Wednesday, May 30 -- Arzua to Lavacallos -- 28.7km /17.8 miles
We hadn't really planned it this way, but most of walked just as far today as we had yesterday. Yesterday was intentional, today was a matter of "let's just keep going because we've got some time and we're feeling good. So rather than stop at Amenal (about 14.6 miles out) about half of us kept walking another 3 miles or so. We thought about trying to push through to Santiago but the uphill trail in the open afternoon sun convinced us of the folly of our ways. But, we have only about 10 km left for tomorrow morning so we're pretty sure that we'll arrive in plenty of time for the pilgrim mass at noon.
The rhythm of today was like most other days we've hiked -- get up, walk, stop to eat, walk, stop to eat, walk, stop again, walk, arrive really tired, shower, eat, hang around, eat, go to bed. Repeat. So I thought I'd use today's blog to give you some idea of what it's like to hike on the Camino. In some ways, it feels very familiar to other day hikes/backpacking trips I've taken, yet there are a number of fascinating differences. Let' start with the similarities.
1) walking stick - I always take my stick and the familiar 4-beat cadence of my stick is a constant for me. I use it to push up the hills and assist my knees on the way down, just like always.
2) Carrying a pack - Although I'm only carrying a day pack (my wonderful new Camelbak) there's the familiar sweat against your back and reliable contents -- bandaids, blister kit, trail mix, ibuprofen, raincoat, little towel, suncreen, etc.
3) Hiking shoes & socks - I would never go hiking without my SmartWool socks and liner socks and gore-tex hiker. I didn't here, either. Except, I got some cool new liners that are toe sock and they're pretty swell. I'll show them to you, if you'd like, after I get them home and through the washer.
4) Guidebook/map - This is interesting because you don't need your guidebook for directions (I'll cover that later) it is a great help to let know what's coming up next.
5) Blisters -- I don't usually get blisters but the long downhills through the many river valleys decided to trouble my feet just a bit. Yesterday, I got a blister on the bottom of my little toe on the right foot, and today on the same to on my left foot. But, moleskin and a good strong water-proof bandaid has everything under control. On the good side, I've had this blister kit for about 12 years, so I guess I might as well use it on a trip as memorable as this.
So far so good, based on this it sounds pretty familiar, right. Well, let me tell you the rest of the story.
First of all, this account comes with two significant distinctions from the experience of most peregrinos (pilgrims) -- 1) we are not carrying all of our belongings with us. Instead, we carry only a standard day pack and Ricardo, the bus driver, takes our suitcases from hotel to hotel for us while we are hiking. and 2) as I just mentioned, we are staying small hotels, pensiones, or a casa rural (a rural farm house). Most pilgrims stay in the albergues, the bare bones pilgrim hostels that provide overnight lodging that is most often in large dormitory rooms. So, we are doing a less physically demanding camino with less to carry and with no worries about where will be sleeping every night. Is there less snoring than in the albergue, probably not so much. But let's focus on some of the other differences.
1) Hikers -- There are lots of people, and I mean LOTS! They come from all over the world, although mostly from Europe, and communication is challenging but lots of fun. And they range from college students to an 89-year-old Italian grandmother who is walking while she holds the hand of her grandson. She has stolen our hearts!! Most pilgrims know some English and same Spanish, but not always. There's lots of pointing and writing at the cafe's in the morning as cafe con leche' and bocadillos are purchased. Sometimes you'll pass groups of 5 or 6, more often 1 or 2, but always with the ubiquitous exchange of "Hola" and "Buen camino."
2) Bicylces, etc. -- Most people are walking, but some are on bicycles. So, you always keep a sense of what's behind you and listen for a voice, or the sound of bicycle brakes, or sometimes a bell. I've not ben run over yet. Like the hikers, the cyclists usually travel in groups. Not only do you share the trail with bikes, we've accommodated our share of sheep, cows, tractors, milk trucks, garbage trucks, cars, log trucks, and even a semi-truck full of lovely little piggies on their way to the great jamon factory in the sky.
3) Walking surface -- This camino is a panoply of walking surfaces, and they change without rhyme or reason or advance notice. I'll add some pictures when I get home but so far I've walked on the following -- cobblestones, flagstone, asphalt, concrete, sand, mud, grass, gravel, granite, pea stone, forest floor/leaves, a stream bed, a regional highway, a bike path, and a cow path. We walked level with the road, and 6 feet below the surround fields. It's so different from hiking in the woods of the U.P. ofn Michigan or the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
4) Finding your way -- If you get lost on the Camino, you had to work for it. This path is so well-marked, in so many ways. The standard marking is a yellow arrow and they are prominently displayed all over the place. And they are granites stiles with a carved scallop shell ( the symbol of the pilgrim ) at every junction with an arrow, and at every 0.5 km mark with the name of the local village or pueblo. I've seen brass scallop shells set in granite sidewalks, yellow lines on the side of the road or highway. They are all other types of signs. And, more often than not, you just look up and there are other pilgrims to follow.
5) Amenities -- The camino is well-supported by a series of bars, cafes, tiendas (stores), mesons (inns) sometimes across the street from each other, and never more than a few kilometers apart. So while the guidebooks I mentioned early for setting distances to walk, etc. they really excel at letting you know how close you are to the next cafe con leche or caña ( little draft beer) or CocaCola Light or bocadillo (sandwich) or whatever. It's really quite a civilized thing and leads to comments like "my goodness, it's already afternoon and I"ve not yet had my first beer." Really, tho, little quenches a pilgrim's thirst and restores your energy like a cold beer available just steps from the trail.
6) Advertising -- You must understand that we are hiking to most frequented part of the Camino - the last 100 km before Santiago de Compostela. And, although this may be a spiritual quest for come, the locals are ready and willing to extract the Euros from our pockets. Today alone, we came across the following -- 4-color posters on trees, piles of business cards held down by a stop on the top of a kilometer marker, a motion-activated (I kid you not) talking sign -- in several languages -- and brochure stand for an upcoming pilgrim hostel (albergue) and two-little old Spanish grandmas passing out handbills for a hostel in Santiago. I've never seen this in the Sierra
7) And the Big Finale: Taxis -- Yes, I am not making this up. As I mentioned earlier, the route of the Camino is often along country roads and through the villages, either right on the road, or right alongside. In the last couple of days, we have seen taxi cabs cruising this roads looking to pick up fares -- and we've seen people get in for rides. Oh, and they'll also take your luggage/pack for you, too, to your next stop but I don't suppose I should say to much about that as we have Ricard and his bus doing that for us. In fact, just check out www.peregrinotaxi.com for a full list of camino services :-) I think I could have used these guys one day out on North Manitou. P.S. This guy advertises all over the place (see #6).
