Its been a few days since I have been able to write due to the lack of computers.
The last few days have been pretty good. We walked from Mazarife to Astorga which was about 19 miles. So much for all of my resting.... but I did really well and made it in pretty good time. Astorga was a really neat city and I highly recommend visiting. There are a few Gaudi buildings and also a ton of chocolate shops. What could really be much better? We stayed in a really hippy albergue towards the end of town. They played a lot of Bob Marley and all of the people who worked there had pretty long time. I really liked our night there.
The next morning we were going to walk to Rabanal. My foot hurt so badly when I first woke up that I could barely walk. I didn´t think I would be able to walk so I decided to take the bus or a taxi. There is another girl with us, Sabie, who has caught some sort of stomach flu so she wasn´t going to walk either. We were going to just split the taxi to the next town. Everyone left and I started to feel really bad about not being able to walk. I sulked a bit and was just all around pretty grumpy. But when I moved around the albergue, my foot started to feel a little bit better. I decided to just take the taxi half the way and walk the last half of the day. I just felt so much better about not taking the whole day of. I didn´t want to miss anything. I caught up with all of my friends and we walked together for about 5 miles and took a little break at a bar. After half an hour, we decided to just order a bottle of wine and stay for a bit longer. After our wine, one bottle just didn´t seem enough...so we bought another one and walked and drank =). The last 4 or 5 miles went by much quicker. We sang and walked and drank a bit more until we finally got into Rabanal. It was a pretty fun afternoon.
That night, we decided make some pasta for all of us to share so we went down to the tiny little market and bought some vegitables and pasta. When we got into the kitchen, this man who no one knew, Miguel, just took charge of our dinner. He started ordering us around to cut things and he just made our dinner for us. He of course ate with us but it was pretty hilarious. We were going to have a pretty average dinner but Miguel the chef from Spain made us a delicious baked pasta. We ate outside all wrapped up in blankets and enjoyed our dinner. Afterwards, we went into this little sitting area with a fire place and a man from South Korea played us songs on his guitar. He knew a lot of church songs which I knew from my church camp days. I took a ton of pictures because I didn´t want to forget such a nice moment.
The next morning, our plan was to wake up early and try and make it to this giant cross by the sunrise. The cross is at one of the highest points on the camino and people bring rocks or little momentos from home to place there. As life goes, our plan to make it by sunrise was way off but we made it up there about half an hour afte sunrise. The cross is an absolutely beautiful site.
Instead of bringing a rock from home, I brought a photo of my best friend Jenny and I. Jenny was the person who originally told me about the camino and I know that she will one day go on the Camino as well. I wanted to leave a piece of her and I there for her to come to when she gets here. The photo won´t be there of course, but the cross will. I said a little prayer for her and put our picture under a little tiny pile of rocks and took a photo of it.
As the day went on, it became one of the best days of walking I have had so far. The sites were beautiful. There was a lot of climbing and then going down a mountain but the views all around were incredible. We stopped and had lunch in this very small town that was picture perfect. We got sandwiches and the woman who made them had so much love for her job, it may have been the best sandwich I have ever had. She just made you happy by being around her.
We stayed in Molinaseca which was a 16 mile walk fom Rabanal. The town had a lake that ran through it and we spent the afternoon laying by the river on the grass and dangling our feet in the water. It was a pretty early night but the day was just wonderful.
Today I walked to Villafranca which was 19 miles. Today was mostly through vineyards and small towns. It is picking season for the grapes and there were huge groups of families out working in the field. The day was long but seemed to go by pretty quickly because there was so much to see.
There is a long line for the computer so I need to sign off for now. Hopefully tomorrow I can write a bit more.
Only 8 more days of walking...its gone by so fast!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
I cheated a bit today....
Yesterday we walked into Léon which wasn´t too long of a walk but my foot was killing me. It feels like I have bruised my heel and I was up to 1200mg of Iberprophen and it was still hurting. I was struggling a lot on the way in and was sort of just all around feeling bad for myself. I had called my dad the night before and found out our very loved family dog, Molly, was put to sleep a few days earlier. I decided to dedicate my walk that day to Molly and I think it helped me get through the day. Along the trail, people stack rocks in little piles and the rocks are supposed to signify prayers or burdens you want to leave behind. I left a few rocks along the way for Molly. I didn´t really talk much during the walk to anyone so it was a pretty quiet day.
As I got into Léon though, I started to feel a little bit better. I caught up to everyone and we checked into a smaller albergue in the city which was run by some pretty adorible nuns. We walked around the city and it was all around a pleasant afternoon. I took a little nap and read a bit. When I stood up from my rest, I started to walk and immediatly started to cry because my foot hurt so bad. I sort of cried/hobbled along with everyone to dinner and decided that I needed to take a day off. I didn´t think I would be able to finish the day, let alone even start the day. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I wasn´t going to walk. I felt like I was cheating but I just knew I needed to rest. When I looked in the guide book, it looked like most of the day was through Léon and then the outer suburbs, as well as some highway walking. I´ve heard some of the prettiest days are coming up so it seemed like a day that would not too bad to miss. I went to a beautiful mass that the nun put on later that night but I left my long underwear in my bag.
When I woke up in the morning, my foot felt a little bit better but still not well enough to make it the 25km (about 16 miles) to the next town. I waved goodbye to everyone as they headed off and I hobbled to the bus station. I had to have looked really pathetic based on the looks I was recieving. But I made it to the bus station and found out that the only bus to Mazarife was leaving at 1pm. It was 7 am. I wasn´t sure what to do so I sat down. The man next to me was also on the Camino and I had talked to him a little bit the night before. We chatted for a bit and then decided to go into the little cafe and have some coffee. He was done walking and was just spending the day in Léon but needed to wait a few hours until he could check into his hotel. There was a taxi line outside the cafe and I decided that I would just rather take a taxi then wait the rest of the day for the bus.
It took me a few taxi drivers to convince to drive me to the next town. But then I found a very sweet man who sort of understood my english and I sort of understood his spanish. He told me it would be between €30-40 to get me to Mazarife. I decided it was money well spent and hopped in the taxi. I saw most of my friends along the path as we zipped by. It took me about 25 minutes by car to get the albergue that would have taken 5 or 6 hours to get to by foot. When we got into town, the cab driver took me by the albergue but it was still closed seeing as it was only 9:30. He turned off the meter and drove me to a bar/cafe to wait. The ride ended up only being €25 but I gave him a big tip. I am pretty sure it was the best birthday present I could have given myself. I ordered a tea and sat and read my book for a few hours. When I stood up around 11:30, my foot didn´t hurt as badly. I got to the albergue and checked in. About half an hour went by and then everyone started trickling in. I was laying in a lawn chair, wearing my big sunglasses and sipping a soda. One of the guys just laughed at me and said that was what he was hoping he would find when he walked up the albergue. My foot is already 10x better than it was yesterday so I think this day of sitting will work wonders.
We are staying in an albergue that Arizona recommended us stay in. I am actually sitting downstairs by the kitchen and can see them starting to make dinner for us. Arizona said the pallela was wonderful here and that we needed to stay here. When you check into an albergue, they all have these big books that they write your name down in, the date you got there, your country of origin and then where you started walking. The guy who was writing in my name commented that he met a lady once who stayed here named Arizona. I smiled and told him that I knew her and that she told us we had to stay here. He flipped back in his book and we found her name and the date she stayed!
And for a rash update...it is doing much better! You can barely see it now. As one of the boys Ben so kindly told me, ¨Jenny you can date again¨. He is 17 or 18 and it reminded me of something my brother Kevin would tell me. My blisters are starting to harden and they don´t hurt at all. I think a day of feeling bad for myself and then a long rest day today will have me very happy and ready to walk in the morning.
