Camino Angels

Day 11-Atapuerca-Burgos
5 hours 25 minutes-20.4 km
We started off in the pouring rain, Pitch dark and had a steep rocky climb for the first hour. The path was all ledge and loose rock and with our already muddy feet it was treacherous.
It rained all day till we got to Burgos.
Today was to be my husband Ron's last day of walking. Tomorrow he would take a bus to Madrid and fly home from there and I would continue on the Camino.
For the last few days he has been saying that he would like to change his flight and continue to walk with me all the way to Santiago.
Then yesterday he had a very bad back problem and nearly couldn't walk to our destination. By the time we got there he could hardly walk and he almost dropped to his knees with back pain when taking off his backpack.
The hostel we stayed in had bunks for 6 people. Ron went off to the shower and 3 Spanish that were sharing the room with us came in. One couple and a man we had never met.
We started talking and I told them about Ron's problem and how he wanted to change his flight and continue walking but now it was almost certain that he had to return home.
Well, it turns out that the man was a military doctor and had some special anti-flammatory cream that works wonders for bad backs.
The woman with him, wife of the other man rubbed Ron's back with the cream.
There was much laughing and fun. As Pilar gave Ron's lower back and buttocks a massage. Her husband took photos with their camera and ours and we were all laughing hysterically when he kept shouting " I have the evidence for divorce, for 2 divorces!"
Ron's back felt great in no time. I asked to write down the name of the cream so I could buy some at the next pharmacy. The doctor told me that I could not buy it in any pharmacy because it is a special cream for the military. But he just happened to have an extra tube of it and a much as we tried to decline his offer, he insisted Ron take it as a gift.
Later in the evening Ron went to the restaurant for wine and saw that our 3 roommates were there and he had a bottle of wine sent to their table. Pilar came over to thank him with hugs and kisses.
They say that no matter what happens, the Camino will provide whatever you need.
So, as it turns out we have met another Camino Angel, and hopefully the special anti-flammatory cream will help Ron's back and he will change his flight and continue on to Santiago with me. Stay tuned....
Love to all
Rita
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Challenging Day

Day 10-Belorado-Atapuerca
8 hours 11 minutes-33 km

A very challenging day. We walked up hill nearly all day, with a few steep declines. The Camino passes through open fields and pine and oak forests.
It was cold enough for a fleece jacket and gloves this morning in the early morning.

An overcast day meant we didn't see our shadow much today. Always moving west, we are accustomed to spending time with our shadow, literally and metaphorically. As I walked alone in silence I cannot help but look at my shadow in front of me and contemplate my "shadow self".
It is a wonderful exercise in looking inward at ouselves..."warts and all"

A great day for walking, when we got to our planned stop for the day we still had plenty of energy and walked another 3 hours longer than planned.
It is very strange...if someone told me a month ago it was only another 3 hours further after walking a strenuous 5 hours, I would have thought them crazy.
But walking 3 extra hours after a long uphill slog seemed natural.
My feet are constantly in pain, my back and shoulders ache, but miraculously my knees are fine. I don't use my knee brace or my Korean patches.
But we humans can reach beyond the pain and the aches and we find the inner strength to keep on keeping on.
God Bless
Love to all
Rita

Dark, Cold, and Rainy

Day 9-Santo Domingo de la Calzada-Belorado
7 hours-25.4 km

Today we started by getting lost. We walked in the dark, in a downpour, walking directly into the wind and rain. We had a difficult time finding the way markers on the way out of the village of Santo Domingo and we strayed away from the track a bit, but then found our way.

We walked for 2 hours into the wind and driving rain. When we got to the first village everyone stopped for a hot drink and a bite to eat. We all lingered longer than our usual 10-15 minute break. Nobody wanted to go back out in the rain. But by the time we left, it had stopped raining. It was an easy walk today through golden wheat fields and gentle rolling hills with giant stacks of hay bales at least 3 or 4 stories high.

It stayed windy and cold and we never saw the sun till afternoon, just before our final destination. I am still chilled to the bone.. And it just started raining again!!!

The hostel we are staying at offers a Pilgrims dinner. I asked the price and was told that after we eat, we can donate whatever we think the meal was worth. The generousity of some of these hostels is amazing. In some places you stay for whatever you care to make as a donation.

I like when we have a communal meal at the hostel. Although Pilgrims see each other during the day off and on, we usually chat just breiefly then move on, as most Pilgrims prefer to walk alone in silent comtemplation, prayer or meditation. Even my husband and I drift apart on and off during the day offering silent time to make an inward journey, which is very much a part of the Camino.

But at night, when we are finished with the job of walking and taking care of our daily needs,  it is time to celebrate, our accomplishment, our new friendships and cmaraderie. It is a delight to enjoy a good meal and drink some wine with Pilgrims. The conversation and stories are lively, and the evening is full of laughter and joy.

I wish you peace, love and laughter
Rita

Meeting Amazing People

Day 8-Najera-Santo Domingo de la Calzada
5 hours 45 minutes-22.5 km

To date:202km-126 miles

Wonderful wide country tracks through golden hay fields, farms and vineyards. We had one very long steep climb today, but at the top was a perfect picnic spot with marvelous views. It was very cloudy with a brisk wind whcih made for nice walking weather.

Each day is a gift. The views, the people, a bed to sleep in after a hard day of walking.

We have lost contact with some of our friends but were reunited with others that we lost track of. Of the hundreds of people that we have met, only 5 are Americans. We have met so many wonderful people from every where that are amazing. They  have walked from very far. An Austrian couple started their Camino in Vienna in May and will walk all the way to Santiago. We met 2 Bavarian couples, one from Munich and the other from Chemsee, each couple started in June. And one man from Lichtenstein who started from his home in July. They call the way Jakobsweg (The way of Saint James) and they must walk over all the high Alps and the very high peaks in France to get to where we started. I find it just amazing.

This journey is much more than physical strength. It is a challenge of body, but when the body is spent and I must go on for another several hours, the mind takes over and I find an inner strength to carry me on. My inner strength comes from the thoughts of my family back home. I visit in my mind each one and pray for them and think of all the beauty and love and laughter that we have shared and I am carried by these thoughts.
Love to all of you

A Very Long Day

Day 7-Logrono-Najera
9 hours 10 minutes-29.4 km

Last night we found out that the Pilgrim hostel in Narjera, our next stop was closed. There was much confusion. Everyone trying to figure out new plans for their walk. The village 10 km before Najera would have been a great stop and not such a long day. But that only is a small stop with a Pilgrim hostel with only 50 beds., and with so many Pilgrims on the road it would be nearly impossible for us to compete for a bed and it would have put us behind out planned schedule.
Some pilgrims took the bus to grab the first beds, others got up and left by 5AM to get there early.
We decided to stick to our planned schedule and come to Najera anyways. Most every hotel was filled with Pilgrims.
What a luxury to stay in a hotel. complete privacy!! A BATHTUB...which I hogged for at least an hour!! and a hairdryer. My hair, which my lovely niece cut real short and very retro looking, for convenience has seen neither comb nor hairdryer for over a week. It feels wonderful after 7 days of hostel living with no privacy, very cramped quarters, shared baths and showers, and snoring in 20 different languages!!!
This old body was not made for 2 nine hour hikes back to back though mountainous terrain.
So I am feeling pretty great even though very exhausted.

I wish you peace, love, and laughter
Rita

A Boy Named Su

Day 6-Los Acros-Logrono
8 hours 55 minutes-27.8 km
We walked through wonderful natural paths, again through endless vineyards, always surrounded with gorgeous views.
The sunrise today was spectacular. We only had one long steep climb and a very steep descent.
There was a fiesta in the town of Viana with religious processions, bands and a traditional running of the bulls.
We had our lunch at a sidewalk cafe and watched some of the festivities, but opted not to stay for the running of the bulls, which would have put us 2 hours behind schedule on an already very long day.
Today I walked with a heavy heart and a heavy backpack during most of the morning.
Knowing that today was Sunday, and that everything would be closed, and also that on this stage of the journey there are very few fountains to fill our bottles; we had to carry our food for the day and extra water. When you are already carrying 15 to 20 pounds on your back, every added ounce is a burden. You learn to choose you food not by how enjoyable it will be to eat, but by how much it weighs and how much energy it will supply.
I can still feel the extra weight I carried in my sore shoulders tonight.
We have made friends with many on the Camino, but none so much as a group of 5 or 6 young Koreans. They all just met each other on the Camino and became quick friends.
We always stay at the same hostal each night and we spend time together either walking or sharing food and stories.
I told them my sister-in-law is Korean and the like that we love Korean food.
The photo above is(left to right) Pom, myself, Young, and Su.
Su always asks how my day went with my bad knee. He has some special Korean patches that look like big square bandaids that he uses for pain in his neck. He has been offering them to me for my knee, saying they take the pain away like magic. I thank him and tell him I will tough it out with my knee brace.
Yesterday was to be Pom's last day of walking with us, as he must return to Korea for his job.
This morning when we got up Pom had decided to walk part of just one more day and stay in Vianna, the town before our already planned stop. And of course his new young Korean friends decided also to make the early stop to spend the day and evening with him. That would put us several hours in front of them and almost certain we won't see each other again.
So it was all hugs and kisses and goodbyes. We took lots of photos and exchanged email addresses.
Just as I was leaving to start my walk Su told me," Because I won't see you again, I want to give you a gift, but this is all I have" And he gave me a package of his Korean "magic" patches.
It was a small thing, I know, but the gesture as well as the moment and the way it was given was so precious. I think I cried off and on for the first few hours, knowing how much I would miss my new friends.
I wish you peace, love, and laughter
Rita

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Scallop Shell

Day 5-Estella-Los Arcos
6 hours 10 minutes-21.7 km

Today was a perfect day for walking. Overcast all morning with a cool breeze made it just right, as there is very little shade in wine country.
We walked steadily uphill for more than 2 1/2 hours. Again we walked through rolling wheat fields, olive groves and ever more vineyards.
There was always the occasional shepherd with his sheep dogs directing their herds over the hills.
First you hear the distant tinkle of bells, then you see them coming over the rise in the distance. As the tinkling bells get louder and the sheep closer, you can hear them chewing their way across the countryside in unison. Marvelous!!

Our first stop this morning was at the Irache Winery. They have 2 Pilgrim fountains. One to fill our water bottles and the other is a wine fountain . Although the sun had not come up yet, we all had our traditional drink of wine from our scallop shell that we wear on our backpack to distinguish us as Pilgrims.
The scallop shell has always been the symbol of Saint James. I have heard many different versions of how it became the symbol. Here is just one of them:
When Jesus was crucified his Apostles went forth to spread the Word. The Apostle James went to Spain and when he returned to Jerusalem he was quickly beheaded by Herod Igrippa in 44AD, becoming the first Apostle to be martyred. James' followers stole his body and took it back to Spain by boat, they landed in Finisterre, the then known end of the world.
There was a pagan wedding going on and as the boat approached, the groom's horse spooked and fell from a cliff into the sea. Both horse and groom were presumed drowned. Suddenly, the horse and rider emerged from the sea alive and well and covered with scallop shells.
It is the first miracle attributed to Saint James (Santiago) and the scallop shell became the symbol of Saint James and those who make the Pilgrimage to his tomb in Santiago de Compostela.

I wish you peace, love, and laughter
Rita
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry