparantly.
Anyways, enough time spent ranting about the injustice of being a pilgrim, I´m running out of Internet time, and have yet to say how despite the doorless showers, hoards of new pilgrims, hot sun, and sore feet, I am going to miss the old Camino in about 3 days when I have to say goodbye. And on a bigger scale, I´m also going to miss the beautiful country of Spain in about 6 days when I have to fly back to Paris! Where else do they sell wine in vending machines and willingly get trampled by bulls?
But for now, I have to go enjoy one of my last pilgrim´s dinners, and absorb as much of the Spanish culture as I can to take home with me!
Hasta la vista, baby.
Three Euros ... No Doors
Hey everybody.
We are doing great! Three more days of walking before we reach Santiago. Can you believe it? I certainly can´t. I have a strange combination of feelings while walking, now. I feel happy that the end is close, but cautious because I´m sure that I´ve been far too lucky so far in terms of injuries. Hopefully I can make it there in one piece.
So I´ve lost a part of myself these last few days. Turns out, when you pay 3 Euros for a night at a hostel, you get what you pay for. Yesterday, I went to take a much needed shower and something was missing. I tried as hard as I could to find out how to close the shower stalls to no avail. No doors.
So there I was, in all of my Canadian glory, showering in front of other people. God, it´s really hard. If you´ve gone your whole life associating the act of showering with privacy, it´s difficult when the latter is lacking.
But, after about 30 seconds, I was fine. I was used to it. It´s OKAY.
However, today we did the same thing and paid 3 Euros for our hostel. We were tired and, apparently, didn´t learn our lesson.
Today´s shower situation was almost too much for me, but I couldn´t just live in my filth. The shower was CO-ED, with no doors. My LIFE!!!!
Becky and I ended up waiting until the men cleared outta there and then went in to do our business. What can I say? I´m no longer bashful.
FYI -- we´re in a town called Palas de Rei.
See you soon!
-J
We are doing great! Three more days of walking before we reach Santiago. Can you believe it? I certainly can´t. I have a strange combination of feelings while walking, now. I feel happy that the end is close, but cautious because I´m sure that I´ve been far too lucky so far in terms of injuries. Hopefully I can make it there in one piece.
So I´ve lost a part of myself these last few days. Turns out, when you pay 3 Euros for a night at a hostel, you get what you pay for. Yesterday, I went to take a much needed shower and something was missing. I tried as hard as I could to find out how to close the shower stalls to no avail. No doors.
So there I was, in all of my Canadian glory, showering in front of other people. God, it´s really hard. If you´ve gone your whole life associating the act of showering with privacy, it´s difficult when the latter is lacking.
But, after about 30 seconds, I was fine. I was used to it. It´s OKAY.
However, today we did the same thing and paid 3 Euros for our hostel. We were tired and, apparently, didn´t learn our lesson.
Today´s shower situation was almost too much for me, but I couldn´t just live in my filth. The shower was CO-ED, with no doors. My LIFE!!!!
Becky and I ended up waiting until the men cleared outta there and then went in to do our business. What can I say? I´m no longer bashful.
FYI -- we´re in a town called Palas de Rei.
See you soon!
-J
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Success!
Well folks, we were successful in our crazy attempt to climb a mountain and walk 32.5km in one day! Now we are unstoppable! I´m not going to lie, it was ridiculously difficult. We even tried to stop early because we were so tired and sore, but the only towns we passed through seemed very unwelcoming so we decided to walk on. After about 12 hours on the road (10.5 walking, 1.5 worth of breaks ) we finally rolled in to Triacastela. We were both very relieved that it was a nice place and both very relieved that the restaurant was only abot 50m down the street, had it been any further away we both would have opted to skip dinner and go to bed!
We had some great food, a good night´s sleep and got up this morning to do some more walking. I know, how very unlike us!
Today we walked abot 20km to Sarria, which seems like a nice place so far! The hostel is nice and only 4 people per room really cuts down the chances of getting stuck with a snorer! The clothes are washed, the feet are rested, so we are doing the usual afternoon hang out and wait for dinner routine.....I think we have spent almost as much time waiting for dinner so far as we have walking!
I´ll let you know how it is!
We had some great food, a good night´s sleep and got up this morning to do some more walking. I know, how very unlike us!
Today we walked abot 20km to Sarria, which seems like a nice place so far! The hostel is nice and only 4 people per room really cuts down the chances of getting stuck with a snorer! The clothes are washed, the feet are rested, so we are doing the usual afternoon hang out and wait for dinner routine.....I think we have spent almost as much time waiting for dinner so far as we have walking!
I´ll let you know how it is!
Friday, July 11, 2008
My Sentiments
Usually, in the middle of the walking day, I forget that I´m in Spain. Looking around, I see the cars, signs, architecture and people, and comprehend that they´re strange and different. And yet, I don´t get the sense that I´m travelling -- I feel more like I´m at home.
One Last Mountain
So I bet you all thought we fell off a mountain or got run over by goats or decided to stop walking and become flashers ourselves. But alas, none of these things are the case. As you probably figured, we have been without internet access for a little while. So I´ll give you all a quick update!
We stopped in Hospital de Orbigo, and met Jess´s grandparents for lunch, and ate so much that neither one of us was hungry for dinner, so we went to bed instead! The town was beautiful, they had an amazing medival bridge, and beside it was a perfectly preserved jousting field, which was very cool to see.
The next day we got up and walked to the first little village for breakfast, and caught the morning news, which showed highlights of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, and let me tell you, it is a brutal tradition that these people take part in! We actually saw someone get killed by a bull on live tv, and many more trampled within inches of breathing. It is crazy that anyone would do this voluntarily! After this disturbing morning newscast, we walked through to Astorga, where we stopped for a bit and saw Gaudi´s Palace, which was amazing, definitely one of the most beautiful buildings so far! We decided to continue on an extra 5km to the next little town, where we practically had the hostel to ourselves. Other than us, there were 2 other women who stayed there that night, and we were the only ones who opted to eat dinner at the hostel, so we were treated to a private dinner of home made spaghetti and white bean salad! Delicious!
From there we walked to Rabanal, where we passed a very uneventful afternoon of playing with local puppies and reading, and after dinner we went to bed as usual, we wanted to leave very early the next day because we had a lot of walking to do, and our hostel wasn´t very nice! Shortly into our walk the next day, we climbed a small mountain which hosted the Iron Cross at the top, an important pilgrim monument. A simple cross, with a huge pile of rocks at the bottom, that have accumulated after many years of pilgrims leaving a stone from their home country behind at its base. It was beautiful to see, but we didn´t stay long, because we had a lot of downhill walking to do before we reached our destination. 27km later, we roll into beautiful Molinaseca, where we had one of the best pilgrim´s dinners yet, and a great hostel to boot!
After a good night´s sleep, we got up and walked about 25km to Cacabelos, which is famous for it´s wine, and featured a hostel in the courtyard of the local church. The accomodations were small ( 2 beds in a 8´X 8´ locker, much resembling my storage unit in Carp ) but quite nice, it was private and clean, which is all we really wanted, and quite unique. We had dinner with a small group of other peregrinos, including women from Japan, England, Australia, and a man from Arizona. A good group of people, and a fun dinner later, we headed back to our room for a good night´s sleep.
Today we ended in a little town called Vega de Valcarce, and are staying at a Brazilian hostel, the dinner we just finished was amazing, Brazilian style food and all the wine we could handle! We have 7 days of walking left, and the end seems so close, but we are still about 169km from Santiago. Tomorrow we will be climbing our last mountain of the Camino, called O Cebriero, and hope to travel about 32km by the time the day is done! So needless to say, we are going to bed nice and early today, so if internet access permits, we should be filling you in on how the day went tomorrow night!
We stopped in Hospital de Orbigo, and met Jess´s grandparents for lunch, and ate so much that neither one of us was hungry for dinner, so we went to bed instead! The town was beautiful, they had an amazing medival bridge, and beside it was a perfectly preserved jousting field, which was very cool to see.
The next day we got up and walked to the first little village for breakfast, and caught the morning news, which showed highlights of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, and let me tell you, it is a brutal tradition that these people take part in! We actually saw someone get killed by a bull on live tv, and many more trampled within inches of breathing. It is crazy that anyone would do this voluntarily! After this disturbing morning newscast, we walked through to Astorga, where we stopped for a bit and saw Gaudi´s Palace, which was amazing, definitely one of the most beautiful buildings so far! We decided to continue on an extra 5km to the next little town, where we practically had the hostel to ourselves. Other than us, there were 2 other women who stayed there that night, and we were the only ones who opted to eat dinner at the hostel, so we were treated to a private dinner of home made spaghetti and white bean salad! Delicious!
From there we walked to Rabanal, where we passed a very uneventful afternoon of playing with local puppies and reading, and after dinner we went to bed as usual, we wanted to leave very early the next day because we had a lot of walking to do, and our hostel wasn´t very nice! Shortly into our walk the next day, we climbed a small mountain which hosted the Iron Cross at the top, an important pilgrim monument. A simple cross, with a huge pile of rocks at the bottom, that have accumulated after many years of pilgrims leaving a stone from their home country behind at its base. It was beautiful to see, but we didn´t stay long, because we had a lot of downhill walking to do before we reached our destination. 27km later, we roll into beautiful Molinaseca, where we had one of the best pilgrim´s dinners yet, and a great hostel to boot!
After a good night´s sleep, we got up and walked about 25km to Cacabelos, which is famous for it´s wine, and featured a hostel in the courtyard of the local church. The accomodations were small ( 2 beds in a 8´X 8´ locker, much resembling my storage unit in Carp ) but quite nice, it was private and clean, which is all we really wanted, and quite unique. We had dinner with a small group of other peregrinos, including women from Japan, England, Australia, and a man from Arizona. A good group of people, and a fun dinner later, we headed back to our room for a good night´s sleep.
Today we ended in a little town called Vega de Valcarce, and are staying at a Brazilian hostel, the dinner we just finished was amazing, Brazilian style food and all the wine we could handle! We have 7 days of walking left, and the end seems so close, but we are still about 169km from Santiago. Tomorrow we will be climbing our last mountain of the Camino, called O Cebriero, and hope to travel about 32km by the time the day is done! So needless to say, we are going to bed nice and early today, so if internet access permits, we should be filling you in on how the day went tomorrow night!
Monday, July 7, 2008
One cr-azy day.
Yesterday was a bit of a weird one. I didn´t have access to the internet, so I spent the last 24 hours mulling over whether I should post this or not.
The day began as we woke up late -- 7:15 a.m. -- in Villar de Mazarife, a super tiny town just past Leon.
The hospitalero there has one brown eye and one blue eye, and a long grey ponytail. I pin him at 62-years-old. His name is Pepe. I met him two years ago on my last camino. During the winter, he is a physiotherapist in Alicante, Spain and during the summer he runs his hostel. I must mention that he is also a spiritual healer.
