Navarrete

We'd .. Aug 29th
1:30 pm and we are in Navarrete. We walked 23km today; again starting in the cool dark morning with my headlamp lighting the way. Although this is the best strategy for avoiding the heat, it occurred to us that we would never walk trails leading into our cities before sun rise.
We just stopped for cafe and some fresh fruit as we walked through the city of Logrono. 
It was hot for the last 2 hours of our walk and we are pretty tired again. 
We could take pictures of vineyards every day but this region was almost continuos.  It is very tempting to grab a cluster of grapes as you are walking but we are respecting the farmers  as good pilgrims must. Today however we walked past an abandoned vineyard and a stray vine was growing on a public path fence. Finally an opportunity to eat some wine grapes. Yum
Every day is a series of mixed blessings. Tonight we are happy to have single beds with no one climbing a ladder, but... It is three flights to our room! 


Sincerely 
Arlene 

The packs on the statues are the correct size.

Vienna

 

Tuesday - Aug 28
I am up early ( 5 am) enjoying a bit more WiFi time in the hostel kitchen. I had a great sleep last, yeah!
Dinner last night was shared salad, shared cannelloni and best of all shared pitcher of sangria in an out door cafe. Still quite warm at 7:00 . It is hard to say jug in Spanish. One of those throat and rolling "r" words. I will master it in time though, I am sure! 
12:30...we rock! Did 20 km and considering another 9.5. 
Lori is a great co pilgrim but I did the last 4km with some old friends. Seal, V Carlton, D Chicks, G Campbell, James Hunter, the Rankins. I don't use my iPhone often for music but I think I will more as we go on; especially at the end when you need the extra lift.
We decided to enjoy the town and then go to the next town bright and early to enjoy it. We started so early this morning that it was still dark and I wore my headlight.
Now we are out of the hot mid day sun and  enjoying a beautiful pilgrim's meal in a cool stone walled building.

We had salad, and shared salmon and rabbit. Wine as usual.  We have the whole evening ahead of us now. Our hostel is the one in the movie with triple bunk beds .  Happily we drew bottom and second with our tickets. We take turns when an upper bunk is unavoidable and tonight it is my turn. I will be as spry as a spider monkey when this is over.

FREE wine!

Monday - Aug 27

Today was a good day. We did 21.5 km and we were tired. Not " totally knackered " though as the Irish Pilgrims say. :-)
The day started cool with a stop at the free wine spigot. Lots of nice scenery including a flock of sheep and goats with their Shepard and professional dogs.
The day ended as a scorcher. We were forced to drink our free wine under the shade of a lonely tree, as we came within site of our final town.
Our plastic wine glasses from MEC are earning their keep.


Sincerely 
Arlene 


What's not to smile about. This was early morning with a long walk ahead and we were already carrying lots of water, so I only took about 10 ounces for the trail.


Service to the pilgrims. Washrooms, a little of everything, good espresso machines and reasonable prices. ( better than home for sure) .8 E for a latte.


Always nice to see a little town over the hill. 

bottom bunks

This is our life for 6 weeks..sleeping in bunk beds. Lately we are getting the bottom beds...bonus! Funny how little things can make you happy when you are living lean.

Sat. Aug 25
Today was a good day. We decided not to set a goal because there were many places to stop so we just walked and enjoyed the view and the little villages along the way. ( 16 km) Because we are starting at the back end of August it seems to be clear sailing for taking beds anywhere we like, which is great. ( bottom bunks again tonight) .
We are staying in -----, which is the town you see way up on the hill.  Our Auberge is of course at the tippy top with the church bell tolling right outside our window. We arrived around 3:00 which gives us lots of time to relax, shop for tomorrows breakfast at the super marcado, and have a good pilgrim's dinner. 
Last night we ate with 4 Danes and 6 Americans.  Never a dull moment on el  Camino.
My feet and legs are tender but I am not limping. I carry my three pairs of shoes in a sack and alternate them depending on the terrain to spread the risk of pressure sores.
You see many people bandaging their feet on rest breaks. 
We went to 7:00 pm mass tonight. Pic attached. Did not understand a word of course but  good to take in as part of the  pilgrim experience.
Pilgrim's dinner was good again; soup, spaghetti and meatballs, and a delicious cream custard for desert. 
Tonight we ate with a gentleman our age from Korea and a very young man from Japan. Always interesting.
If we wanted to be foolish and drink on the trail, you can buy one L  cardboard boxes of wine or Sangria for 2 E.
No fear though;  we are being sensible and careful as the trails meander through the fields and forests with lots of steep and rocky trails.