Well, there are probably lots more things that I could cover, but it's time for a shower or I'll disturb the rhythm of camino life around here.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Long Day's Hike
Tuesday, May 29 -- Palas de Rei to Arzua -- 28.9 km / 17.9 m
Well, this was planned to be the longest day of the hike, just shy of 18 miles. We had been doing between 12 and 15 miles per day so it was in the ballpark, but psychologically, it felt longer. At our meeting on Monday evening we agreed that a few folks would be dropped off by the bus a little into the route to be sure that they could finish. The rest of us decided to take on the challenge and try it all.
Palas de Rei is a mid-sized town, maybe a few thousand people. There were not hotels that had enough rooms for our group (9 rooms) so we stayed in a new Pension -- the rooms were nice but it did not offer breakfast nor was there a very nearby cafe. So we decided to leave at 6:45 am and walk into town because a number of the cafe's opened at 6:30 AM and I had seen one with one of those fabulous Spanish orange juice presses -- fresh OJ at the touch of a button. We got to the cafe in short order, had our cafe con leche and zumo naranja (OJ) and I had an order of tortilla espanola (kind of an omelette with potatoes, served at room temp), figuring that I'd need the energy for the long day ahead. And I did, but it sat kind of heavy for the first hour.
Roy and I stepped off together with vigor at about 7:15. We have a similar stride and so we walk well together. At the edge of town, we passed the local bakery and the delivery person was filling his little truck with the wonderful Galician breads, and croissants, etc. The aroma was out of this world. In a few minutes, we caught up with Pete and Pat Tigchelaar and walked with them for a while. I capture a phone of Pete standing next to the sign for the village of Casanova -- you draw your own conclusions. Some afterwards Ken and Sharon Piers and Cynthia Slagter caught up with us so we walked more of less together for a while, talking among ourselves and commenting on the lovely cool (about 55) and foggy/overcast weather conditions we had to hike in.
Not long after this we met Enzo Pallotta, an Italian pilgrim that I recognized from our day hiking to Sarria via the Samos monastery. Today he was carrying a pack and he had stopped by a stile in the pueblo of Pallota -- almost the same as his name -- and he asked Roy to take his picture next to the stile. Very soon, he and Roy struck up a conversation. Enzo speaks some English but wants to learn so he took any opportunity to practive. He walked with us continuously for about 90 minutes and asked us to spell works for him if he didn't know them. Have you ever tried to explain the word "scare-crow?" Well, Cynthia did and he finally understood and some fun pantomine among us all. We say him a couple of times later in the day but didn't get the chance for the protracted conversation.
Many peregrinos start their hiking about sunrise, as we did today. so they also all arrive at the first cafe at the same time. And we did, too. We stopped the first available place after hiking almost 5 miles in about 2 hours. We stopped in the very little pueblo of O Coto (really it's just crossroads with 2 cafes and about 3 hours) for cafe con leche and a bathroom break -- you have to buy something to us the "servicios" Our break was quick, because we know we had a long day ahead and, at 9:30, the fog was lifting so we knew it would get warmer.
Our continuing walk over the next couple of hours took us through woods and fields in the small city of Melide. Melide is perhaps best known for the local bars and restaurants and pulperias that serve the regional specialty, pulpo (octopus). We stopped to see it being prepared in one restaurant but at 11:30 it was a little too early to face that for lunch. David and Susan Hoekema stopped there, they were behind us, and said that they enjoyed it immensely. After a stop at the local church to get a sello (stamp) in our pilgrim credentials, we continued on for over 3 more miles until we reached Boente and had lunch there in a little roadside cafe at about 12:30 and, more importantly, took our shoes off for a while to give our feet a rest. Pete and Pat T joined us so we had a fun time together eating our bocadillos.
After lunch we encountered the first of many eucalyptus groves. They have an invigorating aroma that permeates the leaves and the bark. We journeyed on and met Leslie Matthews who walked the rest of the day with us. The path was mostly through fields and forests until we reached Ribadaiso. Many pilgrims end their day at this point, but there is only a pilgrim hostel and no hotel so we needed to journey on. I must admit that the sight of earlier arrivals playing in the stream along the camino looked pretty inviting, compared to another 4 km of hiking, especially because the first 2 km was moderately steep up out of the river valley, and in full sun.
The reward for that climb was the arrival in the outskirts of Arzua and a growing realization that we would, in fact, conquer the formidable 18 mile day. Linda McFadden and Ken and Sharon Piers had passed us earlier in the day so they were in Arzua when we arrived at about 3:30. We were weary from the last hour of hiking in the full sun, but feeling very good that we had made it through the day. We arrived in the town square to find other colleagues already there and we poceeded directly to the nearest cafe for lunch -- right on time by Spanish standards. The bus came from our nearby casa rural to bring some folks back. The rest of us enjoyed some rest in the shade of the cafe umbrellas and went back to the casa a little later.
After showers and getting settled in, we had our regular evening meeting of devotions, de-briefing the day, and planning the next. After that, Ricardo, our bus driver, gave us a brief tour through the grounds of the case -- this was, at one time, a working farm -- and into the museum of old farm tools and implements that the owner has collected. We also explored the beautiful gardens and saw an immense eucalyptus tree in the garden. It was so large that it took 7 of us holding hands to completely encircle it.
It was now about 8:45 and time to walk down to the restaurant on the property. Ricardo was teasing us about eating "so early" when we sat down at 9:00. By the clock it was a little late, but with the sunset after 10 and twilight until almost 11, the environmental cues were a little less jarring for the North Americans. We had a lovely meal, at a leisurely pace, and enjoyed our walk up the hill under the crescent moon and the stars. And, it wasn't too hard to get to sleep right away, at least for me, but I'm sure that 18 miles of hiking had something to do with that.
Well, this was planned to be the longest day of the hike, just shy of 18 miles. We had been doing between 12 and 15 miles per day so it was in the ballpark, but psychologically, it felt longer. At our meeting on Monday evening we agreed that a few folks would be dropped off by the bus a little into the route to be sure that they could finish. The rest of us decided to take on the challenge and try it all.
Palas de Rei is a mid-sized town, maybe a few thousand people. There were not hotels that had enough rooms for our group (9 rooms) so we stayed in a new Pension -- the rooms were nice but it did not offer breakfast nor was there a very nearby cafe. So we decided to leave at 6:45 am and walk into town because a number of the cafe's opened at 6:30 AM and I had seen one with one of those fabulous Spanish orange juice presses -- fresh OJ at the touch of a button. We got to the cafe in short order, had our cafe con leche and zumo naranja (OJ) and I had an order of tortilla espanola (kind of an omelette with potatoes, served at room temp), figuring that I'd need the energy for the long day ahead. And I did, but it sat kind of heavy for the first hour.
Roy and I stepped off together with vigor at about 7:15. We have a similar stride and so we walk well together. At the edge of town, we passed the local bakery and the delivery person was filling his little truck with the wonderful Galician breads, and croissants, etc. The aroma was out of this world. In a few minutes, we caught up with Pete and Pat Tigchelaar and walked with them for a while. I capture a phone of Pete standing next to the sign for the village of Casanova -- you draw your own conclusions. Some afterwards Ken and Sharon Piers and Cynthia Slagter caught up with us so we walked more of less together for a while, talking among ourselves and commenting on the lovely cool (about 55) and foggy/overcast weather conditions we had to hike in.
Not long after this we met Enzo Pallotta, an Italian pilgrim that I recognized from our day hiking to Sarria via the Samos monastery. Today he was carrying a pack and he had stopped by a stile in the pueblo of Pallota -- almost the same as his name -- and he asked Roy to take his picture next to the stile. Very soon, he and Roy struck up a conversation. Enzo speaks some English but wants to learn so he took any opportunity to practive. He walked with us continuously for about 90 minutes and asked us to spell works for him if he didn't know them. Have you ever tried to explain the word "scare-crow?" Well, Cynthia did and he finally understood and some fun pantomine among us all. We say him a couple of times later in the day but didn't get the chance for the protracted conversation.
Many peregrinos start their hiking about sunrise, as we did today. so they also all arrive at the first cafe at the same time. And we did, too. We stopped the first available place after hiking almost 5 miles in about 2 hours. We stopped in the very little pueblo of O Coto (really it's just crossroads with 2 cafes and about 3 hours) for cafe con leche and a bathroom break -- you have to buy something to us the "servicios" Our break was quick, because we know we had a long day ahead and, at 9:30, the fog was lifting so we knew it would get warmer.
Our continuing walk over the next couple of hours took us through woods and fields in the small city of Melide. Melide is perhaps best known for the local bars and restaurants and pulperias that serve the regional specialty, pulpo (octopus). We stopped to see it being prepared in one restaurant but at 11:30 it was a little too early to face that for lunch. David and Susan Hoekema stopped there, they were behind us, and said that they enjoyed it immensely. After a stop at the local church to get a sello (stamp) in our pilgrim credentials, we continued on for over 3 more miles until we reached Boente and had lunch there in a little roadside cafe at about 12:30 and, more importantly, took our shoes off for a while to give our feet a rest. Pete and Pat T joined us so we had a fun time together eating our bocadillos.
After lunch we encountered the first of many eucalyptus groves. They have an invigorating aroma that permeates the leaves and the bark. We journeyed on and met Leslie Matthews who walked the rest of the day with us. The path was mostly through fields and forests until we reached Ribadaiso. Many pilgrims end their day at this point, but there is only a pilgrim hostel and no hotel so we needed to journey on. I must admit that the sight of earlier arrivals playing in the stream along the camino looked pretty inviting, compared to another 4 km of hiking, especially because the first 2 km was moderately steep up out of the river valley, and in full sun.
The reward for that climb was the arrival in the outskirts of Arzua and a growing realization that we would, in fact, conquer the formidable 18 mile day. Linda McFadden and Ken and Sharon Piers had passed us earlier in the day so they were in Arzua when we arrived at about 3:30. We were weary from the last hour of hiking in the full sun, but feeling very good that we had made it through the day. We arrived in the town square to find other colleagues already there and we poceeded directly to the nearest cafe for lunch -- right on time by Spanish standards. The bus came from our nearby casa rural to bring some folks back. The rest of us enjoyed some rest in the shade of the cafe umbrellas and went back to the casa a little later.
After showers and getting settled in, we had our regular evening meeting of devotions, de-briefing the day, and planning the next. After that, Ricardo, our bus driver, gave us a brief tour through the grounds of the case -- this was, at one time, a working farm -- and into the museum of old farm tools and implements that the owner has collected. We also explored the beautiful gardens and saw an immense eucalyptus tree in the garden. It was so large that it took 7 of us holding hands to completely encircle it.
It was now about 8:45 and time to walk down to the restaurant on the property. Ricardo was teasing us about eating "so early" when we sat down at 9:00. By the clock it was a little late, but with the sunset after 10 and twilight until almost 11, the environmental cues were a little less jarring for the North Americans. We had a lovely meal, at a leisurely pace, and enjoyed our walk up the hill under the crescent moon and the stars. And, it wasn't too hard to get to sleep right away, at least for me, but I'm sure that 18 miles of hiking had something to do with that.
Monday, May 28, 2012
A Typical Pilgrim Day
Monday, May 28 -- Day 4 -- Portomarin to Palas del Rei
Today was day 4 of our Camino. We hiked from Portomarin (km 90) to Palas de Rei (km 65) These km markers refer to the distance left to walk to get to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. They are both a blessing and a curse -- as you hike early in the day it feels like you are making great progress, but the closer you get to that day's destination, they seem to get farther and farther apart.
Today, I thought I'd give you the schedule of the typical camino day and tomorrow I'll talk more about the actual walking/hiking. Our camino day starts about dawn, 7:00 at this time of year in Galicia, or whenever the hotel restaurant is open. Depending on personal preference, some pilgrims will have breakfast first while others will start off walking. Breakfast is usually pretty simple, a cafe and maybe a croissant or toast -- the pretty standard Spanish breakfast -- and it costs a couple euro. This morning I had jamon y queso (ham and cheese) with my toast and it cost 1 euro more. The big 'ole American breakfast typified by Real Food Cafe or Wolfgang's just isn't evident here.
