The planets were aligned last night. Although my plane from Barcelona to Boston arrived at 6:32, 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival, I managed to get through passport control, claim my checked bag and go through customs and border control and boarded the Dartmouth Coach at 7:03. This was great because the next and last bus of the night wouldn’t be for another two hours. Global Entry gets big kudos!

Ray and I spent most of the day today catching up on work and life. I washed all of my clothes and have all of my Camino gear put away and ready for next year.

I just had an amazing experience and have many thoughts swirling around in my head. I will share them on this blog over the next days and weeks. I don’t want to crowd your inbox so feel free to unsubscribe or delete the blog posting updates.

Thanks for coming with me on my Camino. I hope I gave you a little taste of this amazing experience. Your comments were so welcome and encouraging. I can’t thank you enough for saying just the right things at the right time.

I am happy to talk with anyone personally about the Camino if you wish. Just let me know.

Today probably wasn’t the best for starting out before dawn. It was pitch black when I left at 6am and there was still nearly 2 1/2 hours before sunrise. The Camino took me out of the village and up a hill with a questionable path. A couple of speedy walkers passed me and while I was able to follow their light for a few minutes, soon they were gone and I was back on my own. Luckily my constant companion over the last three weeks, the Buen Camino App, was by my side and I kept checking it to make sure I didn’t bear off the Camino, which would be very easy to do in the low-light conditions.

When I turned around I could measure my progress when I saw the lights of Atapeurca in the distance.

There was the slightest hint of sunrise on the horizon when I noticed a large cross.

Because the entire area around the cross was rocky bare ground, it was hard to figure out where the Camino route was but then I found a sign.

Next I came across a large labyrinth. Why anyone would need to walk around in circles after walking the Camino, I have no idea. 🙂

I wish it was light because I would have gotten a picture of the giant circular maze, but you would never be able to see it in a photograph taken in the dark.

So, at this point I was confident and started thinking about what a crazy thing this is that I am doing. Here I was, walking around on a mountain top in Spain in the pitch dark. This is giving me serious points toward achieving one of my Camino objectives; getting comfortable with dealing with uncertainty.

And then things got really uncertain! I came to a sign that told me I was headed to a town that was northwest of where I needed to be. I was no longer on the Camino! I pulled out my app that confirmed this.

I could either take my chance and retrace my steps in the dark or wait until it got lighter when I could see better. I decided to go for it. After about 10 minutes I saw a headlamp (a real one, not the eyes of a wild animal) coming toward me so I walked toward it. It turned out to be a young German couple.

The guy insisted they were going the right way. He kept showing me his phone and I kept showing him mine. Eventually we went our separate ways, but I was worried about them. I continued walking back in the direction of the Camino and saw three more headlamps walking across a path in front of me and I knew I was where I should be.

As we started to descend the hill I saw a headlamp way off to the right coming down from a different direction. It turned out to be the German couple. I was relieved to see them.

Throughout the day those two kept showing up, usually coming from a different direction than I, and we would say hi. Right as I got into the old city area in Burgos, I turned the corner and there they were! We hugged and formerly introduced ourselves and took a picture before we continued walking toward the Cathedral. Sebastian and Laura were sweet and we said our goodbyes when our guidebooks took us in different directions for the last time.

So, back to the rest of my story of the day, it was still dark when I crested the mountain and I got a beautiful view of the glowing lights of Burgos.

We came to the first town, but there was nowhere to get coffee. The sun was finally rising and the headlamp went back into my bag.

After another couple of kilometers, finally we were at a town that had a bar and it was time for breakfast. I had a delicious lomo (pork loin) boccodillo (baguette sandwich) with a fried egg and roasted red peppers along with cafe americano and orange juice. It hit the spot and fortified me for the next several hours as I negotiated my way into and through Burgos.

Leaving the bar it started to rain lightly so I stopped and put on my poncho and pack cover and of course, it stopped raining within minutes.

I do have to say, with the forecast of rain for the next four hours, this bus was very tempting.

But, I continued walking.

There is always encouragement when you most need it.

Soon the dirt roads turned into asphalt and I knew I had seen the last of the quaint ancient villages that I had been passing through for the past 16 days.

I had been planning for weeks that I would enter Burgos through the scenic park alternative route as I had done when entering Pamplona. But when I should have been looking for the signs directing me there, it was pouring rain and I was just focused on moving forward, not getting hit by a car and not tripping. I missed the turn which meant I would go into Burgos through the industrial route.

But first, I would have to walk around the airport. If you have ever done this, you know that even small airfields are huge! The route I was on took me around three sides of the Burgos regional airport where I would be flying out of the next day on my way to Barcelona.

Next I had to negotiate a huge traffic circle which was probably one of the most daunting things I did in the past 16 days. I would never imagine that a traffic circle could provide a life lesson, but this one did.

Looking at where I was and where I was going I just thought, “Shit, I am screwed!” There were no other pilgrims around. The group I was following had ducked into a bar to dry off and get something warm to drink. However, I was following the yellow arrows and that gave me confidence. I decided that rather than worrying about the entire traffic circle, I would take each ramp crossing one at a time.

There were a lot of crossings as this circle served as an off and on ramp to the highway was well as feeding the main artery into Burgos.

I approached the first crossing and a tractor-trailer stopped and let me cross. Because he was blocking other traffic I felt safe. I yelled gracias and he replied, “Buen Camino!”

Now I was in a small median strip in the middle of the off and on ramp. To my surprise, two cars coming off the highway stopped blocking the traffic behind them and I made my second safe crossing. One to go!

The last crossing was the most challenging because the median strip was under construction. I had to walk across a fairly narrow, wet and slippery wooden plank to get onto and off the median strip. But once again, the traffic stopped and I had made it!

So, you are probably wondering what life lesson I gained from this experience. Sometimes things can seem impossible because they are so big and complex. Rather than trying to figure everything out before taking the first step (as every good control freak does) take the first step and the next will be more clear and one step at a time the challenge will be overcome.

I know. It is crazy it takes a traffic circle to add deep meaning to your life, but the Camino works in mysterious ways.

