SNORING AND WINE

Snoring in the albergues is a problem for some. Most pilgrims bring ear plugs and manage to get some sleep. I've have several experiences with pilgrims snoring, the first happening on my first night on the Camino. In Orisson I was sharing a room with two other pilgrims and one, upon putting his head on the pillow started snoring. I was prepared so I dug my ear plugs out of my pack and hoped for the best. The best didn't happen. He snored until he woke up in the morning and I heard it all.

 

The next night I opted for a private room in a pension and I slept for 11 hours. I continued for some days sleeping in private rooms and then switched back to alberques. I had several nights of good sleep and didn't have to suffer through someone snoring, until......the tractor lady. I was in a bunk room with 4 ladies. That's the way it is in albergues, you get assigned a bunk and it's the luck of the draw. Well, she snored and snored loudly. Ear plugs were of no use and the walls vibrated most of the night. I guess I made too many noises trying to wake her that in the morning her friend tore into me. She said I didn't help the situation but since we were all awake anyway I didn't see how anything I did made it any worse. Her friend could have easily asked her to roll over. I suggest that if she snores all the time, perhaps she should get a private room so as not to disturb others.

 

The next evening I was in a room with three ladies. I was dead tired from no sleep the night before. I snored. In the morning I was told that I snored all night. I apologized profusely and took my own advice. I now stay exclusively in private rooms.

 

I did run into the lady who snored while checking into a hotel in Burgos. She was checking in too. Maybe she took my advice. I greeted her with a friendly "Hola". She sneered at me.

The Camino continues

 

With a rest day in Carrión de los Condes, Alex, Len and I enjoyed the farm equipment show and had some of our best food so far. with lots of different venders plying us with different foods of the region. Of course we had to sample everything, including the biggest donut I've ever seen. Later in the evening we opted to forgo the pilgrims menu and order off the regular menu. Great choice as the food was great. A warm salad, called the King Salad and Ox Tails. Of course washed down the the great Spanish wine.

Now that's a donut

Alex drink wine like the locals

King Salad

Ox Tails

 

A word about the wine. The Spanish wine is really good, and inexpensive. Between 1 and 2 € a glass. When you order a fix price meal, like from the Pilgrims Menu, it comes with a bottle of water or a bottle of wine since they cost about the same here. Another plus is that there are no sulfites in the wine, so no headache or hangover. I tend to drink a lot of wine.

While taking the day off, we sent a lot of our time sitting outside one of the local bars watching to world go by. Camino friends would stop and we would catch up with one another. We sat there for so long that a local canidate for mayor, Andre, stopped and asked for our votes.

Passed the halfway point a couple of days ago, so it's all downhill from here.

 

The Mesta keeps on going

Tired Pilgrims

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

THE MESETA

In Burgos Kelly and I decided to walk separately. I am sure we will cross paths again as that's the way it is on the Camino. In Burgos I caught up with most of my original Camino family and enjoyed dinner in the cathedral square with them. I had been behind because of staying with Kelly when she was in the hospital. It was great to catch up on the latest news (think gossip).

Blood Sauage a speciality here in Northern Spain. Very good by the way.

Burgo Catherdral

The next morning with a 19.5 mile day in store I was off at 7 am. Even in large cities at this hour it is sometimes difficult to find coffee and something to eat. By the time I was out of the city, I still had not found coffee, so one just pushes forward. A long detour due to highway construction added a mile or so to the days walk. Rain off and on, but the rain gear worked. Finally after 6.5 miles, a town with food and cafe con leche.

 

I stopped many times on this day to take care of my feet. I've developed some new minor blisters on my toes, so I stop often.

 

After Burgos is the start of the Meseta, or the plains. It will take about a week to cross the plains so with just a couple of exceptions the walking will be easy. There is one hill with a 12% grade going up and an 18% grade going down the other side. The Meseta is a major wheat growing area along with other crops I cannot identify. Although basically flat, there is enough texture to the land with slight changes in elevation and the vivid green fields to make it really beautiful.

Hill ahead, steep at 12%, 18% down the other side

Getting closer

But it's slow going

After a stop for lunch I caught up with Ülle from Estonia. An architect who designs log homes is like many Europeans who take a break from work to walk a section of the Camino. Two weeks here and two weeks later until the Camino is completed. We walked together until reaching our stop for the night, where she joined us for dinner. She walks very fast, is a marathon runner and is extremely fit. The next day she left before me, but I arrived at the next overnight hours before her. Turns out that at midday she stops for several hours and takes a nap. Then the following day I spoke to her at a break spot and she said she has ten more days and is going to walk 46 km or about 28 miles a day to reach Santiago. I received a message from her in the evening and she had walked an incredible 50 km. I think she'll make it.

Ülle

 

 

Each day walking I pass through village after village. Sometimes beautiful and other not so much. You forget the names as there is always another village up ahead. Two of my Camino family, Len from Canada and Alex from Brazil have been walking together since the beginning. We are at times starting and stopping in the same towns. I usually leave around 7 and they leave about 8. Around lunch time they are passing me and when I arrive at the days destination, I can usually find them at the local bar enjoying a beer. Both have been true pilgrims, providing me with tape for my feet when I ran out. Alex actually applied the bandage to my foot. That is another example of Camino family and being a pilgrim.

