I realized that I had never transferred my writings from my Camino two years ago here. I wanted to keep them altogether since it will be easier for me to look back in one place. My new journey will begin in exactly one month. I am thrilled to be going with my husband, lover, and best friend. I pray that as in our marriage we are able to handle the challenges together, enjoy the sweet moments of the journey as we do in our daily life, with open minds, hearts and a smile in our faces.
So, here is a recap of my last trip.
May 20, 2016
While waiting at the gate for our Biarritz flight in Madrid we began to meet other Pilgrims. Linda from California approached us first. She has spent the last few months volunteering in an Albergue in the Camino del Norte. Linda introduced us to Cindy from Portland. She is meeting her brother. While being transported to our plane we met Yannick from Germany, we also met two people from Steubenville. Small world.
So happy that we landed in France. I was excited to get an additional stamp on my passport. Alas, the passport stamping was not manned. On the bright side, I got to use my basic French and amuse a policeman, the help desk lady, and our cab driver.
Shared a cab with Yannick who is 20 years old. He is blunt and amusing. He is well-read. Likes to quote Napoleon and is studying Business Administration.
Upon arrival at our hotel, we were delighted that we had a whole 1 bedroom apartment for ourselves. However, the twin beds are made for little people. Hope I don’t fall off tonight. That would not be good.
Mel went to the post office while I showered. It was so delightful. Washed my hair and all. Shortly after the shower, I discovered I have no hairdryer or product. #frizzballhair #thankGod4hats
We headed out to the pharmacy to try to secure an inhaler for me. #coughing as I walk. No such luck communicating to the pharmacist. Decided we will try in Spain.
I went to the Pilgrim Office and picked up our credentials. The guy that helped us only spoke French and highlighted he SUPER hard trail. (We must look like we are in great shape or in #MaryJoMode). We kindly asked him to point out the easy route since rain is expected Sunday and we don’t want to fall off the mountain.
After getting to stamp out our own Pilgrim passport we picked our shells. I almost broke Melissa’s prior to leaving there but thankfully it was fine.
We walked up the wall of the citadel and enjoyed the gorgeous view.
Felt since we had over 14K on our Fitbits a carb-loading dinner would be okay.
After dinner, we came to do laundry. It was sad that two smart educated women had a hard time figuring out how to operate the machines. But we did. All directions were in French
We also stopped at the local church to pray. For safety, fortitude, and most of all comfort for those we left at home who are hurting.
The Steubenville crowd is staying at our hotel tonight. Perhaps our paths will cross again.
The church bells are ringing as I sit on the sidewalk of this cobblestone road. I am taking a minute to cherish the peaceful sounds that echo as the sun begins to set on our first full day of this pilgrimage.
#JulMelCaminoAdventure
#caminodesantiago
#IPeregrino
#BestFriends
#Laughterbestmedicine
#Sangria
May 21, 2016
Our first day on the Camino started with the chiming of the town’s church bells. It was as if a moive director had ordered them and they rang on cue.
Today was the first of two days which we anticipate an uphill climb all the way.
Have I mentioned how I don’t like uphill at all!
The water in our hotel tasted funny to me this morning. So I figured I would not fill my water bottle there but rather in town. BIG mistake. I forgot. Climbing uphill with no water was a true challenge.
In order to keep myself going, I turned on some tunes… Hey, this IS my spiritual journey!!! So as I reached the top of this hill, when I thought there was no end in sight “I want to be Sedated” came on. I then began to sing at the top of my lungs and then it happened. The Camino provided. I spotted a spout of freshwater.
I was so happy I began to sprint down the hill so I could get to it. Doc Gibson quickly began to caution me against drinking from a random spout. However, the sight of water was too enticing to think of whatever consequences may come from it.
Lucky for me, the farmhouse where this spiket was had left glasses to indicate this was safe to drink.
The Camino was steep today. Tomorrow it will be steeper.
Just when I thought I could not make it another few feet a few things pushed me through. The Yankees won 😀, the Red Sox lost 😀😉☺️. Also, I knew some very special people were with me in spirit cheering me on. Oh and I coached myself for sure #PnPTribe
Tonight we are staying at the Municipal Albergue in Vancarlos. It has a 24 bed capacity but Doc and I are the only ones here.
We did Laundry, we took amazing showers (note to self, hot water pipes in Europe are hot, they may burn chest level body parts)
Dinner was delightful. Huge Salad, then grilled pork loin and potato. Oh yeah, Sangria and a bottle of wine. The total for 2? All under $25.
I spoke to my husband. Boy, do I miss him. He is my rock. Despite the sadness that hangs in the air with the loss of his nephew he manages to encourage and love me from Vernon.
Well, we bought cheese and salami for the road tomorrow. The region is expecting rain. It should be an interesting day.
As the challenges arise, I will remember that managing how we think of the difficult situations makes a whole lot of difference.
Wifi is good tonight. At the cafe, not so much! The whole town goes in there to use it.
Pray for our ascend tomorrow. For our safety in the rain, and for the climb to be a challenge that we face and conquer.
#JulMelCaminoAdventure
#CaminodeSantiago
#Iperegrino
#theway
#walking
Day 3 Part 1
Before we can really talk about a spectacular day 3 I must do a recap of our stay at the Main Albergue in Roncesvalles. The hospitaleros that ran that well-oiled machine. They were not kidding when they say lights on at 6:00 am and out on your way by 8:00 AM.
Late check out here does not work…
As we got ready to go they walked up and down the halls reminding you that the 8:00 o’clock hour was needed and you must be on your way.
They also walked the halls at 6:00 am singing Alleluia.
Today we got on our way with what promised to be a day of easy roads. Certainly, the uphill cliffs were behind us
Two “pelegrinos” who had done the Camino multiple times said to me two things that stuck. The Road calls you and tells you what it wants you to hear.
The first thing we saw coming out of Roncesvalles was the iconic sign marking the number of kilometers to Santiago De Compostella. We got our official pic here.
Waking through the witch’s forest, we walked along with a Kiwi. (Man from New Zeland). He was in Spain for his son’s wedding in July. He is a former scientist who now owns a restaurant by the water. He has closed down for the winter and decided to do the pilgrimage.
Our first destination out of Roncesvalles was The charming town of Burgette. Quaint and unchanged since 1924 when Ernest Hemingway stayed there it was an adorable place to walk through.
Before we left town like most pilgrims stopped at the market for snacks. Our American friends from last night’s dinner were there and greeted us with our new nicknames. “Hello Turtles” 🐢🐢
We purchased some cheese, ham, and other snacks for the road. Including instant coffee.
The market also boasted the freshest loaves of French Bread. We decided not to get any because our packs were already filled.
We are on the lookout for post offices to mail stuff home.
Day 3 Part 2
Leaving Burgete we followed a road that was beautiful scenery of farms and mountains in the distance. Our next stop was to be Espinal.
I was excited to visit here because my grandmother’s father’s last name was Espinal. As a Spaniard, I knew that perhaps at some point this is where his family originated from.
The town itself is not very big but certainly held the old European charm in the details. From the huge wooden doors to the window boxes with flowers.
Having walked for a while already we decided to give my feets a rest. We found the cafe in town and decided to order a drink. The cafe owner enticed is with a “bocadillo”. This is a huge piece of fresh-baked French bread and your choice of ham, cheese or chorizo.
I decided that since it was 5 ‘o’clock somewhere I would have a glass of red wine.
Note that in Spain you request a glass of wine by saying “Una Copa de vino por favor”. This in English would translate to a cup of wine, please. A glass for drinking is un vaso but not when drinking wine. Because if you ask for angles you are asking for a cup. Lucky for me, I speak Spanish so these nuances are easy for me.
While at the restaurant, we saw more pelegrinos. I asked them where they were from and it turns out that they said El Salvador.
We made fast friends of them and enjoyed a few more minutes of conversation and laughter together.
We were amazed at how little they carried on the road. Turns out they use the luggage service. Apparently, there is a service that will pick up your luggage and deliver it to your next destination. Good to know…
I told the lady at the cafe my great Grandfather was named Espinal and she told me that everyone with that last name originated from this town at one point or another. Pretty cool.
Day 3 part 3
They say when you travel to far-off lands you may meet a mystic. Today I know this is true.
However, before that story, it is important to note other quick snippets of our day after we left Espinal.
The trip out of my ancestral village was marked by beautiful countryside and farmlands with cattle and horses.
For the most past it was a long stretch of path that at times had simple inclines. Other times it passed through wooded areas.
Just as we neared the town of Bizkarreta we stumbled upon a cold stream next to the highway where we stopped to soak our tired feet in the cold water. While sitting there a threesome from France joined us and we were delighted to meet this group. This is their yearly trip to make the Camino the married couple were grandparents of 5. Their friend suffers from Cancer and this is their way of connecting. Once again my minima French was sufficient to get along.
As we entered the town, we were greeted by the 1 bar in this town population 90.
Then from the balcony of the second house, a beautiful older woman asked if we needed a place to stay. We gladly accepted and came in. Little did we know that Elsa the sweet Argentinan lady would touch our hearts so profoundly.
The conversation started so simply. We asked her what brought her from Argentina to this place. Over a glass of cold juice, she began to weave a tale of love, faith perseverance, and the strength of the character of the human spirit.
In the span of a few hours, we had become her friends and spiritual sisters. Perhaps there is a post host dedicated to the lessons and reflections I have walked away with.
Elsa and her husband Jorge have been married for 52 years. They made an amazing dinner for us that included a salad, chicken a la plancha, and wine of course.