After getting through that traffic circle I had no idea of what was in store for me over the next 3 hours. The rain continued on and off so I kept my bright orange poncho on reasoning that it served as a beacon that a human was crossing the road and could save me from getting hit.

The scenery was uninspiring, the tile sidewalk slippery and hard and this went on forever! My legs are still screaming with pain from that trek on such a hard surface for hours.

Finally about an hour and a half later I was in Burgos proper.

Home free! But then I walked for almost another hour to get to the old city! Part of the problem was that I was going slowly. I felt like I was like a kid on a car ride to Grandma’s house! Are we there yet ran through my mind every 5 minutes!

Bumping into Sebastian and Laura lifted my spirits and soon I walked through the arches of the old city of Burgos and got my first glimpse of the cathedral.

Back in March, I had made a reservation at a hotel right across from the cathedral to treat myself after 16 days sleeping in a bunk with 20 to 40 other pilgrims. Of course, at that time I had no idea how hard bunk living would be, so I didn’t know that I would resort to private rooms when they were affordable and available. Nevertheless, I rationalized I still deserved the treat.

As I was walking toward the hotel, I heard someone calling out, “Robin!”

Pinch me! I am in a city in Spain thousands of miles from home and I have friends who spot me and call out my name. It was Gene and Hyun who I hadn’t seen in several days. We hugged and caught up with on our journeys. They had attempted to walk into Burgos the day before during the thunder/hail storm and ended up checking into a hotel by the airport. They too had just arrived and were looking for an Alburgue.

We asked a local woman to take a picture of the three of us and she had a hard time getting the iPhone camera to work. Finally when Gene suggested we just take a selfie with his camera, she pushed the magic button and caught a great picture of us taking a picture of ourselves.

As we were talking, Kerrie, who founded the Sacramento chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino, came walking up and said she was on her way to the next town at the beginning of the Meseta portion of the Camino Frances. But after a few minutes, she changed her mind and decided to stay another night in Burgos so we could get together for drinks or dinner.

I checked into the hotel and did the standard pilgrim end of day routine; took a shower, got dressed and talked with Ray.

I had an amazing view of the cathedral from the window in my room.

I heard from Henry and Angela and a whole group of folks were still in Burgos and we made plans to go to the 7:30 pilgrim mass. Then I went out to get something to eat and to check out the cathedral.

I haven’t been to all of the amazing churches in the world, but I have been to some of the most famous; Notre Dame in Paris, Westminster Abbey in London and St. Peter’s Bascilica in Rome. None hold a candle to the Cathedral in Burgos. It is massive, ornate and has probably a dozen different chapels, each with it’s own history. Pictures don’t do it justice. When in Spain, I encourage you to check it out. In fact, it is worthy of planning an entire trip to Spain as the country is amazing.

It was like homecoming at the pilgrim’s mass. Stanley and Esme were there as were Henry, Kyle, Angela, Damion, Kate and Efflyn. The group represented the core of my initial Camino family from Orisson and my adopted Camino family from Lorca on the day I couldn’t go any farther. I had no idea of what was being said during the mass, but used the time to reflect on my Camino.

At the end the priest called up all of the pilgrims for a special blessing. I went since I was still officially a pilgrim until the end of the day, I reasoned. Priests have been blessing pilgrims since the beginning of the Camino and that makes participating in the ceremony powerful and emotional for me.

Here is the Pilgrim’s blessing:

After the Mass we gathered outside of the cathedral and figured out where we would go for drinks and dinner.

We asked a young guy walking past if he would take our picture. He did a great job using the pano function to capture the entire Cathedral. As he was taking the picture, I asked under my breath, what would prevent the guy from running away with my camera. Basically nothing. But luckily he just wanted to take a good picture of us

For dinner, Kerrie, a Camino veteran, led us to a place that had plenty of room for our group of 12. I bought the first round of drinks to honor my friends who would be continuing their pilgrimage the next day. The group toasted me and had some very nice words for me. I can’t remember exactly how Kyle put it, but this 20-something made me feel like I had been an important part of their Camino and that I would be missed. So touching.

Camino families, like many families, work because of the range of ages with the elders providing wisdom and the youth providing energy. I would argue, however, that each youngish pilgrim I met on the Camino was wise beyond their years. They will carry the memories and lessons of the Camino for the rest of their lives, for many many years.

I was hungry because I had just had the jamon earlier in the afternoon. I order a dish that was fries, eggs and jamon. It hit the spot along with a couple of beers.

After dinner we said goodbye to several of our group and we were down to just Henry, and the three amigos (Kyle, Damion and Angela). Most of us were jonesing for a nightcap, but Kyle was craving gelato. After walking a LOT and checking out many tapas bars (it felt like the three bears, this one is too big, this one is too crowded but finally, this one is just right), we settled on one that offered the liqueur Henry was searching for, 43, which is made in Spain.

43 is a delicious, delicate elixir with a vanilla overtone. Henry got the first round and “future” Damion the second (more on that later; probably tomorrow).

Then it was time to say goodbye to my friends. It was sad, but I am happy that they are all continuing on and will be back to the life of a pilgrim tomorrow.

Henry figures that he will be reaching Santiago in about a month and I suspect it will be around the same for the others providing they don’t have any injuries that set them back. I hope not!

Reflections

I feel a strong connection to most everyone I walked with. The Camino is ageless because we were all focused on the same goal; completing our Caminos. When you share a common goal, you work together to achieve it. You help each other out and you celebrate together.

This is something I want to take home from the Camino. I want to focus on what bring us together, whether it is with family, friends or people I don’t even know. I think if we all did that this world would be a better place.

My plan today was to get an early start so that I could get to my destination of Atapuerca by the time the Alburgues opened and started giving out beds. Typically that is 2pm.

I knew from reports of friends who passed through yesterday that there are limited beds and they filled up quickly. When that happens, a pilgrim has no other choice but to continue walking to the next town in search of a place to sleep for the night.

Typically there wouldn’t be a bed crunch this time of year, but Friday, October 12 is a holiday in Spain. Does the date ring a bell? It is the official date of Columbus Day in the US and a proud day for Spaniards as well! The focus of the celebration is now more about Spanish nationalism rather than Spanish conquests around the world.

