New shoes

Today we walked from Fromista to Carrion a distance of just under 12 miles. This was a very hard day for me in so many ways. The good news is I am figuring things out and have a new plan. As I mentioned before all we get for breakfast is toast and jam. You just can not walk that far on such a meager breakfast. Our new plan is to stop at the first village we come to and buy a real breakfast. We are also going to follow my friend Sandi's advice and stop and eat and drink every 30 minutes. 

As I was struggling along today I said a little prayer to St. James, the patron saint of the Camino, and I prayed that there would be a shoe store in Carrion. The first business we came to was a shop called Pilgrim's Oasis and I bought new shoes and socks. Fingers crossed that they help my feet.

One of the high points of the day, besides new shoes, was a stop at a church that once belonged to the Knights Templar. It was the job of these men to protect the pilgrims who walked this route during the Middle Ages. A second high point was walking with a Canadien named Otto from Winipeg. He is one of the nicest gentlemen I have ever met,  He lost his wife a year ago and they had been planning to walk it together. He now walks in her honor. Everyone on the walk knows him because he makes a point of introducing himself to everyone he passes.  There are so many stories like his that make this a very special journey.

A lady I met two nights ago told me that the Camino can be divided into three parts. Part one, the part we did not do, is for the body to make you strong for the journey ahead. Part two is for the mind. You have to be strong mentally to walk the Meseta with no shade and miles of nothing to look at but fields. The third part is for the Spirit, from Leon to Santiago. I decided during my struggle today that it takes a lot to conquer the body and the mind together!

Even though I had a few low moments today my day ended on a very high note when a former student wrote me a note of encouragement. My backpack is ready and body, mind

and new shoes are ready to go. 

15.5 miles later

Today we walked for 6.5 hours and covered 15.5 miles. I wore my sandals for the first 12 miles but it was not a great option because I kept getting small stone under my socks and knees were not too happy. With three miles to go I made up with my boots and gave them a second chance. Once we arrived in Fromista we went to see the local pharmacist and we were lucky enough to find one who spoke English. He sold me a silicone cap for my toe and promised me relief. He said I did not have a blister but my toe had been jammed going down hill and thus the pain. Sue does this sound familiar? I feel like a new hiker already!

The walk today began with a very steep climb followed by an even tougher descent. We were both happy that it came early and not at the end of the day. The scenery has not changed, we are still walking through the never ending Meseta. Fields and fields of farms land. Today we passed fields of sunflower plants that were being harvested. It must have been beautiful a month ago. Today the plants were dried up and their heavy heads were bent towards the ground.

The population of Formista is 800 and the only local people we have seen are men at the local bar. Where are the women and children? The most striking building in the village is of course a church. I will include a picture because the architecture is quite interesting. We have yet to find a church you could enter for free or attend mass! They are all museums and you are welcome inside for a euro or two! I find this very strange on what is supposed to be a pilgrimage. Perhaps this will change once we get closer to Santiago.

The worst part about today were the gnats. For the last five miles we walked through clouds of tiny bugs. There was no escaping them. If you opened your mouth you swallowed them! They got in my hair and behind my glasses! Penance?

We met some lovely people today. Janver and his wife Jennifer who are from CA and two  Swedish women. I will not try to spell their names. Charlie hit it on the head last night when he said, "The Camino is hell all day and heaven at night!" Everyday, once the walk is over we meet the nicest, most interesting people from all over the world. If the world could be like The Camino it would be a wonderful thing. Everyday wewitness people helping strangers. It is a real United Nations. Only 11.7 miles tomorrow so my new toe and a shorter walk it should be a great day.

The break up!

While walking in England two years ago these boots were my cherished friends. No blisters, no pain. We stayed together through rain, sleet and sunshine. I am sorry to say the romance is officially over! I have a very sore, red toe and these boots have got to go! It will be five days before we reach Leon, the only place that might have a shoe store, so in the meantime I will try walking in my sandals and hope for the best. I feel a bit like Cheryl Strayed in the movie Wild! Once I find some new shoes I I might just accidentally toss these off a cliff.

In spite of the boot problem we continue forward. We covered 12 miles in 4.5 hours and Charlie is finally convinced we are not hiking mountains. The scenery is still the same. We are now in Castrojeriz population 500. The guide books describe it as a village on a permanent siesta. It is so quiet here it is a bit eerie. Language remains an issue when ordering food so dinner tonight should be another adventure. 15 miles tomorrow!

Hornillos del Camino

What a difference 24 hours has made. We are now in the village of Hornillos population 60. Other than the pilgrims there are very few people walking around tonight. We started off at 8:00 am and arrived here about 1:00. Charlie keeps complaining about the mountain we climbed when we only walked up a steep hill. I am afraid of what his reaction will be when we do get to a mountain. His best comment today was, "How drunk was I when I agreed to do this?" He does keep me laughing. His other comment was that when he remarries he and his next wife are only going on cruises! Should I be worried?

The landscape today was frightfully boring. It is called the Meseta and I guess in the summer we would have seen fields of golden wheat but now the fields are barren. Some sections are flat but there are some pretty steep hills also as you will hear about in detail from my better half.

The biggest challenge so far has been ordering food when you have no idea what the menu says. We tried to order paella tonight but they were out. Next choice I thought was a pork chop turned out to be very thin fried smoked ham. Tomorrow night we will try to get to dinner earlier before our choices are so limited.

It is 8:00here and as I prepare to rub bio freeze on my screaming legs Charlie is busy throwing out clothes he has now realized he will not need. 

There are many people walking the Camino. It is an interesting mix of people our age who are not sleeping in the hostels and a rowdy crowd of 20 year olds who walk fast and party at night! Dinner was a rowdy affair since there were only five tables and they were all filled with people from around the world speaking many different languages. There were many toasts and lots of clinking glasses. 

The people we have met have been very nice, the beds comfortable and are path is well marked with yellow arrows and shells, what more could we ask for?

A Day in Burgos

After a long long nights sleep we set out to explore the Spanish city of Burgos. First stop was breakfast which was included in the price of our room. Expecting a hearty hot meal like Sue and I had in England I was quite taken back when breakfast consisted of two containers of yogurt, two green apples, and some crusty white bread in a basket with a variety of jams! I am not sure if that is the fare we will get along the way but time will tell.

At breakfast we did meet some other Americans. A lovely lady from Las Vegas who is traveling alone and a couple from Atlanta. The sweet woman from Nevada is having a tough time. Early on she fell and cut her head and had to get eight stitches! On top of that she has a serious tendon injury and has not walked for three days and plans to travel by bus tomorrow. She just does not want to quit but the way she is limping I don't think it looks too good. The couple from Atlanta are only doing the first half so they will be done in 6-7 days. It was good to talk to people who we could understand. We have met very few people who speak English.

Our next stop was the Burgos Cathedral, I am not sure if I was in awe or in shock. I have never seen such a church! Where did all that gold and silver come from? Who paid for it? Were peasants starving while the church built this unbelievable structure? It seems like they first built the main cathedral and then a number of bishops then added on chapels where they are buried. The art, the carvings, the sculptures, one more beautiful than the next!

By two o'clock the shops closed and the city streets became very quiet for siesta. Around 5:30 people spilled out into the streets again. Spaniards of all ages were out walking. Families with babies in strollers and very elderly in wheelchairs. It is now 9:40 and everyone is still out. As I sit in my room writing I can hear very young children still out playing. I wonder what time school starts. One other thing we have noticed is that no one is in a hurry. This seems like a very relaxed culture.

Besides the native Spaniards we are able to pick out the many pilgrims by their limps! We have our backpacks and Vaseline ready to go and are hoping the crowds out on the plaza quiet down soon so we can get to bed early and wake up rested and ready to start for Santiago!

Photo from the train

Expectations

We have finally arrived in the Spanish city of Burgos after 24 hours of travel. I am not sure exactly what I thought Spain would look like but what I have seen so far was not in my imagination. I have only seen the landscape from a plane and a train but it reminds me of west Texas, very brown and dry. Our contact person who met us in Madrid assured me that it would get green the further north we traveled. We will soon find out! Tomorrow we will rest up and get organized to begin walking on Saturday. 12+ miles day one! Our room tonight is in a very old hotel right in the city and we have a balcony! I feel like I am in an old movie! Here's hoping the city streets settle down and the bed is comfortable!

Rough start

After a wonderful flight from Montreal to Brussels we landed at 3:00am our time and missed our flight to Madrid. We are now scheduled to leave here at 2:00 this time which is six hours ahead of most of you. We are now going to take a 7:00 train to Burgos. I am very grateful that tomorrow is a rest day! I hate the hassles that come with traveling. With so many connections it was inevitable that we might miss one. On the positive side I now have two hours to knit.

We are off!

First stop Ottawa airport! Let the adventure begin! Thank you Knute for taking us to the airport.

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog. Here you can follow Mary Ellen and Charlie on their hike across Spain.