Shout-out to caminobuddies.com for mentioning my recent post on their site. I have no clue how they found me, but I welcome any and all visitors looking for helpful hints on finding their way along the Camino.
I think I'm a pretty good spokeswoman for the "If I can do it-anybody can!" cliche.
I was very very out of shape, and had never been a big hiker/explorer/camper. I had gone on one overnight hiking trip which I survived despite a moment of hyperventilating dramatics on a mere itty bitty hill I encountered.
I made it through to Santiago to hear them read my name at the pilgrim's mass the day after I arrived. Lost 20 pounds in the process and felt soooo good about myself. My pace and endurance are far beyond what they were prior to the trip. I was very careful to show somewhat flattering pics of myself during the trek (because I allowed myself that one vanity), but I am a big girl and it was hard on me and my body, and perseverance and a lack of blisters were God's gifts to me.
Just... pack wisely (sparingly), and be willing to try different things to make sure you are as comfy and healthy as possible. Go with the flow and enjoy the walk. My number one advice for anyone going: just buy the plane ticket. Make it happen and don't look back (unless it's to marvel at how far you've come).
Friday, November 5, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Summary
This was the advice I had collected prior to hiking the Camino with my personal commentary as to whether it worked for us or not
-keep the pack as light as possible- YES. My pack weighed about 10-12 pounds and after the first day of hiking I regularly fogot I was wearing it. Deciding to buy an extremely small & lightweight pack was the best choice I ever made. I <3 my Gregory. Also, I only brought 2 sets of clothes and washed them nightly. If I could do it again I would have brought less supplies because anything you need you can find at a town along the trail.
-mail anything unnecessary addressed to yourself to Santiago de la Compostela to pick up once you arrive- I didn't bring anything unnecessary, or if I did I didn't realize it until lthe end of the trail (like extra hygiene items or Moleskin because I didn't blister). Dan said that he wouldn't have brought the video camera although we did use it... not enough to warrant the extra weight.
-take your socks and shoes off and rinse your feet off wherever possible- I took my socks and shoes off whenever we had a break longer than 10 minutes so they could dry out. I didn't start rinsing them off until I could feel my socks rubbing which didn't happen until several weeks in. The washing really did help though.
-wake up as early as possible to begin walking- Yes, and no. I really enjoyed hiking in the morning before the full heat of the day descended... but not so early that the sun wasn't up. That was when things got dangerous. If I could do it again I would take longer breaks and hike later in the day. Do it at a more leisurely pace.
-form a collective and cook as a group-YES! Make friends!
-don't wear cotton socks-Smartwool all the day. They were AMAZING.
-wear a big hat- I love my big ugly hat. It was cool and warm and shady. Everything I needed.
-don't bring big hiking boots-Yes. I had Merrell's that were like super tough tennis shoes and they were great. Only one blister. Dan started out with his boots and they destroyed his feet. Once he switched to hiking with Chacos and socks he was much happier... except he had to carry the boots.
-break in your shoes first-Duh. Yes.
-if there is a service that will carry your pack up the hill for you, it's a good use of money-We never did this and we always felt really proud to have done everythign on our own without any help. I'm sure if we could do it again we would've started in St. Jean w/o packs just to ease the burden of that awful first day.
-keep the pack as light as possible- YES. My pack weighed about 10-12 pounds and after the first day of hiking I regularly fogot I was wearing it. Deciding to buy an extremely small & lightweight pack was the best choice I ever made. I <3 my Gregory. Also, I only brought 2 sets of clothes and washed them nightly. If I could do it again I would have brought less supplies because anything you need you can find at a town along the trail.
-mail anything unnecessary addressed to yourself to Santiago de la Compostela to pick up once you arrive- I didn't bring anything unnecessary, or if I did I didn't realize it until lthe end of the trail (like extra hygiene items or Moleskin because I didn't blister). Dan said that he wouldn't have brought the video camera although we did use it... not enough to warrant the extra weight.
-take your socks and shoes off and rinse your feet off wherever possible- I took my socks and shoes off whenever we had a break longer than 10 minutes so they could dry out. I didn't start rinsing them off until I could feel my socks rubbing which didn't happen until several weeks in. The washing really did help though.
-wake up as early as possible to begin walking- Yes, and no. I really enjoyed hiking in the morning before the full heat of the day descended... but not so early that the sun wasn't up. That was when things got dangerous. If I could do it again I would take longer breaks and hike later in the day. Do it at a more leisurely pace.
-form a collective and cook as a group-YES! Make friends!
-don't wear cotton socks-Smartwool all the day. They were AMAZING.