In any case, holidays like this drive Spaniards to the Camino for 2 to 4 days walks that add to the regular pilgrim traffic. (I had no idea to look at the calendar when I was scheduling this trip. It may or may not add to the enjoyment of my sightseeing day in Burgos.)

I left Villafranca Montes Oca before 7 am this morning in the pitch dark. (Sunrise is a very late 8:20am this time of year!). Luckily I have an awesome headlamp that really lights the way.

Before I could start the mountain climb I would have to survive walking on the street to the Camino path.

There is little to no sidewalk and the trucks come barreling through as if they are on the open highway. It was daunting!

I gave myself even more of a challenge by continuing on the road longer than necessary. When I couldn’t find a yellow arrow, I knew something was wrong so I checked my GPS map and saw I was off course. Great! That meant I would have to retrace my steps backwards for several blocks to get rerouted.

I finally was heading in the right direction up a rocky path that didn’t seem well travelled.

The signage gave me confidence I was heading the correct way as did a group of three Spanish pilgrims who confidently charged ahead of me.

As I proceeded up the hill, two headlamps were coming toward me so I figured the Spaniards discovered it wasn’t the right way, but their headlamps were really dull; just two dots of light coming right at me. From my training walks at home in the early morning I have encountered enough animals that I finally realized these were eyes reflecting the light of my headlamp. Just as I figured that out, I saw something small dart off the path. Because the trail was steep, the dots of light seemed to be at my eye level which caused the confusion and made the animal seem much larger than it was. It was likely a cat because then I noticed a black cat to my left, also with glowing eyes. I schussed it away as I did not want to to cross my path and bring me bad luck. He obeyed and I was back on my way.

I walked up hill for about an hour not being able to see anything around me. I have read it is beautiful, but I missed out on that. This 12k stretch of thick forest had a reputation in the medieval days of being a dangerous passage for pilgrims. It was an ideal place for thieves and bandits to hide out in the woods and rob them as they passed. My guidebook assured me this is no longer a problem so I continued. It never ceases to amaze me that I am walking in the exact same footsteps of millions of other pilgrims who have been doing this for centuries.

This seemed like a very long 12k. Toward the top of the mountain it started to drizzle, so being safe rather than sorry I put on my pack cover and poncho (which is tough to do on my own with the pack on, but I managed). It immediately stopped raining.

I walked past a monument to the people killed during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. It also marks the shallow grave of over 300 people who were executed at the start of the war.

I was really dragging and I assume it is because my energy reserves were low from just eating a sandwich around 4 pm the day before and no dinner. I promised myself when I came to a place I could stop, I would have a snack fortified with one of the NUUM electrolyte replacement tablets Nancy T had given to me.

There actually was a rest area that some enterprising person set up, but it wasn’t operating so I sat there and snacked on some cheese, chorizo, nuts and an apple I was carrying and tried not to think of how good it would taste with a hot cup of coffee. In about 6k I would be in a town and could get some real caffeine.

Finally I was in the town of San Juan de Ortega!

This was the first time I saw empanadas! All they had was tuna and it turned out to be delicious!

Five of us from Orisson were there so I got a picture to send onto the folks ahead of us.

Here is Stanley (his wife Essa was sick and traveling by taxi to their stop for the night), Ye, me, Kate and Efflyn.

Stanley was committed to stopping in Atapuerca but the other three were hoping to get one town further making for a shorter day into Burgos on Thursday. That sounded good to me Efflyn and I walked out of town together and for the next couple of kilometers were walking at a good 4K clip, but I wanted to slow down so I would take some pictures so I said goodbye to her.

As I reached the village of Ages I ran into Norah who I had met earlier in the day and we walked together into Atapuerca. It was a little before 2 and she was staying there for the night. I was reluctant because I had already called ahead and talked to every Alburgue in town and knew that none of them had a private room and the bunk was just not appealing to me after so many days in the comfort of my own room.

But I walked into the first place with Norah and asked if they had a private room and bingo! I took it and was relieved to be done for the day. It was so easy. I paid for the room and immediately gathered just about every piece of clothing I had and went to the laundry room. I knew this would be my last chance to do serious laundry before returning home on Saturday.

Pilgrims started arriving shortly after 2, but the hospitalaros running the place take siesta from 2 to 3:30. There were over 25 people waiting for a bed by 3:30! By dumb luck (kind of) I got there exactly when I should have! Most pilgrims were coming from a further distance than I which is why they arrived later. My plan to set up in Villafranca Montes Oca the day before worked!

I had texted Kate to see if they made it successfully the 6 additional kilometers from here to the next town. She, Ye and Efflyn were there, but they had to walk through a thunderstorm and hail!

Norah is my Camino angel for today since had I not been walking with her, I might have just walked through this town and missed a wonderful meal and a relaxing night.

I wanted a good meal today and there were a couple of very nice restaurant options. The place I wanted to go to was across the street so I thought I would stop in to see if I needed a reservation.

The owner said they closed at 3:30 (it was 3:45) and they would not be open tonight. After reading reviews I was so disappointed and it must have showed. He yelled something into the kitchen and then quickly sat me.

They offered a menu del dia for €15; 50% more than the typical €10 pilgrim menu. I didn’t care; I was hungry and wanted a good meal.

I started with Spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce.

Followed by roast pork loin with a delicious sauce.

And then had fresh Burgos cheese with honey and walnuts.

It came with a small carafe of wine and bread that was also delicious.

After the meal I used google translate to express my gratitude to the owner.

I told him it was the best meal I had on the Camino and he explained that the problem with the restaurants serving pilgrims is they don’t have cooks. They are reheating commercially prepared foods ( kind of like Olive Garden or Applebee’s). I do get that it is darned challenging to feed people a hearty meal for €10 including wine and this isn’t supposed to be a gourmet experience. But to me, food isn’t nourishing if it isn’t prepared and served with respect for the ingredients and I think I have been malnourished for the past few weeks.

When I come back next year, I am going to try to alternate pilgrim menus with ordering from the menu and I will seek out better restaurants. I know I sound like a food snob, but when I have had a good meal on the Camino I have a better day walking. I know that many people eat to live. I live to eat.

