Friday, October 16
We slept in til 8:30 am and had a lovely breakfast in the sunroom of the Hotel Costa Vella. Then off to meet Carmen and Alberto in the cathedral for noon Pilgrim Mass. Mass was packed -- but we got there early for good seats to see the altar. About 15 concelebrants came out in a procession- all in red vestments. There were Spanish, Hungarian, Polish, German and Italian priests. The main celebrant read out all the starting places for the Camino and how many from each country had arrived. We were in the Astorga group.
It was very emotional to see the pilgrims just coming in and to feel a part of this huge community of peregrinos.
The highlight was the use of the enormous incenser at the end of Mass -- about 4 ft high and 2 ft wide that six men swing from from the high point of the church. It was amazing to see this huge incensor going about 40 mph and flying over our heads. It hearkens back to medieval times when pilgrims would come and sleep in the chursch and because of lack of washing facilities and mores of hte times, the odor was unbearable. Altar boys used to run up and down the aisles with incensers burning. The botafumeiro is from the 15th century.
After Mass, we bid adios to Carmen and Alberto who are heading to Vigo to visit friends. It was an emotional farewell -- they had bought us a gift of a beautiful post of the Camino and signed it for a remembrance. We shall miss them very much. They will always be a precious part of the Camino for us.
More later. I am posting from the Santiago Airport on our way to Madrid.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Arca to Santiago - 20 km -- We arrive!
Thursday, October 15
We get up early knowing that my limp will make us go slow into Santiago.
My ankle actually feels better and we start off after our ususal breakfast -- sunny, warm day -- aabout 8:30 am.
All is well for the first few km -- then my ankle seems to really give out. Not even having the staff seems to make a difference and I am already full of anti-inflammatory drugs.So we stop at a small cafe and I ice my ankle for a time- That seems to help immensely.
The rest of the way is better -- we go through a series of small villages.
We make it to Lavacolla where medieval pilgrims would wash in the river -- symbolic cleansing. And we both wash our hands in the water.
Then we make the ascent to Monte de Gozo -- Mount of Joy -- now we are actually close to the city. This used to be where pilgrims would first view the church spires -- now obscured by high rises.
We stop at Monte de Gozo then on into Santiago.
We go first to the plaza in front of the church to meet Carman and Alberto -- we meet them -- hugs all round with them and other pilgrims we know. Then into the church to give thanks, hug the statue of Santiago above the altar, visit his crypt, then off to get our compostella!
Tomorrow we will go to the noon Pilgrim´s Mass.
We get in line and get our document in Latin after the clerk reviews our passport and stamps.
Then I leave my staff with all the others inside the compostella building and we go back out to the church.
We have arrived after 11 days -- after seeing beautiful country, making wonderful friends, and walking further than I have ever walked in my life.
More tomorrow! Gracias a Dios -- buen camino a todos!
We get up early knowing that my limp will make us go slow into Santiago.
My ankle actually feels better and we start off after our ususal breakfast -- sunny, warm day -- aabout 8:30 am.
All is well for the first few km -- then my ankle seems to really give out. Not even having the staff seems to make a difference and I am already full of anti-inflammatory drugs.So we stop at a small cafe and I ice my ankle for a time- That seems to help immensely.
The rest of the way is better -- we go through a series of small villages.
We make it to Lavacolla where medieval pilgrims would wash in the river -- symbolic cleansing. And we both wash our hands in the water.
Then we make the ascent to Monte de Gozo -- Mount of Joy -- now we are actually close to the city. This used to be where pilgrims would first view the church spires -- now obscured by high rises.
We stop at Monte de Gozo then on into Santiago.
We go first to the plaza in front of the church to meet Carman and Alberto -- we meet them -- hugs all round with them and other pilgrims we know. Then into the church to give thanks, hug the statue of Santiago above the altar, visit his crypt, then off to get our compostella!
Tomorrow we will go to the noon Pilgrim´s Mass.
We get in line and get our document in Latin after the clerk reviews our passport and stamps.
Then I leave my staff with all the others inside the compostella building and we go back out to the church.
We have arrived after 11 days -- after seeing beautiful country, making wonderful friends, and walking further than I have ever walked in my life.
More tomorrow! Gracias a Dios -- buen camino a todos!
Arzua to Arca -- about 20km -- still limping on the Camino
Wednesday, Oct 14
Dinner last night at the albergue with Carmen, Alberto, Adriano, and Susanna was great -- lentils and carrots, salad, wine, and yogurt with chocolate bits!
My ankle felt much better after icing.
This morning I am still limping, but able to walk.
I am walking through the pain and hoping I don´t do more damage -- but it is certainly bearable. John is worried about how slow we will be, but we seem to be doing okay after getting a palo for me.
John had looked for a staff -- he said he found some brooms at a hardware store and perhaps I could use a broom to help me. I gasped! But Carmen´s staff had certainly been a help when I used it before.
As we started off I was so slow, John and I talked again and walked back into town to see if we could find a staff. No one seems to be selling them this far along on the Carmino. Then he suggeste the hardware store again -- he said we could take the handle of a broom or rake and use it. Luckily we found a store that sold handles separately so 5 euros I had a staff which I wrapped with a stick ace bandage to help with the grip.
The day went slowly but we finally made it into Rua just before Arca where there was very nice hotel we hoped to stay in -- lovely village -- the hotel was completo. The pensione there did not look great, so we walked 2 more km to Arzua itself. There we did find a nice room -- the only drawback was the mosquitoes all night long.
Not too many downhills today which was good -- made walking easier. Mostly on the dirt trails through groves and villages. People we know on the Camino pass by and ask how my ankle is doing. Strangers on the Camino also see me limping and keeping telling me, It´s only a little farther!
We ate dinner with Carmen and the gang in the restaurant which turned out to be a comedy of errors iwth ordering -- first time that has happened. We kept getting tuna in whatever we ordered.
The hostal had an internet link so I could update the blog -- I hate getting behind.
And after taking more anti-inflammatory meds my ankle was doing ok -- the ace bandage wrap really helped.
Weather has still be clear and warm!
We leave Arca in the morning for Santiago! It´s getting near!
Dinner last night at the albergue with Carmen, Alberto, Adriano, and Susanna was great -- lentils and carrots, salad, wine, and yogurt with chocolate bits!
My ankle felt much better after icing.
This morning I am still limping, but able to walk.
I am walking through the pain and hoping I don´t do more damage -- but it is certainly bearable. John is worried about how slow we will be, but we seem to be doing okay after getting a palo for me.
John had looked for a staff -- he said he found some brooms at a hardware store and perhaps I could use a broom to help me. I gasped! But Carmen´s staff had certainly been a help when I used it before.
As we started off I was so slow, John and I talked again and walked back into town to see if we could find a staff. No one seems to be selling them this far along on the Carmino. Then he suggeste the hardware store again -- he said we could take the handle of a broom or rake and use it. Luckily we found a store that sold handles separately so 5 euros I had a staff which I wrapped with a stick ace bandage to help with the grip.
The day went slowly but we finally made it into Rua just before Arca where there was very nice hotel we hoped to stay in -- lovely village -- the hotel was completo. The pensione there did not look great, so we walked 2 more km to Arzua itself. There we did find a nice room -- the only drawback was the mosquitoes all night long.
Not too many downhills today which was good -- made walking easier. Mostly on the dirt trails through groves and villages. People we know on the Camino pass by and ask how my ankle is doing. Strangers on the Camino also see me limping and keeping telling me, It´s only a little farther!
We ate dinner with Carmen and the gang in the restaurant which turned out to be a comedy of errors iwth ordering -- first time that has happened. We kept getting tuna in whatever we ordered.
The hostal had an internet link so I could update the blog -- I hate getting behind.
And after taking more anti-inflammatory meds my ankle was doing ok -- the ace bandage wrap really helped.
Weather has still be clear and warm!
We leave Arca in the morning for Santiago! It´s getting near!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Palas do Rei to Arzua - 29 k - limping on the Camino
Tuesday, October 13
We knew this would be a long day. And it is suddenly much warmer. We started out early -- stopped at a cafe run by two Germans in a small village for an omelette about 11 am.
There are about 20 German pilgrims stopping with us. A group from all over Germany -- very nice people. We also ran into a Carmelite monk from Cracow!
Had some cidre -- 4 per cent hard cider yesterday -- very tasty!
It really got hot in the afternoon -- then it happened.
Suddenly my left ankle ached and I could hardly walk. I did not twist it -- but we had been doing about 5km per hour and perhaps I stressed it.
We stopped so I could rest at a cafe -- the ankle was very swollen. We tried to stay at a pensione in a small village, bu they were full. So we went on .
John took my pack and carried it sherpa style on his head while I very, very slowly walked the Camino. Luckily Alberto and Carmen appeared -- we thought they were way ahead of us but they had stopped for a long lunch of pulpo -- octopus. Carmen gave me her palo -- staff -- and we all made it into Arzua.
We joined them for dinner at the albergue -- after I had iced my ankle and John had found a pharmacy with an ace bandage and other first aid items for all my blisters.
I am very worried about tomorrow. But at least it is a shorter day -- only about 12 miles.
Susanna - a doctor from Tarife -- tells me to eat a lot of lentils- They will help heal me!
We knew this would be a long day. And it is suddenly much warmer. We started out early -- stopped at a cafe run by two Germans in a small village for an omelette about 11 am.
There are about 20 German pilgrims stopping with us. A group from all over Germany -- very nice people. We also ran into a Carmelite monk from Cracow!
Had some cidre -- 4 per cent hard cider yesterday -- very tasty!
It really got hot in the afternoon -- then it happened.
Suddenly my left ankle ached and I could hardly walk. I did not twist it -- but we had been doing about 5km per hour and perhaps I stressed it.
We stopped so I could rest at a cafe -- the ankle was very swollen. We tried to stay at a pensione in a small village, bu they were full. So we went on .
John took my pack and carried it sherpa style on his head while I very, very slowly walked the Camino. Luckily Alberto and Carmen appeared -- we thought they were way ahead of us but they had stopped for a long lunch of pulpo -- octopus. Carmen gave me her palo -- staff -- and we all made it into Arzua.
We joined them for dinner at the albergue -- after I had iced my ankle and John had found a pharmacy with an ace bandage and other first aid items for all my blisters.
I am very worried about tomorrow. But at least it is a shorter day -- only about 12 miles.
Susanna - a doctor from Tarife -- tells me to eat a lot of lentils- They will help heal me!
Portomarin to Palas de Rei or Palas do Rei -- 26 km
Monday, October 12
Feast of Nuestra Señora del Pilar -- patroness of Spain and of the army
Also Christopher Columbus Day
Everyone speaks Castilian Spanish -- different words for things than Mexican or Latin American Spanish -- and of course c´s and s´s and z´s are pronounced as th.
In addition to Spanish, different parts of Spain have different dialects -- Barcelona has Catalan and this part of Spain -- Galicia -- has Gallego. Gallego looks and sounds more like Portuguese than Spanish. Lots of diphthongs -- and lots of x´s in words.
So Palas de Rei may be seen on different signs as do Rei -- and Rei would be written as Rey in other parts of Spain.
It´s a long day, but the trail is good and we get into Palas de Rei in late afternoon. There are lots of people in the town, but most things are closed. It´s a bigger town than we had anticipated -- we go to a hotel that had been recommended, but it is ´completo´- full. Then we spy two Aussies we know -- father and daughter who are doing this trip -- and they tell us where they are staying. After getting a room, we are to meet Alberto and Carmen for dinner they are cooking at the albergue. We say we will bring wine and bread. But all the super markets are closed. John manages to find a bakery that is still open and gets some bread and postre -- dessert. The wine is still an issue. So we ask at the bar where we had rented our room if we could buy a bottle. We assume it will be outrageously expensive, but we want to bring a beverage for dinner. I explain our dilemma to the older women behind the bar -- she talks to her husband, then to her granddaughter who is about 12. Time passes. Then the grand daughter goes into the backrooom, starts calling out names, then the older women seems to approve. The girl brings us a bottle of red wine with no label -- but then we see a tiny address label sign label on the back just saying it is from the area. We brace ourselves for the price -- 3 euros -- $4.50! And it turns out to be excellent wine!
Dinner at the albergue with Carmen, Alberto, Adriano, Susanna, Patricia, and Angel is wonderful. And we get to tour the albergue. All sorts of people are staying there -- younger, older, singles, couples, etc. It´s a great sense of camaraderie -- John and I are both glad we got to be a little part of it.
Another long day tomorrow, Tuesday, 29 km to Arzua via Melide. I have been using up bandages for my blisters at an alarming rate.
Feast of Nuestra Señora del Pilar -- patroness of Spain and of the army
Also Christopher Columbus Day
Everyone speaks Castilian Spanish -- different words for things than Mexican or Latin American Spanish -- and of course c´s and s´s and z´s are pronounced as th.
In addition to Spanish, different parts of Spain have different dialects -- Barcelona has Catalan and this part of Spain -- Galicia -- has Gallego. Gallego looks and sounds more like Portuguese than Spanish. Lots of diphthongs -- and lots of x´s in words.
So Palas de Rei may be seen on different signs as do Rei -- and Rei would be written as Rey in other parts of Spain.
It´s a long day, but the trail is good and we get into Palas de Rei in late afternoon. There are lots of people in the town, but most things are closed. It´s a bigger town than we had anticipated -- we go to a hotel that had been recommended, but it is ´completo´- full. Then we spy two Aussies we know -- father and daughter who are doing this trip -- and they tell us where they are staying. After getting a room, we are to meet Alberto and Carmen for dinner they are cooking at the albergue. We say we will bring wine and bread. But all the super markets are closed. John manages to find a bakery that is still open and gets some bread and postre -- dessert. The wine is still an issue. So we ask at the bar where we had rented our room if we could buy a bottle. We assume it will be outrageously expensive, but we want to bring a beverage for dinner. I explain our dilemma to the older women behind the bar -- she talks to her husband, then to her granddaughter who is about 12. Time passes. Then the grand daughter goes into the backrooom, starts calling out names, then the older women seems to approve. The girl brings us a bottle of red wine with no label -- but then we see a tiny address label sign label on the back just saying it is from the area. We brace ourselves for the price -- 3 euros -- $4.50! And it turns out to be excellent wine!
Dinner at the albergue with Carmen, Alberto, Adriano, Susanna, Patricia, and Angel is wonderful. And we get to tour the albergue. All sorts of people are staying there -- younger, older, singles, couples, etc. It´s a great sense of camaraderie -- John and I are both glad we got to be a little part of it.
Another long day tomorrow, Tuesday, 29 km to Arzua via Melide. I have been using up bandages for my blisters at an alarming rate.
Sarria to Portomarin -- 23 k -- from here 100 km to Santiago
Sunday, October 11
I am getting very good at changing kilometers to miles. John and I have been averaging 4 km per hour -- not bad -- and usually finishing the stage on the low end of the estimate.
Today is very sunny as we meet Carmen and Alberto for breakfast and head out. Carmen had had a massage the night before -- like many pilgrims, her feet and back had begun to bother her.
Sarria is big city compared to the other stops we have made. And it is the important starting point for many pilgrims wanting to walk 100 km to Santiago to get the ´´compostella´´ and to gain the partial indulgence -- wiping out time in purgatory for sins committed on earth. Suddenly we see many more Americans and the camino starts to seem a bit crowded.
As we head out of Sarria and are soon in a country lane, we come upon a group of bicyclists crowded around a lone Asian woman. The poor woman speaks a little English and some Spanish, and the Spanish cyclists have gathered she can not walk anymore. One of them has a cellphone and calls for an ambulance. About 3 minutes later an ambulance shows on the highway above the lane -- John grabs the woman´s pack, runs up the lane to flag the ambulance down and one of the cyclists cycles up also. As the ambulance pulls off the highway and into the start of the lane, we walk with the woman up to the ambulance-- I ask her in Spanish where she is from. She is from Korea and had started in Roncevalles -- she has walked a long way already. She started with a group and we all surprised, including the cyclists, that no one from her group stayed with her to make sure she was ok. The medics took everything in hand and we continued on.
The country lanes are lovely -- there are more chestnut groves and oak trees with acorns. Some of the acorns fall on Alberto and John as they talking about women -- the nature gods are speaking!
