Category Archives: Camino de Santiago

Do I Really Need a Reason to Justify Doing the Camino?

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Bonding as we journey

Bonding as we journey

And Your Point Is?

June 11, 2014

I was asked why I’m doing the Camino de Santiago. Was this for a religious reason?
I have many reasons and not just one will suffice.

I like to explore. It can be at home in my own backyard, but I enjoy venturing out and partaking in life. Everyday is an adventure. Going on a pilgrimage, such as this is for me an epic adventure. It is fun. Exciting. Scary. This is outside of my comfort zone. I need to rely on others to help me along the way. This is a humbling experience because usually I am the one who is steering the boat, so to speak.

I believe that I should instill in my children a thirst for attaining knowledge. Traveling broadens their horizons. Going on a pilgrimage with my 19, soon to be 20 year old daughter is a bonding experience. I’m showing her that it is a good thing to challenge oneself and go interact with others in the world. What a great experience to do this together. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know everything, but I’m willing to ask for help. I believe that by showing my daughter that we can go venture into the unknown, we are empowering ourselves with fortitude, strength and humility. When I’m old, we will look at pictures together of this adventure and tell lots of stories to the next generation. What a great opportunity to do this together when we can, before life becomes more complicated.

We both had a cancer scare. It smacked us up side our heads by surprise. A very eye wakening experience for the two of us. Life can end at any time in any place. Why put off until tomorrow what can be done today. And with this thought in mind, the seed was planted to go and live life now, not wait for some day. We should take glory in the present and rejoice in the life that God has created for us.

What do I hope to gain from this pilgrimage? So many thoughts to that question.

A feeling of freedom. A belief in myself for being able to endure all things, even be able to overcome difficult situations that I don’t haven control over, but that I will have the fortitude to move forward and persevere. That my daughter will witness this and see how we can overcome problems together and not just by ourselves.
We will have a sense of accomplishment. When the going got tough, we kept on going and that it was/is ok to acknowledge that situations do not always go as planned. Change the course and make your own path. Create your own journey.

When we are born, we don’t have a playbook/guidebook/travel guide to follow. We are dependent upon others to mentor us along the way. We make mistakes. We learn from them. We gain more wisdom and knowledge as we grow older. Only through first- hand experience can we obtain these lessons.
This pilgrimage, is a reflection of life’s journey for me. We are on the road discovering sights and sounds that we can’t witness first-hand, sitting at home on the couch, reading about others adventures or watching the travelogue special.

Bottom-line, life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. The world is a beautiful place. The people who populate it are fascinating. By going outside our comfort zone, we are embracing the unknown and welcoming whatever we find on our path. The good, the bad and the ugly. And the best part, we are not alone, doing this by ourself. Just as we mature, we have others to lean on. All we have to do is humble ourselves, open our mouths and ask.

Just like from the beginning of birth, leaving our Heavenly Father’s presence and security of being with him, to come test ourself on Earth and to the end of life when we die to return Home to his presence once again, we are not alone. Guidebooks are full of suggestions, but it is up to each of us to decide how we are going to travel on our own journey. To own it. Buena Camino!

 

Slow Down, Take it Easy

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Hanging in the cathedral

Hanging in the cathedral

Checking out the morning sights

Checking out the morning sights

Easy Rider

June 12, 2014

Last night as we were sitting in the kitchen area of the huge Albergue, two people came over to ask if I was, Shawna. Turns out, Liz and Alek are following me on the American Pilgrim site and are fans of mine. Oh my gosh…I’ve got groupies!

It was nice to sleep in without having to hurry and pack up and get out by 6:30 am. However, a woman decided that 4 am was a good time to take a shower, which was located not to far from my bed!

We packed up and moved to another Albergue- Divina Pastora down the street from last night. It too is 5€ for each of us. We were escorted by one of the hostel workers. Something got lost in the translation. He thought we wanted our bags transported when we wanted them stored…ahhh! But anyway, we came and got a bed, but not before the owner looked at us and translated to another guy who translated to us, that we were too fat for the top bunks.