So after hiking for a while an hour or two, you stop for something. If you've already had breakfast, it could be just a cafe con leche, but if not, then maybe a bocadillo (sandwich) with ham, or cheese, or tortilla (not the burrito kind, it 's more like an omelette) with whatever -- all pretty typcial breakfast foods for around here. One interesting note about the tortilla -- unlike the typical tortilla you find in Madrid that is usually made with potatoes and is more like a quiche and served cold, here the tortilla is really more like our omelettes and is cooked to order and served warm.
Then you hike another couple hours and may stop again. Maybe just for something to drink. An if a nice little cold draft beer, a caña, hits the spot for you, they have them in the morning!! :-) Again, if you are hungry, there are the pretty standard offerings of bocadillos, or tortilla, or soup. All of them rather light foods. By the way, these little places go by various names, or a combination thereof -- bar, cafeteria (those are self explanatory), or meson (inn). And they all have a big expresso machine, and draft beer and a full liquor license and similar menus. As I said yesterday, even though the Camino goes through a lot of very little towns, in many of them you can find a little place for food and drink; and, for some, the all important servicios (bathrooms).
Well, if it's a long day or you are a leisurely hiker, or you start late, or if you just feel like it, you can stop again. Today was kind of like that. The group I was with joked that we had a hobbit morning -- breakfast at 7:15 in the hotel, coffee in a cafe at 9:00, elevensies at another cafe at 11:00 of course, and then a pre-lunch almuerzo (snack) about 1:00. And that's just the morning meals.
We arrived here at Palas about 2:30 and then we went to our hotel. The first order of business is a shower and maybe laundry, if necessary. Depending on the hike and the temperature, a caña (small draft beer for about 1 euro) may come first!! Our group, and most pilgrims, then go out for lunch in the town. Most of the restaurants, bars, cafeterias, mesons have a "menu del dia (menu of the day)" and some have a lower cost "menu del peregrinos (pigrim's menu)" that is a little less expensive. The menu del dia is usally about 9 - 10 euro and includes a soup or salad course, a main course, a dessert, bread, and beverage - beer, wine, or water. And the beverages are usually substantial -- a least a 1/2 bottle of wine or 1/2 of a large bottle of mineral water person.
Then comes the best part of the day -- siesta. I've taken a nap once, but I use this time to write my blog. I often find a cafe, buy a Coca Cola light and I sit and write for a while. Our group gets together for a while at 7:00 for devotions and a short briefing on the next day. In a number of the towns there is a pilgrim mass scheduled at 7:00 in the evening. I love to go out and walk around the towns then because that is the time you also see the locals out for their evening walk -- if you've been to Spain you'll recognize the image of a man and woman, or two women, all dressed up and walking arm in arm. It's an enchanting image you don't forget.
After a little while, we may go out for dinner or a drink and some tapas -- usually a lighter meal than the afternoon meal. That can be as early as 8:30 -- the restaurants know that the pilgrims go to bed early and get up early -- but more likely around 9:30 or 10:00. Then it's time to get things ready for the next day and go to bed. All the time, hoping that the neighborhood dogs don't bark all night and that the roosters across the street -- Yes, even in the small towns there are roosters -- give you some peace and quiet overnight.
Today was day 4 of our Camino. We hiked from Portomarin (km 90) to Palas de Rei (km 65) These km markers refer to the distance left to walk to get to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. They are both a blessing and a curse -- as you hike early in the day it feels like you are making great progress, but the closer you get to that day's destination, they seem to get farther and farther apart.
Today, I thought I'd give you the schedule of the typical camino day and tomorrow I'll talk more about the actual walking/hiking. Our camino day starts about dawn, 7:00 at this time of year in Galicia, or whenever the hotel restaurant is open. Depending on personal preference, some pilgrims will have breakfast first while others will start off walking. Breakfast is usually pretty simple, a cafe and maybe a croissant or toast -- the pretty standard Spanish breakfast -- and it costs a couple euro. This morning I had jamon y queso (ham and cheese) with my toast and it cost 1 euro more. The big 'ole American breakfast typified by Real Food Cafe or Wolfgang's just isn't evident here.
So after hiking for a while an hour or two, you stop for something. If you've already had breakfast, it could be just a cafe con leche, but if not, then maybe a bocadillo (sandwich) with ham, or cheese, or tortilla (not the burrito kind, it 's more like an omelette) with whatever -- all pretty typcial breakfast foods for around here. One interesting note about the tortilla -- unlike the typical tortilla you find in Madrid that is usually made with potatoes and is more like a quiche and served cold, here the tortilla is really more like our omelettes and is cooked to order and served warm.
Then you hike another couple hours and may stop again. Maybe just for something to drink. An if a nice little cold draft beer, a caña, hits the spot for you, they have them in the morning!! :-) Again, if you are hungry, there are the pretty standard offerings of bocadillos, or tortilla, or soup. All of them rather light foods. By the way, these little places go by various names, or a combination thereof -- bar, cafeteria (those are self explanatory), or meson (inn). And they all have a big expresso machine, and draft beer and a full liquor license and similar menus. As I said yesterday, even though the Camino goes through a lot of very little towns, in many of them you can find a little place for food and drink; and, for some, the all important servicios (bathrooms).
Well, if it's a long day or you are a leisurely hiker, or you start late, or if you just feel like it, you can stop again. Today was kind of like that. The group I was with joked that we had a hobbit morning -- breakfast at 7:15 in the hotel, coffee in a cafe at 9:00, elevensies at another cafe at 11:00 of course, and then a pre-lunch almuerzo (snack) about 1:00. And that's just the morning meals.
We arrived here at Palas about 2:30 and then we went to our hotel. The first order of business is a shower and maybe laundry, if necessary. Depending on the hike and the temperature, a caña (small draft beer for about 1 euro) may come first!! Our group, and most pilgrims, then go out for lunch in the town. Most of the restaurants, bars, cafeterias, mesons have a "menu del dia (menu of the day)" and some have a lower cost "menu del peregrinos (pigrim's menu)" that is a little less expensive. The menu del dia is usally about 9 - 10 euro and includes a soup or salad course, a main course, a dessert, bread, and beverage - beer, wine, or water. And the beverages are usually substantial -- a least a 1/2 bottle of wine or 1/2 of a large bottle of mineral water person.