-wear a big hat- I love my big ugly hat. It was cool and warm and shady. Everything I needed.
-don't bring big hiking boots-Yes. I had Merrell's that were like super tough tennis shoes and they were great. Only one blister. Dan started out with his boots and they destroyed his feet. Once he switched to hiking with Chacos and socks he was much happier... except he had to carry the boots.
-break in your shoes first-Duh. Yes.
-if there is a service that will carry your pack up the hill for you, it's a good use of money-We never did this and we always felt really proud to have done everythign on our own without any help. I'm sure if we could do it again we would've started in St. Jean w/o packs just to ease the burden of that awful first day.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Home and Settled In
Well, if you haven't heard from us now, be not afraid. Just over a month ago we finally made it to our ultimate end destination. We are home. Happy, healthy, and back in our favorite town in the world. One that isn't covered in scat of some kind.
The homecoming was bittersweet. We were on different flights all the way home and after seeing each other for 24/7 for a month and a half straight I cried when I had to say goodbye at the airport. I left Spain knowing that I probably won't return for much longer than my every-three-years schedule I've had for over a decade now. The plane took off and the stewards began speaking to me in my native language and offered me soda with lots and lots of ice in it. Makes me feel like home.
I landed in MO at around 9pm-18 hours after taking off in Spain (blame that on the 7 hour layover in NY). My sister greeted me and we managed to find a food stand open so I could eat for the 6th time that day. Dan arrived 2 hours later at 11:00 (6am Spain time-officially 25 hours after we had woken up that morning) and we went home to greet our pets and sleep in our own bed. His parents had come by and hung up a welcome home sign to greet us, and when we walked in the house was so nice and clean-WAY cleaner than it typically is when we're home. Bear...my furry soulmate... did not run up to greet me like I had imagined for two long months. Instead, he went first to Dan, his tail wagging so much he was walking sideways, and then he noticed I was home also. I'm not holding a grudge though, when he finally noticed me he was one happy dog... it's not his fault that Dan is so much taller than me that you can't help but notice him first.
We fell back into a routine fairly quickly. I was still processing what the whole camino meant to me and wondering how it was going to translate into our day to day lives, but school was starting soon and we needed to do household things like laundry and grocery shopping. School started-each of us have new preps this year- and we've been busy almost every day either working or catching up with friends or spending some time together because we miss the constant companionship we had while traveling. I can see already that the trip had some long term effects on us.
I feel more comfortable with the role my faith has in my life. I always felt before like I was "posing" or hiding behind what religious category I tried to fit myself into. I never limited myself to a single set of beliefs or a strict set of beliefs and non-beliefs, so I felt like I never really fit in anywhere because nobody subscribed to my particular array of beliefs. But I've seen a lot of different people practicing a lot of different faiths. I do not feel excluded from any particular group because of the differences we have, but I can see things from the opposite side of the coin now... I can feel included because of what we have in common. The camino made it possible for me to globalize or expand my religious identity. I've always been accepting of other religions, but now I feel like I can empathize more, understand more, and most importantly, judge less.
I asked Dan one of the last days we were in Spain if he felt like the trip had brought us closer as a couple and he said "No.". =O No? No?! I was aghast that he wasn't feeling the same feelings that I was and scared that after all we had been through together that he didn't feel the same sense of mutual trust in us as a unit- Team Dan and Julie!- that I did. After all, we battled against so much. It was man-vs.-nature, man-vs.-man, man-vs.-himself, all of those literary themes that he talks about all the time. Except it wasn't just man-vs., it was us versus everything. We worked so well as a team, as cheesy as that word sounds. If one of us couldn't stand to move anymore the other would dig through to make it possible to have our daily needs met.
I trusted him to keep me safe and keep me going. And I learned that I do the same for him. It was so affirming to me that I married an incredible man, and more importantly, that we both chose a life partner who is so supportive and fits so well to our own personalities. We did not fight. We did not run out of things to talk about. We had a great time even in adverse conditions. We made it without killing each other (and one of us-the non-annoying one-was worried about that).
It definitely helped further our relationship and forge an even more solid bond between us. It was amazing.
The homecoming was bittersweet. We were on different flights all the way home and after seeing each other for 24/7 for a month and a half straight I cried when I had to say goodbye at the airport. I left Spain knowing that I probably won't return for much longer than my every-three-years schedule I've had for over a decade now. The plane took off and the stewards began speaking to me in my native language and offered me soda with lots and lots of ice in it. Makes me feel like home.
I landed in MO at around 9pm-18 hours after taking off in Spain (blame that on the 7 hour layover in NY). My sister greeted me and we managed to find a food stand open so I could eat for the 6th time that day. Dan arrived 2 hours later at 11:00 (6am Spain time-officially 25 hours after we had woken up that morning) and we went home to greet our pets and sleep in our own bed. His parents had come by and hung up a welcome home sign to greet us, and when we walked in the house was so nice and clean-WAY cleaner than it typically is when we're home. Bear...my furry soulmate... did not run up to greet me like I had imagined for two long months. Instead, he went first to Dan, his tail wagging so much he was walking sideways, and then he noticed I was home also. I'm not holding a grudge though, when he finally noticed me he was one happy dog... it's not his fault that Dan is so much taller than me that you can't help but notice him first.
We fell back into a routine fairly quickly. I was still processing what the whole camino meant to me and wondering how it was going to translate into our day to day lives, but school was starting soon and we needed to do household things like laundry and grocery shopping. School started-each of us have new preps this year- and we've been busy almost every day either working or catching up with friends or spending some time together because we miss the constant companionship we had while traveling. I can see already that the trip had some long term effects on us.
I feel more comfortable with the role my faith has in my life. I always felt before like I was "posing" or hiding behind what religious category I tried to fit myself into. I never limited myself to a single set of beliefs or a strict set of beliefs and non-beliefs, so I felt like I never really fit in anywhere because nobody subscribed to my particular array of beliefs. But I've seen a lot of different people practicing a lot of different faiths. I do not feel excluded from any particular group because of the differences we have, but I can see things from the opposite side of the coin now... I can feel included because of what we have in common. The camino made it possible for me to globalize or expand my religious identity. I've always been accepting of other religions, but now I feel like I can empathize more, understand more, and most importantly, judge less.
I asked Dan one of the last days we were in Spain if he felt like the trip had brought us closer as a couple and he said "No.". =O No? No?! I was aghast that he wasn't feeling the same feelings that I was and scared that after all we had been through together that he didn't feel the same sense of mutual trust in us as a unit- Team Dan and Julie!- that I did. After all, we battled against so much. It was man-vs.-nature, man-vs.-man, man-vs.-himself, all of those literary themes that he talks about all the time. Except it wasn't just man-vs., it was us versus everything. We worked so well as a team, as cheesy as that word sounds. If one of us couldn't stand to move anymore the other would dig through to make it possible to have our daily needs met.
I trusted him to keep me safe and keep me going. And I learned that I do the same for him. It was so affirming to me that I married an incredible man, and more importantly, that we both chose a life partner who is so supportive and fits so well to our own personalities. We did not fight. We did not run out of things to talk about. We had a great time even in adverse conditions. We made it without killing each other (and one of us-the non-annoying one-was worried about that).
It definitely helped further our relationship and forge an even more solid bond between us. It was amazing.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The last 13 days
...are going excruciatingly slowly.
We made the decision to skip ahead to Leon because we were ailing and wouldn´t have been able to finish on time. Unfortunately, by doing so we ensured that we´d finish extremely early. We were banking on the fact that we could fly stand-by to go home earlier than our scheduled flights (Aug. 7th), but unfortunately all flights are completely booked. So, we are stuck.
We spent a week in London, which was great in a lot of ways. It was a vacation, we got to see lots of cool things and go places that would ordinarily have required a transatlantic instead of a transmediterranean flight, but it meant we were spending way more money than we had originally intended to. We had to book a flight back to Spain and then we decided to take some day trips to some of my favorite small towns (that I had visited just 5 weeks prior). Then, amid the endless string of days of travelling and living out of suitcases and hotels we lost track of time and magically it was Friday, our last day in Madrid, almost time to head back home to sleep in our own bed, to be with our families and animals and belong to our own culture where we know the unspoken rules and have minimal awkward interractions. Except, as you can probably read at the top of this blog entry... it´s still Thursday. Tomorrow I will not wake up and head to the airport, get my passport stamped and head back to the familiar. It´s like Groundhog Day, and we have seen and done all there is to do in Spain. At this point we are so Spained out that our (non-confirmed) trip to Costa Rica nest summer is looking better and better just because it´s not Europe.
Sorry to be writing on such a down mood. I´m ready to go home, rest for a couple of days and then head back to work. This limbo nonsense is just really grating on my patience.
We made the decision to skip ahead to Leon because we were ailing and wouldn´t have been able to finish on time. Unfortunately, by doing so we ensured that we´d finish extremely early. We were banking on the fact that we could fly stand-by to go home earlier than our scheduled flights (Aug. 7th), but unfortunately all flights are completely booked. So, we are stuck.
We spent a week in London, which was great in a lot of ways. It was a vacation, we got to see lots of cool things and go places that would ordinarily have required a transatlantic instead of a transmediterranean flight, but it meant we were spending way more money than we had originally intended to. We had to book a flight back to Spain and then we decided to take some day trips to some of my favorite small towns (that I had visited just 5 weeks prior). Then, amid the endless string of days of travelling and living out of suitcases and hotels we lost track of time and magically it was Friday, our last day in Madrid, almost time to head back home to sleep in our own bed, to be with our families and animals and belong to our own culture where we know the unspoken rules and have minimal awkward interractions. Except, as you can probably read at the top of this blog entry... it´s still Thursday. Tomorrow I will not wake up and head to the airport, get my passport stamped and head back to the familiar. It´s like Groundhog Day, and we have seen and done all there is to do in Spain. At this point we are so Spained out that our (non-confirmed) trip to Costa Rica nest summer is looking better and better just because it´s not Europe.
Sorry to be writing on such a down mood. I´m ready to go home, rest for a couple of days and then head back to work. This limbo nonsense is just really grating on my patience.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Santiago
I cannot tell you how excited I am to tell you all that we actually made it to Santiago.
3.5 weeks and 260.4 miles later... we walked down into the city at around 7 in the morning (just as the sun was peeking up), cheered on by Spaniards heading home after celebrating all night, to arrive at the cathedral we had been staring at for almost a month on every 5 cent euro coin we'd seen.
It was so cool to be in the midst of buildings with people passing us saying "Welcome to Santiago", "You're almost there!", etc. And then to arrive and see the cathedral was really a gratifying end to a long and arduous journey. We walked around the cathedral and then went and stood in line to receive our compostela. We went into the office and answered a few questions, then received a certificate with our names written in Latin (Danielem Josephum Barnes and Juliam Christinam Mazdra Barnes in case you don't know Latin) and it felt amazing. The city was a madhouse for the 25th with tens of thousands of people in town to celebrate so we went and dropped off our bags at the hotel and then went to stand in line for 4 hours to attend the pilgrims' mass. The church was packed, but the homily was very inspiring as the priest talked about taking the pilgrimage and applying the changes we had undergone in our day to day lives and how those lives are also a sort of pilgrimage.
The next day we decided to finish up our pilgrimage once the hoards of travellers had left the city so we could have a little more peace and quiet. We went and hugged the statue of Saint James that sits on the altar (you go up a staircase behind him and give him a bear hug from behind-very hard jewel encrusted cloak.. not warm and cozy as I had imagined) and knelt before his tomb underneath the altar. Both were very moving for us after working for so long just to get there and reading Rick Steve's guide to Santiago over and over.
We walked to the plaza and stepped on the seashell in the center to mark the official end of our journey.
We made it. :)
Julie- For me, it was an experience that I had thought about for a long time. We had been planning to take this trip almost since we first started dating 7 years ago. I had never been backpacking before except for one overnight trip that I took with our good friend Jason where I nearly hyperventilated on top of a hill, so I had no concept of how physically demanding it would be on me and how that would affect me mentally. It was definitely hard to get adjusted to, the first week I thought about hailing over a passing car every time I heard one coming and just calling it quits. I was in way over my head and didn't think I could hack it... but we just kept going. Eventually I got to the point where I stopped thinking about taking the easy way out and was confident enough that I could make it another 3 km before resting, or that I wouldn't die en route to the next town 10 km away. And then... after a couple of weeks, we got into a routine and I stopped fretting about having to wake up and do the same exact thing the next day, and, something that was even more shocking for me, I stopped caring about having to go uphill. I miraculously stopped whining. They didn't scare me anymore, and they were much less difficult than they were when we first started (it didn't help that our first day was the absolute WORST day of the hike), but I actually started to enjoy the uphills. Climbing up to O Cebreiro was my absolute favorite day of hiking-despite the rain and the huge uphills. The views from way high up are amazing and the adrenaline from going up made me feel so accomplished and strong. I now prefer ascending to descending.
It feels so strange that it's all over, that we're done, that we actually did it. You know the strange thing? I'd be willing to do it again.. only next time not during a holy year.
Dan - This truly was an experience. Arriving at the cathedral was not the most amazing part for me though. I loveed seeing the spires from far off, and stepping on the plaque signifying the end of the Camino, but there were two moments that really stuck out in my mind which should be blogged. One was recieving the compostela. They did not allow Julie and I to walk up together, so we each had a mini interview with a different person about the trip. My lady asked where I started, how the trip was, why I did it, etc. I filled out some brief paperwork and then she wrote on my compostela my name in latin (as Julie mentioned earlier). She handed it to me after reading aloud my name, handed back my pilgrim's credential, and showed me this line on it that I never noticed that said (more or less) "Camino completed on _____________." She had already stamped the date and placed the official stamp of the Pilgrim's office next to the date. When she handed me all of this and told me congratulations, I couldn't help but tear up a bit. And as broken as my Spanish is already, imagine how hard it was to communicate "thank you and have a great day." That was one of the two moments where I felt like I completed something.
