Last day

Today is our last day in Santiago. This morning we walked to the cathedral to see where the remains of Santiago, Saint James, are said to be interred, and to explore the cathedral.

 Afterwards I chilled while Lori shopped. So much shopping to do! Last night we had a great dinner and said more goodbyes. We leave for the airport at 3:30 am. So looking forward to being home.

 

Santiago, Santiago

The past few days have been filled with food, wine, ice cream, friends, and festival.

 After an evening of food, drinks, and fun, we said goodbye to several fellow pilgrims we've gotten to know on the Camino, including Ali and Susan from Australia. It was a difficult moment. You come to know and love these people and then your paths diverge, probably forever.  Especially with our two Aussie gals (Lori refers to them as her Camino children) it is a sad parting. Perhaps one day our path will cross again. 

This is the Camino, and life, right?

 Yesterday we took a tour bus to Finesterra and Muxia. In days of old, Finesterra was thought to be the end of the world, as far west as there was. It is a beautiful place and, as always, the sea calls. This time it calls us home. I am ready for the New World.

We ran into JoElle again. She spent a couple of days in Finesterra and was heading back to Santiago. We rejoined for dinner and had Italian food. It was so good. Good because, well it was good, and good because it was different. The food on the Camino has been great but the palette has been somewhat narrow. Something new was most welcome.

Tonight is Nathan's and JoElle's last night in Santiago, so we will have one last meal here together. Hopefully, we may find a few other pilgrims to join us. Then Lori and I have one last day here together before heading home to our lovely daughters. Despite the wonderful times I've had in Spain, I miss them so much.

 

 

Santiago de Compostela

Today we ended our pilgrimage, walking into Praza do Obradorio, the plaza in front of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. 
 It was an emotional moment, filled with joy, happiness, pride, and relief. Thirty six days working our way across Spain has come to an end. Nathan met us just before we got to the Cathedral, hiding along the way and sneaking up behind us as we walked. It was great to see him again and to be able to share these final moments with him. 

 Marisa, a pilgrim we met in Hospital de Orbigo, just happened to be in the square as we entered. It was great.

We wanted to arrive here today since tomorrow is the feast day for Saint James, whose remains are said to be interned in the Cathedral, and the reason many make the pilgrimage. As it turns out it is the biggest day of the year in Santiago. As I write this we are sitting in the square, which is filled to capacity with locals and pilgrims. In about an hour and a half there will be fireworks and if our experience proves true the town will party until dawn. This time we join in. Tomorrow we will attend the pilgrims mass and hopefully see the Botafumeiro swing. In the next day or so we plan to go to Finesterra, by bus, to the end of the world. So stay tuned, it's not the end of this blog.

 

O' Pedrouza and Lavacolla

So tonight is our last night on the Camino. A short 10 km walk tomorrow brings us to the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. The past 35 days and nights have simply been amazing. 

 Yesterday's walk was fairly uneventful. Twenty kilometers, up and down, but not too extreme. We even got a little rain which kept things cool. The church in O 'Pedrouzo had a pilgrim mass we attended. Like so many in Spain, the church is very ornate and charming. The place was standing room only, and while we didn't understand much it was very nice.

 Today's walk to Lavacolla was very short, only about 10 km. This will leave us a leisurely 10 km tomorrow to Santiago.  We will miss the journey but are looking forward to reconnecting with Nathan and our Camino friends. Tonight we drank and dined with some fellow pilgrims, one, James, we've met before, the rest we met today. That's how it is on the Camino. Hundreds of people having a common experience in fellowship. If you've ever wanted to do something truly special you should try this. It's indescribable.

 

Melide and Arzua?

The past two days have been much cooler, which have made the climbs more tolerable. Last night we stayed in Melide. Nothing especially significant about Melide except it is where we were told to get Pulpo, or octopus. 
 We went to the restaurant which was recommended to give it a try. Lori even took a bite, but I'm sure it will be her last (see an earlier post on my Facebook page). I liked it well enough, but not enough to have again. 

The walk from Melide was OK, not too hot and not too steep. As we got closer to the end I put our hotel into Google Maps to make sure we didn't pass it. Much to my surprise it shows it miles away. As it turns out, when they say "on the Camino" in their Booking.com description, they mean "5 miles off the Camino".  Hmm. A call confirmed this, but that they would pick us up and bring us back in the morning. No problem. The place was nice enough but I didn't get to enjoy it much as I felt sick for most of the afternoon and evening. This morning, as I finish writing this, we have been waiting 25 minutes past the time we would be taken back, with no signs of the owner. Hmm. Hope the rest of the day goes better...

 

Palas de Rei

This is a fun town! As I write this, at 10:15 pm, there is a large group of Spaniards sitting in the streets drinking and singing loudly. It sounds like they are having so much fun!

Today's walk was fun too, once we climbed the hill out of Gonzar. The temperature was a bit more tolerable and with a breeze walking was much more comfortable. The path paralleled a road for most of the day, so the slopes up and down were gentler. All the more appreciated after the tough night we had last night. Our room was hot, hot, hot! So tough to sleep. And the flies were nearly unbearable. In fact, it was so hot the flies were dropping dead. Really! Between the heat, flies, and Galician incense, I was glad to leave Gonzar. Too bad really, under different circumstances I'm sure it is nice.

During our walk we came upon a small pilgrim ministry run by a Spanish Christian campus ministry. They accept volunteers from around the world who serve pilgrims fruit, coffee, and lemonade for a week at a time. We stopped for a pilgrims stamp and when they asked us where we were from one of them said that she knew someone from Washington. Soon Culzean came walking out to greet us. Turns out she is from Spokane and is volunteering after walking the Camino herself. It was nice to chat with her for a few minutes. I think it was comforting for all of us to have some connection to home while so far away.

We connected with several pilgrims here in Palas de Rei that we've met along the way; Charles, Julie, Jack, Lance, and Ali and Susie, our Aussie girls. We all had dinner together and caught up. We probably won't see them again until Santiago since they walk faster than we do. The people you meet make your Camino. Ours is great.

 

Sarria, Pena, and Gonzar

Time and energy enough to get back to the blog. We've spent the past three days walking toward Santiago under the HOT Galician sun. Covering 50 km, we've suffered and found beauty and comfort. 

There is no question that Galicia is beautiful. I feel like a broken record saying this, because everywhere we walk is beautiful, but Galicia is worth the mention. One thing different about Galicia is the cows. All over the place. They walk down the Camino, they walk through the villages. Their presence is evident with the ubiquitous Galician moon pies that cover most of the streets in nearly every village. Watch your step. Much of the area is filled with the scent of the ever-present Galician inscense, a very distinctive aroma. Sometimes is it almost overwhelming. Did I mention it's hot? The temperatures have been reaching the high 90's and even 100's. If you don't finish walking early, by noon or so, you're cooked. Yesterday we got a bit of a late start, around 8. By the time we were a few kilometers from our hostal it was so hot we could hardly move down the trail. That was on fairly level terrain. Today we started early, 6:30, but so did the heat. The first 8 km were fine, enjoyable. After Potromarin, which we left at around 11 am, the next 8 km were steadily up, both in altitude and temperature. When we finally arrived at the hostal at 2:15 the temperature was about 92F. The last half had abusively little shade. There were times I wondered if I'd make it.

 As it is often with the Camino, about 2 km before the days end ( and my rope's), there appeares a couple of tables and a trailer with a man selling cold drinks. Saved! If you've never had Kas Naranja, I can tell you that it is most refreshing. 

We reached a milestone yesterday, passing the "100 km to Santiago" mark. It feels odd to be getting so close. On one hand we miss our children and our own bed, on the other we are reluctant for this amazing journey to end. 