Then comes the best part of the day -- siesta. I've taken a nap once, but I use this time to write my blog. I often find a cafe, buy a Coca Cola light and I sit and write for a while. Our group gets together for a while at 7:00 for devotions and a short briefing on the next day. In a number of the towns there is a pilgrim mass scheduled at 7:00 in the evening. I love to go out and walk around the towns then because that is the time you also see the locals out for their evening walk -- if you've been to Spain you'll recognize the image of a man and woman, or two women, all dressed up and walking arm in arm. It's an enchanting image you don't forget.
After a little while, we may go out for dinner or a drink and some tapas -- usually a lighter meal than the afternoon meal. That can be as early as 8:30 -- the restaurants know that the pilgrims go to bed early and get up early -- but more likely around 9:30 or 10:00. Then it's time to get things ready for the next day and go to bed. All the time, hoping that the neighborhood dogs don't bark all night and that the roosters across the street -- Yes, even in the small towns there are roosters -- give you some peace and quiet overnight.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Down on the Farm...
Sunday, May 27 -- Day 3 -- Sarria to Portomarin
Day 3 of our adventure started at about 6:00 AM when Roy's alarm went off. We had agreed last night to start before 7:00 this morning and he was asleep when I came in last night, so I was committed.
We were outside the hotel at 6:45, about 15 minutes before sunrise so there was plenty of light in the sky. Linda McFadden was in the lobby so she joined Roy and me as the earliest departing hikers of the day. It was cool again today, about 48 when we started -- I could see my breath -- and it never warmed up above the mid 50's. We hiked in sunshine until about 9 and then we dealt with a mostly cloudy sky and some threat of rain. Fortunately the rain held off, although I kept my raincoat on all day, along with my long pants, to help cut the wind.
We hiked pretty quickly and found ourselves at a convenient breakfast stop about 8:45 and into Portomarin (Portominho) by 12:15. Portomarin in on the River Mio and is most well known for the lovely Romanesque church in the center of the town -- that church was moved stone by stone from the river valley before it was dammed up to form a reservoir. All in all, about 14 miles in 5 hours of walking. David Hoekema came in right behind us, but the balance of the group took a more leisurely stroll and started appearing about 2. By then we had showered and done laundry, caught up on e-mail and blogs. We went for lunch at 3 and now it's about 5 so I'll work on this for a while and then take a little siesta.
My main thoughts today are reflections on the completely and totally rural character of the Camino. I knew that it was rural, passing only occasionally through a large city and once in a while through a larger town, but this is a surprise to me. Mostly it is little "pueblos" with maybe a handful of houses. What struck me today was the overwhelming flood of senses that brought me back to the dairy farm experiences of my youth.
The walk itself is, more often than not, right past homes and barns and pastures and hay mows. Sometimes, in fact, you walk between the house and the barn. In these, and other places, my senses were saturated with the essence of rural agriculture.
I heard chickens, and roosters, and barking dogs, and mooing cows, and the bells on goats and sheep, to name a few. There was the roar of a diesel tractors and the hum of milking machines and bulk tank coolers. In more pastoral settings, there were abundant birds, and even the occasional cuckoo.
It wasn't just sounds, it was sights -- farm gardens with garlic, and onions, and lettuce and potatoes and last year's brussel sprouts standing a meter high and going to seed, the distinctive Galician "horreo" (corn crib), piles of round bales wrapped in white plastic and looking like over-grown marshmallows. I saw barbed wire, fence posts made of concrete and some made of wood, and bulk tanks, and calf hutches and all manner of farm implements -- often parked in reckless abandon at the edge of a field signifying the end of useful life. And, there are stonewalls everywhere, separating field from field, the field from the path, and surrounding farm yards and poultry pens.
And, if you've ever grown up on the farm, there are the smells. Dairy cows feeding on fresh, spring pasture grass and all that entails. In fact, that smell of manure is pretty pervasive as you walk, reminding you that Yes, you are out in the country. The smell of freshly plowed fields, and hay drying in the sun, and corn silage and diesel tractors, all bring me back to my childhood. And, there is almost always the smell of woodsmoke -- these same ancient stone-walled farm house that are now electrified and have telephones, and cable TV and Wi-Fi, still heat, and probably cook, with wood. So that lovely smell of wook smoke fills the air.
So, just three days into this adventure, I'm not just hiking along a path following the yellow arrows, I'm also walking with a sense of reminiscence and nostalgia and looking back, with some fondness, to an earlier time in my life. They say that the Camino helps you find yourself, I guess I've rediscovered that growing up "on the farm" will always be a part of me.
Day 3 of our adventure started at about 6:00 AM when Roy's alarm went off. We had agreed last night to start before 7:00 this morning and he was asleep when I came in last night, so I was committed.
We were outside the hotel at 6:45, about 15 minutes before sunrise so there was plenty of light in the sky. Linda McFadden was in the lobby so she joined Roy and me as the earliest departing hikers of the day. It was cool again today, about 48 when we started -- I could see my breath -- and it never warmed up above the mid 50's. We hiked in sunshine until about 9 and then we dealt with a mostly cloudy sky and some threat of rain. Fortunately the rain held off, although I kept my raincoat on all day, along with my long pants, to help cut the wind.
We hiked pretty quickly and found ourselves at a convenient breakfast stop about 8:45 and into Portomarin (Portominho) by 12:15. Portomarin in on the River Mio and is most well known for the lovely Romanesque church in the center of the town -- that church was moved stone by stone from the river valley before it was dammed up to form a reservoir. All in all, about 14 miles in 5 hours of walking. David Hoekema came in right behind us, but the balance of the group took a more leisurely stroll and started appearing about 2. By then we had showered and done laundry, caught up on e-mail and blogs. We went for lunch at 3 and now it's about 5 so I'll work on this for a while and then take a little siesta.
My main thoughts today are reflections on the completely and totally rural character of the Camino. I knew that it was rural, passing only occasionally through a large city and once in a while through a larger town, but this is a surprise to me. Mostly it is little "pueblos" with maybe a handful of houses. What struck me today was the overwhelming flood of senses that brought me back to the dairy farm experiences of my youth.
The walk itself is, more often than not, right past homes and barns and pastures and hay mows. Sometimes, in fact, you walk between the house and the barn. In these, and other places, my senses were saturated with the essence of rural agriculture.
I heard chickens, and roosters, and barking dogs, and mooing cows, and the bells on goats and sheep, to name a few. There was the roar of a diesel tractors and the hum of milking machines and bulk tank coolers. In more pastoral settings, there were abundant birds, and even the occasional cuckoo.
It wasn't just sounds, it was sights -- farm gardens with garlic, and onions, and lettuce and potatoes and last year's brussel sprouts standing a meter high and going to seed, the distinctive Galician "horreo" (corn crib), piles of round bales wrapped in white plastic and looking like over-grown marshmallows. I saw barbed wire, fence posts made of concrete and some made of wood, and bulk tanks, and calf hutches and all manner of farm implements -- often parked in reckless abandon at the edge of a field signifying the end of useful life. And, there are stonewalls everywhere, separating field from field, the field from the path, and surrounding farm yards and poultry pens.
And, if you've ever grown up on the farm, there are the smells. Dairy cows feeding on fresh, spring pasture grass and all that entails. In fact, that smell of manure is pretty pervasive as you walk, reminding you that Yes, you are out in the country. The smell of freshly plowed fields, and hay drying in the sun, and corn silage and diesel tractors, all bring me back to my childhood. And, there is almost always the smell of woodsmoke -- these same ancient stone-walled farm house that are now electrified and have telephones, and cable TV and Wi-Fi, still heat, and probably cook, with wood. So that lovely smell of wook smoke fills the air.
So, just three days into this adventure, I'm not just hiking along a path following the yellow arrows, I'm also walking with a sense of reminiscence and nostalgia and looking back, with some fondness, to an earlier time in my life. They say that the Camino helps you find yourself, I guess I've rediscovered that growing up "on the farm" will always be a part of me.
The Road Less Taken...
Saturday, May 26 - Day 2 - Triacastella to Sarria
Today was day 2 of our trip. We stayed last night in "casa rural" -- basically a farm house. In our case both the house and the barn were completely renovated into lovely rooms and apartments, including a fabulous dining room and a wonderful reading room/salon.
We had breakfast at 7:00 am -- the traditional Spanish breakfast of cafe and hot milk served separately for us to mix as desired, orange juice, coffee cake, and toast. We had one other local specialty, the lovely soft cow's cheese from O 'Cebreiro served with honey. The bus took us in Triacastella to begin our hike. The majority of the group took the short (11.6 miles) route to Sarria but David Hoekema, Cynthia Slagter and I chose to take a longer alternate route (16 miles) to visit one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Spain, the Benedictine monastery in Samos. More on that in a minute..
Our colleagues got to Sarria a couple of hours before us, due to our longer hike and monastery tour. The hiking was pleasant, about 55 degrees and mostly cloudy, with some wind, and about 20 minutes of rain for us as we got to Sarria. But the sun was out again by the time we left the Tourism Information Office. The balance of the day was pretty typical, lunch about 3, then shower and rest. Group meeting and devotions at 7 and then dinner/tapas/whatever.
But, back to the road less travelled. By taking the alternate longer route to Samos, we also met far fewer people and far fewer peregrinos. That leads me to today's reflection on todary's theme -- the interesting individuals we have met so far. Yesterday, Roy and Cynthia and I were walking through Fonfria and an elderly woman stopped us and offered a crepe with sugar sprinkled on top. Cynthia said the Asturian word for crepes and the woman, who had probably hoped for a Euro from each of us, engaged Cynthia in a vigorous conversation about her family, etc. We also met a woman yesterday on the path who was walking her dogs and gave u advice about the best path to take when there a couple of choices.
On the Samos path, we probably met only 8 other pilgrims the entire day. We left Triacastela following a young Italian as we hiked along the road. It turns out he was not a pilgrim, but only out for a walk exploring the neighborhood. We crossed paths repeatedly with 3 young women from Germany who had just started their Camino that day.
We met three interesting monks at the monastery. The older monk who was managing the admissions tickets and the gift shop. He had a great sense of humor and repeatedly teased David about trying to cheat the monks by taking the wrong change from the counter. The tall, taciturn young man (probably Italian) who gave us the tour in both English and Spanish, whose most memorable characteristics were his "fabulous shoes" (per Cynthia). I guess monks get to live it up a little. And then there was the third monk who was busy sweeping the grass from the sidewalk, in his full cassock.
Not only have we met interesting people along the way, the pilgrims have stories, too. In most cases a brief "Hola" (hello) followed by "Buen Camino" (good Camino) comprises the conversation. Sometimes however, there is less of a language barrier and more story to tell. On the way to Portomarin today. we met Kathy, the Canadian from Calgary who nationality was given away as soon as she said the word "sorry." She was hiking the Camino with her husband and daughter. Later Roy and I talked with Jake, a young Irish student was hiking the Camino from the beginning. He talked rather freely with us about the loneliness of having no one to talk to in his own language. He said that we were the first English-speakers he had encountered in four days. After him, Roy and I met Veronica, an Austrian woman who lives in Germany and is a math and music teacher. When Roy asked why she was hiking, she shared that her oldest daughter had been killed in a traffic accident four years ago and this was in her memory. Rolf, a tall, brisk-walking German, was on his 3rd Camino and he didn't really say why he was walking, and didn't spend much time talking with us, he was on a mission of his own.
These are only a few of the people we have met, but it's clear that the Camino is more than just a hike through the countryside of northern Spain, it's a chance to encounter people, and connect with just a few of them, in ways that I had never imagined before today.
Today was day 2 of our trip. We stayed last night in "casa rural" -- basically a farm house. In our case both the house and the barn were completely renovated into lovely rooms and apartments, including a fabulous dining room and a wonderful reading room/salon.
We had breakfast at 7:00 am -- the traditional Spanish breakfast of cafe and hot milk served separately for us to mix as desired, orange juice, coffee cake, and toast. We had one other local specialty, the lovely soft cow's cheese from O 'Cebreiro served with honey. The bus took us in Triacastella to begin our hike. The majority of the group took the short (11.6 miles) route to Sarria but David Hoekema, Cynthia Slagter and I chose to take a longer alternate route (16 miles) to visit one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Spain, the Benedictine monastery in Samos. More on that in a minute..