Sincerely 
Arlene 

arlene on the trail

Friday - Aug 24th
6:00pm
Today we made our plan of 16 km work. We jumped out of bed at first hostel light and were walking by 6:30am.  It was still a long walk with lots of climb and downhill rocky trails. It was the usual hilly landscape bur today we came across a huge field of windmills and the metal sculpture of walking pilgrims as seen in the movie. We were happy to reach our little stop of Uterga. I had silly insomnia last night so went right to bed for a nap while Lori enjoyed beer on the patio with the Pilgrims. Now that my shower and laundry is done I am enjoying a quiet vodka and orange drink in the cool lounge and looking forward to our pilgrims dinner.  I mentioned yesterday that we had a late lunch with Sangria in Pamplona  yesterday in the square. We split a wonderful pork roast and eggplant on baguette with garlic mayo and a salad. Delicious. 
This afternoon at around the middle of our walk we arrived in a little neighbourhood with water tap which is nice but also the most wonderful tiny kiosk where the lady had almost everything you could imagine for lunch in a tiny 8 X8 store. We had to be careful not to take on too much weight. Our packs are so much more manageable now. It was very hot today again so we had many rest breaks.
I don't know how interested our Camino Caper followers are in what we are eating but for me it a big perk of the day. I think I most closely relate to Joust in the movie, always delighted when something tasty comes our way. In Arre it was the best cafe con leche I ever had, as we were heading out. As you can see in the pictures Lori is about 30% smaller than me, but  she can out drink, eat, and walk me. She is a dynamo.


Sincerely 
Arlene 

Lori on the trail

Today we stopped early and it's the first day of the pilgrimage that I haven't been totally exhausted when we reached the hostel. it's lovely, chose my bed (a bottom bunk), had a shower, washed my clothes and now am enjoying a cold drink on the patio. The sore muscles are taming down and my pack is lighter so I'm not feeling quite as overwhelmed. Arlene and I both mailed a box ahead to Santiago to pick up at the end of the walk. Things I thought were imperative, even though hearing over and over to keep a light backpack, turned out to be dispensable after all. It has been so hot for walking, in the high 30's but we have been managing and a plus is we have been perspiring so much we rarely have to go potty even though we are drinking copious amounts of water. If anyone is wondering, there hasn't been the need to use my nifty pee gizmo yet.

 Lori

Pampalona

BLISTERS

Over did it on a 23  km walk from Roncevelles to Zubrini. Both of us have stiff legs and I finally got a blister on one foot, then the other on the next day of 16 km. Had to switch from Pumas to Dawg sandals with thin socks then today I walked with toe socks in my leather Mephisto sandals. Look ridiculous but trying to keep the blisters a little protected and still exposed to oxygen.
Today we only had 4.6 km to Pamplona and are relaxing. Lunch and a pitcher of Sangria. Off to the Cathedral next.

Sincerely 
Arlene 

Hope

Thursday - Aug 23
Today we are feeling lots of hope for the day. We slept in Arre and only have 4.6 km to walk to Pampelona. We are going to enjoy the city without walking very much so we can rest our legs. The plan is to finally mail our camping gear and clothes back home.  It is nice to not feel rushed. We are taking the time for cafe con leche in the town of Arre before heading out. No breakfast today in our hostel. Last night it was 8E for bed and 8.5 E for pilgrims meal which was very good. We sat with two brothers from Spain at dinner.
We mailed 5 lbs each today from Pamplona to Santiago. Our packs are a little more manageable. We will still try the transfer system when we know we will be doing a 20km +day.


