Magnificent Night Sky

Day 17-Calzado de Coto-Reliegos
7 hours-26.7 km

Today we walked in the dark under a magnificent sky. You could almost reach out and touch the stars.
The Camino went through fairly boring, flat land with some farmers tilling fields. It was hot and sunny with very little shade.
We can now see the Cantabrian Mountains in the far distance. We will be climbing those steep hills in a few days.
We lost track of our Korean friend Su again. His young legs were restless and he had to move on.
Ron walked all day with Philip, but most of the time I lagged behind. It was great to walk alone in quiet contemplation and prayer.
I walked for a while with a woman from Germany who only knew a few words of English, so I struggled with my limited German and between us we managed to have a nice conversation about many things.
The photo is of Ron and Philip in from of a church in a small village we passed through.
I think if you click on the photo it will enlarge and you may be able to see a stork nest on the bell tower. There are giant storks nests in the villages throughout Spain on churches, towers, or any tall structure.
It has been a very relaxing and sociable evening in the Pilgrim hostel. Lots of new people here.

Peace, love and joy
Rita
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Reunions, Milestones, and Don PePe

Day 16-Caldadilla de la Cueza-Calzado de Coto
8 hours 45 minutes-26.6 km
Today we met Don PePe the donkey. He and his master stayed at the same Pilgrim hostel as us. Don PePe outdoors of course. It is not uncommon for someone to make their Pilgrimage to Santiago with a donkey. Traveling with a donkey, I am sure, has a whole set of problems of it's own which I cannot imagine.
One problem being that the donkey is the star. People are constantly running around Don PePe with cameras snapping away, causing a disturbance for the poor animal.
Everyone knows the donkey's name, but few ask the owners name.
We were happy and surprised to see our Korean friend Su last night. The little band of Korean friends split up, some had to go home, some took the bus ahead and our friend Su walked 3 long hard days and ended up at the same Pilgrim hostel as us. It was all big smiles and hugs and then the first thing he askedwas "How is your knee?"
This morning we walked in the dark with Su for a few hours before stopping in a village for breakfast.
In walked our friend Phillip who we had lost track of for a few days.
So another reunion with hugs of joy. Phillip is a Jesuit Priest who has wanted to make the pilgrimage to Santiago for many years but has always put it off. Last year he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and he decided to take a 3 month sabbatical to make his Pilgrimage and do some other traveling afer his Pilgrimage. He is a delightful man and we enjoy his company.
Today we have reached the halfway mark to Santiago. It is somewhere around the tiny village of Moratinos, population 17; 15 Spaniards and 2 ex-pats ( a retired American journalist and her Brittish husband)
Rebekah is a member of the same Pilgrim forum as I am, so I get to read her comments on line and I also read her blog, so I was excited to finally meet her.
She and her husband Paddy retired from the rat race and bought a house on the Camino and are in the process of renovating it. They welcome Pilgrims to stop by for refreshments or to stay for the night. They call it Peaceable Kingdom. The name suits it well, a very tranquil place with a nice garden, a flock of chickens and 2 dogs, and lots of warmth and hospitality.
It was a fun day filled with lots of people, lots of love, and one cute donkey.
Love to all
Rita
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A Pilgrim's Life

Day 14-Itero de la Vega-Villasirga
8 hours-30.4 km
Day 15-Villasirga-Caldadilla de la Cueza
7 hours-23.3 km
Today was easy walking, but only one place to stop in the morning, then endless flat monotonous golden fields with no place to stop. It seemed to take forever to get to our destination.
A Pilgrim's life is much more than a long hard walk each day. Once at our destination we must find a Pilgrim hostel to stay at, which is usually easy as most are right along the Camino.
We get our credential stamped and dated and then claim our bed; almost always in very crowded bunkrooms.
A good hot shower is next, but sometimes it is a cold shower. None the less, we are grateful even for a cold shower to wash off the hard work and the dust of the trail.
Because we only carry one change of clothes, each day we hand wash our clothes outside the hostel in cold water.
We hope for sunshine and a breeze to dry them, but if not, the next morning we pin them to our backpack and become a walking clothesline. We are always walking westward with the sun on our back, so they dry quickly.
The next order of business is to tend to our tired, aching, blistered and swollen feet. Some Pilgrims have such severe feet problems that I don't know how they make it from one day to the next.
If we are lucky there is a Pilgrim meal. If not, we try to find a place to buy something to cook. Sometimes it is very limited, other times there is nothing. If there is a kitchen in the hostel it has only one stove or no stove and just a microwave. And everything is first come first serve. So we may not get to use the stove or micro or all the pans are in use so we can't cook.
But we all go with the flow and somehow we all manage.
By now we're are exhausted and ready for a good night sleep, but not before some good conversation and stories and some good Rioja wine.
We are up long before the sun to start all over again.
We are grateful for small kindnesses. We share in each others pain and sorrow and joys.
Two days ago when we were with two young girls from Slovakia, they got the tragic news that their 19 year old cousin was killed in an accident. We wept with them and shared their grief.
Today while we had lunch with a young girl from Ireland, she received news that her friend just delivered triplet girls. We wept tears of joy with her.
So today my prayers have been for the soul of a young Slovakian whose life has been cut short and who l will never know and for the joyful beginning of the lives of 3 little Irish triplets who I will never meet.
Life is a precious thing and we are all part of one human family.
I leave you with one beautiful word
Namaste
(It means "When the God in me greets the God in you, we are one"
Rita
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Relaxing Day

