We were up and on the road around 8am as we did not have a wonderful night. We are still trying to determine if we have a lot of mosquito bites (didn´t hear much buzzing) or are we dealing with bed bugs. There are many topics that one can not adequately deal with on a BlackBerry and that we might consider later, and one of those is the plague of bedbugs on the Camino; how they pass from hostel to hostel in pilgrims bedding, how the swelling can appear a day after the actual bites, the question of how to control the insects and to treat the victims.
Today´s walk was 20 KM on primarily a quiet road and some natural paths. Ascent was probably 300 meters and we climbed very steeply at first and then leveled off. The first place for cafe con leche didn´t appear until 10:30 so we had covered 11 KM BC (before cafe) which is never an easy thing! We continued to dodge the cow pies on the trails and through the small hamlets. Like yesterday we walked though many narrow lanes walled-in with granite "corredoria" which many perigrinos and cattle have walked down.
We had finally managed last night to get some help in arranging the last day of transportation for my pack and in making a reservation in an albergues/pension which is working out very well as we have our own room and share the bathroom with another double room and we had just finished using the washing machine and clothes were on the line to dry when there was a sprinkling of rain. The Albergue had a dryer so that took care of the problem of wet clothes.
Before using the washing machine we had dashed to the Correos to send about 5 lbs of stuff on to Santiago to lighten our packs. After the laundry was done we repacked and again found a few more things to leave behind in addition to the pages from our guide book for today´s walk.
We hiked up into the old town and got our sello from the Romanesque church, and then visited the ancient convent called Mosterio da Madalena (Convent of Mary Magdalene).
We also found an urgent care facility which looked at Leslie´s left inside heel which had been infected and is still healing. They cleaned the wound and prescribed an antibiotic to apply daily for the next few days and said not to walk far. That is a bit of a problem because tomorrow we enter the last 100 Km and we have to cover a lot of ground to reach our evening destination. We will play it by ear and see how she feels.
We have reservations for the next 2 nights in albergues that also provide a private double room, as when we don´t have easy access to laundry facilities the room becomes the laundromat and not everything is dry in the morning. I think you saw on the pack a couple of days ago several pairs of socks drying.
While we had originally intended to have another rest day at this point, the drive is to complete the last 100KM.. At Sarria there are many albergues as many will be joining us on the trail tomorrow. We have already planned out the first cafe con leche stop.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
O'Cebreiro to Triacastela
We left O'Cebreiro just a shade before 8am having had our first coffee and we were walking as the sun rose. It was quiet a chilly morning with the wind and we both had jackets on. The total distance for the day was 20.7 KM and the total ascent was 200 meters. The total down hill was around 700 meters which can be just as slow as an uphill! And hard on knees!
At about 12 KM we stopped in Fonderia, another town heavily into cattle. As we walked by an old lady came out selling fresh crepes which were delicious. We stopped at the cafe and we were going to sit outside for our cafe and tuna empenada but as we were settling down some cows started coming out of their barns, a little old lady and some dogs directing them, then a bull, with a ring in his nose stopped in front of the cafe. At this point we had headed indoors with the rest of the customers! This was the second time today we were chased off the Camino by cows. There was ample evidence that cows were major users of our Camino path!
We have started to see kilometer markers every half kilometer counting down the distance to Santiago. Now down to about 130 KM and soon we should be on the busy homestretch of the last 100 KM and struggling for accommodation.
We arrived into Tricastela around 2pm to the Pension Villasante (35 €) which has no charm but is close to a cute restaurant that we ate at twice. This evening we ate with 2 Canadians we had shared a dorm room with many days ago and see each other on and off. They have other friends joining them in Sarria for the last 100 KM.
We were able to book a room with shared bath in an albergues for tomorrow night and have my pack transported by taxi we think. The transport of baggage in this stretch seems to be very disorganized!
For dessert in this area they serve a thick soft cheese with honey. Kind of like a cheese cake without a crust and honey.
At about 12 KM we stopped in Fonderia, another town heavily into cattle. As we walked by an old lady came out selling fresh crepes which were delicious. We stopped at the cafe and we were going to sit outside for our cafe and tuna empenada but as we were settling down some cows started coming out of their barns, a little old lady and some dogs directing them, then a bull, with a ring in his nose stopped in front of the cafe. At this point we had headed indoors with the rest of the customers! This was the second time today we were chased off the Camino by cows. There was ample evidence that cows were major users of our Camino path!
We have started to see kilometer markers every half kilometer counting down the distance to Santiago. Now down to about 130 KM and soon we should be on the busy homestretch of the last 100 KM and struggling for accommodation.
We arrived into Tricastela around 2pm to the Pension Villasante (35 €) which has no charm but is close to a cute restaurant that we ate at twice. This evening we ate with 2 Canadians we had shared a dorm room with many days ago and see each other on and off. They have other friends joining them in Sarria for the last 100 KM.
We were able to book a room with shared bath in an albergues for tomorrow night and have my pack transported by taxi we think. The transport of baggage in this stretch seems to be very disorganized!
For dessert in this area they serve a thick soft cheese with honey. Kind of like a cheese cake without a crust and honey.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
La Portela de Vacarce to O'Cebreiro
Today was a 15KM day all uphill. Total ascent was 700 meters in clear sunny skies and not too hot because of the altitude 1,300 meters and also the fact we hiked a shorter distance and left our soulless truck stop a little before 8 am. We walked along the old highway by flashlight in the initial stage and had the new autopista high above us on trestles. Sometimes even 2 highways above us - it did mean we were safer walking on the old road.
