We made it to Santiago!

This is on the steps of the Cathedral.

inside

Mass Today in Santiago

"W,W, W"...WiFi, Water and Wine

In that order. Keeping in touch with you dear readers is very important. We check for WiFi  everywhere we stop..town squares, cafes and hostels. In town squares it is easy enough with no password.  The alburgues usually have short easy passwords. The bars and cafes can be down right annoying with 20 character passwords and you are guessing between Os and zeros, and Is and ones and you want to scream.
Water is important of course but there are many water taps for us pilgrim's and cafes for the various other  libations. 
Do you have any idea how magical it is to come in off a hot trail and find a cafe in a tiny town which keeps big mugs in the freezer? The beer is so cold there are ice crystals floating in the froth. Excellant!!!! 
It becomes a bit of a game to only carry as much water as you think you need for each leg of the walk. See a town on the horizon; take a good drink from your jug and dump the rest. Water is weight. Sometimes you plan a bit short and you start counting what fruit you may have in your bag. We are not going to expire out here in a matter of 10 km but we think we might. :-)
Then there is the wine. Wine here is cheaper than almost any other drink you can name and it is everywhere. It has become the standard drink of the evening. It is served with every Pilgrim meal; 4E to take a bottle from a barman to your patio table and 2E from the supermarcado. ( 1.5E for a can of pop) . It is easy to see why wine is the first choice for discerning  pilgrims.


Sincerely 
Arlene 

"Friends Reunited Again"

Lori and I were finally reunited on a mountain top in Galicia; a little town called O Cebreiro. We were happy to be together again and pleased to find that this last major climb from Vega de Valcarce was so much easier for us. We have really improved our fitness level in the last 4 1/2 weeks.
The scenery climbing this mountain was beautiful; crossing into the region of Galicia. The following day down and today walking through a rich valley was gorgeous. 
We are not the only pilgrims reuniting on this trip. Every day we have the pleasure of meeting pilgrim friends from earlier days. We are very happy  to meet again and as we get closer to Santiago we anticipate who will be there with us on the big day. Here are a few pics of Galicia .


Sincerely 
Arlene 

special legs

Crying on el Camino de Santiago

Here on el Camino the pilgrims say that everyone will cry at least once. There is a lot to cry about. Painful injuries, broken hearts, soul searching revelations, and even religious reflections. My voice has cracked in exhaustion as I lay by the trail. My voice has cracked with fear as I looked at my horrible feet inching their way towards septic shock. My voice has cracked in frustration, suspecting that my co pilgrim might be tricking me into doing longer walks than I had bargained for.( I know that is not true... I was cranky with sleep deprivation) Tears did not actually drip on these occasions; but here is the truth. It is very nice to listen to music or books on your iPhone while walking long stretches through the countryside. I have been enjoying some old classics. Now tell me please ; who can stay dry eyed when a little red headed orphan girl is brought to a beautiful country home in Prince Edward Island only to discover that the kindly , elderly brother and sister who are willing to adopt, actually want a boy and will probably send her back to the orphanage?! I am crying, just writing this sentence. So that is twice now, once on the trail and once in this lonely bar sipping my vodka and orange juice. I wonder if this counts? I have had the pleasure of seeing the Anne of Green Gables musical three times in PEI.; each time I had a big wad of Kleenex and used them all. I'd better pull myself together here before some pilgrims arrive and start trying to console me. I could never explain this in broken English. 


-Pilgrim A Sincerely Arlene

Finding your way on The Way

It is remarkable that so much effort has been made to keep the Pilgrims on track. Lori has taken many photos of the various signs.
The larger towns and cities have imbedded signs in their sidewalks and  while walking through the country there are signs on concrete markers.
In addition there are yellow painted arrows everywhere.  It is nice to have a guide book to plan your day but you could walk without one and never get lost. This is good for us and the locals of course, as they would be helping lost souls in multiple languages all day long.
One day Lori and I became distracted due to a parked bike we saw with a very large GPS on the handlebars.  We only walked 10 paces in the wrong direction and a car honked at us with the driver pointing for us. We were impressed.
While Lori has been snapping pictures of signs; I like to quietly sneak up on a great pair of legs. Don't Judge!

Sincerely
Arlene 

Melding of the mind on el Camino

Remember when I first broke the news that I was doing an 800 km walk across Spain with the incredible walking woman from BC? Everyone was aghast but I assured them that it was really a string of villages and cities and if there was any problem you could catch a bus or taxi to get to the next town.
Hahahahahahaha!
If life was so simple!
In the real world of el Camino you can travel long stretches of pure nowhere. To take a taxi through a difficult stretch is very expensive. The alburges are very cheap but only for pilgrims for one night only. In special cases where your feet have gone bad they let you stay while the mid day cleaners work around you. Happy for me when I was in Leon soaking my feet. To load my pack and find a hotel would have been painful. The cleaners and volunteers slid me in my chair with soak pan along the hallway  so they could then mop that space of floor. They brought me coffee and toast on a plate. Very sweet!
Anyway enough of the WaWaWa! My feet are good again and I am like a spring lamb jumping through the hills.
In the beginning it was very hard slogging with our way too heavy packs. I was really questioning my sanity . Once we lightened our load and started hitting our stride the minds started to meld to el Camino.
It actually started to make uncommon but sure sense. You get up early and start walking in the dark or dusk. You walk through beautiful countryside and see the sun coming up. You enjoy many picturesque little villages and major cities with their gorgeous cathedrals. The cost of bed is cheap if you can accept the pilgrim life of bunkbeds and public showers. If you take a hotel for a break and a hot tub, that is pretty inexpensive too. No renting cars are hailing cabs at airports and train stations. Some people send their backpacks by transfer vans but that has not worked for us so far. 
It is a surprisingly gratifying experience to be surrounded by so many languages and actually be able to connect a little bit;  being  all pilgrims make us birds of a vey large and inclusive flock. If you are lucky enough to step in and help translate for someone, your heart takes flight. Who would have guessed that could happen. Only on el  Camino.
They say el Camino is addictive. Many people do it many times. On Thursday Sept. 13 th.  I am starting to get this. 
Pilgrim A

Sincerely Arlene 

On the road alone

Well, it looks as if I'm going to have to start pulling my weight blogging, now that Arlene and I have gone our separate ways for a few days. Today's walk was uneventful, just lots of km of flat, straight road. I met a retired Dutch couple who had walked all the way from Holland, over 2,000 km so far!  Also met a Chilean woman, now living in Sweden who just decided she wants to go home. Left her in a bar, looking for a taxi to take her to the nearest town with a train station. The same bar had muscles in their tapa section, got excited since the  best muscles I've ever had (big claim since I'm from NS and have visited Nfld a lot) was in Spain many years ago. These were a disappointment although the olive oil, peppers and onions, sopped up with, crusty, white bread, softened the blow. 

Sept. 9. Another day of flat, straight  roads with little scenery change.  Had a great brunch in a bar that was just opening with the company of a very cute Yorkshire terrier and 4 little kittens.  Walked through the city of S ahagun but didn't explore at all because I wanted  to get to the hostel as early as possible to avoid the heat. The hostel is in a 300 year old house, there was water, fruit and candy awaiting arriving pilgrims and soft music playing in the background. The volunteer hosts are welcoming, caring and funny, so I'm much happier tonight, than I was with last night's hostel, that had very little atmosphere. For the first time I , along with other pilgrims,helped with preparing the evening meal. It was an easy way for me to meet some people now that Arlene isn't  with me to break the ice. 

-Lori

Half of the Way

Saturday - Sept 8
"Izzy James and Delores Martin" reach the halfway mark on el Camino de Santiago!
So where does that Izzy Saint James come from?
I was the fifth child and baby of my family and because my parents already had two boys and two girls it was an easy coin toss of anticipation and they had two names ready. If I had been a boy I was going to be James after my Mother's Father.  As it turned out I became a ringer for my Mother's Mother Isabelle and her friends called me Little  Izzy. I liked the balance in that name and thought I would use it as a Pen Name if I ever wrote a book. My daughter Genevieve remembered this when she set up this wonderful blog.
I had never heard of el Camino de Santiago until Lori invited me to join her. When I investigated I was delighted to see that Saint James has the same birthday as me. July 25th. On further investigation I noticed that there is a lovely little 200 km pilgrimage path that runs from Portugal to Santiago which is called the Queen Isabelle route. 
Is that kismit or what!?
Anyhoo, I suggested to Lori that this 200km route would be enough for two Grannies but she would have none of it. She wanted the primo, classic Saint Frances route. 
So now that we are at the halfway mark of 400 km., we can't help but celebrate a little. Lori is a devote Pilgrim and will walk every step of the way. I am more of an adventurer than a true Pilgrim, but the experience has been wonderful for me as well; even though my feet will never be the same.
What does the second 400km hold for us? It has the feel of an advent calendar. Each day is like opening a tiny door. This morning we watched the sun come up over the long scenic horizon and sang the chorus to that old song" red rubber ball".
Today I found some perfect new strap on hiking sandals. This is a huge deal when all your possessions for 2 months are in a back pack. 
Cheers.
Second Chapter.. of el Camino de Santiago de Compostella to follow in the coming weeks.