Someone broke one of the top bunks last night due to being too heavy and the frame bent. I took a picture of it. We are real careful about bunk bed safety as is. I get to sleep on a bed mat on the floor next to Abby. Fine with me.

Then as we headed out to watch Burgos wake up on the morning. Most pilgrims are gone by 7 am. They hit the road early to beat the heat of the day. But we got to enjoy watching what happens in the morning. For instance, a duo, dressed up in fancy cloaks, came out onto a terrace and played their horns a couple of times. Some kind of official morning ritual? I don’t know, but Abby and I were the only ones in the plaza who witnessed this performance. We videotaped it. How cool is that?

I got my hair cut at the salon. That was fun trying to explain that I wanted shorter hair, but not too short. The woman really did give my head a scrub. We went and visited the market place. We got to stand and watch all the different parts of animals placed out to be sold…pig noses, bull balls, very tongue imaginable, pig lungs, pig feet and ears…very fascinating watching the fish woman gut a fish. We meandered around the whole place taking in the sights, smells and sounds. Then we spent two hours touring the cathedral. Abby wouldn’t take a picture of me laying on the ground next to the sarcophagus. She said it wasn’t appropriate.

Darn it!

Now we will take a nap and go find some churros and chocolate.

This is how we do the Camino. Slowly, but really soaking up the experiences.

European hair cut

European hair cut

 

Thou Shall Not Kill

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Stacked high like cords of wood

Stacked high like cords of wood

Pilgrim Etiquette ( how to keep yourself and others from killing each other)

June 10, 2014

First off, recognize that you, yourself have habits that others will find disgusting, weird, bizarre, sick, twisted, horrifying…and you think your behavior is perfectly normal. You aren’t normal. You are a pilgrim on a 500 mile journey, living out of a backpack.

And let us begin with a few things I have observed and you should avoid doing ( right now…it is all about me and my comfort zone).

*You might think that your sh*# doesn’t stink but it does and everyone else’s does too. You fart, I fart, we all fart. And we poop too. And it stinks. Try not to let one rip while you are the occupant of a top bunk. That smell just permeates through the mattress and I swear I can see that stink cloud hovering over me. Aim your butt sideways. And yes…EVERYONE can hear EVERYTHING that is going on in your bunk and in the bathroom. It is life. We are packed into small rooms. Sounds travel.
Please don’t stay in the toilet until the smell disappears. Those of us standing in line outside the door really need to use the bathroom in the morning. You don’t have the luxury of waiting till the smell leaves. We are pilgrims. We will deal with it.

*The WC ( water closet, toilet) is not your personal changing room with a locked door. People have to pee in the morning while you are inside taking your sweet time being modest. We are pilgrims. We will deal with seeing you in your undies. In fact, I say flaunt it. Go buy some wild and crazy knickers so we all can laugh and you can make friends. We are pilgrims. We can deal with it.

*Taking a shower is a necessity, it is not the steam room. You get 5 minutes of warm water. Spending 25 minutes filling the bathroom and the adjoining bedrooms with steam will cause you to lose face with the rest of us pilgrims because of your thoughtless actions you have bogarted ALL the hot/warm/lukewarm water for EVERYONE else and have left us literally in the freezing cold. We don’t like this. We are pilgrims and we will deal with it, but we might not treat you nicely anymore.

*Snoring, like farting, comes with the pilgrim territory. Just a fact of life. Hot air will escape from either the pie hole or the butt hole ( if it comes out your ear or nose holes, you will look like a cartoon character). We are pilgrims. We can deal with it.

*No one wants to hear you yelling, talking loudly or fighting with your spouse, friend, kid, the temp fling that you picked up while on the trail, while you are both at opposite ends of the hostel. Or better yet, one of you is at the farthest end of the hostel while you are in the shower with the hot water on and you are ripping each other a new one. We are pilgrims out here on a journey that involves self reflection…quietly…and a lot of us left this kind of drama at home. Don’t share your quarrel with the rest of us ( especially when it is in a language I can’t understand). We are pilgrims, not your therapist. And because we are pilgrims, a great many will deal with it instead of yelling, “SHUT-UP!” Unless you are in the same hostel as me. And then, I’m going to give you the disapproving, shame-on-you teacher look that EVERYONE can understand in any language.

