The End of the Camino

Buenos!

Well, we made it! Paul and I arrived at about 1:30 in the afternoon on the 22nd of May! For some reason, the last day went VERY slowly and VERY painfully. Both Paul and I had bad feet and had to stop about every hour.

It´s funny, but neither of us had really planned on going the distance together. We just enjoyed each other´s company so much. Paul´s a good 20 years younger than me, but that´s the Camino fo ya! We´ve had a good time together and made each other laugh and kept each other going when our feet were on the verge of giving up! I am so thankful for that!

We had a beautiful, cool, sun filled last day for our journey´s end. Once we got to Santiago, we still had about 3km to go before reaching the Cathedral. It took almost an hour as suddenly the yellow arrows and sign postings we had come to depend on became few and far between. And we were moving pretty slowly anyway! We took the traditional approach (by accident) through the Porto de Santiago, a long archway leading around to the huge square in front of the Cathedral. The Cathedral is immense! As soon as we entered the square, we did a pole click to celebrate! An older couple came over and asked to have their picture taken with us! We felt like celebraties for a moment! You can tell the peregrinos from the tourists by the backpacks and sticks we carry! We immediately saw several pilgrims we´d seen along the camino and we all congratulated each other.

We then entered the cathedral to attempt the traditional end of the Camino. There are four steps a pilgrim is supposed to do: place you hand on the center column when thousands of other pilgrims have done so, wearing a handprint into the marble; go to the other side of the column and place your forehead on the column creator´s forehead (the sculptor´s self portrait in stone) as an homage to his creativity; proceed around the right side of the cathedral and behind the altar to give the statue of Santiago a hug from behind; and then down a set of stairs to view the crypt under the altar where the relics of Santigo are kept. However, when we entered the Cathedral was extremely crowded and they had a barrier around the column! GRRRRRR!!!! Something about preservation..... Um,..... bit late for that! Seeing as how a handprint has been worn into it! We took a look around and left, hoping that today would be better.

Paul and I split up, having made reservations at different hotels. ....... Or so I thought....... I arrived at the hotel I thought I had a reservation at and they didn´t have it! They claimed they got my email too late to confirm it..... I looked straight at the guy and said, "Seriously.... you´re killing my Camino buzz." So, typically, he didn´t offer to help me find other accomodations and I left. I took a taxi to the hotel I remembered Paul said he was staying at, asked for the same room rate and they were wonderful! Got a room for two nights at a decent rate and got my Camino buzz back!

Just as I was about to leave for my new hotel, I ran into the pilgrim from Liverpool and he asked about Paul. And he invited us to a get together later that night to celebrate and see him on his way to his evening flight.

So, Paul and I cleaned up at the hotel. I just have to say, having a room to myself and a hot shower is something I will NEVER take for granted again!!!!!! Then we went back into the square under a torrential Galaciian downpour! We´d beat the rain into Santiago by about 5 hours! We met up with a large group of pilgrims from Denmark, England, Germany, and Ireland and headed over to an Irish pub that someone had stumbled upon earlier in the day. As you can all guess, this was the high-lite of my day! Guinness on tap! I was in heaven! The perfect end to an amazing journey! After a couple of pints, we bid our Liverpool pilgrim goodbye. He is such a nice guy. He is a deeply religious man without being pious. He was overcome by the whole experience and teared up at leaving it all behind. A group of us then left for dinner and then returned to the pub for a few more pints. It was weird not having to be a the albergue by 10PM (when the doors are locked and the lights go out!). In fact, it was weird going to bed after dark. We´d been going to bed between 8 and 9PM when it was still light outside! The pilgrims that I met last night were so much fun! It´s amazing that people of different ages (20-50+) and nationalities share a journey and bond so well. Maybe we should send all the world leaders on the Camino!

This morning, I slept in a bit. Then had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and I read a newspaper for the first time in three weeks!

Paul and I then went to the pilgrim office and got our Compostelas. It´s a diploma/certificate document in Latin, attesting to the completion of the Camino. Then we went to the Pilgrim´s Mass at the Cathedral. It was packed with so many of the people we had come to know along the way. And lots of locals and tourists. Throughout the mass, we could see hands coming around from behind the statue of Santiago on the altar! Kinda funny.....

I had been debating with myself all along the Camino as to whether or not I should take communion, as I am not Catholic. But then I talked to a fellow pilgrim (an Anglican from England) who told me that he had met a man along the way who turned out to be one of the priests at the mass the day before! And he told the priest that he had been unsure if he should take communion, and the priest said it was not frowned upon and that he was welcome. So I did take communion. And I have to confess that as I walked back to my seat, I got a little choked up. I´m not sure why, really. I´m still processing that one....

So, now I´m off to do a bit of shopping before another gathering planned for tonight that promises to be just as fun.

I have an early flight toMadrid tomorrow morning. I´m planning on spending the day at the Prado Museum. Then flying home on Sunday and sleeping .... in my own bed.... by myself ..... where no one will be snoring ....... and I might even have a HOT shower! Ahhhhhh.... the luxury!

One day away!

HURRAH!

I´m only 20.5km away from Santiago! We had a short day today after 2 grueling days of 27km each. Lots of ups and downs in the terrain, making for a difficult couple of days. I have only one problem blister that seems to re-appear every day. My biggest problem is very sore, very tired feet. The past couple of days I´ve had to take the hiking boots off and put on my Tevas for the last couple of hours of hiking. It´s helped a bit, but my feet are a constant source of agony......

All that said, the weather has cooperated and we had a full day of sunshine yesterday after 5 days of clouds and rain! We stayed at a beautiful albergue. It´s a remodeled historic pilgrim hospital. We reached it just after coming over a medieval bridge in a wooded area. It was set in a beautiful clearing, very quiet, lots of solitude. The best part was being able to soak our feet in the COLD river next to the bridge while the sun warmed the rest of us. After a nice HOT shower, I sat in a meadow and wrote in my journal for about an hour, soaking in more sun. I think that was my favorite place so far.

We got an early start today and made very good time. In fact, we passed the place we had planned on staying by just a bit. So we had to back track as the next spot was 10km away and my feet just didn´t have 10km more in them! We lucked out a found a beautiful new private albergue. Very nice! Much nicer than the municipal albergue we would have stayed in if we´d been paying attention!

It´s funny how messages/rumors fly on the Camino. About two days ago, we got word that there is going to be a huge pilgrim party in the square in front of the cathedral on Friday night. It should be loads of fun seeing all the folks we´ve shared the Camino with: The guys from Poland who seemed so pleased to have someone on the Camino who knows two words of Polish! (Hello and Thank you!). The gal from Dublin and her fellow pilgrim from Belgium (who has done the Camino multiple times and will be WALKING back to Antwerp! EESH!). The girl from Australia and her friend from Denmark who started the party rumor! The lady with her sweet dog, a Bichon Frisse (sp?). The lovely french couple who were so kind to me when I was so ill. We keep running into them and they always inquire about my health. The German who lives in Austria who we keep accusing of stalking us as we always seem to end up at the same albergue!

Several days ago in a wonderful mountain town called O´Cebreiro, we started seeing a group of people who had tiny little backpacks (the kind kids carry to school) and two vans. They seem to be on some sort of organized tour with van support..... Many of us REAL pilgrims kinda resent these people. The van support CATERS their meals! And gets to the albergues ahead of them, ensuring they have a place to stay. I think what annoys us the most is the tiny backbacks. Here we are, struggling up and down steep slopes with 22+ pounds on our back, hobbling into an albergue mid-afternoon (we call it the "pilgrim shuffle")..... and these people seem as though they are out for a casual stroll in the country-side! One of our fellow peregrinos dubbed them "Pretend-agrinos"!!!! BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!! Bitter.... party of 300.... your table´s ready! Bitter! (I am seriously not alone in my contempt for the pretend-agrinos!)

Well, my time is about to run out on the internet machine, so I´ll post from Santiago! I am so excited to complete this amazing journey!

Dawn

An average day on the Camino....

There are no average days on the Camino, really. But there is a rhythm that I´ve fallen into:

6AM: Alarm goes off and I put my headlamp on and clean my feet/blisters/wounds. I then apply the appropriate dreesing (Compeed, Moleskin, gauze and tape, etc.). This takes about 30-45 minutes. Then I pack up everything and finish dressing and wash my face and brush my teeth (hopefully there´s no line for the toilet yet).

7AM: I try my best to be on the road by this time. It´s nice and cool in the mornings and it makes a big difference when you´re carrying 22-lbs and hiking rough terrain!

9AM: Usually need to stop for a rest as my feet are beginning to talk/scream at me. My pace is pretty good first thing in the morning and I´ve gone about 10km by this point. So a 1/2 hr coffee break is good.

11AM: Another 9-10km, and time for a nice hour long break. I take my boots off to let my feet have a chance to breathe. It feels SOOOOOOO good! Hopefully, Í´m in a town and can get some lunch and something to drink.

Noon: Back on the road! Depending on how far I´m going, it could be another 2-3 hours of hiking. I usually do between 25 and 30km per day. However, when the terrain is as rough as it was today, I cut it back. We managed 21 today and we´re exhausted! It was all downhill and rocky. Very taxing.

2 - 4 PM: Check into an albergue, shower, and do laundry or take a nap. Laundry is usually by hand. My socks take two days to dry and I have to pin them to my back pack! I look like a travelling sock salewoman!

Dinner time? Well that´s tricky in Spain. In the smaller pilgrim towns, I can get a pilgrim meal usaually anytime after 5. However, in the larger towns/cities.... they keep to the Spanish tradition of dinner time: 9PM! That´s why I´m more partial to pushing on to a smaller hamlet, than staying in a city.

After dinner, I usually write in my journal by headlamp for about an hour. Then it´s bedtime (9 or 10 PM). I wear to bed what I will wear to hike in the next day.

There´s little time for sight seeing, but reall, the sites for me have been the beautiful scenery, kind people, and the journey itself.

I should be in Santiago de Compostela on the 22nd! I´m getting very excited! That will give me 1 and 1/2 days there. Time to shop and rest and celebrate with my fellow pilgrims.

Dawn

It´s raining, it´s cold, and I am so over this!

Not really! But it has rained a couple of days and it has been cold!

Health update: I am completely over the food poisoning and have moved onto a cold! Seriously! I AM NEVER SICK! 32 countries in 3 1/2 years and not one instance of illness of any kind! I train for a marathon and not once was I ill! I go on vacation and BAM! Fortunately, it´s not too bad and I´ve been able to talk to a pharmacist and get some cold meds. In Spain, one has to go to a Farmacia for and speak to a pharmacist even for something as simple as cold medication. It´s a bit silly.

Anyhoodles, the last few days have been rigorous, but thrilling. Ute left us in Leon. Paul and I left Leon in a down pour and walked along a highway for almost 4 hours. We could have gone a more scenic route, but it was longer and I was still trying to get my appetite back. We passed through a beautiful medieval village, Hospital de Orbigo, complete with a huge stone bridge and jousting field! they must do a festival there. Most pilgrims seemed to be stopping there. But we kept going. We managed to go about 33km by the end of our day! My appetite may not have been back, but my leg and foot strength was! We stayed in Santibanez de Valdeiglesia at what the books had descibed as a basic albergue with ¨mixed reports¨. Well, it was one of the best so far! Yes, the accomodations were basic (shower outside), but we stayed in a room for four with a german couple and NO ONE SNORED! (hey, itñs the little things one becomes thankful for on the Camino!). And best of all, there was an Italian cook! He made a delicious meal for about 8 of us (2 other Americans, a Mexican, Paul (the Brit), and 3 Germans). And being a bit of a crazy Italian, he made sure we all had MORE than our fill! He kept bringing out dish after dish! YUM!!!!!!!!