We stopped at a church in Ruitan, lit a candle and got a sello. I was not going to put a truck stop sello in my credential!
We had cafe con leche in Herrerias and then started the more serious climb with cow pastures around us and forest glens. When we walked through vineyards your could smell the fermenting grapes at the bodegas. (Reminded us of poor Aniesa's closet when she was a baby and we made our own wine). When we walked through the trail along the pastures you had the farm odor and had to watch where you were stepping!
We were coming into the last small town before O'Cebreiro and we were literally jumping out of the path for the cows being directed by 2 dogs and 1 female herder.
We made it to the San Giraldo de Aurillac hostal (48 €) by 2pm and are now in a small Celtic town with the real soul of the Camino. We went to the church to get our sello and they stamped 3 in the credentials taking up 4 spaces! We don't have much room on our credential given that we need 2 per day the last 100KM.
We went to communion mass at 8pm and there was a perigrino blessing after mass. We lit a candle. The church is one of the oldest churches on the Camino, 9th century. The town has been servicing pilgrims since the end of the first millennium. A deceased parish priest is the one responsible for marking the Camino with the yellow arrows and restoring and preserving it. This place has the old thatched roofs like in Ireland. There are even 2 tourist shops in this town of maybe 20 buildings! We understand some tourist buses stop regularly.
A delightful day and we are now in the province of Galacia. We have been told that as the mountains of this area are the first ones that the westerly winds from the Atlantic hit, we can expect an immediate change of weather with frequent rain showers and thunderstorms. I hope we can go a few more days without rain. Today's walk would have been a real ordeal in parts in the rain.
The wine they serve here does not even have an official branded label and tastes a little young. They make their own liquors as well. We have been enjoying the thick soups called caldo gallego and they have the tarta de Santiago here which we like.
We believe we have an arrangement to have my backpack moved for another day. Today we were really struggling to make our selves understood and even resorted to google translator. We finally decided the fellow we were working with might be a bit simple and our needs were beyond him.
We stopped at a church in Ruitan, lit a candle and got a sello. I was not going to put a truck stop sello in my credential!
We had cafe con leche in Herrerias and then started the more serious climb with cow pastures around us and forest glens. When we walked through vineyards your could smell the fermenting grapes at the bodegas. (Reminded us of poor Aniesa's closet when she was a baby and we made our own wine). When we walked through the trail along the pastures you had the farm odor and had to watch where you were stepping!
We were coming into the last small town before O'Cebreiro and we were literally jumping out of the path for the cows being directed by 2 dogs and 1 female herder.
We made it to the San Giraldo de Aurillac hostal (48 €) by 2pm and are now in a small Celtic town with the real soul of the Camino. We went to the church to get our sello and they stamped 3 in the credentials taking up 4 spaces! We don't have much room on our credential given that we need 2 per day the last 100KM.
We went to communion mass at 8pm and there was a perigrino blessing after mass. We lit a candle. The church is one of the oldest churches on the Camino, 9th century. The town has been servicing pilgrims since the end of the first millennium. A deceased parish priest is the one responsible for marking the Camino with the yellow arrows and restoring and preserving it. This place has the old thatched roofs like in Ireland. There are even 2 tourist shops in this town of maybe 20 buildings! We understand some tourist buses stop regularly.
A delightful day and we are now in the province of Galacia. We have been told that as the mountains of this area are the first ones that the westerly winds from the Atlantic hit, we can expect an immediate change of weather with frequent rain showers and thunderstorms. I hope we can go a few more days without rain. Today's walk would have been a real ordeal in parts in the rain.
The wine they serve here does not even have an official branded label and tastes a little young. They make their own liquors as well. We have been enjoying the thick soups called caldo gallego and they have the tarta de Santiago here which we like.
We believe we have an arrangement to have my backpack moved for another day. Today we were really struggling to make our selves understood and even resorted to google translator. We finally decided the fellow we were working with might be a bit simple and our needs were beyond him.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Cacabelos to La Portela de Vacarce
Another beautiful day with a moderate 23 KM walk, 430 meters ascent, which started late at 9:15am out of our charming room and through the town with a stop for coffee and pastry.
We walked through the vineyards to Villafranca del Bierzo through the delightful town of Valtuille, which had an old wine press. We passed farmers with carts full of grapes and they insisted we accept some grapes before wishing us well, buen Camino.
Coming into Villafranca you came down a hill and suddenly we were in the town as the valley was so narrow you did not see the town in advance. Coming into town we stopped at the 12th century Romanesque church of Santiago with its Puerta del Perdon, again a place where pilgrims can go if they can not travel further to Santiago because they are sick and injured, and by walking through the door receive the same indulgences as if they had gone to Santiago. The church was very simple but very beautiful and and the place was lit with red candles. There were white Oriental lilies giving off their fragrance. We lit a candle for our families and friends and departed ones. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed as I would have loved to have taken one as this church really drew me in.
There was a large cross with Jesus and a very simple white alter cloth with the red cross associated with the Camino. The nave on the right had a more traditional carved golden alter with Mary and Jesus and the opposite nave was bare and contained the door of forgiveness.