We have stayed in some amazing hostals on this trip. Most pilgrims stay in the albergues, where you just get a bed in a room with 6-12 other beds, for 5€ to 9€. We have stayed mostly in private rooms in hostals, for about double the price. Some have been lovely. Last night we stayed in such a place and turned out to be the only guests. The room was as nice or nicer than budget or intermediate quality we stay at in the states. They offered a pilgrim meal, which we had, and a bar. A few very refreshing wine cocktails before dinner and a bottle of wine with dinner may have been consumed. They washed our laundry, which Lori hung to dry. It didn't take long, (did I mention it's HOT)? The meal was fabulous and the hosts delightful. They make there own world-class ice cream, which they served for dessert, and a couple more flavors just so we could taste them. Ginger-cinnamon, mind blowing. We got all of this for the equivalent of about $85, including the room. My motel 6 stay in August will cost that much, without the extras and no ice cream.  Gotta love this place. 

Tomorrow it's another early start. It's only suppose to get up to 90F but we are tired of walking in the heat. Maybe we can walk the 18 km before 1:00? Stay tuned.

 

Tricastela

Another great day. We have entered the province of Galicia and the landscape has changed dramatically. Gone are the flat, dry wheat fields. Now the landscape is green, rolling hills. We walked about 16 km to Triacastela. Mostly down hill, sometimes steeply. My knees were certainly feeling it. Another feature of today's path was poop. There are a lot of cows in Galicia and the roads, including the Camino, are used to move them about. Enough said.

Along the way we came across JoElle, who we had ridden in the horse drawn carriage with. We walked with her for most of the day and continued the camaraderie into the evening when Nathan caught up (35 km today) and Marisa, another pilgrim we know, all had a nice dinner together.

 Tomorrow we walk to Sarria. This is significant because it is just over 100 km from Santiago. To earn a compestella, pilgrims must walk at least the last 100 km. Many people start here and only walk from Sarria. We expect to see many more new pilgrims after that. We've made reservations at hostals along the way, so we won't have to compete for a bed like so many do.  We won't see Nathan now until Santiago. He thinks he may arrive on the 20th or 21st, us on the 24th.  The end of our Camino is still a way off, but we are starting to feel it.

Molinaseca

Today was an awesome day. We started off with breakfast in our beautiful apartment in El Gonso. 
 We purchased some bread, bananas, and cheese the night before which made a nice breakfast. I was even able to make a cup of real coffee!  The first part of our walk was fairly level and the air was cold, it felt good and we soon warmed up as we walked. The path soon got steeper.  At some points we were scrambling  over loose rocks and the path was washed out by running water. A challenging climb, but our legs and spirits were up to the task and we were rewarded with spectacular views.  We stopped for lunch at a small village called Foncebadón . It is really only a few albergues, but you can see how the Camino impacts these small communities. There was a wonderful restaurant where we had amazing salads (Spain knows how to make salads) and enjoyed the sunshine in the cool air. Across the "street" workers were constructing a new building. I am sure that without the "peregrinos" that wouldn't be happening.  

After lunch we continued to climb to the second highest point on the Camino, Cruz de Ferro. 

This is a most significant and spiritual place. Pilgrims carry rocks from their homes and leave them at the foot of a tall cross to signify leaving behind their burdens. We left the rocks that our children, Andrea and Alison, had painted for us before we left. Words fail me...

After walking another 2.5 km we, according to plan, called for a cab to take us to Molineseca. This is a great town. 

Many bars and people out and about. We enjoyed a great meal by the river, flanked by an old Roman bridge. As I am writing, at 10:45 pm, there is a party of sorts still going on with people from the town, kids and all. The Spanish sure know how to enjoy life.

Tomorrow we will bus to a town near O' Cebreiro. This should be the last time we need to do this, we have time to walk the rest of the way. It doesn't hurt that it's at the top of the last huge hill!