After a wonderful night´s rest and some perky Spanish coffee (which we stop for about every 2 hours, if possible!), we set off again. We passed through a lovely town, Astorga, that has one of the most beautiful cathedrals iñve even seen from the outside. And right next to it is another Gaudi building. We´d been walking for about 3 hours, so we stopped at the cafe across the street for a pan du chocolate and coffee. We pressed on and managed 27km for the day! We stopped in a sleepy little village (almost a ghost town really), El Ganso. Had a great pilgrims meal at the only restaurant in town. The bartender could see that I was a bit cold and ushered us into a small room and lit an ancient gas heater - just for me! The people in this town were exceptionally friendly. A group of us climbed to the top of the bell tower in the church and the view of the valley was spectacular. A local woma of about 50-60 greeted us as we came down. Between all of us and our poor Spanish, we managed a conversation. She wanted to know where we were all from and where we had started the Camino. she was very sweet.

The next day was very difficult, physically speaking. A tough uphill hike to one of the most important places on the Camino, La Cruz de Ferro. At the doorway through the mountains, tradition states that pilgrims should carry a stone from home and place it on a pile below a huge pole with a simple iron cross atop. The stone can symbolize many things. Once we had placed our stones, we began our downhill hike. It was very difficult and I ended up running part of it. Gravity made me! I found it easier to use my poles and almost run/ski down the mountain. After about three hours of this, we were ready to stop! So we stayed in another sleepy village, Acebo.

This morning, we had more of the downhill run/ski fun (it extremely exhausting). We had planned on a short day and are staying in a hotel (we both needed it!) in a mid-sized twn, Ponferrada, which had a lovely castle built by the Templar Knights! Which I am about to go tour!

Bye for now!
Dawn

Food poisoning!

OY!

The past few days have been really tough! A couple of days ago, I ate a lentil soup and got Santiago´s Revenge the following morning! As we started our walk, I felt kinda funky.... and then I started to lose steam and had to stop several times. After about 6km, I couldn´t go on. We stopped in a small town and I got a taxi to the next albergue. I had to hang out at a bar for about three hours until the albergue opened. During that time, I sat in a chair outside with my sleeping bag wrapped around me. Frequently, I hobbled to the toilet to vomit or the other end of the business..... I became extremely dehydrated. Hence the time spent in the sun, shivering in my sleeping bag! Many pilgrims (peregrinos) stopped to offer help. One insisted I drink a cup of tea. Another offered to call a doctor. After about three hours, I began my search for the albergue. Once I found it, several pilgrims were waiting for it to open and realized just how sick I was. (MAN! I must have looked awful!). A french couple asked if I was okay and all I could muster was that I wanted my mother (in french!). As soon as the albergue opened, the lovely fenchman ushered me ahead of everyone, making sure I was the first pilgrim to check in. He even carried my backpack and poles upstairs for me! One of the Norwegians that I had met the night before (in the albergue where I got food poisoning) saw me and offered to go out and get some coca cola for me. He came back with a two liter bottle! By the afternoon, I was able to keep liquids down. My traveling companions, Ute and Paul, arrived about 3:30 and made sure I kept consuming liquids. I did manage to get downstairs for dinner. The lady of the albergue, a kind Hungarian woman named Judit, had made a nice potato soup with a healthy helping of hungarian paprika. It wasn´t my dad´s potato soup, but it was ok. I was able to eat several chunks of potatos and some of the bread. I spoke with a German woman who was at the same albergue the night before and she had the lentil soup with the same result as me! During dinner, I was still feeling very weak. My muscles were cramping and joints were aching. It was an amazing experience to have so many people of so many nationalities concerned for this one little peregrino!

The following morning, I finally had a small appetite. We got a late start and I managed 8km. We were all feeling really tired so we decide to head into Leon and stay a day in a pension. Pensions are a step up from a hostel but not quite a hotel. It seems like a luxury compared to the albergues though! I am feeling much better and stomach and feet will be ready to walk again tomorrow. In the meantime, I am enjoying Leon. I´ve seen the gothic cathedral and will see a Gaudi building this afternoon. But most of all, I am resting!

It´s been a really tough first week. But I´m looking forward to the rest of my journey. And hopefully, no more food poisoning and tougher feet!

4 days.... about 110 miles......

Hola!