We were joined at dinner by David from Barcelona.
We learned he is doing the Camino as a remebarence to his brother that was killed.
Actually, he has had two brothers die young. It sounded as if keeping their memory alive through completing the Camino was very important to him.
After a couple of bottles of wine and a very animated conversation Elsa offered is our dessert which consisted of the most indulgent perfectly prepared flan. It was topped with her own homemade strawberry preserved.
It is hard to describe Elsa and out stay at her Casa Rural
Suffice it to say she is one of those people whose fingerprint will be part of my heart forever.
#Juldelcaminoadventure2016
#CaminodeSantiago
#theway
Day 4
Today we woke up at the wonderful home of Elsa and Jorge. The Argentinan couple with a lifetime of tales and hearts full of love.
As we came downstairs Jorge had made us a simple breakfast and we chatted over our first cup of tea and coffee.
Shortly after, Elsa came in and the conversation once again flowed. At one point we realized that although we were hoping to leave and be on the road for 9:00 ish we were still there at 11:30 a.m.
Funny how time flies when you share a few laughs and tears between sharing your heart and life journey.
We also spent a good amount of time as tech support for Elsa since she had gotten a new phone and did not know how to get email or Facebook.
Once the tech tutorial was done, a few pictures were taken, and long hugs goodbye competed We got on our way.
Walking out of the town was easy enough. We then hit the next town and began the next climb to Alto de Erro.
This particular spot is marked by a food truck and an underwear basket.
We got the owner of the food truck to stamp our credentials with his cool colorful stamp.
Shortly prior to getting there though we met a nice American woman named Kathy from DC. She works for a school district in DC and we had a lot to talk about.
She also attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Wow… So many people from Steubie here.
Melissa also let a father and his two sons from Norway and overall we were all making the trek to Zubiri.
It is important to note that among many spectacular views, steep climbs and rocky descents I got Melissa to participate in a tradition of leaving something behind at the food truck. Apparently, the food truck owner once put a basket for people to leave their unwanted items of clothing. This has evolved slightly for single ladies only and according to the food truck owner should you choose to do so, you will not remain single for long. He also said that several famous movie stars have participated in leaving something and they are single no more.
Upon arrival In Zubiri, we found our selves having to hustle for accommodations.
We got two of the last two beds in the Albergue Municipal. It is a basic, clean, and bargain price of €8.
We met Kathy at her Albergue later and she introduced us to a woman from Madagascar. I got to once again practice my few French Sentences and we were on our way to dinner.
Dinner consisted of a pizza and Patatas Bravas. Mad potatoes.
While we sat at dinner we saw row very tired guys coming off the mountain. They had huge packs and the look of exhaustion I have come to know well.
Later on, we found out they are Josh and Nate from San Francisco.
Sadly for them, they arrived at the Albergue too late and there were no beds to be had in town.
However, Melissa and I came to the rescue. We called Elsa and Jorge and they came to get them to offer them love, food comfort shelter, and some of that amazingly delicious flan.
Jorge drove to get them and we waited with them in the courtyard to make the introductions.
Apparently what took is all afternoon to walk from Bizkarreta is only a 15-minute drive.
Isn’t it Ironic…
Overall today was another special day. Filled with new memories of people whose paths I have crossed. All carry a story of their own however they have a guest appearance in my life for today, perhaps tomorrow but they will forever be part of a beautiful journey I will treasure forever.
I will say that at many key moments throughout my day I offered up my walk for special people.
First for my beautiful nephew William who graduated from Kindergarten today. I love him so and I wish I could have also been there.
Today is Tuesday as well and like most Tuesdays, I wore a bit of teal and rallied for my friend Kathleen.
So tomorrow is another day. We head out early with Cathy from DC
Day 5 May 25
The things they warn you about:
People with plastic bags
People who set alarms for way earlier than you need to get up.
This morning we contended with both.
I guess the thing that annoyed me is that not only did the woman with the noise bags and alarm was loud, but she also did not care or was unapologetic about waking the rest of us.
We picked up Cathy at her place and stopped for a quick coffee.
Our aim for the day was to get to Trinidad de Arre. However, when we realized that we had been on the road for almost 20 Kilometers we decided to stop at another special place.
However here are the adventures we encountered. Our first stop on the road after Zubiri was the abbey of Ezkirots. This building had been purchased by former pilgrims and they are in the process of renovating it. This Medial Abbey (the parish church of Santa Lucia) is rumored to have Templar knights in its cript. We met Neal the owner and told us all about the church. He is an Englishman with a wife and a new baby. Hey did the Camino and now have settled in the region in order to help other pilgrims on the way. Eventually, the old Abby will have a garden where those on the Camino can sit, enjoy the fruit of the earth and even camp for exchange of helping him upkeep the property for a couple of hours.