  

 

Hospital de Orbigo, Astorga, and El Gonso

The past few days have been quite enjoyable. We took a bus out of León, we just don't enjoy walking through hot, busy, loud urban areas, and then walked the last 7 km into Hospital de Orbigo. Just outside the town we stopped at a nice cafe with a garden in back for a cool drink and snack before heading to the hostal. To our surprise Ali and Susan came walking in! We didn't think we'd see them again for some time. They had taxied the last few kilometers and Nathan, who had kept walking, arrived shortly after. They decided to get a room at the hostal we were staying in so we got a bonus night with them.

 Hospital de Orbigo is a delightful small town. You enter the main town by crossing over a long stone medieval bridge that appeared to be an extension of an older Roman bridge. To one side is a field that was used long ago for jousting. It's a beautiful piece of work. Nathan and I commented several times about how bridges in the U.S. are crumbling and in need of repair. The Romans built them to last. Once and done, hundreds of years later people still cross them. Maybe we could learn a thing or two.

 The walk from Hospital de Orbigo to Astorga was particularly nice. We've left the area known as the meseta, which bears a striking resemblance to Eastern Washington and the Palouse, and are coming into an area with more hills and trees. Our walk included gentle climbs and descents, made all the easier by our increased fitness, cooler days, and lighter packs. About halfway through the longest stretch between towns we happened upon a place where a couple have set up an area for pilgrims to rest. As we approached the man said "America? You are welcome. This is all free for pilgrims. Be happy, be well". There was water, juice, tea, chocolate,  bananas, plums, watermelon, apples, oranges, rice cakes, boiled eggs, and cereal. All free. We stopped, had some refreshments and enjoyed being alive. It was quite nice.

As we left he wished us a "good life" and we walk away feeling lighter and with a bounce in our step. The Camino provides. The last 6 km into Astorga was flat and tree-lined on a plateau. 

As you approach Astorga you are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the city. A gentle descent leads to the outskirts of the city where the nicest fountain we've seen on the Camino is located. The walk into the city was not very fun, hot and up, up, up. The hostal was a most welcome sight.

 

Today we walked out of Astorga, only wanting to go about 13 km, to a very small town called El Ganso. It's nearly a ghost town where most of the buildings are missing their roofs, but the stone walls all remain. About the only places occupied are "The Cowboy Bar", an albergue, and a grocery store that rents 3 beautiful apartments to pilgrims (this is where we are staying). We arrived earlier than we thought we would, realizing that we can walk further. We had our bag sent here, so here we stay. Not much of a sacrifice as it's very nice. So, this afternoon I am catching up on my blog and we are plotting out the next few days to get us to Sarria by the 16th. In order to get a Compostela you must walk the entire distance from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. No busses or cabs. We are in no hurry to finish our adventure but we are looking forward to being in Santiago with Nathan and many of the people we've met along the way. Buen Camino.

 

León

Yesterday and today we were 21st century pilgrims, aka "tourgrims". We took a bus ahead to León and checked into a very nice hotel. Such sacrifice and suffering! We met up with Nathan, Ali, and Susan and had a very nice dinner.

Today we toured the cathedral in León. While not as large as the cathedral in Burgos, it has unbelievable stained glass windows. The light fills the cathedral and draws your eyes toward heaven. Really, words and photos fall so inadequately short of describing it. You have to experience it. 

León is a great city, with all of the modern conveniences. I was able to replace my broken reading glasses with these beauties, and have my too rapidly growing beard trimmed. It was a treat to sit in an actual barbers chair and be pampered a bit. I miss barbers. I will have to find one to go to once I get home. It is amazing to see how life unfolds in Spanish cities. Most stores don't open particularly early, and between 2:30 and 3:00 they all shut down for siesta for 3 hours. It's like an episode of the Twilight Zone to be walking through abandoned city streets in the middle of the day. No people, no traffic. Then at 9:00 pm the streets become alive. It seems like everybody comes out to eat, drink, and socialize. The side streets are crowded with people. It is such fun. Tomorrow we bus out of León (no desire to walk through the urban areas) then walk to Hospital de Orbigo. It is suppose to be HOT tomorrow. So it goes.