At the Church in Barbadelo, we stop, get a sello, and I light a candle. The person in charge of giving us the sello for our passports, tells us that this church is unique in Spain because the access to the bell tower is inside the church, not outside. Another pilgrim enters as we leave, and suddenly we hear singing. She has lit a candle and is standing in front of the altar singing a beautiful hymn in German - a capella.
Today we see lots of sheeps, crows, and there are raspberries for sale along the road -- a must buy!
This area has lots of hunting reserves and we have run into lots of hunting parties with they dogs at cafes and bars along the way. We also meet two American women from California -- one , Amy, works in the juvenile justice system, the other is on the faculty of Antioch College, Susan. More about them later.
The day was not too long and we get into Portomarin and find a room easily. Sometimes we stay in hostals, which are not hostels, they are hotels with-without bath in the room, or in pensiones -- also with-without bath, and in refugios privadas which are more spartan and cheaper. Usually a room with a bath is 30 to 40 euros. Breakfast is running about 3 euros for coffee and a pastry or toast.
The church in Portomarin is famous for being built like a fortress -- Romanesque style -- with crenellated towers. It is open when we arrive, so look for a hotel. When we come back, it is closed. Then suddenly the doors open. There are German pilgrims sitting on the steps -- John and I go up the steps and into the church. The interior is much lighter and brighter than most stone churches of this type -- and we also find the old stone painting we had read about. A man appears at the back of the church and it seems as if he wants to lock up. We had managed to slip in with a German tour group who had special permission to open the church after hours. Another miracle on the Camino?
Outside the church, we ran into the solidly-built fast walking pilgrim from Ponferrada -- we said buen camino and started to chat. He turned out to be a doctor from Lodz, Poland -now working in pharmaceuticals and it was fun to talk about my Polish grandparents and Polish culture. Robert also has been walking on weekends parts of the Camino routes they are rediscovering in Poland. There was once a route from Kiev to Santiago.
Alberto and Carmen are staying in an albergue -- some are municipal, some run by the Catholic church, some are private -- and they are essentially like youth hostels with bunkbeds and often with kitchens for cooking, and facilities for doing laundry, internet, etc. They have invited us to eat at the albergue with them -- but the albergue conveniently had no dishes or pans. Apparently it was their way of getting pilgrims to eat at their cafe. So a bunch of us headed for a restaurant.
Tomorow will be a long day -- so we end early.
I am getting very good at changing kilometers to miles. John and I have been averaging 4 km per hour -- not bad -- and usually finishing the stage on the low end of the estimate.
Today is very sunny as we meet Carmen and Alberto for breakfast and head out. Carmen had had a massage the night before -- like many pilgrims, her feet and back had begun to bother her.
Sarria is big city compared to the other stops we have made. And it is the important starting point for many pilgrims wanting to walk 100 km to Santiago to get the ´´compostella´´ and to gain the partial indulgence -- wiping out time in purgatory for sins committed on earth. Suddenly we see many more Americans and the camino starts to seem a bit crowded.
As we head out of Sarria and are soon in a country lane, we come upon a group of bicyclists crowded around a lone Asian woman. The poor woman speaks a little English and some Spanish, and the Spanish cyclists have gathered she can not walk anymore. One of them has a cellphone and calls for an ambulance. About 3 minutes later an ambulance shows on the highway above the lane -- John grabs the woman´s pack, runs up the lane to flag the ambulance down and one of the cyclists cycles up also. As the ambulance pulls off the highway and into the start of the lane, we walk with the woman up to the ambulance-- I ask her in Spanish where she is from. She is from Korea and had started in Roncevalles -- she has walked a long way already. She started with a group and we all surprised, including the cyclists, that no one from her group stayed with her to make sure she was ok. The medics took everything in hand and we continued on.
The country lanes are lovely -- there are more chestnut groves and oak trees with acorns. Some of the acorns fall on Alberto and John as they talking about women -- the nature gods are speaking!
At the Church in Barbadelo, we stop, get a sello, and I light a candle. The person in charge of giving us the sello for our passports, tells us that this church is unique in Spain because the access to the bell tower is inside the church, not outside. Another pilgrim enters as we leave, and suddenly we hear singing. She has lit a candle and is standing in front of the altar singing a beautiful hymn in German - a capella.
Today we see lots of sheeps, crows, and there are raspberries for sale along the road -- a must buy!
This area has lots of hunting reserves and we have run into lots of hunting parties with they dogs at cafes and bars along the way. We also meet two American women from California -- one , Amy, works in the juvenile justice system, the other is on the faculty of Antioch College, Susan. More about them later.
The day was not too long and we get into Portomarin and find a room easily. Sometimes we stay in hostals, which are not hostels, they are hotels with-without bath in the room, or in pensiones -- also with-without bath, and in refugios privadas which are more spartan and cheaper. Usually a room with a bath is 30 to 40 euros. Breakfast is running about 3 euros for coffee and a pastry or toast.
The church in Portomarin is famous for being built like a fortress -- Romanesque style -- with crenellated towers. It is open when we arrive, so look for a hotel. When we come back, it is closed. Then suddenly the doors open. There are German pilgrims sitting on the steps -- John and I go up the steps and into the church. The interior is much lighter and brighter than most stone churches of this type -- and we also find the old stone painting we had read about. A man appears at the back of the church and it seems as if he wants to lock up. We had managed to slip in with a German tour group who had special permission to open the church after hours. Another miracle on the Camino?
Outside the church, we ran into the solidly-built fast walking pilgrim from Ponferrada -- we said buen camino and started to chat. He turned out to be a doctor from Lodz, Poland -now working in pharmaceuticals and it was fun to talk about my Polish grandparents and Polish culture. Robert also has been walking on weekends parts of the Camino routes they are rediscovering in Poland. There was once a route from Kiev to Santiago.
Alberto and Carmen are staying in an albergue -- some are municipal, some run by the Catholic church, some are private -- and they are essentially like youth hostels with bunkbeds and often with kitchens for cooking, and facilities for doing laundry, internet, etc. They have invited us to eat at the albergue with them -- but the albergue conveniently had no dishes or pans. Apparently it was their way of getting pilgrims to eat at their cafe. So a bunch of us headed for a restaurant.
Tomorow will be a long day -- so we end early.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Monastery at Samos then Samos to Sarria - 15 k
Corrections: John read part of the blog -- in O Cebreiro we had gone 24 k, 6 k to go on the descent. I bonked at 1 k up -- no wonder it seemed so long -- we had 5 k to go! Apparently the guidebooks all call this the most arduous stage because it is over 30 k. The early stages in the Pyrenees are much shorter.
Saturday, October 10
To my delight, Padre Augustin, an eldery monk, was still there as the porter and he remembered John and me. I had acted as a translator for him when he took us and some other pilgrims (German and Danish) on an impromptu tour -- English was the common language. This time we were on tour with a lovely young local woman -- and just as we were about to start two other pilgrims walked in. -- a young American student from California, Tim, studying at the American University in Cairo and Sam, an Australian just out of architecture school. Our guide speaks only Spanish -- Tim is very good with languages -- so between us both we feel we can translate for John and Sam.
The monastery grounds are lovely and have the largest cloister -- covered rectangular walkway and gardens -- in Spain. Two novices are here now and about 15 monks -- in the middle ages there would have 80 or 90 monks and over 200 other persons to help with taking care of the monastery, the fields, and to oversee all the villages and other churches that were under the monastery´s care.
Out of Samos, John was ahead of me as usual -- espeically down or uphill. I am faster on the flat trails though. As I rounded a corner he was talking to a fellow pilgrim. In a few moments, the pilgrim´s wife caught up behind me. And here is one of the most serendipitous things abou the Camino -- the people you meet.
Alberto and Carmen are a couple in their 30s from Valencia. They are doing the Camino together as a kind of celebration and affirmation of their relationship - and they are getting married next year at a Redemptorist monastery in Burgos, Spain. They are absolutely delightful. Alberto and John walk at the same pace and talk about rock and mountain climbing experiences and owning small businesses. Alberto speaks marvelous English as does Carmen. And Carmen matches her pace to mine and we speak Spanish. She is a wonderful help as I try to improve my pronuncation and vocabulary, and it is very fun to hear about her life in Spain, and her work. Carmen used to live in Mallorca and worked in community involvement. She now is in charge of the administration of Alberto´s business -- pool maintenance for the municipality, schools, and private and public clubs.