We had an excellent peregrino lunch menu at a cafe in the main square. Fun to just sit there with our boots off, cooling our feet, and watching the world go by. At 2:30 we left the town and climbed up a narrow gorge following the Rio Valcarce (330 meters of ascent). There were 3 walking options and some how we got on the "senda". This is basically a pedestrian walk path along the highway. We were following the Rio Valcares on our left and the highway on on right with crash barriers between us and the cars. A new autopista has been made so the traffic on this road has been reduced. The trees by the river provided some much needed shade as the temperature was around 85. So while the second part of the day after lunch was pretty, it was not as nice as the morning. We arrived here around 6pm so made a mad dash to do the laundry as the previous place did not have a balcony , so no laundry had been done. The upside of the Albergues is that they have washing and drying facilities as well as internet.
Our hotel tonight is basically a truck stop! The first hotel we booked ahead and wished we could have kept on walking! Of course we were stuck here for dinner too. Bonus is they serve breakfast at 6 am.
The path tomorrow continues along the highway and then we have the climb up the mountain to O'Ceberieo basically 600 meters in 7 KM. Tomorrow is the last day I will send my pack forward and we want to get an early start on the day.
Our weather adviser Bob, advises no rain coming for 10 days so we can expect the heat to continue.
We wear the little neck scarves that have some water absorbing gel filler to help keep us cool.
There is a group of 8 French day packers that have been with us the past couple of days. In their 70s I would say and walk with poles and very light backpacks. They met the definition of day packer because of the size of the pack they carry, they wear white, and they have more than 2 changes of clothes. Anyway, one petite lady made us laugh at the way she was mincing down the trail, hips swaying, poles dancing out to the side. Any way saw her today at our lunch spot and the group here tonight and she is in a sling and husband seems to be driving a car. I feel very sorry for them.
David has caught a cold so we think we will take a rest day after tomorrow. Two nights of church bells every hour and on the half hour does not make a good nights rest. No church bells tonight only truckers.
The photo of the diet coke is an expression of my displeasure over a 200ml coke size versus the usual can of 330ml!
We walked through the vineyards to Villafranca del Bierzo through the delightful town of Valtuille, which had an old wine press. We passed farmers with carts full of grapes and they insisted we accept some grapes before wishing us well, buen Camino.
Coming into Villafranca you came down a hill and suddenly we were in the town as the valley was so narrow you did not see the town in advance. Coming into town we stopped at the 12th century Romanesque church of Santiago with its Puerta del Perdon, again a place where pilgrims can go if they can not travel further to Santiago because they are sick and injured, and by walking through the door receive the same indulgences as if they had gone to Santiago. The church was very simple but very beautiful and and the place was lit with red candles. There were white Oriental lilies giving off their fragrance. We lit a candle for our families and friends and departed ones. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed as I would have loved to have taken one as this church really drew me in.
There was a large cross with Jesus and a very simple white alter cloth with the red cross associated with the Camino. The nave on the right had a more traditional carved golden alter with Mary and Jesus and the opposite nave was bare and contained the door of forgiveness.
We had an excellent peregrino lunch menu at a cafe in the main square. Fun to just sit there with our boots off, cooling our feet, and watching the world go by. At 2:30 we left the town and climbed up a narrow gorge following the Rio Valcarce (330 meters of ascent). There were 3 walking options and some how we got on the "senda". This is basically a pedestrian walk path along the highway. We were following the Rio Valcares on our left and the highway on on right with crash barriers between us and the cars. A new autopista has been made so the traffic on this road has been reduced. The trees by the river provided some much needed shade as the temperature was around 85. So while the second part of the day after lunch was pretty, it was not as nice as the morning. We arrived here around 6pm so made a mad dash to do the laundry as the previous place did not have a balcony , so no laundry had been done. The upside of the Albergues is that they have washing and drying facilities as well as internet.
Our hotel tonight is basically a truck stop! The first hotel we booked ahead and wished we could have kept on walking! Of course we were stuck here for dinner too. Bonus is they serve breakfast at 6 am.
The path tomorrow continues along the highway and then we have the climb up the mountain to O'Ceberieo basically 600 meters in 7 KM. Tomorrow is the last day I will send my pack forward and we want to get an early start on the day.
Our weather adviser Bob, advises no rain coming for 10 days so we can expect the heat to continue.
We wear the little neck scarves that have some water absorbing gel filler to help keep us cool.
There is a group of 8 French day packers that have been with us the past couple of days. In their 70s I would say and walk with poles and very light backpacks. They met the definition of day packer because of the size of the pack they carry, they wear white, and they have more than 2 changes of clothes. Anyway, one petite lady made us laugh at the way she was mincing down the trail, hips swaying, poles dancing out to the side. Any way saw her today at our lunch spot and the group here tonight and she is in a sling and husband seems to be driving a car. I feel very sorry for them.
David has caught a cold so we think we will take a rest day after tomorrow. Two nights of church bells every hour and on the half hour does not make a good nights rest. No church bells tonight only truckers.
The photo of the diet coke is an expression of my displeasure over a 200ml coke size versus the usual can of 330ml!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Molinaseca to Cacabelos
What a beautiful day we had today - one of the prettiest stages on the Camino!We were out the door by 8:30am and on the road to Ponferrada, where we wanted to do some sight seeing and take care of some administration issues, like collecting another care package at the post office, arranging accommodations for the next two nights and replacing my broken Canon camera.
We had breakfast at a cafe just across from the Templar Castle and then bugged the poor lady in the visitor´s center to assist us with reservations for accommodation. It did not seem like this is was something she routinely did as when being told the room was 30 euros and shared one bath with 10 people she hung up and said we could do better! She was very helpful and we are happy with the hotels she booked and distances we need to walk over the next 2 days.
Today we walked about 20 KM and arrived here in Cacabelos around 5:30pm. We visited some churches and hermitages along the way here and this takes time.
We were also fascinated that it was the harvesting of the grapes today for the cooperative of Bierzo. One farmer with a load of grapes stopped to take a phone call and invited us to take any pictures we wanted and to sample his grapes. Delicious! We then had an omelet for lunch at Componaraya before walking on through beautiful vineyards with a lot of activity. Whole families were out picking the grapes by hand. We walked out to some of the pickers and they showed us that some of the grapes had been dried out because there was not enough rain but they said they were the best grapes in the world. We then walked by the Cooperative and saw all the little tractors coming in with the grapes, being weighed and then a funny machine sampled the quality of the grapes. The farmer was then paid based on the quality and quantity of his grapes.
We are now in a lovely hotel which David has splurged on - also only place that had a room - La Moncloa de San Lazaro and our honey moon suite is featured in their ad with a Jacuzzi for 4 persons. (120 euros per night) My back pack had arrived here so when ever I don´t carry it I am happy to see it arrive!
David dragged me down to the emergency care here once he determined there was one so that my left heel could be checked again as it continues to look very messy. The Doctor said no infection and just put some iodine on and another really good foam bandage (drats- means I can´t get my foot in the jacuzzi!) and he also asked for an additional bandage for a couple of days from now, which they kindly gave him. He had tried to get this type of bandage in various pharmacies in Leon and it was not available. He is so sweet as he knows how much I want to finish this Camino. He carried the backpack all day today and tomorrow is a 25KM day. I am sending my pack as in addition to the distance there is about 400 meters of ascent.
We had breakfast at a cafe just across from the Templar Castle and then bugged the poor lady in the visitor´s center to assist us with reservations for accommodation. It did not seem like this is was something she routinely did as when being told the room was 30 euros and shared one bath with 10 people she hung up and said we could do better! She was very helpful and we are happy with the hotels she booked and distances we need to walk over the next 2 days.
Today we walked about 20 KM and arrived here in Cacabelos around 5:30pm. We visited some churches and hermitages along the way here and this takes time.
We were also fascinated that it was the harvesting of the grapes today for the cooperative of Bierzo. One farmer with a load of grapes stopped to take a phone call and invited us to take any pictures we wanted and to sample his grapes. Delicious! We then had an omelet for lunch at Componaraya before walking on through beautiful vineyards with a lot of activity. Whole families were out picking the grapes by hand. We walked out to some of the pickers and they showed us that some of the grapes had been dried out because there was not enough rain but they said they were the best grapes in the world. We then walked by the Cooperative and saw all the little tractors coming in with the grapes, being weighed and then a funny machine sampled the quality of the grapes. The farmer was then paid based on the quality and quantity of his grapes.
We are now in a lovely hotel which David has splurged on - also only place that had a room - La Moncloa de San Lazaro and our honey moon suite is featured in their ad with a Jacuzzi for 4 persons. (120 euros per night) My back pack had arrived here so when ever I don´t carry it I am happy to see it arrive!
David dragged me down to the emergency care here once he determined there was one so that my left heel could be checked again as it continues to look very messy. The Doctor said no infection and just put some iodine on and another really good foam bandage (drats- means I can´t get my foot in the jacuzzi!) and he also asked for an additional bandage for a couple of days from now, which they kindly gave him. He had tried to get this type of bandage in various pharmacies in Leon and it was not available. He is so sweet as he knows how much I want to finish this Camino. He carried the backpack all day today and tomorrow is a 25KM day. I am sending my pack as in addition to the distance there is about 400 meters of ascent.
One Roman bridge and the Hosteria Palacio our hotel (in pink) in sight.
Rabanal Del Camino to Molinaseca
What beautiful weather we had today for our 26.5 KM hike over the mountains (600 meters ascent). We started out from Rabanal as day light was breaking at 8:10 am with only David carrying a pack. I am still hobbling about and when I add the weight of the pack to my poor left foot not much progess is made.
Within 7 KM we climbed 400 meters, which actually at the beginning of the day was not too bad. We had a coffee and tea at Foncebadon. While sitting there some perigrinos went by on horse back. We could tell they did not look like they could ride by the way they held onto the pummel! Anyway it looks those horses came all the way here based on the droppings on the trail. One way to do this very picturesque stage.
Another way is to be a black lab dog on a small platform on the back of a bike. We saw the lab at dinner tonight and tales of him have spread along the Camino. Also there is a French woman walking since July 16th with her little Tesian (sp ?) dog. The dog is carried infront of Fabian along with her own camelback hose. Fabian sends her pack ahead and carries the dog and a day pack! Dog weighs 5 Kilos. The dog does walk sometimes as well as the lab running by the bike.
At the high point of our walk today was the Cruz de Ferro which is 1,504 meters above sea level and the highest point of the Camino. There is a simple iron cross at the top of a pole and perigrinos have been bringing rocks and other mementos and tokens of love and blessings. It is an interesting monument to a collective journey. We left the Tau wood cross that the nuns of the Convent de Santa Clara had made in recognition of Robin (my Mother) and Athena who are watching over us, for our families and particularly our elderly and their caregivers. Prior to August there were monks in Rabanal who at the mass would bless the items that were going to be left at this spot. Apparantly the mass also included memorable gregorian chants. When I had finally dragged myself out of bed yesterday late afternoon to find out about mass I learned there was no mass. The Monks had been thrown out by the local townspeople over the ownership of the church. So Rabanal no longer meets the spiritual needs of the perigrinos, which is a shame as it is a lovely old town.
We passed through several old towns that have come back to life with the increased traffic on the Camino.
We had lunch around 2 pm in Acebo along with a walking tour bus of 29 Austrailians and 1 from (71 year old) lady from Barbados. This group hiked down 8 KM and then had lunch and then got back on their big bus and drove off. The tour company was from Canada and related to teachers. They made an interesting fashion statement in their white shirts, scarfs and pearl earings. I am so glad I have my scarf and David his ascot for our evening (thank you Kay for that tip). I have also decided that kakhi is the best color to wear on the Camino as the dirt doesn't show. Wearing white is a dead give away that you are not walking the Way!
We arrived in town at 6pm and then were scrambling to get our laundry done- it is now hanging all over the room to dry. We each have a new blister to deal with because we did not stop the last 2 hours to cool our feet. We knew we should have stopped!
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Within 7 KM we climbed 400 meters, which actually at the beginning of the day was not too bad. We had a coffee and tea at Foncebadon. While sitting there some perigrinos went by on horse back. We could tell they did not look like they could ride by the way they held onto the pummel! Anyway it looks those horses came all the way here based on the droppings on the trail. One way to do this very picturesque stage.
Another way is to be a black lab dog on a small platform on the back of a bike. We saw the lab at dinner tonight and tales of him have spread along the Camino. Also there is a French woman walking since July 16th with her little Tesian (sp ?) dog. The dog is carried infront of Fabian along with her own camelback hose. Fabian sends her pack ahead and carries the dog and a day pack! Dog weighs 5 Kilos. The dog does walk sometimes as well as the lab running by the bike.
At the high point of our walk today was the Cruz de Ferro which is 1,504 meters above sea level and the highest point of the Camino. There is a simple iron cross at the top of a pole and perigrinos have been bringing rocks and other mementos and tokens of love and blessings. It is an interesting monument to a collective journey. We left the Tau wood cross that the nuns of the Convent de Santa Clara had made in recognition of Robin (my Mother) and Athena who are watching over us, for our families and particularly our elderly and their caregivers. Prior to August there were monks in Rabanal who at the mass would bless the items that were going to be left at this spot. Apparantly the mass also included memorable gregorian chants. When I had finally dragged myself out of bed yesterday late afternoon to find out about mass I learned there was no mass. The Monks had been thrown out by the local townspeople over the ownership of the church. So Rabanal no longer meets the spiritual needs of the perigrinos, which is a shame as it is a lovely old town.
We passed through several old towns that have come back to life with the increased traffic on the Camino.
We had lunch around 2 pm in Acebo along with a walking tour bus of 29 Austrailians and 1 from (71 year old) lady from Barbados. This group hiked down 8 KM and then had lunch and then got back on their big bus and drove off. The tour company was from Canada and related to teachers. They made an interesting fashion statement in their white shirts, scarfs and pearl earings. I am so glad I have my scarf and David his ascot for our evening (thank you Kay for that tip). I have also decided that kakhi is the best color to wear on the Camino as the dirt doesn't show. Wearing white is a dead give away that you are not walking the Way!
We arrived in town at 6pm and then were scrambling to get our laundry done- it is now hanging all over the room to dry. We each have a new blister to deal with because we did not stop the last 2 hours to cool our feet. We knew we should have stopped!
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Astorga by bus then hike up to Rabanal
This will be a short report subject to later improvement as Leslie, the usual drafter of these notes, is exhausted after our climb to Rabinal just below the highest point on the Camino.
We rose at 4am to get checked out and catch the 6am bus from Leon to Astorga, arriving at 7am still in the dark. We saw the church designed by Gaudi and other points of interest as we walked through the sleeping town, stopped at an old church where an old priest greeted each pilgrim, had a coffee at Santa Catalina, lunch at Ganso, and ran out of water on the last 5 Km into Rabanal. Made it by 2pm and had a basic double room.
The local monks at the monestery have been chased out so no pilgrim mass or Gregorian chants. More on this later. Cute village.
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We rose at 4am to get checked out and catch the 6am bus from Leon to Astorga, arriving at 7am still in the dark. We saw the church designed by Gaudi and other points of interest as we walked through the sleeping town, stopped at an old church where an old priest greeted each pilgrim, had a coffee at Santa Catalina, lunch at Ganso, and ran out of water on the last 5 Km into Rabanal. Made it by 2pm and had a basic double room.
The local monks at the monestery have been chased out so no pilgrim mass or Gregorian chants. More on this later. Cute village.
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Leon Last Day
We are really enjoying our days off and spend a lot of time in the reclined position. We now have our plans in place for moving forward tomorrow in that we booked the next 2 nights accomodation and we have tentatively mapped out our days to reach Santiago on October 7th in the evening. On October 8th we will complete the documentation for the Compestella, pilgramage completion document, and attend the pilgrim mass at noon.
Tomorrow night at Rabanal our first choice place was booked but we found a spot in another pension. We have arranged to send 1 pack ahead . The next 3 days are some of the prettiest of the Camino and we climb to the highest point on Friday.
We went to the bus station to see about bus tickets and now have 2 tickets on the 6am bus to Astorga, from where we will then start walking and ascend 400 meters during the 21.4 KM.
I spent some time in a nearby beauty salon getting my hair done. A lovely pampered feeling and now not a grey hair shows!
We went to the Basilica de San Isidoro and were very impressed with the murals from the 11th century. We saw our fellow perigrino, the widow walking in her deceased husband's favorite skirt, and were happy to see she was still going forward.
The church has evidences of Moorish craftsman on both sides of the transcript with the multifoiled arches. We also stood under the "door of forgiveness" which those perigrinos too sick and ill to continue on to Santiago could go to and still receive the same indulgences.
Purchased a number of foot dressings for the next week and are hoping any problems encountered will be minor.
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Tomorrow night at Rabanal our first choice place was booked but we found a spot in another pension. We have arranged to send 1 pack ahead . The next 3 days are some of the prettiest of the Camino and we climb to the highest point on Friday.
We went to the bus station to see about bus tickets and now have 2 tickets on the 6am bus to Astorga, from where we will then start walking and ascend 400 meters during the 21.4 KM.
I spent some time in a nearby beauty salon getting my hair done. A lovely pampered feeling and now not a grey hair shows!
We went to the Basilica de San Isidoro and were very impressed with the murals from the 11th century. We saw our fellow perigrino, the widow walking in her deceased husband's favorite skirt, and were happy to see she was still going forward.
The church has evidences of Moorish craftsman on both sides of the transcript with the multifoiled arches. We also stood under the "door of forgiveness" which those perigrinos too sick and ill to continue on to Santiago could go to and still receive the same indulgences.
Purchased a number of foot dressings for the next week and are hoping any problems encountered will be minor.
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Leon Day 2
A lovely sunny day that warmed up to low 70s. We took a taxi over to the Corroes to get our mail package of GORP, protein powder, Febreze, camel back cleaning tablets, antiseptic wipes etc. We also sent on to Santiago a package weighing about 1 1/2 lbs of stuff we had not used - mainly extra vitamins. In the post office I asked the assitance from anothe elderly customer as to what service button we needed to push in order to get a number for the correct line. She was helpful and realized we could do better conversing in French than in Spanish. She understood we were peregrinos from the USA and invited us to come home with her for a meal and we could sleep there. We thanked her very much but said we had a hotel and were on our way to the hospital. What a random act of kindness she offered!
We then walked a couple of blocks to the Santos Central Hospital that is noted in a pilgrim guide for services we had gotten from the Convent of Santa Clara. We had looked at it when I had my fever trying to determine where the nearest medical facility was. Anyway we went to this clinic to check on David's shin as it is the leg he broke and damaged some 42 years ago in India on his motorcycle. We wanted to be sure he didn't have a stress fracture and could continue to walk. We were told by the lady at information " perigrinos to the 4th floor" (nice to know our ailments are seen together as all probably relate to long distance walking). We saw a Dr. Gil who understood English better than he spoke it and after examing David said with two days rest and an anti- inflamatory medication David should be good to start the Camino again. No charges for medical advice.
We got the prescription filled and then went to our Chinese buffet for lunch. Washed our clothes and used the Febreze on our stinky backpacks, boots, and gloves as we were having drinks with E2 at the hotel bar and wanted to share this specialty item with them.
Elaine has gotten bed bugs over the last few days but Errol hasn't. They have been staying in their own rooms and not in the dorm albergues so are not happy with her problem!
We went to the cathedral which has lovely intact stained glass windows from the 13th century. I remember traveling with my family (Zinola) through France visiting churches with famous stained glass windows and Dad had quiet a few books on the subject.
Tomorrow we will do a little bit of touring but mostly rest and plan for moving forward Thursday, Sept 24th.
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We then walked a couple of blocks to the Santos Central Hospital that is noted in a pilgrim guide for services we had gotten from the Convent of Santa Clara. We had looked at it when I had my fever trying to determine where the nearest medical facility was. Anyway we went to this clinic to check on David's shin as it is the leg he broke and damaged some 42 years ago in India on his motorcycle. We wanted to be sure he didn't have a stress fracture and could continue to walk. We were told by the lady at information " perigrinos to the 4th floor" (nice to know our ailments are seen together as all probably relate to long distance walking). We saw a Dr. Gil who understood English better than he spoke it and after examing David said with two days rest and an anti- inflamatory medication David should be good to start the Camino again. No charges for medical advice.
We got the prescription filled and then went to our Chinese buffet for lunch. Washed our clothes and used the Febreze on our stinky backpacks, boots, and gloves as we were having drinks with E2 at the hotel bar and wanted to share this specialty item with them.
Elaine has gotten bed bugs over the last few days but Errol hasn't. They have been staying in their own rooms and not in the dorm albergues so are not happy with her problem!
We went to the cathedral which has lovely intact stained glass windows from the 13th century. I remember traveling with my family (Zinola) through France visiting churches with famous stained glass windows and Dad had quiet a few books on the subject.
Tomorrow we will do a little bit of touring but mostly rest and plan for moving forward Thursday, Sept 24th.
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Monday, September 21, 2009
El Burgo Ranero to Leon by taxi
We see the mountains off to our north/west, as it is another very clear, cool (40s) and sunny morning.
We had booked the Parador Hostal San Marcos (100€s per night) back in Burgos over the internet. As we were now showing up a day early they agreed to let us stay tonight at the same rate. This is a gorgeous historic building built by the king as a hospital for pilgrims. Now serving our needs for R and R! We have a lovely room with a view over trees and manicured hedges and a balcony with table and chairs.
After we arrived, we made our way to the Centro de Salud Hospital and saw a couple of doctors. Within an hour we were sent home, Leslie having a special bandage and with we believe the instructions to continue the Z pack antibiotic we started last night and to rest for 2 days. She also had some additional draining and bandages only for the price of her pain (no money charged).
We are in the perfect hotel for rest as the hotel has CNN in English. First time we have seen or heard news since we arrived in Spain. Across the street is a Chinese buffet and, as the world over, they are cheap and this place is delicious. We are overjoyed to have vegetables!
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Sunday, September 20, 2009
Terradillos to Sahagun and on to El Burgo Ranero by taxi
The first several towns showed Moorish influence as Arab artisans helped build several of the churches and other prominent buildings using fine brickwork that has stood for centuries.
Leslie could not walk far in her boots due to a blister and surrounding area that seems to have become infected, so she changed to her Teva sandals and we made it by noon about 16 Km to Sahagun and its old ruins. Then it was clear she could not continue, so we asked a bar man to call us a cab to take us to our albergue in El Burgo Ranero that we had reserved earlier, about 13 Km further on. When the cab arrived it had 2 Danish ladies in it that we had said goodbye 'Hasta Luego' to the day before, and they had corrected us, saying we would not see them again. But they had seen our cab en route to pick us up and we shared the first part of their ride to Leon. You never know!
Our albergue is modern and lacking in charm, and the village is very small but was at the right distance to walk.
After we arrived at our albergue, we noticed that Leslie's foot looked worse and she had a low grade fever, and since there is no medical facility here we made arrangements for a cab to Leon tomorrow. We have started her on a Z pack of general antibiotics that we carry , and some Advil.
We will see if we can check into the parador one day early, and this should give us a couple days to recover our health and for feet to heal. And Leon is reputed to be a very interesting city.
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
Carrion to Terradillos
A flat smelly landscape with all the fresh manure out in the fields. A cold biting headwind from the northwest for the first 17KM, but on the bright side, no rain, nice clear skies and sunshine.
Some of this was on the old paved Roman road known as the Via Aquitana that connected Rome to Astorga, which we will walk through after Leon.
We got off to a disorganized and late start as in discussing various aches and pains, no plan had been made the night before because we were not sure how we should plan to (be able to) walk. At 9:30 am we asked the convent hospitalaros to make us a reservation at the Albergue Jacques de Molay (20 € for a double room no bath). The reservation was good if we arrived by 4pm. We knew that accepting that deadline time was going to be tough for us to get there. I (leslie) was carrying about 5 lbs of David's stuff (injured left calf) which after 17KM was exhausting so I had to give it back to him to carry. At that point he was feeling perkier than I was!
Passed a lady hiking with a red floral skirt and asked about it. She was from Sydney Australia and first joked that she thought she was in Hawaii. Then she said her husband had passed away in July and she was walking The Camino in his favorite dress. David complimented her late husband on his good taste in dresses and life partners.
We made it to our hostel at 4:30 and they had saved our private room - great for us!
This Albergue will serve us dinner (8 €s each) and breakfast as well (3 €s each) but they throw us out at 8 am. We did a laundry in the shower which means we wear our hiking clothes into the shower and they get washed along with us. Very basic really when you are so tired you have a hard time moving.
In the bigger picture, today we got through another test. We also passed the halfway mark to Santiago.
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Friday, September 18, 2009
Fromista to Carrion de Los Condes
Euros extra when we needed more caffeine. Not a fancy or cute place at all and we would not recommend the town even!. We had had dinner with our Swedish friends at a place that opened at 6pm an unheard of hour for the Spanish. The 9 € Pilgrim menu was pretty bad too. David was adventurous and had ox tail.
Today's walk was a rather soulless one along a track next to the highway for 20 KM and only an ascent of 50 meters. Weather was cold, and very overcast but while walking we did not really have any rain.
We had one interesting stop at Villalcazar de Sirga, which had the church of St Mary the White built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century. The church has a panel depicting the life of St. James. There is also a well known restaurant here called El Meson, but it didn't open for another 1 1/2 hrs, so we decided to continue on our way to our accommodations at the Convent of Santa Clara. The place was chosen because of the old family ties to Santa Clara, CA. The nuns are sequestered behind bars and don't mix with society. They bake cookies to sell and have an albergues along with a few separate en suite rooms (48 €). We confirmed the guide book that St Francis of Assisi stayed in these 13th century buildings.
Carrion is an historic town and has several churches among them one, Santa Maria del Camino, that has a doorway depicting the story that Clarion was once a place where the Moorish overlords required Christians to surrender 100 virgins every year.
We had a delicious Perigrino Menu (9 € each) at a place near the Convent and my trout was delicious and I have gotten better at the whole de-boning process.
We don't have accommodation reservations for tomorrow as we are not sure of the distance that we can do, so we will see how tomorrow plays out. We got rained on going shopping for juice and the way to dinner. This was the last day of walking for our Swedish friends and they are working to get themselves to Madrid now. Many Europeans walk the Camino in tranches and thus complete it over a number of years.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Castrojeriz to Fromista
Mark the young German caught up with us and shared that he had had a nice evening with 6 other pilgrims and that they had seen the Milky Way very clearly. These stars are supposed to lead the way to Santiago.
We walked most of the day with our Swedish friends whose last day of walking is tomorrow. Part of the way today was on a old Roman road followed by a Roman bridge Puente de Itero which has 11 arches and when you get to the other side of the Rio Pisuerga you are in Palencia province. We walked the last few KM along the Canal de Castilla which was lovely. We crossed over the canal at a lock area and were reminded of how much Dad enjoyed seeing the lock activity while we were on the river cruise in Russia last year.
We went to check out the medical facilities with regard to one of David's blisters, and they were going to charge 48 to 75€s just to see him, so he decided to trot down to the pharmacy where for 14 €s we have their solution to the problem. We will see how it goes tomorrow.
We got our sello in the church here and then had a miserable perigrino dinner, but what the heck, they started serving at 6pm, so we were happy.
Fromista is best known for its 11th century Romanesque church Inglesia de San Martin which we saw from the outside on our way to the Farmacia. The skies opened up at that point to we were dashing to the above mentioned restaurant and never got a picture nor went inside. Laundry is going to be wet tomorrow so our backpacks will have an interesting collection of items hanging off them!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hornillos Del Camino to Castrojeriz
The owner drove us back the 6 KM to the Camino where his son had picked us up , and we were walking by 9:15. We met a German young man from Frankfurt who had arrived in Burgos the previous day and had started walking very late in the day and was walking in the dark till he got to an Albergue. Mark is 6' 5" and is carrying a huge pack, maybe 30 lbs, and he is now contemplating how to unload a few things. David helped him handle his first blister. We walked the day with him up until San Anton Convent ( now an Albergue) founded in the 11th century where he stopped for the night. His Albergue was basically 6 bunk beds in the most preserved part of the ruins with 1 toilet, sink, and cold water only shower. His feet were hurting along with collar bone so he chose to get a bed there rather than walk further. The ancient monastery and hospice was founded by the Antonine order which was founded by the French in the 11th century. The Order's symbol is the Tau (19th letter of Greek alphabet and symbolizing divine protection against evil and sickness). This T shaped cross has become the Cruz del Peregrino. I bought the wood cross made by the nuns at the Convento de Santa Clara which is 1/2 KM from here, but we didn't have the energy to go there, so we just admired it from our hilltop location. There is also the monastery of San Francisco within sight. Castrojeriz is a fortified old town with Roman and Visigothic remains (may have been founded by Julius Caesar) and was the area around which much fighting occurred between the Moors and Christians. The town though now is pretty empty.
We also were joined at various coffee breaks by the Swedes John and Patricia, who had gone to the casa rural with us the night before. John spent 20 years in the USA around Davis, CA where he got various degrees in agriculture. He met and later married Patricia, who was Guatemalan of English ancestry. Her ability with Spanish proved very useful to our group. She helped Mark confirm that there would be dinner served among the ruins.
Today we covered 21 Km with an elevation rise 250 M. We no longer have much faith in our guidebook's reported elevation changes as it only gives a very rough picture of the climbing we do. We had really our first easy day where feet felt good, pack felt lighter than usual..
By dumb luck there was 1 room left at La Cachava which is a darling old place and our room, 1 of 10, has a lovely view of the old castle up on the hill! Also the en suite bathroom has a lovely bathtub for soaking. We decided to do the full package so dinner and breakfast was included.
It has been very cold all day and we were happy to be wearing our rain jackets and 2 other layers of clothing.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Burgos to Hornillos del Camino
The Camino out of Burgos goes past the Hospital del Rey which was an important place for pilgrims needing treatment along the way. Beautiful 12th to 16th century buildings. We were mostly on earthen track where the wheat, barley and oats are grown. We had our picnic lunch in the town of Tarjados in the square with the fountain. There was a small tabac shop that I got some stamps and also tooth paste. Our rush hour Spanish CD has really been helpful!
It was cold and windy all day low 50s so we had our fleeces on all day. David has been threatening to send his fleece back as it weighs a pound and had not used it until today. But today changed his mind. Also had huge dark storm clouds that we managed to stay ahead of as a rain storm but when we arrived in Hornillos there was no room at the casa rural where David wanted to stay and the Albergues was also full. No bed!
We went into the village store to get a diet coke, the solution to all life's problems, and we met Patricia who speaks English and Spanish. She and her husband John are also trying to find accommodation. To make a long story short all 4 of us got picked up by a young Spaniard with a car and taken to a casa rural El Moulino a few kilometers away. It has 4 en suite rooms, a stream and lovely patio and garden. They will serve us dinner tonight (12 €s each) the room and breakfast is 48€ and a ride back to the Camino is included. Given there were no other options, other than to walk another 5 KM and likely find the same situation of full hostels, this seems great.
So here we sit with our feet up, a glass of white wine, ascot and scarf on, a wonderful fire going - what more could we ask for?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Burgos
We walked out the medieval gate and across the bridge and down a few blocks to the correos to get our care package, and had no trouble collecting it. We walked back along part of the pilgrim route so we would see what it was like and picked up some food items for our lunch tomorrow while we walked.
We spent several hours in the cathedral as it is very beautiful and there are interesting exhibits in the cloisters. There was an acousta guide but we did not get it but wish we had. We are always looking for Moorish (Mudejar) influences and found a couple in ceilings, crosses and other decorative items.
In the cathedral we saw an alter centerpiece with St James the moor slayer. It is believed that in the battle of Clavijo in 844, in which St. James is said to have appeared in the sky on a white charger and rallied the outnumbered Christian forces to victory over their Moorish foes, resulting in the slaughter of 50,000 Moors. Hence Santiago Matamoros, or St. James the Moor Slayer, the one portrayed with a sword rather than a pilgrim's staff.
Dad would have enjoyed the reconstruction exhibit they had.
After nap time we did a short walking tour of El Cid sites around the town.
We made reservations for ourselves at the Parador in Leon for the nights of Sept 22 and 23. Tomorrow we are off to do the Meseta which some people don't do because it is not as interesting. The older Korean couple we were traveling with took a bus to Leon and then started walking again from there.
We bought a silver teaspoon here for our collection. The spoon base is a scallop shell and the top is the Burgos Christ on the cross. Thankfully the weight of it is not too much!
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