Sincerely 
Arlene 

Buen Camino

 One of the nice things about walking the Camino is receiving the well wishes of people along the way. Buen Camino is the popular saying. We hear it from other pilgrims and from locals as well. As we left Belorado in the early hours of the morning we heard, "Buen Camino" from someone leaning over their upstairs balcony. Great way to start the day. Those on bicycles who whiz by us, shout out their Buen Caminos. It feels like receiving a blessing when ever I hear it. It feels good to wish Buen Camino too, especially when saying goog bye to someone whose friendship was enjoyed for a short time but who is either moving on at a faster pace or staying behind for some reason.  Our backpacks and walking sticks identify us as pilgrims and most people doing the walk have a clam shell on their pack, which is a symbol of the Camino. Being a pilgrim here is in a different category than being a tourist. 

-Lori

Great Legs!

Tuesday - September 4th
We are staying in a little town
called Hornillos. We only walked 20 km today. Did you hear what I just said! Ha ha Suddenly 20 km seems like a day of rest. It is quite the thing to sleep in a big city one day and then a little town the next. It is a continuous string of beautiful country scenery, historic cities, major cathedrals and monasteries. 
This town is almost perfect; only missing WiFi. 
It is time for me to buy a sleeping bag but no luck so far. I brought a silk liner only to start  but there has been a few chilly nights of late and I am happy to see a nice wool blanket folded on the foot of my bed.
You may wonder if we are taking a break from the hostels. We have not so far. We are enjoying paying 5E each night and it is a long trip. We also cannot avoid snoring by going to a hotel because we both do that now and then without warning or reason. One night the snoring was so    steady and all inclusive in a room with 20 + pilgrims that I left my ear plugs out and pretended that it was a choir singing for me. It worked! ( the wine at dinner may have helped too)
Pilgrim A



Sincerely 
Arlene 

Pilgrims of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Common denominator..great legs!

Too tired to write a blog. Here are some pics.

Big Fiesta with Bull Fight. Music going all night.



  Long walk to San Juan de Ortega



 
 View from our room in Burgos


 
Cathedral in Burgos


  Sculpture inside the Burgos Cathedral 
Notice the little dog curled up in the lower right corner. Awwwhh !


 
Blurry photo of the Inside of Cathedral in Burgos

Rest Stops.

Friday - Aug 31
We did 18 km today and are sleeping in Santo Dominga del Calzada. We are in a ancient building. 5E with Nuns in long habits hosting. 
Inquiring minds want to know about our rest opportunities. We were both worried about this but it has not been an issue. We seem to find enough little cafes and mini kiosks to buy something and use their facilities. It has amazed us on many a day that we could walk so long, drinking lots of water and seem to sweat most of it away. 
This is what we saw as we entered the edge of one small town today. They provided some interesting rest seating but were firm about the limit of their hospitality. I guess some pilgrims are having control issues. 
Pilgrim A and D



Sincerely 
Arlene

 

tighty-whities

I'm excited about possibly sleeping well tonight, our hostel room has only 2 beds - a semi-private room, what luxury. My delicate, Canadian sensibilities are not yet accustomed to hostel living. Sharing bathrooms and showers with strange woman is one thing, but entering a washroom to be greeted by a strange man in his underwear is quite another. I didn't know some men still wear tightie - whities. Some of the hostel rooms have 10 to 20+ beds and there have been nights with quite the variety of snoring happening at the same time. The earliest I've been awakened by someone rustling around with their pack, getting ready to leave has been 4:30 a.m. Have to admit though we have sometimes been the ones to wake others. To avoid the heat there have been a few mornings we have begun walking before daylight, Aelene bravely leading the way with her headlamp on. My headlamp is in the box of belongings sent ahead to Santiago. So far it has been a fantastic, stretching adventure. Love to all, Lori i.e. Pilgrim D

what's in a name?

Thursday - Aug 30 " What's in a Name?" When we were in France the hostels were called Refuges. In Spain they are called Albergues. Since we have been in Spain, the hosts of the Albergues like to point out to Lori that her given name Delores Martin is Spanish. The word " doloroso" is about pain and suffering. Do you know where I am going with this? :-) I am kidding; we are enjoying ourselves and have grown into the long walks. Today we did 24 km because it was overcast and cool all day; perfect walking weather. We were rewarded with a nice surprise in the tiny town of Azofra. Free clothes washing in a machine and little rooms with only two twin beds! Back to the name theme. I am traveling with a Spanish celebrity from Canada. We had a beautiful brass plate on our room door last night and were greeted here on the main street of Azofra. On another post I will explain why the website address is called Izzy Saint James. ( all about me, myself and I) Arlene i.e. Pilgrim A Sincerely Arlene

 
lori