Once in Sarria, a fairly large city, we have trouble finding a hotel room. There is a huge festival for San Froilan in a nearby city, and the overflow has taken over the hotels. Luckily, Alberto has a cell phone and he manages to find us rooms in a Pensione -- a small hotel with rooms with private bath and some without. We run into other pilgrims we have seen on the camino and stop to chat with Justino and Fernando. People on the camino don´t talk right away about what they do for ¨trabajo¨ - work. As we talk about the city, I find out they are from Mallorca and are police officers.
They explain that there are many different jurisdictions of police -- they are municipal- but they both have law degrees. The worst crimes in Mallorca revolve around tourists -- drinking, fights, pickpockets, etc. But there are an incredible number of tourists to deal with from so many countries. I tell them about the Justice Center and the Alaska Justice Forum publication -- and they ask if it is online. So soon we will have readers in Mallorca!
That night we eat a pilgrim´s dinner with Carmen and Alberto in a great nearby restaurant and it´s early to bed.
(As I post this in Arca -- one day out from Santiago -- the Italian guy in the next internet booth is playing some kind of internet game. All the waiters in this cafe seem to be Italian and they are constantly leaning over me to see his screen and cheering him on. I am not sure how coherenet this post will be.)
Saturday, October 10
Samos:
We were up early and after our usual breakfast in the bar -- brioche or pan tostado (toasted bread) and coffee (this time we also got yogurt). At breakfast we met a young couple from Mallorca -- a policeman and a ballerina. Then we were off to the monastery at Samos. This Benedictine monastery from the middle ages was once very powerful and influential -- there is also a small church dating from about the 8th century -- and a huge monastery complex which has a modern pilgrim refugio --dormitory style with bunk beds -- all for only a few euros each -- bring your own sleeping bag.To my delight, Padre Augustin, an eldery monk, was still there as the porter and he remembered John and me. I had acted as a translator for him when he took us and some other pilgrims (German and Danish) on an impromptu tour -- English was the common language. This time we were on tour with a lovely young local woman -- and just as we were about to start two other pilgrims walked in. -- a young American student from California, Tim, studying at the American University in Cairo and Sam, an Australian just out of architecture school. Our guide speaks only Spanish -- Tim is very good with languages -- so between us both we feel we can translate for John and Sam.
The monastery grounds are lovely and have the largest cloister -- covered rectangular walkway and gardens -- in Spain. Two novices are here now and about 15 monks -- in the middle ages there would have 80 or 90 monks and over 200 other persons to help with taking care of the monastery, the fields, and to oversee all the villages and other churches that were under the monastery´s care.
Out of Samos, John was ahead of me as usual -- espeically down or uphill. I am faster on the flat trails though. As I rounded a corner he was talking to a fellow pilgrim. In a few moments, the pilgrim´s wife caught up behind me. And here is one of the most serendipitous things abou the Camino -- the people you meet.
Alberto and Carmen are a couple in their 30s from Valencia. They are doing the Camino together as a kind of celebration and affirmation of their relationship - and they are getting married next year at a Redemptorist monastery in Burgos, Spain. They are absolutely delightful. Alberto and John walk at the same pace and talk about rock and mountain climbing experiences and owning small businesses. Alberto speaks marvelous English as does Carmen. And Carmen matches her pace to mine and we speak Spanish. She is a wonderful help as I try to improve my pronuncation and vocabulary, and it is very fun to hear about her life in Spain, and her work. Carmen used to live in Mallorca and worked in community involvement. She now is in charge of the administration of Alberto´s business -- pool maintenance for the municipality, schools, and private and public clubs.
Once in Sarria, a fairly large city, we have trouble finding a hotel room. There is a huge festival for San Froilan in a nearby city, and the overflow has taken over the hotels. Luckily, Alberto has a cell phone and he manages to find us rooms in a Pensione -- a small hotel with rooms with private bath and some without. We run into other pilgrims we have seen on the camino and stop to chat with Justino and Fernando. People on the camino don´t talk right away about what they do for ¨trabajo¨ - work. As we talk about the city, I find out they are from Mallorca and are police officers.
They explain that there are many different jurisdictions of police -- they are municipal- but they both have law degrees. The worst crimes in Mallorca revolve around tourists -- drinking, fights, pickpockets, etc. But there are an incredible number of tourists to deal with from so many countries. I tell them about the Justice Center and the Alaska Justice Forum publication -- and they ask if it is online. So soon we will have readers in Mallorca!
That night we eat a pilgrim´s dinner with Carmen and Alberto in a great nearby restaurant and it´s early to bed.
(As I post this in Arca -- one day out from Santiago -- the Italian guy in the next internet booth is playing some kind of internet game. All the waiters in this cafe seem to be Italian and they are constantly leaning over me to see his screen and cheering him on. I am not sure how coherenet this post will be.)
Friday, October 9, 2009
O Cebreiro to Triacastela to Samos 32 k
Friday, October 9
Very damp in O Cebreiro -- none of our laundry -- socks and microfiber t-shirts did not dry. We got up and used our headlamps to walk over for breakfast across the cobblestones from our little inn.
Lots of activity and headlamps about -- pan tostada with jam, and coffee -- then off to Triacastela at 8:40 am. We ran into Sole and Leos again -- Sole works at a kind of marine park in Barcelona- the poor dolphins have only a small pool and so do seals. The whole thing is terribly depressing, but she works with the tourists-visitors -- and it is a job. Not an easy thing to get int Barcelona these days -- all the Spaniards we hve talked to say how unreal the movie, Vicky, Christine, Barcelona was -- even though they love Woody Allen. Leos has worked in management in business, but is unemployed due to the economic crisis. They are walking the Camino for spiritual reasons and doing it as inexpensively as possible.
We made the ascent to Alto Roc -- the highest point -- where there is statue of a pilgrim holding onto his hat in the wind. It´s still misty out about 11 am -- and stop for a bocadillo -- a sandwich on great artisan bread with an omelete.
Now we are going through villages again. As we enter one village, a tiny old woman stops us with a dish full of crepes for 2 euro each. We each take one and she neatly folds it over and sprinkles surgar on it. Delicious! Then we stop further on at Casa Lucas for coffee and to get a sello on our passport.
We come to San Juan Hospital and stop at the church. There are tons of churches named after St. John the Baptist -- San Juan. His feast day on June 24 is quite a big deal.
En route to Triacastela we pass a man selling palos -- pilgrim staffs -- I nearly buy one but realize I have only one large euro bill. He was very sweet and gave me and John both apples and wishes us Buen Camino. The chestnut tree groves continue.
Around lunch we dropped down into Triacastela and stopped for lunch -- a tortilla española with potatoes and eggs. We picked the same cafe we had eaten at last year -- only this time there were fewer pilgrims than in May, the awning was not down because it was not hot.
Instead of spending the night in Triscastela, we decided to head onto Samos -- a longer day, but Samos was where we had spent 3 delightful days at a wonderful little hotel last year.
The walk to Samos seemed much longer than last year -- it was 11 - 15 k depending on which guidebook you read. we arrived late -- 6:30 p.m. and to our disappointment, our favorite hotel was `complete` -- full. Many hotels were full and we ended up at a rather shabby Hostal -- hot hostel. A hostal is like a hotel, but some rooms share a bath. The highlight of the evening was going to Cafe Resco where we had eaten every night last year. The owner remembered us, welcomed us back to her ´casa´´ and fixed us our ´usual´ -- omelet with mushrooms, grilled vegetables, mixed salad, flan for me, and wine.
There are special pilgrims` meals that cost 8 - 10 euros. There are 3 courses and many choices. The cost is so reasonable.
Next day we were off to Sarria -- a big city, but before then we had to visit again the monastery at Samos and see Padre Augustin.
Very damp in O Cebreiro -- none of our laundry -- socks and microfiber t-shirts did not dry. We got up and used our headlamps to walk over for breakfast across the cobblestones from our little inn.
Lots of activity and headlamps about -- pan tostada with jam, and coffee -- then off to Triacastela at 8:40 am. We ran into Sole and Leos again -- Sole works at a kind of marine park in Barcelona- the poor dolphins have only a small pool and so do seals. The whole thing is terribly depressing, but she works with the tourists-visitors -- and it is a job. Not an easy thing to get int Barcelona these days -- all the Spaniards we hve talked to say how unreal the movie, Vicky, Christine, Barcelona was -- even though they love Woody Allen. Leos has worked in management in business, but is unemployed due to the economic crisis. They are walking the Camino for spiritual reasons and doing it as inexpensively as possible.
We made the ascent to Alto Roc -- the highest point -- where there is statue of a pilgrim holding onto his hat in the wind. It´s still misty out about 11 am -- and stop for a bocadillo -- a sandwich on great artisan bread with an omelete.
Now we are going through villages again. As we enter one village, a tiny old woman stops us with a dish full of crepes for 2 euro each. We each take one and she neatly folds it over and sprinkles surgar on it. Delicious! Then we stop further on at Casa Lucas for coffee and to get a sello on our passport.
We come to San Juan Hospital and stop at the church. There are tons of churches named after St. John the Baptist -- San Juan. His feast day on June 24 is quite a big deal.
En route to Triacastela we pass a man selling palos -- pilgrim staffs -- I nearly buy one but realize I have only one large euro bill. He was very sweet and gave me and John both apples and wishes us Buen Camino. The chestnut tree groves continue.
Around lunch we dropped down into Triacastela and stopped for lunch -- a tortilla española with potatoes and eggs. We picked the same cafe we had eaten at last year -- only this time there were fewer pilgrims than in May, the awning was not down because it was not hot.
Instead of spending the night in Triscastela, we decided to head onto Samos -- a longer day, but Samos was where we had spent 3 delightful days at a wonderful little hotel last year.
The walk to Samos seemed much longer than last year -- it was 11 - 15 k depending on which guidebook you read. we arrived late -- 6:30 p.m. and to our disappointment, our favorite hotel was `complete` -- full. Many hotels were full and we ended up at a rather shabby Hostal -- hot hostel. A hostal is like a hotel, but some rooms share a bath. The highlight of the evening was going to Cafe Resco where we had eaten every night last year. The owner remembered us, welcomed us back to her ´casa´´ and fixed us our ´usual´ -- omelet with mushrooms, grilled vegetables, mixed salad, flan for me, and wine.
There are special pilgrims` meals that cost 8 - 10 euros. There are 3 courses and many choices. The cost is so reasonable.
Next day we were off to Sarria -- a big city, but before then we had to visit again the monastery at Samos and see Padre Augustin.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Villafranca to O Cebreiro - 31 k - most arduous stage
Thursday, October 8
This is said to be the most arduous stage of the trip -- ascending into the Galician Alps -- not as strenuous as the stage of the other Alps, but the guidebook keeps stressing how hard a day this will be.
It is not light until 8:30 am, but we did bring headlamps. It is also dark by 8:30 pm.
We started out at 8:15 am -- and it was raining slightly.
We were walking along the highway for a bit -- then more in the country. So far it was not too bad, but when we stopped for lunch at a bakery, I noticed blood on my socks. Terrible blisters on my heels.
Groves and groves of chestnut trees -- castañas in Spanish. We were in villages where people were herding cows down the narrow lanes -- we had to move aside to let them pass. The milk cows have horns and look like they could be dangerous if upset. One cow seemed to find me interesting and stopped to put her nose on my arm and sniff my pack-- then moved on.
After 25 k, we hit the ascent -- 1,280 meters -- you do the math -- it was fine for awhile -- it was a beautiful trail in a chestnut grove. However, I hit the wall about 2 k before the end -- or as John said, the correct modern term is-- I bonked -- my back and hips and feet ached, plus my legs felt rubbery. John gave me some food, some water and started to take my pack to carry it. I refused to let him do that -- so he opened it and just started taking stuff out and putting it into his pack. After a few minutees, I revived enough to go on. I really thought I was going to have lie donw and spend the night on the trail covered by pine boughs only there any pine boughs to be had!
Finally made it into O Cebreiro and stayed in a wonderful little in -- had a great dinner and met two delightful women from Barcelona, Sole and Leos.
This is said to be the most arduous stage of the trip -- ascending into the Galician Alps -- not as strenuous as the stage of the other Alps, but the guidebook keeps stressing how hard a day this will be.
It is not light until 8:30 am, but we did bring headlamps. It is also dark by 8:30 pm.
We started out at 8:15 am -- and it was raining slightly.
We were walking along the highway for a bit -- then more in the country. So far it was not too bad, but when we stopped for lunch at a bakery, I noticed blood on my socks. Terrible blisters on my heels.
Groves and groves of chestnut trees -- castañas in Spanish. We were in villages where people were herding cows down the narrow lanes -- we had to move aside to let them pass. The milk cows have horns and look like they could be dangerous if upset. One cow seemed to find me interesting and stopped to put her nose on my arm and sniff my pack-- then moved on.
After 25 k, we hit the ascent -- 1,280 meters -- you do the math -- it was fine for awhile -- it was a beautiful trail in a chestnut grove. However, I hit the wall about 2 k before the end -- or as John said, the correct modern term is-- I bonked -- my back and hips and feet ached, plus my legs felt rubbery. John gave me some food, some water and started to take my pack to carry it. I refused to let him do that -- so he opened it and just started taking stuff out and putting it into his pack. After a few minutees, I revived enough to go on. I really thought I was going to have lie donw and spend the night on the trail covered by pine boughs only there any pine boughs to be had!
Finally made it into O Cebreiro and stayed in a wonderful little in -- had a great dinner and met two delightful women from Barcelona, Sole and Leos.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Molina Seca to Villafranca do Bierzo 30 k estd 8 hours
(I am in Palas do Rei trying to catch up the blog - Tuesday, Oct 13. I made 2 posts yesterday. John read over my shoulder and estimates at the rate I am going I will finish the posts sometime by Thanksgiving. I am having a blog anxiety attack -- not enough time, fear of typos and inelegant phrasing (I am editor by profession, for heaven´s sake), and a nagging sense that my posts are not terribly coherent. Thanks to those of you who commented -- I read those this morning and feel somewhat less anxious. However, I may switch to a more bulleted style to get caught up. Later I will try to edit and expand on things -- recollections in tranquility will have to wait til we get back.]
Wednesday. Oct 7
This will be a very long day of 30 k from Molinaseca to Villafranca do Bierzo. It was raining and looked like it might rain all day long. We started out for the Iron Bridge and saw a fellow pilgrim in pocho and iwth a stick and a scallop shell - symbols of pilgrimship - walking very rapidly and strongly before us. We thought he might be German -- short, very solidly built, very determined. We were to meet him again -- this is foreshadowing.
We got into Ponferrada and visited Templar´s Castle and the Cathedral and on our way out met a man seeking directions -- he asked in Spanish with a French accent so I switched to French and asked if he were from France. He said he was from Semillon and when I said -- ah, like the wine -- he was so pleased, and told John he should be proud to have a wife who knew about Semillong wine!
Lots of garden plots, hugh pumpkins, chili peppers, tomatoes, corn, chestnut trees galore, apple trees, fig trees, even quince -- a little paradise along the route.
In the villag4e of Cacabelos we met a Spaniard from Salamanca. We were now in wine country and as we walked through town and past a big open building saw two men makaing wine. One took a big wooden fork and put the grapes into a wooden vat with a press. Another man in rubber boots stood in the press and stomped the grapes! Just like Lucy in that episode about winemaking! Our Spanish friend chatted a lot with the men, then he asked if we would like a glass of wine. I thought we were going to a cafe. Suddenly the man in the rubber boots jumped out of the vat, came down to the floor level where we saw a hole in the concrete floor that was cathcing the juice from his stomping. He grabbed 3 glasses, knelt down, put one glass at a time into the hole in the floor. He put the glass in the wine up to to his wrist and kept moving the glass through the wine to avoid the sediment still floating. Shortly we had 3 glasses -- full to the brim -- so we said Salud! and drank the new wine. It was delicious and also the most wine I have ever drunk at one time.
