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.

 

 

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CAMINO FAMILY

It is very hard to describe the feeling I get doing this walk. It's excitement, a feeling of serenity, and also one of community. It's exciting seeing new things and places, starting out on dark streets looking for the yellow arrows. The quiet of the morning and the walking in the country just hearing your foot steps on the dirt path. The community is one of the best aspects of this journey. For one thing you met people from all over the world and every one is a pilgrim so we are all the same.

 

Many of the same people who started with me in France move along the camino together. Not in the sense that we are walking together, but we are staying in the same towns, leaving in the morning and ending up at the next stop. We may not be staying in the same hotel, albergue or hostel, but we all gather together in the town square for beer and wine and talk of the day. This is your camino family. Sometimes you may walk with one or more of them for the day or a few minutes. Perhaps they will be at the same lunch stop as you. You pass them when they stop to rest and they pass you when you are resting. It is a great feeling to be traveling with this family and being alone at the same time. As we pass someone or they pass us there is always the greeting, "buen camino". Many times you hear this greeting from locals who you come in contact with.

 

THE WINE FOUNTAIN, WATER ON THE RIGHT, WINE ON THE LEFT, FREE FOR PILGRIMS

 

Sometimes you walk with someone for several hours, then you don't see them again for several days. Then it's old home week. "How are you, where did you stay last night, how are your feet?

 

I think I mentioned Lee from Singapore before. We started together in France and crossed the Pyrenees together. Sometimes we walked together and other times he was behind me. Lee started having real problems with his feet and his toes hitting the inside of his boots on the downhills. After Pamplona he could only walk half a day, so he has fallen behind. I get facebook updates from him so his camino family can keep track of his location and his condition. He's still moving, but walking slowly and backwards when he goes downhills.

 

Today I met Kelly from Taiwan and we walked together the second half of the day. She laughs all the time and is a great walking companion. We may walk together for a day or two, but it is alway understood on the camino, that it is your camino and you must walked for yourself and not someone else. So, if I want to walk alone or Kelly wants to walk alone there are no hard feelings when one moves on.

 

April 15th

 

As I write this I am in Logroño after a 17 miles walk. So far I've covered 101 miles in 8 days of walking. Tomorrow is a 18 mile day and rain is forecast. Oh, the life of a pilgrim.

 

April 16th

 

This morning I left the albergue where I was staying. (I had a private room) and Kelly from Taiwan left with me. We found a cafe for breakfast of orange juice, cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant. Sometimes in cities, and Logroño is a big city, you lose the camino. When we make a wrong turn, a local always points us in the right direction. After about 30 minutes, but still in the city, Kelly told me she need to stop for a short rest. She didn't look well, her eyes were swollen, she had to keep blowing her nose and she had shortness of breath. It looked like she was having an allergic reaction. I had given her some of my ibuprofen and I thought that was the problem. We waited a few minutes and she was getting worse. Two pilgrim girls from Barcelona, part of the camino family, stopped and together we decided that Kelly had go go the the hospital. We stopped a man jogging and asked for help. He called for an ambulance and stayed with us, talking to the emergency personnel on the phone.

 

In a few minutes an ambulance arrived and out came two nurses, a paramedic and a doctor. It was decided to take her to the emergency room. After being checked out by the doctor, they decided to keep her for observation. As I feel somewhat responsible for giving her the ibuprofen, I will wait to make sure she is ok. I had planned on taking some days off, so this will be a day off.

 

Update later the same day.

 

I am now back were I stayed last night and Kelly is still in the hospital. She is expected to be released tomorrow. So in the morning I will go and make sure she gets back on the camino and walk with her for a while. She is expecting a friend of hers to arrive from Taiwan tonight. Her friend will stay at my albergue and she can go with me to the hospital in the morning.

 

All is well.