 

 

Bercianos del Real Camino

Today was a short walk, only about 10 km. We are walking in a region called the meseta, which is known for its flat, straight paths. There are fewer villages and services.  

It has its own beauty, and if you can stand the heat is quite pleasant to walk through. A relief from the hills of Navarra. We got to our Hostal early so had time to take care of some sorely needed business.

At least Lori did. I confess, I layed down on the bed and was out like a light for the better part of an hour. Oh well, I helped take it down. This evening at dinner we ran into Pepe again. He is a pilgrim who rode with us on the horse drawn carriage yesterday. He is a Spaniard of about 70 years old and currently on his 31st Camino. Amazing! He gave us some small gifts on the ride, a gourd he wrote some things on and a basket made from half a walnut. They will look great on our Chrismas tree and remind us of this experience for years to come. 

Tomorrow we bus into León where we will meet Nathan and the Aussies, or as Lori calls them, our Camino kids. It will be great to take a day off with them and share stories. 

 

Carrion de los Condes and beyond

Yesterday was a most pleasant day.  We walked on a nice level pathway, stopping in the villages along the way in a very unhurried way. We stopped for breakfast after about an

 hour. A croissant, banana, orange juice, and coffee make for a good start. What I look for at mealtime has changed, not by choice but necessity. I was joking with a pilgrim from South Korea about wanting an "American" breakfast: eggs, hash brown potatoes, toast, and brewed coffee. It's rare here. I used Google Maps to search for a Denneys and it returned "Missouri"! It's all good though. That kind of eating is killing Americans, and I need to change. Simple really is better, and more enjoyable.

 As we entered one village we passed a wall with a doorway in it. A pilgrim came walking out and exclaimed to us "you really should go in there. It's like Woodstock on the Camino"! Being time for a break, we went in. Upon entering we immediately notice the cool lawn and tables in the shade, with chicken, geese, and dogs walking about. There was music playing, a kind of "Yanni-style", elevator version of classic rock songs. Stairway to Heaven was playing, which had been running through my head for several days of the Camino. As I relaxed with a Coca Cola (in an old fashioned 8 oz glass bottle), listening to "Nights In White Satin" and "Wish You Were Here", I was nearly overcome with a sense of contentment I perhaps have never felt. The Camino is good for my soul. 

Last night we stayed in an albergue run by nuns that appeared to have been a school. We slept in a large room with 12 beds. We hadn't done that thus far and it was, interesting. Couldn't find my earplugs in the dark, but still managed about 5 hours of sleep. So it is. The nuns told us that there was a pilgrims mass at the local church, so we went after dinner. Trying to follow mass in Spanish was fun, but, well, it's about the same everywhere. Afterwards the priest had all of the pilgrims (there were many) stay for a special blessing. It was very moving as he said the Pilgrims Prayer and we each received an individual blessing from the priest and a small gift from the local nuns. Just a cutout paper star, colored by the nuns. A small token, but one I will treasure. 

This morning we decided to walk some and ride some. We are planning to meet Nate and the Aussies in León, so we need to make up some ground. After mass we mentioned this to a pilgrim and he put us in touch with another pilgrim who was organizing a horse-drawn carriage ride the next morning through 17 km of path without any services or water. We jumped at the chance. So, the first part of the day we rode through that section of the Camino, waving and wishing "Buen Camino" to pilgrims we passed. It was fun. Then we walked for awhile, in the hot Spanish sun. (It really does feel like the sun is hotter here).  When we had walked far enough, we went into a bar, had a couple of  beers and called a taxi to take us to Sahagún. Here's to a good meal, a good nights sleep in a hotel, and another walk tomorrow. Who knows what awaits us?

 

 

Hontanas

The walk from Rabé de la Calzadas was pleasant enough. The path was mostly level with occasional gentle rises and drops.  It seems rather redundant to keep saying, but the landscape was beautiful. My knee was whispering to me all day, but wasn't complaining. My hip, however, was speaking loud and clear. It's only pain, right?