As I got into Léon though, I started to feel a little bit better. I caught up to everyone and we checked into a smaller albergue in the city which was run by some pretty adorible nuns. We walked around the city and it was all around a pleasant afternoon. I took a little nap and read a bit. When I stood up from my rest, I started to walk and immediatly started to cry because my foot hurt so bad. I sort of cried/hobbled along with everyone to dinner and decided that I needed to take a day off. I didn´t think I would be able to finish the day, let alone even start the day. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that I wasn´t going to walk. I felt like I was cheating but I just knew I needed to rest. When I looked in the guide book, it looked like most of the day was through Léon and then the outer suburbs, as well as some highway walking. I´ve heard some of the prettiest days are coming up so it seemed like a day that would not too bad to miss. I went to a beautiful mass that the nun put on later that night but I left my long underwear in my bag.
When I woke up in the morning, my foot felt a little bit better but still not well enough to make it the 25km (about 16 miles) to the next town. I waved goodbye to everyone as they headed off and I hobbled to the bus station. I had to have looked really pathetic based on the looks I was recieving. But I made it to the bus station and found out that the only bus to Mazarife was leaving at 1pm. It was 7 am. I wasn´t sure what to do so I sat down. The man next to me was also on the Camino and I had talked to him a little bit the night before. We chatted for a bit and then decided to go into the little cafe and have some coffee. He was done walking and was just spending the day in Léon but needed to wait a few hours until he could check into his hotel. There was a taxi line outside the cafe and I decided that I would just rather take a taxi then wait the rest of the day for the bus.
It took me a few taxi drivers to convince to drive me to the next town. But then I found a very sweet man who sort of understood my english and I sort of understood his spanish. He told me it would be between €30-40 to get me to Mazarife. I decided it was money well spent and hopped in the taxi. I saw most of my friends along the path as we zipped by. It took me about 25 minutes by car to get the albergue that would have taken 5 or 6 hours to get to by foot. When we got into town, the cab driver took me by the albergue but it was still closed seeing as it was only 9:30. He turned off the meter and drove me to a bar/cafe to wait. The ride ended up only being €25 but I gave him a big tip. I am pretty sure it was the best birthday present I could have given myself. I ordered a tea and sat and read my book for a few hours. When I stood up around 11:30, my foot didn´t hurt as badly. I got to the albergue and checked in. About half an hour went by and then everyone started trickling in. I was laying in a lawn chair, wearing my big sunglasses and sipping a soda. One of the guys just laughed at me and said that was what he was hoping he would find when he walked up the albergue. My foot is already 10x better than it was yesterday so I think this day of sitting will work wonders.
We are staying in an albergue that Arizona recommended us stay in. I am actually sitting downstairs by the kitchen and can see them starting to make dinner for us. Arizona said the pallela was wonderful here and that we needed to stay here. When you check into an albergue, they all have these big books that they write your name down in, the date you got there, your country of origin and then where you started walking. The guy who was writing in my name commented that he met a lady once who stayed here named Arizona. I smiled and told him that I knew her and that she told us we had to stay here. He flipped back in his book and we found her name and the date she stayed!
And for a rash update...it is doing much better! You can barely see it now. As one of the boys Ben so kindly told me, ¨Jenny you can date again¨. He is 17 or 18 and it reminded me of something my brother Kevin would tell me. My blisters are starting to harden and they don´t hurt at all. I think a day of feeling bad for myself and then a long rest day today will have me very happy and ready to walk in the morning.
Monday, September 22, 2008
I bought 600mg Ibeprophen today
Yesterday we walked to El Burgo which was about 15 miles away from Carrion. I moved pretty slow but I took lots of breaks and made it just fine. We stayed at a parish albergue which was maybe the best sleep I have had since I´ve been here. I was in a small room with two other girls, Hannah and Jess and none of us snored. The women who ran the albergue made us all a really lovely dinner of salad and soup. There were around 60 people staying there that night so we all sat, crammed into this tiny room in long tables. I love the big group dinners, they are just so happy and full of happiness. We had to stand up and say our names and where we were from. After each person, everyone in the room cheered. There was a lot of cheering =).
We went to bed to the sound of a thunderstorm and woke up to the sound of a thunderstorm. What does that mean? Well I got to wear my rain pants for one thing. The rain actually wasn´t that bad, just a constant drizzle for the first half of the day. My rain jacket and pants worked perfectly though and I really can´t complain too much. Most of the walk was along the highway but lucky for us there wasn´t too much traffic. There is actually a path on the side of the highway so we aren´t really walking in traffic but looking ahead in my guide book, it appears to be a dangerous walk into León tomorrow. The book said something about a lot of people taking the bus in and that those bus drivers should say a prayer for the walkers. The good news is that the walk is only...ready for this.....11 miles tomorrow!
There are a lot of people who are riding their bikes along the camino. I just have to say, they are really really annoying. They don´t mean to be, but they just speed along, much faster than I can walk and sort of yell back ¨Buen Camino¨as they rush past. Its mostly that I am tired of walking and they are going faster and usually you have to move out of the way for them. It is sort of petty I suppose. Some of them have these little bells that they ding to get you to move out of they way. The bells I think are worse than the yelling at you. Some bikers today did though yell ¨Hey Chicas¨ to us as they sped past us. I knew those rain pants looked good....
My right foot still hurts so I went to the Farmacia today and bought some pretty strong ibeprophen so I should be cruising tomorrow. A few of the girls in our little group are making us dinner tonight, I think it is vegitable soup which should be really nice!
We went to bed to the sound of a thunderstorm and woke up to the sound of a thunderstorm. What does that mean? Well I got to wear my rain pants for one thing. The rain actually wasn´t that bad, just a constant drizzle for the first half of the day. My rain jacket and pants worked perfectly though and I really can´t complain too much. Most of the walk was along the highway but lucky for us there wasn´t too much traffic. There is actually a path on the side of the highway so we aren´t really walking in traffic but looking ahead in my guide book, it appears to be a dangerous walk into León tomorrow. The book said something about a lot of people taking the bus in and that those bus drivers should say a prayer for the walkers. The good news is that the walk is only...ready for this.....11 miles tomorrow!
There are a lot of people who are riding their bikes along the camino. I just have to say, they are really really annoying. They don´t mean to be, but they just speed along, much faster than I can walk and sort of yell back ¨Buen Camino¨as they rush past. Its mostly that I am tired of walking and they are going faster and usually you have to move out of the way for them. It is sort of petty I suppose. Some of them have these little bells that they ding to get you to move out of they way. The bells I think are worse than the yelling at you. Some bikers today did though yell ¨Hey Chicas¨ to us as they sped past us. I knew those rain pants looked good....
My right foot still hurts so I went to the Farmacia today and bought some pretty strong ibeprophen so I should be cruising tomorrow. A few of the girls in our little group are making us dinner tonight, I think it is vegitable soup which should be really nice!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Days that we don't celebrate me seem to be much longer
Last night was such a beautiful night. We had about 20 or so people in the back garden of this albergue, eating and drinking and just enjoying being there. They even got me a birthday cake and everyone sang me happy birthday. It was another guy's birthday and so we each took turns blowing the candles out on the cake. The entire evening was just perfect. I was telling my dad this on the phone but a year ago, I didn't even know about the camino and would not have imagined that my next birthday would be spent in Fromista, Spain.
Today came early of course and after about an hour, my right foot was killing me. The best way to describe it is that my bones hurt. Each step felt horrible but it wasn't too much that I could keep walking. I forgot to bring my guide book down so I am really not sure where i am right now.... but if my mom and dad want to comment, we did day 17 in the guide book today so they will know where I am!
After lunch today, I was walking a bit slower than the rest of the girls Kirstin and I were walking with and so I was by myself. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because my foot hurt and it was hot and I was just all around uncomfortable. Along came this really nice older man from Ireland who works as a lawyer in Dublin. He had and I talked for over an hour as we walked and it was honestly just what I needed. It was like the Camino gave me a wonderful distraction as I walked...okay limped along.
He talked to me about why he decided to do the camino and then also we talked about what it was like to be a lawyer and different kinds of law I could practice. He had so much information and was telling me some of the greatest ideas of programs I should look into and kinds of law that he thought I might like. He even told me I could drop his name at the Gates Foundation(one of the programs involved doing public interest law through the Gates) becuase he has done some work with them. He came a long at such a perfect time when I was really unhappy and he just picked me up and made me feel much better.