 

 

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I'M GETTING THE HANG OF IT

Before arriving is Spain I was constantly checking the weather report. For the three weeks before arriving it was pouring rain in Spain and snowing in the higher elevations. I was prepared with my rain gear and figured that at least in the beginning I would be walking in the rain. Since arriving the weather has been fantastic. Cold enough in the morning for a fleece, but by the end of the day you are down to a t-shirt. Not hot, but great walking weather. So, what is a typical day like, you ask? It goes something like this:

 

Out the door between 7:30 and 8:00 (This will be earlier if the weather gets hot)

Breakfast on the Camino usually consists of Cafe con Leche. Coffee with steamed milk, maybe a piece of fruit and toast with jam. Staying in hotels you might get juice and a croissant. Then start walking out of town and perhaps hooking up with some of your camino family. You just start walking following the yellow arrows. Most people carry a guide book to give you some idea of what to expect in the way of terrain and town. Usually after 2 to 3 hours of walking, a stop is made for Cafe con Leche and perhaps something to eat. A common staple along the camino is a bocadillo, a sandwich made with dry crusty bread, a thin slice of ham and cheese. Nothing else is on the sandwich, so it is very dry. Cafe and a bocadillo usually runs between 2 to 3 dollars. Every time you stop, its off with the boots and socks to inspect your feet for blisters and hot spots. Also to let them dry out and put on an dry pair of socks. Dry feet are the best defense against blisters. Then in the afternoon perhaps another stop for refreshment.

 

A days walk runs between 12 and 15 miles on average and is dependent on the terrain and the distance to your overnight stopping point. Towns are spaced along the camino at distances which affords you to stop for the night when needed. Most all of the towns have albergues and places to get something to eat.

 

 

 

April 13th

 

It's getting warmer which makes it more tiring to walk. The country side is beautiful and the hills are smaller, or is it just that it's getting easier to climb them. I started having some feet problems with a small blister on the bottom of one of my toes. This is not really an issue as I have drained it and it doesn't affect my walking. But having to walk in wet socks is a problem and I have developed the beginnings of a blister on the ball of my foot. When I arrived in Estella today and after a shower, the first stop was to the pharmacy. Here in Spain, the pharmacy is where one goes for medical advise. The pharmacist is able to provide you with the medicine you need if you are sick. I was given a plaster to cover my blister called Compeed, so we'll see how it goes. Tomorrows walk will be warmer and another 13.5 miles, but the up side is I pass the wine fountain. At the Irache Winery, there is a fountain with two spigots. One is water and the other is wine. Pilgrims are invited to partake. I will be passing the winery early in the days walk, but hay, it's free wine.

 

CROSSES MADE OF STICKS IN THE CHAIN LINK

 

 

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CAMINO MAGIC

I am having a great time so far. The body is doing well with just minor aches and pains. The training has really paid off. Today I arrived in Pamplona just over 42 miles so far. Over the Pyrenees by far is the most difficult part. Up over 4800 feet with strong 40 to 50 mph wind gusts. About 1.5 miles in the snow, which thankfully was not deep, but still hard walking.

 

On the Camino one develops a Camino Family of sorts. People that you see every day and who you sometimes walk with. In the towns stopping for lunch and later for dinner the same people gather together for companionship. My family is starting to form. Lee from Singapore, Charlotte from Denmark, Kevin from England, Sarah from Australia, Sue and Jen from Canada. There are a few others, a Korean couple, she has walked before and this time with her husband. The group is in flux and will more likely change as we travel across Northern Spain.

I'm going to use the rest of this post to tell those who don't know too much about the Camino some of the things that are specific to the this journey. This won't be a complete list, so bear with me. It you need to ask.

 

When one walks on the Camino there are many routes that start from all over Europe all ending at Santiago de Compostela at the Cathedral. Although the scallop shell I carry on my pack represents many things, I think the lines in the shell represent the paths from around Europe that all come together at a point at Santiago. The route I am walking is the Camino Frances, just shy of 500 miles. Starting in France in St. Jean Pied du Port (St John at the foot of the pass), it crosses the Pyrenees and heads west through Northern Spain.

 

 

The path is clearly marked with yellow arrows and the scallop shell symbol as it passes through fields, over mountains through towns, villages, and large cities, such as Pamplona where I am now. A Pilgrim carries with him a Pilgrim's Passport which allows you to stay in the Municipal Albergues (think hostel) some of which has as many at 100 beds in a large room. (yours truly is now writing in his private hotel room) Many small hotels are called hostels or pensions which many times are small family run affairs. Many pilgrims opt for these places for their lodging.

 

The Passport also allows you to partake in Pilgrims Meals at restaurants along the way. Usually 3 courses with wine for around $10-$12. As an example, the other night my meal consisted of a bowl of spaghetti, which in its self was quite filling, next a tortilla, which in Spain is like a quiche potatoes and cheese baked in a pie shape. You get a slice. The second course also included a green salad, then ice cream or cake for desert. This is all washed down with the wine, also included.

 

If you are staying in most albergues, you must leave early, usually by 8 am and you can only stay one night. Sometimes an exception is made if you are injured or sick.

 

Over 100,000 people walk to Santiago every year on the various route, the Frances being the most popular. Even with that many people it is easy to walk alone if that is you desire. I have been walking with Charlotte from Denmark, and sometimes Lee from Singapore. Lee is having problems with blisters and may have to rest a day in Pamplona. Charlotte walks at the same pace that I do so we just sort of fell in together.

 

Yesterday we were walking and I saw a ribbon attached to a bush. On the ribbon was written "Griffith" which is my middle name. A short distance further a second ribbon, this time with the name "Catherine" on it. This is my wife's name spelled that way she spells it. If that's not enough, a little down the path was a flat stone with the name "Joel". Joel is my brother. Charlotte says this is a sign and that along the camino I will discover its meaning.

 

Another story about the camino. I stayed in a small pension and when I left the next morning it seemed like I had packed better as there was a little left over room in my pack. When I arrived at my next over night town and went into my pack for my sandals, it was then that I discovered that I had left them behind. So next door to where I was staying was a store selling hiking gear, so I bought a new pair of sandals. Later someone suggested that I call and perhaps I could have them delivered to my location. There is a service that transports packs for people from town to town. So I went back to the gear shop where I knew the young man spoke English. Without hesitation he called the place I left my sandals, and they found them under the bed. Then they brought the sandals to me and would not accept payment for their trouble. That my friends is what the camino is about. I do have two pair of sandals though.

 

Oh, by the way, I have been given a new name. On the Camino I am called, Dana Diego.

 

 

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FINALLY ON MY WAY

After great dinner with Istavan and Barbara, it was off to bed by 8. I was beat. I was the only guest at the pension so I had a double room to myself. I tossed and turned for several hours thinking about my start in the morning. But the last thing I heard was the church bells ringing the 11 o'clock hour. The next time I heard anything was when the bells struck 7. So, get up, pack, down to breakfast and out the door by 7:45. Part of the service with Istavan and Barbara is a ride to the beginning of the Camino at St. Jean Pied du Port on the French side of the Pyrenees.

 

I bid farewell to my hosts and my first stop is the Pilgrims Office, to learn of the trail conditions. The Napoleon Route is now open I was told and there is only 1.5 kilometers of packed snow and with all the trail markers exposed. I picked up my scallop shell at the Pilgrims Office and tied it to my pack.(more about the shell later) The weather is great, with clear skies, so the Napoleon route it is.

 

I walked through the town gate as the clock in the tower stuck 9, and I was off, climbing up the hill out of town. After about half a mile up the hill I took my first drink of water out of the hydration bladder in my pack. Fitted with a tube so you can drink as needed, I got about one swallow of water, then, nothing. Maybe the tube came disconnected from the reservoir. So off with the pack to take a look. The bladder was empty even though I had filled it last night. I think when it was in the back of Istavan's car the drinking tube must have been under the pack and it drained all the water out. What to do, go back down the half a mile into town, or.......?

 

Not wanting of walk downhill when I was supposed to be going up, I walked up someone's driveway where it looked like no one was home and borrowed some water from a hose in the garden. Problem solved.

 

On this the first day I am only walking for 5 miles to the Refuge Orisson, where I have reserved a bed. I had read many descriptions about how steep this section of the walk was. People talk about the difficulty of this first 5 miles. Yes, it was steep, and yes my legs hurt, but in the big picture of things it wasn't all that bad. On the road most of the way, I arrived in 2 and a half hours or so.