I was starting to tire, feeling like I had blisters --yikes! So on we trekked.
Nearly made a mistake -- someone painted false yellow arrows to get people to their inn. John noticed the color was little off and the arrows looked sloppy. So we were able to stay on the right course. Even in the Middle Ages, innkeepers did similar tricks!
Got into Villafranca and stayed at the Hotel San Francisco. Another hard day tomorrow.
Wednesday. Oct 7
This will be a very long day of 30 k from Molinaseca to Villafranca do Bierzo. It was raining and looked like it might rain all day long. We started out for the Iron Bridge and saw a fellow pilgrim in pocho and iwth a stick and a scallop shell - symbols of pilgrimship - walking very rapidly and strongly before us. We thought he might be German -- short, very solidly built, very determined. We were to meet him again -- this is foreshadowing.
We got into Ponferrada and visited Templar´s Castle and the Cathedral and on our way out met a man seeking directions -- he asked in Spanish with a French accent so I switched to French and asked if he were from France. He said he was from Semillon and when I said -- ah, like the wine -- he was so pleased, and told John he should be proud to have a wife who knew about Semillong wine!
Lots of garden plots, hugh pumpkins, chili peppers, tomatoes, corn, chestnut trees galore, apple trees, fig trees, even quince -- a little paradise along the route.
In the villag4e of Cacabelos we met a Spaniard from Salamanca. We were now in wine country and as we walked through town and past a big open building saw two men makaing wine. One took a big wooden fork and put the grapes into a wooden vat with a press. Another man in rubber boots stood in the press and stomped the grapes! Just like Lucy in that episode about winemaking! Our Spanish friend chatted a lot with the men, then he asked if we would like a glass of wine. I thought we were going to a cafe. Suddenly the man in the rubber boots jumped out of the vat, came down to the floor level where we saw a hole in the concrete floor that was cathcing the juice from his stomping. He grabbed 3 glasses, knelt down, put one glass at a time into the hole in the floor. He put the glass in the wine up to to his wrist and kept moving the glass through the wine to avoid the sediment still floating. Shortly we had 3 glasses -- full to the brim -- so we said Salud! and drank the new wine. It was delicious and also the most wine I have ever drunk at one time.
I was starting to tire, feeling like I had blisters --yikes! So on we trekked.
Nearly made a mistake -- someone painted false yellow arrows to get people to their inn. John noticed the color was little off and the arrows looked sloppy. So we were able to stay on the right course. Even in the Middle Ages, innkeepers did similar tricks!
Got into Villafranca and stayed at the Hotel San Francisco. Another hard day tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Update from the Camino
At last internet access! I have tried to post as if I could do this daily --so scroll down and start on Saturday, October 3. Forgive typos - the Euro keyboard is set up different and I am typing against the clock. Don´t know when I will be able to post next. Thanks!
Rabanal to Molinaseca -- 26.5 km
Tuesday, October 6 (just in case I mess up the posting date again)
From Rabanal -- We went down for breakfast -- typical breakfast for Spain -- bread or a sweet roll and coffee. But we were also able to get some cheese.
The temp was high 60s to low 70s -- we started about 9:45 am and it was off to climb to one of the high points on the Camino. The terrain and trail changed dramatically. It was a very hard walk for me today. The trail was dirt, but very rocky, full of sharp stones, huge slabs of slate to walk on or over or around. The trail was mostly a descent. We made it to the village of Foncebadon -- I tried to use the internet connection at the albergue (pilgrim accommodation -- dromitory style) but it was hopeless. More coffee. Then off again.
At the pass over Monte Irago, there is an iron cross and traditionally pilgrims take a stone and leave it at the cross. We made it to the pass, and there was a huge mound of stones around the cross. I climbed up a bit to toss my stone to the top (leaving the stone is symbolic of leaving my sins there at the pass and traveling with less negative spiritual baggage to Santiago), when I was startled by a figure coming toward from the other side talking into her cell phone! John and I had to laugh at the incongruity of it all!
So far, the trail had been good. And I had had a chance to look more at the flora and the insects! So here is my naturalist´s moment:
scrub oak, wild blackberries (pretty sweet), yarrow, mountain ash, a purple flower like a crocus but growing up out of the ground without leaves -- we later found out this is wild saffron! The insects are fascinating, too -- lots of flies, grass hoppers, ants, and dung beetles. So amazing to watch one rolling a little ball of dung -- ah, those Egyptians with the scarab beetle rolling the sun across the sky!
Made it into Molinaseca just fine!
From Rabanal -- We went down for breakfast -- typical breakfast for Spain -- bread or a sweet roll and coffee. But we were also able to get some cheese.
The temp was high 60s to low 70s -- we started about 9:45 am and it was off to climb to one of the high points on the Camino. The terrain and trail changed dramatically. It was a very hard walk for me today. The trail was dirt, but very rocky, full of sharp stones, huge slabs of slate to walk on or over or around. The trail was mostly a descent. We made it to the village of Foncebadon -- I tried to use the internet connection at the albergue (pilgrim accommodation -- dromitory style) but it was hopeless. More coffee. Then off again.
At the pass over Monte Irago, there is an iron cross and traditionally pilgrims take a stone and leave it at the cross. We made it to the pass, and there was a huge mound of stones around the cross. I climbed up a bit to toss my stone to the top (leaving the stone is symbolic of leaving my sins there at the pass and traveling with less negative spiritual baggage to Santiago), when I was startled by a figure coming toward from the other side talking into her cell phone! John and I had to laugh at the incongruity of it all!
So far, the trail had been good. And I had had a chance to look more at the flora and the insects! So here is my naturalist´s moment:
scrub oak, wild blackberries (pretty sweet), yarrow, mountain ash, a purple flower like a crocus but growing up out of the ground without leaves -- we later found out this is wild saffron! The insects are fascinating, too -- lots of flies, grass hoppers, ants, and dung beetles. So amazing to watch one rolling a little ball of dung -- ah, those Egyptians with the scarab beetle rolling the sun across the sky!
Made it into Molinaseca just fine!
Monday, October 5, 2009
We begin the Camino -- Astorga to Rabanal 21 km
Today is Monday, October 5. You may have gathered that I have been `calendar challenged´ on my earlier posts.
Also, more errata: I checked my notes -- San Froilan lived in the late 8th century -- but some of the music from the concert was also from the 15th century. However, I am sure San Froilan would have enjoyed living in the 15th century because he undoubtedly would have met Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
To Astorga
We caught the bus to Astorga and met some Canadians from Halifax -- I asked if they knew the Chamard family (Prof. Sharon Chamard is on the faculty of the Justice Center where I work), but alas, they did not. Nevertheless they were nice people.
Many pilgrims hopscotch a bit as the Canadians were -- having started in Roncevalles, crossing the Pyrenees -- then deciding to take a bus part of the way further along the Camino.
John and I visited the Tourism Office in Astorga -- in Asturias, one of the Christian kingdoms of Spain during the Morrish period -- and got our first official sello (or stamp) in our credencial. We must now be sure to get a sello in each town we visit along the Camino so we can show that we have walked through all the towns.
We were fortunate enough to stumble into the Cathedral -- normally is it closed Mondays-- but we did not know this. The door was ajar and we wandered in. It was so peaceful and had a beautiful side chapel dedicated to St. James (or Santiago) with a statue showing him in a contemplative stance. So much more appealing than the Santiago Matamoros -- Santiago the Moor Slayer on a white horse, in armor, with a banner with a red cross that came to be calle the Cross of Santiago -- he became the Moor Slayer during the Reconquista (reconquest of Spain by the Catholics Isabella and Ferdinand).
After taking time to see another delightful Gaudi building, buy umbrellas because the forecast looked dismal for the next two weeks and they seemed like a good addition to our ponchos and rain jackets, and have some coffee, we were off to follow the yellow arrows or flechas that are posted along the route. (We started late in the day -- about 1:30 p.m.) Sometimes the arrow is in ceramic with a stylized star on a pillar or the side of a building , sometimes it is just painted on the side of a building or on the street. You must keep a sharp eye out.