Last time I visited Pepe, I was in a bad place. He helped me out by talking to me the morning of my departure from Villar de Mazarife (about the passing of my Mom and other things) and also straightened the tendons in my legs where I was experiencing Tendonitis. What a guy.
This time was no different. I have had a crick in my neck for nearly two years. I think it occurred when I checked my blind spot a little too enthusiastically one day. Since then, I haven´t been able to check my blind spot with the same vigor.
So, back to the story. Pepe fixed me up again. He assured me that I was in a much better place than last time he saw me and that we would meet again.
He fed Becky and I some Churros (Google it) and we were on our way.
I was feeling rather peaceful and spiritual on our way out of the town. I popped in the old iPod earbuds and bounced down the street happily.
Here´s when life changed.
I must mention I was listening to the audiobook version of Deepak Chopra´s ¨The Higher Self¨. I was just about out of the town when I hear a big ol´¨HOLA¨come from across the road.
I look to my left to see a (estimated) 50-year-old man mopping the entryway of his home with, well, absolutely no clothes on. Flasher, indeed. I won´t elaborate too much here.
My response? Although I always thought my response to a flasher would be clever and hilarious, all I could muster was a, ¨Hola-ugh!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¨
I kept on walking and turned around to Becky, who was about 25 feet behind me, and yelled, ¨HEY! Don´t look in there!¨ as I pointed to the guys house.
Luckily for her, the guy had closed the door by then.
So, honestly, the day got better from there. We went to a bar in the next town for coffee. I had been there the last time I did the camino as well, and mentioned to the barkeep that I remembered the kittens he had showed me in his patio two years ago. He responded, ¨If you stick around a few days longer, you might see some more.¨
But what do you know. We stuck around 5 minutes longer, and saw some brand new, baby kitties.
It was a good end to the weirdness.
-J
The day began as we woke up late -- 7:15 a.m. -- in Villar de Mazarife, a super tiny town just past Leon.
The hospitalero there has one brown eye and one blue eye, and a long grey ponytail. I pin him at 62-years-old. His name is Pepe. I met him two years ago on my last camino. During the winter, he is a physiotherapist in Alicante, Spain and during the summer he runs his hostel. I must mention that he is also a spiritual healer.
Last time I visited Pepe, I was in a bad place. He helped me out by talking to me the morning of my departure from Villar de Mazarife (about the passing of my Mom and other things) and also straightened the tendons in my legs where I was experiencing Tendonitis. What a guy.
This time was no different. I have had a crick in my neck for nearly two years. I think it occurred when I checked my blind spot a little too enthusiastically one day. Since then, I haven´t been able to check my blind spot with the same vigor.
So, back to the story. Pepe fixed me up again. He assured me that I was in a much better place than last time he saw me and that we would meet again.
He fed Becky and I some Churros (Google it) and we were on our way.
I was feeling rather peaceful and spiritual on our way out of the town. I popped in the old iPod earbuds and bounced down the street happily.
Here´s when life changed.
I must mention I was listening to the audiobook version of Deepak Chopra´s ¨The Higher Self¨. I was just about out of the town when I hear a big ol´¨HOLA¨come from across the road.
I look to my left to see a (estimated) 50-year-old man mopping the entryway of his home with, well, absolutely no clothes on. Flasher, indeed. I won´t elaborate too much here.
My response? Although I always thought my response to a flasher would be clever and hilarious, all I could muster was a, ¨Hola-ugh!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¨
I kept on walking and turned around to Becky, who was about 25 feet behind me, and yelled, ¨HEY! Don´t look in there!¨ as I pointed to the guys house.
Luckily for her, the guy had closed the door by then.
So, honestly, the day got better from there. We went to a bar in the next town for coffee. I had been there the last time I did the camino as well, and mentioned to the barkeep that I remembered the kittens he had showed me in his patio two years ago. He responded, ¨If you stick around a few days longer, you might see some more.¨
But what do you know. We stuck around 5 minutes longer, and saw some brand new, baby kitties.
It was a good end to the weirdness.
-J
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Lovely Leon
After a short 12km walk yesterday, Jess and I arrived in beautiful Leon. Once we arrived, we got a petit-peut lost, and ended up taking an extra half an hour tour around the outskirts of the city! A helpful ex-pilgrim pedestrian helped us out, and walked us to the front door of the hostel. From there it was easy! The hostel was big, not awful, but not super nice either, so we were happy to be in a great city for touring around so we didn´t have to spend too much time at the hostel.
And tour we did! We visited the amazing gothic cathedral in the town square, and took a nice walk up and down the main street, window shopping and drooling over all the pretty things that we wanted, but would be impractical for pilgrims. We also ate a bit, had a beer, a coffee and basically relaxed. The city is just beautiful, it´s easy to see why it´s Jess´s fave. Unfortunately, around dinner time, Jess started to feel not-so-good, so we had a quick bite and then were both happy to retreat back to our uncomfortable bunk beds for the night.
Today we got up around 6am and started the long walk out of Leon, to end up in Villar de Mazarife, about 22km away. We got here in good time, around 1:30, and I had a nap as usual. The town is very small, so not much venturing about is required, a relaxing afternoon of reading and sitting is all that we have planned. Oh, and waiting for dinner of course! Tonight we will be having Paella, for the first time since our trip began, and I am very excited! I´ll let you know how it was so you can all be jealous!
And tour we did! We visited the amazing gothic cathedral in the town square, and took a nice walk up and down the main street, window shopping and drooling over all the pretty things that we wanted, but would be impractical for pilgrims. We also ate a bit, had a beer, a coffee and basically relaxed. The city is just beautiful, it´s easy to see why it´s Jess´s fave. Unfortunately, around dinner time, Jess started to feel not-so-good, so we had a quick bite and then were both happy to retreat back to our uncomfortable bunk beds for the night.
Today we got up around 6am and started the long walk out of Leon, to end up in Villar de Mazarife, about 22km away. We got here in good time, around 1:30, and I had a nap as usual. The town is very small, so not much venturing about is required, a relaxing afternoon of reading and sitting is all that we have planned. Oh, and waiting for dinner of course! Tonight we will be having Paella, for the first time since our trip began, and I am very excited! I´ll let you know how it was so you can all be jealous!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tortilla, Tortilla, Tortilla!
We started our day today with a walk from El Burgo Ranero to Reliegos, which consisted of a 13km stretch with nothing in it, another one of these days where staring at a neverending field is my main activity. ( see Jess´s Meseta pictures )
But when we did get to Reliegos, we stopped at a little cafe and had some coffee and I decided to have some tortilla for breakfast. For those of you who don´t know, Spanish tortilla is a delicious combination of potatoe, egg, onion and garlic, it resembles a large omelet, and is amazing! When we left Reliegos, we walked 6km to Mansilla de la Mulas, where we stopped for a beer, and more tortilla. Mmmm! The last stretch of our walk today was 5km to Puenta Villarente, where a very nice little hostel awaited us, and they informed us that they were serving tortilla and salad for dinner! So that means that all three meals today for me have been tortilla! Oh darn.......I hate being forced to eat something delicious all day long!
In case you haven´t noticed from the prevalence of food mentioning in our blog, the food here is definitely a major bonus to this trip!
Hasta Luego!
But when we did get to Reliegos, we stopped at a little cafe and had some coffee and I decided to have some tortilla for breakfast. For those of you who don´t know, Spanish tortilla is a delicious combination of potatoe, egg, onion and garlic, it resembles a large omelet, and is amazing! When we left Reliegos, we walked 6km to Mansilla de la Mulas, where we stopped for a beer, and more tortilla. Mmmm! The last stretch of our walk today was 5km to Puenta Villarente, where a very nice little hostel awaited us, and they informed us that they were serving tortilla and salad for dinner! So that means that all three meals today for me have been tortilla! Oh darn.......I hate being forced to eat something delicious all day long!
In case you haven´t noticed from the prevalence of food mentioning in our blog, the food here is definitely a major bonus to this trip!
Hasta Luego!
The Meseta
I know, I know. We were complaining about mountains for a while and now I´m going to complain about prairies.
Since we were in Burgos, about a week and a half ago, we have been walking La Meseta.
It´s flat, often yellowy and very boring. Behold.
Tomorrow we are in LEON! I love, love, love Leon -- it is very close to my heart. It is very beautiful and filled with great architecture.
Hope you´re all de-hungover´d from Canada Day,
J
Since we were in Burgos, about a week and a half ago, we have been walking La Meseta.
It´s flat, often yellowy and very boring. Behold.
Tomorrow we are in LEON! I love, love, love Leon -- it is very close to my heart. It is very beautiful and filled with great architecture.
Hope you´re all de-hungover´d from Canada Day,
J
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Shoutout
Becky and I have been meaning to write this for quite a while:
A big congratulations to Derrick for being accepted to his program.
That´s really fantastic news, and ¨best of luck in future endeavours¨-- report card style.
Thanks so much for all the comments, Derrick, and to everyone else who is keeping track. I don´t dare name anyone for the fear of leaving out some important pilgrim-watchers. You guys really keep us going. You´re the Peptobismol to our homesickness. (?)
-J
A big congratulations to Derrick for being accepted to his program.
That´s really fantastic news, and ¨best of luck in future endeavours¨-- report card style.
Thanks so much for all the comments, Derrick, and to everyone else who is keeping track. I don´t dare name anyone for the fear of leaving out some important pilgrim-watchers. You guys really keep us going. You´re the Peptobismol to our homesickness. (?)
-J
The City of Frogs
I believe that Camino-wise we last filled you in about our wonderful stay in Boadilla, so I´ll back track a little and give you some of the highlights since then. We ended the next day in Carion de los Condes, and after a bit of wandering around and a beer or two, we found our albergue (hostel), and it was delightful! It was attached to the huge church in one of the town´s squares, and was run by nuns! They informed us that everyday at 6pm they have a sing-along where all the pilgrims go and share songs from their home country. We unfortunately missed this little ritual, because we were absolutely ravenous and had to go out in search of food, but I thought it was such a cute tradition, that it was worth mentioning.
This was also the night that Spain beat out Germany in the Eurocup Final (soccer, for those of you who are lost), we were expecting a lot of noise and partying to keep us up that night, but we were pretty exhausted so we still managed to get a good nights sleep. Small tidbit, this was also the day that it was 46 degrees in the sun.......so we found the nearest shady spot and parked ourselves for the afternoon.
The next day we knew we had a 17.5km stretch first thing in the morning with absolutely nothing, no towns, roads, cafes, or anything. Just flat fields. Yay. This may not sound like a horrible thing, but after you´ve walked for about 3 hours without having anything to look at besides the gravel path you are walking on, you start to go a little crazy. Needless to say, I was very happy to see buildings in the first town we eventually came upon. We stopped and had a coffee, and then decided to continue on another 6km to the town of Ledigos. Here we found very small, but clean hostel with a bar attached, and settled in for the evening.