Sincerely
Arlene 

"General Advice for Pilgrims "

(as requested from future Pilgrim ( Bernie)
Hiking boots for spring. It is hot and  dry now but we can see where the trail looks wet and messy in the spring. The last 3 days for us have been hot..30+
Hostels are clean with everything you need. We just spent an hour mailing our tent and other things to Santiago Compostela to collect there. Difficult when you are struggling with the language. We sent on about 5 lbs each.Our first chance to lighten our packs. The 10% rule is most important!!! These are very long walks and you need to carry 1 to 2 liters of water every day. Many people are mailing boxes today from Pamplona to Santiago.
Hostels and food are reasonable. We figure we are spending about 40E per day.
Here is the routine we are into now. Up early. If breakfast is included we eat; otherwise cafe con leche and something small in cafe. Walk till you drop. Check into hostel. Wash up and head out for food and drinks. ( often the pilgrim's three course meal with wine) Back to hostel. Hot shower. ( I wash a few things by stomping on them like grapes) hang your laundry and into bed by 9:30.
Most places use cash only so we hit the bank ATMs in the towns and cities.
We are enjoying talking to people from all over the world in 3 word English sentences. Yesterday morning I started out talking to Lori in tiny sentences with hand signals out of new habit. Hee Hee. This is the hardest physical thing I have ever done but it is a great adventure.


Sincerely 
Arlene 

Angels of the day

Tuesday Aug 22
Our pilgrim's dinner  last night was good again. The formula seems to be bread, pitcher of cold water, bottles of wine ( must be filled from something big into reused bottles) a starter course, main and dessert. Last night it was spiral pasta with cheese and tiny slices of chorizo sausage, potatoe fries with a whole small trout with buttery crispy skin and yogurt for dessert. Before we went into dinner we had a drink in the bar where I launched the last post on Wifi. I had a special treat there in connecting with Genevieve on Skype!!! I love this iPhone!
Going to bed in Roncevelles I was feeling kind of smug. My feet were in perfect shape and my legs were not at all stiff. I gave them a massage with strawberry cream just to be nice.
Right now I am sitting in the hostel lounge before heading for Pampalona, giving the phone some charge, but no Wifi.
When we started out from Roncevelles we decided to go halfway to Zuberi. 12 km instead of 24 but this did not work out for us. We felt good and did not find a place that suited us and so we kept going. Here is the tricky part, once we were spent there were no more choices and we were forced to go the whole way. We were once again exhausted and me passed my limit. While we were resting on the trail;  we had a nice chat with a couple and their teenage son ( staying in a hotel in Zubiri and there for day hiking)  about 1 km before reaching the town.  They lived in Toulouse. They insisted on carrying our packs the last km to town. We tried to decline but there was no dissuading them. Lori said they were our angels that day. When we were in Zubrini we soaked our legs in the icy river before limping to our hostel.
This time we did not know what we needed the most so we decided to hand wash.. Drink and eat.. Hot shower and then bed to see if that would work better for sleeping. It did .