After some major first-class hiking Melissa went ahead to find a ladies’ room. Cathy and I were on turtle pace and once we made it to the town of Larroasoana we found Melissa at the bar in town. We bought some fruit and breast and proceeded to have our salami and cheese sandwich along with a bar of chocolate we shared for energy. The Bar is called Amari Cafe, and although the proprietor advertised free wifi we never seem to get a signal.
wifi BTW in Spain is referred to as WE-FEE
This cracks me up every time I say it.
After a nice lunch, and a bit short period of resting our feet, we got in the move again. After all, we still had 14 KM to go. Or so we thought.
The majority of the trail today was once again a steep uphill which was mostly rocky. At one point every step was so painful because of the PF that I rested as I needed.
I do not have calluses. (Knock on wood) also, most towns we are coming across don’t have pharmacies, or markets, or anything like ice for that matter. The best way I have found I can ice my feet is by putting my feet on the icy river or massaging the crap out of them with my tennis ball and Icyhot
At one point during the heat of the afternoon, we made the Wise choice to stop at Zabaltika for the night. The town boast of the Church of St. Stephen and the local Albergue is run by the nuns.
Melissa moved ahead of Cathy and me since she had to hit the WC again. My partner in turtle pacing and I did our best to get to our final destination for the day. Close to the beginning of town, there was a memorial for a pilgrim that perished in the Camino. This brought back to reality how this was a pilgrimage and what we were doing held a level of danger.
As we saw the sing the sign for the church, we hurried across the road only to find that of course it was perched up the hill.
Not sure what got into me but I bolted at lighting speed up the hill that never ended.
I will say it was like climbing to heaven because the path just kept going around and around.
As we finally saw the walls of the church we saw them. All of the nuns of the Sacred Heart and Melissa coming out to greet us.
The nuns have a long history of greeting pilgrims and caring for them. Their Albergue is not only in an ancient building but is certified as a STARS part of a European initiative to protect the environment. Sort of like certified green. It is one of the highest certifications any hotel or the like can earn.
After checking in I went upstairs to take a shower. When I came back, everyone was at mass. So I went and I got the tail end of it. It was sort comforting in a way to hear mass in Spanish. It brought back memories of my childhood.
After the mass, the sisters, all of which are in their 80s showed us the church. First, on the left of the altar, there is the statue of Joseph holding baby Jesus. This is one of the most uncommon depictions of Jesus and his earthy father.
The altar depicts the apostles, and a couple of arch Angels, Mary and of course Jesus.
You can tell that these images are hundreds of years old.
Then there was a crucified Jesus with several green arrow-shaped papers surrounding it. The nuns explained that this is for the pilgrims to write the heavy burdens of their hearts and leave that suffering with Jesus.
My intention was to have the nuns pray for the Collins’ family and to give us comfort in the face of a great loss.
When the nuns saw my tears they asked me if I wanted to climb the ancient bell tower and ting the ancient bell. Did I ever!!!☺️☺️☺️☺️😎😇
Soon after coming down, I learned that this is the oldest bell in the county of Navarra. It dates to the 1300s (12th Century). This is one of the things I love about being in Europe. History dates back centuries. We always forget what a young continent we are.
After my bell ringing, we came to dinner. Dinner consisted of a scrumptious salad and bread. One of our fellow travelers from Italy went upstairs and brought down a little bottle of olive oil he had brought from his home and Sicili.
He gladly shares his delicious oil and we proceeded to have a joyous conversation among all of us pilgrims. You had the American turtles, the young Spanish couple, Frances a young man from Canada who just left the Army after 12 years, a married couple from France. At one point during the lively conversation, I realized that I was the only one that could easily communicate between all of them. I understood all languages as they spoke to me, and I could say not only my standard few words in French but also Italian.
After our dinner of a scrumptious vegetable Paella, we were invited to go back to the old church, to the choir loft where we had a little powwow with the nuns. They had pillows and blankets on the floor for us, candles lit and heaters. The intention was that if you wanted to share your reason for being here and making the pilgrimage.
Everyone present shared their hearts, including all of the men.
There were some tears and hugs. Sisters prayed for our safe journey and we went to bed.
Our room was cozy and comfortable. Soft blankets provided and soon enough we were sleeping like babies.
Tomorrow we hit Pamplona.
Day 6 May 26
Waking up at the Albegue Parroquial de Zabaldika was a joy.
Although the nuns and their volunteers said they were serving breakfast at 7:00 a.m. Sharp we did not mosey on down till a bit closer to 8:00 a.m.
Breakfast consisted of a simple coffee and French bread. Marmalade and the special olive oil from the Italians were also served.
We made it a point to take our time leaving from there. Our goal was to hit Pamplona today. Hopefully, we could make it in good time.
Our walk began with a downhill that was certainly much easier than anything we have seen. At one point we had such great terrain I picked up the pace and lead the way of our turtle group. Cathy, Melissa, and I are proud of our turtle pace. It is slow and steady.
At the end of the path, we came to an abandoned church. It had a small statue of Santiago. It was cool to get a picture.
What I also found very cool is that as we walked forward over the mountains we had a spectacular view of what was ahead but also how far we have come. I kept looking in the distance knowing that it was not an easy accomplishment.
The Camino teaches you a lot about people, life but most of all yourself. It is incredible to see people from all walks of life and faiths undertake this journey.
I had read somewhere that the majority of people doing the Camino are over 60! This is true. I love seeing how people don’t allow age to pigeonhole them into a specific category based on what their age is.
I love and I am inspired by seeing people 20 or 30 years older act and live strong. This is such a goal for me. I want to get stronger and more fit as the days pass. Not only here but in life in general.
During today’s walk, I realized that in the Camino your stronger personality traits really do shine. For good and bad.
As an extrovert, I can’t help but to begin immediate interaction with people as they cross my path. I love greeting them and depending on their greetings my next goal is to find out where they are from. I enjoy seeing them on this common road.
Now as a person that is very competitive with and likes to control things, the road presents challenges since many things are out of my control and inevitably I am also faced with my limitations. Physically mostly. I have come to see, that on the other hand, your mind is much stronger than our bodies.
I think that I, and perhaps many others, we become used to thinking of the why’s we can’t do something and believe these limitations and cheat our selves out of experiences.
#JulMelCamino2016
#CaminoDeSantiago
#iperegrino
Day 6 Part 2
As we left the hills and farms behind us we neared the town of Trinidad de Arre.
This is the first town where you really begin a more populated area. The village is named for the river Arre which you have to cross in order to come to town. The Camino Frances is also joined by another route from Bayonne to the northeast. I noticed that there were a lot of new faces with us.
The first thing you see when you come off the bridge is an Albergue. We found out that it is one of the oldest most continually run Albergue on the Camino. It is one of the most complete medieval monasteries.
We came in to take a peek and get our credentials stamped. I think so far this is one of my favorite stamps.
Shortly after this jaunt, we stopped for a bite. I needed coffee and something else in my belly. I had a “bocadillo”, which is basically a sandwich on French bread. You can choose from ham, shrimp, eggs, sardines, tuna… I had sardines and tuna. I know many people will think this is gross but it was spectacular.
We continued our walk and saw some amazing examples of early 20th century Spanish architecture. This gave me a nostalgic feeling for my childhood in El Salvador. I always took for granted in the middle of growing up in a war-torn country that its roots came from this motherland.
As we neared the city of Pamplona we sat on a bench to work out a neck cramp. Along came our friends from Zubiri the tired guys from San Francisco who we sent to Elsa’s for the night.
It was nice to see what Josh and Damien looked like with a shower and a rested smile on their faces. We chatted a bit and reminded them that pushing while tired is a sure way of injury. Mel, Cathy, and the San Fran guys all commiserated on their blisters. I silently thanked God that was not an additional issue I had to deal with.
As we made our way our first glimpse of the city was the man-made defenses (wall) and the natural defenses. (River) of Pamplona.
The official way for pilgrims to enter the city is through the Magdalena Bridge dating back to the 14th Century. It has been restored in the last 40 years but thankfully it still has the charm that allows you to imagine knights and medieval traders or soldiers making their way across it.
As you come alongside the wall of the city you can see the centinel towers at the major corners.
At the recommendation of our nun friends, we began looking for the Jesus Y Maria Albergue.
After a few turns, we found it and checked in. It was early afternoon and it had begun to fill up.
Our accommodations were on the second floor where we promptly found our beds. At this point, laundry was in order and we made our way to the facilities on site. This particular Albergue has dryers. This, as we have learned, is a luxury in the Camino.
It took a long time to get our clothes washed. Dried was another battle. Apparently, they don’t set the dryers to hot so we had to wait for a few cycles
At the Albergue, we met up with the brother and sister from New Zealand who was our roommates in Zubiri. It looks like she is struggling a bit. I chatted with her hoping to help her feel better.
At one point made our way around town. We looked for the tourism office and walked around. The thing about walking in the middle of the afternoon in Spain is that most everything is closed between 3-6 ish. It is after all the siesta time.
When our laundry was finally done, we headed out to the main drag where they have the running of the Bulls. We heard that on Thursday nights they have a tapas/pinchos happy hour of sorts. We he made plans to meet Damien and Josh.
The funny thing is that as Melissa was trying to give them directions as to where to go, and they could not orient themselves, all we had to say is we are in front of Burger King and they found us easily.
The guys brought along another guy they had met during the course of the afternoon. Paul from England. We found a tapas bar and proceeded to enjoy 2€ wines and pinchos. As our small group got to know each other we found that all of us had many anecdotes about life and our travels. We not only “broke bread” of sorts but we laughed and shared about who we were and how we got this far.