After an early, but filling dinner, I took a walk around town and stopped into a bakery/mini market and bought a split of wine and an apple tart and retreated to my room to prepare for my final day on the Camino.

Reflections

I can’t believe I have been walking for 15 days straight and am nearly 1/3 of the way across Spain! The number of people I have met from around the world is just incredible. I will definitely be back to finish up.

Tomorrow I will walk into Burgos and remove my pilgrim shell and check into a hotel I have had reserved for months. I will become a tourist and visit the cathedral and other places of interest. I look forward to having a nice meal and checking out some of the shops for some souvenirs. On Friday I fly from Burgos to Barcelona where I will tour La Sagrada Familia on Saturday morning before boarding a Boston-bound plane.

I am really missing home and can’t wait to see Ray when he picks me up at the Dartmouth Coach terminal on Saturday night.

I wonder how my life will change? Will I keep up the intense walking without a compelling reason to train?

Will I try to simplify things. After living out of a backpack for three weeks, I have learned just how little we actually do need.

I know that I cannot wait to cook! Ray will be harvesting all the rest of our peppers before I get home and I have big plans for them! Inspired by the wonderful meal I had in Belorado, I will roast and skin them and store them in olive oil in the freezer to serve with meat dishes.

I am happy we didn’t grow any potatoes this year because I don’t need to see another one of those for a while. But I am going to try my hand at Paella because the two I have had have been very comforting and delicious. And, I want to continue learning about Spanish wines. I have had a few here that have been delicious and would like to discover more at home.

Today was a short one, but I wanted to set myself up for a steep and long climb tomorrow. One guidebook warns to bring water and food since the ascent can take 3 hours at a normal pace. I think I will plan on 4.

Then from what I understand, it will be a race for beds in Atapuerca which is where I planned to stay tomorrow. I can’t find any rooms except for one that is €195 and this pilgrim is not paying that much for an overnight.

The lack of beds could be due to the historical significance of this area where the oldest human remains ever have been found. Visiting the site is difficult for pilgrims since you need to buy tickets in Burgos, a short drive, but a long walk. So, all I need is a place to sleep tomorrow night as sightseeing is not in the cards. It is looking like I will be back in a bunk for the last official night on my Camino (Part 1).

There were lots of great things that happened today! It started when I woke up with no pain! No pain in my knee. No pain in my hip. No pain in my toes. That made it an easy decision to carry my pack rather than sending it ahead for a second day on a row.

Since dinner was so wonderful at the Alburgue last night I decided to have breakfast there as well before heading out. Most Camino breakfasts consist of coffee, juice and toast. Not at Hostel B! In addition to fruit salad, I had eggs (with deep golden yolks), bacon, sausage, toast, coffee and fresh orange juice.

Here is the proprietor who does all of the cooking. Clearly he adds a healthy dose of love to everything he makes and you can taste it.

Breakfast was delicious and endeared me even more to my favorite hostel on the Camino.

As I was heading out around 8:30, the hospitalaro told me about the 9am mass at the convent on the way out of town. She said that the sisters sing and it is beautiful. My initial thought was, “I am in a hurry and don’t have time for that.” But then I corrected myself realizing that I had just a 3 hour walk ahead of me and nothing else on my schedule today. Oh the life of a pilgrim!

So I headed toward the convent, admiring the fabulous street art of Belorado.

It is a charming town with a cool vibe.

Before the convent I went past a pretty fancy house with what I thought was some type of cool flower sculpture in the back yard. But upon closer observation, I realized that they were actually real sunflowers with potato and onion bags over them (I assume to prevent birds from gobbling up the seeds).

The Convent has a long history dating back to 1358 (600 years before I was born!). A beautiful pilgrim statue greets you at the entrance.

I couldn’t find any obvious way to get in and was almost ready to leave when I saw a Spaniard walking toward the building. He told me exactly where to go and I entered the church, backpack, trekking poles and all. Luckily there were a couple of other pilgrims who had done the same. Out of respect, I didn’t take any photos during the service, but did afterwards.

The sisters were inside the gates. I am not sure of the significance of the gate, but I do remember seeing a similar gate in the convent in the sound of music.

Not being catholic and not understanding a word spoken during the mass performed in Spanish and no doubt some Latin, all I could do was follow everyone else’s lead except I didn’t take communion. The singing was really beautiful and the acoustics only made it that much better.

A priest (of course) did the mass and I will make some observations about that in today’s reflection.

After the mass, I started a leisurely walk to Villafranca. It was cold so I put on another layer and put on gloves for good measure since I hauled them all the way from Vermont. As I was doing that, Ye walked up. He has been taking it easy because of an Achilles problem and I promised to give him some of my KT tape when we took a break. I was In the mood for walking solo today so I told Ye I needed a break to get some distance between us.

• As I was walking through farmland into Tosantos an old woman came from the field with a hatchet, a crate and five long sticks she had obviously cut with the hatchet. I wasn’t sure of what to make of it, especially since there weren’t any pilgrims around. I said Buenos Dias and she said Buen Camino and then started walking with me after setting the hatchet, crate and sticks on the ground. I said adios and started moving quickly but somehow she was keeping up with me. I turned around and she started talking to me I Spanish. She didn’t speak a word of English. She kept pointing toward the mountain ahead and saying photo (maybe that is English after all!). Then, I saw, in the mountain what looked like cave dwellings and some type of church. She was trying to tell me that as I walk I will go up a mountain and I should take a photo of the monestary when I get up on the hill. How sweet I thought until I noticed a car and another old woman dressed similar to the first walking back and forth across the path.

Was this some type of setup with these two ladies? I wasn’t worried because I figured I could take them both if necessary. But, at the same time I was feeling badly about having those thoughts.

As I got closer to the second woman, I saw a ladder up in the tree near her car and noticed a man in it. He was picking pears and she was directing him to where they were on the tree. The first woman stopped to talk with her and I was no longer being followed. I said gracias and continued walking feeling perfectly safe and a bit silly.

When I reached the hill the woman told me to take the picture from I heard, “Hi Robin.” It was Kate from Australia who was a bunkmate back in Orisson. She is a fit 20 something so I was surprised to see her walking at my pace.