Sincerely
Arlene

Pyrenees

10:00 a.m. 
I am sitting near the top of the Pass to Roncesvalles. Yesterday the 8 km climb from St. Jean Pied de Port was very hard. It was very beautiful but I knew I was at the edge of my limit. Today we had another 12 km climb plus another 8 km down . I knew I would not manage this as I had to side step part way yesterday from cramping muscles. I decided to take a taxi to the top and walk down the last 8km. Lori was feeling up to walking it all but put her backpack in the cab which makes her walk a lot more pleasant. So here I sit on our pile of bags writing the blog until she arrives. I did not get out of the total climb however as the cab could only go 6km on the road. So I will end up having to climb 6 km up and another 8km down. My only regret on this decision is that I cannot boast of crossing the Prynees from France to Spain on foot. I remembered the passage in the Bible that says " Pride goeth before a fall". I think this is when the warning is timely for me.
Last night we paid 32 Euros for our refuge Orisson which included bed, dinner and breakfast. Dinner was very good. Delicious French bean soup, beans and thinly sliced ham with French bread, lots of red wine, and a delicious sweet flan/ cake for dessert. There were about 35 pilgrims and we took turns standing up to introduce ourselves. Pilgrims from many countries. Most of them introduced themselves in what English they had and we spoke our English slowly in simple phrases so we all seemed to understand .  Everything is delightfully like the movie.Breakfast  was coffee, orange juice, bread with butter and jam.
Our packs are way to heavy but because our trip is 3 months in Europe with many segments, we are reluctant to give anything up.  This segment over the Prynees  will be the hardest so maybe they will start to feel manageable as we go.It is very windy here sitting on the mountain, but perfect temperature. We have been very lucky with the weather so far. It was overcast all yesterday thankfully.
Our 10 hour overnight train ride to Bayonne was interesting. There were 6 bunks in the cabin, 3 each side and just big enough. We had sleeping pills and I had my best sleep of the trip. We then had a one hour train from Bayonne to Saint Jean. Saint Jean was a lovely historic/tourist village. We had time before our refuge opened so we had lunch and wine in a cafe. In Saint Jean we paid 8 Euros for our bed and breakfast of coffee with bread and jam. 
Where I am waiting is next to the stone cross and flying banners. 


To Kim and Darren Savard and Family. This is where I placed your shell and said a prayer for the entire Savard family ( with extra wish for Sam...sshh secret). Can you find it?
Lori and I are having a wonderful trip so far. If two clicks make a clue, four clicks make enough to get us through all the complexities of keeping our adventure booked and rolling. 
Salut!
3:15p.m. We have arrived in Ronchevelle.  I am lying exhausted under a tree with other Pilgrims while Lori goes to check out the hostel. The  14 km today was hard but still enjoyable . Beautiful scenery, cows, goats, sheep and horses on the hills around us as we walked. The portion I did had lots of shady through the forest bits which were quite pleasant.
Lori thoroughly enjoyed the section she did without her pack. We have decided that when we hit a long part of the pilgrimage ( 20+ km) without opportunity for a hostel; we will use the baggage transfer service for a treat.
5:15 pm the hostel is very modern and nice. I feel human again after a shower.  Hostel  is 10.00 Euros and we bought tickets for a 7:00 pm pilgrim's meal for 9E. I hope we can find a bank machine as everything is cash. It is hard to believe that we will do this for 40 or 50 days in a row!
This hostel has outlets by the bed, charging iPhones! I hope we can find Wi Fi. The French pronounced it We Fee. I wonder what the Spanish say.


Sincerely 
Arlene

 
Dinner ready for us pilgrims in Refuge Orisson.



Enjoying lunch in a cafe in St Jean Pied de Port

PARIS

We have had four great days in Paris and are now on our way to Bayonne by over night train in sleeper cabin. We then catch a morning train to Saint Jean Pied de Port. We will take a hotel room for one night and try to do as little as possible to rest up for an early start on the big walk. I am not sure how often we will hit WiFi but when we do we will always take time to say hello back to our homes.

Sincerely 
Arlene 


Cream Caramel in Cafe 



Notre Dame from Hop On Boat on the Seine.


The Palace of Versaille

Hall of Mirrors In the Palace of Versaille

 
I am exhausted. 10 hours of walking today.

Iceland

We had a great full day of touring as seen in the photos.; Golden Circle Tour from Rejkavik. We finished the day with a swim in the Blue Lagoon Geo Thermal Pool. They have a bar so you can sip drinks while soaking and wearing clay facial masques. Great end to the day. Things have fallen into place nicely in Paris. The next post will be a selection of pics from there. Cheers to all, Pilgrim A and Pilgrim D






The dividing line where the two tectonic plates of Asia and North America are colliding.
North America on the right, Asia on the left. Tectonic plates colliding . 

Fun in Mainland BC

Fishing for crabs on mainland BC Thanks again to Lorne for taking us out!

Victoria walk about