 

A couple of days ago, Alex and Len told me that they were going to push past the next stop making the walk for the day over 20 miles. I said, "count me in" and headed out in the morning about an hour before them. Once again about lunch time they passed me by. As I was passing through another nameless town, I heard Len call my name and I found them in an oasis of sorts at an albergue with a nice green lawn enjoying an ice cream. Turns out Alex is about a 3 ice cream a day man so of course I couldn't help but to stop.

 

With five miles left in the day, I headed out before them and turned on my music. When listen to music I tend to walk faster, keeping up with the beat playing on my earphones. Since no one can hear me, I sing it loud. Len managed to pass me about halfway through, but I was in the grove, so to speak, and I managed to stay ahead of Alex. I paid the price though, and my feet are in pain.

 

After a short 11 mile day, we are in Corrión de los Condes and have decided to take a rest day. With the exception of time in the hospital in Logrono, this will be my first day off. If I continue at the current pace, I will be in Santiago on the 12th, 5 days before my flight leaves for Madrid. I think I will be taking a couple more rest days.

Alex, Len and I shared this pilgrims lunch, fried shrimp, sausage, ham and cheese

Me and Santiago (St James)

Hennie, South Africa, Jen, Canada and Len

Dinner with Camino Family, Jack, Holland, Len, Canada, Me Alex, Brazil, Nick, England and Patrica, Holland

This small city is in the center of a major farming region and there is a farm implement show taking place. We figured that was enough of a reason to take a day off and let the feet recover.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

AND WE CONTINUE ON

Each day we walk, we eat, and we sleep. Always one foot in front of the other. Head down, moving forward, we continue towards Santiago. We walk with one another and by ourselves. It's not uncommon to walk with someone and not say a word, each of us deep in our own thoughts. You think about your life, your work and your family. You miss them and know that they will be in your life again. Will it be different after the Camino? I hope so. Sometimes change is a good thing. You learn many things about yourself as you walk along. At times you discover things about yourself when talking to another, other times your thoughts become clear and you know the answer.

 

Before I write about the latest happenings on the Camino I want to tell my family that I love each and everyone of them and think about each of them everyday as I walk. I speak of them to some of my Camino family and how I want to be closer to them. It's strange, but I am with people from all over the world and in a short time may never see any of them again, but with them I see things more clearly that I have ever seen before.

 

Now for the news:

 

Kelly's friend Nina arrive late and I filled her in on Kelly's condition. The next morning Nina and I took a taxi to the hospital and around 11 am, the doctor finally released her. Nina came to Spain to walk on the Camino with Kelly for just 3 days and then return to Taiwan. Coming to Spain for just 3 day is one of the perks of an airline job. Once released, we took a taxi to the location that Kelly was picked up by the ambulance and we continued our Caminos. Nina is somewhat unprepared, but she and Kelly walk together while I forge ahead. Like it is always on the Camino, sometimes you walk alone and sometimes you don't

 

The weather has been fantastic. Only a couple of days when I zipped off my pant legs and walked in shorts. Usually cold in the morning, but nice walking temperatures durning the day. organizationsI'm usually on the road by 7 am, walking a couple of hours before stoping for a simple breakfast of orange juice, cafe con leche and a croissant. Then walk till lunch and stop for a small pizza or a bocidillo. Then more walking till the next nights stop. At each stop, off with the boot and socks to wiggle the toes and let the feet dry. The a change to fresh socks before walking again. This is to prevent blisters, but I have still manages to get 3 small blisters on my right foot. The pilgrims treatment for blisters is to use a needle to pull a string though the blister, leaving the string hanging out at both ends to allow the blister to drain.

 

 

 

Life in the albergue: To stay in a government run albergue you must be a pilgrim and show your pilgrim's passport. They are very inexpensive, running between 5 and 10 euros. Many are privately run and others are run by nonprofit organizations and staffed by volunteers. Most of the sleeping arraignments are in bunkbeds sometimes as many as 100 beds in a giant room. Most sleep fewer people to a room, something between 6 and 12 persons. Some provide a meal for free, but most of the meals are very expensive and include wine for around 8 euros. Showers and laundry facilities are the norm as is a kitchen for you use if you want to cook your own meals, and of course WIFI. If you go out at night, better be back by 10 because they lock the door.

 

Walking conditions vary every day. Sometimes on the edge of a busy highway, along back country roads, on dirt farm roads, and trails of varying condition. In the past two days two vary long and steep grades, one of which was on a rocky path. So far none of the route have been what I would describe as "killer".

 

I am really glad I trained as my body is doing well. Just a couple of small blisters on my right foot that don't slow me down. One thing more I could have done in preparation was to beat the bottoms of my feet with a hammer.

172 miles in two weeks

I am now in Burgos, a large city with a population of 178,000. Staying in a hotel tonight, spent some time being lost in the city, but after some trial and error and help from non English speaking Spaniards, I managed to find my hotel. Ready for a good nights sleep.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy