As you all know we finished the Camino yesterday and it was very exciting, yet sureal... Not to mention standing there for an hour was quite difficult after walking for 764 km! But we were very glad to hear many of you saw us.
Now as previously mentioned in our last posting, we had agreed to walk to the coast.... well, apparently our agenda has changed. Unfortunately we donīt have the time to walk to Finnisterre anymore because we are joining a fellow Canadian who we met along the track for the past 10 days. His name is Jeff Keith (and yes heīs single Cailin!) and he is organizing a 5 day trek through the Sahara Desert starting in Marrakech, Morocco!! We are pretty pumped! Here is a copy of the actual email of the itinerary that we have to look forward to.
* day 1- (04/11/03) : depart from Marrakech early in the morning dirrection Ouarzazate via Tizint Tichka.visit the Kasbah of Ait ben haddou. lunch in Ouarzazate.after lunch depart dirrection Boumale dades night in dades vallee hotel berber.
* day 2-(05/11/03) : depart from dades vallee crossing jabel Sarghro 2272 m with car by off road, lunch in N'kob , afternnon driving in dra valle night in Zagora hotel.
* day 3-(06/11/03) : depart from Zagora to M'hamid with a stop in Tamgroute , lunch in M'hamid afternoon over night camel trek. night in the desert ,
* day 4-(07/11/03 : come back from sahara with camel lunch in the dor of sahara , than depart to chagaga dunes 60 km off road with jeep it's the high dunes in morocco.night in the desert.
* day 5-(08/11/03) : M'hamid to marrakech via ouarzazate lunch in Ouarzazate.
So... now we are heading down through Portugal this afternoon for the next five days eventually making our way down to Marrakech by Nov. 3rd. Then we will head back up to the south of Spain to visit with Jillīs big bro Ben and Uncle Bill, Aunt Lolita, and the rest of the Familla in Marbella! We canīt wait!
Now, to get back to the Camino... The last days of walking were very good and after that day of torrential rain and snow, the weather was perfect for walking. We met many more fun and interesting people and the walk through Galicia was quite like Ireland and parts of Scotland (but I think my wonderful wife already mentioned that, sorry).
Some unique situations that we saw in the last week or so...
1) Apparently itīs ok for the local "Guardia Civil" with their "pistolaīs" on their hips to be in the local watering hole having a cerveza or two while on duty!
2) Walking on the day of the rain/sleet/hail/snow, we came across this bus load of 13 year olds on a class trip walking 15 kms of the Camino. Letīs just say that rules and regulations for class trips in Spain differ a little from those in Canada. First of all, half of them didnīt have a coat, umbrella or a toque and apparently, itīs ok to light up a cigarette at 13 while on a school outing! We couldnīt believe our eyes! Oh well, it was interesting to witness but I donīt know how half of them didnīt catch pneumonia.
3) Walking the Camino most of you probably thought, "Wow, walking all that distance I wonder what type of wildlife you would see?". Well, let me tell you, we walked for exactly a month through mountainous terrain, rolling hills, wheat fields and forrests... here is what we saw that would fall under the category of "wildlife", three snakes, one rabbit and the most exciting of all, on our first day on the top of the Pyrenees on this rock mound we saw six vultures! Thatīs it, thatīs all! But those vultures were massive. They would all come up to at least my waist if they were sitting next to me. It was kind of nerve racking walking by them and them just staring at us...
4) In Carrion de los Condes, the woman working at the refugio was so cute. It turned out she was the sister of the priest and this was the first night we missed our curfew. We were running back to the refugio a couple of minutes late and there she was outside with her shawl draped over her screaming in Spanish, Hurry up! Well, about five minutes later I was kissing my wife goodnight and she kicks me in the shin and told me to get to bed. It was hilarious!
Well, like I said before, itīs hard to believe we didnīt have to walk mass kms today but thereīs no time to get all sentimental because our next journey starts at 4:30 today on the train to Porto, Portugal!
Until next time, take care and keep the comments coming!
Adios,
Bow
Hi everyone at home,
Itīs been an exciting past few days with walking the last leg of the camino. We didnīt really know how we would feel as we approached Santiago yesterday. It was very exciting to arrive at our final destination all in one piece but there were definitely parts of us that didnīt want it all to come to an end. Santiago is a wonderful city with narrow streets and a lot of history and great architecture. As we entered into the old city yesterday we bumped into so many people that we had walked with or met at some point over the past month - it felt like a homecoming.