Our colleagues got to Sarria a couple of hours before us, due to our longer hike and monastery tour. The hiking was pleasant, about 55 degrees and mostly cloudy, with some wind, and about 20 minutes of rain for us as we got to Sarria. But the sun was out again by the time we left the Tourism Information Office. The balance of the day was pretty typical, lunch about 3, then shower and rest. Group meeting and devotions at 7 and then dinner/tapas/whatever.
But, back to the road less travelled. By taking the alternate longer route to Samos, we also met far fewer people and far fewer peregrinos. That leads me to today's reflection on todary's theme -- the interesting individuals we have met so far. Yesterday, Roy and Cynthia and I were walking through Fonfria and an elderly woman stopped us and offered a crepe with sugar sprinkled on top. Cynthia said the Asturian word for crepes and the woman, who had probably hoped for a Euro from each of us, engaged Cynthia in a vigorous conversation about her family, etc. We also met a woman yesterday on the path who was walking her dogs and gave u advice about the best path to take when there a couple of choices.
On the Samos path, we probably met only 8 other pilgrims the entire day. We left Triacastela following a young Italian as we hiked along the road. It turns out he was not a pilgrim, but only out for a walk exploring the neighborhood. We crossed paths repeatedly with 3 young women from Germany who had just started their Camino that day.
We met three interesting monks at the monastery. The older monk who was managing the admissions tickets and the gift shop. He had a great sense of humor and repeatedly teased David about trying to cheat the monks by taking the wrong change from the counter. The tall, taciturn young man (probably Italian) who gave us the tour in both English and Spanish, whose most memorable characteristics were his "fabulous shoes" (per Cynthia). I guess monks get to live it up a little. And then there was the third monk who was busy sweeping the grass from the sidewalk, in his full cassock.
Not only have we met interesting people along the way, the pilgrims have stories, too. In most cases a brief "Hola" (hello) followed by "Buen Camino" (good Camino) comprises the conversation. Sometimes however, there is less of a language barrier and more story to tell. On the way to Portomarin today. we met Kathy, the Canadian from Calgary who nationality was given away as soon as she said the word "sorry." She was hiking the Camino with her husband and daughter. Later Roy and I talked with Jake, a young Irish student was hiking the Camino from the beginning. He talked rather freely with us about the loneliness of having no one to talk to in his own language. He said that we were the first English-speakers he had encountered in four days. After him, Roy and I met Veronica, an Austrian woman who lives in Germany and is a math and music teacher. When Roy asked why she was hiking, she shared that her oldest daughter had been killed in a traffic accident four years ago and this was in her memory. Rolf, a tall, brisk-walking German, was on his 3rd Camino and he didn't really say why he was walking, and didn't spend much time talking with us, he was on a mission of his own.
These are only a few of the people we have met, but it's clear that the Camino is more than just a hike through the countryside of northern Spain, it's a chance to encounter people, and connect with just a few of them, in ways that I had never imagined before today.
Friday, May 25, 2012
We made it -- at least the first day!!
Friday, May 25 -- Day 1 -- O 'Cebeiro to Triacastella
Well, today was the big day, we begin our hike on the Camino de Santiago. The bus left our hotel in Villafrancha del Bierzo at 8:00 and drove us about 20 km to O Cebriero. O Cebriero is the first town in Galicia (the northwestern-most province of Spain and is noted for a unique construction of homes and barns with round foundations, stone walls, and thatched roofs. We looked around the town for a while, stopped for a cafe con leche' and then went into the church to get a stamp on our "credentiales".
Each pilgrim caries a credential which you have stamped along your walk (churches, restaurants, hostels, etc.) to verify your progress. You turn in your credential at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela and they will issue you a certificate for completing the camino if you have walked at least the final 100 km. I got about 6 stamps today and will probably do that for the rest of trip because I have 8 pages to fill in just 7 days of walking.
Where do I start to describe this experience? The hiking was great -- clearly marked paths, with various surfaces ranging from paved streets to cobblestones to mud to dirt paths. We hiked through woods, in the open sun, along cow paths, along the highway (on the other side of the barrier) and through pastures. Today was about 20 km (about 12 miles, if you don't do metric) and we finished in about 5 hours.
Our pace was pretty leisurely, and we stopped quite often to look at the cows (they all wear bells here, like in Switzerland) or the sheep or into churches to get a sello (stamp). If you've ever hiked with me before you know the obligatory stops to look at various trees, shrubs, flowers, mosses, mushrooms, liverworts, etc. -- you get the picture. We also stopped to refill water bottles from trail-side water fountains and we visited little cafes/mesons in hamlets of maybe only 5 houses for a cafe con leche.
The end of the trail was significant downhill walk for about 4 km. You can measure distance easily because there are stone markers every km along the trail (we saw a few at 0.5 km marks, too) and they mark the remaining distance to travel to Santiago de Compostela.
Roy and Cynthia and I arrived in Triacastela about 3:00 and found the cafe that our bus driver had directed us to. It is owned by the same man who owns the casa rural (farm house) where we are staying today. We enjoyed the 10 Euro menu del dia (meal of the day) which included 2 courses, bread, wine/beer/water, and dessert. It was fabulous and by 4:30 the whole group had arrived.
We stayed in town until about 6 and came out to our casa rural. It is a converted farm house and barn with 5 rooms and 3 apartments. We are the only ones here and are enjoying it immensely. A group of 4 folks walked back into town to pick up some groceries and we are just going to have tapas and wine here this evening rather than go back into a cafe in town.
That's all for now. I"m sorry I can't post any pictures but Blogspot won't open any photos on my iPad. You'll have to settle for the ones that I can post on Facebook, for now.
Well, today was the big day, we begin our hike on the Camino de Santiago. The bus left our hotel in Villafrancha del Bierzo at 8:00 and drove us about 20 km to O Cebriero. O Cebriero is the first town in Galicia (the northwestern-most province of Spain and is noted for a unique construction of homes and barns with round foundations, stone walls, and thatched roofs. We looked around the town for a while, stopped for a cafe con leche' and then went into the church to get a stamp on our "credentiales".
Each pilgrim caries a credential which you have stamped along your walk (churches, restaurants, hostels, etc.) to verify your progress. You turn in your credential at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela and they will issue you a certificate for completing the camino if you have walked at least the final 100 km. I got about 6 stamps today and will probably do that for the rest of trip because I have 8 pages to fill in just 7 days of walking.