 

Beautiful views around with green hillsides with sheep and cattle on the way up. Other pilgrims always say hello and ask where you're from. After few words, most past me by. I met Dan from Australia, a women who's name I forgot from Germany, Mimi with her sister Judy and brother John all from Colorado and Jen from Halifax. So far my roommates in our six man bunk room is Lee, from Singapore and a older German, Dutch or something a-rather who's name I did not catch as he speaks no English and I don't speak whatever it is he is speaking. I later learned that he was German and 77 years old. He also snores and kept me up most of the night, even with ear plugs. One of my reasons for doing the Camino was to meet people from around the world, and that I'm doing.

 

You get a token for a five minute shower and I had heard that sometime before everyone gets a shower the hot water gets all used up. Knowing this information before hand I figured I better get one of the first showers. Turns out I was the first so I was thinking I has scored. But as it turns out the hot water heater is a long way from the shower head, so the first half of my 5 minutes was in cold, and I mean very cold water. Such is the life of a pilgrim. Be thankful for what you get.

 

It is customary here at Refuge Orisson that everyone eats at a communal meal at one long table. A three course meal with all the wine you want. So, vegetable soup, pasta with short ribs and for desert Basque Cake. Great food and conversation. At the end of the meal, each person stands and introduces themselves, tells where they from and if the want to, say the reason for walking the camino. There were Germans, and nun from Germany walking in her habit, Spaniards, Koreans, Canadians, Australians, Italians, an Englishmen, one gal from Denmark, and me the lone American. Twenty four people in all. It was a great evening.

Tomorrow is up and over the Pyeernes to my next stop in the village of Burguete a distance of 12 miles. I got smart and booked a single room.

 

 

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PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES, AND A BUS FROM HELL

I'm sitting in the Atocha Station in the heart of Madrid as I write this. Everything went according to plan getting this far. Left San Diego on British Air on time and arrived in London ahead of schedule by 10 minutes. Traversed terminal 5 at Heathrow and got to my Madrid flight with time to spare. If you've never been to Heathrow you should know it's big. Follow the signs to "connecting flights", down to the underground train, take the train to the last stop, go up and through security, then walk to the terminal and wait till your flight appears on the electronic board. Flights are posted usually 1 hour before departure. As one would expect, my gate is the furthest away from where I'm sitting.

 

Arrived in Madrid and traversed it's airport. More of the same, go down to the train, take the train, which by the was seemed like we were traveling all the way into the city. Go back up, go through passport control, (no line by the way), walk to baggage claim. The suit case arrived, thank you British Air, find the bus into town, pay 5€ and get ready for an E-ticket ride. After a good 10 minutes of terror, we arrive at another terminal to pick up more victims. I figured we'd be in the city by now, but no, still one more terminal pick up. I probably shouldn't have sat in the front of the bus, but I made the mistake of wanting to see where we were going. It was a near death experience as Senior Mad Man weaved his way through heavy traffic trying to set an new land speed record. It was lucky that no one was injured or killed as suitcases and backpacks were flying out of the luggage racks.

 

We arrived in downtown Madrid in one piece and I walked the couple of blocks to my hotel. Nice room, but air conditioning is out of season here in Madrid. Dropped of my bags, and went to McDonald's for something to eat. I know, but it was late and I was starving. Finally hit the sack about 11:30 for some much needed sleep. But that didn't happen, I laid there and tossed and turned for most of the night in my nice but stuffy room. I think I managed about 3 hours sleep.

 

The next morning, up at 7:00 am, took my walking sticks from my suitcase and squeezed them in my back. By pre-arrangement, I walked to the B&B that Cathie and I will be staying in at the completion of my camino. About 15 minutes from my hotel, up the hill and up 4 flights of stairs. You could tell I was tied and hungry as the stairs about kicked my butt with both backpack and suitcase. Cathie is going to love this place, being on the top floor and all. Then back down the hill to a small cafe I spied on the way up, for my first cafe con leche and a croissant all for the price of just under 3€. Boy did that hit the spot. Then the short walk to the Atocha Train station to wait for my 11:30 departure.

 

Now at Corazon Puro Pension as I write this. Except for the lack of sleep, things worked out according to plan with no hiccups. Tomorrow I start for real,

 

 

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