We went to the pilgrimīs mass today at noon and the church was filled with people we knew. It was a similar feeling to going to church on Christmas Eve - a lot of excitement in the air and waving to friends and aquaintances all around the church. After mass was over, many pilgrims hovered at the back of the cathedral saying their last goodbyes. We had to laugh when Philippe (the snorer) said goodbye and said to Bow that he could "enjoy" his wife now that there are no more nights of bunk bed refugios ahead. We had to laugh, especially coming from a 66 year old man!
Since itīs pouring down rain today, weīve decided not to head out to the coast but to travel on towards Porto, Portugal this afternoon. We plan to check out some spots in Portugal over the next couple of days while we make our way down to Marrakech, Morocco.
More tales to come from Portugal and Morocco!
Jill
After almost a month of walking the camino, we are only a few days away from our main destination - Santiago de Compostela. If you are around on Monday October 27th in between 9-10am (your time in Canada - EST), watch us on the web cam coming into the main square in Santiago.
You can see us around the main stairs of the cathedral in the main square of Santiago. We will try to go on top and below the stairs. We will stay in the square for at least an hour. I will have a black jacket on and Bow will be wearing his yellow rain jacket so you can pick us out on the cam.
Go to:
http://www.crtvg.es/ingles/CamWeb/primenucamarasflash.htm
When you go to this site, you will be interested in the cam under "Province of A Coruna". You will specifically want to look at the cam called "Obradoiro Square". This cam will show you different shots of the stairs leading up to the cathedral.
Sometimes the cam takes a minute or two to load. I should also let you know that it sometimes doesnīt work for certain people - not too sure why.
See you on Monday in between 9-10am!
******
We continue to enjoy the walk each day. We have now entered the most beautiful part of the walk, which is an area called Galicia. This area is how I had imagined Ireland to look like - green, rolling hills, farmland, stone walls, and of course lots of rain and mist.
Two days ago was one of my favourite days of the walk. We had a bit of a sleep in and didnīt get walking until around 9:30am because itīs dark quite late in the mornings. We left the very cute town of Villafranca and headed straight up to a walking path way above the city and valley below. It was such a treat because the path was filled with chestnut trees and with the sun, crisp air, and their leaves changing colours we felt like we could enjoy the fall weather that we are missing at home. There were many locals out picking the chestnuts to resell at the market - a very tedious job.
What goes up, must come down and this path was no different. The path led us to an extremely steep route down to a small village where we ate lunch. We knew that there were many other pilgrims on the route that day but none were in sight. Once again we felt like the only walkers on the route to Santiago.
We spent our afternoon wandering through little villages and then the real climb began. Everyone had been talking about the steep but beautiful climb up to Cebreiro, which is the village on top of the mountain as you enter into Galicia - it was an 8km climb straight up. We started the walk up around 4pm. It took us almost three hours of climbing and enjoying the views (we were in total awe of its beauty!) before we reached the top. We were pleasantly surprised to find the cutest village of Cebriero on top. It was a little village with a cute little church, a few restaurants, houses, and the refugio. All of the buildings were stone with thatched rooves. As we walked into the village, there was a little store playing Galician music outside (similar to Irish Celtic music) which really set the tone.
We couldnīt have been happier to arrive at the heated refugio (heat is a treat!) and to have boiling hot showers (also a treat!). We quickly got ready and headed out to enjoy the menu del dia at the local restaurant with many other pilgrims.
One of the beauties of the camino is that you feel like you are travelling with a community. When you head out to the restaurants at night, there are always people from all over to chat with. When you go to buy groceries for lunch or breakfast, the store is usually filled with about 20 other people you know or recognize. When you go into a bar at lunch you can sometimes meet up with people you havenīt seen for days or even weeks. Today, for example, as we were leaving the refugio we met up with Remi, the Aussie who we lost almost two weeks ago, so we spent the day walking with him.
So whatīs next? After we arrive in Santiago on Monday we will hang out and enjoy the city until Wednesday morning. Then we will walk out to the Atlantic Ocean from Santiago to a place called Cape Fisterra. Itīs 90 kms or a three-day walk from Santiago. If you walk almost the whole way across Spain, you might as well really do it up! Weīll be back in Santiago for Halloween night and then weīll take the train to Portugal on November 1st.
Happy Halloween!
Jill
Hello everyone, here are my thoughts...
Many of you have been up to the famous "Sierra Designs factory outlet store" up in Foymount (in the middle of Renfrew county, I might add!, as well as where we bought our rain gear that really came in handy on this trip so far!). Just above Foymount there is another town way up in the middle of nowhere called Quadville, also known as "Up in Godīs Country", well, I beg to differ but Cebreiro is now the little village that is up in Godīs Country!! Wow, what a breath taking journey that was 2 days ago!
We were leaving this cutie little town called Villafranca and the day looked to be a little coudy and overcast. We chose the "high road" as Jill mentioned, and there was no turning back. But, we did meet the first ornery dog on the walk. I tell you this little dog was ready for a fight, so I gave him one. He would bark and then run away and then became more confident as he got closer to his house. This is where the first challenge began... He took a few steps closer so I wacked my walking stick on the ground and he retreated. He challenged again but the same result... we made it past his little backdoor path to his home and then he tried a sneak attack from behind, but I was ready! I swung my stick back and forth with teeth gritted and he finally retreated once and for all, but not after I distracted him with a light tossing of a rock in his direction. This little ankle biter put up a good fight but there was no way he was getting through me, the overprotecting husband that I am! My wife was proud!
Anyways, back to our unbelievable day... the walk up the first mountain was quite steep at the beginning but it got the ticker pumping and the body temperature rising. By the time we reached the summit, the sun was out in full force and no clouds to be seen! Welcome to the wonderful region of Galicia! And this was just the beginning!
Like Jill has said, the middle part was nice but the last 8 km, Wow! I must quote our map that we have been using as a guide because it sometimes has some unique phrases to describe pretty much the same thing... By this time we have walked over 20 km and we know the last bit is going to be hard on us, but we were mentally prepared. So as we start our ascent I read Jill the description of the next little section... "You will cross a little bridge over the river and then begin an "arduous" 2 km hike"... and then "after you reach the village of La Faba you will continue for 2 "long" km until you reach Laguna..." Well, whoever wrote the guide book, at this point 2 km straight up is 2 km straight up, letīs call a spade a spade! But it was worth it because the views were amazing!
Cebriero was also worth every ounce of energy that we utilized to reach this little village that stood up above the clouds, or as I mentioned earlier, up in Godīs country! Though I must admit, I didnīt think the stairway to Heaven would be so difficult!
The next day we planned on doing around 30 km because we wanted to split up the next two maps. We woke up and the mist and fog were quite thick. You could barely see 30 feet in front of you. I began in shorts and a couple of shirts, but after 5 minutes of walking I thought I better throw on my rain pants and rain coat, not only for the possibility of it raining but for sheer warmth! Well let me tell you, it was one of my best decisions that I have made thus far on this trip because within the next hour we walked through thick fog, rain, sleet, hail and then finally, the white stuff! Here we are thinking that weīve avoided snow for the next year but we were wrong! Mother Nature threw everything she had at us but we trudged along... at points it was testing our inner strength to continue but we prevailed and the next thing we knew the sky had changed to a beautiful blue sky with the sunīs warmth taking the chill out of our bones. It was a welcoming site! (I think the three Cola Caoīs may have helped to warm us as well throughout the day! We all have our weakness!)
We finally reached the original destination we set out for but we could see the city of Sarria off in the near distance so we thought we would attempt to make it before the sun went down. It was the first sunset we have seen over the whole walk and it was nice. We made it into Sarria under the cover of darkness but not without incident... another ankle biter trying to bite my wife, can you believe my luck. Well, to make a long story short, we both survived and made it to the refugio by 8:30 (we left at 9:30 that same morning). The man running the refugio looked like Max Keeping without the pony tail, the resemblance was uncanny! We went up to grab our bunk for the night and to our surprise we find that the floor in the refugio is heated! WE couldnīt believe it, did it ever feel nice on the feet after our long journey! Then, to our surprise, Max himself offers us a ride to a restaurant and we had a great meal!
Thatīs enough for now, but like Jill mentioned we are going to reach Santiago in 4 days!! Itīs just under 90 km from where we are now. But thatīs not the end. We are going to walk the remaining 90 km to the ocean to make it our final destination. I canīt wait to be done, but Iīm immensely enjoying every minute of it! What an experience, I recommend it to anyone!
thanks for all the comments... Jim glad to hear tight ass is alive and well, and Chris (aka. Shlomo) remind me never to get into a game of balderdash with you! What an imagination!
Congrats to my fellow coworkers Penny (on buying her new home in BBQ haven) and Andy for finally popping the question to Sarah!
Talk to you all soon!
Bow.
Well, let me tell you, itīs nothing remotely close to how you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada...
The day began in Carrion where we woke up early so that we could start the day bright and early (though itīs really under the cover of darkness because the sun doesnīt start to rise til after 8) so we were on the road at 7:30 am. We felt like all of those other lunatic pilgrims that walk in the dark but there was a method to our madness... supposedly the first 17 km of our day was to be completely flat with nothing, I mean literally nothing, between Carrion and the next little town. So we wanted to walk as much as possible before the sun got too hot and we got baked! (Jilly doesnīt need another set of raccoon eyes)
The weather was actually perfect for walking. It was cloudy and a nice gentle breeze. We were doing well but when Ben (jillīs bro) and some other pilgrims told us that this section was just like the Prairies, they werenīt stretching the truth. We walked and walked and walked for three hours and we still couldnīt see the next town. It was unbelievable really. We could see a slight hill up ahead and we thought once we climb it weīll see the town on the horizon... but no, just more flat terrain as far as the eye could see!
Well, you can only walk for so long talking about all of the goodies we are missing back home until you start to get really hungry for some treats... so we broke out a big bag of chips that we splurged on at the local "supermercado" as well as some pistachio nuts and a Kit Kat! The chips lasted maybe a km, but the others were inhaled instantly! But, Jill and I both can tell you it was a poor substitute for my Maīs Nanaimo bars and pumkin pie or Riaīs fruit crumble and ice cream!
So after four hours of straight walking on a flat gravel road through hay field after hay field after hay field after hay field (I think you get the point), we reached our destination and went straight to the bar where all of the other pilgrims were hanging their walking sticks and dumping their backpacks for a nice cold "cerveza", a nice hot "cafe con leche" or like Jill and I, a "chocolato calliente" or "Cola Cao" (hot chocolate)!! Everyone sat down and we all rubbed our feet and complained about the past 17 km together! To be honest though, Jilly and I have loved every minute of the walk but this little blip on the map was interesting for the first couple of km, but then it was pretty tedious. I donīt know how singletons walking this part keep their sanity! But let me tell you that little bar was making quite a bit of money from us "peregrinos" because everyone of us stop to get something to eat or drink. They are making a fortune! Talk about a great location! I mean 1000s of peregrinos walk through that stretch every year..... you do the math!
We were already over half way to our final destination for the day so we thought the next little bit (13 km) would be no problem! Well, 5 "minutos" after we left the bar it started to rain. We got all of our rain gear on and by the time we felt warm the rain stopped and it was another beautiful day on the Camino! We have been actually really lucky so far, up until this point it was the second time we got caught in the rain, our fingers are still crossed!
We were 2km away from where we had decided to sleep for the night and our bodies started to ache and our feet were screaming, "stop"! Itīs funny, no matter if we walk 20 km or 38 km, the last 2 km are always the worst. We finally reach the little village where there was a private refugio and we were ready to collapse. I had just finished saying to Jill how I wished the private refugio was in this very, very nice house (the only nice house) at the edge of town but no, the arrows told us to keep walking. Well, I turned the next corner and there was this old, dilapidated building with the word "Albergue" on the outside of it... I turned to Jill and said "you gotta be "*@#@* joking"... we walked around to the front of the refugio and it didnīt get much better. It looked like the roof was caving in, the bricks on the outside looked like they were about to fall, it was bad... Jill, who was ready to collapse without a moments notice, took a deep breath and said "well, I could make it to the next place"... I laughed but we could hear a lot of voices so I said to Jill letīs bite the bullet and take a look. It turned out that there were about a dozen pilgrims already inside eating and staying the night so we decided to as well. In all honesty, once you got inside it was ok. And the showers were clean with hot water! The little things you take for granted back home!
We had a little siesta and then joined everyone for dinner. It was a "menu del dia" but because it was a private refugio there wasnīt as much choice. The meal turned out to be very good. We both had the cooked vegetables to start (over the lentil soup) and then Jilly had the fish and I had the chicken. Not your typical Thanksgiving dinner but it sufficed! But the real kicker was the choices for dessert...... there were none! Actually, I stand corrected, there was choice... a choice of fruit! All of you back home are eating tons and tons of little goodies and here I am stuck with a pear and Jilly a peach and a banana! We giggled but next year at Thanksgiving are we ever going to pig out! But we soon realized that we will be in Africa (somewhere between Malawi and Zambia) for Christmas so it could possibly get worse.... oh well, cīest la vie! We could be at home working right now instead....
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! We are now in Leon, which is only about a third of the way left to Santiago... parts of us feel sad that itīs coming to an end but other parts are extremely excited that the excessive walking will cease very soon!!
Hope you are all happy and healthy, you are all in our thoughts! And any gossip, trivial items of your daily lives or any type of news is very welcome because we have almost exhausted our daily topics of conversation! I know thatīs hard to believe but itīs true!
Til next time,
Bow.
PS. Happy 3rd anniversary to my sister Rhonda and her husband Dave!! Congrats, may there be many more!! Say hi to our little Godson for us and give him a nice big hug and kiss for us!
And GO SENS GO! First they lead the preseason, then win the Presidentīs trophy again, and then Lord Stanley!! Yeeeeehaaaawwwwww!
*****
Hi everyone,
Bow really did sum it all up above, so Iīll just add a few comments. We have continued to enjoy walking the camino. After resting for a day in Burgos, we had heard that the next third of the camino was going to be like walking the prairies. Although it was flat, some of the days were our most memorable. The days were sunny and warm and the land was flat but surrounded by many wheat fields. We walked through more villages that the first third and some of them were like approaching little towns out of a fairy tale book.
This second phase of our walk brought new faces. Once again weīve met very interesting people.
Wim and Cindy - they are a couple in their late twenties. They started walking from their home in Belgium in mid July. They are really coming down the home stretch. We can tell that they are finding it difficult to come to the end of their journey.
Etienne and Nellie - they are a couple in their 60s. Etienne has walked/cycled the camino 16 times and Nellie 13. They are also from Belgium and have started the camino in St Jean (where most people start), in the middle of France, and from their home in Belgium. The tragic thing about Etienne is that he lost his first wife on the camino in 1988 when she was hit by a car. However, he met Nellie and they are very happy together and walk the camino every second year.
Satomi - she is a young Japanese girl in her mid twenties. She must weigh about 95 pounds but is one of the fastest walkers we have seen. She speaks a little English but definitely doesnīt understand any Spanish. She has however tried to learn some French along the route ... each morning she says ĻBonne JourneeĻ as she passes us and leaves us in her dust.
Eddie - he is a 33 year old from France. Eddie is one of the most fun and energetic characters we have met along the route. We have been walking with Eddie for the past five days. We speak to him in French ... or some might call it Franglais ... and he speaks back to us in English. He started walking at the end of August in the middle of France. He laughs non-stop and most times itīs at himself. I have had a few major laugh attacks listening to he and Bow communicate because Bow likes to joke around with him but he doesnīt understand any of Bowīs jokes. Bow then tries to explain them in French, which is always a bit of a strain. It takes Bow so long and by then the jokes lose their effect. They both keep me laughing.
We think we will arrive in Santiago on Monday October 27th. If you are around, feel free to check us out on the web cam in the main square in Santiago in between 10-11am (your time in Canada - EST). We will stay in the square for an hour. I will have a black jacket on and Bow will be wearing his yellow jacket so you can pick us out on the cam. We will post and email closer to the date because itīs difficult to know now if this is the right date or time.
There are many web cams along the camino, but the one you will be interested in is the one in Santiago when you actually finish the walk. It's located in the main square in Santiago. We will be standing at the bottom of the main stairs in the square, which you will see when you follow the instructions below.
Go to:
http://www.crtvg.es/ingles/CamWeb/primenucamarasflash.htm
When you go to this site, you will be interested in the cam under "A Coruna". You will specifically want to look at the one called "Obradoiro Square".
Sometimes the cam takes a minute or two to load ... just to let you know. Sometimes it doesnīt work for certain people - not too sure why.
Hope all is well at home in Canada!!
Jill
Rarely a day goes by when some wierd act or funny occurance happens along the way.... Hereīs a list of some of the more memorable moments...
In no particular order...
While walking...
1. Watching this British guy named David almost fall arse over tea kettle running down a hill because his pack was so damn heavy he couldnīt help it!
2. Seeing my wife walking like her Oma, when we were walking through Pamplona after 35km.
3. Watching my lovely wife attempting to understand what the local Spanish people are saying to her a mile a minute. All Jill does is just giggle and say "adios". Then I realized the louder she laughs the more she doesnīt understand!
Unfortunate body parts...
1. We met this guy from Switzerland, named Ramu for short, and he was nice enough to show us his big toe... Jill mentioned how her blisters were hurting and so he thought that this would be a good time to show us his ailment. He peels off his bandaid ever so gently and honest to god, there was a hole in the bottom of his big toe like a rat was gnawing on it... very grosse! Donīt know how he is walking on it, not to mention this silly lad is trying to finish the whole Camino in 18 days... Good luck Ramu! Also, the next day when Ramu left us, he was mentioning how he didnīt bring any warm clothes, not even a coat... well let me tell you, the next two days were freezing and we were decked out in full sausage wrap (aka. long underwear), a toque, mits and full rubberized rain gear to keep warm and heīs marching along in a long sleeved shirt and one pair of tear aways!! Go Ramu Go!
