Monday, September 29, 2008
Counting the Footsteps
We are now 18 kms from Santiago and I cannot believe that this journey will come to a completion tomorrow with our arrival at the Cathedral. It is so hard for me to contemplate what has been accomplished with the long days of walking and the arduous and strenuous effort that has been required to do this every day for now 31 days. My feet are hurting with nearly every step now and it is quite an effort to encourage them to keep going as we are nearly there. We walked about 25 kms today just to get a bit closer and to get to a nice alberque for our last night on the Camino.
Last night we stayed in an ancient building that was a former hospital - must have been quite something back a few hundred hears ago! It was located near a stream and it was a truly beautiful spot deep in the country. At the coffee stops today we began to meet people that we have not seen for days and I expect that when we get to Santiago tomorrow and on Wed at the noon hour mass especially, there will be a lot more people that we have journeyed with.
I am loving the last few footsteps, as tired and sore as I am. I even love the hills now as I am so much stronger and can just keep pushing my legs up the long inclines with a feeling of accomplishment that is wonderful for this old body.
I have not thought much about actually stopping to walk as we will after tomorrow. I suppose my feet will be happy, but the routine that we have set now with early morning rising and on the path by 7 am and then a wonderful stop one hour later for cafe con leche and a tostada (toast) or croissant is simply divine - no other way to put it. It is cold in the morning, but by 11 am we are in our shorts and t shirts so are quite brown from all the days of being outside.
I am thinking that this trip has changed my whole idea of travel and that having done this so cheaply, it gives a whole new perspective on what can be gained from travelling in a simple way.
By walking, you get to see and hear and smell things that you would never do otherwise. For example, we have been walking through eucalyptus forests for the past 2 days and at times stop to beat a few leaves off the high branches so that we can rub them between our fingers for the most intense aroma you can imagine. We have also seen hedges of beautiful flowers that seem like our own florest version of a hydrangea only much much larger and the colors more intense. Such wonderful fall colors everywhere around us now.
There are a lot more people on the path now as we get closer to Santiago, but the die hard pilgrims that we started with are still all around us. They are the ones with the slower steps and the more haggard appearance. We are still stopping a few people to adjust their back packs - unbelievable how people carry their load in such an awful way as they don´t understand the adjustments that can be made to the straps. It is quite a welcoming reception when we meet each other as old friends along the way and inevitable as we meet up in the evenings at the same alberque or bar for dinner. It is quite a party atmosphere
We have promised so many people that we will meet them at the noon hour pilgrim´s mass on Wed, that there is sure to be a great crowd of people there together to celebrate our accomplishment together.
I have been thinking so much about what I am taking away from this trip and it makes me cry to think of just how powerful it has all been for me in a very profound sense. I cry because I was so afraid to come here alone and had to buck up a lot of courage to get myself on the plane and the trains and prepared to be here. Yet I have never been alone or afraid at all along the way - so many people have been around me all the time that I will actually look forward to some time on my own in the coming days! I cry because I thought I needed to still unload myself of the grief of losing Chris and yet what I have gained is an incredible freedom and appreciation for all that I gained from him through my life with him and through living with his dying and now his death. I am leaving Spain feeling that Chris has passed into a more distant spiritual place and that I have been given the gift of access to a very powerful personal life that will be filled with imagination and creativity in ways that I had only dreamed of before. I am so thankful for the friends that I have made, the conversations through those long and arduous days that have helped me to gain such perspectives and to appreciate the precious gift of each day.
I feel like I am finding my dreams once again - those that I had and set aside and those that I had forgotten about for such a long time as other "worldly" pressures became a priority. It will be a challenge for me to go back to my life at home and sort out how I bring the richness of "living in the moment" and for the gifts of each day into some of the material and hurried ways that we normally live our precious lives. So look out it is bound to be interesting for those of you who are waiting with bated breath for me to return!
Such will be the challenge and the opportunity and lucky for me that there are people around me who have done this journey and who will be a great group of contacts for me in the future. I also believe that I have more travel in my future like this and that there is much to be experienced in this way.
Well, the Dutch sisters have arrived so we begin to celebrate a 60th birthday with one of them. The mother and daughter from Austria came with them so we have a great group already here and it seems like there will be more as the afternoon progresses.
I have all of my clothes in the washing machine and I am very excited about that!! I also anticipate that we may get ourselves into a hotel of some sort tomorrow and so may get to sleep in sheets and have real towels in the bathroom. Such simple pleasures that we take for granted in every day life.
More later...........from the pilgrim
Last night we stayed in an ancient building that was a former hospital - must have been quite something back a few hundred hears ago! It was located near a stream and it was a truly beautiful spot deep in the country. At the coffee stops today we began to meet people that we have not seen for days and I expect that when we get to Santiago tomorrow and on Wed at the noon hour mass especially, there will be a lot more people that we have journeyed with.
I am loving the last few footsteps, as tired and sore as I am. I even love the hills now as I am so much stronger and can just keep pushing my legs up the long inclines with a feeling of accomplishment that is wonderful for this old body.
I have not thought much about actually stopping to walk as we will after tomorrow. I suppose my feet will be happy, but the routine that we have set now with early morning rising and on the path by 7 am and then a wonderful stop one hour later for cafe con leche and a tostada (toast) or croissant is simply divine - no other way to put it. It is cold in the morning, but by 11 am we are in our shorts and t shirts so are quite brown from all the days of being outside.
I am thinking that this trip has changed my whole idea of travel and that having done this so cheaply, it gives a whole new perspective on what can be gained from travelling in a simple way.
By walking, you get to see and hear and smell things that you would never do otherwise. For example, we have been walking through eucalyptus forests for the past 2 days and at times stop to beat a few leaves off the high branches so that we can rub them between our fingers for the most intense aroma you can imagine. We have also seen hedges of beautiful flowers that seem like our own florest version of a hydrangea only much much larger and the colors more intense. Such wonderful fall colors everywhere around us now.
There are a lot more people on the path now as we get closer to Santiago, but the die hard pilgrims that we started with are still all around us. They are the ones with the slower steps and the more haggard appearance. We are still stopping a few people to adjust their back packs - unbelievable how people carry their load in such an awful way as they don´t understand the adjustments that can be made to the straps. It is quite a welcoming reception when we meet each other as old friends along the way and inevitable as we meet up in the evenings at the same alberque or bar for dinner. It is quite a party atmosphere
We have promised so many people that we will meet them at the noon hour pilgrim´s mass on Wed, that there is sure to be a great crowd of people there together to celebrate our accomplishment together.
I have been thinking so much about what I am taking away from this trip and it makes me cry to think of just how powerful it has all been for me in a very profound sense. I cry because I was so afraid to come here alone and had to buck up a lot of courage to get myself on the plane and the trains and prepared to be here. Yet I have never been alone or afraid at all along the way - so many people have been around me all the time that I will actually look forward to some time on my own in the coming days! I cry because I thought I needed to still unload myself of the grief of losing Chris and yet what I have gained is an incredible freedom and appreciation for all that I gained from him through my life with him and through living with his dying and now his death. I am leaving Spain feeling that Chris has passed into a more distant spiritual place and that I have been given the gift of access to a very powerful personal life that will be filled with imagination and creativity in ways that I had only dreamed of before. I am so thankful for the friends that I have made, the conversations through those long and arduous days that have helped me to gain such perspectives and to appreciate the precious gift of each day.
I feel like I am finding my dreams once again - those that I had and set aside and those that I had forgotten about for such a long time as other "worldly" pressures became a priority. It will be a challenge for me to go back to my life at home and sort out how I bring the richness of "living in the moment" and for the gifts of each day into some of the material and hurried ways that we normally live our precious lives. So look out it is bound to be interesting for those of you who are waiting with bated breath for me to return!
Such will be the challenge and the opportunity and lucky for me that there are people around me who have done this journey and who will be a great group of contacts for me in the future. I also believe that I have more travel in my future like this and that there is much to be experienced in this way.
Well, the Dutch sisters have arrived so we begin to celebrate a 60th birthday with one of them. The mother and daughter from Austria came with them so we have a great group already here and it seems like there will be more as the afternoon progresses.
I have all of my clothes in the washing machine and I am very excited about that!! I also anticipate that we may get ourselves into a hotel of some sort tomorrow and so may get to sleep in sheets and have real towels in the bathroom. Such simple pleasures that we take for granted in every day life.
More later...........from the pilgrim
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Almost at the End
We are now stopped at a wonderful place in the country just a short 38 kms from Santiago. This old structure used to be a hospital and it is located near a river and has a wonderful set up for the bunk beds, showers and laundry which are the essentials for the pilgrim. We are paying 3e for the night here. We walked about 26 kms today to get here and boy it seems like the final stages of a serious marathon for me at this stage of the trip.
Yesterday and today, I am sure that Alvina has put her many books into my back pack when I was not looking and my boots feel like they have been soaked in lead. Everything is so heavy and I just keep telling myself - one foot in front of the other. However, we plod along, stopping a lot now and trying to keep up with the leaders (Kirsten and Barb). Clare stays behind with Alvina and me and so we trudge along at a more slow and steady pace arriving, but later than the hares in the lead!.
The countryside has not been as super inspiring as it was a few days ago, however when I do look around, it is still wonderful country side, full of such beauty, rolling hills, women leading the cows out to pasture in the morning and of course the early morning sky a blanket of stars with the new moon ready to show itself.
We walk and walk and it seems that our life has been nothing but that forever. Alvina feels like she has found herself now with the walking and does not want to stop so she will accompany Kirsten to Finestere after we complete our rituals in Santiago. We are too short on time to even consider this and I would need a few days of rest before my feet would toloerate the conversation I am sure. For Barb, there may be a bus trip to jump into the ocean on Thursday and for Clare, not sure yet.
However, we have only 3 days left together after today and this seems impossible. We have been bonded together on this common mission for weeks and have done nothing else but plan the day, do the day and then recover from the day with a lot of wine and laughter at the end of it.
We have been lucky to get into great accomodation every night and so have enjoyed smaller rooms and less intrusion of snoring pilgrims. we are making good friends and there is a roving community of us now that meets at the stops and in the evenings. It is like nothing else on earth this Camino experience. So many people with a common goal and similar intentions of getting something greater than the ordinary out of this journey.
We will be in Santiago by Tuesday afternoon and plan to attend the noon hour mass on Wed with some of the people we have met along the way. We are hoping that they will swing the big botefumero which is the very large container that was used to spread incense over the less than fragrant pilgrims in early days. It is used infrequently now, but you can pay for it to be done if you choose. We are hoping that the groups of pilgrim tourists that are now on the path will take care of this when we get to mass on Wed. There have not been as many pilgrim tourists as I had expected since Sarria. These are groups that do the journey with e guide, a bus that waits for them in case they are too tired to walk and also has a cold lunch on board and best of all, they stay in hotels every night. They carry day packs so they are springing ahead of us now on the trail as we are slowing down with our fatique and heavier load. However, as we say, everyone does the Camino in their own way and so we much be generous and support each person who chooses their own way.
Well, once again we have the honour of being seated in a dark corner of the bar with the TV sports channel blaring above our head and the smoke from the patrons choking our lungs, It is time for wine and a rest, to read and write in the late afternoon as is our custom. We are showered and laundered and settled in for the evening now and will look forward to shorter walks in the next two days as there will be less than 20 kms per day to walk which is a sublime treat after the past few weeks.
Stay tuned...........the apostle is waiting for us in Santiago!
Maggee
Yesterday and today, I am sure that Alvina has put her many books into my back pack when I was not looking and my boots feel like they have been soaked in lead. Everything is so heavy and I just keep telling myself - one foot in front of the other. However, we plod along, stopping a lot now and trying to keep up with the leaders (Kirsten and Barb). Clare stays behind with Alvina and me and so we trudge along at a more slow and steady pace arriving, but later than the hares in the lead!.
The countryside has not been as super inspiring as it was a few days ago, however when I do look around, it is still wonderful country side, full of such beauty, rolling hills, women leading the cows out to pasture in the morning and of course the early morning sky a blanket of stars with the new moon ready to show itself.
We walk and walk and it seems that our life has been nothing but that forever. Alvina feels like she has found herself now with the walking and does not want to stop so she will accompany Kirsten to Finestere after we complete our rituals in Santiago. We are too short on time to even consider this and I would need a few days of rest before my feet would toloerate the conversation I am sure. For Barb, there may be a bus trip to jump into the ocean on Thursday and for Clare, not sure yet.
However, we have only 3 days left together after today and this seems impossible. We have been bonded together on this common mission for weeks and have done nothing else but plan the day, do the day and then recover from the day with a lot of wine and laughter at the end of it.
We have been lucky to get into great accomodation every night and so have enjoyed smaller rooms and less intrusion of snoring pilgrims. we are making good friends and there is a roving community of us now that meets at the stops and in the evenings. It is like nothing else on earth this Camino experience. So many people with a common goal and similar intentions of getting something greater than the ordinary out of this journey.
We will be in Santiago by Tuesday afternoon and plan to attend the noon hour mass on Wed with some of the people we have met along the way. We are hoping that they will swing the big botefumero which is the very large container that was used to spread incense over the less than fragrant pilgrims in early days. It is used infrequently now, but you can pay for it to be done if you choose. We are hoping that the groups of pilgrim tourists that are now on the path will take care of this when we get to mass on Wed. There have not been as many pilgrim tourists as I had expected since Sarria. These are groups that do the journey with e guide, a bus that waits for them in case they are too tired to walk and also has a cold lunch on board and best of all, they stay in hotels every night. They carry day packs so they are springing ahead of us now on the trail as we are slowing down with our fatique and heavier load. However, as we say, everyone does the Camino in their own way and so we much be generous and support each person who chooses their own way.
Well, once again we have the honour of being seated in a dark corner of the bar with the TV sports channel blaring above our head and the smoke from the patrons choking our lungs, It is time for wine and a rest, to read and write in the late afternoon as is our custom. We are showered and laundered and settled in for the evening now and will look forward to shorter walks in the next two days as there will be less than 20 kms per day to walk which is a sublime treat after the past few weeks.
Stay tuned...........the apostle is waiting for us in Santiago!
Maggee
Friday, September 26, 2008
Treasuring the Moments
I am getting such wonderful messages from people who read this site and it means such a lot to have this kind of relatedness even through the internet. We are now in Portomarin and a short 90 kms from Santiago. We are not counting down necessarily, but with the markers along the way notifying us of every .5 km we pass, it is hard not to be aware that time is quickly running out for us.
Today we actually slept in and did not leave until 7 am which was a treat from the usual. it is much darker for much longer so we thought we needed to be able to enjoy the wonderful environment in the day light instead of the dark. While we did leave in the dark, it was exceptionally beautiful all morning. We are cold in these mornings as the air is sharp and clear and so we need our hats and gloves. However with some of the early morning climbs that we get ourselves into, we are too soon sweating and warmed up.
We laugh a lot and stop to notice the beauty around us. I find that I am taking a lot more pictures just because I am wanting to capture the experience of these days that are quickly running out. We are quite a group, with our Danish leader Kirsten, out in front, our conversationalist Barb not far behind, even with her shorter legs, she is a powerful follower for Kirsten. Then comes our poet and philospher, Alvina, who we treasure for her wit and her commentary at every stop. We have met Clare who was a student of Alvina when she was in Grade 6 and she is a wonderful complement to our group. Clare and I have been walking together near the end of the group, as I have quite a chore to get my stiff ankle warmed up to the challenge of the day as we begin our walks. Clare and I love to stop and just absorb the atmosphere along the way and I have been giving her some tips, courtesy of my late husband Chris, on photography as we snap picture after picture.
Today we walked through many farm yards it seemed. We had to stop a few times to let the cows and their dogs go before us so that we were not trampled and Kirsten and Barb were at one point caught in the middle of the process. We also saw some beautiful views across the valleys as the sun rose and the mist hugged the trees and the hills below so that you could only see the tops of the trees poking through the clouds below us.
We are excited about actually being able to complete this incredible journey and looking forward in some ways to returning to what is familiar in our ordinary lives at home. However, there is something very poignant about stopping the walking, that we are all a bit trepidatious about, as it has become a way of life for us now as has the friendship that we so treasure in each day that we share together. I see now why people come back to do this journey over and over again. And we have met several of these people along the way. One couple we met a few days ago were on their way back from Santiago, having walked for abour 53 days, now going back to the start point in France. Many people love to walk so much that they start from home somewhere in Europe and just keep going and it becomes a way of life. The simplicity of it all is very attractive. We had a conversation at a cafe stop this morning with a few people we have met along the way and it was about all of those things that seem so important in our life as possesions that are waiting at home for us and what it will be like to once again return to the things that seemed to define who we really are - not so after an adventure like this.
We are also dealing with unexpected challenges however. A few days ago, I noticed bites on my arms and legs and after the second day when they were worse, I realized that I had better deal with this as the bed bug situation is always a fear for us pilgrims. I have never dealth with this personally, but have many times as a nurse seem such infestations. So I arrived at the next alberque (afraid that I would be aksed to leave if the hospitalero figured out whay I was doing) and put everything that was cloth into the washing machine and threw out a lot of other things from my pack. Luckily I had a plastic liner in my back pack so that went into the garbage and as I treated myself with the best antiseptic technique I could, I hoped to erradicate the invaders. It seemed to work for me but yesterday one of my companions asked me about the bites and sure enough there she was covered in the same thing, so again we were into the serious washing process. I have decided that with one more incident of this, we will purchase a giant size bug spray and go for a major decontamination process as a group. We have all decided that as soon as we get home, the clothes and the back pack will be treated like a major source of contamination and be placed in the garage or immediately the washing machine to avoid taking whatever we have picked up into our homes. Such is the trial of a traveller and we are just taking this in our stride along with the benefits of what we gather along the way.
We are healthy and strong and feeling quite powerful in being able to complete this journey without incident. We are careful along the way with the traffic along the roads we travel and are now feeling very accomplished about what we have been up to for these long 29 days and 690 kms!!
Tomorrow, Barb and Alvina will wait here for the post office to open so Alvina can collect her mail!! ( who writes letter anymore and I am learning so much from her) and then we will meet up at the end of the day. We were separated for few hours today as we went at different speeds and so for Clare and I to come into the town and find Kirsten sitting at the bottom of the steps leading into the place was such a welcome. Such is the experience of great friendship and caring friends.
As Alvina has quoted to us a few days ago:
Walk behind me, but I may not lead you
Walk in front of me, but I may not follow you
So walk beside me and be my friend.
We are learning so much in these days of travel. From Alvina to her friends who are following us along this site, we say that we are laughing together so much that our energy flows over to other people and we are knonw now as the Happy Pilgrims to other people that we meet.
Dirk, our German friend that we continue to pass along the way, stopped beside Clare and me as we were sitting on a stone wall eating sandwiches and watching the cows and he said that without the power lines and the wind mills along the way, you could almost see the people of ancient times coming out of the woods to greet us.
What a trip this is and how lucky we are to have had the courage and the interest to venture this way and how this will change out lives as we complete the journey in the coming days!!
Tomorrow we head into the Eucalytus forests and will be charged with the aromomatic flavours of what we find there.
Buen Camino..............Maggee
Today we actually slept in and did not leave until 7 am which was a treat from the usual. it is much darker for much longer so we thought we needed to be able to enjoy the wonderful environment in the day light instead of the dark. While we did leave in the dark, it was exceptionally beautiful all morning. We are cold in these mornings as the air is sharp and clear and so we need our hats and gloves. However with some of the early morning climbs that we get ourselves into, we are too soon sweating and warmed up.
We laugh a lot and stop to notice the beauty around us. I find that I am taking a lot more pictures just because I am wanting to capture the experience of these days that are quickly running out. We are quite a group, with our Danish leader Kirsten, out in front, our conversationalist Barb not far behind, even with her shorter legs, she is a powerful follower for Kirsten. Then comes our poet and philospher, Alvina, who we treasure for her wit and her commentary at every stop. We have met Clare who was a student of Alvina when she was in Grade 6 and she is a wonderful complement to our group. Clare and I have been walking together near the end of the group, as I have quite a chore to get my stiff ankle warmed up to the challenge of the day as we begin our walks. Clare and I love to stop and just absorb the atmosphere along the way and I have been giving her some tips, courtesy of my late husband Chris, on photography as we snap picture after picture.
Today we walked through many farm yards it seemed. We had to stop a few times to let the cows and their dogs go before us so that we were not trampled and Kirsten and Barb were at one point caught in the middle of the process. We also saw some beautiful views across the valleys as the sun rose and the mist hugged the trees and the hills below so that you could only see the tops of the trees poking through the clouds below us.
We are excited about actually being able to complete this incredible journey and looking forward in some ways to returning to what is familiar in our ordinary lives at home. However, there is something very poignant about stopping the walking, that we are all a bit trepidatious about, as it has become a way of life for us now as has the friendship that we so treasure in each day that we share together. I see now why people come back to do this journey over and over again. And we have met several of these people along the way. One couple we met a few days ago were on their way back from Santiago, having walked for abour 53 days, now going back to the start point in France. Many people love to walk so much that they start from home somewhere in Europe and just keep going and it becomes a way of life. The simplicity of it all is very attractive. We had a conversation at a cafe stop this morning with a few people we have met along the way and it was about all of those things that seem so important in our life as possesions that are waiting at home for us and what it will be like to once again return to the things that seemed to define who we really are - not so after an adventure like this.
We are also dealing with unexpected challenges however. A few days ago, I noticed bites on my arms and legs and after the second day when they were worse, I realized that I had better deal with this as the bed bug situation is always a fear for us pilgrims. I have never dealth with this personally, but have many times as a nurse seem such infestations. So I arrived at the next alberque (afraid that I would be aksed to leave if the hospitalero figured out whay I was doing) and put everything that was cloth into the washing machine and threw out a lot of other things from my pack. Luckily I had a plastic liner in my back pack so that went into the garbage and as I treated myself with the best antiseptic technique I could, I hoped to erradicate the invaders. It seemed to work for me but yesterday one of my companions asked me about the bites and sure enough there she was covered in the same thing, so again we were into the serious washing process. I have decided that with one more incident of this, we will purchase a giant size bug spray and go for a major decontamination process as a group. We have all decided that as soon as we get home, the clothes and the back pack will be treated like a major source of contamination and be placed in the garage or immediately the washing machine to avoid taking whatever we have picked up into our homes. Such is the trial of a traveller and we are just taking this in our stride along with the benefits of what we gather along the way.
We are healthy and strong and feeling quite powerful in being able to complete this journey without incident. We are careful along the way with the traffic along the roads we travel and are now feeling very accomplished about what we have been up to for these long 29 days and 690 kms!!
Tomorrow, Barb and Alvina will wait here for the post office to open so Alvina can collect her mail!! ( who writes letter anymore and I am learning so much from her) and then we will meet up at the end of the day. We were separated for few hours today as we went at different speeds and so for Clare and I to come into the town and find Kirsten sitting at the bottom of the steps leading into the place was such a welcome. Such is the experience of great friendship and caring friends.
As Alvina has quoted to us a few days ago:
Walk behind me, but I may not lead you
Walk in front of me, but I may not follow you
So walk beside me and be my friend.
We are learning so much in these days of travel. From Alvina to her friends who are following us along this site, we say that we are laughing together so much that our energy flows over to other people and we are knonw now as the Happy Pilgrims to other people that we meet.
Dirk, our German friend that we continue to pass along the way, stopped beside Clare and me as we were sitting on a stone wall eating sandwiches and watching the cows and he said that without the power lines and the wind mills along the way, you could almost see the people of ancient times coming out of the woods to greet us.
What a trip this is and how lucky we are to have had the courage and the interest to venture this way and how this will change out lives as we complete the journey in the coming days!!
Tomorrow we head into the Eucalytus forests and will be charged with the aromomatic flavours of what we find there.
Buen Camino..............Maggee
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Oh What a Beautiful Morning!
We sleep well after a wonderful dinner prepared by Carlos our host hospitalero and the person in charge of everying at the alberque in Ruitalen. It is a very authentic place which soon fills with pilgrims preparing for the next days climb to O Cebreiro which is the most documented part of the Camino. We sleep in a wonderul 5 bed room again with the bunk beds crowded closely together, but since we are all friends it is a wonderful feeling of family and togetherness. Through the night when I am awake I can hear the sounds of the bells in the far fields that are attached to the cows and it is such an other worldly exèrienc that I can harldy make sense of it from a deep sleep.
We are awakened at promtly 0630 am. We have been told not to move until then as it is against the rules, which is fine with us. We soon hear the pretty loud sounds of an operatic version of Ave Maria and Alvina comments that we are surely in Paradise. Opera accompanies us through the morning rituals of prepaing to leave and prior to that we share breakfast at a common table. We are uplifted to say the least.
Last evening this common meal was a wonderful experience as all of the pilgrims shared the meal together which was garlic soup, a very interesting salad and then spagetti carbonara accompanied by copious amounts of vino tinto which we are getting accustomed to. Following this wonderful meal, we were entertained by the host and cook and an older pilgrim who sang to us in Spanish and it was a very fun and lively evening.
Now this morning we are all a little nervous. Much has been written about the day ahead and the climb from where we are up to O Cebreiro. It is a steep path which goes about 700 meters and projected to be straight up over about 8 kms. We leave by 0730 which is late for us and wander through the cold clear morning to little villages and the sleeping homes that lay before us. It is a surreal experience once again as we walk and prepare to ascend this hill, looking for the turn off into the woods. Soon it is there and we walk along a wooded path down into the valley and then gradually up and onto a steep stone pathway. It is pretty steep and takes some adjustment until I find my breath and rythym and even then it take something to carry on as if this is normal walking for me. We climb like this for about an hour and eventualy, the tough walks that have been the history of the past few weeks, begin to pay off and the climb becomes very enjoyable. Soon we are leaving the forest and the stone path and to my surprise there are villages along the way.
We are walking into the high mountain meadows now. Since the gods of weather have smiled on us today, it is a most magnificent morning and with the brilliant blue sky and the morning sun. It is hard not to stop at every turn to just gaze off into the surrounding hills and views across the valleys. We are walking and stopping and so enjoying the whole experience - not at all what I thought it would be for sure and because I am feeling so strong it is a joy to be just walking like this. The silence and the smells and the views are undescribable and we just continue to walk in silence knowing that we will at some point reach the top, but that we are fully capable of achieving this day which has been written about so many times as the most difficult day of the Camino. I think it very often rains along this way, so we are blessed with the fine weather and the clear views.
We eventually come out at the town of Cebreiro just in front of the church and the cross at the top of the path. I am so surprised and as well, dissappointed that the climb is over that I actually suggest that we go down and do it again - can you believe it!
I feel exhilarated in a way I have not felt before, for the achievement, for the wellness I feel and for the simple joy of being in such a beautiful place. We spend some time in the little pilgrim church, lighting candles and wandering around to enjoy the peace and then into the bar for cafe con leche and a treat of pastry.
The rest of the day passes with the same pleasure as we walk along roads and pathways that cause you to stop and hold your breath at every turn as the views and the feeling of silence and reverence is so special in this place.
We arrive at an alberque in a little place that seems to be in the middle of the barn yard. While it is a wonderful place to stay, we are tired and as is our custom now, drink wine in the afternoon after the chores are done and wait for dinner.
There is another wonderful surprise waiting for us at dinner. We have been at common tables in the past few weeks, with maybe 20 people, but this one holds at least 45 and of every language. the meal is simple. but so tasty and nutritious. Actually through the dinner and after wards, people just begin to sing and soon we have a concert. the French fellows get up and sing wonderful songs, an Italian sings like a super star and an Irish fellow sings so beautifully it makes you want to fall in love again.
too soon it is over and we are once again heading for bed - into the top bunk for me and preparing for an early departure once again.
We are now in Sarria which is only 113 kms from Santiago and it is so hard to believe that we are less than 5 days away from completing this awesome journey. We have walked a total of 675 kms to date!! My feet will carry me there I know that now, I just need to take care to stop and rest some. My right ankle which is simply tired from the constant exercise it gets, is slow to get going in the morning and so I hobble along for the first few kms and then I am find. The ibuprofen continues to provide relief and the wine at the end of the day of course is also a boost to the system.
This morning as we departed our small village, actually hardly that really, just a cluster of houses, it was very dark as it was only 0620. This is a good time as there are few others on the path and it is a special time for meditation and reflection. I have to tell you that as I write this I am still affected by the experience of this morning.
I was walking with Clare who is a new companion and as we went along, the others had gone ahead. We stopped for a few minutes and turned off our head lamps and just stood, looking up and listening. It was completely dark and the sky was a blanket of stars and the silence was like nothing I have heard before - not even a bird sound or a breath of wind, only the dark shadows of the trees and the outline of the distant hills. As we stood there in this complete cathedral of silence and powerful energy, this came to my mind
I am in the presence of God and it is around me all the time and if I only stop and listen, it is right there for me to feel, appreciate and be energized by.
Now I am not turning into some ritualistic mystic or a religious fanatic, only becoming deelpy aware of all that I do not take time to notice that is right there in front of me, if only I take the moment to see, taste and hear it.
Later, Clare gave me this quote that she had from a friend and here it is.
--------Be still and know that I am God.-----------
a new and profound experience that will always be a part of my life, but more so because of this Camino and my days of walking and reflecting along the way.
Well, I do not know what lies ahead in my life for me as a result of all that I have experienced along my way of the camino de santiago. I do know that is changing me deeply and I cannot even imagine what it will be like to board an airplane in one weeks time to begin my journey home again.
Until then, we have 5 days of walking through the beauty of what is know as Galacia and the weather promises to be sunny. It is raining everywhere else in Spain at the moment, so we are truly blessed.
My wish to you who read and walk with me is peace and a light and loving heart.
Maggee
We are awakened at promtly 0630 am. We have been told not to move until then as it is against the rules, which is fine with us. We soon hear the pretty loud sounds of an operatic version of Ave Maria and Alvina comments that we are surely in Paradise. Opera accompanies us through the morning rituals of prepaing to leave and prior to that we share breakfast at a common table. We are uplifted to say the least.
Last evening this common meal was a wonderful experience as all of the pilgrims shared the meal together which was garlic soup, a very interesting salad and then spagetti carbonara accompanied by copious amounts of vino tinto which we are getting accustomed to. Following this wonderful meal, we were entertained by the host and cook and an older pilgrim who sang to us in Spanish and it was a very fun and lively evening.
Now this morning we are all a little nervous. Much has been written about the day ahead and the climb from where we are up to O Cebreiro. It is a steep path which goes about 700 meters and projected to be straight up over about 8 kms. We leave by 0730 which is late for us and wander through the cold clear morning to little villages and the sleeping homes that lay before us. It is a surreal experience once again as we walk and prepare to ascend this hill, looking for the turn off into the woods. Soon it is there and we walk along a wooded path down into the valley and then gradually up and onto a steep stone pathway. It is pretty steep and takes some adjustment until I find my breath and rythym and even then it take something to carry on as if this is normal walking for me. We climb like this for about an hour and eventualy, the tough walks that have been the history of the past few weeks, begin to pay off and the climb becomes very enjoyable. Soon we are leaving the forest and the stone path and to my surprise there are villages along the way.
We are walking into the high mountain meadows now. Since the gods of weather have smiled on us today, it is a most magnificent morning and with the brilliant blue sky and the morning sun. It is hard not to stop at every turn to just gaze off into the surrounding hills and views across the valleys. We are walking and stopping and so enjoying the whole experience - not at all what I thought it would be for sure and because I am feeling so strong it is a joy to be just walking like this. The silence and the smells and the views are undescribable and we just continue to walk in silence knowing that we will at some point reach the top, but that we are fully capable of achieving this day which has been written about so many times as the most difficult day of the Camino. I think it very often rains along this way, so we are blessed with the fine weather and the clear views.
We eventually come out at the town of Cebreiro just in front of the church and the cross at the top of the path. I am so surprised and as well, dissappointed that the climb is over that I actually suggest that we go down and do it again - can you believe it!
I feel exhilarated in a way I have not felt before, for the achievement, for the wellness I feel and for the simple joy of being in such a beautiful place. We spend some time in the little pilgrim church, lighting candles and wandering around to enjoy the peace and then into the bar for cafe con leche and a treat of pastry.
The rest of the day passes with the same pleasure as we walk along roads and pathways that cause you to stop and hold your breath at every turn as the views and the feeling of silence and reverence is so special in this place.
We arrive at an alberque in a little place that seems to be in the middle of the barn yard. While it is a wonderful place to stay, we are tired and as is our custom now, drink wine in the afternoon after the chores are done and wait for dinner.
There is another wonderful surprise waiting for us at dinner. We have been at common tables in the past few weeks, with maybe 20 people, but this one holds at least 45 and of every language. the meal is simple. but so tasty and nutritious. Actually through the dinner and after wards, people just begin to sing and soon we have a concert. the French fellows get up and sing wonderful songs, an Italian sings like a super star and an Irish fellow sings so beautifully it makes you want to fall in love again.
too soon it is over and we are once again heading for bed - into the top bunk for me and preparing for an early departure once again.
We are now in Sarria which is only 113 kms from Santiago and it is so hard to believe that we are less than 5 days away from completing this awesome journey. We have walked a total of 675 kms to date!! My feet will carry me there I know that now, I just need to take care to stop and rest some. My right ankle which is simply tired from the constant exercise it gets, is slow to get going in the morning and so I hobble along for the first few kms and then I am find. The ibuprofen continues to provide relief and the wine at the end of the day of course is also a boost to the system.
This morning as we departed our small village, actually hardly that really, just a cluster of houses, it was very dark as it was only 0620. This is a good time as there are few others on the path and it is a special time for meditation and reflection. I have to tell you that as I write this I am still affected by the experience of this morning.
I was walking with Clare who is a new companion and as we went along, the others had gone ahead. We stopped for a few minutes and turned off our head lamps and just stood, looking up and listening. It was completely dark and the sky was a blanket of stars and the silence was like nothing I have heard before - not even a bird sound or a breath of wind, only the dark shadows of the trees and the outline of the distant hills. As we stood there in this complete cathedral of silence and powerful energy, this came to my mind
I am in the presence of God and it is around me all the time and if I only stop and listen, it is right there for me to feel, appreciate and be energized by.
Now I am not turning into some ritualistic mystic or a religious fanatic, only becoming deelpy aware of all that I do not take time to notice that is right there in front of me, if only I take the moment to see, taste and hear it.
Later, Clare gave me this quote that she had from a friend and here it is.
--------Be still and know that I am God.-----------
a new and profound experience that will always be a part of my life, but more so because of this Camino and my days of walking and reflecting along the way.
Well, I do not know what lies ahead in my life for me as a result of all that I have experienced along my way of the camino de santiago. I do know that is changing me deeply and I cannot even imagine what it will be like to board an airplane in one weeks time to begin my journey home again.
Until then, we have 5 days of walking through the beauty of what is know as Galacia and the weather promises to be sunny. It is raining everywhere else in Spain at the moment, so we are truly blessed.
My wish to you who read and walk with me is peace and a light and loving heart.
Maggee
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Hills are Alive
We walk in the early morning darkness once more only this time are thankful that the rain of yesterday has stopped and while the sky is clouded over, it is dry and peaceful and damp in the woods that we walk into. Last night two people arrived quite late at the alberque and there was no place for them. I think they were accomodated somewhere, but it was not nice to see young people with no where to go so late at night and in the rain. this morning we passed a bus shelter on the side of the road and could see the outline of someone sleeping on the bench there. It pays to be early at the alberque I think.
We are walking up and down the hills in the dark, with our lights flashing to find the yellow arrows that guide us all along these many kms. We are careful with the footsteps as the rain has left puddles, but still the walk is dark, quiet and beautiful. It takes 2 hours to come to the first ancient town and our well earned cafe con leche. this is Villafranca which is a wonderful place and so historical. We have a lovely cafe and some toast with jam and sit for awhile before heading off.
It is hard to find the recommended route out of town as we want to trek high up into the hills this morning as the alternate way to the next town. We are directed by the locals who are very helpful and quite friendly and find ourselve on a steep incline that is more like a never ending stair case to heaven or so it seems. the climb lasts a long time and as we get higher we realize that we are alone and into the hills and green surroundings. We also see that we are soon at eye level with the clouds above the nearby hills. Soon the sun comes out and we are blessed with warmth and a wonderful view across the rolling mountains and the towns below. We walk for about 3 hours up and down the hills seeing no one and hearing only the sounds of nature as we walk. We are solitary and do not talk to each other and eventually separate so that we are not even in sight of each other. This is quite an experience to be walking in solitude in wsuch beauty and only one,s thoughts for company and yet feeling totally safe and in the right place.
My feet seem better today. I thought last night as I lay in bed that I am giving the impression of an ibuprofen high pilgrim wandering the hills of Spain and singing psalms long forgotten by the younger generation. Not so actually and it is something that I also see in the people around me - that is the singing and the chanting of prayers especially in the early morning. It is a very sacred experience to walk like this.
We have a wonderful day today, walking 26 km to arrive at the recommended alberque which is pretty close to the start of tomorrow.s climb. We wanted to be here as we are not sure what it will be like to get a bed for tomorrow and how far we will have to walk. In the morning we face the last of the mountain climbs and while it is about 1200 meters I believe, it is steep and will take about 3 hours to complete. At the top we will walk on and see how far we feel like travelling and stop when it seems right. this is the climb to OCebreiro which is well written about and so we are looking forward to the views and the experience.
We are deep in the country now and as we sit on the stoop to drink our wine a guy on a horse passes by which breaks the background music of bells ringing on the animals. It is quite wonderful to be so removed from the rest of the world I can tell you.
I am feeling as though this has been the never ending journey. Although I know it will end at some point, the effect and the experience of what I have had will have a profound effect on my life.
We continue to meet new people each day and to connect with people that are travelling along with us but a day ahead or behind and then catch up.
We are staying in a small place this evening where two men who run the place are cooking dinner for us. We will eat at a common table as is the norm and drink a lot of wine which is also the norm.
I just hope the clothes on the line dry before I have to pack them away again. Such are the worries of a pilgrim.
From deep in the heart of Spain.........Maggee
We are walking up and down the hills in the dark, with our lights flashing to find the yellow arrows that guide us all along these many kms. We are careful with the footsteps as the rain has left puddles, but still the walk is dark, quiet and beautiful. It takes 2 hours to come to the first ancient town and our well earned cafe con leche. this is Villafranca which is a wonderful place and so historical. We have a lovely cafe and some toast with jam and sit for awhile before heading off.
It is hard to find the recommended route out of town as we want to trek high up into the hills this morning as the alternate way to the next town. We are directed by the locals who are very helpful and quite friendly and find ourselve on a steep incline that is more like a never ending stair case to heaven or so it seems. the climb lasts a long time and as we get higher we realize that we are alone and into the hills and green surroundings. We also see that we are soon at eye level with the clouds above the nearby hills. Soon the sun comes out and we are blessed with warmth and a wonderful view across the rolling mountains and the towns below. We walk for about 3 hours up and down the hills seeing no one and hearing only the sounds of nature as we walk. We are solitary and do not talk to each other and eventually separate so that we are not even in sight of each other. This is quite an experience to be walking in solitude in wsuch beauty and only one,s thoughts for company and yet feeling totally safe and in the right place.
My feet seem better today. I thought last night as I lay in bed that I am giving the impression of an ibuprofen high pilgrim wandering the hills of Spain and singing psalms long forgotten by the younger generation. Not so actually and it is something that I also see in the people around me - that is the singing and the chanting of prayers especially in the early morning. It is a very sacred experience to walk like this.
We have a wonderful day today, walking 26 km to arrive at the recommended alberque which is pretty close to the start of tomorrow.s climb. We wanted to be here as we are not sure what it will be like to get a bed for tomorrow and how far we will have to walk. In the morning we face the last of the mountain climbs and while it is about 1200 meters I believe, it is steep and will take about 3 hours to complete. At the top we will walk on and see how far we feel like travelling and stop when it seems right. this is the climb to OCebreiro which is well written about and so we are looking forward to the views and the experience.
We are deep in the country now and as we sit on the stoop to drink our wine a guy on a horse passes by which breaks the background music of bells ringing on the animals. It is quite wonderful to be so removed from the rest of the world I can tell you.
I am feeling as though this has been the never ending journey. Although I know it will end at some point, the effect and the experience of what I have had will have a profound effect on my life.
We continue to meet new people each day and to connect with people that are travelling along with us but a day ahead or behind and then catch up.
We are staying in a small place this evening where two men who run the place are cooking dinner for us. We will eat at a common table as is the norm and drink a lot of wine which is also the norm.
I just hope the clothes on the line dry before I have to pack them away again. Such are the worries of a pilgrim.
From deep in the heart of Spain.........Maggee
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Sounds of Silence
There is something a little nerve wracking as well as exhilarating about heading off into the moonlight each morning and not knowing what will lie ahead of us. Yesterday we knew that we would be climbing into the mountains above Rabanal del Camino and so it was an eerie feeling to set off into the hills with some moonlight but with a cloud cover that kept it quite dark. It is silent in the hills in the early morning and we walk in a single file with our lamps lighting the rough stone path so that we do not fall, There is not a lot of time for thinking as it is important to concentrate on the foot path, yet the sounds and the silence capture your attention. After some time I notice we have climbed quite high up into the hills and as I look back I can see the lights of pilgrims coming across the valley below.
We arrive at an abandoned village called Foncebadon near day break and while there are currently 5 residents living here, there are already 3 alberques, so we meet up with friends that we see from time to time along the way.
We are now heading for the great iron cross that is a legend on the Camino. People bring stones from their home countries and leave them here and we have been looking forward to arriving at this cross for a few days now. At last we are there and have climbed some 300 meters since we left earlier in the morning. It is a bit disappointing as there are not a lot of people but still a few and they are taking pictures of each other in heroic poses at the top of the pile of stones.
We take turns climbing up to the base of the cross and when it is my turn, I am surprised at the emotion I feel. I have been carrying stones and things for some friends and also have with me, 2 heart shaped rose quartz stones that I brought from South Africa, Not sure that I wanted to leave them along the way as they have been sitting beide my bed on the table for many months and so are treasures to me, but I had decided the day before to say a prayer for Chris and then leave them in a little crevace there for him. At the base of the cross when I get there, I am deeply touched by the mementos and simple offerings that people have left. All of a sudden the place seems deeply sacred with the energy of so much effort from around the world to leave something special here. As I place the 2 hearts at the base of the cross, I am once again sobbing in such deep sorrow about Chris and have to descend to the other side of the cross to have a good cry on my own. It continues to surprise me how this sadness creeps up and knocks me sideways at unexpected times. It passes as it always does and later in the morning I light a candle in an ancient church for Chris, counting my blessings for the good life I had with him and the life that lies before me.
We are walking now into the beauty of the mountains and we are actually quite blown away with the magnificence of it all, Actually, I have to stop and just sit with the stillness at times. I hear again the bells that are attached to the cows in the mountain meadows and it is a wonderful clear sound to hear across the hills as they move in and out of their feeding places. We walk up and down over rough stone paths but in the most beautiful places yet on this entire journey.
At one point we are comig down and I hear what sounds like a medley of wind chimes. As I turn the corner, there stands a shepherd and it is his flock of sheep, many of whom are wearing bells that I hear, a symphony of music that is so natural and unheard before that it is hard to take it all in in such a beautiful setting.
I am tired from the climb and moved by the many lovely things that I have seen along the way. We walk through many wonderful ancient villages again on our way down which takes quite some time as we are walking 25 kms today. There is so much to stop and look at in each place that it is impossible to see it all so I make mental notes to myself about what I would come back to see some time in the future.
I am getting the feeling that we are nearing the end of the journey. We are counting down the kms now and are less than 200 at this point. I cannot believe the way this has transpired for me and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people that I have met, especially my 3 Camino sisters, as well the people that I continue to meet each day. Today we walked once again through vineyards and we expect to see people harvesting the grapes soon. We sampled a few grapes on the way this time and they are delicious. We walked along a red dirt road that was soft from the morning rain and it was like walking on a cloud for our tired feet.
When you walk - you see, hear and smell things that you do not notice any other way and it is like this is a first time experience of life in a way. so much to notice, even the color of a beutiful rose in the morning light after the rain, the colors of the rainbow and the shape of the clouds as the sun breaks through. Yesterday morning as the sub began to rise shortly afte we reached the abandoned village, it seemed like God was painting a beautiful picture just for us, but only if you took the time to turn around and notice.
My mother has found the words of the 23rd Psalm which is the hymn Crimond and so the hill will resound with the correct words to this beautiful song in the coming days. I just wish I could really sing well!
So much surrounds us so much of the time and so much of it unnoticed and un appreciated.
Seeing life in a new way is such a gift at this stage of the game.
More later...............Maggee
We arrive at an abandoned village called Foncebadon near day break and while there are currently 5 residents living here, there are already 3 alberques, so we meet up with friends that we see from time to time along the way.
We are now heading for the great iron cross that is a legend on the Camino. People bring stones from their home countries and leave them here and we have been looking forward to arriving at this cross for a few days now. At last we are there and have climbed some 300 meters since we left earlier in the morning. It is a bit disappointing as there are not a lot of people but still a few and they are taking pictures of each other in heroic poses at the top of the pile of stones.
We take turns climbing up to the base of the cross and when it is my turn, I am surprised at the emotion I feel. I have been carrying stones and things for some friends and also have with me, 2 heart shaped rose quartz stones that I brought from South Africa, Not sure that I wanted to leave them along the way as they have been sitting beide my bed on the table for many months and so are treasures to me, but I had decided the day before to say a prayer for Chris and then leave them in a little crevace there for him. At the base of the cross when I get there, I am deeply touched by the mementos and simple offerings that people have left. All of a sudden the place seems deeply sacred with the energy of so much effort from around the world to leave something special here. As I place the 2 hearts at the base of the cross, I am once again sobbing in such deep sorrow about Chris and have to descend to the other side of the cross to have a good cry on my own. It continues to surprise me how this sadness creeps up and knocks me sideways at unexpected times. It passes as it always does and later in the morning I light a candle in an ancient church for Chris, counting my blessings for the good life I had with him and the life that lies before me.
We are walking now into the beauty of the mountains and we are actually quite blown away with the magnificence of it all, Actually, I have to stop and just sit with the stillness at times. I hear again the bells that are attached to the cows in the mountain meadows and it is a wonderful clear sound to hear across the hills as they move in and out of their feeding places. We walk up and down over rough stone paths but in the most beautiful places yet on this entire journey.
At one point we are comig down and I hear what sounds like a medley of wind chimes. As I turn the corner, there stands a shepherd and it is his flock of sheep, many of whom are wearing bells that I hear, a symphony of music that is so natural and unheard before that it is hard to take it all in in such a beautiful setting.
I am tired from the climb and moved by the many lovely things that I have seen along the way. We walk through many wonderful ancient villages again on our way down which takes quite some time as we are walking 25 kms today. There is so much to stop and look at in each place that it is impossible to see it all so I make mental notes to myself about what I would come back to see some time in the future.
I am getting the feeling that we are nearing the end of the journey. We are counting down the kms now and are less than 200 at this point. I cannot believe the way this has transpired for me and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people that I have met, especially my 3 Camino sisters, as well the people that I continue to meet each day. Today we walked once again through vineyards and we expect to see people harvesting the grapes soon. We sampled a few grapes on the way this time and they are delicious. We walked along a red dirt road that was soft from the morning rain and it was like walking on a cloud for our tired feet.
When you walk - you see, hear and smell things that you do not notice any other way and it is like this is a first time experience of life in a way. so much to notice, even the color of a beutiful rose in the morning light after the rain, the colors of the rainbow and the shape of the clouds as the sun breaks through. Yesterday morning as the sub began to rise shortly afte we reached the abandoned village, it seemed like God was painting a beautiful picture just for us, but only if you took the time to turn around and notice.
My mother has found the words of the 23rd Psalm which is the hymn Crimond and so the hill will resound with the correct words to this beautiful song in the coming days. I just wish I could really sing well!
So much surrounds us so much of the time and so much of it unnoticed and un appreciated.
Seeing life in a new way is such a gift at this stage of the game.
More later...............Maggee
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Into the Mountains
We have had a wonderful two days and I am feeling much stronger now that we have left the ill people behind us. I am sitting in a bar in the evening and the Spanish foot ball game is blaring above me with smoke from the patrons coloring the air. And to boot it is dark on the keyboard so forgive the spelling mistakes.
I have loved the past two days, particularly because I have discovered Spanish ibuprofen which is 3 times stronger than ours and cheap as dirt. It has made quite a difference to my feet if I take one in the morning before we leave.
We have walked in the moonlight each morning and yesterday for about 2 hours on a straignt road lit by the full moon. You forget the sound of silence in normal life and this was a specatular experience of just walking. I was trying to remember the word to the Psalm 23 which I memorized in Sunday School years ago. Do not ask me why this came to mind then, however for the past two days, I have been singing Crimond and the words to the psalm as I remember them and it is very calming and meditative.
We are in Rabinal del Camino this evening and in the mountains. We had a wonderful walk yesterday and a great evening in Astorga yesterday. Now we walked steadily up hill all day to get here and are once again in a room for 4 which is so great,
We are in the mountains and I love the walking up the hills, who would have thought eh, I am feeling fine, fit and healthty and very happy.
We realized that we are now 10 days from Santiago and so can actually see the end of the journey. We have walked 540 kms so less than 240 to go and it is possible to actually see the end to this trip now.
We are in the most beautiful part of the Camino and will pass by the large iron cross where we will leave all of our trinkets and stones from Canada tomorrow. We will be up early as there are more people travelling now and we really like the solutide in the early morning and the darkness.
I will write more tomorrow but just have to conclude with this as the smoke and the noise are a bit much.
This evening we attended a prayer service in the little church here and the whole thing was sung as Gregorian chants which was beautiful. I am touched by the great evidence of people´s commitment to something greater than themselves now and really ejoy the deep conversations we are begining to have.
Love from the Camino
Maggee
I have loved the past two days, particularly because I have discovered Spanish ibuprofen which is 3 times stronger than ours and cheap as dirt. It has made quite a difference to my feet if I take one in the morning before we leave.
We have walked in the moonlight each morning and yesterday for about 2 hours on a straignt road lit by the full moon. You forget the sound of silence in normal life and this was a specatular experience of just walking. I was trying to remember the word to the Psalm 23 which I memorized in Sunday School years ago. Do not ask me why this came to mind then, however for the past two days, I have been singing Crimond and the words to the psalm as I remember them and it is very calming and meditative.
We are in Rabinal del Camino this evening and in the mountains. We had a wonderful walk yesterday and a great evening in Astorga yesterday. Now we walked steadily up hill all day to get here and are once again in a room for 4 which is so great,
We are in the mountains and I love the walking up the hills, who would have thought eh, I am feeling fine, fit and healthty and very happy.
We realized that we are now 10 days from Santiago and so can actually see the end of the journey. We have walked 540 kms so less than 240 to go and it is possible to actually see the end to this trip now.
We are in the most beautiful part of the Camino and will pass by the large iron cross where we will leave all of our trinkets and stones from Canada tomorrow. We will be up early as there are more people travelling now and we really like the solutide in the early morning and the darkness.
I will write more tomorrow but just have to conclude with this as the smoke and the noise are a bit much.
This evening we attended a prayer service in the little church here and the whole thing was sung as Gregorian chants which was beautiful. I am touched by the great evidence of people´s commitment to something greater than themselves now and really ejoy the deep conversations we are begining to have.
Love from the Camino
Maggee
Thursday, September 18, 2008
And so it goes
It has been a hard few days. I don´t know if this is because of the terrain that I have had to deal with and my sore feet, the fact that we have convered close to 500 kms and have not really had a break day in 21 days now or just the fact that the constant walking has brought me to a place of wondering what I am doing here anyway! So many people are sick or injured or just cannot walk with the problems with feet or tendons. It is not surprising to see people with quite difficult walking gaits as a result of their infected blisters or strains and sprains. The GI flu is also rampant in the group and last night there were at least 5 people quite ill in the dormitory. This has caused me to think carefully about potential causes and I have concluded that we are exhausted probably and thus more susceptible to viruses. As well, we live together in very close quarters and so the germs spread easily. The hygiene factor on the camino is not normal either. Many bathrooms do not have soap so the hand washing is not as good as it should be and the communal kitchens have dishes that may not be washed with more than a rinse under the tap. So there are lessons in all of this that we have taken on as new practices. We buy water and do not drink from the taps. We wash our hands frequently and carry hand disinfectant and are careful not to share things that could get contaminated. Can you believe that with such generosity, I witnessed a woman helping another one out with her bad blister by using her own needle. This is the needle and thread technique which is common to drain the fluid in the blister. People who are not in health care would not realize the seriousness of such a practice and so infection as well as other things like HIV and hepatitis can be spread.
Not to belabour this issue, but we found a young couple being disinfected for bed bugs yesterday when we arrived at the monastery where we wanted to stay. they had picked them up in the same albeque that we had stayed in a few days prior, however they were in a different room from ours there, thanks goodness. The good sisters were helping them to spray and kill off the offending bugs and then wash everything for them before providing them with special accomodation. they were from Australia and had been travelling for 6 months with no previous problem. Such are the hazards of communal travel. However the attitude that we all have is just to deal with it.
We spent yeterday in Leon which is simply a wonderful old city. Better than Burgos in my opnion, as the ancient part of the city is much larger and more full of character. the monastery was great and clean and the people so kind to us. Last night we went to a prayer service before bed time and were really touched by the simplicity and the beauty of listening to the 15 nuns in traditional garb, singing gregorian chants through the short service. Leaves you feeling the awe of this journey as so many people are following in the footsteps of the ancients as we trek along each day.
This morning as with a few other mornings, I awoke to the view of 16 sleeping bodies - all of them curled up in their sleeping bags in the top bunks, which I prefer even though it is a bit of a struggle to get in and out as there is often no ladder. Below were the dark forms of 16 more forms on the lower bunks. Not having had a summer camp experience in my youth, this continues to be a really interesting experience, sharing such close quarters with so many people. Since the nuns had separated the men and the women into different dormitories we had the pleasure of limited snoring which can be a problem with a lot of men in the room.
Well this morning´s walk was 2 hours getting out of Leon and then into the beauty and peace of the country side. I was thrilled to see hills once again - imagine!! But they really change the dynamic of the foot falls and are such a great thing to be able to enjoy powering up and down as my fitness level is so good at the moment. As I walked I realzed that I have been looking down for 4 days, trying to find the best place to put my foot on each step over the rough roads and have been missing a lot of the environment. I also realized that I have been carrying worry with me everywhere and have been questioning in my normal way whether I am doing this journey right!! Am I getting what I am supposed to, Am I thinking properly and meditating well, Am I just walking to get to the next bed (yes definitely sometimes I sure am!) And so I began to then contemplate what it is that I really am storing up from my experiences along this way.
Some of it is very trivial and our poet has provided a wonderful saying that goes something like - it is the insignificant in each day that provides meaning for the vagabond - and so with my list of the insignificant, I realized just how much richness there is in each day. So many wonderful interactions with so many wonderful people as well as the little things that largely go unnoticed in normal life. A few days ago I just stopped for awhile and watched an old man bent over, with his dog and flock of sheep slowly making his way across the fields as the sheep grazed on the grasses growing out of the red earth.
As well, I also know that I have arrived at some good conclusions about the direction of my life and am interested in the things that I have decided to focus on in the future around purpose, intention and adventure. I feel so strongly confident about being on my own to follow my dreams as well and know that what I need and desire will be provided for me as I am ready for it. There is an abundant energy that is available to make things happen and as well, there are so many interesting people with fascinating lives and interests. Some of my travel companions have been nothing but inspirational in sharing what they do and how they create interests and circles of friends. We conclued that it is about imagination, meaningful life that is, and the side of the brain that we do not give ourselves permission to dwell in because it does not appear to the visual world as productive and much of a contribution. And here is another realization in that I do not need to make everything I do a contribution to others of to the broader world as I have so routinely made my actions focused on in the past few decades.
Well, as this is day 21 and we have travelled close to 500 kms, perhaps the richness of the travelling will just be starting to show up now that we are entering the most beautiful part of the Camino. As I track my way along each day now, I promise myself to look up and not down - a good metaphor for my life as well- and to write down my reflections as they come which is often in the morning and not at night when I often wait to write.
Well the vino tinto is waiting for us and I must scoot off (well as fast as one can scoot with stiff feet!!).
More later..................Maggee
Not to belabour this issue, but we found a young couple being disinfected for bed bugs yesterday when we arrived at the monastery where we wanted to stay. they had picked them up in the same albeque that we had stayed in a few days prior, however they were in a different room from ours there, thanks goodness. The good sisters were helping them to spray and kill off the offending bugs and then wash everything for them before providing them with special accomodation. they were from Australia and had been travelling for 6 months with no previous problem. Such are the hazards of communal travel. However the attitude that we all have is just to deal with it.
We spent yeterday in Leon which is simply a wonderful old city. Better than Burgos in my opnion, as the ancient part of the city is much larger and more full of character. the monastery was great and clean and the people so kind to us. Last night we went to a prayer service before bed time and were really touched by the simplicity and the beauty of listening to the 15 nuns in traditional garb, singing gregorian chants through the short service. Leaves you feeling the awe of this journey as so many people are following in the footsteps of the ancients as we trek along each day.
This morning as with a few other mornings, I awoke to the view of 16 sleeping bodies - all of them curled up in their sleeping bags in the top bunks, which I prefer even though it is a bit of a struggle to get in and out as there is often no ladder. Below were the dark forms of 16 more forms on the lower bunks. Not having had a summer camp experience in my youth, this continues to be a really interesting experience, sharing such close quarters with so many people. Since the nuns had separated the men and the women into different dormitories we had the pleasure of limited snoring which can be a problem with a lot of men in the room.
Well this morning´s walk was 2 hours getting out of Leon and then into the beauty and peace of the country side. I was thrilled to see hills once again - imagine!! But they really change the dynamic of the foot falls and are such a great thing to be able to enjoy powering up and down as my fitness level is so good at the moment. As I walked I realzed that I have been looking down for 4 days, trying to find the best place to put my foot on each step over the rough roads and have been missing a lot of the environment. I also realized that I have been carrying worry with me everywhere and have been questioning in my normal way whether I am doing this journey right!! Am I getting what I am supposed to, Am I thinking properly and meditating well, Am I just walking to get to the next bed (yes definitely sometimes I sure am!) And so I began to then contemplate what it is that I really am storing up from my experiences along this way.
Some of it is very trivial and our poet has provided a wonderful saying that goes something like - it is the insignificant in each day that provides meaning for the vagabond - and so with my list of the insignificant, I realized just how much richness there is in each day. So many wonderful interactions with so many wonderful people as well as the little things that largely go unnoticed in normal life. A few days ago I just stopped for awhile and watched an old man bent over, with his dog and flock of sheep slowly making his way across the fields as the sheep grazed on the grasses growing out of the red earth.
As well, I also know that I have arrived at some good conclusions about the direction of my life and am interested in the things that I have decided to focus on in the future around purpose, intention and adventure. I feel so strongly confident about being on my own to follow my dreams as well and know that what I need and desire will be provided for me as I am ready for it. There is an abundant energy that is available to make things happen and as well, there are so many interesting people with fascinating lives and interests. Some of my travel companions have been nothing but inspirational in sharing what they do and how they create interests and circles of friends. We conclued that it is about imagination, meaningful life that is, and the side of the brain that we do not give ourselves permission to dwell in because it does not appear to the visual world as productive and much of a contribution. And here is another realization in that I do not need to make everything I do a contribution to others of to the broader world as I have so routinely made my actions focused on in the past few decades.
Well, as this is day 21 and we have travelled close to 500 kms, perhaps the richness of the travelling will just be starting to show up now that we are entering the most beautiful part of the Camino. As I track my way along each day now, I promise myself to look up and not down - a good metaphor for my life as well- and to write down my reflections as they come which is often in the morning and not at night when I often wait to write.
Well the vino tinto is waiting for us and I must scoot off (well as fast as one can scoot with stiff feet!!).
More later..................Maggee
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Walking in the Moonlight
We leave early in the morning and for the past few mornings have been walking in the light of the full moon for an hour or more. This is a wonderful time for solitude and reflection, It is also very cold and I am wearing my fleece hat and gloves and once even my rain jacket which was a bit big and bulky but did cut the wind and make a difference. It is good to start early as it means that you finish the day a bit earlier as well. We like to get to the next place in the early afternoon. It is a bit more crowded we notice since leaving Burgos and so there are many people looking for beds. There are always enough and so we do not worry about this, only having enough time to rest and do the washing before dinner time.
We have met many nice people lately including one woman from Cape Town who I will get in touch with when I am there in Feb. She lives in Muizenberg and is a wonderful lady who I have had some good converstions with so look forward to meeting up with her along the way.
We have also noticed that there are a lot of people getting sick since Burgos. I was told that ths happens and to avoid this, we had been drinking bottled water and being very careful with the food we eat, but still there are 2 of my group who got quite ill with a GI problem, They are better now, but I find that I am very tired these past 2 days. We are walking now about 26 or more kms per day. Today is day 18 and so the fatique is likely due to the large number of kms I have walked with these poor feet. We are now at a total of 449 kms and the total distance is 778 to Santiago. I think when we get to 500, I will start to count down instead of up.
As we walk along, there are many thoughts that pass through my head, sometimes though it is all I can do to just focus on keeping one foot in front of the other as the pain in my feet is so bad. I have started to walk more slowly and to stop and rest about each hour as that helps. I think that my feet suffer from being hot so I take my boot off and change my socks as well, haning the spare pair with a pin from the back of my pack to dry out. I just think the bones are tired from the constant pounding and the movement for 6 - 7 hours each day. I am proud of myself for getting this far though and am thankful for my good health in managing it.
We sleep in these crowded rooms each night. The other night in the convent, as I was falling asleep with 8 other people in close quarters, I realized that the room was about 60% of the size of my bedroom at home and that I could easily fit bunk beds for 10 people in my own bedroom with another in the walk in closet. I am so thankful for a small space to put my things and to lay my head at the end of each day that I know I will appreciate the luxury of my home once I get there in a few weeks.
As I walk I have been wonderng what to think about and so just let the thoughts come as they will. I do concentrate hard on the pain in my feet to try to make it less and at other times thank my feet for the great power that they give me. There is much focus on the feet on this journey and many people who seem to walk well during the day are seen to hobble in the evening. It is interesting how my feet recover during the night. They ache in the beginning of the night, getiing less as the night progresses and in the mornng are fine once more. We have a wonderful power of healing with rest is what I am learning and as well, need to respect this function that is so simple in each day of life.
During the day, I pass many people who are residents of the small villages and as we pass by, there is so much friendliness from them. In the community of pilgrims at the end of each day, there is also a great feeling of togetherness as we are all on the same kind of mission with some similar intention, I believe.
I meet interesting people every day and am reminded of how easy it is to create relatedness with people I do not know. I guess that is the magic of the Camino that people are open to conversation even though there is a language barrier. They still respond.
I am now about 18 kms away from Leon and tomorrow we will have a short hike to the city where we will spend the day. We may even stay in a hostel for a change with our own bathroom and bedroom which will be a luxury.
Well I must head out to the shop and buy something for breakfast as I am running out of food. Whatever I buy is now weighed very carefully so that I do not have to carry too much. The back pack is much lighter these days or perhaps I am accustomed to its weight and it feels like a friend to me in some ways as it contains all of the essentials that I need for life at the moment. When I remember the manic way I carried it in the beginning and the pain in my shoulders that I had it seems like a different pack now. Anyway, everything changes as you walk along and think of mostly things that are not really relevant.
I recognize that a lot of my thoughts are worries and worries about things that may happen in the future and what a waste of energy this is thinking up things that may never happen. I wonder to myself how much of this is a practice in my real life and how much time and energy I spend thinking up potential problems and then fretting over them as if they were real. Interesting to contemplate.
Today the hospitalero gave each of us a card to pick from a deck as we paid for our bed and here is mine which I think is very relevant
"In any second you can change your life. To really live, you need only courage to do it".
Buen Camino............Maggee
We have met many nice people lately including one woman from Cape Town who I will get in touch with when I am there in Feb. She lives in Muizenberg and is a wonderful lady who I have had some good converstions with so look forward to meeting up with her along the way.
We have also noticed that there are a lot of people getting sick since Burgos. I was told that ths happens and to avoid this, we had been drinking bottled water and being very careful with the food we eat, but still there are 2 of my group who got quite ill with a GI problem, They are better now, but I find that I am very tired these past 2 days. We are walking now about 26 or more kms per day. Today is day 18 and so the fatique is likely due to the large number of kms I have walked with these poor feet. We are now at a total of 449 kms and the total distance is 778 to Santiago. I think when we get to 500, I will start to count down instead of up.
As we walk along, there are many thoughts that pass through my head, sometimes though it is all I can do to just focus on keeping one foot in front of the other as the pain in my feet is so bad. I have started to walk more slowly and to stop and rest about each hour as that helps. I think that my feet suffer from being hot so I take my boot off and change my socks as well, haning the spare pair with a pin from the back of my pack to dry out. I just think the bones are tired from the constant pounding and the movement for 6 - 7 hours each day. I am proud of myself for getting this far though and am thankful for my good health in managing it.
We sleep in these crowded rooms each night. The other night in the convent, as I was falling asleep with 8 other people in close quarters, I realized that the room was about 60% of the size of my bedroom at home and that I could easily fit bunk beds for 10 people in my own bedroom with another in the walk in closet. I am so thankful for a small space to put my things and to lay my head at the end of each day that I know I will appreciate the luxury of my home once I get there in a few weeks.
As I walk I have been wonderng what to think about and so just let the thoughts come as they will. I do concentrate hard on the pain in my feet to try to make it less and at other times thank my feet for the great power that they give me. There is much focus on the feet on this journey and many people who seem to walk well during the day are seen to hobble in the evening. It is interesting how my feet recover during the night. They ache in the beginning of the night, getiing less as the night progresses and in the mornng are fine once more. We have a wonderful power of healing with rest is what I am learning and as well, need to respect this function that is so simple in each day of life.
During the day, I pass many people who are residents of the small villages and as we pass by, there is so much friendliness from them. In the community of pilgrims at the end of each day, there is also a great feeling of togetherness as we are all on the same kind of mission with some similar intention, I believe.
I meet interesting people every day and am reminded of how easy it is to create relatedness with people I do not know. I guess that is the magic of the Camino that people are open to conversation even though there is a language barrier. They still respond.
I am now about 18 kms away from Leon and tomorrow we will have a short hike to the city where we will spend the day. We may even stay in a hostel for a change with our own bathroom and bedroom which will be a luxury.
Well I must head out to the shop and buy something for breakfast as I am running out of food. Whatever I buy is now weighed very carefully so that I do not have to carry too much. The back pack is much lighter these days or perhaps I am accustomed to its weight and it feels like a friend to me in some ways as it contains all of the essentials that I need for life at the moment. When I remember the manic way I carried it in the beginning and the pain in my shoulders that I had it seems like a different pack now. Anyway, everything changes as you walk along and think of mostly things that are not really relevant.
I recognize that a lot of my thoughts are worries and worries about things that may happen in the future and what a waste of energy this is thinking up things that may never happen. I wonder to myself how much of this is a practice in my real life and how much time and energy I spend thinking up potential problems and then fretting over them as if they were real. Interesting to contemplate.
Today the hospitalero gave each of us a card to pick from a deck as we paid for our bed and here is mine which I think is very relevant
"In any second you can change your life. To really live, you need only courage to do it".
Buen Camino............Maggee
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Half Way There!
It is day 17 today and we have walked a total of 396 kms. We have picked up the pace a bit as we are walking through the Meseta which although it is flat, still poses challenges. The daily rate is now between 25 and 30 kms and we can see the difference this makes to our level of fatique and our poor feet. While the land is pretty flat, today was a very hard morning with 17 kms on rough gravel roads which was quite taxing. As well, there was nothing along the way for diversion, like a coffee stop or other interesting sites. With a few rest breaks, we managed to get to the first town after about 4 hours. The kms seem to take longer here, than when I was training and I think that carrying the back pack and the different terrain makes a difference in just how fast we can go. I clocked my rate at 5 kms per hour yesterday, but this is not always so steady.
We are enjoying the food along the way. There is a variety of shops to buy food for breakfast and lunch and often breakfast is a simple yogurt or juice and fruit until the first bar for cafe con leche. This is accompanied by a cheese bocadillo which is fresh bread sandwich with cheese or ham. We need this kind of nourishment as the effort of walking all morning takes something. We often have wine in the afternoon with snacks, following the arrival, showers and washing our clothes. Dinner is usuall very fine and we have been enjoying wonderful cooking and special soups like lentil and garlic soups. The main courses can be a stew or fish or chicken of some kind and usually fruit or ice cream for desert. All of this costs about 9 euros for the dinner each day and of course the jug or bottle of wine is always included.
Food, water and foot care become the priority once we have found accomodation for the night. Last night we stayed in a convent or beside the convent actually, anticipating that it would be a serene place of beauty and calm and instead was a rather austere and crowded location which was not entirely restful. Today we have lucked out and stopped a bit earlier than planned and we have 2 rooms, each with 2 beds, so we can close the doors and get some uninterupted sleep tonight.
In every little town or village that we pass through, we see wonderful churches and also statues of pilgrims of the past. The Camino has become quite an attraction and also a way for these little towns to prosper with the many people that travel through each day. There can be literally hundreds of pilgrims walking through a small village daily, each of them stopping for a drink or something at the local bar and so the residents, while you wonder how they stand the constant stream of people, seem to take it all in their stride.
Today as I was walking or hobbling rather along the gravel, it occurred to me that it was a simile for my life, in that I really don't like the hardship of how things have gone at times in the past and will be choosing differently the kinds of direction that I take from here for myself. We also talk a lot about the lessons on the Camino for our life and after this walk is over. We come back to the same few things which are related to being kind and generous to others.
Living like this with so many other people, you are seldom alone, except when walking, and you are usually surrounded by opportunities to relate to new people in ways that are new because of the language and the culture differences. Does not matter that the ages variation of everyone here is great, people just seem to engage with each other in a way that does not normally occur in real life and so it makes you think about how it could be if we were to put a more humane touch into our perspective with each other in our real life.
Tomorrow we will be travelling again on the flat roads and hopefully not too rough as my poor feet ache with the walking over stones. Since we are now a bit more than half way, I can see that there will be an end to this journey eventually, which was hard to really see at the beginning.
Until next time...............Maggee
We are enjoying the food along the way. There is a variety of shops to buy food for breakfast and lunch and often breakfast is a simple yogurt or juice and fruit until the first bar for cafe con leche. This is accompanied by a cheese bocadillo which is fresh bread sandwich with cheese or ham. We need this kind of nourishment as the effort of walking all morning takes something. We often have wine in the afternoon with snacks, following the arrival, showers and washing our clothes. Dinner is usuall very fine and we have been enjoying wonderful cooking and special soups like lentil and garlic soups. The main courses can be a stew or fish or chicken of some kind and usually fruit or ice cream for desert. All of this costs about 9 euros for the dinner each day and of course the jug or bottle of wine is always included.
Food, water and foot care become the priority once we have found accomodation for the night. Last night we stayed in a convent or beside the convent actually, anticipating that it would be a serene place of beauty and calm and instead was a rather austere and crowded location which was not entirely restful. Today we have lucked out and stopped a bit earlier than planned and we have 2 rooms, each with 2 beds, so we can close the doors and get some uninterupted sleep tonight.
In every little town or village that we pass through, we see wonderful churches and also statues of pilgrims of the past. The Camino has become quite an attraction and also a way for these little towns to prosper with the many people that travel through each day. There can be literally hundreds of pilgrims walking through a small village daily, each of them stopping for a drink or something at the local bar and so the residents, while you wonder how they stand the constant stream of people, seem to take it all in their stride.
Today as I was walking or hobbling rather along the gravel, it occurred to me that it was a simile for my life, in that I really don't like the hardship of how things have gone at times in the past and will be choosing differently the kinds of direction that I take from here for myself. We also talk a lot about the lessons on the Camino for our life and after this walk is over. We come back to the same few things which are related to being kind and generous to others.
Living like this with so many other people, you are seldom alone, except when walking, and you are usually surrounded by opportunities to relate to new people in ways that are new because of the language and the culture differences. Does not matter that the ages variation of everyone here is great, people just seem to engage with each other in a way that does not normally occur in real life and so it makes you think about how it could be if we were to put a more humane touch into our perspective with each other in our real life.
Tomorrow we will be travelling again on the flat roads and hopefully not too rough as my poor feet ache with the walking over stones. Since we are now a bit more than half way, I can see that there will be an end to this journey eventually, which was hard to really see at the beginning.
Until next time...............Maggee
Friday, September 12, 2008
Walking Away from Grief
It is an interesting experience to look around at who travels this road with me. Many people are here because of a life event that is a source of trauma or loss and others simply becuase it is a life time goal to do this kind of journey. For me I have realized that each step takes me farther from the knee buckling feeling of loss and despair since Chris died almost 2 years ago, farther from the feeling that he is still around in a spiritual presence sence and more like I am walking towards a future that becomes defined as I comtemplate and listen to my own breathing in the sound of the wind and the birds as they awaken in the early morning. I have the feeling the most people are here because of grief over a loss, could be a death of someone close to them, could be a job they loved and could be recovery from a life threatning illness. Whatever it is, there is a compelling feeling that the process of day after day of simply walking is a therapy like no other.
Today I picked up a stone from one of the many cairns that we pass each day. The idea is that each person ought to pick up such a stone and carry it for a day and leave it at the next cairn, thus transporting the stones to Santiago. Today the stone I carried was a symbol of all of those things that I am grateful for from the life that I had with Chris before he died. It made me realize how many moments there were and memories that were full of laughter and surprise and most of all adventure. With the ending of the afternoon, there were little blue butterlfies all around me as if this was a sign of acknowledgement to me from him. I decided that by the end of the day that I would summarize these memories into 3 basic things that I am most grateful to him for and with that I deposted the stone that I had carried at the cross just outside the place we are staying tonight.
This alberque I had heard about and it is as they say, like an oasis in the desert. through old old wooden doors you enter a most beautiful garden with wonderful flowers and a swimming pool. You are greeted by a wonderful host who leads you to a place to sleep for the night and tells you to rest and get settled and then come and pay him. Boy our hotels could learn something from this approach. There are many people here and it is really a bit crowded, but the atmosphere is very international and many people talking and sharing their stories together in many languages.
We sleep in a loft, having to climb a ladder above the 14 bunks that are in the dorm below, This arrangement would never pass the safety standards at home and we are certain to not want to use the toilet during the night. We sleep on single beds and must walk along plank floors hanging onto a kind of rope affair at the edge of the loft. It is like nothing I have seen before.
It is much colder than I anticipated and this morning it was maybe about 5C or less so the fleece hat and gloves were handy. I do not think I have enough warm clothes for the next few weeks and may have to buy somethng somewhere. I had anticipated much warmer weather. We hear that there is snow prediceted for the Pyrenees this evening! Imagine!
We are walking through the most wonderful scenery now and the rolling hills and the farm lands are so beautiful against the cloud filled sky. the sun is warm in the afternoon and so the days are very pleasant once the sun comes to provide some warmth.
Tomorrow we will be walking through the very flat area of the meseta and this is said to be the most boring, although I have not been at all bored with this walking yet. Each day provides something no matter what the atmosphere and so I look forward to having the surprise be in the present, cherishing my good health and my fitness that seems to improve with each day.
How blessed I am!!
Maggee
Today I picked up a stone from one of the many cairns that we pass each day. The idea is that each person ought to pick up such a stone and carry it for a day and leave it at the next cairn, thus transporting the stones to Santiago. Today the stone I carried was a symbol of all of those things that I am grateful for from the life that I had with Chris before he died. It made me realize how many moments there were and memories that were full of laughter and surprise and most of all adventure. With the ending of the afternoon, there were little blue butterlfies all around me as if this was a sign of acknowledgement to me from him. I decided that by the end of the day that I would summarize these memories into 3 basic things that I am most grateful to him for and with that I deposted the stone that I had carried at the cross just outside the place we are staying tonight.
This alberque I had heard about and it is as they say, like an oasis in the desert. through old old wooden doors you enter a most beautiful garden with wonderful flowers and a swimming pool. You are greeted by a wonderful host who leads you to a place to sleep for the night and tells you to rest and get settled and then come and pay him. Boy our hotels could learn something from this approach. There are many people here and it is really a bit crowded, but the atmosphere is very international and many people talking and sharing their stories together in many languages.
We sleep in a loft, having to climb a ladder above the 14 bunks that are in the dorm below, This arrangement would never pass the safety standards at home and we are certain to not want to use the toilet during the night. We sleep on single beds and must walk along plank floors hanging onto a kind of rope affair at the edge of the loft. It is like nothing I have seen before.
It is much colder than I anticipated and this morning it was maybe about 5C or less so the fleece hat and gloves were handy. I do not think I have enough warm clothes for the next few weeks and may have to buy somethng somewhere. I had anticipated much warmer weather. We hear that there is snow prediceted for the Pyrenees this evening! Imagine!
We are walking through the most wonderful scenery now and the rolling hills and the farm lands are so beautiful against the cloud filled sky. the sun is warm in the afternoon and so the days are very pleasant once the sun comes to provide some warmth.
Tomorrow we will be walking through the very flat area of the meseta and this is said to be the most boring, although I have not been at all bored with this walking yet. Each day provides something no matter what the atmosphere and so I look forward to having the surprise be in the present, cherishing my good health and my fitness that seems to improve with each day.
How blessed I am!!
Maggee
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Today is a Gift
We walk each day with thoughts that are generated by our conversations and our experiences. kirsten provided us with a reminder of the following yesterday and we have taken this on as our mantra for each day.
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift which is why it is called the present
We have enjoyed the beautiful city of Burgos and as soon as I can find a computer compatible for my camera attachment I will post some of the pictures that I took. The cathedral is simply breath taking and it takes quite some time to just walk through it all. It is very very old and has taken hundreds of years to actually build it and you cannot imagine the work and the effort that would have been required to do this type of construction in those days. As well, the power of the church is overwhelming when you see the opulence and richness that is contained in each church that we pass. This one is the most beautiful in Europe and you can certianly see why. Burgos is a wonderful city with so much interest and lots of wonderful sites to see in every corner. I mostly enjoy the late afternoons when everyone comes out into the squares to visit. The children are dressed in their best and the older peoploe come and sit on the benches or in the cafes together and the family environment is simply remarkable when you compare it to our own country. The older people are everywhere and included with the younger people, yet have their own place in the square for being together as well. As the bells ring and as the light fades, there is such a festive atmosphere everywhere that it is wonderful to just sit and watch.
It was a joy to leave the city this morning,. While the alberque in Burgos is beautiful and only 3 euros, newly opened this year, the crowd of more than 100 gave it a different feel from the smaller places that have been more familiar to us. Today we have walked for 31 kms and are now in Hontanas in such a beautiful place 5 euros, and will enjoy a lovely meal here this evening.´
We walked through a few small villages this morning and then arrived after walking up a hill on the renowned meseta. I have heard so much about this place which extends from Burgos to Leon over a few hundred kms and is really like the prairies. It is wonderful, rolling hills, silent except for the wind which sweeps across the fields and except for a few sheep and some shepards, there was really no one except for pilgrims walking along the dirt roads.
I have a few thoughts about wind and notice the difference in various places. the prairie wind is something, as it envelopes your entire body and blows hard enough even when gentle that your ears resound with the feel and the sound. You are washed in wind when you cross such a broad expanse of plains and there is not much to think about as you wend your way along the road. This is different from the whispering effect of wind that I felt in the vineyards and different again from the whistle of wind that I sat and enjoyed in the pine forests some days ago. You have time to ponder such things on this camino as there is a lot of time for being present to the simple things that we ordinarily would not even notice.
We passed the 300 km mark this morning and with our monumental walk of 31 kms today, we will have achieved around 325 kms total so far. I felt that we had to pick up the pace a little today since the walk was flat and so that we could meet our target of being in Santiago by Oct 1, as we have planes to catch, otherwise it would be better just to walk and to stop as you felt it appropriate.
Well, there are people reading this blog from around the world and I am getting such wonderful mesages on the postings that it is heartening to see how much interest there is in this experience of mine.
My good friends and I are about to sit down with our daily bottles of wine now so I must sign off and join them.
We fight over who pays and it is such a laugh as it is all so darn cheap.
The wonder of people just being able to be together in such an authentic and caring manner continues to be a joy in this process of walking, talking, reflecting and growing in my very soul.
Buen Camino..........Maggee
Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift which is why it is called the present
We have enjoyed the beautiful city of Burgos and as soon as I can find a computer compatible for my camera attachment I will post some of the pictures that I took. The cathedral is simply breath taking and it takes quite some time to just walk through it all. It is very very old and has taken hundreds of years to actually build it and you cannot imagine the work and the effort that would have been required to do this type of construction in those days. As well, the power of the church is overwhelming when you see the opulence and richness that is contained in each church that we pass. This one is the most beautiful in Europe and you can certianly see why. Burgos is a wonderful city with so much interest and lots of wonderful sites to see in every corner. I mostly enjoy the late afternoons when everyone comes out into the squares to visit. The children are dressed in their best and the older peoploe come and sit on the benches or in the cafes together and the family environment is simply remarkable when you compare it to our own country. The older people are everywhere and included with the younger people, yet have their own place in the square for being together as well. As the bells ring and as the light fades, there is such a festive atmosphere everywhere that it is wonderful to just sit and watch.
It was a joy to leave the city this morning,. While the alberque in Burgos is beautiful and only 3 euros, newly opened this year, the crowd of more than 100 gave it a different feel from the smaller places that have been more familiar to us. Today we have walked for 31 kms and are now in Hontanas in such a beautiful place 5 euros, and will enjoy a lovely meal here this evening.´
We walked through a few small villages this morning and then arrived after walking up a hill on the renowned meseta. I have heard so much about this place which extends from Burgos to Leon over a few hundred kms and is really like the prairies. It is wonderful, rolling hills, silent except for the wind which sweeps across the fields and except for a few sheep and some shepards, there was really no one except for pilgrims walking along the dirt roads.
I have a few thoughts about wind and notice the difference in various places. the prairie wind is something, as it envelopes your entire body and blows hard enough even when gentle that your ears resound with the feel and the sound. You are washed in wind when you cross such a broad expanse of plains and there is not much to think about as you wend your way along the road. This is different from the whispering effect of wind that I felt in the vineyards and different again from the whistle of wind that I sat and enjoyed in the pine forests some days ago. You have time to ponder such things on this camino as there is a lot of time for being present to the simple things that we ordinarily would not even notice.
We passed the 300 km mark this morning and with our monumental walk of 31 kms today, we will have achieved around 325 kms total so far. I felt that we had to pick up the pace a little today since the walk was flat and so that we could meet our target of being in Santiago by Oct 1, as we have planes to catch, otherwise it would be better just to walk and to stop as you felt it appropriate.
Well, there are people reading this blog from around the world and I am getting such wonderful mesages on the postings that it is heartening to see how much interest there is in this experience of mine.
My good friends and I are about to sit down with our daily bottles of wine now so I must sign off and join them.
We fight over who pays and it is such a laugh as it is all so darn cheap.
The wonder of people just being able to be together in such an authentic and caring manner continues to be a joy in this process of walking, talking, reflecting and growing in my very soul.
Buen Camino..........Maggee
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Rain at Last
We have walked for 12 days in beautiful sun shine and pretty warm weather so far. the mornings are much cooler as there have been 2 occassions when I really benefitted from myt fleece hat and gloves. We have walked more kms lately each day and certainly felt the effect of that with greater fatique and also sore feet. With 26 kms and then 24 the following day, we have today only walked 18 kms which was pretty much a cake walk. We have now covered 268 kms in total!!
We have been walking through farm land for the past 3 days although still close enough to the wine country that we get a jug of vino tinto with each meal along with the jug of water. Today for the first time we had a good rainy day and were able to test out our rain gear which worked quite well. By noon, the sun was out and so everything was able to dry out before clouds returned once again.
We are now a group of 4 with a plan to follow the Danish schedule to get us to Santiago by Oct 1. Kirsten is our leader and because she is the youngest she scouts out the way out of town while we have our afternoon siesta. She is also the story teller and relates wonderful mythological stories to us in her beautiful accent, as we walk and when we stop for a break. Alvina is our French Canadian poet and each day has a special quote for us. She is very well read and can tell us many things as we walk and talk and has such wonderful travel experiences and profound interests in art and literature and music. I find her quite an inspiration. Barb is a traveller and very down to earth and talks to everyone whether they understand her or not! They have decided that I am Maggee the practical, providing food, medicines and good advice when needed. We have also picked up a Dutch woman walking on her own so we are quite a group and already have the reputation of being the ones with laughter and good wishes for everyone along the way.
We have become expert at fixing the problems of the feet and you would laugh to see the surgery that gets performed on our blisters. First you take a needle and white thread and run it through some iodine and then you push the needle and the thread right through the blister to the other side, pulling the thread through so that you can tie it in a knot. this allows the blister to drain and thus heal itself. We will all have funny looking black bits of thread hanging from various locations on our feet when this is done. Blisters appear in new places when the terrain changes or if it gets wet or if you do anything to change your foot wear. For me I have a new blister which comes from a piece of tape that I put on one toe to protect it!
This is quite a journey and I am so enjoying just the reflective time along the way especially in the early morning when it is very dark and quiet and we walk with our various flashlights, and as the sun comes up and the day light appears, there are sounds of birds and the early morning awakening to the day.
We are able to cover at least 12 - 15 kms by 9 am each day which is the first stop for cafe con leche and a pastry. We are able to arrive at our albeque by 1 or 2 pm each day and have usually covered about 22 - 24 kms by then which is enough for now. Each accommodation has been wonderful, clean and very adequate and the people we travel with are polite, friendly and very nice to be with. No problems with any thing like I had read about on the on line forums I had been reading.
Tomorrow we will reach Burgos which is one of the largest cities we will cross and look forward to the cathedral there which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in Europe. We plan to start to pick up our pace so that we can walk longer distances once we pass Burgos as the meseta (prairie I think) is flatter and easier to walk. there have been plenty of hills each day and so we are getting quite fit with the effort required to do this each day, sometimes the most difficult are first thing in the morning which gets you going pretty good!
I am finding that the experience of travelling like this is both cheap in dollars and so rich in experience and with each morning, you never know what wonderful thing will transpire through the day. We meet a lot of very wonderful people and sometimes we are talking different languages _ for example_ the directions for fixing our feet were entirely in Portugese from a man who had acted as a voluntter hospitalero in Leon and had seen many messy feet in his experience. We also communicate with the Italian couple every day in abundance and between theri limited French and ours, we have a great friendship developing. So many things to learn from the simple experiences of life. We share dormitories with sometimes more than 20 beds, I am getting good arm muscles from swinging like a monkey from the top bunk which I prefer. We have common showers and toilet areas so that there is modesty, but practicality as well and we all seem to get along just fine and there are no problems that I have noticed at all with these arrangements.
I am travelling as I had imagined except it is richer becuase of the friendships that are forming and these are inspiring me to think about how I will enrich my life when I get home. There is generosity and wisdom from each person and such wonderful converstions each day. Such a cheap and abundant experience I could not have imagined for my life and I see how people become addicted to this Camino. It is not so much the journey itself, although it is magical walking through these ancient villages, it is rather the raw human experience of just being together with others on a common mission, ie to explore our purpose in life and to get to a simpler place of living.
Rain tomorrow and even that is not a problem as we are well equipped and this just adds to the interest of this experience.
Buen Camino..........Maggee
We have been walking through farm land for the past 3 days although still close enough to the wine country that we get a jug of vino tinto with each meal along with the jug of water. Today for the first time we had a good rainy day and were able to test out our rain gear which worked quite well. By noon, the sun was out and so everything was able to dry out before clouds returned once again.
We are now a group of 4 with a plan to follow the Danish schedule to get us to Santiago by Oct 1. Kirsten is our leader and because she is the youngest she scouts out the way out of town while we have our afternoon siesta. She is also the story teller and relates wonderful mythological stories to us in her beautiful accent, as we walk and when we stop for a break. Alvina is our French Canadian poet and each day has a special quote for us. She is very well read and can tell us many things as we walk and talk and has such wonderful travel experiences and profound interests in art and literature and music. I find her quite an inspiration. Barb is a traveller and very down to earth and talks to everyone whether they understand her or not! They have decided that I am Maggee the practical, providing food, medicines and good advice when needed. We have also picked up a Dutch woman walking on her own so we are quite a group and already have the reputation of being the ones with laughter and good wishes for everyone along the way.
We have become expert at fixing the problems of the feet and you would laugh to see the surgery that gets performed on our blisters. First you take a needle and white thread and run it through some iodine and then you push the needle and the thread right through the blister to the other side, pulling the thread through so that you can tie it in a knot. this allows the blister to drain and thus heal itself. We will all have funny looking black bits of thread hanging from various locations on our feet when this is done. Blisters appear in new places when the terrain changes or if it gets wet or if you do anything to change your foot wear. For me I have a new blister which comes from a piece of tape that I put on one toe to protect it!
This is quite a journey and I am so enjoying just the reflective time along the way especially in the early morning when it is very dark and quiet and we walk with our various flashlights, and as the sun comes up and the day light appears, there are sounds of birds and the early morning awakening to the day.
We are able to cover at least 12 - 15 kms by 9 am each day which is the first stop for cafe con leche and a pastry. We are able to arrive at our albeque by 1 or 2 pm each day and have usually covered about 22 - 24 kms by then which is enough for now. Each accommodation has been wonderful, clean and very adequate and the people we travel with are polite, friendly and very nice to be with. No problems with any thing like I had read about on the on line forums I had been reading.
Tomorrow we will reach Burgos which is one of the largest cities we will cross and look forward to the cathedral there which is supposed to be the most beautiful one in Europe. We plan to start to pick up our pace so that we can walk longer distances once we pass Burgos as the meseta (prairie I think) is flatter and easier to walk. there have been plenty of hills each day and so we are getting quite fit with the effort required to do this each day, sometimes the most difficult are first thing in the morning which gets you going pretty good!
I am finding that the experience of travelling like this is both cheap in dollars and so rich in experience and with each morning, you never know what wonderful thing will transpire through the day. We meet a lot of very wonderful people and sometimes we are talking different languages _ for example_ the directions for fixing our feet were entirely in Portugese from a man who had acted as a voluntter hospitalero in Leon and had seen many messy feet in his experience. We also communicate with the Italian couple every day in abundance and between theri limited French and ours, we have a great friendship developing. So many things to learn from the simple experiences of life. We share dormitories with sometimes more than 20 beds, I am getting good arm muscles from swinging like a monkey from the top bunk which I prefer. We have common showers and toilet areas so that there is modesty, but practicality as well and we all seem to get along just fine and there are no problems that I have noticed at all with these arrangements.
I am travelling as I had imagined except it is richer becuase of the friendships that are forming and these are inspiring me to think about how I will enrich my life when I get home. There is generosity and wisdom from each person and such wonderful converstions each day. Such a cheap and abundant experience I could not have imagined for my life and I see how people become addicted to this Camino. It is not so much the journey itself, although it is magical walking through these ancient villages, it is rather the raw human experience of just being together with others on a common mission, ie to explore our purpose in life and to get to a simpler place of living.
Rain tomorrow and even that is not a problem as we are well equipped and this just adds to the interest of this experience.
Buen Camino..........Maggee
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Courage along the way - 199 kms today
There is much to say about the journey and abut the experience. I have discovered the greatest insights come to me in the early morning just as the sun comes up over the horizon and it is still quite dark. We walk in stillness and quiet reflection and there is only the sound of foot steps crunching in the gravel as the time passes and the dark grows into light. I have learned that courage comes from being able to face what happens along the way and that everything does not always go according to expectation. I have learned that each step is one more towards a feeling of great peace within and that there is much to be noticed along the way if you only take the time to look up and around at the beauty and the stillness.
There are many interesting companions along this way. there is a very old looking woman who walks the camino with a walker, hunched over and looking like she really should be in a rocking chair somewhere. There is another who is quite overweight and struggles to complete 16 kms each day. She is very brave and does what she can sleeping under bridges to rest as she needs to. There is a man who is 81 and just keeps on walking, arriving later than the rest of us, but still cheerful and a good compaion. There is a single woman from Japan, a young man and his mother from South Africa and many people from other parts of the world. All of us bent on one thing and that is to make our way along the camino to Santiago.
We are now 4 as one of my Canadian companions was told yesterday to stop walking and head for home as her knee is too bad to continue. We see different kinds of injuries now, A very healthy looking man we met yesterday has had to stop for awhile with tendonitis and this we learn is from not drinking enough. So now we drink plenty all along the way and hjave to stop in fields when there is not a bathroon conveniently located.
We have walked for the past 2 days on red dirt roads through the beautiful vine yards of the Rioja region and of course the wine in the afternoon and at the end of the day is wonderful and very cheap. Yesterday was a long and hot walk along mostly paved roads and so by the end of the walk, me feet were very sore and tired. After a nap and some rest, it is much better. Today we have walked another 22 kms and have arrived at a gold mine of an alberque. A small village with a place which has 60 beds, all of then in 2 bed room which is a wonderful change from the large dormitories that have been the experience up to now. Today is a festival day and so there is music in the square and the church bells ringing wildly adding to the general flavour of the area.
We have been offered a bottle of wine from the hostess here and are thankful that they are do warm and caring to the pilgrims each day. Yesterday the hospitalero of the alberque who is called Michelle from Germany. spent an hour making crepes for all of us. The cost each day is very low. yesterday was 3 E for the night and today 6 E for the 2 bed room for each of us.
I am conscious of my thoughts each day and pay special attenton to what I notice along the way as we walk through these wonderful little villages with all of their ancient history. building decorated by flowering plants in basket on the balconies and the people who seem to disappear and then come out in full force at 5 or 6 pm to the local square to socialize.
I am happy each day to just get up a walk and to contemplate what occurs to me in the moment. I enjoy the feeling of power and fitness that I experience in my legs and lungs as we climb hills and power along, particularly after we have found a cafe con leche and a chocolate filled croisant. The simple pleasure of these little things and patterns of living have slowed down my head and I enjoy the feeling of what the Sweedish sugges for pilgrims which is silence, no worries, charity to others, spirituality and 4 others which I cannot remember at the moment.
I think of my good fortune in being able to do this. I had thought it to be a challenge of courage for me and now I see that the challenge is to melt into it. I thought to be alone and I am not and I realize that that is also a creation as we are not alone except by choice.
No one who does this journey is every much alone as there is such a strong sense of community at every step of the way, as people take care of each other in simple and more profound ways and the experience is such that this is what our real life ought to be like.
"We have many people and events in our life and we draw these to us. The opportunity exists in what we choose to do with all of this"................Maggee
There are many interesting companions along this way. there is a very old looking woman who walks the camino with a walker, hunched over and looking like she really should be in a rocking chair somewhere. There is another who is quite overweight and struggles to complete 16 kms each day. She is very brave and does what she can sleeping under bridges to rest as she needs to. There is a man who is 81 and just keeps on walking, arriving later than the rest of us, but still cheerful and a good compaion. There is a single woman from Japan, a young man and his mother from South Africa and many people from other parts of the world. All of us bent on one thing and that is to make our way along the camino to Santiago.
We are now 4 as one of my Canadian companions was told yesterday to stop walking and head for home as her knee is too bad to continue. We see different kinds of injuries now, A very healthy looking man we met yesterday has had to stop for awhile with tendonitis and this we learn is from not drinking enough. So now we drink plenty all along the way and hjave to stop in fields when there is not a bathroon conveniently located.
We have walked for the past 2 days on red dirt roads through the beautiful vine yards of the Rioja region and of course the wine in the afternoon and at the end of the day is wonderful and very cheap. Yesterday was a long and hot walk along mostly paved roads and so by the end of the walk, me feet were very sore and tired. After a nap and some rest, it is much better. Today we have walked another 22 kms and have arrived at a gold mine of an alberque. A small village with a place which has 60 beds, all of then in 2 bed room which is a wonderful change from the large dormitories that have been the experience up to now. Today is a festival day and so there is music in the square and the church bells ringing wildly adding to the general flavour of the area.
We have been offered a bottle of wine from the hostess here and are thankful that they are do warm and caring to the pilgrims each day. Yesterday the hospitalero of the alberque who is called Michelle from Germany. spent an hour making crepes for all of us. The cost each day is very low. yesterday was 3 E for the night and today 6 E for the 2 bed room for each of us.
I am conscious of my thoughts each day and pay special attenton to what I notice along the way as we walk through these wonderful little villages with all of their ancient history. building decorated by flowering plants in basket on the balconies and the people who seem to disappear and then come out in full force at 5 or 6 pm to the local square to socialize.
I am happy each day to just get up a walk and to contemplate what occurs to me in the moment. I enjoy the feeling of power and fitness that I experience in my legs and lungs as we climb hills and power along, particularly after we have found a cafe con leche and a chocolate filled croisant. The simple pleasure of these little things and patterns of living have slowed down my head and I enjoy the feeling of what the Sweedish sugges for pilgrims which is silence, no worries, charity to others, spirituality and 4 others which I cannot remember at the moment.
I think of my good fortune in being able to do this. I had thought it to be a challenge of courage for me and now I see that the challenge is to melt into it. I thought to be alone and I am not and I realize that that is also a creation as we are not alone except by choice.
No one who does this journey is every much alone as there is such a strong sense of community at every step of the way, as people take care of each other in simple and more profound ways and the experience is such that this is what our real life ought to be like.
"We have many people and events in our life and we draw these to us. The opportunity exists in what we choose to do with all of this"................Maggee
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Melting into the Moments
Two days have passed since I entered something into this jounery log. We are still travelling togather, the 4 Canadians and yesterday we picked up Kirsten again, the Danish woman I had met some days earlier, so now we are 4. the French Canadian is very witty and we call her our poet philosopher, Everything she has, has been wieghed carefully, and so she carries 20 gms of poetry amongst other items. She threatens to place her extra weight into our bags while we sleep at night as the maseus yesterday told her to take out 2 kgs. We laugh all the time about what we can get rid of and even the hair conditioner and dental floss counts for something. We only buy food that we will eat for the day and nothing extra so we are getting smarter about the bulk and the wieght as it really makes a difference as the day goes.
The past two days have been easier. less climbing although nothing is flat here in Spain only hilly by degrees, with some quite steep. We have arrived at the auberg by 12 = 1 pm these past 2 days and have enjoyed the afternoon siesta time and the rest on our aching feet and legs.
Today marks 156 kms for the journey and we are about 20% complete. I would never have imagined that I could walk this far with such consistency when I left Canada. I am feeling fine and have learned that it is vital to drink and to stop to rest and to keep eating (yes Mom I eat well). We notice the wieght loss now and although not significant, my clothes are loose (good eh!) but what a way to lose weight!!
I am melting into the moments as my friend Cathy has suggested and find that the walking = one step at a time = is very contemplative. I have experienced some interesting insights about how simple life really is and how we complicate it with our human issues of letting the mind over rule the real substance of what is really important. So much of what I have focused on is material and in the end will not be how my life makes a difference for the world or even for my onw happiness.
I am getting tired each day just from the constant effort to walk. this comes and goes however, and there are moments of extreme happiness as well and a feeling of being fulfilled in simple ways. There are beautiful surprises around each corner and everything is unexpected as even the map cannot tell us what really lies ahead.
We are walking through the vineyards of Rioja now and today passed olive groves and apple orchards as well. The smell, the color and the full beauty of the morning sky is something to behold. The camraderie along the way is precious as each of us takes time to greet and wish each other well as we pass and re pass each other. There are great times of conversation over the vino tinto and fabulous meals, once the manu has been tranalated with the very patient waiters in the bars and restaurants.
Wherever there is a maseus, we take advantage of the treatment as the only splurge in an otherwise very cheap adventure. Each night costs at most 6 E and last night it was 4E with the most cost being the pilgrims meal each day at 9 or 10 E which is worth while as it always includes a few bottles of wine.
So what am I getting from this so far. Well one thing is that there is a lot to be learned from simplicity and that I do not need as much in my life as far a material things than I have been accustomed to. This does not mean that I will give it all up when I return home, but will certainly think about this in future. The other thing is that there is such a big world to explore and that each person I meet along the way is ready and open to being in communication even in a simple way so that conversation with so many people, even those that cannot share the same language is wonderfully warm and friendly. There is an Italian couple who we have been seeing for the past 4 days, since Pamplona, and we can only greet them as they have now taught us how = so when we see them it is like old friends even though I have no idea what they are saying in words, the non verbal works wonderfully.
We are now a group the 5 of us and will travel together for awhile and until we need to change pace or something else. It is good to have companions and good to have time alone to contemplate as well and it all works out.
Spain is a wonderful place and I cherish the opportuniy to be able to see so much of this simple rural life in these ancient places. So much history is evidnet all around us all the time. People continue to be warm and friendly and we are well taken care of in these beautiful refugios.
Buen Camino........... Maggee
The past two days have been easier. less climbing although nothing is flat here in Spain only hilly by degrees, with some quite steep. We have arrived at the auberg by 12 = 1 pm these past 2 days and have enjoyed the afternoon siesta time and the rest on our aching feet and legs.
Today marks 156 kms for the journey and we are about 20% complete. I would never have imagined that I could walk this far with such consistency when I left Canada. I am feeling fine and have learned that it is vital to drink and to stop to rest and to keep eating (yes Mom I eat well). We notice the wieght loss now and although not significant, my clothes are loose (good eh!) but what a way to lose weight!!
I am melting into the moments as my friend Cathy has suggested and find that the walking = one step at a time = is very contemplative. I have experienced some interesting insights about how simple life really is and how we complicate it with our human issues of letting the mind over rule the real substance of what is really important. So much of what I have focused on is material and in the end will not be how my life makes a difference for the world or even for my onw happiness.
I am getting tired each day just from the constant effort to walk. this comes and goes however, and there are moments of extreme happiness as well and a feeling of being fulfilled in simple ways. There are beautiful surprises around each corner and everything is unexpected as even the map cannot tell us what really lies ahead.
We are walking through the vineyards of Rioja now and today passed olive groves and apple orchards as well. The smell, the color and the full beauty of the morning sky is something to behold. The camraderie along the way is precious as each of us takes time to greet and wish each other well as we pass and re pass each other. There are great times of conversation over the vino tinto and fabulous meals, once the manu has been tranalated with the very patient waiters in the bars and restaurants.
Wherever there is a maseus, we take advantage of the treatment as the only splurge in an otherwise very cheap adventure. Each night costs at most 6 E and last night it was 4E with the most cost being the pilgrims meal each day at 9 or 10 E which is worth while as it always includes a few bottles of wine.
So what am I getting from this so far. Well one thing is that there is a lot to be learned from simplicity and that I do not need as much in my life as far a material things than I have been accustomed to. This does not mean that I will give it all up when I return home, but will certainly think about this in future. The other thing is that there is such a big world to explore and that each person I meet along the way is ready and open to being in communication even in a simple way so that conversation with so many people, even those that cannot share the same language is wonderfully warm and friendly. There is an Italian couple who we have been seeing for the past 4 days, since Pamplona, and we can only greet them as they have now taught us how = so when we see them it is like old friends even though I have no idea what they are saying in words, the non verbal works wonderfully.
We are now a group the 5 of us and will travel together for awhile and until we need to change pace or something else. It is good to have companions and good to have time alone to contemplate as well and it all works out.
Spain is a wonderful place and I cherish the opportuniy to be able to see so much of this simple rural life in these ancient places. So much history is evidnet all around us all the time. People continue to be warm and friendly and we are well taken care of in these beautiful refugios.
Buen Camino........... Maggee
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Everyone Has a Story
We travel together and sometimes talk and sometimes not. There is an interesting mix of ages and stages of life and in the afternoons when we have found our refuggio for the night, most people are settled somewhere writing in journals. For most this is a reflective and very personal process. Some are recovering from life challenges, others just looking for an answer as to where to go next - like me.
There is a cancer survivor from BC, a woman trying to come to terms with the outcome of an accident several years ago that has made it impossible for her to continue with her life passion of teaching children. One young man lost his mother a year ago, two young women search for the next stage of life now that unuversity is completed. Some older men appear contemplative and prayerful as they walk along.
Some walk fast and with purpose, others look like they will not reach the next town, Cyclists are very energetic and you wonder how they find the way as they travel so fast. A pair past me jogging this morning - what is that all about I ask myself!! There are a few couples, but they have their challenges as their relationship and the experience of the Camino affects them differently. Most people are on their own believe it or not and a lot are in the category of older women from everywhere across the globe including Asia, S America and Europe. In spite of cultural differences we seem to have a common bond of searching for meaning.
I myself have found the days are flying by now that I am getting into a rythym of it all. Up early in the morning to walk before the sun gets too hot and it really does climb to over 32 C each afternoon. Stopping for rest and food every hour or so and then finding the refuggio for the night - shower first, wash clothes and then lie down for awhile to rest aching joints, muscles and feet.
It is a wonderful thing to just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and noticing all of the unusual and beautiful things that appear close up or on the horizon. I have never seen such ancient and beautiful villages, remnants of Roman architecture in the roads and bridges here and lots of Basque architecture. I am intrigued now by the process and wonder how this will really go for me.
Some say that you can hit a wall about now with the fatigue and the bone weary aches that you experience. I have felt some of this, but once I rest, I feel truly happy to just be focusing on the ordinary things that are required to just manage each day as simply as it is. I am also finding the accommodation just fine and am not bothered by the numbers of people that need to share close quarters with each other. They are polite and respectful and very friendly - nothing has bothered me yet as I had heard some stories in books I read.
Today we passed the place that marks the spot where a Canadian woman was killed in an accident in 2002. Her husband returned later to build a small monument to her memory and so we all stopped to pay respects. It makes you realize that anything could happen along this journey and more importantly, it is a reminder of how much each moment and each step matter in the course of life.
Well perhaps I am getting more reflective as the days go and will see what turns up out of that........Maggee
There is a cancer survivor from BC, a woman trying to come to terms with the outcome of an accident several years ago that has made it impossible for her to continue with her life passion of teaching children. One young man lost his mother a year ago, two young women search for the next stage of life now that unuversity is completed. Some older men appear contemplative and prayerful as they walk along.
Some walk fast and with purpose, others look like they will not reach the next town, Cyclists are very energetic and you wonder how they find the way as they travel so fast. A pair past me jogging this morning - what is that all about I ask myself!! There are a few couples, but they have their challenges as their relationship and the experience of the Camino affects them differently. Most people are on their own believe it or not and a lot are in the category of older women from everywhere across the globe including Asia, S America and Europe. In spite of cultural differences we seem to have a common bond of searching for meaning.
I myself have found the days are flying by now that I am getting into a rythym of it all. Up early in the morning to walk before the sun gets too hot and it really does climb to over 32 C each afternoon. Stopping for rest and food every hour or so and then finding the refuggio for the night - shower first, wash clothes and then lie down for awhile to rest aching joints, muscles and feet.
It is a wonderful thing to just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and noticing all of the unusual and beautiful things that appear close up or on the horizon. I have never seen such ancient and beautiful villages, remnants of Roman architecture in the roads and bridges here and lots of Basque architecture. I am intrigued now by the process and wonder how this will really go for me.
Some say that you can hit a wall about now with the fatigue and the bone weary aches that you experience. I have felt some of this, but once I rest, I feel truly happy to just be focusing on the ordinary things that are required to just manage each day as simply as it is. I am also finding the accommodation just fine and am not bothered by the numbers of people that need to share close quarters with each other. They are polite and respectful and very friendly - nothing has bothered me yet as I had heard some stories in books I read.
Today we passed the place that marks the spot where a Canadian woman was killed in an accident in 2002. Her husband returned later to build a small monument to her memory and so we all stopped to pay respects. It makes you realize that anything could happen along this journey and more importantly, it is a reminder of how much each moment and each step matter in the course of life.
Well perhaps I am getting more reflective as the days go and will see what turns up out of that........Maggee
Monday, September 1, 2008
And is it goes!
Pamplona was wonderful last night. We went down to the square at around 5 pm and drank some beer and wine and watched the families sitting around. The older women gather in small groups to drink coffee and eat ice cream or pastries and the men sit on the benches talking with each other. Later the younger families come out with the strollers and sleepy children and by 8 pm the narrow street are filled with people looking for dinner as the bars do not re open until 7 pm.
We took the time to go to the Cathedral de Santa Maria for another special blessing. The priest again read out the countries that we are all from and then led us through a prayer and a blessing service. This ended with being led into the locked off alter area to sing something in Spanish which was a wonderful end to the day. There are many of us, although not so many as there would be in summer.
Everywhere we go, people wish us well and are helpful even though they must be overwhelmed with the increasing numbers of pilgrims every year. The accommodation last night was good, a renovated seminary built in the mid 1700s. The place was clean and new and immaculate and the bunks very comfortable. I am finding if costs less than $35 per day for everything.
Today we left early and walked in the dark through the city to the outskirts to find cofe con leche and some pastries after the firtst 5 kms which was better than yesterday. It was so hot and so tiring with not much of a hill, only 400 m or so, but sill in the direct sun and wind to boot, it was an exhausting day. We crept along doing about 24 kms today and stopping often to rest feet and to drink and eat. We arrived at a wonderful auberge in Puenta de la Riena and collapsed into the shower and the comfy bunk beds. Dinner was great and again very cheap.
Today, we passed wind mills and wonderful fields where the crops have been harvested. The vistas are stunning in the hot sun and the path seems to wander through fields and ancient towns with all sort of wonderful architecture. The people continue to be friendly and so helpful. I was even able to get a wonderful massage and treatment here this evening which has readied me for another day.
94 kms so far........ whoc would have though this possible as I worried my way through the training over the past monhts. My feet are fine and while achy at times, easily cured with a stop and a cool down.
Some people are now in serious troulbe, walking in flip flops to avoid more traumo to bad blisters and others simply not able to continue for a few days. I do not hobble like some and while quite heat exhausted by the afternoon and 7 hours of walking, feel that I am doing fine. Tips along the way include duck tape for the feet, vaseline seems to be favoured and of course good boots. Eating and drinking through the day make a difference and watching your foot steps especially at the end of the day when I am more tired and likely to trip and fall over my own boots is important. I made the mistake of looking at just how far it is to Santiago and wondered wht in hell i was thinking in planning this trip. However, as they say often, it is one step at a time and each one counts and the time and space to withdraw from life provides for something more profund than could be gained in any other way.
So it continues - tomorrow we head for Estella and the 4 of us will comtinue to walk as a group until it no longer seems right. I have enough time to meditate on my own and also really enjoy the company of the others.
Maggee
We took the time to go to the Cathedral de Santa Maria for another special blessing. The priest again read out the countries that we are all from and then led us through a prayer and a blessing service. This ended with being led into the locked off alter area to sing something in Spanish which was a wonderful end to the day. There are many of us, although not so many as there would be in summer.
Everywhere we go, people wish us well and are helpful even though they must be overwhelmed with the increasing numbers of pilgrims every year. The accommodation last night was good, a renovated seminary built in the mid 1700s. The place was clean and new and immaculate and the bunks very comfortable. I am finding if costs less than $35 per day for everything.
Today we left early and walked in the dark through the city to the outskirts to find cofe con leche and some pastries after the firtst 5 kms which was better than yesterday. It was so hot and so tiring with not much of a hill, only 400 m or so, but sill in the direct sun and wind to boot, it was an exhausting day. We crept along doing about 24 kms today and stopping often to rest feet and to drink and eat. We arrived at a wonderful auberge in Puenta de la Riena and collapsed into the shower and the comfy bunk beds. Dinner was great and again very cheap.
Today, we passed wind mills and wonderful fields where the crops have been harvested. The vistas are stunning in the hot sun and the path seems to wander through fields and ancient towns with all sort of wonderful architecture. The people continue to be friendly and so helpful. I was even able to get a wonderful massage and treatment here this evening which has readied me for another day.
94 kms so far........ whoc would have though this possible as I worried my way through the training over the past monhts. My feet are fine and while achy at times, easily cured with a stop and a cool down.
Some people are now in serious troulbe, walking in flip flops to avoid more traumo to bad blisters and others simply not able to continue for a few days. I do not hobble like some and while quite heat exhausted by the afternoon and 7 hours of walking, feel that I am doing fine. Tips along the way include duck tape for the feet, vaseline seems to be favoured and of course good boots. Eating and drinking through the day make a difference and watching your foot steps especially at the end of the day when I am more tired and likely to trip and fall over my own boots is important. I made the mistake of looking at just how far it is to Santiago and wondered wht in hell i was thinking in planning this trip. However, as they say often, it is one step at a time and each one counts and the time and space to withdraw from life provides for something more profund than could be gained in any other way.
So it continues - tomorrow we head for Estella and the 4 of us will comtinue to walk as a group until it no longer seems right. I have enough time to meditate on my own and also really enjoy the company of the others.
Maggee
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