At one point I looked around at our little group and I was reminded that this is one of the reasons I love to travel so much. It affords you the opportunity to met, bond, and laughs with other people who may be from a different walk of life yet you are now bonded forever because you share one common experience.
The night went on after our second tapas bar. Some in our group retired early while some of us night owls sat and enjoyed deeper conversation and reflection on our days so far.
Tomorrow we have a new day. A day filled with new places to see, a steep climb and most likely a lot more laughter sprinkled in with a few challenges.
I am confident that with it all we will find grace and mercy.
Day of rest. Day 7. When my foot doctor cleared me to take this walk, she told me two things, do what you can and listen to your body. Today I did 10 KM and decided to not push the other 17. Sadly enough I took transport to the town of Uterga.
I had a lot of mixed feelings, I wanted to keep pushing despite the pain, numbness, and pure exhaustion.
I did not sleep at all last night. Today I sent about 2 Kilos home. I sent a tank top, extra pants, extra chargers, and who knows what else. If I need I I will deal, however, I figured I needed to do what I could to lighten my load.
I had read somewhere that the city of Pamplona the hardest thing for pilgrims is the hard hard pavement. I sure this was a major contributor to the numbness and severe pain that began to travel up my leg.
As I debated my ability to push through I knew that I most likely would end up completing the remaining kilometers but the question was at what price.
I was running on empty with little sleep, physically I was pushing boundaries that could lead to permanent injury.
As I made my way into my home for the night I was greeted by Ana Calvontje proprietor of the Albergue del Camino del Perdon or the Albergue of the road to forgiveness.
Ana is in her mid to late ’70s. She has done the Camino 3 times and plays to do it one more time in the next year. She welcomes pilgrims with open arms, tends to their physical and emotional needs with love, and will make you laugh with the many stories about what she has seen.
She runs the place with her 3 daughters who are just warm and caring. One cooks, one tends bar, and the other ensures the rooms are clean and ready.
No sooner had I sat down, she had my bags upstairs quicker than a bellhop at a top hotel.
I had a cafe con Leche and at Ana’s encouragement took the most delightful nap.
When I came downstairs mid-afternoon, I found that many people had decided to make this their home for the night. The patio was full of pilgrims recovering and doing the pilgrim dance or Albergue walk. This is when someone who has pushed their limits all day is no longer carrying a huge heavy pack, can’t barely move any part of their bodies, and is attempting to get from one side of the room to the other.
While my laundry was in the wash, I made friends with a woman about my age from Argentina. She is traveling alone and had stopped to rest.
She told me about the miraculous fountain in town so we went to the town square to drink our fill.
While sitting there we met a local man who told us about the town and more history of the region.
Melissa and Cathy showed up at the Albergue close to 8:30 pm. They also had met up with Josh and Damien somewhere up in the decent. I felt bad at how tired and weary they felt.
After dinner which was delicious, we headed to bed and slept like babies.
Day 8 Saturday 28 of May
Waking up in Casa Del Perdon Albergue was delightful. There was no rushing, no big hurried exodus from the Albergue, on a race to hit the next town. Instead, we put some more laundry on, ordered breakfast, and sat on the patio enjoying the new day.
There is something about the kindness of strangers and having them take care of you.
Ana the proprietor told me that she thinks it is silly how people rush out after getting up at the crack of dawn.
She said, “the Camino is not going anywhere when you rush around trying to get there fast you miss all of the important experiences”
Such wise words. The turtle club (Melissa Cathy and I) decided to begin our walk towards Puente La Reina. One of the bigger towns on the journey. It is about 7 Km from Uterga where we spent the night.
Damien and Josh decided that they were going to take the detour to go see the old 12th-century Octagonal church built by the Templar knights. According to Ana, it is a mystical place and a beauty to behold. However, she said it would be closed and our group decided that the 3 Km detour was not worth it.
Instead, we hit the town of Obanos which has been made famous by the tragic story of two siblings. Felica set out of a pilgrimage to Santiago and later stayed in Obanos to care for pilgrims. Her brother the Duke of Aquinate was not happy and came to take her home. When she refused to return to a life of comfort and luxury he killed her in a fit of rage. Guiltily, he completed the pilgrimage as penitence and then took over the cause of helping other pilgrims as his sister had begun to do.
Entering this town I was amazed at how pretty and happy it seemed. As be began the uphill climb, we met a young boy. Nicolas had built and set up a lemonade stand and was offering this yummy drink for a donation only. We enjoyed talking to him and were grateful for the rest and conversation.
Being that it was Saturday, we saw other children playing at the town square. Children were friendly and ready to strike up a conversation.
As we left the town we saw the hermitage that housed the skull of the Duke of Aquitaine.
We journey on to Puente la Reina.
It is amazing to see what a day of self-care can do. I felt new, invigorated, and even got some singing and dancing on the road. As we neared the town, we saw that a group of people were outside the school. Soon we realized it was the high school graduation. While Cathy and Melissa went to see the inside of another old church, I hung out, posed for pics with the new graduates, and even got a short tour of the school.
The school was a typical Spanish architecture design. Beautiful courtyard in the middle with old stone hallways.
Turtles headed to grab some lunch as we headed out of town.
After a leisured lunch, which included a bocadillo, Patatas Bravas, and a bottle of wine.
All for under 20€
As we made our way out, we stumbled onto Josh and Damien at the wine bar enjoying a cold beer.
After some debate, we turtles began to push forward out of town. As we neared the Bridge for which this town is named, we saw the sign. Corpus Christi Fest Procession.
It was a consensus that it is not every day that we would have the opportunity to see a feast day celebration with all of its color and splendor.
So with no more walking for the day. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting, chatting, and then we convinced Josh this was a good time to immerse himself into the Albergue experience We checked in to a lovely Albergue called Amalur consisting of 20 beds.
It is also connected to the local bar. Josh and I made our way there where we met a “writer” who began to pitch his book to us.
When the rest of our party joined us we toasted my nephew Chris with a nice cold pint of Guinness
Dinner followed and then we came to sleep where we enjoyed the symphony of sounds. (Loud snoring). Overall a good day to be a pilgrim.
Day 9 Sunday, May 29
The 10:00 pm bell has just finished ringing on the church across the street from our Albergue in the town of Cirauqui.
It is hard to believe that this is my last official night on the Camino.
Today is Sunday and it has been a beautiful day.
Our morning started early. About 1:00 am. Team turtles which include Damien and Josh shared the room in last night’s Albergue with two French bicyclists, German girls who were 18, and a guy from Florida who is teaching in Vermont. (The writer we met at the bar).
The reason our day began so early is that it was so hot in the room last night. Cathy got up to open the window. No sooner did she come back to bed that one of the French guys closed it.
I waited for a few minutes and then I went to open all the windows in the bathroom.
Unfortunately, the heat was not the only thing that prevented us from sleep. The snoring by the writer rivaled any snoring I have ever been around. And trust me, I have heard championship snoring
At any rate, we had a leisure breakfast and waited for the 11:30 am mass. The reason we had stayed was to see the procession in the town.
The mass was an elaborate production full of pomp and circumstance. It brought me back to my childhood days of the church in El Salvador. I guess the Catholic Church will continue to be the same and consistently be full of traditions and such. One must find the beauty in it all.
It was neat to see the townspeople continuing traditions that probably have been passed down from family members for hundreds of years
I have a lot of thoughts on what the priest said during his homily and suffice it to say I am grateful for my home church back home.
The procession of the Eucharist through town was a sight to behold. A band followed the procession and the bells chimed as people stood in their balconies. Waving and dropping rose petals.
After lunch, the turtles headed out and began what promised to be an easy enough walk. The first town of Manaru was about 6 km away. I glad I had not seen the elevation map prior to the climb. Had I see the vertical steep incline I would have dreaded it and it would have been hard. Just because my thoughts around the challenge would have been negative.
However not knowing what was ahead, I pushed forward telling myself my Camino chant: “I can do it”. “I am in it to win it”. I climbed up this steep hill with confidence and perseverance that allowed me to conquer this obstacle a bit out of breath but proud to have done it so well.
The rest of the walk to the last destination was not a walk in the park. The road was covered in rocks and as we got to the edge of town we realized it was a huge uphill climb the whole way.
The town of Cirauque lies on a hill. It seems everywhere you go there is a climb. As Cathy and I walked through the town rain came down and we stopped in the middle of a small old roman archway to put out pack covers on.
Once we made it to the Albergue Josh met us in the lobby and carried our bags up to our home for the night. This time all of the turtles had upper bunks.
Some of the walls of the Albergue are made of stone and in speaking to the owner he tells me that although they have been here for 15 years the house dates over 200 years. The one portion that was not renovated and has kept its original character is the wine cellar where dinner was served family-style.
Dinner consisted of a spinach soup that was serviced in these beautiful white porcelain turbines. That was followed by a crisp salad with deep red tomatoes, corn, olives, and the crunchiest of romaine lettuce.
Bread and wine flowed aplenty. I am delighted to say that before you get water at any meal, wine is served. Last night’s wine is made here in the region. I loved the oaky flavor, it was a young wine however it was the perfect compliment to the spaghetti and meatballs.
After dinner Josh, Damien, and I walked to a near field and saw that someone had planted their crops in the shape of the world map. I thought this was a nice symbolism of how all kinds of people from different walks of life and places around the world make this treck.
One of the things about the Camino really reiterated to me is that I love people! I love learning about who they are, what kind of life they live and most of all I enjoy embracing the differences that they may have from me.
Sometimes we see differences as such a negative. Your faith against mine, your love for something I don’t like. I think sometimes we are so resistant to people’s differences because it is something that takes us out of comfort zone. We are so accustomed to how we do things, how we think of things when something is different we resist it.
Our last time together with the turtle gang came after a few minutes of conversation with other pilgrims from France, Germany, Morocco on the balcony of our Albergue.
As 10:00 pm rolled around and lights out was inevitable we all headed for our top bunks. Cathy, Josh, Damien, Melissa, and then me. I did warn the ladies below me that if they heard a big thump it may be me heading to the bathroom.
As we began to settle into the quietness of the night I was amazed that we had found the golden egg. No one in our room was snoring.
Could it be? As I silently began to drift off to sleep I heard the one thing that I would hope I could sleep right through. The chiming of the church bells that were surely to clang every 15-minute intervals.
Day 10 May 30
My earliest recollection of the day was the 4:00 am church bells. I tossed and turned a lot for the next 2 hours. Although the bed was comfortable, it had started to become a tad too hard for me.
At some point after 5 I looked over to San Francisco guys and noticed that they were both sitting up on their bunk beds. I must have drifted because the next time I looked over they were gone.
I am not sad since I think sharing the Camino with them will forever create a bond that only other Pilgrims understand.
Our Albergue did not offer breakfast so we decided that in order to get to Madrid we would take a bus.
This meant having to get to the town of Estrella. So, rather than walking the 16 KM, we decided to get a taxi since we wanted to get to the bus station as quickly as possible.
I am glad we did so since we had already missed the 8:00 am direct bus and now only had the 11:15 am bus which had a connection in Logrono which would put us into Madrid late afternoon.
So, the three girl turtles took the taxi and enjoyed one last Cafecito and pan together prior to saying adios for now.
As we sat together at the bakery we talked about our road together, our fun times and we cheered Cathy on. She now is on the road on her own, until she meets other pilgrims or finds Damien and Josh.
Cathy was a true blessing. It is not every day you meet a smart, funny easy going intellectual with a heart of gold. She inspires me to continue to strive to find mercy and grace along with providence in the world around me.
The bus to Logrono was short and we were assaulted by the sights, sounds, and smells of the city.
Hard for this city girl to admit that it can be overwhelming for anyone once you are coming from the quietness of the country or in our case the Camino de Santiago.
As we drove past portions of the Camino, we found ourselves sighing with the nostalgia of leaving the Camino behind us.
As we saw other pilgrims in the distance we felt the pull of wanting to be back on the road.
However, we are also convinced that the best thing for us, is breaking up this pilgrimage into segments. Yes, irbid the right thing to do.
We did preparations for the trip but no matter how many books, blogs or travel sites we read the only thing that could have prepared us for this journey was there journey itself.
We pushed our boundaries, stepped out of our comfort zones, saw the best in people, and found inner strength at times we would have never thought we had.
Living our regular life sets us up for running on empty, pushing boundaries, and sometimes ignoring our needs.
While doing the Camino you do all of that and more, however, the only difference is that you must stop to listen to your body, find kindness and give kindness but most of all be a listener and allow the journey to show you the way.
I think about all the people that thought I was crazy for coming on this journey, naysayers were plenty, however, I am grateful for the many that supported and encouraged the dream.
Life is so short, I think that I am so fortunate to have the privilege to go to new places that feed my soul and help me to become a better version of myself.
The other thing I learned on the Camino is that many people say someday… Others say I want to do it, yet the desire and is just an ember that they let every day extinguish. I glad I chose to not put it off. I made the sacrifices and despite not being as ready in some ways, I pushed to do this.
Life is so full of surprises. There are two words for life in Greek. bio and Zoe. Bio means the period or duration of earthly life. The later means life in its principle, the intrinsic the eternal and spiritual.
All of us get to live the bio life. However, I challenge everyone to live a life in which we find the principles we stand for, and feed our spirit and build eternal abundance through that.
Perhaps a pilgrimage in another continent is not your thing, but perhaps it is time to step out of your comfort zone, stop the binge-watching, the social media addiction and the endless times running around.
It does the mind a world of good.
We arrived in Madrid at about 5 pm. We got checked in to our hotel. Hilton almost feels like home. Fox News was playing on the tv at the bar. At this time tomorrow, I will be home in NY. For now, I hope to rest, the dream of medieval structures, the proud Basque people, fields, and landscapes that expand in the horizon and animated conversations with pilgrims who like me were called to make this trip and create memories that expand a lifetime.
#JulMelcaminoadventure
#IPeregrinos
#theway
#CaminodeSantiago
#nevertooOld
NY RedRose 