She had stopped for a snack. I asked if we could do a selfie.

Here is the monestary built into the mountain.

Just stunning!

The town of Tosantos was old and showing it’s age (no doubt many hundreds of years old). But it was charming just the same.

As I was walking to the next town I heard chattering behind me and guessed (correctly) that is was the group of five Spaniards that I had been seeing for the past several days.

If there was a movie of my Camino, whenever this crew walked up behind me, there would be some kind of spanish rap theme music playing. They walk five abreast, are always smiling and are chatting away. I had to get their picture.

And then off they went.

But in the next town there was a bar.

This group loves their beer so I had a chance to catch up with them. It turns out that they didn’t know each other until the Camino!

There I sat with Ye, Kate and the young Dutch girl who I also met in Orisson (darn, I wish I could remember her name). We were there for over an hour. A man from the Dutch Caribbean Island of Curicao joined us and we had some great conversation. I gave Ye the Rocktape (KT Tape) I had promised and told him how to find a YouTube video on how to use it. Kate attested that someone has taped her with rocktape the other day and her pains went away so that made Ye very hopeful. I gave Kate the rest of the strips I brought figuring I wouldn’t need it in the next two days if I didn’t need them in the first 14. I also gave her one of my Aquaclips that holds my water bottle because she was carrying her water by hand since the water bottle pocket in her pack was impossible to reach (as they ALL are).

I have had a steady diet of chocolate croissants since being on the Camino. What at home is a once in a blue moon treat, has become a staple in my diet as I burn through the calories with all this walking.

That pear in the picture?? The man on the ladder a few kilometers back gave Ye a bunch of them and he shared them with us. Delicious!

I breezed on through the town of Espinosa Del Camino

Continued on the path.

Admiring the cloud formations and coloring. I snapped several pictures to use as reference photos for painting when I get back home.

Next I came to an ancient building that at some point was a monastery. The relic (bones) of the founder of Burgos is interred there.

The town I am at tonight (Villafranca) isn’t ON the highway. The highway goes right through the middle of it!! I am staying at a Casa Rural. Stanley and Essa are here as well. The others are staying up the road in the Alburgue also right next to the highway.

I was hungry and of course, you can’t get anything to eat until 7:30 so I had a boccadillo (Ham sandwich), a couple of beers and a bag of chips around 4 and called it a night. I know I should be socializing but I am getting a real sense that my time on the Camino is coming to an end soon and I am wanting to do my own thing.

As I mentioned earlier, I was pain free today which I KNOW my mom will be happy to hear. I was so impressed with how the “voltarin cream” has been working for me, that I decided to check out the ingredients since I didn’t see the word voltarin on the tube. I wanted to stock up on several to bring home.

It turns out it is an antibiotic! So, if I use it tomorrow will it continue to work as well as it has?

Reflections

I had time while walking to think about the beautiful service I witnessed in the convent. The singing was angelic, the sisters voices were soft and soothing when they spoke and it was heavenly. If you are a devout catholic and happy with the male dominated hierarchy of the church, no need to read further, but I have to share my thoughts.

The sisters were singing at 8:45 when I entered the church. At about 8:55 some guy walked in wearing street clothes and opened a door off to the side next to where I was sitting. A minute later he emerged in full priest garb and stood in the back and waited for the sisters to read a few passages. Then they opened the gates (look at the picture above to see what I mean). He entered their inner sanctum and performed the mass, gave communion to the sisters and others attending the service. Then he exited back out through the gate, and two sisters closed and locked it. The priest then went back into the closet and re-emerged as Clark Kent once again. As I left the convent, he was in the parking lot talking to someone on his iPhone.

What I don’t understand is why those devoted nuns with the voices of angles couldn’t perform their own mass. What type of message does this send to the parishioners? Especially young men and women. Doesn’t it reinforce hierarchical roles between men and women? (Not to mention why did they lock the gate after he left???)

Of course, I know that a woman can’t perform a mass (at least I don’t think so in a Catholic Church) because only priests perform mass and women can’t be priests. Then you think of all of the crazy things going on with priests around the world these days. Something clearly isn’t right in the Catholic Church!!

I slept horribly last night in the posh Parador. Not because I was having guilt pangs. I was in serious pain due to a tripping incident in the lobby after I talked with Ray. On the floor there was a transition from wood to concrete and the two materials were flush on the left side but apparently some architect thought a sweeping curved rise that gradually went from level to a 3 inch difference would be a good idea. In the US this would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I went to the right hand side, didn’t pick my foot up enough and tripped and went flying. I caught myself, but caused serious pain to my left hip which already had a little pain from the pack the day before.

I could barely walk back to the room. I did some extensive stretching hoping that would help. But, as I lay in bed, I couldn’t help but think how this would impact my walk to Belorado. With the pain I had just rolling over, I wouldn’t be going far today.

Luckily Angela was there to strategize with me in the morning and I decided to send my pack ahead to Belorado, my original planned destination for today, and if I found I couldn’t go on, I would catch a bus or call a cab (no, these options haven’t always been available to pilgrims since to beginning of the Camino in the early years (800 AD) but they are now and if need be, I would use them).

Interestingly, when we were in the coffee shop before our walk got underway, Angela and I met a father-daughter pair from South Dakota who were killing time waiting for a bus. Their heavy packs were causing problems for them and they just wanted to get to Belorado to purge them and send some stuff home.

The daughter admitted that early in the Camino she looked down her nose at pilgrims who shipped their bags ahead. Now, she was shipping herself and her bags and she had no remorse. They explained the bus they were going to take goes on to Burgos and stops at every town I would be passing through today. I felt better and knew there would be options should I find it tough to continue on.

The beauty of today’s stage is that it was 23k with 5 villages between my starting and ending points giving an opportunity to rest and hop on the bus if necessary; but I completed the full walk on my own two feet.

I will admit to going into the church in Granon (the first town) and having a 10 minute mini-breakdown.

Not being a regular church goer I didn’t feel it fair to pray for strength to finish today’s walk, but I channeled positive thoughts and continued on my way. Things got better after that.