*Do NOT sit on someone else’s bunkbed, especially on their pillow, with your sweaty, stinky, smelly backside! (This just happened to me. Stupid boys, with crap for brains and porno vocabulary)
Pilgrims are supposed to be considerate and this type of misbehavior is disgusting. Where is common sense?
I am a pilgrim and am supposed to be thinking kindly towards my fellow beings…I am a work in progress.

For me…my bad habits include, cutting my toe and fingernails wherever…kitchen table, bedside, living room, outside, in the bathroom…same goes with flossing my teeth. Anywhere, anytime. I’m refraining from doing these two things in public. So if I can make an v effort, others can too. Just have to put your mind to it.

There are more etiquette scenarios to cover. Stay tune as I eek them out over time.

 

Hotel CA…NOT!

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Cute town

Cute town

In the Arm Pit of the Devil Spawn

June 10, 2014

We have jumped ahead. Taken a bus to Najerino ( we have cramps which has created back pain and stomach pain and who can wear a backpack with these things going on?) and are staying in a donativo. It sucks. Really.

The place is nice ( no wifi, very cramped…think of summer camp as a kid with bunk beds right next to each…I can reach out and touch the bed next to mine), the hosts are nice. The cute little kitchen is nice ( but no way can it accommodate more than two people cooking). However, there is this group of Neanderthal, cigar smoking, crotch scratching, Mafia, macho men, with one I believe to be a bookie. Really. He has a notebook, gets calls and makes calls every few minutes, writes in his book and yells in his phone. He and another man, are the ring leaders for a group of pigs…uh…men. They are rude, pushy, crude and if we hadn’t already bought the ingredients to fix our meals with, we would leave. We don’t know if the other hostel has a kitchen.

The rude two, quickly shoved others aside to be first in line and had the other men give them their credentials to attain beds, before the rest of us who cued up.
Then while I’m checking in, the two guys took over the kitchen and commandeered the entire place and filled up the stove with all their pots. I was told to come back in 40-60 minutes.

I am in no mood to be messed with. Not during this time of the month. Do. Not. Mess. With. A. PMS woman.

To top it off, two of the younger guys in this group are practicing their pick- up lines in English. I can not write what they are saying because my blog is rated PG-13 and is not a porno site. Trust me when I say I got disgusted, looked at them and “ummmphhhheeeed” The sentences they said might pick up a prostitute, but certainly is not appropriate to say out loud in a public setting like this. I have been around plenty of men and NONE of them have EVER used these words out loud with women present. They must be learning English phrases from porn videos. That is the only thing I can surmise as they keep repeating them to each other over and over.

What pigs. And they are sleeping next to me. And there are only 6 women staying here among the 80 men. And in my bottom bunkbed as I lay there, I am treated to looking at the guy’s crotch who has a bed above me, but he stands at my eye level while fiddling with his stuff ( not the stuff in his pants….the stuff on his bed).

I predict that tonight this place will be filled with a lot of animal sounds and barnyard smells. We will not repeat this experience again.

Oh…I forgot to mention the guy with lice. He looks really super creepy. Like Richard Ramerize’s booking photo. He has long hair pulled into a bun. He has been scratching the back of his neck constantly and pulling little things out, looking at his fingers and repeating the gestures. We are creeped out.

All I want to do is soak my feet in ice water. I go to the laundry room to see what they have in there and I come face to…well…bottomless man! He has taken off his pants and undies and has his shirt pulled up over his head as he is trying to undress and toss his clothes into the washer. OH. MY. GOSH. What kind of place have we stumbled into?

So much for a relax day. I think I will sleep with my knife tonight while holding onto Abby tightly.

Sucking the Life Out of Life

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Suckin it up

Suckin it up

Suck…Suck…Suck

June 9, 2014

Today was a sucky type of day, in a great way. We saw lots of babies sucking from their mommy. A cute little foal that was born just prior to us seeing it. And then who doesn’t love baby kittens, though these guys were quite large to be nursing on their mother.

We arrived to the fountain that spews fourth wine freely for all to partake too late in the afternoon. Each day, it is filled up in the morning for the pilgrims to consume as they walk by just prior to entering Estrella, but it usually runs out by noon. That was ok with us, as we don’t partake in vino, so we could suck on the water pouring out of the fountain.

And then for dinner tonight, we bought these cute little yogurt cups…we thought they were a type of custard/flan thing, but no, this was just the ceramic jars that the yogurt is cooked in ( I really want to bring these home. Cute little clay pots. But…no. They weigh too much). It is made from sheep’s milk and isn’t sweetened come to find out. So we ate it with the sweet peaches we bought.

Today’s 10 mile walk ( others are walking 15-18 miles daily) fell between “this is a walk in a kids park” to ” suck it up, you can do it”. We left a beautiful Albergue that was small and intimate and we enjoyed the company of the 10 other people staying there, at 7 am. What a beautiful morning for walking. I love walking at 6:30/7 am out here just when nature is awakening. The morning sun is pale pink in the sky. The breeze is cool. The smells are intoxicating. The little villages that we walk through are still sleepy and still.

It is a very well travelled path. Tons of people walked by us intent on arriving to Estrella. I have been singing a Lynyrd Skynard song, pieces of ” give me three steps…” And the Beatles, ” here comes the sun” and ” we all live in a yellow submarine” As I was walking,a group of three kids, Abby’s age, were behind me singing songs from Frozen. I joined in with them and told them that my class would sing these songs everyday. It was hot and yet we were channeling icy cold.

Abby and I are soaking up the sights. We are walking where the Romans marched. Where Napoleon traveled. We are walking through history. The bridges, paths, a wide variety of structures were built by ancient civilizations. It is awe inspiring to see them still standing and in use.

We arrived in Estrella around 2:30 pm, tired, sweaty and looking for a place to sleep. One place was full. The next place didn’t have hot water and I didn’t like the looks of the metal bunk beds. The third place, a municipal hostel had beds available. And the woman checking us in gave us our own private cubicle with a locked door! We scored. It only cost us 12€ for both of us. Perfect.

After taking a shower, washing our clothes by hand, hang drying them, we got ready to go to the market for food items. But there was a HUGE thunderstorm. Quickly I ran to pull our clothes off the line and just as quickly snagged the one dryer to stick the clothes in to dry. I offered to share it but nobody wanted to put their clothes in with us, even though I was paying the 2€ for the 40 minutes.

Finally we were able to go to market. Abby and I can’t get over the fact that we are walking through these wonderful streets. It is just way cool.

 

Rolling Stones Grow No Moss

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Thank goodness cows don't fly!

Thank goodness cows don’t fly!

All Roads That Lead to Rome Are Paved With Rock and Stone
(I know. I am walking on them)

June 9, 2014

And today’s product placement commercial is brought to you by the makers of Vaseline, Tampax and Coke.
Now a word from my sponsors ( I wish these companies would underwrite our pilgrimage).
For you of the male species, this part has no bearing on you. You just don’t get it. But us females…well…we want to know: How do you walk the Camino when it is that special time of month? I know YOU want to ask this question, because let’s face it, walking 500 miles takes some time and Aunt Flo will visit us females at least twice—oh lucky us.

I will try to remain tactful on this subject. If this is too much TMI for you to contemplate, don’t read any further. But I’m a practical, down- to- earth type of person and I believe that my blog is to entertain, educate and inform.

First off, I would highly suggest that you pack some ( not all) feminine hygiene products that you like to use. Chances are, your cycle will be thrown off ( me…not so lucky) and for some you just might stop altogether due to time change, food intake change, the amount of exercise you are doing…but just bring along a few women products as you don’t want to pack the extra wright. And you don’t want to be caught unaware in a small town on a holiday when all the stores are closed.

Yes, you can buy pads and tampons here along the Camino. The tiny stores will not sell the same brand you are used to, nor do they stock all the variety of sizes that you find in the States. Not much choice at all. However, because I am doing the homework for you, Tampax Tampons are found in all the stores ( the teeny tiny hole in the wall village store to the larger markets. Might not have the size you want in stock in the one store you first go to, but they do sell them. You will just have to stop at the different locations in town or proceed to the next town. I have found them being sold in packs of 20 in Light, Regular, Super and Super Plus and the cost is anywhere from 3.50-4.50 €. As for pads, well…I have only seen Spanish brands and I do not know what thickness or length they are.

Speaking of pads. For me personally, and yes…this goes into TMI, but at least you will be able to decide ahead of time what will work for you, instead of having an embarrassing situation occur. I can’t walk wearing them out here. To sweaty and this causes the pad sticky glue to not stick in place. At least that is what I am finding to happen.
For others who have done the Camino, please weigh in.

Also, there are plenty of bars and cafés with bathrooms that you can use ( you will need to purchase something…get a Coke or an Aquarius, which is a product of Coke- helps with those cramps) or, hide on the side of the road and put some survival skills to use. Don’t forget to pack out your stuff. Bring a few baggies with you to keep the Camino Hwy clean.
AND DON’T flush feminine products down the toilet!

And that brings me to Vaseline. I LOVE this product. It keeps your butt checks and inner sweaty thighs from chaffing! Trust me…if you are wearing a pad, it is going to shift and rub you raw in areas you don’t want to be rubbed raw in while walking long distances. It is a lot easier to take your shoes and socks off on the side of the road to deal with blisters by rubbing on Vaseline, but try doing this on the side of the road with your pants down around your ankles or your skirt flung over your shoulder to rub Vaseline where no one wants to see as they go walking by. Plus, those tiny gnats get stuck in the Vaseline and now you are wearing them.

Just saying.

Also, if you are a fan of the wet butt wipes like I am, bring along your pack from home ( I gladly carried the weight) and when you use them up, you can purchase these in smaller quantities in the Chinese stores found in many villages along the Camino or in the tiny markets.

There you go. Now you know what to expect when you cycle…not the bike riding cycle either.

 

 

Climb Every Mountain-leave no stone unturned

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Summer breeze

Summer breeze

Looks Can Be Deceiving (the guidebook lied)

June 8, 2014

I am going to write my own climbing book. It will present the facts as to how difficult a climb/walk is as well as the terrain to expect to walk on. I’m going to use the following phrases to paint the levels of difficultly:
“OH HELL NO!”
“What the bloody Hell!”
“This is a bitch”
“This sucks”
“Suck it up”
“Tough, but you can do it”
“That was a walk in the kiddy park”

I will not deceive my readers by offering lovely descriptions to lull one into believing that the trail is a breeze to do. The word, “easy” is in the eye of the beholder and for the hiker who is in tip- top form. Think of an Alp mountaineer, not me.

Which is why, I need to write hiking books. I will put my picture on the cover along with my body stats and say, “If I can hike, climb, walk or crawl to these places looking like this, than you can trust my description of what the path lays in store.”

Such were my thoughts today as I hit an area on the trail that I thought I might succumb to heat stroke. The guide states it is “Easy” and there is a 300m ascent just prior to entering the village of Maneru. Ok…I’m thinking…not too bad. What it failed to describe was that you are walking/climbing almost straight up the trail in some areas ( oh…who am I kidding…most areas) on slippery little ground up shards of rock. I am pretty sure that when it rains, the water and mud just bleed down the mountain. Oh…it is a mountain. We started out on a very nice flat terrain meandering along side fields of grain when we took a turn and kept on climbing…up…up…up. By the time we reached the top and looked back down, the tractor and farm equipment looked like miniatures!

And also, walking on this type of trail, watch what time of day you decide to walk. For instance, when the sun is mid- way in the sky, those light colored rocks reflect the sun right back at you. And check your water bottle. Don’t be like us and run out of water. Ug.

But in the end we did make it. Not that we had a choice, but it was a struggle. I was just happy to have lighten my backpack to be able to channel my nanny goat power (slugs would have fried in a nano second) and sing Sound of Music songs in my head, intermingled with curse words in every language I knew.

Now that is what I call motivation.

 

“All the Creatures Big and Small”

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Snake in the grass

Snake in the grass

“I Simply Remember the Beautiful Things…”

June 8, 2014

Reflecting on some observations these past few days in no particular order.

*Walking behind Abby and watching the blueish-pale grey butterflies flit around her as she unknowingly meanders down the trail. The butterflies follow her, attracted to her crazy multi purple colored pants and bright pink compression sleeves. They land on her, believing that she is a wild flower that is similar to the ones lining the side of the trail.

*Our excitement with finding different types of insects. We have spent quite some time examining the little creatures that we have ” discovered” along the way. Red with black spots winged insect that is similar to a Ladybug, but with an elongated feminine shape and not the typical squatty-body as the one seen in the States.

*We point out the various caterpillars inching along the trail or dangling from the fauna. Tiny bright green with black spots, covered with fine black hair. Black fuzzy thick ones. Orangish colored ones.

*We spent about 20 minutes observing a teeny tiny snake located in a garden bed by a park bench. No one else noticed its presence. They were too busy rushing by and not looking down. I was resting, waiting to be checked into an Albergue in Pamplona, when I spied the creature nestled amongst the green fauna. At first, I thought it to be a long earthworm, but as I studied it, I could make out its triangle shaped head. Abby and I watched as a teeny-tiny snail sat on top of its head. We wondered out loud what reaction would occur. The snail toppled off, the snake’s tongue flicked out, and it’s body wrapped up to continue sunbathing in the humid garden. All of this being watched over by an orangish-tan colored lizard sitting high up on an old cement pillar.

*Listening to the birds tweet in song. Beginning early in the morning and continuing late into the evening. The buzz of the bees. Big huge chunky black and yellow globs that makes you wonder how they are able to fly, but they do. Traveling from one flower to another, poking their bodies deep inside a flower, emerging with pollen dust on their head.

We meander along taking delight in these sights as others hurry by like the Mad Hatter focused intently on not being late to arrive at their next destination. For us, we have arrived and are enjoying sauntering along and watching the creepy crawlies proceed at their own pace.

We are at one with these insects and small creatures that live alongside The Way.

We Will Rock You

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Rocky road

Rocky road

“We Will Rock You”
June 7, 2014

After “Spa Day” we slept in our nice cozy beds as the wind howled like a French Banshee woman ( I am so going to keep this phrase going throughout this blog) and rain drizzled down off and on, we woke to a glorious morning. I’m chalking it up to me praying that we have excellent weather for walking over “The Hill” as I am extra cautious when it comes to mud, loose rocks and water streaming down trails. I have fallen/slid 15-20 ft off the side of a snowed in trail in the High Sierras, ran over a small pine tree ( ouch!) and when I came to a stop by a boulder, the snow gave out beneath me and I was stuck. My dad had to climb down and pull me out, due to me having no leverage at all to pull myself out and the weight of my backpack kept me down. I was 16. I am now 48. Sliding down a muddy trail or slipping on wet rocks…yup a concern of mine.

Anyway, we packed up and left at 7:30 am. Once again, a German came to my rescue for my backpack. He is an engineer. I told/ showed him the problem with the one shoulder strap that continues to slip. He decided that it was probably due to oils from my fingers which has loosened the strap. Needs to be scrubbed with soap and dried. Well…maybe later I can do this, but no help now. So he fixed it by tying the strap into a knot to keep it from slipping through the buckle. It WORKED the whole way!

Carrying my pack is working out ok. We continue to trudge along. The trail today that we were going to hike keeps going up and up and up…but not as steep as the Pyrenees. The view is one that is seen in all the Camino pictures-the Alto del Perdon featuring the wrought iron sculptures of medieval pilgrims, up by the HUGE wind turbines. We wanted this picture too and we were gifted with a beautiful day to take pictures as well as to walk. We arrived at the Albergue Camino del Perdon, in Uterga by 1:30 and walked about 11km. The descent was done all on loose rocks. Took careful time descending. My tendons on the top of my feet are inflamed and swollen. I’m soaking them in cold water and will elevate. Just not worth pushing ourselves (me) another 7km to end up where others we have been hanging with are going. I am listening to my body. It said “Stop. Now!”

Nope, we did not go as far as others are going. I am in awe with those whom stride by us, some with heavier packs than ours. A great many people in their late 60’s-70’s, just moving along like we are really slugs. I am greatly impressed. But like I have learned in having conversation with them, they have been hiking mountain terrain forever. One young woman from Norway told me that her parents did the Camino twice with the entire family in their teens and this was her third time. She said that they grew up climbing mountains daily and that is a way of life.
Not like us Americans. We drive our off- spring to school two blocks away because they might be late. We drive everywhere, even though we could walk the distance.

I have been having great conversations with lots of people from outside of the states. They are quite interesting. For example, when they come to CA ( and there is a package deal that seems to be the norm that Europeans purchase- Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco- drive Hwy 101) and rent a car, they are blown away with how large a compact size is and when they upgrade to economy size they feel completely swallowed up. One woman said that when they came home from their trip, her mom got into their teeny car and was disgusted with it. She wanted the American one. Also are the comments about the size of food portions that are served. And the coffee size and the Coke size. “So big…I ask for a large and they serve it in a bucket!” One man stated. “That’s America for you. We like big and cheap,” I said. We all laughed.

Our Camino isn’t like the others whom we have met. It is working for us. We have the luxury of time to slow down and meander along. We have no problem with the thought of taking a bus. That isn’t seen as a failure or cheating. It is an adventure! Many of the Pilgrims are on a time schedule due to vacation days. Others are caught in a race mentality. A great many are under the belief that they HAVE to follow the guidebook layout in order to be “successful.” To each their own as we maneuver across this rocky terrain, aka life.

 

Spa Day- Our Way-On the Hwy

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We are doing the Camino spa style

We are doing the Camino spa style

Spa Day
June 6, 2014

Ok…this might not look like the Korean Spa, but we do have similar ingredients-salt, vinegar and cold water. I will also be scrubbing our feet with pumice and than rubbing down both feet and legs with Vaseline. Feels great on our feet and ankles. Might even do this treatment again before bed.

We packed up our bags and headed out to the post office in Pamplona. They opened at 9 am and we already knew that by the time we started to climb “the hill” it would be very hot. Others who were going onto La Reina had said to avoid doing this in the heat of the day.

While on the way to the post office, a large group of middle school students were walking by us. Some girls stopped us to interview us…really they were more interested in interviewing Abby. Their assignment was to interview pilgrims in their native tongue. The teacher told me that the point of the assignment was to teach the students that they needed to know more than Spanish and English in order to be a pilgrim. She was their French teacher. The Spanish government heavily encourages their young people to walk either the full Camino or at least the last 100km ( the amount one has to walk in order to receive the Compostela) as this looks good on their resume when applying for the university and even for a job.

This took some time, but we enjoyed helping them fulfill their assignment. Afterwards, the teacher walked us to the post office. Ok, this was yet another experience in why you should familiarize yourself with the written language in the country you are traveling to. When you pack too much stuff ( it isn’t crap…it is good quality stuff that is needed for the Camino, but hey…every ounce counts!) and need to send it home, you have to fill out a form. And don’t count on having a friendly, English speaking postal worker to help you out. I will tell you right now, THAT is not going to happen.

We stuffed the box. Weighed the box. Gasped at the price to send the box home. Purged the box. Re-weighed the box and found it to still cost a lot, but it was doable for 36€. Yes…please go to my go fund me site and stick some more money into the account.
After we finished, we had the stuff leftover in the Ikea bag. So we placed the bag on a bench in the park. Someone will appreciate the good stuff within…unless the police are called for a bomb report.

Finally made it on to the Camino. We stopped at the fruit stand, the bread shop, the market. Then we had to find a restroom. We found it at the university AND we even got a cool Camino stamp on our credential for peeing!

Onto we walked. We are staying at this beautiful Albergue Roncal in Cizur Menor that is a family home. The gardens are way beautiful. Our feet. Our soul. Our body…they are all thinking us. Well worth the 10€ For each of us to stay here instead of the 4€ place down by the historic church. No bed bugs here.

So after walking 4km or 6km ( depends on the book you use) we parked ourselves for a nice rest stop before climbing over “the hill” which we will take on early in the morning.