Where do I start to describe this experience? The hiking was great -- clearly marked paths, with various surfaces ranging from paved streets to cobblestones to mud to dirt paths. We hiked through woods, in the open sun, along cow paths, along the highway (on the other side of the barrier) and through pastures. Today was about 20 km (about 12 miles, if you don't do metric) and we finished in about 5 hours.
Our pace was pretty leisurely, and we stopped quite often to look at the cows (they all wear bells here, like in Switzerland) or the sheep or into churches to get a sello (stamp). If you've ever hiked with me before you know the obligatory stops to look at various trees, shrubs, flowers, mosses, mushrooms, liverworts, etc. -- you get the picture. We also stopped to refill water bottles from trail-side water fountains and we visited little cafes/mesons in hamlets of maybe only 5 houses for a cafe con leche.
The end of the trail was significant downhill walk for about 4 km. You can measure distance easily because there are stone markers every km along the trail (we saw a few at 0.5 km marks, too) and they mark the remaining distance to travel to Santiago de Compostela.
Roy and Cynthia and I arrived in Triacastela about 3:00 and found the cafe that our bus driver had directed us to. It is owned by the same man who owns the casa rural (farm house) where we are staying today. We enjoyed the 10 Euro menu del dia (meal of the day) which included 2 courses, bread, wine/beer/water, and dessert. It was fabulous and by 4:30 the whole group had arrived.
We stayed in town until about 6 and came out to our casa rural. It is a converted farm house and barn with 5 rooms and 3 apartments. We are the only ones here and are enjoying it immensely. A group of 4 folks walked back into town to pick up some groceries and we are just going to have tapas and wine here this evening rather than go back into a cafe in town.
That's all for now. I"m sorry I can't post any pictures but Blogspot won't open any photos on my iPad. You'll have to settle for the ones that I can post on Facebook, for now.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sightseeing in the North of Spain
Thursday -- May 25 -- Madrid, Segovia, Leon
This morning came early, at 6:45, but a hour later than normal for me. After showering we set off to the cafe next door. Roy and I managed to sucessfully order our breakfast and I even got a glass of tap water :-)
Our bus left Madrid at 8:30 and by just after 10:00 we were in Segovia, the historic capital of Castille-Leon and the home of Queen Isabella, who wed Ferdinand in the alliance that created most of modern Spain. The town is noted for the remaining section of Roman aqueduct, the cathedral, and the Palace. We took the tour of the palace and it reminded me a lot of the Alhambra with its placement on a promontory overlooking a village below and with lots of Moorish designs and architectural features. This palace came complete with a moat and drawbridge and very interesting slate roofs. Jan--you would have loved it because this castle was used as the inspiration for some of the Disney castles!! It was clear from the rooflines.
We left Segovia about 12:30 on the way to Leon. In an attempt to acclimate to the Spanish timing for meals, we stopped in Tordesillas for lunch at 2:30. This town is famous as the site of of the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. We had a lovely meal on the restaurant terrace overlooking a river and the old town. With a table of 9 with some pointing and my meager Spanish, we made our choices, received what we had ordered, and paid the bill. I told the group that I can order a mea in 3 languages, so far I'm doing OK. That was victory enough, I didn't try to get the server to split the bill 7 ways :-)
As we got back on the highway we saw our first sign for the Camino--it was the Camino Via del Plata, the Camino path that comes from southern Spain. then last three hours we have been driving through prominently agricultural land --oats, wheat, alfalfa, grapes, tomatoes, rapeseed, and even sone plantations of pine trees. And we've seen some solar panel farms, too.
After a couple of hours on the highway we arrived in Leon for a couple of cultural-historical stops. We hurried to the archetypical Romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro because the crypt has the most famous Roman frescos in Spain. it was incredible to think that these were almost 1000 years old. For me, one of the most fascinating elements were the frescos representing the 12 months of the year in agricultural terms, based on the farming activities . We also stopped to visit the Cathedral of Leon, a splendid Gothic cathedral with the best stained-glass windows in Spain.
Two more hours on the highway brought us to Villefranche del Bierzo, our destination for tonight We'll be checking into the room and grabbing a quick cana (draft beer) and some tapas.
This morning came early, at 6:45, but a hour later than normal for me. After showering we set off to the cafe next door. Roy and I managed to sucessfully order our breakfast and I even got a glass of tap water :-)
Our bus left Madrid at 8:30 and by just after 10:00 we were in Segovia, the historic capital of Castille-Leon and the home of Queen Isabella, who wed Ferdinand in the alliance that created most of modern Spain. The town is noted for the remaining section of Roman aqueduct, the cathedral, and the Palace. We took the tour of the palace and it reminded me a lot of the Alhambra with its placement on a promontory overlooking a village below and with lots of Moorish designs and architectural features. This palace came complete with a moat and drawbridge and very interesting slate roofs. Jan--you would have loved it because this castle was used as the inspiration for some of the Disney castles!! It was clear from the rooflines.
We left Segovia about 12:30 on the way to Leon. In an attempt to acclimate to the Spanish timing for meals, we stopped in Tordesillas for lunch at 2:30. This town is famous as the site of of the signing of the Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. We had a lovely meal on the restaurant terrace overlooking a river and the old town. With a table of 9 with some pointing and my meager Spanish, we made our choices, received what we had ordered, and paid the bill. I told the group that I can order a mea in 3 languages, so far I'm doing OK. That was victory enough, I didn't try to get the server to split the bill 7 ways :-)
As we got back on the highway we saw our first sign for the Camino--it was the Camino Via del Plata, the Camino path that comes from southern Spain. then last three hours we have been driving through prominently agricultural land --oats, wheat, alfalfa, grapes, tomatoes, rapeseed, and even sone plantations of pine trees. And we've seen some solar panel farms, too.
After a couple of hours on the highway we arrived in Leon for a couple of cultural-historical stops. We hurried to the archetypical Romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro because the crypt has the most famous Roman frescos in Spain. it was incredible to think that these were almost 1000 years old. For me, one of the most fascinating elements were the frescos representing the 12 months of the year in agricultural terms, based on the farming activities . We also stopped to visit the Cathedral of Leon, a splendid Gothic cathedral with the best stained-glass windows in Spain.
Two more hours on the highway brought us to Villefranche del Bierzo, our destination for tonight We'll be checking into the room and grabbing a quick cana (draft beer) and some tapas.
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