It wasn’t a pretty day. The sky was overcast and most of the day we walked along the highway with huge trucks and speedy cars buzzing by.

The fields had mostly been plowed under other than a few random sunflower fields where the seed heads are taking their final bow. I assume they will be harvested for oil.

There were some very large fields of sunflowers so they weren’t just planted for aesthetics.

After leaving Santo Domingo Angela picked up her pace and I couldn’t keep up. That is fine. Everyone needs to goes at their own pace on the Camino.

It is always sad to see a friend walking off ahead of you because you know you may never see that person again.

Early today we crossed from the Rioja to Castilla y Leon which I think is the largest region in Spain.

I stopped in the second Village Redecilla Del Camino for a coffee, Aquarius and chocolate croissant.

I bumped into Ye who has been nursing some problems with his ankle.

And the town even had a vending version of a pharmacy with an impressive array of items in it!

Here are some other sights from the town.

The tractor came flying through town. It is one of the trucks used to transport grapes from the vineyard to the winery.

While my knee felt worse as the day wore on, my hip felt better. And I could control the pain in my knee with stretching every 45 minutes or so.

Checkout the haybale stash coming into view. It is huge. I am just fascinated with them.

Yes, those are earbuds I have in. My ability to get through today was largely thanks to NPR’s podcast, “How I built this.” Today I learned about the inception of Cisco Systems, Method cleaning products, Instagram, and New Belgium Brewing Company. Thanks Nancy Turner for turning me onto it!

Another member of my motivation team today was Ray who sent regular motivational texts and tidbits about the towns I was walking into. I set him up with find friends on the iPhone so he has been able to track me real-time through my Camino.

It is very hard to see, but way way off in the distance you can see little specs of pilgrims. It is daunting when you see that and know you need to get there eventually!

Cookie Diplomacy

I had been ahead and behind a pair of Asian women for the past 2 days. We would say hi, but I hadn’t talked with them. This afternoon they had stopped briefly ahead of me and one of the started walking toward me with something in her hand. I thought it was a camera and she wanted me to take a picture of her and her friend.

In fact, she was bringing me a cookie. I can’t tell you how that touched me. Later as we were coming to our destination for the day We were walking side by side and I introduced myself. They were actually a mother daughter pair; Ju-hee the 29 year old daughter and her mother, Han. They are from South Korea and Ju-hee speaks excellent English. She owns an importing business and does importing from Japan and China.

Stanley and Essa from Singapore were nearby most of the day as well so as we came into town we snapped a selfie.

The place I reserved for tonight is great. I chose to have the pilgrim menu and it was the best meal yet. The wine was delicious (most the wine we have had has been quite young) and the dinner superb.

I was anti social today after arriving. It was around 4 and I don’t know anyone who has walked from 8 to 4 during the day who would want to go out on the town. Not me for sure.

Tomorrow is a short day so I can set myself up for a big climb on Wednesday morning. I have to figure out how I will do it; send my pack ahead or carry it. I will figure it out tomorrow.

Here are a few more pictures from today.

Reflections

What started out as a scary day turned out pretty well and I had a great sense of accomplishment. I just needed to consider all of my options and make the best choice. I had lots of options. Options are good. It is when you don’t have options that hopelessness sets in.

Today was short walking day because I had a date with the Parador in Santo Domingo. Paradors are run by the country of Spain and are an innovative way to preserve historical landmarks such as churches, castles and monasteries (which was the history of the one I had reserved a room).

Many pilgrim accounts I have read include a night at a parador and even Martin Sheen pampered himself and his Camino Family one night in the movie, The Way.

Along with the luxury comes a healthy dose of shame and questioning how true to pilgrim values a night in the Parador is. I am having slight twangs of guilt, but I washed that away with a hot shower with abundant water and luscious soaps and shampoo.

We arrived around 2 and checked in and then had to go to the area in town where pilgrims stay to wash our clothes since the Parador’s laundry service was too expensive. When I say we, I invited Angela to stay in my room as I had gotten a room with two twin beds.

Our walk today was quick and interesting. We started with a light breakfast and some coffee and we sat and talked with Peter who we had walked with most of the day before.

Then we were off.

The sky was dark and you could feel rain in the air. I was not particularly excited about giving my raingear a workout today. Even with the threat of rain, the sky and landscape was beautiful.

There was just one town between Azofra and Santo Domingo – Cirueña. It is not like any other town we have been though it could be a town in Florida. The first thing you see it a golf course! No kidding!

Then we walked right past the clubhouse that was inviting pilgrims to stop and eat so we took a rest.

It was strange, but got even more weird when we walked through the village and almost all of the houses were empty/abandoned. I had heard of this town and it lived up to it’s legend. Apparently is was a victim of the 2008 worldwide financial meltdown.

On the way out we got to talking with a very fit older Galician man who was doing the Camino for the first time.

And we then ducked into a bar for the bathroom and when we came out and started walking we realized we lost the arrows. A couple of cars drove by and honked at us. We were heading the wrong way and luckily were less than a half k off- course and corrected our route

Those who walk the Camino in Late May see huge fields of red poppies. While walking into Santo Domingo we went past a little patch of these flowers that didn’t seem to know what time of the year it was.

I was surprised that the outskirts of Santo Domingo were so industrial. We went past a huge potato factory and some kind of sports stadium before getting into the old part of town.

We combined doing laundry with drinks, some tapas and a visit to the famous church in town.

Still full from the tapas we called it a day and got back to the Parador to rest and recharge.

Reflections

I am on the fence about the stay at the Parador. It was quite nice and for €85 a bargain by US standards. While they don’t look down their noses at pilgrims, they don’t cater to us either so it was a little discouraging that we had to find a laundromat.

True confessions: I have been on a slippery slope concerning accommodations. I was not sleeping well in the bunks for several reasons including my concern for waking others with my snoring, having to get up multiple times a night to use the bathroom and general discomfort sleeping with a bunch of strangers.

So this pilgrim has been going soft staying in more private situations. That has double to tripled my nightly budget from €10 for a bunk in an Alburgue to a private room with a shared bath. But I sleep much better and with the lingering effects of my cold, I am not worried about keeping people awake all night with my constant hacking.

I am thinking that my penance for staying in the Parador tonight will be bunks tomorrow. But we will see.

I have 72k to go in the next 4 days to get to Burgos by Thursday with one very steep and long climb. It should be doable, but my knee and hip are bothering me and ibuprofen (aka Camino Candy) can only go so far to keep the pain down.

While the weather has been beautiful up to this point, rain is in the forecast for tomorrow adding another element of the unknown. I am considering shipping my pack ahead to ease the stress on my body, but that then pins me down to where I must get to for the night. I can’t be too ambitious or I will really be in a bad situation yet, if I am feeling good, I don’t want to guess in the morning that I can only do a short day.

Decisions. Decisions.

I will be hitting a milestone of over 200 kilometers walked at some point tomorrow. It is helpful to see this number because the daily increments seem pretty small when we are used to hoping into our car and driving somewhere. For example, the other day I made a mistake of looking up my day’s walk on google maps and this was discouraging.

What would be a 20 minute drive by car would take me from 8am to past 3pm. After that I didn’t make the mistake of looking at driving distances again!

But, my point is, that even though the distances don’t seem that long each day, they add up to walking 124 miles over a little more than 11 days.

Today I planned for a short day to Najera, just 16k from Navarrete. But, as I was walking out of town, Angela came up behind me. Angela is part of my adoptive Camino family from Lorca. In the past week or so since I first met her, this girl has been dealing with one foot issue after another. But nothing seems to stop her and she has been able to keep pace with the rest of her group.

Angela’s tenacity is impressive. She told me she was going to Azofra, another 7k beyond where I planned to walk. I was inspired and let that inspiration change my plans. I was going to go to Azofra if she was.

So off we went.

Angela is from Denver and is a nurse; not a bad person to walk with at all!

More harvesting was going on in the vineyards.

You could smell the start of the fermentation process as grapes were being harvested all around us.

We were surrounded by beauty and it was a perfect day for walking.

At one point, walking through a forest area we can across this man singing and playing a guitar. Just when you need something to lift your spirits, the Camino provides!

At one point we even took a little break and enjoyed a few grapes.

Najera is a fairly large city with a lot of industry on the outskirts of town.

Eventually, we came to the actual town of Najera and one of the first places we wanted to go to was a bar! We were hungry and thirsty.

We had a fairly hearty meal washed down with Acquarius followed by a cafe con leche.

Who was there but Henry and Ye. I hadn’t seen Ye for over a week! He was born in Burma, but now lives in England and recently retired. He worked in hospitals helping children with musical and theatrical therapy.

Food is always so much better when you are hungry! The gazpacho was delicious! It was served on a glass with a straw!

After refueling, we were ready to the final 7k that would get us to Azofra. On the way out of town, we walked right through the middle of a wedding.

And then started another uphill.we were heading the wrong way, but luckily an elderly Spanish woman came out on her second floor balcony and yelled to us, “Peregrinas! This way.” Of course, she said it in Spanish, but we knew what she meant.

Throughout all of the walking I have done, the French (in the Pyrenees) and Spanish people have been so helpful and encouraging. Everyday they see many many pilgrims. We are the fabric of their lives. Pilgrims have been making this walk for over 1200 years. Some of the smaller towns exist solely to support pilgrims. Without the Camino, they wouldn’t be. So, when someone along the way says “Buen Camino,” whether it is the bartender, someone passing you in the streets or day workers in the vineyards, they truly mean “have a good way,” More than once a kind person has redirected me to keep me on the right path.

Henry took an absolutely lovely picture of me. When I sat down I had taken off my hat and buff and didn’t give any thought to what my hair looked like.

It felt like the walk from Najera to Azofra was all up hill! But, of course it wasn’t. It was just our brains playing tricks on us. That always seems to happen toward the end of the day.

We ran into a group of friends at the first bar and had to celebrate with a beer!

Gina and Glenn were there. I had not seen her since Orrison and was very surprised to learn that she had been hiking in fashion sandals since then!

Check out the heel on those shoes!

The conversation quickly turned into foot conversations, a very important topic to all pilgrims! We swapped stories about our foot injuries and remedies.

Here are Gina and Glenn.

Angela and I decided to share a private room for 2. Very nice place!

Then it was time for dinner…

…and a nightcap.

I loved the eggs and ham and chorizo with French fries. It hit the spot along with a starter of pasta with a very sweet ketchup like sauce (not the best, but again, when you are hungry just about anything tastes good!

The place we ate was filled mostly with locals because very few pilgrims stay in this town. It was obviously a Saturday night out on the town and the men were all gathered around the TV watching soccer and the women were playing cards. It was a great local vibe. We were all eating from the same menu; there wasn’t a separate pilgrims menu. Dinner including dessert and wine was €10.

Reflections

When I woke up in Navarrete and went through my morning routine I was wondering what in the heck I was doing out here. I didn’t really want to start more walking. I had slept poorly the night before because I kept coughing from my cold. I thought about how nice it would be to take a day off. Or, maybe even quit and spend the rest of my time touring around Spain.

But, I got moving and ran into Angela and that changes everything. She was my Camino angel.

On the Camino we are always saying, “the Camino provides.” Before I came here I wondered if there was some miracle about the Camino that we don’t have in our everyday lives.

Now that I have been here for a while, I don’t think that is the case. I think that what happens here is that we, as pilgrims, are stripped down to the very basics. We aren’t distracted with a hectic daily life. So we are more attuned to the little simple things and with so little else, they become true gifts.

This is part of the Camino I definitely want to take home with me.

I should have mentioned in yesterday’s post that it was a day late because of the technical issue I was working on solving with Ray. And, maybe it had a little to do with the abundance of Tapas restaurants and the fact that we are now in Rioja!

But, yesterday, before I went Tapas hunting I tweaked my knee when I stepped on my shoe that was carelessly laying in the middle of the floor when I came back to the room after my shower. Stupid! This is not the story you want to tell people if you can’t continue on with the Camino!

Ray had wanted me to go to a foot care clinic to have my toes looked at (I will spare you the photo), but now in addition to the black toenails on both of my big toes, the skin tight next to my cuticles is deep red-blue and swollen. I thought they might be getting infected and that had me worried.