Well, I´m four days in and doing ok.

I spent the first night on the floor of the albergue as I arrived in Burgos too late and all the beds were taken. But, that meant I wasn´t in the rooms with all the snorers! And trust me, they were REALLY loud! And, I met a really nice German lady, Ute, who has been my traveling companion for the last four days!

We did 30km the first day and were exhausted. Made it to a place called Hostanas and we each got a bed. After a good nights sleep, we set out with all the best intentions....

And only got about 20 km. We met a really nice young Brit, Paul, at about 10km (after a huge hike up a hill and then down...which was worse than going up!). So, all three of us agreed to stop after 20km as we were so tired. We all got beds.... but in the room with the much dreaded Brazilian snorer! This man is legendary on the Camino and he lived up to it! OH..... MY..... GOD! And he was joined in the not-so-heavenly-choir of snorers by 4 others! One of whom sounded like a tiger growling.... None of us got much sleep that night!

In the morning, we set out and got about 25km and Ute and I could not walk another step. So, I walked into a Camino-side bar and asked the bartender, ¨Telephone-ay una taxi por tres persone-ays, por favor?¨ And he did, bless him! So we wimped out and took a taxi for the last 5km. I´m telling you, it felt as though someone had taken a small hammer and beaten the bottom of my feet! Every step was agony. Ute´s knee was really hurting her. We stayed at a really cool albergue run by Augustian nuns. Warm hearts.... cold showers! But, they had a blessing in the evening where they gathered every one together and sang a song for us, told us a little bit about their mission on the Camino (translated from Spanish into English into German!) and then the sisters came around and individually blessed everyone and gave us all a cut-out of a star to remind us that they were praying for our safe journey. Not a dry eye in the house! It was unexpectedly moving.

So this morning, Ute decided to see if she could get a doctor. She said she would try and meet up with us at our next pit stop. So, Paul and I set out for a 17km hike with no services! No bar, no toilet, nuthin! But we made it, stopped for a break and then continued for another 3km. We stopped and had lunch for about an hour. Let my feet recover a bit. Then we set out again. We had about 8km more to go. It was a tough day but we made it and our friend Ute came running down the road just as Paul was about to check his mobile phone to see if she had left a message! Her knee was fine and she got us a room with 4 beds and a private shower! (as opposed to the 15-30 per room and shared showers) and just 7.50 Euros each!

The terrain has been interesting. One day it´s flat and green, the next rolling hills and green. The mornings have been cool (thank goodness) and the afternoons warm to hot. We try to finish around 3-4 in the afternoon so that we aren´t hiking in the heat for too long... and so we get a bed at the albergue! This means we are up and on the Camino before sunrise.

I´m really glad I´ve found two people to travel with however long we stay together. It´s made the time fly and the pain somewhat bearable.

Well, I´m exhausted and my time on the internet machine has run out! It´s time for a cerveza!

As they say on the Camino, Buen Camino!
Dawn

Leavin'... on a jet plane.....

I'm off to Spain this evening! I thought as I took my shower this morning..."Hmmm..... this may be the last hot shower I have for a while...." I savored that moment!

It's crazy the things ya forget. I was talking to a good friend last night and she asked if I had registered with the Embassy in Madrid? DOH! After 32 trips overseas.... you'd think I'd know to do at least that! So, I did that 1st thing this morning!

My pack weighs in at a colossal 22 lbs! I tried and tried to get it down to 20... but it was the blister paraphernalia that put me over.... and I'm not going to leave that at home!

I'm hoping that my flights happen without too much of a hitch. I left almost 5 hours to clear passport control in Paris, claim my backpack, clear customs, transfer terminals, check in for the flight to Madrid, and get to the gate..... I'm hoping that's enough..... I'm flying Air Farce to Madrid and that makes me nervous.... they like to go on strike without notice.

I have three 2GB cards for my camera. I think that should be enough!

I treated myself and blew beaucoup United miles on business class for the transatlantic legs of my journey. So, I will enjoy a G&T in the lounge this afternoon while I wait for my flight! :-)

Well, that's about all for now..... not sure when Ill post next....