OH! Last night we saw one of the women who stayed at San Bol (the place we were kicked out of a few days ago). As it turns out...only 4 people slept there that night! There was enough room for the 5 of us. We would have had hours and hours of stories had we stayed there all night but she has really provided us with lots of laughs so its hard to be too upset.
Today came early of course and after about an hour, my right foot was killing me. The best way to describe it is that my bones hurt. Each step felt horrible but it wasn't too much that I could keep walking. I forgot to bring my guide book down so I am really not sure where i am right now.... but if my mom and dad want to comment, we did day 17 in the guide book today so they will know where I am!
After lunch today, I was walking a bit slower than the rest of the girls Kirstin and I were walking with and so I was by myself. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because my foot hurt and it was hot and I was just all around uncomfortable. Along came this really nice older man from Ireland who works as a lawyer in Dublin. He had and I talked for over an hour as we walked and it was honestly just what I needed. It was like the Camino gave me a wonderful distraction as I walked...okay limped along.
He talked to me about why he decided to do the camino and then also we talked about what it was like to be a lawyer and different kinds of law I could practice. He had so much information and was telling me some of the greatest ideas of programs I should look into and kinds of law that he thought I might like. He even told me I could drop his name at the Gates Foundation(one of the programs involved doing public interest law through the Gates) becuase he has done some work with them. He came a long at such a perfect time when I was really unhappy and he just picked me up and made me feel much better.
OH! Last night we saw one of the women who stayed at San Bol (the place we were kicked out of a few days ago). As it turns out...only 4 people slept there that night! There was enough room for the 5 of us. We would have had hours and hours of stories had we stayed there all night but she has really provided us with lots of laughs so its hard to be too upset.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Day 16 and I turned 23 today...how did that happen??
Yesterday was a pretty normal day, 15 miles of walking and then the afternoon was spent relaxing. I am really enjoying taking naps in the afternoon. Last night Kirstin and I were in a room full of very old men who 1. Snored really really loud and 2. Turned the lights out at 9 pm and on again at 6 am.
I have a few injuries to report however. I have some very lovely scratches on my right leg, on my calf. Above that, is the winner. It is this really awful rash that is on its way to getting better. It sort of runs from the inside of my calf upto part of my thigh. Its just all around really attractive. Kirstin and I took a shortcut through a field...turns out that was the wrong choice for me. I also am a bit sore in my right foot but that isn´t anything advil can´t take care of. I have a blister on each foot but i think they might be getting better (cross your fingers!!). I think I am still doing much better than some other people along the way so thats good news!
Today is of course going wonderful!! Everyone has been wishing me happy birthday. Kirstin is doing an excellent job at telling everyone it is my birthday and singing to me when things get a little quiet. Walking today was a bit cold and windy. The straps of my backpack kept swinging up and hitting me in the face because of the wind.
It is really true what they say about the camino giving you energy as you walk. Somedays I am so in awe that I have walked as far as I have. Today was exactly half way to Santiago. It feels fitting for me to have it be our half way point. The last two years have not been that great of birthdays for me just because of outside circumstances but today has just been an absolutely wonderful day. It makes me just feel deep inside that my entire year will be wonderful. Currently, all of my new friends are in the kitchen making a big dinner to celebrate my birthday. It just feels my heart with so much love that people i have only known a few weeks are working so hard to make sure i have a good day.
Today was Kirstin and I´s turn to make our group dinner which was going to be Mexican food. Since it is my birthday, I get to be here online, drinking wine, while everyone else is in the kitchen making fajitas.
I am really looking forward to the next 16 or so days we all have together. It feels like such a close knit family. I am still in awe of how wonderful this experience has been for me. Everyday seems to just get better and better (and really, after that first day, it could only go up!).
Well I am off to enjoy the rest of the day.
I love and miss you all!
I have a few injuries to report however. I have some very lovely scratches on my right leg, on my calf. Above that, is the winner. It is this really awful rash that is on its way to getting better. It sort of runs from the inside of my calf upto part of my thigh. Its just all around really attractive. Kirstin and I took a shortcut through a field...turns out that was the wrong choice for me. I also am a bit sore in my right foot but that isn´t anything advil can´t take care of. I have a blister on each foot but i think they might be getting better (cross your fingers!!). I think I am still doing much better than some other people along the way so thats good news!
Today is of course going wonderful!! Everyone has been wishing me happy birthday. Kirstin is doing an excellent job at telling everyone it is my birthday and singing to me when things get a little quiet. Walking today was a bit cold and windy. The straps of my backpack kept swinging up and hitting me in the face because of the wind.
It is really true what they say about the camino giving you energy as you walk. Somedays I am so in awe that I have walked as far as I have. Today was exactly half way to Santiago. It feels fitting for me to have it be our half way point. The last two years have not been that great of birthdays for me just because of outside circumstances but today has just been an absolutely wonderful day. It makes me just feel deep inside that my entire year will be wonderful. Currently, all of my new friends are in the kitchen making a big dinner to celebrate my birthday. It just feels my heart with so much love that people i have only known a few weeks are working so hard to make sure i have a good day.
Today was Kirstin and I´s turn to make our group dinner which was going to be Mexican food. Since it is my birthday, I get to be here online, drinking wine, while everyone else is in the kitchen making fajitas.
I am really looking forward to the next 16 or so days we all have together. It feels like such a close knit family. I am still in awe of how wonderful this experience has been for me. Everyday seems to just get better and better (and really, after that first day, it could only go up!).
Well I am off to enjoy the rest of the day.
I love and miss you all!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
You just never know...
Leaving Burgos yesterday, the day was meant to be a short day, only 11 miles. But reading in the guide book, only about 3 or 4 miles away was this wonderful sounding albergue so we decided to make it a bit of a longer day and go to San Bol. The description in the book said
The basic facilities spill out onto a delightful picnic spot shaded by a grove of poplar trees. The waters from the well are said to have heavling properties and to cure aching feet. The peace of this lonley spot can heal more than feet.
So, we we walked for an extra hour and made it to San Bol. There were only 10 beds so we were glad it was not even close to being full yet with only one bed claimed. We wandered around a little bit and came upon the owner. She was this blond haired woman and she seemed very nice and peaceful. She offered to make us some tea and to have us sit down for awhile or take a swim. The ¨pool¨was also the bathtub, laundry spot and drinking water. The catch was...you were not allowed to use anything with chemicals. So it was more of a rinse than anything else. She also pointed to these bushes and told us that was the bathroom.
Kirstin and I decided to stay and make it an experience. We laid outside in the beautiful garden and waited for three of our other friends to meet up with us there. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the lack of running water and there was no way I was going to get in that healing water but I was in it for the experience. When our friends made it, we went inside and had tea with the owner.
As she started talking, we all just stared at her with open mouths. She was babbling on about how there is no time here, she didn´t know the date, how she was one with nature. She kept saying how concerned we were with past and future and how we just needed to be here in the moment, drinking our tea. She had some good points but it was....odd. Not long after that speech, she launched into one about how pilgrims were meant to walk all day and the ones who arrived at 1 or 2 were not true pilgrims (we got there at 1). She went on to say how this place is a haven for those who have spent all day on the walk and can not simply go on anymore.
The hints got more and more blunt as time went on. So we sort of glanced at one another and grabbed our backpacks to go. She then told us it was best that we leave because we were able to make it to the next town. So, we thought we were done but it turned out we were not. We had to walk another hour to the next town at 4 in the afternoon with the sun beating down on us. We didn´t speak much for that entire walk.
When we got to Hontanas, we finally found a place that welcomed us in and we decided the next day would be a really short one.
We went to a nice a dinner and then fell into bed, exhausted. Today we only walked about 6 miles and got into Castrojeriz around 10:30. It was a nice morning because our plan was to sleep in as long as they let us. Most people start walking around 6 or 7 and so around 8, a little spanish woman came in and started yelling and clapping ¨Buenos Dias!!!¨and so we all sort of laughed and rolled out of bed.
Once we got into town, we bought some bread, jam and fruit and had a nice lunch. I am looking forward to a nice nap in a few minutes.
One of the parts of the camino though that I am enjoying the most is the chance I am getting to get to know myself again. It sounds very cheesy, but the more I think about, the more I have realized that I don´t just let myself think a lot. I am always distracting myself with TV or internet or just socializing. It has been really interesting to just have countless hours of silence to just let my mind wander and think about what it is I really want to do.
Happy Birthday week to me!!
The basic facilities spill out onto a delightful picnic spot shaded by a grove of poplar trees. The waters from the well are said to have heavling properties and to cure aching feet. The peace of this lonley spot can heal more than feet.
So, we we walked for an extra hour and made it to San Bol. There were only 10 beds so we were glad it was not even close to being full yet with only one bed claimed. We wandered around a little bit and came upon the owner. She was this blond haired woman and she seemed very nice and peaceful. She offered to make us some tea and to have us sit down for awhile or take a swim. The ¨pool¨was also the bathtub, laundry spot and drinking water. The catch was...you were not allowed to use anything with chemicals. So it was more of a rinse than anything else. She also pointed to these bushes and told us that was the bathroom.
Kirstin and I decided to stay and make it an experience. We laid outside in the beautiful garden and waited for three of our other friends to meet up with us there. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the lack of running water and there was no way I was going to get in that healing water but I was in it for the experience. When our friends made it, we went inside and had tea with the owner.
As she started talking, we all just stared at her with open mouths. She was babbling on about how there is no time here, she didn´t know the date, how she was one with nature. She kept saying how concerned we were with past and future and how we just needed to be here in the moment, drinking our tea. She had some good points but it was....odd. Not long after that speech, she launched into one about how pilgrims were meant to walk all day and the ones who arrived at 1 or 2 were not true pilgrims (we got there at 1). She went on to say how this place is a haven for those who have spent all day on the walk and can not simply go on anymore.
The hints got more and more blunt as time went on. So we sort of glanced at one another and grabbed our backpacks to go. She then told us it was best that we leave because we were able to make it to the next town. So, we thought we were done but it turned out we were not. We had to walk another hour to the next town at 4 in the afternoon with the sun beating down on us. We didn´t speak much for that entire walk.
When we got to Hontanas, we finally found a place that welcomed us in and we decided the next day would be a really short one.
We went to a nice a dinner and then fell into bed, exhausted. Today we only walked about 6 miles and got into Castrojeriz around 10:30. It was a nice morning because our plan was to sleep in as long as they let us. Most people start walking around 6 or 7 and so around 8, a little spanish woman came in and started yelling and clapping ¨Buenos Dias!!!¨and so we all sort of laughed and rolled out of bed.
Once we got into town, we bought some bread, jam and fruit and had a nice lunch. I am looking forward to a nice nap in a few minutes.
One of the parts of the camino though that I am enjoying the most is the chance I am getting to get to know myself again. It sounds very cheesy, but the more I think about, the more I have realized that I don´t just let myself think a lot. I am always distracting myself with TV or internet or just socializing. It has been really interesting to just have countless hours of silence to just let my mind wander and think about what it is I really want to do.
Happy Birthday week to me!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
I think I can...I think I can...I think I can
So I have three days to catch up on AND I am on a computer that does not charge you per second!
Day 10 St. Domingo to Belorado
The day started off pretty chilly but my warm and cozy fleece jacket is really doing its job. I walked for most of the day with Kirstin and then I got a little bit ahead of her heading into the town before we were getting to the town we were going to spend the night. This is where all of our problems started. As I was walking out of the town, I was pretty tired and not really paying attention. Instead of looking at the signs that point you in the right direction, I just followed a lady up a hill. She was walking and I didn´t really even notice that she wasn´t wearing a backpack or that she was in a skirt and sandles. Nope...I followed her up a hill, around some corners and then all the way to her house. It was only after 10 minutes and her actually walking into a house did I realize I was in the wrong place. By the time I got back to the actual path, Kirstin was ahead of me but didn´t know it. She arrived in Belorado before me and there were around 4 or 5 albergues to stay in. I wandered around the town for a long time looking for her and eventually just checked into an albergue and sent her an email telling her where I was. I was with a group of 6 or 7 people and so I told them all I was looking for her and so everyone was on the lookout. Luckily one of the girls saw Kirstin wandering around town about 2 hours after I lost her. She had checked into a different albergue and was just looking around Belorado. So she told Kirstin where I was staying and when I got out of the shower at my albergue, Kirstin popped out from behind the bunk beds. I was a little scared to write in my blog on that day when I updated everything else because I couldn´t really write that I had lost my walking buddy. But, all was well and Kirstin came and stayed at the same albergue as me.
That night, a group of us all made dinner together and ate at the albergue. It was some wonderful pasta and we bought bread, chocolate and wine. The fun nights are making the long days of walking much more berable.
Day 11 Belorado to S. Juan de Ortega
There were so many hills!! If this computer had microsoft excel I would draw a graph of how many times we went up and down the hills. The going up is not so bad, its the going down that seems to hurt me the most. One of the things I keep thinking is that you have to go up in order to see the amazing views and you have to go down in order to get to where you are going.
The day wasn´t too long of a day. We got into Ortega by 1 and decided to stay there. It was about 15 miles I think. It was a very small town. Town may be making it sound bigger than it actually was. There was a huge church, an albergue and a bar. Thats it. Since the day was so beautiful, a group of us sat outside for the entire afternoon on a grassy lawn and just drank beers and talked. It was one of those perfect days that are hard to recreate.
When we were sitting there, two huge tour buses came through and stopped. The people got off the bus and some of them were trying to be really sneaky and take pictures of us, but pretended like they weren´t. One guy filmed us with his video camera and another guy just came out and asked us if he could take a picture of us. I guess they wanted pictures of real people on the camino.
Day 12 S. Juan de Ortega to Burgos (15 miles)
Today started out really really really cold. There was fog and frost everywhere. All of the fields of dead sunflowers looked even creepier than they do normally. But as the day went on, the sun came up and the fog cleared away. It turned into a really beautiful day.
We made it to Burgos and are staying at a brand new albergue. It is seriously something you could dream about. There are these little cubby beds and and the lights in the showers turn on when you walk into the stall. AND there is hot water!!
We are going to go out and have dinner tonight since it is such a big city compared to all of our little towns.
There is a long line at the computer right now so I am going to have to share =).
If i get a chance to get back on, I will try and write back to some emails.
I miss you all.
Day 10 St. Domingo to Belorado
The day started off pretty chilly but my warm and cozy fleece jacket is really doing its job. I walked for most of the day with Kirstin and then I got a little bit ahead of her heading into the town before we were getting to the town we were going to spend the night. This is where all of our problems started. As I was walking out of the town, I was pretty tired and not really paying attention. Instead of looking at the signs that point you in the right direction, I just followed a lady up a hill. She was walking and I didn´t really even notice that she wasn´t wearing a backpack or that she was in a skirt and sandles. Nope...I followed her up a hill, around some corners and then all the way to her house. It was only after 10 minutes and her actually walking into a house did I realize I was in the wrong place. By the time I got back to the actual path, Kirstin was ahead of me but didn´t know it. She arrived in Belorado before me and there were around 4 or 5 albergues to stay in. I wandered around the town for a long time looking for her and eventually just checked into an albergue and sent her an email telling her where I was. I was with a group of 6 or 7 people and so I told them all I was looking for her and so everyone was on the lookout. Luckily one of the girls saw Kirstin wandering around town about 2 hours after I lost her. She had checked into a different albergue and was just looking around Belorado. So she told Kirstin where I was staying and when I got out of the shower at my albergue, Kirstin popped out from behind the bunk beds. I was a little scared to write in my blog on that day when I updated everything else because I couldn´t really write that I had lost my walking buddy. But, all was well and Kirstin came and stayed at the same albergue as me.
That night, a group of us all made dinner together and ate at the albergue. It was some wonderful pasta and we bought bread, chocolate and wine. The fun nights are making the long days of walking much more berable.
Day 11 Belorado to S. Juan de Ortega
There were so many hills!! If this computer had microsoft excel I would draw a graph of how many times we went up and down the hills. The going up is not so bad, its the going down that seems to hurt me the most. One of the things I keep thinking is that you have to go up in order to see the amazing views and you have to go down in order to get to where you are going.
The day wasn´t too long of a day. We got into Ortega by 1 and decided to stay there. It was about 15 miles I think. It was a very small town. Town may be making it sound bigger than it actually was. There was a huge church, an albergue and a bar. Thats it. Since the day was so beautiful, a group of us sat outside for the entire afternoon on a grassy lawn and just drank beers and talked. It was one of those perfect days that are hard to recreate.
When we were sitting there, two huge tour buses came through and stopped. The people got off the bus and some of them were trying to be really sneaky and take pictures of us, but pretended like they weren´t. One guy filmed us with his video camera and another guy just came out and asked us if he could take a picture of us. I guess they wanted pictures of real people on the camino.
Day 12 S. Juan de Ortega to Burgos (15 miles)
Today started out really really really cold. There was fog and frost everywhere. All of the fields of dead sunflowers looked even creepier than they do normally. But as the day went on, the sun came up and the fog cleared away. It turned into a really beautiful day.
We made it to Burgos and are staying at a brand new albergue. It is seriously something you could dream about. There are these little cubby beds and and the lights in the showers turn on when you walk into the stall. AND there is hot water!!
We are going to go out and have dinner tonight since it is such a big city compared to all of our little towns.
There is a long line at the computer right now so I am going to have to share =).
If i get a chance to get back on, I will try and write back to some emails.
I miss you all.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
and...we have found internet again!!!!
So I have lots and lots to catch up on. We have been without internet for about four days now I think. But I took notes about what I wanted to write about so this may be a long post!
OK....day 7 Los Arcos to Longrono
I thought I might fall over from exhaustion after that day. It was so hot!! I was sunburned in some very odd places, like my hands, my left forearm and my left side of my neck. It was honestly one of the most exhausting days of my entire life. As we walked up to this nice, peaceful looking albergue with a beautiful fountain and garden....there was the WORST SIGN I HAVE EVER SEEN. It said ¨Completo-Full¨. After 17 miles, all i wanted to do was sit. But on we had to walk...
As we were walking, we were saying to each other, if we send out positive thoughts, the next place will be good. We were doing our very best to send out positive energy. Well it worked!! We ended up staying in a donation only albergue that was in a church. We slept on mats on the floor which didn´t so much matter because we were both so tired. But the most wonderful part was they cooked us dinner and breakfast! The dinner was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. These priests made us the dinner and all 100 or so people sat at long tables and had dinner together. THe entire atmosphere and energy was just so amazing. I can not say enough about what an unforgetable experience it was. We ate salad and pasta and had fruit and yogurt for dessert. Not everyone spoke the same language and it was ok. Everyone just laughed and had a wonderful time. I hope I never forget that night.
Before dinner, I went to mass. The night before had been a very rainy night so I didn´t have any dry clean clothes to change into after my shower except my pajamas. My pajamas are long black leggings-long underwear pants and my shirt is a blue pull over thin shirt. So... I went to mass in my pajamas. I felt sort of silly but the mass was a really beautiful service. Then, at the end, they made all of the pilgrims go to the front for a special blessing. There I was, in the front of the giant church in my pajamas.
Day 8 Logrono to Ventosa
Because of our killer day the day before, we just decided to walk 20KM which I think is about 12 or 13 miles. We started out and the walk went pretty quickly for me. Kirstin was having some blister and leg issues so I got to Ventosa before she did. The albergue wasn´t open yet so I just sat and waited.
As I was sitting there, my stomach started rumbling and I was thinking I needed some lunch. So I asked in some very broken spanish where the market was to a guy sitting next to me. He said he couldn´t find it but would ask the local lady that was walking by. The lady told him there was no market, only 120 people lived in the town but that she sells bread. Just as the bread woman went into her house, the most adorable man walked by pushing a wheelbarrow full of vegitables. He was everything you would hope he would be. He was old, wearing overalls and no shoes. He started talking to me in Spanish and I did my usual smile and nod. He was very funny and had very little teeth.
After we were all checked into the albergue, I went to see the bread lady. She wasn´t downstairs so I knocked on the wall and sort of yelled ´Pan´ (bread in Spanish). She came down and I bought the bread. After, she tried to ask me some quetions but I didn´t understand her so I just kept saying ´No se´(I don´t know). Then, she grabbed my head and kissed my check and sort of pushed me out the door. It was very touching and very odd.
We went out to dinner to the one restaurant in town with a bunch of other pilgrims. The big dinners are so much fun. We are some of the few Americans so its really interesting to talk to everyone else from Australia, Peru, Canada, ect....
Day 9 Ventosa to Najera (OVER 18 MILE WALK!!)
OMG that day was so so so long. It was probably the most miserable day I have had. The entire day was windy and cold. I was sort of just really unhappy all day. The most notable part of the day though was in the morning.
I left the albergue abuot 6:15 a little bit before Kirstin. I got to use my cool pink head lamp because it was pitch black outside. I went along and as I was walking, another girl from Canada (her name is France interestingly enough). She touched my arm to stop me as we were walking and we both turned out our lights and looked up. The stars were so beautiful. The entire sky lit up and it was incredible. Some of my books I have read about the camino say that the ancient pilgrims used to use the stars and that they pointed them to Sanitago. It did seem to look that way. The stars aligned and just pointed in the way we were walking.
Because of the dark sky, we sort of didn´t make it on to the trail. We walked along the highway for about an hour and a half. I was pretty sure everyone was really lost (there were about 4 other people walking at the time). After about an hour, I looked back at France and said, I think we are lost. She just smiled and touched my arm and said ¨You are never lost when you are on a road, it will take you somewhere¨. It was such a smart and profound thing to say. I wanted to hug her at that moment.
The day only went downhill from there. It was really cold and just a horrible horrible day. I stayed inside and layed on my bed for most of the rest of the day.
My time is almost up so I will write about today a little bit later tonight when I have more change to put in the computer.
OK....day 7 Los Arcos to Longrono
I thought I might fall over from exhaustion after that day. It was so hot!! I was sunburned in some very odd places, like my hands, my left forearm and my left side of my neck. It was honestly one of the most exhausting days of my entire life. As we walked up to this nice, peaceful looking albergue with a beautiful fountain and garden....there was the WORST SIGN I HAVE EVER SEEN. It said ¨Completo-Full¨. After 17 miles, all i wanted to do was sit. But on we had to walk...
As we were walking, we were saying to each other, if we send out positive thoughts, the next place will be good. We were doing our very best to send out positive energy. Well it worked!! We ended up staying in a donation only albergue that was in a church. We slept on mats on the floor which didn´t so much matter because we were both so tired. But the most wonderful part was they cooked us dinner and breakfast! The dinner was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. These priests made us the dinner and all 100 or so people sat at long tables and had dinner together. THe entire atmosphere and energy was just so amazing. I can not say enough about what an unforgetable experience it was. We ate salad and pasta and had fruit and yogurt for dessert. Not everyone spoke the same language and it was ok. Everyone just laughed and had a wonderful time. I hope I never forget that night.
Before dinner, I went to mass. The night before had been a very rainy night so I didn´t have any dry clean clothes to change into after my shower except my pajamas. My pajamas are long black leggings-long underwear pants and my shirt is a blue pull over thin shirt. So... I went to mass in my pajamas. I felt sort of silly but the mass was a really beautiful service. Then, at the end, they made all of the pilgrims go to the front for a special blessing. There I was, in the front of the giant church in my pajamas.
Day 8 Logrono to Ventosa
Because of our killer day the day before, we just decided to walk 20KM which I think is about 12 or 13 miles. We started out and the walk went pretty quickly for me. Kirstin was having some blister and leg issues so I got to Ventosa before she did. The albergue wasn´t open yet so I just sat and waited.
As I was sitting there, my stomach started rumbling and I was thinking I needed some lunch. So I asked in some very broken spanish where the market was to a guy sitting next to me. He said he couldn´t find it but would ask the local lady that was walking by. The lady told him there was no market, only 120 people lived in the town but that she sells bread. Just as the bread woman went into her house, the most adorable man walked by pushing a wheelbarrow full of vegitables. He was everything you would hope he would be. He was old, wearing overalls and no shoes. He started talking to me in Spanish and I did my usual smile and nod. He was very funny and had very little teeth.
After we were all checked into the albergue, I went to see the bread lady. She wasn´t downstairs so I knocked on the wall and sort of yelled ´Pan´ (bread in Spanish). She came down and I bought the bread. After, she tried to ask me some quetions but I didn´t understand her so I just kept saying ´No se´(I don´t know). Then, she grabbed my head and kissed my check and sort of pushed me out the door. It was very touching and very odd.
We went out to dinner to the one restaurant in town with a bunch of other pilgrims. The big dinners are so much fun. We are some of the few Americans so its really interesting to talk to everyone else from Australia, Peru, Canada, ect....
Day 9 Ventosa to Najera (OVER 18 MILE WALK!!)
OMG that day was so so so long. It was probably the most miserable day I have had. The entire day was windy and cold. I was sort of just really unhappy all day. The most notable part of the day though was in the morning.
I left the albergue abuot 6:15 a little bit before Kirstin. I got to use my cool pink head lamp because it was pitch black outside. I went along and as I was walking, another girl from Canada (her name is France interestingly enough). She touched my arm to stop me as we were walking and we both turned out our lights and looked up. The stars were so beautiful. The entire sky lit up and it was incredible. Some of my books I have read about the camino say that the ancient pilgrims used to use the stars and that they pointed them to Sanitago. It did seem to look that way. The stars aligned and just pointed in the way we were walking.
Because of the dark sky, we sort of didn´t make it on to the trail. We walked along the highway for about an hour and a half. I was pretty sure everyone was really lost (there were about 4 other people walking at the time). After about an hour, I looked back at France and said, I think we are lost. She just smiled and touched my arm and said ¨You are never lost when you are on a road, it will take you somewhere¨. It was such a smart and profound thing to say. I wanted to hug her at that moment.
The day only went downhill from there. It was really cold and just a horrible horrible day. I stayed inside and layed on my bed for most of the rest of the day.
My time is almost up so I will write about today a little bit later tonight when I have more change to put in the computer.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
It was bound to happen sometime
Well, today it rained. We are currently in Los Arrcos and walked about 6 hours today.
But to start with the day, we went to the wine fountain. 7:30am and we just had a few sips of wine. And it wasn´t so much a fountain but more of a faucet that had red wine coming out. It was a cute little thing. There was a web cam there so if I had known, i could have told you all so you could have seen me while I was there!
So on we went...and then we got wet. As we were walking through this vineyard , trugging through this really slippery red mud I was pretty much laughing to myself the whole time. The last vacation Kirstin and I took together was to Las Vegas where we wore dresses and high heels the entire weekend and stayed in the Mirage. And then today, we were in rural Spain, drenched and muddy with backpacks smaller than the luggage we brought to Vegas.
The sun started to come out though and the rest of the day was really really hot. The last mile or so were so hard. It always seems to take longer than the rest of the day. The road also to the town always seems to be the least direct way to get there. Its like you can see the town in front of you but the road goes all the way around the town before you get to go inside. I´m thinking this is my first little life lesson via the Camino. There is something you really want or a place you really want to be but you need to be patient and get there when you are ready. Even if it is painful and hard to get there, it will always be worth it once you get there.
Another pretty cool outcome of the Camino is something that is similar to doing yoga. One of the things yoga is really good for is that it allows you to get to know your body and what it is capable of. The yoga I do at home is called Bikram Yoga and the class is an hour and half long. Walking all day, everyday, I´m really getting to know how my body reacts to things and how it is handling this experience. I have never had so much time to think in my life. It is pretty big gift to have no other distraction but to just think and walk for 6 or so hours a day.
I think that is all for today. It is my bed time, its almost 10. Tomorrow is a long day, 17 miles I think. Send me lots of good energy, I will need it!!
But to start with the day, we went to the wine fountain. 7:30am and we just had a few sips of wine. And it wasn´t so much a fountain but more of a faucet that had red wine coming out. It was a cute little thing. There was a web cam there so if I had known, i could have told you all so you could have seen me while I was there!
So on we went...and then we got wet. As we were walking through this vineyard , trugging through this really slippery red mud I was pretty much laughing to myself the whole time. The last vacation Kirstin and I took together was to Las Vegas where we wore dresses and high heels the entire weekend and stayed in the Mirage. And then today, we were in rural Spain, drenched and muddy with backpacks smaller than the luggage we brought to Vegas.
The sun started to come out though and the rest of the day was really really hot. The last mile or so were so hard. It always seems to take longer than the rest of the day. The road also to the town always seems to be the least direct way to get there. Its like you can see the town in front of you but the road goes all the way around the town before you get to go inside. I´m thinking this is my first little life lesson via the Camino. There is something you really want or a place you really want to be but you need to be patient and get there when you are ready. Even if it is painful and hard to get there, it will always be worth it once you get there.
Another pretty cool outcome of the Camino is something that is similar to doing yoga. One of the things yoga is really good for is that it allows you to get to know your body and what it is capable of. The yoga I do at home is called Bikram Yoga and the class is an hour and half long. Walking all day, everyday, I´m really getting to know how my body reacts to things and how it is handling this experience. I have never had so much time to think in my life. It is pretty big gift to have no other distraction but to just think and walk for 6 or so hours a day.
I think that is all for today. It is my bed time, its almost 10. Tomorrow is a long day, 17 miles I think. Send me lots of good energy, I will need it!!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Another day...another 13 miles
Today we walked from Puente la Reina to Estella. It was 22.4 KM. I think we walked for around 6 hours today. In the scheme of our days, today was a short one (YAH!!). I would just like to say, I just don´t like walking downhill. Its pretty unpleasant and I am not cordinated enough. Kirstin is like a little mountain goat going downhill. We balance each other out pretty well because I am much better at going uphill. I am not sure what it is, but I can go uphill pretty quickly. We had a few ups and downs along the way but today can mostly be described as dusty. My pink socks were a nice shade of brown by the time we made it to Estella (they are back to pink and hanging on a clothesline as we speak).
Each day gets a little bit easier on my body. Today my feet handled the walking a bit better. I was worried the first few days they would stage a revolution and fall off from being so tired. The rest of my body is hanging in there too. My hips hurt. Between Kirstin´s knees and my hips, we are sort of an old lady package. After we are done walking for the day, the best way to describe the way I walk is like a duck. Everything is stiff and sore so my legs don´t really bend.
Oh! Today we saw this really cool thing. We saw a guy with a herd of sheep letting them graze in this field. The herd looked like it was over 500 sheep. They were so cute!!! They all had on little bells and the wind was blowing so it was like this gentle chorus of bells. They looked like this stuffed lamb I used to have when I was little.
I think the people on the Camino are making this experience. We have met some of the most interstesting and fun people. In a little bit, we are going to make dinner with a guy from Vermont and this girl from Denmark. Its like a little family along the way. Even if we don´t speak the same language everyone still smiles at each other and is very nice to one another.
I also am pretty embarrassed by my lack of Spanish speaking skills after 4 years of Spanish classes.
Mom - The Spanish Rosetta Stone set is on my christmas list. Neal sent me a very Republican update on how things are going...care to give me your Democratic version??
I will let you all know how the wine fountain works out. And thank you Bons for the alchohol kills all germs. Its one of my favorite theories.
Each day gets a little bit easier on my body. Today my feet handled the walking a bit better. I was worried the first few days they would stage a revolution and fall off from being so tired. The rest of my body is hanging in there too. My hips hurt. Between Kirstin´s knees and my hips, we are sort of an old lady package. After we are done walking for the day, the best way to describe the way I walk is like a duck. Everything is stiff and sore so my legs don´t really bend.
Oh! Today we saw this really cool thing. We saw a guy with a herd of sheep letting them graze in this field. The herd looked like it was over 500 sheep. They were so cute!!! They all had on little bells and the wind was blowing so it was like this gentle chorus of bells. They looked like this stuffed lamb I used to have when I was little.
I think the people on the Camino are making this experience. We have met some of the most interstesting and fun people. In a little bit, we are going to make dinner with a guy from Vermont and this girl from Denmark. Its like a little family along the way. Even if we don´t speak the same language everyone still smiles at each other and is very nice to one another.
I also am pretty embarrassed by my lack of Spanish speaking skills after 4 years of Spanish classes.
Mom - The Spanish Rosetta Stone set is on my christmas list. Neal sent me a very Republican update on how things are going...care to give me your Democratic version??
I will let you all know how the wine fountain works out. And thank you Bons for the alchohol kills all germs. Its one of my favorite theories.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
We walked uphill 10k today
Today wasn´t as bad as other days. I think my body is getting used to walking so much. It is getting pretty crazy to think about how far we have walked and it is only the 4th day. Kirstin and I were more prepared today and bought muffins and fruit for breakfast. We had a bag of tiny muffins and so we stopped every hour or so for some muffins. We got a few comments about our muffin eating....
Yesterday we did a lot of walking through cities which felt so strange. I liked today because we were more out in the country and it was much quieter. We saw fields and fields of dead sunflowers....I´m sure those are really pretty when they are alive. Dead, not so much.
A part of me feels so fortunate to be walking and to have this trip sort of fall in my lap. I have met a lot of people who have talked about wanting to walk for 10 or more years. It is sort of amazing to think about wanting to do something that long. Ten years ago, I was 12 and my biggest desire was to have my mom let me go to the mall with friends.
There are some serious injuries going on. This Korean guy fell down this little hill and has this giant bruise on his face and a bunch of stitches. Another guy broke his ankle and so he is out. This really sweet older lady from the UK I think fell today and she has a black eye. It makes me feel a little soft for having sore feet. My shins and calf muscles are starting to ache a bit. They haven´t seen this much action since I quit playing lacrosse.
The albergue we are staying in tonight is pretty nice. It has smaller rooms which could be better. I think our room smells a little bit, someone clearly did not take a post walk shower. I am getting pretty good at hand washing my clothes, this is a pretty new thing for me. But it doesn´t take too long and there is something oddly nice about it. I don´t think I will take up the practice when I come home, but for now, its doing just fine.
The Australian girl laughed at my Tevas again today.... but then we bonded over trashy American TV. I do love my trashy TV so I had a lot to contribute to the conversation.
I do believe that is all I have to report today. Not tomorrow but the next day we walk past a fountain that doesn´t have water but red wine flowing in it. I feel that will be a good day =).
Love
Jenny
Yesterday we did a lot of walking through cities which felt so strange. I liked today because we were more out in the country and it was much quieter. We saw fields and fields of dead sunflowers....I´m sure those are really pretty when they are alive. Dead, not so much.
A part of me feels so fortunate to be walking and to have this trip sort of fall in my lap. I have met a lot of people who have talked about wanting to walk for 10 or more years. It is sort of amazing to think about wanting to do something that long. Ten years ago, I was 12 and my biggest desire was to have my mom let me go to the mall with friends.
There are some serious injuries going on. This Korean guy fell down this little hill and has this giant bruise on his face and a bunch of stitches. Another guy broke his ankle and so he is out. This really sweet older lady from the UK I think fell today and she has a black eye. It makes me feel a little soft for having sore feet. My shins and calf muscles are starting to ache a bit. They haven´t seen this much action since I quit playing lacrosse.
The albergue we are staying in tonight is pretty nice. It has smaller rooms which could be better. I think our room smells a little bit, someone clearly did not take a post walk shower. I am getting pretty good at hand washing my clothes, this is a pretty new thing for me. But it doesn´t take too long and there is something oddly nice about it. I don´t think I will take up the practice when I come home, but for now, its doing just fine.
The Australian girl laughed at my Tevas again today.... but then we bonded over trashy American TV. I do love my trashy TV so I had a lot to contribute to the conversation.
I do believe that is all I have to report today. Not tomorrow but the next day we walk past a fountain that doesn´t have water but red wine flowing in it. I feel that will be a good day =).
Love
Jenny
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Turns out, the gym was the best sleeping option in town last night. After talking to different people, everyone said it was hot and noisy in the actual beds. Our mattresses were really comfortable and I slept just fine (I was just wrapped up in my sleeping bag so I didn´t have to touch the actual sheet over the mattress just in case). I did wake up a few times to the sound of pouring rain. I was pretty sure we were going to have to bust out our rain pants for the first time. But, by the time we got up around 6:30 it was only sprinkling. I did get to wear my bright purple rain jacket for a little bit though. The rest of the day was really sunny and pretty wonderful weather.
We were going to walk to the next town, Larraona and get some breakfast. This was about an hour walk. Whelp....the town was closed. Nothing was open because there was a festival the night before. So, on we went with very empty stomachs. At this point, we had just sort of settled into the fact that we weren´t going to reach another town for 3 hours. My stomach was grumbling to say the least.
Then after another two hours, we saw this glorious tent!!!!! This little family sold fruit, cakes, coffee and juice. We both inhaled a banana and these little cakes. I have really never been so happy to eat. There are a lot of slugs along the way and a lot of slugs that didn´t make it. The alive slugs seem to be eating the dead slugs. It just would have been unfortunate to eat Kirstin if it came to that =).
So on we walked after our wonderful breakfast at 11. We finally made it Pamplona around 2. A shower, some clean clothes and a nap were all pretty wonderful. Since the running of the bulls is over, I made Kirstin run around like a bull and I chased her..... Just kidding, Kirstin would never agree to doing that. We did however go to a market and get some bread, sandwich meat and some wine. We also picked up breakfast for tomorrow so another unfortunate foodless morning doesn´t happen again.
Also...not to be picky but some of the food practices here are sort of unreal. The baguette we bought was just out in this bin with no wrapper around it. The lady at the counter just grabbed it with her probably dirty hands and put it on the probably dirty counter. I ate the bread when we made our sandwiches, I´m just saying, that just wouldn´t fly in America.
We are staying in a really nice Albergue tonight which is nice! So we have the count 2 gym floors and 2 beds now.
Bonnie - On the first day, towards the end of the day when both of us were just ready to die, to keep us going we talked about our favorite How I Met Your Mother episodes. I thought you would appreciate this. It worked for a good half hour.
Claire - I am wearing the blue bracelet you made me !
Mom and Dad - Super jealous of your trip to Vegas and all of your shows you are seeing.
Love and miss you all!
We were going to walk to the next town, Larraona and get some breakfast. This was about an hour walk. Whelp....the town was closed. Nothing was open because there was a festival the night before. So, on we went with very empty stomachs. At this point, we had just sort of settled into the fact that we weren´t going to reach another town for 3 hours. My stomach was grumbling to say the least.
Then after another two hours, we saw this glorious tent!!!!! This little family sold fruit, cakes, coffee and juice. We both inhaled a banana and these little cakes. I have really never been so happy to eat. There are a lot of slugs along the way and a lot of slugs that didn´t make it. The alive slugs seem to be eating the dead slugs. It just would have been unfortunate to eat Kirstin if it came to that =).
So on we walked after our wonderful breakfast at 11. We finally made it Pamplona around 2. A shower, some clean clothes and a nap were all pretty wonderful. Since the running of the bulls is over, I made Kirstin run around like a bull and I chased her..... Just kidding, Kirstin would never agree to doing that. We did however go to a market and get some bread, sandwich meat and some wine. We also picked up breakfast for tomorrow so another unfortunate foodless morning doesn´t happen again.