Today we slept an extra hour and had breakfast before starting our walk. It is the first we started walking when it was already light out.
A very pleasant day for walking.
We are now entering into the "Meseta", similar to our midwest in the USA. No hills! Just wide flat paths through flat open fields as far as you can see, with an occasional village to stop in.
We walked a leisurely pace today, a good part of the day along a pretty canal. We stopped to take pictures of the locks and a shepherd came through with a huge flock of sheep.
We stopped a few times at outdoor cafes for food and drink
I found a pharmacy and bought some electro-lite packets to add to my water. I had been using them, but ran out and neglected to replenish them. I guess I had to learn the hard way, but it won't happen again.
Our little group of friends walked on another 6 km to the next village. We opted to stay here. Now we have met a whole new group of Pilgrims and we are fast becoming friends.
It has been a very good and relaxing day.
Love to all
Rita

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I Burned Out Today

Day-13-Hornillos del Camino -Itero de la Vega
8 hours 10 minutes-33.2 km

I think that every village is at the bottom of a long steep hill, as it seems each morning we have a good climb, with the light from our little headlamp bobbing along in the dark.
We walked to what we thought would be our next destination and arrived before 11AM and the Pilgrim hostel would not be open till 3PM.
The next village was about a 2 1/2 hours away.
It is Sunday and nearly everything is closed. We got a bite to eat and decided to push on.
We had the toughest longest climb and a very steep descent. It was longer than we thought and seemed like it took forever.
We found the place we intended to stay and there was nobody there and it looked dirty and uncomfortable. We backtracked through the village and found a private hostel.
When we got there the man was explaining in Spanish and I couldn't talk to him in English, let alone Spanish.
I completely shut down. I plopped down on a chair and started crying. MELT DOWN!!
Ron arranged for our stay, I flopped on my bunk to take a nap. I started to shake uncontrollably.
I knew my sugar levels and electro-lites must be out of whack and I was having symptoms of hypothermia.
Ron got me orange juice and water, and I took a very long, and very hot shower, then slept for about I hour. Then I has some tea and a sugary pastry and another bottle of water.
I am fine now.
The high points of the day were the beautiful medieval churches, the ruins of a 14th century convent, and the ruins of a castle high on the hill above a village we passed through.
My lesson for the day is as Joyce Rupp recommends in her wonderful book "Walk In A Relaxed Manner". The title says it all.
No more rushing. Normally we stop for a break and eat something and drink plenty of water and juice, at least every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. But today we slogged on too far and too fast on a strenuous terrain without breaks.
Tomorrow will be a slow and leisurely walk with lots of breaks.
Love to all
Rita

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I Burned Out Today

Day-13-Hornillos del Camino -Itero de la Vega
8 hours 10 minutes-33.2 km

I think that every village is at the bottom of a long steep hill, as it seems each morning we have a good climb, with the light from our little headlamp bobbing along in the dark.
We walked to what we thought would be our next destination and arrived before 11AM and the Pilgrim hostel would not be open till 3PM.
The next village was about a 2 1/2 hours away.
It is Sunday and nearly everything is closed. We got a bite to eat and decided to push on.
We had the toughest longest climb and a very steep descent. It was longer than we thought and seemed like it took forever.
We found the place we intended to stay and there was nobody there and it looked dirty and uncomfortable. We backtracked through the village and found a private hostel.
When we got there the man was explaining in Spanish and I couldn't talk to him in English, let alone Spanish.
I completely shut down. I plopped down on a chair and started crying. MELT DOWN!!
Ron arranged for our stay, I flopped on my bunk to take a nap. I started to shake uncontrollably.
I knew my sugar levels and electro-lites must be out of whack and I was having symptoms of hypothermia.
Ron got me orange juice and water, and I took a very long, and very hot shower, then slept for about I hour. Then I has some tea and a sugary pastry and another bottle of water.
I am fine now.
The high points of the day were the beautiful medieval churches, the ruins of a 14th century convent, and the ruins of a castle high on the hill above a village we passed through.
My lesson for the day is as Joyce Rupp recommends in her wonderful book "Walk In A Relaxed Manner". The title says it all.
No more rushing. Normally we stop for a break and eat something and drink plenty of water and juice, at least every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. But today we slogged on too far and too fast on a strenuous terrain without breaks.
Tomorrow will be a slow and leisurely walk with lots of breaks.
Love to all
Rita

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Magical Day

Day 12-Burgos-Hornillos del Camino
4 hours 45 minute-21.2 km

Today's walk was short (less than 5 hrs) and very pleasant. The morning was very foggy leaving the city of Burgos. The scenery covered with fog made for a magical morning.
We were accompanied on our journey all day by the singing of the birds and the tinkle of sheep bells as they were shepherded through the hills.
We are staying in a small medieval village(population 100). The little old ladies are so charming sweeping the sidewalks and tending their flowers in front of their century old homes.
Last night in Burgos we visited the second largest Cathedral in Spain. With it's tall spires and 21 chapels it is an amazing and gorgeous example of architecture and spiritual beauty.
We went out to dinner last night with the couple who started to walk in Vienna in May, the Germans who started their walk in Bavaria in June, the man who started his Camino in Lichtenstein in July and a young girl from Hungary. At the next table were friends and fellow Pilgrims from Spain, England and France. We were a real united nations. It was a happy and jovial evening.
The good news of the day is that Ron was able to change his ticket and will walk to Santiago with me. I am sooo happy and Ron's back is improving.
I wish you peace, love, and laughter
Rita
PS- the photo is from the Rioja wine district
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