From Ledigos we got up and travelled to Sahagun, which is where we spent our Canada Day ( see previous post! ) , and had a pretty laid back afternoon of wandering around the city and learning about the world from 2 Spanish guys we met there. Nothing scandalous, they were 45 year old teachers who liked to talk, so we sat and listened to their stories which were explained in a pretty hilarious Spanish-English-French mix. We had dinner and went to bed, and were pleasantly surprised by a relatively quiet night. Very few snorers, and the ones that did snore, did so intermittently, so it was great for sleeping!
Today we walked from Sahagun to El Burgo Ranero, which translates to the City of Frogs. So far, we have seen no frogs........but we have seen a cute puppy, a few hilarious old guys ( one referred to me as ¨the chubby one¨, which is totally not offensive coming from an 80 year old! ), and a nice church. We also enjoyed a beer and a yummy potatoe dish, along with cow intestines ( surprisingly good ) in a tasty sauce, so we´ll see what else this little town has to offer us later this afternoon!
One last thought, our hostel is built out of straw and mud piled up into walls, so cross your fingers that the Big Bad Wolf doesn´t pay us a visit.
Jess is very desperate for an English book to read, and has just found one at the hostel called ¨Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed¨, so I think I´d best go stop her so I don´t have to spend all day walking tomorrow learning everything I didn´t want to know about mongooses......( mongeese? )
This was also the night that Spain beat out Germany in the Eurocup Final (soccer, for those of you who are lost), we were expecting a lot of noise and partying to keep us up that night, but we were pretty exhausted so we still managed to get a good nights sleep. Small tidbit, this was also the day that it was 46 degrees in the sun.......so we found the nearest shady spot and parked ourselves for the afternoon.
The next day we knew we had a 17.5km stretch first thing in the morning with absolutely nothing, no towns, roads, cafes, or anything. Just flat fields. Yay. This may not sound like a horrible thing, but after you´ve walked for about 3 hours without having anything to look at besides the gravel path you are walking on, you start to go a little crazy. Needless to say, I was very happy to see buildings in the first town we eventually came upon. We stopped and had a coffee, and then decided to continue on another 6km to the town of Ledigos. Here we found very small, but clean hostel with a bar attached, and settled in for the evening.
From Ledigos we got up and travelled to Sahagun, which is where we spent our Canada Day ( see previous post! ) , and had a pretty laid back afternoon of wandering around the city and learning about the world from 2 Spanish guys we met there. Nothing scandalous, they were 45 year old teachers who liked to talk, so we sat and listened to their stories which were explained in a pretty hilarious Spanish-English-French mix. We had dinner and went to bed, and were pleasantly surprised by a relatively quiet night. Very few snorers, and the ones that did snore, did so intermittently, so it was great for sleeping!
Today we walked from Sahagun to El Burgo Ranero, which translates to the City of Frogs. So far, we have seen no frogs........but we have seen a cute puppy, a few hilarious old guys ( one referred to me as ¨the chubby one¨, which is totally not offensive coming from an 80 year old! ), and a nice church. We also enjoyed a beer and a yummy potatoe dish, along with cow intestines ( surprisingly good ) in a tasty sauce, so we´ll see what else this little town has to offer us later this afternoon!
One last thought, our hostel is built out of straw and mud piled up into walls, so cross your fingers that the Big Bad Wolf doesn´t pay us a visit.
Jess is very desperate for an English book to read, and has just found one at the hostel called ¨Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed¨, so I think I´d best go stop her so I don´t have to spend all day walking tomorrow learning everything I didn´t want to know about mongooses......( mongeese? )
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Happy Canada Day!
Good news everybody! We´re over halfway done. It feels like much more. We´re motoring along at a good rate and will be in Leon by Friday to eat some serious tapas.
We are doing well, physically. Becky has become a walking machine and my shinsplints are being kept at bay. Today we are heading into a city called Sahagun.
So, it´s true -- we probably won´t end up at Parliament Hill this evening. I hope you all have a wonderful time making clowns of yourself with large amounts of Alexander Keiths and cheesy temporary tattoos.
Have one more for your buddies in Spain, will ya? We´ll have one for you, we promise.
Let´s see here ... what´s new? Well, maybe I should just take this opportunity to explain what a typical day for us is like.
5:50 a.m. - Wake up, curse the world and get dressed
6:15 a.m. - Leave the hostel, hobbling
7:30 a.m. - Stop for breakfast which includes cafe con leche, orange juice and toast or pastry
11:00 a.m. - Stop for lunch (bocadillo)
1:30ish p.m. - Find our hostel
2:30 p.m. - Have a shower and handwash the laundry, hang it out to dry
3:30 p.m. - Read and wait for dinner, getting hungrier and hungrier
7:30 p.m. - Have dinner, the best part of the day, sometimes
8:30 p.m. - Put away laundry and get ready for bed
9 p.m. - Sleep, hoping that no one will snore
Well, that´s it really. Just the basics.
We´ll be celebrating Canada Day on the inside. Maybe I´ll give myself a temporary Maple Leaf tattoo with a pen.
Take care!
-J
We are doing well, physically. Becky has become a walking machine and my shinsplints are being kept at bay. Today we are heading into a city called Sahagun.
So, it´s true -- we probably won´t end up at Parliament Hill this evening. I hope you all have a wonderful time making clowns of yourself with large amounts of Alexander Keiths and cheesy temporary tattoos.
Have one more for your buddies in Spain, will ya? We´ll have one for you, we promise.
Let´s see here ... what´s new? Well, maybe I should just take this opportunity to explain what a typical day for us is like.
5:50 a.m. - Wake up, curse the world and get dressed
6:15 a.m. - Leave the hostel, hobbling
7:30 a.m. - Stop for breakfast which includes cafe con leche, orange juice and toast or pastry
11:00 a.m. - Stop for lunch (bocadillo)
1:30ish p.m. - Find our hostel
2:30 p.m. - Have a shower and handwash the laundry, hang it out to dry
3:30 p.m. - Read and wait for dinner, getting hungrier and hungrier
7:30 p.m. - Have dinner, the best part of the day, sometimes
8:30 p.m. - Put away laundry and get ready for bed
9 p.m. - Sleep, hoping that no one will snore
Well, that´s it really. Just the basics.
We´ll be celebrating Canada Day on the inside. Maybe I´ll give myself a temporary Maple Leaf tattoo with a pen.
Take care!
-J
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Things Canadians Take for Granted
So far on this walk of ours we have encountered many interesting situations that often don´t include many of the everyday luxuries that we have become accustomed to in Canada, so next time you step into your bathroom, think about us and some of the things we miss the most.
1. Toilet seats
2. Toilet paper
3. Hand soap
4. Hand towels
5. Hot water
6. Non-bunk beds
7. Ladders to access top bunks when there are bunk beds
8. Double beds
9. Clean sheets
10. Washers & dryers, and laundry soap
11. Taking showers without wearing sandals
12. Rooster free mornings
13. Light switches that aren´t on timers
14. Roomy bathroom stalls
15. Wall hooks in bathroom
16. Not having to mop the floor after you take a shower
17. Couches
18. Hair conditioner
19. Single bed rooms
20. Having more than one wardrobe choice
21. Air conditioning
22. Transportation ( besides feet )
23. Friends and family
24. The English language
25. Unlimited Internet usage
Just so you don´t think we are pining away for home all the time, here is a list of things we don´t miss!
1. Chris Hofley (just kidding, buddy)
2. Extended couch sits
3. Television
4. Sugar
5. Huge portions of fried food
6. Lack of free wine
7. Inflated tobacco (Jess) and alcohol prices ( Becky & Jess)
8. Schedules
9. Work
10. OC Transpo
11. Gas prices
12. Canadian politics
13. Humidity
14. Lack of muscle usage
15. Rain ( ha ha, suckers )
1. Toilet seats
2. Toilet paper
3. Hand soap
4. Hand towels
5. Hot water
6. Non-bunk beds
7. Ladders to access top bunks when there are bunk beds
8. Double beds
9. Clean sheets
10. Washers & dryers, and laundry soap
11. Taking showers without wearing sandals
12. Rooster free mornings
13. Light switches that aren´t on timers
14. Roomy bathroom stalls
15. Wall hooks in bathroom
16. Not having to mop the floor after you take a shower
17. Couches
18. Hair conditioner
19. Single bed rooms
20. Having more than one wardrobe choice
21. Air conditioning
22. Transportation ( besides feet )
23. Friends and family
24. The English language
25. Unlimited Internet usage
Just so you don´t think we are pining away for home all the time, here is a list of things we don´t miss!
1. Chris Hofley (just kidding, buddy)
2. Extended couch sits
3. Television
4. Sugar
5. Huge portions of fried food
6. Lack of free wine
7. Inflated tobacco (Jess) and alcohol prices ( Becky & Jess)
8. Schedules
9. Work
10. OC Transpo
11. Gas prices
12. Canadian politics
13. Humidity
14. Lack of muscle usage
15. Rain ( ha ha, suckers )
Saturday, June 28, 2008
A First
After spending a lovely evening in Castrojeriz, Jess and I got up this morning to head to Boadilla de la Camino, a light 20km away. The walk started this morning with a steep hill to climb, which was a challenge, but provided the most amazing views once you reached to top, so it was worth it!
We stopped in a small town called Itero de la something for a mid-morning coffee and a bocadillo ( sandwich ), and then plowed through the last 9km to Boadilla. I had a personal first today on this last 9km..... I am proud to say that for the first time I legitimately passed other walkers on the way! This may sound strange, but so far, I´ve been pretty slow in comparison to some of the crazy pilgrims we´ve seen, so usually I am the one getting passed by faster walkers. But not today, today I was motoring along and passed not one or two, but 4 other walkers!!! YES!!! As you can see, it´s the small victories that count out here on the Camino!
It was just starting to get really hot when we arrived around 1pm, and the pool that greets you as you enter the hostel was a welcome sight! We got really lucky again today with a beautiful hostel, complete with friendly owner and large garden! Jess went for a swim and I dipped some very sore feet into the pool for a bit of relief, it was fantastic!
Now I believe Jess is waiting for me on the patio with a beer, so I must go attend to some important pilgrim business..........relaxing! Darn.
We stopped in a small town called Itero de la something for a mid-morning coffee and a bocadillo ( sandwich ), and then plowed through the last 9km to Boadilla. I had a personal first today on this last 9km..... I am proud to say that for the first time I legitimately passed other walkers on the way! This may sound strange, but so far, I´ve been pretty slow in comparison to some of the crazy pilgrims we´ve seen, so usually I am the one getting passed by faster walkers. But not today, today I was motoring along and passed not one or two, but 4 other walkers!!! YES!!! As you can see, it´s the small victories that count out here on the Camino!
It was just starting to get really hot when we arrived around 1pm, and the pool that greets you as you enter the hostel was a welcome sight! We got really lucky again today with a beautiful hostel, complete with friendly owner and large garden! Jess went for a swim and I dipped some very sore feet into the pool for a bit of relief, it was fantastic!
Now I believe Jess is waiting for me on the patio with a beer, so I must go attend to some important pilgrim business..........relaxing! Darn.
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Buff.
On one of our many shopping trips before this large hike we are doing, Jess and I bought these wonderful little things called Buffs. For those of you who have ever seen Survivor ( don´t kid yourself, you all have), they are the small pieces of polyester that are given to the contestants, and used at bandanas, or shirts by the skinny ones. Anyway, they have proven to be very useful the last few weeks in some previously unsuspected ways.......
1. Make-shift tensor bandage for shin splints
2. Buffer between hand and walking stick to prevent hand blisters
3. Shower cap
4. Putting over your hands to avoid touching germy things
5. Wearing over your eyes/ears when you sleep in hostels, keeps the light and noise out!
Please note: items #1 and 2 have the potential to create very strange tan lines, use with caution.
1. Make-shift tensor bandage for shin splints
2. Buffer between hand and walking stick to prevent hand blisters
3. Shower cap
4. Putting over your hands to avoid touching germy things
5. Wearing over your eyes/ears when you sleep in hostels, keeps the light and noise out!
Please note: items #1 and 2 have the potential to create very strange tan lines, use with caution.
For Your Viewing Pleasure
Becky today
Jess today
Old ruins of a cathedral, San Anton
A lovely scene.
Wine fountain.. obv.
Some pilgrim dinner!
WOW! I took this yesterday but I don´t know if it will capture what it was really like.
A charming old town, Hontanas.
Jokes a-Plenty, I´m Sure
I actually do love chorizo -- the ultimate, fatty spanish sausage. It just so happens this sandwich bite was a bit too big. The voices in the background are the stylings of Becky, laughing, and 17-year-old Czech Andy, filming while making fun.
-J
Playing Catch Up...
Hey duderinos.
I have some good info for you here. First, let´s talk about the screamer.
The Screamer
When frequenting hostels, you may expect the usual: snoring, people shifting in their sleep, farting, etc.
You might even expect that people react badly to noisiness in the morning or exhibit rude behaviours. Such was the case for Becky and I the night we stayed in a municipal hostel in Pamplona.
You see, pilgrims are expected to vacate the hostels by 8 a.m., typically. Usually it is noisy enough by 7:30 a.m. that you get the message. In Pamplona, soft music began playing over the intercom to gently wake us up.
It was a lovely Roy Orbison song, quite nice if you ask me. It was a welcome change from the harshness of an alarm clock.
So we were surprised to hear a male voice shouting ¨shut the hell up!¨ It seemed to come from a guy just a few bunks away. FYI, we were staying in a beautiful converted church.
It came from an American, about 18-years-old, who shortly followed up with, ¨you have got to stop talking!¨
I was surprised and amused.
A few days later, it was confirmed that he actually has nightmares which cause him to scream out single sentences in his sleep.
During that night in Pamplona, I had been awoken by someone screaming, ¨noooooO!¨ I lied awake for some time, slightly concerned that there might be a serial killer loose in the hostel.
Since then, we´ve heard many pilgrims refer to the boy as ¨The Screamer¨ and we feel terribly bad for him. Some pilgrims, though, will bypass hostels if they see him inside.
However, I´ve learned to enjoy his yelling. It´s entertaining, in a sick way, and it´s a whole lot better than the super snorer from Belgium that I wrote about earlier.
FYI -- the Belgian who snored so badly during our night is notorious. He is also known as a total ass, and our Australian friends Mel and Guy swear that they heard him having sex with his ¨gross girlfriend¨ in the shower. ie. slapping noises
Now, onto something different.
Top Ten List
Ways to Tell it´s a Pilgrim´s First Day
We set off from Burgos yesterday and it was evident that many of the pilgrims had started that morning. You can tell because...
1. No sock tan.
2. They pass you with a bounce in their step and no ¨buenos dias¨.
3. No braces or walking sticks.
4. They take 15-minute showers in the hostels and don´t leave any hot water.
5. They have clean clothes. Clue -- look to see if their shoes are white.
6. They don´t know the spanish term, ¨ampollas¨ -- blisters.
7. They get drunk at night. This only happens once.
8. They lack a walking rhythm. A keen eye can detect this.
9. They´re wearing earrings or make up.
10. They cut in line for shops and hostels.
Today, we are in Castrojeriz. It is a smallish town with a beautiful castle and church -- so? I have shinsplints on my right leg. It hurts quite a bit. I might limp tomorrow.
In two days, we´ll hit the halfway point in our camino. Woohoo!
Song of the day: Free Bird
I miss you all.
Stay tuned,
-J
I have some good info for you here. First, let´s talk about the screamer.
The Screamer
When frequenting hostels, you may expect the usual: snoring, people shifting in their sleep, farting, etc.
You might even expect that people react badly to noisiness in the morning or exhibit rude behaviours. Such was the case for Becky and I the night we stayed in a municipal hostel in Pamplona.
You see, pilgrims are expected to vacate the hostels by 8 a.m., typically. Usually it is noisy enough by 7:30 a.m. that you get the message. In Pamplona, soft music began playing over the intercom to gently wake us up.
It was a lovely Roy Orbison song, quite nice if you ask me. It was a welcome change from the harshness of an alarm clock.
So we were surprised to hear a male voice shouting ¨shut the hell up!¨ It seemed to come from a guy just a few bunks away. FYI, we were staying in a beautiful converted church.
It came from an American, about 18-years-old, who shortly followed up with, ¨you have got to stop talking!¨
I was surprised and amused.
A few days later, it was confirmed that he actually has nightmares which cause him to scream out single sentences in his sleep.
During that night in Pamplona, I had been awoken by someone screaming, ¨noooooO!¨ I lied awake for some time, slightly concerned that there might be a serial killer loose in the hostel.
Since then, we´ve heard many pilgrims refer to the boy as ¨The Screamer¨ and we feel terribly bad for him. Some pilgrims, though, will bypass hostels if they see him inside.
However, I´ve learned to enjoy his yelling. It´s entertaining, in a sick way, and it´s a whole lot better than the super snorer from Belgium that I wrote about earlier.
FYI -- the Belgian who snored so badly during our night is notorious. He is also known as a total ass, and our Australian friends Mel and Guy swear that they heard him having sex with his ¨gross girlfriend¨ in the shower. ie. slapping noises
Now, onto something different.
Top Ten List
Ways to Tell it´s a Pilgrim´s First Day
We set off from Burgos yesterday and it was evident that many of the pilgrims had started that morning. You can tell because...
1. No sock tan.
2. They pass you with a bounce in their step and no ¨buenos dias¨.
3. No braces or walking sticks.
4. They take 15-minute showers in the hostels and don´t leave any hot water.
5. They have clean clothes. Clue -- look to see if their shoes are white.
6. They don´t know the spanish term, ¨ampollas¨ -- blisters.
7. They get drunk at night. This only happens once.
8. They lack a walking rhythm. A keen eye can detect this.
9. They´re wearing earrings or make up.
10. They cut in line for shops and hostels.
Today, we are in Castrojeriz. It is a smallish town with a beautiful castle and church -- so? I have shinsplints on my right leg. It hurts quite a bit. I might limp tomorrow.
In two days, we´ll hit the halfway point in our camino. Woohoo!
Song of the day: Free Bird
I miss you all.
Stay tuned,
-J
94.5KM Later....
Since our last post, we have travelled the impressive distance of 94.5km. We left Belorado and headed 24k to San Juan, from there we went a mighty 31k to Burgos, then 19k to Hornillos and today we walked 21k to land us in the lovely city of Castrojeriz! Whew! For some reason, we hit a stretch of hostels that either didn´t have internet, or their internet didn´t work, so we have been unable to update you lovely people....bet you were worried about us, eh?
A few fun stories along the way to share:
On the walk to San Juan, we were mostly travelling through dense forest, and at one point on the path came across a small wild pig. We were walking seperately but both came across him at some point. My encounter began when an older German lady was afraid to keep walking towards this piggy because she thought it would charge at her. I figured it would be ok, so we walked slowly up to it on, and when we reached it realized it had no eyes.........creepy! But kinda cute as well, the story ends with everyone not getting attacked by a wild pig, so all in all, a good day!
Also on the walk to San Juan, Jess began walking with a young Czech guy, who we have come to call Super Andy. He walked with us the next day to Burgos as well, and half of the walk to Hornillos with us yesterday. He was a trooper, as he had a bum knee, and about 8 pretty awful blisters!
San Juan to Burgos proved to be a very long day, as you can imagine, and we were all pretty exhausted by the time we reached the hostel, which was located in the middle of a park in the city, and was pretty cute. We tried to find somewhere to eat dinner, but none of us was very keen on the idea of much more walking, so we ended up getting some baguette and meat and cheese and having a little picnic in the park.
Little side note, the various pains of this day included heel spurs, shin splints, 2 new blisters for me, and some pretty intense ankle pain for both of us, apparantly walking 31k in one day makes for sore feet.......go figure.
The walk from Burgos to Hornillos proved to be pretty nice, and it was our first day walking in the Meseta ( Spanish equivalent of the Prairies ), and we were lucky to have great weather. We decided to take a short day and only walk 19k to let our feet rest a a bit and recover from the day before. It was about 27 degrees with a nice cool breeze, so the walk that day went by pretty quickly, despite some very sore feet.
Also on the way to Hornillos, we were met by a nun from one of the villages, who greeted us all as we were walking, and gave us little medallions of the Virgin Mary to take with us, to bless us on our journey. Not being religeous, the symbol itself was not relevant, but the gesture was very kind and much appreciated. No pilgrimage is complete without a small piece of religeous iconography for the road, so now I´m a real pilgrim!
Today may have been one of my favourite days of walking so far. The weather was absolutely perfect again, not too hot, and the scenery was really beautiful. Also, we stopped in a great little town for breakfast called Hontanas, and the next stop along the way was at the ruins of an old cathedral, which had been turned into a pilgrim hostel ( we didn´t stay there), it was so pretty! From there it was just a short 4k walk to Castrojeviz, where we are now, and the town so far is really cute. The pilgrim´s hostel was full when we arrived, so we had no choice but to get a private room at a local inn. Oh darn. For 30 euros we have a private room, non bunk beds, our own bathroom complete with shower, and a great view. I kinda hope that the hostel was full more often!
On Monday we will cross the halfway mark, by Friday we will be in Leon, and then just a few weeks of short (long?) walks to Santiago! So far we have crossed 3 Spanish provinces, we started in Navarra, then we crossed into La Rioja, then the province of Burgos, and tomorrow we will walk into the province of Leon! Sounds more impressive in Canadian terms to say we´ve walked across 3 provinces, than it does to say we´ve been walking for 17 days!
As usual, I am looking forward to my pilgrim´s dinner tonight, 3 courses including wine and dessert, can´t be beat! So I´ll be signing off for now, and hope that our internet drought is over, and that I will be able to regale you all with tales of the Camino again tomorrow!
For now,
Adios Amigos!
A few fun stories along the way to share:
On the walk to San Juan, we were mostly travelling through dense forest, and at one point on the path came across a small wild pig. We were walking seperately but both came across him at some point. My encounter began when an older German lady was afraid to keep walking towards this piggy because she thought it would charge at her. I figured it would be ok, so we walked slowly up to it on, and when we reached it realized it had no eyes.........creepy! But kinda cute as well, the story ends with everyone not getting attacked by a wild pig, so all in all, a good day!
Also on the walk to San Juan, Jess began walking with a young Czech guy, who we have come to call Super Andy. He walked with us the next day to Burgos as well, and half of the walk to Hornillos with us yesterday. He was a trooper, as he had a bum knee, and about 8 pretty awful blisters!
San Juan to Burgos proved to be a very long day, as you can imagine, and we were all pretty exhausted by the time we reached the hostel, which was located in the middle of a park in the city, and was pretty cute. We tried to find somewhere to eat dinner, but none of us was very keen on the idea of much more walking, so we ended up getting some baguette and meat and cheese and having a little picnic in the park.
Little side note, the various pains of this day included heel spurs, shin splints, 2 new blisters for me, and some pretty intense ankle pain for both of us, apparantly walking 31k in one day makes for sore feet.......go figure.
The walk from Burgos to Hornillos proved to be pretty nice, and it was our first day walking in the Meseta ( Spanish equivalent of the Prairies ), and we were lucky to have great weather. We decided to take a short day and only walk 19k to let our feet rest a a bit and recover from the day before. It was about 27 degrees with a nice cool breeze, so the walk that day went by pretty quickly, despite some very sore feet.
Also on the way to Hornillos, we were met by a nun from one of the villages, who greeted us all as we were walking, and gave us little medallions of the Virgin Mary to take with us, to bless us on our journey. Not being religeous, the symbol itself was not relevant, but the gesture was very kind and much appreciated. No pilgrimage is complete without a small piece of religeous iconography for the road, so now I´m a real pilgrim!
Today may have been one of my favourite days of walking so far. The weather was absolutely perfect again, not too hot, and the scenery was really beautiful. Also, we stopped in a great little town for breakfast called Hontanas, and the next stop along the way was at the ruins of an old cathedral, which had been turned into a pilgrim hostel ( we didn´t stay there), it was so pretty! From there it was just a short 4k walk to Castrojeviz, where we are now, and the town so far is really cute. The pilgrim´s hostel was full when we arrived, so we had no choice but to get a private room at a local inn. Oh darn. For 30 euros we have a private room, non bunk beds, our own bathroom complete with shower, and a great view. I kinda hope that the hostel was full more often!
On Monday we will cross the halfway mark, by Friday we will be in Leon, and then just a few weeks of short (long?) walks to Santiago! So far we have crossed 3 Spanish provinces, we started in Navarra, then we crossed into La Rioja, then the province of Burgos, and tomorrow we will walk into the province of Leon! Sounds more impressive in Canadian terms to say we´ve walked across 3 provinces, than it does to say we´ve been walking for 17 days!
As usual, I am looking forward to my pilgrim´s dinner tonight, 3 courses including wine and dessert, can´t be beat! So I´ll be signing off for now, and hope that our internet drought is over, and that I will be able to regale you all with tales of the Camino again tomorrow!
For now,
Adios Amigos!
Monday, June 23, 2008
On Life; Three Things I´ve Learned
Just because you see a bench doesn´t mean you should sit down.
Always commit to your smile.
The worst thing imaginable is a life of regret.
I have been thinking a lot. Walking 25 km a day will do that to a person.
-J
Always commit to your smile.
The worst thing imaginable is a life of regret.
I have been thinking a lot. Walking 25 km a day will do that to a person.
-J
Bel-o-ra-do!
Since we last posted (besides the delayed one 2 seconds ago ), we walked about 21k from Najera to Santo Domingo, which was small, but nice. It was Sunday, so most things were closed, so we mostly hung around the town square looking a bit like stray cats. And since most things were closed, we ended up eating dinner at a hole in the wall pizza and pasta place. Let me tell you, if what we ate was the Spaniard´s version of pizza, they have no business making pizza ever again. It was awful. The crust was raw in the middle, it was very dry, due to the lack of sauce on it, and the toppings were mediocre at best. BUT, we were starving, as we usually are after some insane walking, so we both ate it and didn´t complain about until we were done! Nothing like the great 3 course dinners we´ve been eating every night off the ¨Pilgrim´s Menu¨! But we survived, and got up this morning to walk to Belorado.
The walk to Belorado was great for a couple of reasons, the scenery was great, the weather was nice ( sunny, but with a nice breeze ), and there were a multitude of little villages to stop in along the way. That´s my favourite part, Jess enjoys the outdoorsy parts, but I love seeing all the little towns and the beautiful buildings and churches they all have! It´s architectural heaven!
Anyway, we arrived to our lovely little hostel around 2:30, and were given a warm welcome by the owner, he carried our bags upstairs to our room for us, informed us that dinner was served at 7:30 and that they also offered breakfast! Perfect! It got even more perfect when we looked outside and saw the in ground swimming pool! A perfect way to cool off after a long walk in the sun! While enjoying a post-swim beer, Jess informed me that this place was heaven, I had to agree! Definitely my favourite hostel yet! If you´re ever in Belorado, stay at the Albergue Cuatro Cantones!
I´m sure there are more stories to tell, but I´ll have to save them for the next post, the line up of people waiting to use the computer is every growing!
Jess says hello to all of you, and don´t let me forget to tell you about ¨The Screamer¨.......
The walk to Belorado was great for a couple of reasons, the scenery was great, the weather was nice ( sunny, but with a nice breeze ), and there were a multitude of little villages to stop in along the way. That´s my favourite part, Jess enjoys the outdoorsy parts, but I love seeing all the little towns and the beautiful buildings and churches they all have! It´s architectural heaven!
Anyway, we arrived to our lovely little hostel around 2:30, and were given a warm welcome by the owner, he carried our bags upstairs to our room for us, informed us that dinner was served at 7:30 and that they also offered breakfast! Perfect! It got even more perfect when we looked outside and saw the in ground swimming pool! A perfect way to cool off after a long walk in the sun! While enjoying a post-swim beer, Jess informed me that this place was heaven, I had to agree! Definitely my favourite hostel yet! If you´re ever in Belorado, stay at the Albergue Cuatro Cantones!
I´m sure there are more stories to tell, but I´ll have to save them for the next post, the line up of people waiting to use the computer is every growing!
Jess says hello to all of you, and don´t let me forget to tell you about ¨The Screamer¨.......
Saturday, June 21, 2008
28KM = Tired
The following post was supposed to be put up 2 days ago, but the internet shut off just as I was about to post it, so here it is! See above for update since then!
So being the ambitious girls we are we decided to walk about 28k today from Logrono to Najera. This number sounded very intimidating to me at first, but decided I should push myself and see how it goes. Turns out, it went very well! We left the very uncomfortable hostel around 6am this morning, and walked until about 2:30 this afternoon. The landscape was really nice, tons of fields of grape vines growing along the path, a small mountain to climb and a few kilometres of highway.....not so nice, but at least a change of scenery. Upon arrival in Najera, I immediately took a nap, followed by a shower, then dinner, and now I am heading back to bed! ( yep, it´s 7:30pm......oh well!)
I´ll just take a moment to described the hostel situation we endured last night....it was something special. The hostel had three floors, and as you went up, each floor got progressively hotter. We of course, were on the third floor. So, we start with a really hot room, where having the windows open does nothing for the heat. Add in about 40 hot, sweaty people, no air conditioning, a few snorers, and an emergency light right above your bunk ( Jess was on the top, so she got the light in her face all night ), and you have the recipe of very little sleep. Believe me, waking up at 5:30 this morning was welcomed, because it meant we didn´t have to spend one more second in the worst room ever. In addition to this sleeping situation, the people that ran the hostel weren´t particularly friendly, we weren´t allowed to eat our dinner outside on the patio, and there were so many people, it was impossible to function. Needless to say, we were happy to leave Logrono this morning!
So we have another day of walking tomorrow, so well see where the Camino takes us!
So being the ambitious girls we are we decided to walk about 28k today from Logrono to Najera. This number sounded very intimidating to me at first, but decided I should push myself and see how it goes. Turns out, it went very well! We left the very uncomfortable hostel around 6am this morning, and walked until about 2:30 this afternoon. The landscape was really nice, tons of fields of grape vines growing along the path, a small mountain to climb and a few kilometres of highway.....not so nice, but at least a change of scenery. Upon arrival in Najera, I immediately took a nap, followed by a shower, then dinner, and now I am heading back to bed! ( yep, it´s 7:30pm......oh well!)
I´ll just take a moment to described the hostel situation we endured last night....it was something special. The hostel had three floors, and as you went up, each floor got progressively hotter. We of course, were on the third floor. So, we start with a really hot room, where having the windows open does nothing for the heat. Add in about 40 hot, sweaty people, no air conditioning, a few snorers, and an emergency light right above your bunk ( Jess was on the top, so she got the light in her face all night ), and you have the recipe of very little sleep. Believe me, waking up at 5:30 this morning was welcomed, because it meant we didn´t have to spend one more second in the worst room ever. In addition to this sleeping situation, the people that ran the hostel weren´t particularly friendly, we weren´t allowed to eat our dinner outside on the patio, and there were so many people, it was impossible to function. Needless to say, we were happy to leave Logrono this morning!
So we have another day of walking tomorrow, so well see where the Camino takes us!
I´m Having an Affair
A conversation between me and the backpack today:
Me: You´re a part time lover and a full time friend. The monkey on your back is the latest trend. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of the train. I kiss you all starry eyed my body swingin´side to side. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: Here is the church and here is the steeple. We sure are cute for two ugly people. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: Pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive. So why can´t you forgive me? I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: I will find my niche in your car. With my mp3, DVD, rumble pack guitar. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: Up up down down left right left right B A start. Just because we use cheats doesn´t mean we´re not smart. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: You are always tryin´to keep it real. I´m in love, with how you feel. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: We both have shiny happy fits of rage. You want more fans, I want more stage. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: Don Quixote was a steel driving man. My name is Jess and I´m your biggest fan...
And so on. We hiked 30 km today. I´m already crazy to begin with. I love Deuter. I love my backpack. It causes me absolutely no back pain.
-J
Me: You´re a part time lover and a full time friend. The monkey on your back is the latest trend. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of the train. I kiss you all starry eyed my body swingin´side to side. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: Here is the church and here is the steeple. We sure are cute for two ugly people. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: Pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive. So why can´t you forgive me? I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: I will find my niche in your car. With my mp3, DVD, rumble pack guitar. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: Up up down down left right left right B A start. Just because we use cheats doesn´t mean we´re not smart. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: You are always tryin´to keep it real. I´m in love, with how you feel. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Backpack: We both have shiny happy fits of rage. You want more fans, I want more stage. I don´t see what anyone can see, in anyone else, but you.
Me: Don Quixote was a steel driving man. My name is Jess and I´m your biggest fan...
And so on. We hiked 30 km today. I´m already crazy to begin with. I love Deuter. I love my backpack. It causes me absolutely no back pain.
-J
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Best Thing About Walking.....
I´ve decided that the best part about walking, is when you stop. You realize you can actually be a human again, instead of just a walking machine. Yesterday, after a very hot walk in the very hot sun, we stopped in a beautiful little town called Viana. I collapsed on the first shady patch of grass I found and had a nice rest for about 10 mintues. It was after this little rest that I realized that walking makes you a bit crazy, ( or maybe it was the heat! ), I felt like I had just come out of daze and could once again properly function as a person. Weird.
The town of Viana was a great place to stop, in addition to our private room, we got to enjoy a bit of the local culture when we were sitting in the town square watching the local kids play a game of quasi-soccer (no nets or teams, or rules, just screaming kids and a soccer ball. )
Then we went and had a lovely dinner with an Australian couple we met a few nights ago in Estella, we had a great meal and great wine.....which led to us getting quite jolly, and was followed shortly by us getting shushed by an old French couple at the next table. The man made the gesture of turning down a volume knob on the radio, and told us to be less ¨woo hoo¨. We apologized for being happy, and left to continue our party on the patio with a few beers.
Needless to say, we all slept pretty well last night! Good thing we only had to walk 9k today, and this was because we decided to stop in the next city, Logrono, and continue the fun by taking a rest day and hanging with the Aussies a bit more. So this afternoon we enjoyed a few snacks, a few beers and some ice cream before heading back to the hostel for a bit of rest time before we have to eat again! Walking this much makes you hungry all the time! Thank goodness the food here is great! And knowing you are going to walk it off tomorrow makes even the unhealthiest food, guilt free!
That´s all for now, folks, but I´m sure we´ll update you tomorrow after this 27k marathon we have planned, and let you know we´re still alive!
The town of Viana was a great place to stop, in addition to our private room, we got to enjoy a bit of the local culture when we were sitting in the town square watching the local kids play a game of quasi-soccer (no nets or teams, or rules, just screaming kids and a soccer ball. )
Then we went and had a lovely dinner with an Australian couple we met a few nights ago in Estella, we had a great meal and great wine.....which led to us getting quite jolly, and was followed shortly by us getting shushed by an old French couple at the next table. The man made the gesture of turning down a volume knob on the radio, and told us to be less ¨woo hoo¨. We apologized for being happy, and left to continue our party on the patio with a few beers.
Needless to say, we all slept pretty well last night! Good thing we only had to walk 9k today, and this was because we decided to stop in the next city, Logrono, and continue the fun by taking a rest day and hanging with the Aussies a bit more. So this afternoon we enjoyed a few snacks, a few beers and some ice cream before heading back to the hostel for a bit of rest time before we have to eat again! Walking this much makes you hungry all the time! Thank goodness the food here is great! And knowing you are going to walk it off tomorrow makes even the unhealthiest food, guilt free!
That´s all for now, folks, but I´m sure we´ll update you tomorrow after this 27k marathon we have planned, and let you know we´re still alive!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
That Spanish Sun II - The Follow Up
Holy crap. To all those people who I´ve bragged to, saying that I don´t get sunburned, please know that I, in fact, do not posess this superhuman quality. My shoulders are burned to a crisp. Yikes!
So I prayed for sun and I sure got it. For some reason, I didn´t consider the idea of a sunburn when I hiked the rest of those 12 km from Villamayor to Los Arcos yesterday. I have the ugliest, most painful, red situation going on on my arms.
Well kids, today we are in Viana - a lovely little town with a nice, old church. (So?)
We were told the hostel was full, so we sought out a shitty hotel (no stars) and 35 Euros later, we get a room to ourselves with two beds. I can´t explain how nice it is to recharge your shiny, red iPod without the fear of someone stealing it. I mean, it´s still possible, but it´s not a room with 16 other people in it.
Today was a short (18 km) hike that felt very long. The blistering sun was at it all day, and as Becky puts it, ¨sun and hills don´t mix.¨
Running out of internet time! ´Til next time.
-J
So I prayed for sun and I sure got it. For some reason, I didn´t consider the idea of a sunburn when I hiked the rest of those 12 km from Villamayor to Los Arcos yesterday. I have the ugliest, most painful, red situation going on on my arms.
Well kids, today we are in Viana - a lovely little town with a nice, old church. (So?)
We were told the hostel was full, so we sought out a shitty hotel (no stars) and 35 Euros later, we get a room to ourselves with two beds. I can´t explain how nice it is to recharge your shiny, red iPod without the fear of someone stealing it. I mean, it´s still possible, but it´s not a room with 16 other people in it.
Today was a short (18 km) hike that felt very long. The blistering sun was at it all day, and as Becky puts it, ¨sun and hills don´t mix.¨
Running out of internet time! ´Til next time.
-J
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Wine Fountain
Bodegas Irache. You sustain me.
Okay. I must have been drunk last time I wrote a blog entry, because I forgot to mention the wine fountain we encountered on our walk today. Free-flowing, decent-tasting, free, free wine. Purpley goodness right from the tap!
So I promptly poured out my Aquafina bottle and filled it (no, not all the way) with wine. I wanted to kick it old school for a while and there was a bit of a hill to scale. So, for the next few hours, instead of drinking water, I drank wine, like the old pilgrims did. And Paolo Coehlo.
Yeah. It was great.
I took videos and pictures of this miracle, so don´t worry. As soon as I find an accessible USB port, you´re all in for it.
-J
PS: Free wine!!!
Okay. I must have been drunk last time I wrote a blog entry, because I forgot to mention the wine fountain we encountered on our walk today. Free-flowing, decent-tasting, free, free wine. Purpley goodness right from the tap!
So I promptly poured out my Aquafina bottle and filled it (no, not all the way) with wine. I wanted to kick it old school for a while and there was a bit of a hill to scale. So, for the next few hours, instead of drinking water, I drank wine, like the old pilgrims did. And Paolo Coehlo.
Yeah. It was great.
I took videos and pictures of this miracle, so don´t worry. As soon as I find an accessible USB port, you´re all in for it.
-J
PS: Free wine!!!
Clouds Have Lifted
Today our ol´ buddy the Camino threw another obstacle at us. Sun. Lots of hot hot sun. For those of you who have met me or even just seen me from afar, you know that me and the sun do not get along well. But I am happy to report that even after the 12k stretch of no towns, no trees, no shade and no water fountains, Jess and I are both alive, and best of all, I have only a very minor sun burn! Yay!
We finally reached the tiny town called Los Arcos that we are staying in tonight around 3:30, after what felt like days of walking in the desert. Jess and I were both a little loopy from the heat, and decided it would be a great town to film a Spanish spaghetti western in, and oddly enough both of us were kinda walking like John Wayne......not on purpose however, it was more due to the various sore body parts. But a lovely little hostel awaited us offering cold showers, comfortable beds, and free massages! What more do you need? Oh right, food. We will venture out in the heat again in a little while to find something delicious to eat, but for now, relaxing is priority #1.
Also, you will all be happy to know that I am now a true pilgrim; yesterday I bought a walking stick. It is just lovely. Polished wood and super for navigating tricky mud puddles or steep hills! Also it makes this fantastic clicking noise when I walk, which I´m sure is annoying to everyone else. But I dont care. I like my stick. And I have only tripped over it twice! Pilgrim, yes. Coordinated, no.
The very last thing I need to discuss today is how delicious octopus is. Sounds like it would be weird and lots of people may find it gross, but I swear, it was possibly the most fantastic thing I have ever tasted! Fried up with some paprika and garlic and olive oil, mmmm!! How can something that looks so gross when it´s alive be so tasty when it´s cooked up?
Well my internet time is almost up, so I´m going to have to let Jess tell you about the wine fountain we stopped at earlier today, because I felt it was more important to talk about octopus. Yep, that´s how good it was, it preceeded wine in my list of priorities.
We finally reached the tiny town called Los Arcos that we are staying in tonight around 3:30, after what felt like days of walking in the desert. Jess and I were both a little loopy from the heat, and decided it would be a great town to film a Spanish spaghetti western in, and oddly enough both of us were kinda walking like John Wayne......not on purpose however, it was more due to the various sore body parts. But a lovely little hostel awaited us offering cold showers, comfortable beds, and free massages! What more do you need? Oh right, food. We will venture out in the heat again in a little while to find something delicious to eat, but for now, relaxing is priority #1.
Also, you will all be happy to know that I am now a true pilgrim; yesterday I bought a walking stick. It is just lovely. Polished wood and super for navigating tricky mud puddles or steep hills! Also it makes this fantastic clicking noise when I walk, which I´m sure is annoying to everyone else. But I dont care. I like my stick. And I have only tripped over it twice! Pilgrim, yes. Coordinated, no.
The very last thing I need to discuss today is how delicious octopus is. Sounds like it would be weird and lots of people may find it gross, but I swear, it was possibly the most fantastic thing I have ever tasted! Fried up with some paprika and garlic and olive oil, mmmm!! How can something that looks so gross when it´s alive be so tasty when it´s cooked up?
Well my internet time is almost up, so I´m going to have to let Jess tell you about the wine fountain we stopped at earlier today, because I felt it was more important to talk about octopus. Yep, that´s how good it was, it preceeded wine in my list of priorities.
That Spanish Sun!
Whew! It´s super hot out today... well 27 C, but it´s still beating down on us. I love it, but my little springroll (Becky) has to be careful not to get fried. I call her ´springroll´now because she looks like a Vietnamese shrimp summer roll wrapped in rice paper. Weird, I know. At least Darlene will understand this one.
We are mid-hike right now, stopped in at a little cafe with internet access in a town called Villamayor de... something. All the towns look the same after a while. We still have a 12 km hike to Los Arcos, where we hope to spend the night.
I had a giant bocadillo (sandwich) of ham and cheese for lunch. De-lish.
Moving on, I think it´s time I wrote my two cents about injuries. I feel VERY lucky right now. No blisters, no serious aches or pains. It´s night and day compared to my last trip up here. However, I have detected the onset of shinsplints in my right leg, so I´ve wrapped it in my bandana/Buff (for those who watch Survivor) and it seems to be okay. I also have a mega-knot in my other leg that won´t go away no matter how much I knead it-- less than delightful. But all in all, I feel great. I´m not lying. I haven´t even used muscle cream yet.
Yesterday, we walked a total of 23.5 km to Estella, which is an amazing little town with really lovely stone churches (so?). We stayed at the ANFAR hostel, which employs mentally disabled people to run the whole thing. It was great, nice and peaceful -- other than the symphony of farts during the night -- and I got a great sleep.
Last night at dinner, Becky and I met two wonderful Aussies, Mel and Guy. They are on a huge travel run around the world. They´ve pretty much convinced me that my next trip will be to Nepal.
Becky got her first taste of pulpo (octopus) last night and she loved it! Just like I thought. Take that, Chris! For everyone who thinks octopus might be gross, you just have to try it. It´s delicious and it´s my favourite food for good reason.
Anyways, I best get going. We have to walk another 12 km today and the sun is beating down. I have my big floppy hat on for the first time today.
Wish us luck. And stay tuned -- I´ve been thinking about my ¨couch¨ theory which I plan to make into a post very soon!
Hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather in Canada! I´m sure it´s still stupid hot. Go to Petrie Island or something, but avoid the poo.
-J
We are mid-hike right now, stopped in at a little cafe with internet access in a town called Villamayor de... something. All the towns look the same after a while. We still have a 12 km hike to Los Arcos, where we hope to spend the night.
I had a giant bocadillo (sandwich) of ham and cheese for lunch. De-lish.
Moving on, I think it´s time I wrote my two cents about injuries. I feel VERY lucky right now. No blisters, no serious aches or pains. It´s night and day compared to my last trip up here. However, I have detected the onset of shinsplints in my right leg, so I´ve wrapped it in my bandana/Buff (for those who watch Survivor) and it seems to be okay. I also have a mega-knot in my other leg that won´t go away no matter how much I knead it-- less than delightful. But all in all, I feel great. I´m not lying. I haven´t even used muscle cream yet.
Yesterday, we walked a total of 23.5 km to Estella, which is an amazing little town with really lovely stone churches (so?). We stayed at the ANFAR hostel, which employs mentally disabled people to run the whole thing. It was great, nice and peaceful -- other than the symphony of farts during the night -- and I got a great sleep.
Last night at dinner, Becky and I met two wonderful Aussies, Mel and Guy. They are on a huge travel run around the world. They´ve pretty much convinced me that my next trip will be to Nepal.
Becky got her first taste of pulpo (octopus) last night and she loved it! Just like I thought. Take that, Chris! For everyone who thinks octopus might be gross, you just have to try it. It´s delicious and it´s my favourite food for good reason.
Anyways, I best get going. We have to walk another 12 km today and the sun is beating down. I have my big floppy hat on for the first time today.
Wish us luck. And stay tuned -- I´ve been thinking about my ¨couch¨ theory which I plan to make into a post very soon!
Hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather in Canada! I´m sure it´s still stupid hot. Go to Petrie Island or something, but avoid the poo.
-J
Monday, June 16, 2008
Some Hiking Music
If anyone´s thinking of walking across a country, I suggest the following-
- Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild, Original Soundtrack
- Doves - The Last Broadcast (Thanks to Katie and Steve)
- Keane - any album
- Resevoir Dogs Original Soundtrack (Thanks Chris, Katie and Steve)
- Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Just. In. Case.
-J
Uphill Battle
Walking uphill in the mud is not all it´s cracked up to be. Although, I don´t expect it to have a stellar reputation to begin with. I knew we were climbing this mountain today, and we could see it from our hostel, so I spent yesterday psyching myself up to climb it. However, no amount of psyching made the experience pleasant. Every corner I turned and saw more mud, I became more annoyed, which turned to frustration, which turned to anger. The thing that changed that mood around quickly was when I turned a corner and saw Jess, and she informed me that we were at the top! Yay! And now it was down the other side.......boo. Walking down the mountain was much better than walking up it, although the steep descent on loose stones killed my ankles!
After walking on moderately flat ground the rest of the way, through a few little towns, we arrived in Puenta la Reina, Jess skipping ahead and me hobbling behind. At one point I thought I lost her in the little town, and asking a group of Asian tourists if they had seen a Spanish girl proved to be useless. But I eventually found her at the bottom of the hill ( yep. another hill ) that our hostel was on. What a cruel joke to put a hostel at the top of a steep hill, when you know the people staying there have been walking all day.
But climbing the hill proved to be worth it, the hostel is very nice. Clean, and it has a washing machine! Which will come in handy later when we try and remove the 4 inches of mud from our clothes. The view out the back is great too, all you can see is wilderness and mountains. And now it is just about dinner time, so I´m going to sign off and go get me some food!
Ciao!
After walking on moderately flat ground the rest of the way, through a few little towns, we arrived in Puenta la Reina, Jess skipping ahead and me hobbling behind. At one point I thought I lost her in the little town, and asking a group of Asian tourists if they had seen a Spanish girl proved to be useless. But I eventually found her at the bottom of the hill ( yep. another hill ) that our hostel was on. What a cruel joke to put a hostel at the top of a steep hill, when you know the people staying there have been walking all day.
But climbing the hill proved to be worth it, the hostel is very nice. Clean, and it has a washing machine! Which will come in handy later when we try and remove the 4 inches of mud from our clothes. The view out the back is great too, all you can see is wilderness and mountains. And now it is just about dinner time, so I´m going to sign off and go get me some food!
Ciao!
El Mud-O
Hello everybody!
Today we climbed a very steep mountain called Alto de Perdon, which means Peak of Forgiveness. Nothing forgiving about it. Most of the uphill battle was fought in deep mud.
I can´t believe the rain in Spain. We have breaks of sun, but I have no tan yet. Boohoo.
Hi to everybody! No time left to write... gah.
BTW, we are in Puente la Reina.
-J
Today we climbed a very steep mountain called Alto de Perdon, which means Peak of Forgiveness. Nothing forgiving about it. Most of the uphill battle was fought in deep mud.
I can´t believe the rain in Spain. We have breaks of sun, but I have no tan yet. Boohoo.
Hi to everybody! No time left to write... gah.
BTW, we are in Puente la Reina.
-J
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Quick Hello!
Since 1 euro gets you 20 minutes of internet time, and I have already used up 18 minutes of it writing emails, and am too cheap to put in another euro, this will be a quick hello to all of you! A day of rest is just what I needed, this hostel is indeed heaven! Hope you are all doing well! Miss you!
My Favourite Hostel
I am in heaven right now. We decided to take a break/slow day and only walk 5 km today. We walked out of Pamplona this morning and have stopped in a small pueblo named Cizur Menor. It is home to my FAVOURITE hostel in the entire world. A lovely little place run by a woman named Marybel.
Last time I was here was the world cup game when Italy beat out France.
When you walk up to this place, you can´t see a thing. But once you enter through the giant, wooden doors, it´s suddenly paradise. There´s a large garden in the back with a dozen plastic chairs and colourful flowering plants everywhere.
At the top of a garden sits a little pond, filled with Koi and turtles. Becky and I sat there for a bit just watching them poke their heads in and out of the water. So serene.
I think we´ll spend most of the day stretching... inside. It´s raining again. I was hoping to get a tan in Spain. Silly me!
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!
-J
Last time I was here was the world cup game when Italy beat out France.
When you walk up to this place, you can´t see a thing. But once you enter through the giant, wooden doors, it´s suddenly paradise. There´s a large garden in the back with a dozen plastic chairs and colourful flowering plants everywhere.
At the top of a garden sits a little pond, filled with Koi and turtles. Becky and I sat there for a bit just watching them poke their heads in and out of the water. So serene.
I think we´ll spend most of the day stretching... inside. It´s raining again. I was hoping to get a tan in Spain. Silly me!
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!
-J
Saturday, June 14, 2008
I Found Jesus
So I´m passing through this tiny town, waiting for Becky to stroll in after me. I´m meeting all the locals and all their kids and having fun being a dork. Then a middle aged, Spanish man approaches me and begins to chat.
So I chat and we talk about Canada and then he gives me dos besos (two kisses on the cheeks) and then does not let go.
He then attempts to force me to kiss him and tries to kiss me on the lips, telling me just how ¨happy¨I make him.
At this point, I´ve realized this man is not really nice like the other people of this TINY town and I wiggled my way outta there pronto. I run up the camino, shaking my poles at him and I get away.
So it seems every time I take a trip to Europe, I have a brush with some sort of sexual assault. So honestly, I´m glad this trip´s encounter is over and I can move on. Plus, after I ran away from him, I moved the fastest I have during the entire hike-- and I didn´t feel any pain in my muscles. Blessing in disguise-- not.
I was over it after fuming for five minutes, but I´ve learned the lesson that five-year-olds already know... don´t be too friendly with strangers.
-J
So I chat and we talk about Canada and then he gives me dos besos (two kisses on the cheeks) and then does not let go.
He then attempts to force me to kiss him and tries to kiss me on the lips, telling me just how ¨happy¨I make him.
At this point, I´ve realized this man is not really nice like the other people of this TINY town and I wiggled my way outta there pronto. I run up the camino, shaking my poles at him and I get away.
So it seems every time I take a trip to Europe, I have a brush with some sort of sexual assault. So honestly, I´m glad this trip´s encounter is over and I can move on. Plus, after I ran away from him, I moved the fastest I have during the entire hike-- and I didn´t feel any pain in my muscles. Blessing in disguise-- not.
I was over it after fuming for five minutes, but I´ve learned the lesson that five-year-olds already know... don´t be too friendly with strangers.
-J
2 Blisters
So while Jess the mountain goat was dancing up the ridiculously steep hill we climbed yesterday, Becky the non-mountain goat was limping up it taking the smallest steps known to man, and crying her eyes out. Not quite the same hill experience I would say.......but I made it to the top, regrouped, stretched and was ready to go ( with a little encouragement from Jess ) then after what seemed like hours of steep downhill on jagged rocks, we finally got to Zubiri.
I should back track a little and just mention how nice the church ceremony was that we attended in Roncevalles, all the pilgrims went to be blessed by the monks. And even though I´m not a church person, it was really a cute ceremony and part of me hopes their blessing will protect me from falling and breaking a leg or something.
Anyway, back to present time. We had a great dinner in Zubiri with two Germans we have met along the way, and we had a good time teaching them some of the better English words......(speedo, leprechaun, skinny dipping....etc). By the way, how the hell to you try and explain what a leprechaun is to someone who has never heard of it?
After dinner we went back to the cute little hostel we were staying at, and got to listen to the musical snoring styles of at least 2 people in our room, including the guy who shook the walls every breath he took (see Jess´s earlier rant ). So after very little sleep we got up to continue on to Pamplona.
The walking today was much easier than it has been for the last three days, my muscles are sore, and 2 blisters have popped up, but other than that nothing too traumatic. The difficulty today was more emotional than physical, Jess was walking quite a ways in front of me ( she´s a fast little Spaniard!) , and I was hit with such a strong pang of home sickness that it was hard for me to continue. Every step hurt a different muscle, and all I could think about was how nice it would be to be at home with everyone, not walking up a mountain in the super hot sun. But being the ferocious person I am ( ha ha ) I dealt with it very well. And by that I mean that I cried a bit ( yep, more tears from my camp, shocking. ) and then had a sit, and then after a few minutes of self pity, got my ass up and kept walking. It was tough until I caught up to Jess, who made me instantly feel better, gave me a little motivational speech and then off we went. Believe me, if it wasn´t for Jess, I would have been on a plane out of here after the second day!
The rest of the walk to Pamplona was really beautiful, nice scenery, and nice little towns. We got into Pamplona around 3:30, and cleaned ourselves up, washed our clothes and now we´re just hanging around until we head out for dinner.
So it is safe to say that the pilgrims have survived another day, with only a minor sunburn (me, obv.), sore muscles (both of us) and a few blisters. Tomorrow we plan to take a break and only walk 5k, to Cizur Menor, after we explore Pamplona a bit more in the morning (I think we´ll do a re-enactment of the running of the bulls)
So until next post, Adios Amigos!
P.S : Everyone that voted for me on our poll of who will whine more, you were right!
I should back track a little and just mention how nice the church ceremony was that we attended in Roncevalles, all the pilgrims went to be blessed by the monks. And even though I´m not a church person, it was really a cute ceremony and part of me hopes their blessing will protect me from falling and breaking a leg or something.
Anyway, back to present time. We had a great dinner in Zubiri with two Germans we have met along the way, and we had a good time teaching them some of the better English words......(speedo, leprechaun, skinny dipping....etc). By the way, how the hell to you try and explain what a leprechaun is to someone who has never heard of it?
After dinner we went back to the cute little hostel we were staying at, and got to listen to the musical snoring styles of at least 2 people in our room, including the guy who shook the walls every breath he took (see Jess´s earlier rant ). So after very little sleep we got up to continue on to Pamplona.
The walking today was much easier than it has been for the last three days, my muscles are sore, and 2 blisters have popped up, but other than that nothing too traumatic. The difficulty today was more emotional than physical, Jess was walking quite a ways in front of me ( she´s a fast little Spaniard!) , and I was hit with such a strong pang of home sickness that it was hard for me to continue. Every step hurt a different muscle, and all I could think about was how nice it would be to be at home with everyone, not walking up a mountain in the super hot sun. But being the ferocious person I am ( ha ha ) I dealt with it very well. And by that I mean that I cried a bit ( yep, more tears from my camp, shocking. ) and then had a sit, and then after a few minutes of self pity, got my ass up and kept walking. It was tough until I caught up to Jess, who made me instantly feel better, gave me a little motivational speech and then off we went. Believe me, if it wasn´t for Jess, I would have been on a plane out of here after the second day!
The rest of the walk to Pamplona was really beautiful, nice scenery, and nice little towns. We got into Pamplona around 3:30, and cleaned ourselves up, washed our clothes and now we´re just hanging around until we head out for dinner.
So it is safe to say that the pilgrims have survived another day, with only a minor sunburn (me, obv.), sore muscles (both of us) and a few blisters. Tomorrow we plan to take a break and only walk 5k, to Cizur Menor, after we explore Pamplona a bit more in the morning (I think we´ll do a re-enactment of the running of the bulls)
So until next post, Adios Amigos!
P.S : Everyone that voted for me on our poll of who will whine more, you were right!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Goo. Roncevalles to Zubiri.
So, right now it´s just before 11 p.m. I am in a tiny hostel in a town called Zubiri, which is approximately 50 km into this ridiculous trek. So, I bet you´re asking yourself why I´m not asleep. Well, there is a huge German dude SNORING in my room. There are six beds in total and it´s not a large room. This man could compete in the snoring Olympics. I am going out of my mind.
I have some beautiful photographs that I can´t wait to post up here, but you will all have to check back tomorrow.
Okay-- back to the whole dirty pilgrims thing. Enough with the complaints.
So, today´s hike started in Roncevalles, a grimy, gothic, lovely village on the eastern edge of Spain. It was a beautiful walk, shadowed by trees. To be honest, the whole day could have taken place in Algonquin Park, but that will soon change as we traverse into wine country.
It was pretty steady, up and down a bit, until you reach a small mountain. Although it´s not comparable to our first two days, climbing that thing wasn´t easy. I needed help. So I turned the iPod on (for the first time) and danced up the mountain. I am a loser, but I had such a great time. The scenery was gorgeous-- mountains as far as the eye could see, with little towns scattered in the valleys.
It was a long day. I believe the whole hike took us about seven or eight hours, but we´re still newbies, so it´s understandable.
Tomorrow we head to Pamplona, the city that hosts the running of the bulls every July.
I have to say, this is a completely different experience for me than my previous Camino escapade. The last time I did this, I was crippled with injury and couldn´t think much past my aches and pains. This time, with a properly fitted backpack and walking poles, I feel great and have the gusto to look around and enjoy nature.
I have shed a few tears already, but only out of happiness. It really feels good to be back in Spain. I wouldn´t trade this experience for anything. I´m sure it will be life changing once again.
Hope you are all doing well back home. Thank you for the comments-- they really keep us going and thinking we´re hot shit.
-J
I have some beautiful photographs that I can´t wait to post up here, but you will all have to check back tomorrow.
Okay-- back to the whole dirty pilgrims thing. Enough with the complaints.
So, today´s hike started in Roncevalles, a grimy, gothic, lovely village on the eastern edge of Spain. It was a beautiful walk, shadowed by trees. To be honest, the whole day could have taken place in Algonquin Park, but that will soon change as we traverse into wine country.
It was pretty steady, up and down a bit, until you reach a small mountain. Although it´s not comparable to our first two days, climbing that thing wasn´t easy. I needed help. So I turned the iPod on (for the first time) and danced up the mountain. I am a loser, but I had such a great time. The scenery was gorgeous-- mountains as far as the eye could see, with little towns scattered in the valleys.
It was a long day. I believe the whole hike took us about seven or eight hours, but we´re still newbies, so it´s understandable.
Tomorrow we head to Pamplona, the city that hosts the running of the bulls every July.
I have to say, this is a completely different experience for me than my previous Camino escapade. The last time I did this, I was crippled with injury and couldn´t think much past my aches and pains. This time, with a properly fitted backpack and walking poles, I feel great and have the gusto to look around and enjoy nature.
I have shed a few tears already, but only out of happiness. It really feels good to be back in Spain. I wouldn´t trade this experience for anything. I´m sure it will be life changing once again.
Hope you are all doing well back home. Thank you for the comments-- they really keep us going and thinking we´re hot shit.
-J
Thursday, June 12, 2008
ow.
So since we last posted, so many things have gone awry and made the trip that much more excitng! We left Bordeaux, no problem, got on our train to Bayonne, where we were scheduled to switch trains to St.Jean, however, somewhere in the 90 minutes we were on the first train, the train employees decided to go on strike, and we were informed that our next train was cancelled. This was at around 1pm, and we were told that there would be a bus to St. Jean at 6pm, so we made the best of it and walked around Bayonne, had a coffee etc. When 6 oclock rolled around, we headed back to the train station, and found a crowd of about 70 other stranded pilgrims, when the bus came, it became very obvious that we were not all going to fit on it........and Jess and I didn´t make the cut. Eventually they lined up another bus for the remaining people and we arrived in St. Jean by 8pm......barely enough time to get dinner and a place to stay!
The next morning we started walking, and walking......and walking. All uphill. And when I say uphill, I mean UPHILL!!! OW! We found a great little hostel in the mountains to stay at, and had a hot shower and a fabulous dinner and then straight to bed. This morning we started out for the rest of the uphill battle and walked about 16 kms uphill and then about 3 straight down. Oh, and my favourite part, the 20 minutes of knee deep mud we sludged through! The dirtiest pilgrims!!
So after all this all I have to report is that it has been the most beautiful walk over the Pyrenees mountains, through some of the best scenery I´ve ever seen. The pain I feel in my ankles and hips is excruciating ( feet are still holding up well! ) , but the walk was absolutely worth it! Tomorrow we will be off to Zubiri, and I can´t wait to see what kind of adventure waits for us there!
The next morning we started walking, and walking......and walking. All uphill. And when I say uphill, I mean UPHILL!!! OW! We found a great little hostel in the mountains to stay at, and had a hot shower and a fabulous dinner and then straight to bed. This morning we started out for the rest of the uphill battle and walked about 16 kms uphill and then about 3 straight down. Oh, and my favourite part, the 20 minutes of knee deep mud we sludged through! The dirtiest pilgrims!!
So after all this all I have to report is that it has been the most beautiful walk over the Pyrenees mountains, through some of the best scenery I´ve ever seen. The pain I feel in my ankles and hips is excruciating ( feet are still holding up well! ) , but the walk was absolutely worth it! Tomorrow we will be off to Zubiri, and I can´t wait to see what kind of adventure waits for us there!
With Your Head in the Clouds...
So. Today was a bit of a gonger, but let me start with something more important.
Cashews. Nut of the gods. I KNOW how great cashews are (LIV), trust me, in every sense. When I was given this delightful gift by the flight attendant on the way to Paris, I quickly stashed them in my purse for later enjoyment.
There I was, a few hours later, sitting on the floor in Terminal 2, ready for my nut-nuts. I open them up and they explode all over the floor, with only a few that fell on my pants remaining sterile enough for ingestion. So I threw the rest at the birds. They liked it. I did hit a bird, but hey, he ate it anyway. Moving on.
AHEM.
Yesterday we hiked 8 k.m. from the beginning of the Camino, St. Jean Pied du Port, uphill to this tiny spot. It was a horrible, agonizing trip and we found a hostel in a town called Orisson that consists of, well, a hostel on the side of a huge mountain.
We stayed there, enjoyed a hot shower and some cold weather and took off today on a 19 k.m. hike.
We were in the clouds all day long. It was windy, damp and cold. I feel PRETTY good, I won´t lie. Becky might hit me if she reads that.
Regarding the ol´Chekan, I am so, so very proud of her. She is really pushing herself and should be regarded by many as a hero. Now that we are in Spain, things will be easier as there are no gargantuan mountains to scale, so that may ease her pain.
Love you all. Miss you. Running out of internet time!
Love you Chris.
Cashews. Nut of the gods. I KNOW how great cashews are (LIV), trust me, in every sense. When I was given this delightful gift by the flight attendant on the way to Paris, I quickly stashed them in my purse for later enjoyment.
There I was, a few hours later, sitting on the floor in Terminal 2, ready for my nut-nuts. I open them up and they explode all over the floor, with only a few that fell on my pants remaining sterile enough for ingestion. So I threw the rest at the birds. They liked it. I did hit a bird, but hey, he ate it anyway. Moving on.
AHEM.
Yesterday we hiked 8 k.m. from the beginning of the Camino, St. Jean Pied du Port, uphill to this tiny spot. It was a horrible, agonizing trip and we found a hostel in a town called Orisson that consists of, well, a hostel on the side of a huge mountain.
We stayed there, enjoyed a hot shower and some cold weather and took off today on a 19 k.m. hike.
We were in the clouds all day long. It was windy, damp and cold. I feel PRETTY good, I won´t lie. Becky might hit me if she reads that.
Regarding the ol´Chekan, I am so, so very proud of her. She is really pushing herself and should be regarded by many as a hero. Now that we are in Spain, things will be easier as there are no gargantuan mountains to scale, so that may ease her pain.
Love you all. Miss you. Running out of internet time!
Love you Chris.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