We are starting about 160 miles from Santiago. This first day of 21 km is on flat terrain and is supposed to take 5 to 6 hours. There are a few pilgrims with us, but not many. A hard rain started as we left the city and were in the countryside, but the ponchos worked great. It was cool, but refreshing and John and soon left off our rain jackets and just had shorts and t'shirs under our ponchos. To us Alaskans it seemed actually quite warm after we got walking!
The terrain is hilly with scrub oaks, lots of stone walls enclosing livestock. The trail is packed dirts and easy to walk on. After some time on the trail, we thought we would stop for food. We were in the village of Santa CatalinA -- St. Catherine -- and after explaining we were vegetarians, the person in the bar-cafe suggested the vegetable soup. He brought a huge tureen with bread, and a beer for John all for 7 euros. And we were starved. Here we met our first fellow pilgrims, Vicente - who worked for the Spanish embassy in Wash DC and Ottawa and Adrian - the son of Vicente`s friends and a university student. Vicente asked about Sarah Palin once he knew we were from Alaska!
We got to the village of Rabanal in 4.5 hours -- much faster than the guidebook said -- our first miracle on the Camino --or maybe getting into the closed cathedral was the first.
In Rabanl, two Benedictine monks runs a refugio (a kind of dormitory with bunkbeds -- the cost is usually only about 8 euros per night) for pilgrims -- we opted to stay at a hotel because we had no sleeping bags -- but we did go the Vespers service in the little chapel. It was packed with pilgrims from all over. The service was mostly in Latin with all of us chanting the responses in Latin to the two monks´ prayers. And the readings were in English, Spanish and French. A wonderful way to end the day. I lit a candle for the journey.
We went to bed early -- Tuesday´s stage would be many more km than today -- 18 miles actually.
Also, more errata: I checked my notes -- San Froilan lived in the late 8th century -- but some of the music from the concert was also from the 15th century. However, I am sure San Froilan would have enjoyed living in the 15th century because he undoubtedly would have met Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
To Astorga
We caught the bus to Astorga and met some Canadians from Halifax -- I asked if they knew the Chamard family (Prof. Sharon Chamard is on the faculty of the Justice Center where I work), but alas, they did not. Nevertheless they were nice people.
Many pilgrims hopscotch a bit as the Canadians were -- having started in Roncevalles, crossing the Pyrenees -- then deciding to take a bus part of the way further along the Camino.
John and I visited the Tourism Office in Astorga -- in Asturias, one of the Christian kingdoms of Spain during the Morrish period -- and got our first official sello (or stamp) in our credencial. We must now be sure to get a sello in each town we visit along the Camino so we can show that we have walked through all the towns.
We were fortunate enough to stumble into the Cathedral -- normally is it closed Mondays-- but we did not know this. The door was ajar and we wandered in. It was so peaceful and had a beautiful side chapel dedicated to St. James (or Santiago) with a statue showing him in a contemplative stance. So much more appealing than the Santiago Matamoros -- Santiago the Moor Slayer on a white horse, in armor, with a banner with a red cross that came to be calle the Cross of Santiago -- he became the Moor Slayer during the Reconquista (reconquest of Spain by the Catholics Isabella and Ferdinand).
After taking time to see another delightful Gaudi building, buy umbrellas because the forecast looked dismal for the next two weeks and they seemed like a good addition to our ponchos and rain jackets, and have some coffee, we were off to follow the yellow arrows or flechas that are posted along the route. (We started late in the day -- about 1:30 p.m.) Sometimes the arrow is in ceramic with a stylized star on a pillar or the side of a building , sometimes it is just painted on the side of a building or on the street. You must keep a sharp eye out.
We are starting about 160 miles from Santiago. This first day of 21 km is on flat terrain and is supposed to take 5 to 6 hours. There are a few pilgrims with us, but not many. A hard rain started as we left the city and were in the countryside, but the ponchos worked great. It was cool, but refreshing and John and soon left off our rain jackets and just had shorts and t'shirs under our ponchos. To us Alaskans it seemed actually quite warm after we got walking!
The terrain is hilly with scrub oaks, lots of stone walls enclosing livestock. The trail is packed dirts and easy to walk on. After some time on the trail, we thought we would stop for food. We were in the village of Santa CatalinA -- St. Catherine -- and after explaining we were vegetarians, the person in the bar-cafe suggested the vegetable soup. He brought a huge tureen with bread, and a beer for John all for 7 euros. And we were starved. Here we met our first fellow pilgrims, Vicente - who worked for the Spanish embassy in Wash DC and Ottawa and Adrian - the son of Vicente`s friends and a university student. Vicente asked about Sarah Palin once he knew we were from Alaska!
We got to the village of Rabanal in 4.5 hours -- much faster than the guidebook said -- our first miracle on the Camino --or maybe getting into the closed cathedral was the first.
In Rabanl, two Benedictine monks runs a refugio (a kind of dormitory with bunkbeds -- the cost is usually only about 8 euros per night) for pilgrims -- we opted to stay at a hotel because we had no sleeping bags -- but we did go the Vespers service in the little chapel. It was packed with pilgrims from all over. The service was mostly in Latin with all of us chanting the responses in Latin to the two monks´ prayers. And the readings were in English, Spanish and French. A wonderful way to end the day. I lit a candle for the journey.
We went to bed early -- Tuesday´s stage would be many more km than today -- 18 miles actually.
Off to Leon!
Two emendations to last post -- the prostitutes come from Eastern Europe and as you can see the city is Leon, not Leo. Also, I apologize for any duplicate posts -- I was having trouble with the keyboard and kept getting knocked off my blog -- so I sent thinking something went wrong. (Mel in my office knows I am famous for doing this on the Justice Center blog, but luckily usually only she and I see the duplicate posts!)
We missed our Sunday morning train to Leon due to the La Fiesta de La bicycleta -- like Bike to Work Day, but you and your kids bike in downtown Madrid. Streets are blocked off all morning which meant our taxi had to take a circuitous route and we were running to the train just as it pulled out. John heroically ran after it and even caught up, touched it, but it was too late. Fortunately, there was another train shortly after -- but it was a milk run that took 2.5 hours longer. Still it was lovely countryside and we did go through Avila, famous for St. Theresa, the great Church mystic and the only woman named a Doctor (scholar) of the Church.
We arrived to find ourselves in the middle of a fantastic Medieval Mercado -- with people dressed in costume -- very high quality artisan goods -- and wonderful foods -- lots of pork and sheep products -- very popular in Spain! It´s rather like a more sophisticated Renaissance Fair -- but a bit earlier in history. We started at the street by the Church of San Isidro -- it was once called La Calle de la Sinogoga because a synogogue was nearby. Many Jews lived in the city and all the booths in that street were staffed by people dressed as medieval Jews -- I am not sure if they really were Jewish or not. And we had also stumbled unknowingly into the International Organ Festival -- with a free concert that night in the cathedral with a choir. The cathedral archive has music from the 15th century by (St.) San Froilan, a former bishop. The program was wonderful -- packed. The organist is from Spain and the local choir sang Gregorian chant.
The Hostal Albany was a great little hotel, but Leon is also a young and vibrant city -- there is a univeristy here. So we again heard singing and laughing right outside out balcony til 5 am -- minus the police sirens, but with church bells periodically. We woke up or rather got up exhausted.
Still we saw one of the few buildings the Catalan architect, Gaudi, built outside his native province. It is a wonderful stone edifice with local cut to his specifications so that snow -- it does snow here a bit -- more on that later -- would cling to the stone´s edges and give a different dimension to the building.
I am surviving on strong Spanish coffee -- usually I only drink decaf -- and lots of hot milk and sugar in it.
We are seeing lots of pilgrims here -- many Germans, Scandinavians, Spaniards, French and Canadians. No Americans to date. Have had fun chatting to people -- getting to use my French, spanish, and German a bit -- though vocabulary and verb tenses are a bit rough in French and German.
Tomorrow we go to Astorga by bus to start the first stage of our walk -- it is now becoming more real.
We missed our Sunday morning train to Leon due to the La Fiesta de La bicycleta -- like Bike to Work Day, but you and your kids bike in downtown Madrid. Streets are blocked off all morning which meant our taxi had to take a circuitous route and we were running to the train just as it pulled out. John heroically ran after it and even caught up, touched it, but it was too late. Fortunately, there was another train shortly after -- but it was a milk run that took 2.5 hours longer. Still it was lovely countryside and we did go through Avila, famous for St. Theresa, the great Church mystic and the only woman named a Doctor (scholar) of the Church.
We arrived to find ourselves in the middle of a fantastic Medieval Mercado -- with people dressed in costume -- very high quality artisan goods -- and wonderful foods -- lots of pork and sheep products -- very popular in Spain! It´s rather like a more sophisticated Renaissance Fair -- but a bit earlier in history. We started at the street by the Church of San Isidro -- it was once called La Calle de la Sinogoga because a synogogue was nearby. Many Jews lived in the city and all the booths in that street were staffed by people dressed as medieval Jews -- I am not sure if they really were Jewish or not. And we had also stumbled unknowingly into the International Organ Festival -- with a free concert that night in the cathedral with a choir. The cathedral archive has music from the 15th century by (St.) San Froilan, a former bishop. The program was wonderful -- packed. The organist is from Spain and the local choir sang Gregorian chant.
The Hostal Albany was a great little hotel, but Leon is also a young and vibrant city -- there is a univeristy here. So we again heard singing and laughing right outside out balcony til 5 am -- minus the police sirens, but with church bells periodically. We woke up or rather got up exhausted.
Still we saw one of the few buildings the Catalan architect, Gaudi, built outside his native province. It is a wonderful stone edifice with local cut to his specifications so that snow -- it does snow here a bit -- more on that later -- would cling to the stone´s edges and give a different dimension to the building.
I am surviving on strong Spanish coffee -- usually I only drink decaf -- and lots of hot milk and sugar in it.
We are seeing lots of pilgrims here -- many Germans, Scandinavians, Spaniards, French and Canadians. No Americans to date. Have had fun chatting to people -- getting to use my French, spanish, and German a bit -- though vocabulary and verb tenses are a bit rough in French and German.
Tomorrow we go to Astorga by bus to start the first stage of our walk -- it is now becoming more real.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
¡Viva Madrid!
Arrivedin Madrid abiut 3:30 pm -- sunny and 80 degrees! Got bumped from our hotel to one the receptionist said was "better" -- lovely room with a hair dryer. The owner walked us to the other location and gave us a brief tour. We were near the Puerta del Sol metro -- the entrance looks like a miniature I.M. Pei entrance to the Louvre.
The Prado is free from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Saturdays so we quickly freshened up and headed there. We hit the highlights -- Las Meninas by Velasquez, Goya´s Clothed and Naked Majas, Bosch and Brueghel fantasies that seem right out of the 60´s, Fra Angelicos, and numerous St. Barbaras and St. Catherines -- those perennial medieval favorites! A mad dash to museum shop for postcards was a bust -- they closed one-half hour before the museum did. Bad marketing move by the administration!
The area of our hotel was very colorful -- rather like Times Square a few years ago -- prostitutes, tattoo parlors, sex shops and shows. All with a few metres of each other! Actually the prostitutes looked sad and bored -- we were told they were mostly women from Eruope who came to Madrid for a better life --could not find a job, and ended up on street. Pimping is illegal, but soliciting for sex is not.
Everyone is out til very late -- we found a great Italian restaurant and went for a walk --then back to the hotel for some sleep.
Madrid is often described as a young and vibrant city -- that took on new meaning later that night we listened to people singing and laughing very loudly in the street below our window til 5 am -- interspersed by the police sirens.
Tomorrow -- we take the train to Leo.
The Prado is free from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on Saturdays so we quickly freshened up and headed there. We hit the highlights -- Las Meninas by Velasquez, Goya´s Clothed and Naked Majas, Bosch and Brueghel fantasies that seem right out of the 60´s, Fra Angelicos, and numerous St. Barbaras and St. Catherines -- those perennial medieval favorites! A mad dash to museum shop for postcards was a bust -- they closed one-half hour before the museum did. Bad marketing move by the administration!
The area of our hotel was very colorful -- rather like Times Square a few years ago -- prostitutes, tattoo parlors, sex shops and shows. All with a few metres of each other! Actually the prostitutes looked sad and bored -- we were told they were mostly women from Eruope who came to Madrid for a better life --could not find a job, and ended up on street. Pimping is illegal, but soliciting for sex is not.
Everyone is out til very late -- we found a great Italian restaurant and went for a walk --then back to the hotel for some sleep.
Madrid is often described as a young and vibrant city -- that took on new meaning later that night we listened to people singing and laughing very loudly in the street below our window til 5 am -- interspersed by the police sirens.
Tomorrow -- we take the train to Leo.
En route to Madrid
We are at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam waiting for our connecting flight to Madrid - it's a very easy airport. There is a very elegant laptop lane here - and the price is not bad -- 3 euros for 15 minutes.
The flight from Anchorage to Seattle was quick, and although we volunteered to be bumped to the next flight from Seattle to Amsterdam, we did not make the cut. Northwest was offering $750 per person which would have been quite a windfall!
Soon after our arrival at Schiphol we looked to make an earlier flight to Madrid -- and saw a group of older backpackers with walking sticks -- Swedes going to the Camino! The flight was full so we visited the great bookstore here with a wonderful sample of books in English -- many titles from the UK.
The last time I was in Amsterdam I was 10 years old -- my father was stationed in Germany and we were living in Germany. Before transferring back to the States we took a great European roadtrip and Amsterdam was a memorable spot. To celebrate my return I had a delicious apple cake and hot chocolate -- the cake tasted just as I remembered it! Ah, Proust had his madeleines and I my apple cake. I know my sister will recall the apple cake, too!
Next stop Madrid -- hasta luego!
The flight from Anchorage to Seattle was quick, and although we volunteered to be bumped to the next flight from Seattle to Amsterdam, we did not make the cut. Northwest was offering $750 per person which would have been quite a windfall!
Soon after our arrival at Schiphol we looked to make an earlier flight to Madrid -- and saw a group of older backpackers with walking sticks -- Swedes going to the Camino! The flight was full so we visited the great bookstore here with a wonderful sample of books in English -- many titles from the UK.
The last time I was in Amsterdam I was 10 years old -- my father was stationed in Germany and we were living in Germany. Before transferring back to the States we took a great European roadtrip and Amsterdam was a memorable spot. To celebrate my return I had a delicious apple cake and hot chocolate -- the cake tasted just as I remembered it! Ah, Proust had his madeleines and I my apple cake. I know my sister will recall the apple cake, too!
Next stop Madrid -- hasta luego!
Friday, October 2, 2009
El Camino Frances
We will be walking on part of the Camino Frances -- the route that actually starts in France and goes over the mountains. Normally it takes about a month to go from Frances to Santiago. In medieval times, pilgrims might start in Paris or in Arles. Both Arles and Avignon were required stops on the pilgrimage.
However, we are walking an abbreviated portion of that route and starting in Astorga, Spain. The web link to the usual stages of the walk will show you the different towns -- scroll down a bit. At a point before Triacastela we are taking a detour to Samos - which is still part of the Camino route, but not visited as often as it was. John and I stayed in Samos last year for several days and loved the old monastery with Padre Augustin, the porter, who gave us a tour. Two German pilgrims and a Dane joined us, but spoke no Spanish - so Padre Augustin had me translate into English (the lingua franca of today) for them from Spanish.
The American Pilgrims on the Camino have a nice overview of the routes.
It's exciting to think that St. Francis of Assisi and Jan van Eyck made this pilgrimage hundreds of years ago.
Buenas noches -- we leave early tomorrow morning for our flight.
However, we are walking an abbreviated portion of that route and starting in Astorga, Spain. The web link to the usual stages of the walk will show you the different towns -- scroll down a bit. At a point before Triacastela we are taking a detour to Samos - which is still part of the Camino route, but not visited as often as it was. John and I stayed in Samos last year for several days and loved the old monastery with Padre Augustin, the porter, who gave us a tour. Two German pilgrims and a Dane joined us, but spoke no Spanish - so Padre Augustin had me translate into English (the lingua franca of today) for them from Spanish.
The American Pilgrims on the Camino have a nice overview of the routes.
It's exciting to think that St. Francis of Assisi and Jan van Eyck made this pilgrimage hundreds of years ago.
Buenas noches -- we leave early tomorrow morning for our flight.
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