2. In Najera, there was a beautiful refugio and I look over and to my shagrin, thereīs a breast staring at me.... Yep there she was... cyclopse staring right at me. That made for a good nightīs sleep let me tell you!
3. Jilly and I are eating our one of many snacks on this bench in the middle of this town and this Belgium woman sits down next to us. We are sitting there with our feet out of our shoes to air them out, so whatever it is about Jill and I, she decides to show us her ailing toe as well. Suffice it to say, I almost spit out my mouthful of cookie because this womanīs little toe is bigger than my wifeīs big toe! I couldnīt believe it, my eyes almost popped out of my head... Then Jilly being her polite self is trying to keep a conversation going with this woman while Iīm whispering into her ear, " Mutant Toe, Mutant Toe"! Needless to say Jill was not happy with me but she couldnīt resist a little giggle!
4. Then just tonight, Iīm walking by this one area of the Refugio and thereīs this guy standing in his gitch shaving his back with a straight razor....
Socializing at night...
1. Hands down, finding out that the fellow Canadians, Norah and Iylted, as well as Remi, Aussie, placed their stuff on both bunks to prevent the "SNORER" from being able to sleep in our room! And then while attempting to fall asleep we hear through the wall the SNORER in full force and laughing at the others that got stuck with it! haha
2. This foursome from France were trying to get to sleep and there was a sign on the door to the bathroom, Please keep the doors shut! I guess thereīs a draft in the room and if you donīt close all of the doors they will bang all night. Well, after a few bottles of wine, our fellow Canadians mentioned above went to the washroom and didnīt close the door behind them... all of a sudden we hear this histaric woman yelling "La Porte, la porte!" and then she slams it shut! WEll, 30 secs later I walked through the doors and thereīs Jill and the others doubled over in laughter because this woman just lost it! So, there we are in the john, and I say to Iylted (Norahīs father that reminds me of John Kleese) 5 euro if you leave the door open when you go back in... Needless to say, he took me up on my offer!
Never a dull moment!
Bow.
Well, itīs nice to hear that I am being missed at work... but Iīm not missing work - heehee Ok, I have Pfaff withdrawal the odd minute of every day!
Here we are in Burgos, just under 500 km to go, yahoo!!! And we are loving every minute of it! Actually, we took our first day off of walking today to let our bodies and Jillyīs left heel heal! We have been fairly lucky so far with our abilities to keep up a pretty good pace!
Actually, on our walk to Burgos yesterday we came across a sign that read... "Santiago, 518 km to go" Wow, if thatīs not reassuring I donīt know what is. So just picture walking from Ottawa to Toronto, thatīs what we have left to walk. Our packs feel very light now surprisingly, and once we get Jillyīs foot mended weīll be back to 30 km a day... ok, maybe 25 but letīs not be knitpicky... :)
The last five days or so we have travelled with 12 other pilgrims that were walking pretty much the same schedule as we were so it was nice to talk to everyone while they pass us or we pass them or socializing in the refugios after our daily punishment. We have met other Canadians, Aussies, lots of French and some Germans. We have also spent the last week with a Spanish family who have just finished here in Burgos. They will come back to finish it next year. Zaida, the daughter, has to go back for school in Gerona and youīll never believe this... her fatherīs name is Jesus! Who would have thought that Jill and I would meet Jesus while walking the Camino de Santiago!! We must be doing something right!
The Canadian tandem of Norah and Iylted (from Salt Spring Island) are off on a train today to Leon or somewhere because of time constraints. Mark and Remi (the Aussies) are also planning to finish the whole walk as we are, but they are riding solo. Actually, Mark and I had a great talk a few nights ago in San Juan de Ortega. He is also a teacher at a bording school in the land Down Under and has travelled to many of the same places I have (south island of New Zealand, all over Australia, Spain, etc). But the one who takes the cake is this man named Phillipe from France... he is a retired diplomat and he is the nicest, well intentioned man you could meet, actually almost too friendly. Anyways, we met him a few nights ago and heīs walked the Camino now 3 times already (I donīt know why, so donīt ask) but when he falls asleep.... well, honestly, he could bring the house down with his snoring! I am not kidding, itīs unbelievable. Itīs not only loud but he sounds like he could be on his last breath, itīs sickening. So the next night when we all got in to the refugio ahead of "the SNORER" we all headed to the second room of bunk beds and filled them with our stuff so he wouldnīt be in our room. Unbeknownst to us, others actually threw their stuff on both beds to take up the extra room because itīs that bad! We all had a good laugh!
Well, thatīs enough from me for now. Jilly will let you in on some of her profound thoughts!
Til next time,
Bow.
And thanks again for all of the comments!
Hi everyone ....
As Bow mentions above, we are really enjoying every step of the camino. Last Monday was an incredible day. Do you ever have those days when you wake up and have no idea that the day ahead will be one that you will remember forever? That was Monday for me.
We woke up in a small refugio in a town called Belerado. There were about 20 of us getting ready for the day ahead. Almost everyone was groggy because we had just tried to sleep through the orchestra coming out of Philippeīs nose all night long. Bow and I were pokey as per usual - we enjoyed a cola cao (hot chocolate) and cookies for breakfast before heading on our way around 8:30am.
It was only about three degrees outside so we were all bundled up in our toques and all. We had spent the past couple of days walking close to the busy roads so we were expecting more of the same. We were pleasantly surprised when the trail took us through farmland, villages, and then we climbed, climbed and climbed some more until we reached a great wooded trail which led to a beautiful lookout over the valley below. By this time, the sun was shining strong.
We arrived in San Juan de Ortega around 3pm and found our Canadian and Aussie friends already warming up the bar patio chairs beside the refugio. San Juan was a village with a church, refugio, bar and a couple of houses ... not too much else. We grabbed some bunks strategically away from the snorer and headed outside to enjoy the sunny afternoon.
We sat around for hours chatting about the day, travels, Canada, and whatever else came up while eating and drinking. Norah and Iylted carved their walking sticks. Bow went inside for an afternoon nap. All of the other pilgrims joined in as they arrived after the 24 km walk.
This refugio was famous for the priest who cooks garlic soup for the pilgrims. In order to get a bowl of his famous soup everyone had to go to church. So at 7pm, everyone headed from the bar to the church. The frail little priest offered a 15 minute mass before standing in front of us and philosophizing about why we are here walking the camino. It was translated into French and English by some of the other pilgrims. Then we went back to the refugio and everyone had a delicious bowl of garlic soup. Then back the bar for more food!
Mark the Aussie and Philippe from France sat down with Bow and I. Bow talked to Mark about Australia and I spoke in French to Philippe throughout dinner (my French was rough!). He was such a sweet man, itīs just too bad people, including us, are literally running from him to get their bunk in a different room because of his snoring situation.
It was 10pm and we had to get back to the refugio for curfew. We were all a little giddy because Iylted, Norah, and Remi, who sat at the table next to us, had gotten into the wine and were a bit looped. We were trying to be so quiet getting into bed but of course our giddiness got us into trouble with some of the other more serious pilgrims. When we finally got settled down and the giggles gone we could hear the snoring piping up in the next room and of course that made us all burst out laughing again.
Now we are taking a day off in Burgos. Many of the people we have spent the last week with are either heading home or taking the train closer to the end because they have time constraints. So tomorrow will be a new day with new people.
Until next time!
Jill
Many people that have walked the Camino de Santiago have felt they have become one with themself...
There we were, my lovely wife and I embarking on our new lives as Pilgrims. We were meandering up the Pyrenees, breathless in all of their beauty. It was majestic!
The scenery was stunning...
The people we were meeting and having discourse with were amazing people in their own rite with a different story to tell...
The climb was very arduous but in all itīs wonder I looked to my wife and said...
"Jill, donīt you wish we still had that rental car?"
There may be more deep thoughts as the camino continues... stay tuned!
We have been walking now for a week and a typical day of our new peregrino (pilgrim) life involves walking, eating, sleeping and socializing.
After arriving in Pamplona, our feet and bodies were tired so for the past few days we have been walking approximately 20 kms a day. Weīve walked through Puenta la Reina, Estella, Los Arcos and now we are in Logrono.
Weīve been staying in refugios, which are hostels for pilgrims. We must show our pilgrims passports in order to get a bunk bed for 3 euros ($4) a night. The typical day of a pilgrim starts at around 6:30am. The ants or pilgrims all start getting up and scurrying around to eat, pack up and head out to start walking, since everyone must be out by 8am. We are following in Dad and Benīs footsteps as the "lazy pilgrims" because we donīt get up until after 7am and find it difficult to make it out before 8am. A couple of days ago, they were screaming at me "vlamos, vlamos, vlamos" (leave, leave, leave) - they are sticklers on getting everyone out by 8am.
We usually eat our breakfast outside the refugio and watch everyone head off for the day. We look at the maps and decide before we start where we plan to end up at days end. We usually get on the trail, which is marked by a yellow arrow around 8:30am ... the last of the pack. Slowly but surely along the route we meet up with other pilgrims as they rest for snacks or lunch. We too stop several times to eat and give our feet a rest. The terrain each day has been completely different, which makes it such a treat each day to travel over different land.
We usually arrive at our destination in between 3-4pm and we donīt know how or why but we seem to be some of the first pilgrims to arrive. We still canīt understand it because we donīt usually pass many pilgrims during the day. Still a mystery. They give us a bunk and one by one the pilgrims we have met over the past week arrive and we all chat it up. We usually take a hot shower before having a siesta (afternoon nap) from 4-6pm. Around 6:30pm, Bow and I head out to see the city or town and try to find a place to have dinner. Restaurants open at 8pm and offer a pilgrims meal of the day, which includes an appy, main, dessert and drink. So far, the food has been delicious and very healthy. Not all pilgrims go out to the restaurants, many cook for themselves at the refugio, but we consider it our big treat of the day. We see the same crowd of pilgrims at dinner each night and when we go to leave we usually go by each table and say goodbye in either French, English or Spanish. Itīs actually quite a lot of fun.
We head back to the refugio by 10pm and head straight to bed. By then, many people are already sleeping. We go to bed to get a good nightīs rest. After walking over 20km a day food tastes so much better and sleep feels so much deeper.
That is our typical day of this walking journey. Along our route we have met many people of all ages who are walking the camino for a number of reasons.
We have met Helene from France who is about 55 and has walked across France for the past four weeks and plans to finish the camino in Spain in the next four weeks. We are on the same time frame so our goal of the day is to see her at least once since she is incredibly fast and even if we see her in the distance we feel like weīre walking at a good pace.
We met David, 24, from England at the beginning of our walk. He is walking the camino to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He is camping instead of staying at the refugios. He is taking two months, which is a good thing because the day we met him, he had only made it 3kms. He takes it one step at a time. As we walk, we often ask each other "so where do you think David made it today?".
Weīve met Marc Olivier, 28, from France, who is walking for 10 days this year and plans to finish the camino over the next four years. We usually see him at some point each day. Bow and I speak French to him and he responds in English - we are all learning.
Weīve met a father and daughter from Salt Spring Island who are planning to walk the whole thing together. They usually ask us what our plan is for the day and weīve been keeping on the same route for the past couple of days.
Weīve been emailing Kendall and Graham, our Canadian friends we met in Barcelona, to find out where they are. We heard today that they are about two days behind us so we think that we will probably run into them somewhere on this route.
We are really enjoying the camino and are looking forward to the days of walking ahead!
Jill
Just to add a bit to what my wife has already stated...
Itīs pretty much a game of leap frog everyday with the same group of people. some start under the cover of darkness but Jill and I both decided we might as well leave when we can see where we are going and also see the unbelievable sights and sounds of Spain waking up!
As Jill mentioned, we usually are one of the last to leave but sure enough, once we get our pace set we blaze our trail by half of the pilgrims in the first hour. Then the game of leap frog begins... we stop for a bit of a rest and snack while watching a half dozen or so familiar faces walk by... hola, buenas dias or bonjour! Then were up and at it after a quick foot rub and within the hour we pass those same faces who have stopped for a bite to eat... buen camino or bon appetit... you catch our drift. Then, we trudge along and get to our achieved destination and start the cycle all over again... sleep, eat, walk, socialize, eat again, sleep, etc.... Itīs actually quite comical at times...
But for those of you who think this is an easy task, think again! This is one of the most painful things I have ever done to my body at any one time... the day we walked 30 km over the Pyrenees and then followed that with 30 km the next day... whoa, that made a 4 day ultimate tournament feel like a picnic in the park! no kidding... I for one would have never believed it either but you have to experience it to really get a proper understanding of what our bodies are going through. But Iīm not complaining in the least, I just have to remember to stretch as much as possible (when I think of it that is, I`m terrible with stretching) and give the old footsies a nice rub down.
Anyways, we have just completed our first full week of walking and we are in Najera. Meaning, in 7 days we have walked 195 km!! Not bad for 2 lil kids from the stix eh!
Anyways, weīll keep you informed of whatīs going on but as well, you keep us up to date of what is going on back in O-town!
Bow.
PS. Richard Pfaff staff, if you are following... I am missing you guys a little! Actually, Iīm missing you guys a lot but the kids only a little, but I am thinking of all of you! haha And feeling sorry for you all at the same time!! Talk to you soon.