The second came on the 26th, which was the night before we left. We gathered in the plaza outside the cathedral at 11:30 at night. From the 24th - 31st, they were running a music and light show literally on the front of the cathedral. We sat down amongst hundreds of people to see what was an amazing 20 minute show that highlighted the Camino, the religious aspects, and the province of Galicia. And to top it all off, there were fireworks at the end. This was a fitting replacement for the 4th of July we missed, but also felt like the actual close to the trip. The show was truly a celebration of all we had just acomplished and truly beautiful.
This camino is over, but one of the great points that the Priest made on the sermon on the 25th was that life is a camino. As long as I physically can, I will always keep walking and experiencing and sharing with those I love.
I don't think this will be our last post, but a necessary thanks goes out to all who followed this blog, commented, and cheered us on throughout this journey. We are greatful for your support.
3.5 weeks and 260.4 miles later... we walked down into the city at around 7 in the morning (just as the sun was peeking up), cheered on by Spaniards heading home after celebrating all night, to arrive at the cathedral we had been staring at for almost a month on every 5 cent euro coin we'd seen.
It was so cool to be in the midst of buildings with people passing us saying "Welcome to Santiago", "You're almost there!", etc. And then to arrive and see the cathedral was really a gratifying end to a long and arduous journey. We walked around the cathedral and then went and stood in line to receive our compostela. We went into the office and answered a few questions, then received a certificate with our names written in Latin (Danielem Josephum Barnes and Juliam Christinam Mazdra Barnes in case you don't know Latin) and it felt amazing. The city was a madhouse for the 25th with tens of thousands of people in town to celebrate so we went and dropped off our bags at the hotel and then went to stand in line for 4 hours to attend the pilgrims' mass. The church was packed, but the homily was very inspiring as the priest talked about taking the pilgrimage and applying the changes we had undergone in our day to day lives and how those lives are also a sort of pilgrimage.
The next day we decided to finish up our pilgrimage once the hoards of travellers had left the city so we could have a little more peace and quiet. We went and hugged the statue of Saint James that sits on the altar (you go up a staircase behind him and give him a bear hug from behind-very hard jewel encrusted cloak.. not warm and cozy as I had imagined) and knelt before his tomb underneath the altar. Both were very moving for us after working for so long just to get there and reading Rick Steve's guide to Santiago over and over.
We walked to the plaza and stepped on the seashell in the center to mark the official end of our journey.
We made it. :)
Julie- For me, it was an experience that I had thought about for a long time. We had been planning to take this trip almost since we first started dating 7 years ago. I had never been backpacking before except for one overnight trip that I took with our good friend Jason where I nearly hyperventilated on top of a hill, so I had no concept of how physically demanding it would be on me and how that would affect me mentally. It was definitely hard to get adjusted to, the first week I thought about hailing over a passing car every time I heard one coming and just calling it quits. I was in way over my head and didn't think I could hack it... but we just kept going. Eventually I got to the point where I stopped thinking about taking the easy way out and was confident enough that I could make it another 3 km before resting, or that I wouldn't die en route to the next town 10 km away. And then... after a couple of weeks, we got into a routine and I stopped fretting about having to wake up and do the same exact thing the next day, and, something that was even more shocking for me, I stopped caring about having to go uphill. I miraculously stopped whining. They didn't scare me anymore, and they were much less difficult than they were when we first started (it didn't help that our first day was the absolute WORST day of the hike), but I actually started to enjoy the uphills. Climbing up to O Cebreiro was my absolute favorite day of hiking-despite the rain and the huge uphills. The views from way high up are amazing and the adrenaline from going up made me feel so accomplished and strong. I now prefer ascending to descending.
It feels so strange that it's all over, that we're done, that we actually did it. You know the strange thing? I'd be willing to do it again.. only next time not during a holy year.
Dan - This truly was an experience. Arriving at the cathedral was not the most amazing part for me though. I loveed seeing the spires from far off, and stepping on the plaque signifying the end of the Camino, but there were two moments that really stuck out in my mind which should be blogged. One was recieving the compostela. They did not allow Julie and I to walk up together, so we each had a mini interview with a different person about the trip. My lady asked where I started, how the trip was, why I did it, etc. I filled out some brief paperwork and then she wrote on my compostela my name in latin (as Julie mentioned earlier). She handed it to me after reading aloud my name, handed back my pilgrim's credential, and showed me this line on it that I never noticed that said (more or less) "Camino completed on _____________." She had already stamped the date and placed the official stamp of the Pilgrim's office next to the date. When she handed me all of this and told me congratulations, I couldn't help but tear up a bit. And as broken as my Spanish is already, imagine how hard it was to communicate "thank you and have a great day." That was one of the two moments where I felt like I completed something.
The second came on the 26th, which was the night before we left. We gathered in the plaza outside the cathedral at 11:30 at night. From the 24th - 31st, they were running a music and light show literally on the front of the cathedral. We sat down amongst hundreds of people to see what was an amazing 20 minute show that highlighted the Camino, the religious aspects, and the province of Galicia. And to top it all off, there were fireworks at the end. This was a fitting replacement for the 4th of July we missed, but also felt like the actual close to the trip. The show was truly a celebration of all we had just acomplished and truly beautiful.
This camino is over, but one of the great points that the Priest made on the sermon on the 25th was that life is a camino. As long as I physically can, I will always keep walking and experiencing and sharing with those I love.
I don't think this will be our last post, but a necessary thanks goes out to all who followed this blog, commented, and cheered us on throughout this journey. We are greatful for your support.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
General Happenings
So we haven´t updated in a few days and in all honesty things have been chugging along nicely. Our physical endurance has increased so we are stopping for less breaks and experiencing less pain at the end of the day so we get around faster. Awesome. Unfortunately, 100 km is the magical number of km to walk to receive a compostela so right around there the trail became flooded with people. Literally there are people walking around with support vehicles. They carry nothing and stop at specific points to eat and rest with their group. They charge past us and are looking for lodging at the same places we are which is frustrating because there are only so many spots and there is a constant threat of having to find an overhang to sleep under if we don´t make it in time.
It felt like it was turning into a foot race, with people waking up at 3, 4 am to walk in the dark just to be able to secure lodging. We felt we were losing the experience of the trip and just stressing over how fast we were going and how many people passed us. We arrive in town after walking for 6 or 7 hours, before noon (today we got here at 9:30 am!) and the albergues would be already booked. One night we even slept on a concrete floor outside a restroom in a gymnasium that was converted into a sleeping area for over 300 people (imagine that smell...).
So... we decided to get out of the rat race mentality. We gave it up to God and decided to trust that he would provide for us. We have since made it into two albergues and are able to walk at our own speed with the comfort that if we don´t make it we´ll find a nice spot to camp and that we´ll be OK... no matter what. We feel much calmer and so lucky, especially because today we were numbers 45 and 46 in an albergue that only holds 46 people (we started out at numbers 49 and 50 and some people decided to leave, others were not accepted because they hadn´t walked far enough).
The kilometers are flying by. This region of Spain has posts every half kilometers that count down towards 0. We decided to sing the songs from each decade as we counted down... the 80´s and 70´s were particularly awesome, and we struggled to remember the precise lyrics to American Pie for almost an hour. It´s been awesome to sing to pass the time. If you need a laugh... picture two Americans in a sea of foreigners belting out ¨The Warrior¨ by Scandal. Awesomeness. That is apparently Dan´s 80´s jam. I also did a rendition of America the Beautiful and I´m Proud to be an American that turned a few heads. =)
Oh! Yesterday we tried a dish that the town of Melide is apparently well known for...the pulpo (squid). I had tried pulpo before in STL with the students before we headed out and enjoyed it, but this pulpo was less... trying to hide the fact that it was a squishy tentacled sea creature. We went to a pulperia that was really crowded and where I imagined Barb Passanise would have brought us if we had wanted to try it. It looked like THE place for pulpo. We walked in and there were big cauldrons boiling in the corner and after sitting down a man came from the back wheeling a giant bucket filled with squid (pictures to follow!). They boiled the squid, a man clipped them into chunks with scissors, and then they sprinkled what I think was cayenne pepper on them. That´s it... personally I think sauteed would have been a little better because the flavor was decent but they were so incredibly squishy that it made me feel nauseous to eat them. We had half a plateful, decided to not force ourselves to clear the plate, and left. Dan says ¨the flavor was good, but I had a problem when the pulpo would roll around in my mouth and I could feel the suction cups on my tongue¨... yea, it was creepy.
So, right now we´re under 40 kilometers out (less than the distance to my mom´s house!) and we´re going to take it slowly so we get into town on the 25th. It´s going to be crazy and absolutely packed with people, but if we show up the 25th we have a hotel room so we don´t have to worry about sleeping in the street. It is so awesome to feel good, to not be hurting most of the time when we walk, to be adjusted to the routine of things, and to be so stinking close. The feeling of counting down the numbers makes me just want to go further and walk for longer, to get to the next town and to make it to Santiago. We´re SO close.
Love you all! Take care!
It felt like it was turning into a foot race, with people waking up at 3, 4 am to walk in the dark just to be able to secure lodging. We felt we were losing the experience of the trip and just stressing over how fast we were going and how many people passed us. We arrive in town after walking for 6 or 7 hours, before noon (today we got here at 9:30 am!) and the albergues would be already booked. One night we even slept on a concrete floor outside a restroom in a gymnasium that was converted into a sleeping area for over 300 people (imagine that smell...).
So... we decided to get out of the rat race mentality. We gave it up to God and decided to trust that he would provide for us. We have since made it into two albergues and are able to walk at our own speed with the comfort that if we don´t make it we´ll find a nice spot to camp and that we´ll be OK... no matter what. We feel much calmer and so lucky, especially because today we were numbers 45 and 46 in an albergue that only holds 46 people (we started out at numbers 49 and 50 and some people decided to leave, others were not accepted because they hadn´t walked far enough).
The kilometers are flying by. This region of Spain has posts every half kilometers that count down towards 0. We decided to sing the songs from each decade as we counted down... the 80´s and 70´s were particularly awesome, and we struggled to remember the precise lyrics to American Pie for almost an hour. It´s been awesome to sing to pass the time. If you need a laugh... picture two Americans in a sea of foreigners belting out ¨The Warrior¨ by Scandal. Awesomeness. That is apparently Dan´s 80´s jam. I also did a rendition of America the Beautiful and I´m Proud to be an American that turned a few heads. =)
Oh! Yesterday we tried a dish that the town of Melide is apparently well known for...the pulpo (squid). I had tried pulpo before in STL with the students before we headed out and enjoyed it, but this pulpo was less... trying to hide the fact that it was a squishy tentacled sea creature. We went to a pulperia that was really crowded and where I imagined Barb Passanise would have brought us if we had wanted to try it. It looked like THE place for pulpo. We walked in and there were big cauldrons boiling in the corner and after sitting down a man came from the back wheeling a giant bucket filled with squid (pictures to follow!). They boiled the squid, a man clipped them into chunks with scissors, and then they sprinkled what I think was cayenne pepper on them. That´s it... personally I think sauteed would have been a little better because the flavor was decent but they were so incredibly squishy that it made me feel nauseous to eat them. We had half a plateful, decided to not force ourselves to clear the plate, and left. Dan says ¨the flavor was good, but I had a problem when the pulpo would roll around in my mouth and I could feel the suction cups on my tongue¨... yea, it was creepy.
So, right now we´re under 40 kilometers out (less than the distance to my mom´s house!) and we´re going to take it slowly so we get into town on the 25th. It´s going to be crazy and absolutely packed with people, but if we show up the 25th we have a hotel room so we don´t have to worry about sleeping in the street. It is so awesome to feel good, to not be hurting most of the time when we walk, to be adjusted to the routine of things, and to be so stinking close. The feeling of counting down the numbers makes me just want to go further and walk for longer, to get to the next town and to make it to Santiago. We´re SO close.
Love you all! Take care!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
O Cebreiro, pts 1 & 2
"Bienvenidos a Galicia" was the phrase we kept saying to ourselves as we hiked up a giant mountain to get to the town of O Cebreiro. But more on that in a minute. For those of you who have been reading this blog and pay attention to writer´s voice, you may have noticed that most are in Julie´s. I wanted to note that I have not been ignoring the blog as for every update I have been sitting next to Julie helping her with my notes I´ve been writing about each day.
Yesterday had the hike to O Cebreiro, a quaint (really the only word to describe it mountain village. We would also be crossing into Spain´s most Western province, Galicia. We hiked up, up, and up on both highway and rocky switchbacks and finally made it to a small town. Because so many pilgrims stopped at this bar (at the top of the first hill to climb) we couldn´t get service. Rather, we just left. This is when Galcia´s famous weather showed up. For those of you who don´t know, Galicia is famous for having weather like Seattle. We became stuck in a giant cloud of drizzle and mist. This was not a hard, driving rain, but enough to make it damp all around and get everything wet. Upon arriving in O Cebreiro, we put our packs in the line in the albergue and waited for it to open by going to the tourist shops and eating in a bar. This town is famous for it´s local cheese (sheep cheese, I think) which is a soft, white cheese. We ordered a platter and it came with bread, strawberry marmalade, and the cheese drizzled with honey on top. It was heavenly. Julie also ordered a bowl of Gallego Soup to warm herself up.
The other cool things about this town included the church and the old homes. First, the homes: http://fotos0.mundofotos.net/2009/26_01_2009/mundo_imag1232994303/o-cebreiro-lugo-espana.jpg
These are olden time homes that no one lives in any more, but one of them has been turned into a makeshift museum where one of the locals just hangs out there to answer questions. We got to tour inside and see how suprisingly spacious it was and how cleverly it was built. Secondly, we got to see the church in town. The church is famous because apparently in the 12 century a man traveled in horrible snowy weather to reach the church. When he arrived, the priest did not belive him and wanted to turn him away. Then, the host turned into the body and blood of Christ on its own, staining the tabernacle, aka a legimitate miracle. The cup and tabernacle are on display there now. That night, however, was very exciting. We got to take place in a ceremony that was pretty cool, but that will have to wait. There is a line to use the computers now so later I will post the second half of this entry.
2nd Half: At 6pm that night, a special cross came through town and was to be placed in the church. It was the "Cross of the Youth," comissioned by Pope John Paul II in 1985 to travel the world. It has been to Europe, America, Asia, and so on. As we arrived in the church, the priest asked us all (full church) to step outside and join the processional of the cross and a portrait of Mary into the church. We followed it to the doorway, then all lit candles outside the Church to symbolize the light of God. Then, we followed the cross into the church. We then stayed for a special mass welcoming the cross. During the mass, I got to walk up and kneel before the cross and touch it. It was really cool. After the mass, we went to get a menu at a bar with roast chicken, which Spain does not have a lot of. This country runs on pork, and very little chicken. It was also delicious. Afterwards, we went back to the albergue, got our clothes, and woke up the next morning to a mountain top above the fog. Absolutely gorgeous. I´ll leave the rest up to Julie to type. What a great town O Cebreiro is.
Yesterday had the hike to O Cebreiro, a quaint (really the only word to describe it mountain village. We would also be crossing into Spain´s most Western province, Galicia. We hiked up, up, and up on both highway and rocky switchbacks and finally made it to a small town. Because so many pilgrims stopped at this bar (at the top of the first hill to climb) we couldn´t get service. Rather, we just left. This is when Galcia´s famous weather showed up. For those of you who don´t know, Galicia is famous for having weather like Seattle. We became stuck in a giant cloud of drizzle and mist. This was not a hard, driving rain, but enough to make it damp all around and get everything wet. Upon arriving in O Cebreiro, we put our packs in the line in the albergue and waited for it to open by going to the tourist shops and eating in a bar. This town is famous for it´s local cheese (sheep cheese, I think) which is a soft, white cheese. We ordered a platter and it came with bread, strawberry marmalade, and the cheese drizzled with honey on top. It was heavenly. Julie also ordered a bowl of Gallego Soup to warm herself up.
The other cool things about this town included the church and the old homes. First, the homes: http://fotos0.mundofotos.net/2009/26_01_2009/mundo_imag1232994303/o-cebreiro-lugo-espana.jpg
These are olden time homes that no one lives in any more, but one of them has been turned into a makeshift museum where one of the locals just hangs out there to answer questions. We got to tour inside and see how suprisingly spacious it was and how cleverly it was built. Secondly, we got to see the church in town. The church is famous because apparently in the 12 century a man traveled in horrible snowy weather to reach the church. When he arrived, the priest did not belive him and wanted to turn him away. Then, the host turned into the body and blood of Christ on its own, staining the tabernacle, aka a legimitate miracle. The cup and tabernacle are on display there now. That night, however, was very exciting. We got to take place in a ceremony that was pretty cool, but that will have to wait. There is a line to use the computers now so later I will post the second half of this entry.
2nd Half: At 6pm that night, a special cross came through town and was to be placed in the church. It was the "Cross of the Youth," comissioned by Pope John Paul II in 1985 to travel the world. It has been to Europe, America, Asia, and so on. As we arrived in the church, the priest asked us all (full church) to step outside and join the processional of the cross and a portrait of Mary into the church. We followed it to the doorway, then all lit candles outside the Church to symbolize the light of God. Then, we followed the cross into the church. We then stayed for a special mass welcoming the cross. During the mass, I got to walk up and kneel before the cross and touch it. It was really cool. After the mass, we went to get a menu at a bar with roast chicken, which Spain does not have a lot of. This country runs on pork, and very little chicken. It was also delicious. Afterwards, we went back to the albergue, got our clothes, and woke up the next morning to a mountain top above the fog. Absolutely gorgeous. I´ll leave the rest up to Julie to type. What a great town O Cebreiro is.
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