So I was going to hobble my way to the foot care clinic several blocks away when I saw an open farmacia. If you have been to Italy or Spain, you know what these places are like. They are small with very few products out for you to look at. Instead you talk to the pharmacist, describe your problem and he or she goes into the back room and hands you the recommended product. It reminds me of the state controlled liquor stores in Pennsylvania back when I was a kid growing up.

I showed the pharmacist my toes and she told me that I needed to soak my toes for 10 minutes in warm water and then put on the antibiotic cream that she gave me “two times day.” She also tried to sell me a pair of gel caps (toe condoms as us pilgrims fondly call them) which I already had and promised her I would wear (but I had my fingers crossed behind my back. There was no way those blue toe condoms were going back on inside of my shoe!)

I asked her if I needed to go to a foot care clinic and she looked at me like I was crazy. I was thrilled because that meant I didn’t need to make the long walk.

So, next I asked the pharmacist for a rub for my knee by pointing to my knee and acting out cries of pain. She gave me some kind of ointment and said “3 times day.”

She thought I was done but then I told her I had a cough, acting out like I was coughing and grabbing my chest. I pointed to some Ricola throat drops on the counter and she said, “No,” and gave me a box and said “4 times day.” I wasn’t going to argue with her.

I got the idea for acting out what I find difficult to communicate to someone who speaks a different language from Annette, the sweet German girl with the giant backpack who I shared a room with in Orisson. She felt she didn’t have good English (she did) and so she acted everything out. So, for example, when she was telling me that I rustled in my sleeping bag all night she acted like she was tossing and turning and made a crinkling sound. I got it (and felt badly but that wasn’t her intention). I think the acting out comes natural to Annette because both of her parents are deaf so this was one way she had to communicate with them in addition to sign language.

In any case, the acting out of all my ailments worked for me in the Farmacia so €18 later I was on my way back to the Alburgue to treat myself to my new medications.

I was most worried about my knee and started thinking seriously about shipping my bag ahead to my next destination the following day. There are services all along the Camino that will transport your bag from one Alburgue to the next. It is especially helpful if you are injured and shouldn’t be carrying a lot of weight. I was determine I would carry my pack for the entire Camino, but was concerned that if my knee didn’t get better, I could find myself taking a taxi from town to town and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

You do need to know where you are staying the next day if you choose to send your pack ahead, so I used booking.com to make a reservation at a casa rural (similar to a bed and breakfast always in a historic building) in Navarrete. The next morning I packed up the essentials for the day into my little day pack and attached an envelope to my bag with €5 to pay for the transport service and left Logroño feeling a little guilty, but like I had done the right thing.

On the way out, I ran into Gerrold and Natalia from New Zealand (who we had drinks with the night before) and we walked to a coffee shop. My knee was feeling ok, but I was happy I made the decision to ship my bag even though the day would be relatively short and relatively flat.

After a cafe americano and a delicious little sandwich of jamon and roasted pepper, we headed out of the city. The walk out was as long at the walk into the city the day before. But, today the walk was through an extensive park system and paved trail that was bustling with Spainiards of all ages out getting some exercise. Many took the time to say “buenos dias, Buen Camino!”

The significance of the Camino passing through the various towns cannot be underestimated. Even with a large city like Logroño the city caters to and honors pilgrims.

Partway through the park we came to a donativo stand where I bought a banana and met a famous (and industrious) pilgrim Marcelino Lobato Castrillo who has walked the Camino for many years and has accumulated thousands of sellos (stamps).

The park had a beautiful lake with swans.

And soon we were back on paths through vineyards and along the highway.

At one point we turned around and could see Logroño and the lake we just walked around in the distance.

The sky was cloudy and I was concerned it might rain; all my rain gear was in my pack which was now somewhere between Logroño and Navarrete.

After crossing the highway using the footbridge we came to the ruins of an ancient pilgrims hospital with Don Jacoby (a winery, bodega and banquet facility) in the background.

And, after a climb up some steep stairs we were in Navarrete, my home for the night.

I stopped at the bar right next to the church and sat down with Gerrold and Natalia and Ilanit, from the first night in Saint Jean Pied de Port was there also. She was staying the night in Navarette and Gerrold and Natalia were moving on to the next town.

I ordered a Paella and cerveza since my walking was done for the day.

As I was eating Kyle and a new guy I hadn’t met showed up and then along came Henry. The four of use chatted for a while and Kyle made the observation that it was the first time he was sitting around the table of four Americans since he had started the Camino. Kyle was pushing onto the next town, but Zrariff and Henry stuck around and we had a great conversation about what the Camino had meant to us. Zrariff told us that he is the creative director at a branding firm in NYC and he lives in the West Village. He had three weeks on the Camino, similar to me, but he planned to skip around a bit and then would walk from Saria to Santiago so he could get his Compostela before heading home.

He had a pack of cards that a friend had given him and he asked Henry and I to pick one and read it.

Henry and I both thought this was very sweet, but questioned why he would bot have scanned them to his phone and not carry the hard copy of the cards. He likes the tactile sense of the cards and we had to agree. I agree but the practical side of me, the person who splurged by bringing a third pair of underpants, would have scanned them. Different strokes…

I was reunited with my bag when I checked into my place for the night.

I took a shower and headed back up the hill to see the church, the most ornate I have ever seen.

I wanted to make it an early evening so I skipped the pilgrim mass and instead had a light tapas, a glass of wine and headed back to my Casa Rural.

Reflections

I had wonderful conversations with Gerrold and Natalia today. Natalia described the differences in The Russia she grew up in, the Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union and today. She said that life today in Russia is so much better. People have adequate food and goods and if they work hard can support themselves and their family comfortably. I got a sense that in general she felt Putin had been good for the Russians but pointed out that with that comfort has come more corruption.

As I write this late in the evening, I can tell you that my knee is feeling much better and I plan to carry my pack tomorrow to my next destination which is about 20k away. I am happy I shipped the bag today. While I didn’t feel like a legitimate pilgrim today, I believe I saved my knee and that will hopefully enable me to achieve my goal of walking into Burgos six days from now.