Also...not to be picky but some of the food practices here are sort of unreal. The baguette we bought was just out in this bin with no wrapper around it. The lady at the counter just grabbed it with her probably dirty hands and put it on the probably dirty counter. I ate the bread when we made our sandwiches, I´m just saying, that just wouldn´t fly in America.
We are staying in a really nice Albergue tonight which is nice! So we have the count 2 gym floors and 2 beds now.
Bonnie - On the first day, towards the end of the day when both of us were just ready to die, to keep us going we talked about our favorite How I Met Your Mother episodes. I thought you would appreciate this. It worked for a good half hour.
Claire - I am wearing the blue bracelet you made me !
Mom and Dad - Super jealous of your trip to Vegas and all of your shows you are seeing.
Love and miss you all!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Why don´t we just call the mayor?
Today was just so more pleasant than yesterday. Not having to walk up any giant mountains just makes the day so much better! We walked through some pretty adorible towns. They looked like movie sets. Then we walked through a lot of forest...which reminded me of Tom Sawyer´s Island at Disneyland.
So we walked to this town...i do not remember the name. Kirstin is much better than I am at remembering where exactly we are. We went to first place to stay, it was full. As was the second. So we wondered around with this really nice couple from Canada we walked with today. We ran into some other people looking for a place to stay. Someone who spoke Spanish asked a local lady what she thought we should do. Her response was to call the mayor. So...someone got his phone number and that is what we did! He set up for 25 of us to stay in this gym where they have mats in case of emergancy. We all walked over there and now that is where we are staying.
For those of you who may not be aware of my germiphobe ways.... I have some issues. As we were walking into the gym, they handed us these sanitizing covers to put over them. So, here is where I needed to make a decision on how I was going to think about this.
1. Be really grossed out by the fact they need to have these covers for the mats and what could possibly be living in them?
or
2. Be happy that they gave us these covers and assume whatever we need protecting from will not come through.
I am going to try my hardest to think the second thought =).
We have been spending some time with a group of Australians that are about our age. There aren´t a lot of people our age, mostly everyone is much older than we are. One of the girls (in a joking way) made fun of my Tevas today saying they looked very much like a typical American tourist.
I think I may fall asleep at the computer right now so that is really all I can write. So far so good though! Tomorrow we are going to be in Pamplona which should be pretty fun!
P.S. I also am very sorry for my spelling. My mom is going to be mortified. I am a horrible speller and the spell check on the computers only checks for Spanish. So according to it, everything is spelled wrong.
So we walked to this town...i do not remember the name. Kirstin is much better than I am at remembering where exactly we are. We went to first place to stay, it was full. As was the second. So we wondered around with this really nice couple from Canada we walked with today. We ran into some other people looking for a place to stay. Someone who spoke Spanish asked a local lady what she thought we should do. Her response was to call the mayor. So...someone got his phone number and that is what we did! He set up for 25 of us to stay in this gym where they have mats in case of emergancy. We all walked over there and now that is where we are staying.
For those of you who may not be aware of my germiphobe ways.... I have some issues. As we were walking into the gym, they handed us these sanitizing covers to put over them. So, here is where I needed to make a decision on how I was going to think about this.
1. Be really grossed out by the fact they need to have these covers for the mats and what could possibly be living in them?
or
2. Be happy that they gave us these covers and assume whatever we need protecting from will not come through.
I am going to try my hardest to think the second thought =).
We have been spending some time with a group of Australians that are about our age. There aren´t a lot of people our age, mostly everyone is much older than we are. One of the girls (in a joking way) made fun of my Tevas today saying they looked very much like a typical American tourist.
I think I may fall asleep at the computer right now so that is really all I can write. So far so good though! Tomorrow we are going to be in Pamplona which should be pretty fun!
P.S. I also am very sorry for my spelling. My mom is going to be mortified. I am a horrible speller and the spell check on the computers only checks for Spanish. So according to it, everything is spelled wrong.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My feet feel like I´ve just spent a night out in Vegas
So we finally made it to the start yesterday in Saint Jean Pied de Port....this only took 20 or so hours. We left in the morning on Tuesday and got to SJPP on Wednesday evening. I sat by a very pushy man on the airplane who kept trying to buy me wine. I don´t like it when boys do that in bars because then you have to talk to them, there was no way I was going to be forced to talk to him for the next 6 hours. I declined about 5 times.
After the flight, we took 3 trains...we only missed one train and had to get a new ticket. The train ride to SJPP was a little like riding the bus to summer camp. Everyone was excited and nervous and sort of looking at one another. But then we got in and there were no beds left. This meant our first night was spent sleeping on mats in a gym. If you start out low, the only way to go is up right? So today we started walking about 7am. We got to Orisson about 9am and decided to keep walking to Roncesvalles.
OH
MY
GOD
There was about an hour period where neither Kirstin or I spoke. Then, when we weren´t walking straight up anymore, the conversation went like this:
Me: I am about 100x happier right now than I was about 20 minutes ago
K: I think the fact that we are speaking to each other means it is going to be okay.
Then we laughed for about 10 minutes.
The walk was really long...15 miles long. I don´t think I have ever walked that long in my entire life. I get to do it again tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that ect...=)
My feet are killing me. I am going to have to break out the advil tomorrow. I am going to need to stretch a lot. We had dinner with two women from Sweden today. I feel sort of bad because they didn´t get us at our best. We were to tired to chat. I also do not so much enjoy that the fish comes with its head still attached. But its all part of the experience i suppose.
Love
Jenny
After the flight, we took 3 trains...we only missed one train and had to get a new ticket. The train ride to SJPP was a little like riding the bus to summer camp. Everyone was excited and nervous and sort of looking at one another. But then we got in and there were no beds left. This meant our first night was spent sleeping on mats in a gym. If you start out low, the only way to go is up right? So today we started walking about 7am. We got to Orisson about 9am and decided to keep walking to Roncesvalles.
OH
MY
GOD
There was about an hour period where neither Kirstin or I spoke. Then, when we weren´t walking straight up anymore, the conversation went like this:
Me: I am about 100x happier right now than I was about 20 minutes ago
K: I think the fact that we are speaking to each other means it is going to be okay.
Then we laughed for about 10 minutes.
The walk was really long...15 miles long. I don´t think I have ever walked that long in my entire life. I get to do it again tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that ect...=)
My feet are killing me. I am going to have to break out the advil tomorrow. I am going to need to stretch a lot. We had dinner with two women from Sweden today. I feel sort of bad because they didn´t get us at our best. We were to tired to chat. I also do not so much enjoy that the fish comes with its head still attached. But its all part of the experience i suppose.
Love
Jenny
Monday, September 1, 2008
This Is It!
In 22 hours Kirstin and I are going to be flying to Paris...well DC and then Paris. My bag is ready to go, full of my fun stuff. I think we are going to look like walking REI stores. Everything is brand new and shiney and everything is from REI. My bag is heavy. My dad and I are going to go through everything and make sure I'm not bringing anything I don't need. I am not used to just bringing the basics. It is going to be hard to let go of anything considering I don't have much to start with. Maybe I should take out my blow dryer...... just kidding =).
Yesterday I wore a white linen dress and did my hair and makeup. I'm going to take one last, cozy shower and use all of those products you save for special days like exfoliating stuff and perfumey body wash. Then tomorrow I'm going to leave that Jenny behind. It will be a makeup-less, messy hair, Teva wearing Jenny. I'm pretty excited to get to the point in the trip where I've let go of missing all of my comforts from home. It is going to be really good for me. Arizona told us that by not wearing makeup or doing any of the other cosmetic things, you start to put the mask down that you wear at home and are able to be a more real version of yourself.
The picture at the top is of Kirstin and I (so my family that has had the chance to meet her yet knows who I am going to be spending every minute for the next two months with). Her blog is
http://caminoadventures.blogspot.com/
Next time I write, I will be in Europe!!!
Love
Jenny
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