 We walked for about 18 km, which seemed like enough, until we reached our goal, Hontanas. The albergue we stayed at is spectacular. I believe it is about a year old and is very clean and modern. We got a private room and it is nicer than many hotels we've stayed at over the years. 

Today we are heading to Fromista. Due to the anticipated temperature today, the terrain, and my hip, we are riding. There aren't any busses that pass through here. When I asked about a taxi the hospitalero told me that one of the luggage transfer services also acted as a taxi. So, at around 10:30, when they arrive to pick up packs, we are riding with the luggage. 

One of the things I've come to understand about the Camino, at least for me, is that it isn't necessarily about the walk, or the sights. It's really about the people you meet. We aren't coming close to walking the entire path, and we walk too slowly to walk with others, but we still meet amazing people from around the world. Two nights ago, there were 8 people having dinner together at the albergue. What was striking to me was that we came from 5 different continents.  Not your everyday experience. Last night we spoke with a Danish  man about our different systems. Sixty percent taxes, but he has no complaints because he has a good life and his family is taken care of. 

 

Rabé de las Calzadas

Today's walk was very pleasant, and flat. Not having full packs also helped make the walk easier. 

We walked a short 13 km to Rabé de las Calzadas, a nice small village outside of Burgos. We didn't get out of town before 9 am, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was oversleeping. Andie's "good morning" text message woke us up, just in time to get the bag down for pickup. In fact, Correos was already there, trying to call me. So much for worrying about leaving it behind. 

In the personal growth department, Lori was able to find some shrubbery to avoid having to walk 6 km with her knees pressed together. She said she'd never do it. I'm so proud of my nordy gal! 

At 6 pm we are sitting in a bar having an adult beverage before dinner at the albergue. 

Many albergues offer dinner and breakfast to pilgrims that want it. At this albergue, a bed is 8€, dinner is 8€, and breakfast 3€. For a total of $21 you get a bed and two meals. And they're good. Where you going to find that in the US? 

Tomorrow we are going to Hontanas, about 18.5km down the road. A couple of hills, but nothing like what we've seen to this point. My left knee started acting up in Burgos, but did OK today. We will hope it does well tomorrow. Peace and Love.

 

 The bag made it!

Burgos

We have enjoyed 2 full rest days here in Burgos. Yesterday we were joined by Nathan and Ali and Susie from Austrailia. The three of them have been walking together since Nathan walked ahead in Pamplona. It has been fun hanging out with them. Today we took a tour of the Cathedral at Burgos. An amazing place.  Construction started about 800 years ago and continued until about 500 years ago. I've never seen anything like it. No photos I could post here would do it justice.

We are on the road again tomorrow. We will try and catch up to the group in Leon in a week or so. We, of course, can't walk as fast as they do so we'll have to bus past a bit of it. We are taking a leap of faith tomorrow. The postal service here, Correos, provides a pack/luggage transport service. For €5 they will take your pack ahead. As described earlier, we bought a large duffle bag and have filled it with stuff we don't need while walking. The plan is to leave the bag in the reception area of the hotel with a Correos tag on it and they will pick it up and take it to our next Albergue. At least that's what is suppose to happen. If anyone tells you not to worry about being able to speak Spanish because everyone speaks English, don't believe them. We have found that most people don't speak English and those that do don't speak it especially well. Communication beyond "cervesa por favor" can be very challenging and frustrating. I really have no idea if the people at the hotel or Correos understand what I was asking them for. So, we leave most of our stuff here and walk away, and hope it arrives at our destination. We will find out tomorrow. Either way, it will be nice to walk with light packs. The weight of them was really making the walks more difficult. Perhaps we may find that we can walk faster/further when less burdened. As I say, at least that's the plan. 

I'm a little reluctant to leave Burgos. It is a beautiful city full of life. We often talked about how the U.S. just doesn't have anyplace like it, at least not so I've seen. Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting episode: "The Bag Arrives" or "Lori Finally Gets to Shop". Peace and love to you all.