mattersofthemoment

“Walking induces a trancelike state that allows the mind freedom and eases and encourages explorations of odd possibilities and improbable connections. I walk every day for the mind, as well as the body.”

Bird Cloud, Annie Proulx, c. 2012

We set our sights on Calzada de Coto a small town 19 km away. It would be flat terrain, some remote bush country and an earthen track. We felt good!

It was a beautiful day and Marie and I were walking along not far out of Terradillos. We came up upon Aline and Denis and we saw that they were walking slower and praying the Rosary. We asked if we might join them. Denis reached in his pocket and handed me a wooden rosary from the Holy Land. I still have it. I gave him a Canadian pin. It was a magic moment. We prayed the Rosary together and continued chatting for quite awhile before separating again.

We passed through Sahagun, a larger town filled with pilgrim art work. We stopped for lunch and a rest. We were still feeling strong. We continued on for another 6 km to Calzada. It was about 1 PM. We looked into the municipal alburgue – it was dirty and deserted. So we decided to keep walking another 7 or 8 km. It was at this point that Marie’s blistered feet became too painful to walk on.

What to do? I decided that I would walk ahead about another 5 km to El Burgo Ranero (middle of the map above), get help (a car) and come back to get Marie. I asked her to stay where she was. So off I went arriving breathlessly at the private Alburgue La Laguna in El Burgo Ranero. I was greeted by Rosa, a volunteer hostess from Quebec. When I explained the situation, she immediately offered to drive me back in her car to find Marie. We drove back and looked and looked everywhere but no Marie.

So reluctantly I returned to the refugio with Rosa. As we walked in the door there was Marie. She had made her own way painfully the rest of the distance – over 30 km in total today!! Rosa greeted her with a hug and gave her a face cloth to wipe her brow. We went upstairs to our beds. I had a brief nap and went back down stairs while Marie showered. We noticed Frank Sinatra music was playing. This was going to be a fun place. Marie came down refreshed and had a snack with our smiling hosts.

Then the fun really began. Carmin asked for volunteers to help prepare dinner. Marie volunteered and I said that I would help with the dishes. When I next looked into the kitchen there was a dance party going on!!!

The rest of the evening was a riot. We had a wonderful group dinner. Guys were dancing with brooms. It was a birthday of one young woman. There were speeches and a special chocolate cake. It was the best spontaneous party! Kirsch and Judith from Holland were there too. Tout le band!

So we had had a wonderful spiritual connection, reflective walk time, some pain, bodily renewal, communal meal and finally a joyful music filled dance party, all in one day.

There was even a Spanish priest present and before we went to bed, he led us in multi-language vespers. This was our best day on the Camino!

Last night in Carrion we had dinner with Kirch and Judith from Holland.  She had a lot of trouble with blisters and we’d seen them several times before.  She would hobble around the alburgue on Kirsch’s arm in the evenings.  We would pass them in the day. He was so patient and caring with her.  She admired Marie’s crocks and bought a pink pair.  An amazing couple.  We also chatted with Peter from Denmark and met Sarah from Hamburg – a waitress who was walking the Camino to decide what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

Just a short note today. We were on Step 17 of our journey and decided to go the full distance – 27 km.  It was flat and somewhat featureless and there were very few services.  Some of our day was walking on the Via Trajana – the old Roman road that connected Spain and France.

By now it was heating up and we had discovered Coke Zero.  So everyday we would stop and treat ourselves to a cold icy Coke Zero.  We stopped in a place called Caldadilla for our daily highlight.  We then decided to take a cab for the last 10 km to Terradillos de los Templarios, a town of 100 residents.

The Knights Templar (Los Templiaros) (or Knights of the temple of Solomon) was a Catholic military order founded in 1118 by French knights who fought in the 1st Crusade.  Their purpose then became to protect the lives of pilgrims on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, following its conquest.  They also went to Spain to protect pilgrims on their way to Santiago – from robbers and murderers.  There was a pilgrim hospital near Terradillos in the XII century under the protection of the Knights Templar.  This is also where, the legend goes, they buried the famous hen that laid the golden egg. 

We had a wonderful stay at this refugio.  They had a great restaurant and good clean accommodations.  We were in a room with 8 bunks and a shared washroom.  The sheep and dogs out the back were a joy to see too.  At dinner we met a lovely couple from Montpelier, France.  Denis was a health lawyer and Aline was a pediatrician. 

We climbed about 130 m in elevation on leaving Castrojerez.  The rain was gone.  We caught a view of the Meseta ahead.  The Meseta is the name given to the extensive flat plains in central Spain that we had been walking on since leaving Burgos on Day 11.  We quite liked them although there were some sections where you would walk and walk and nothing changed.  Some found this discouraging.  We liked them because they were generally flat and so easy to walk!

So what does it cost to hike the Camino?  In 2010 our budget was roughly 25 Euro/day each.  Typically our refugio cost 8 Euro, dinner and wine 10 Euro, lunch, breakfast, water and snacks, 7 Euro.  This was the average.  Some days were less and some were more. You could do it cheaper if you stayed in religious group run refugios that asked only for a donation.  Some spent more and stayed in private room accommodations. We liked staying in the refugios because you met up with the many people that you had seen on the trail that day.  ATM machines dispensing Euros were available in the cities and larger towns.  A credit card was not useable along the way except in the city.

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Well something happened on this day.  I was raring to go. Marie was still suffering from blisters and needed a break. So in the afternoon, I walked ahead and said I would wait for her at the Canal de Castilla crossing just before Fromista. I enjoyed my solo walk and crossed over the beautiful canal.  I waited about 30 min thinking Marie would be right behind me.  She wasn’t.  I remember asking a man if she had seen her and he answered “Be patient man, she is coming.” I was getting worried as we had come almost 25 km.  I was about to walk back, when there she appeared, all smiles.

She normally carries her crocks dangling from her pack at the back.  Someone informed her that there was only 1 crock hanging and had seen one beside the road, so she had gone back to find it to no avail.  The mystery of the missing crock!  All was well again but Marie’s feet were still in pain.  We checked into the 56 bed municipal Estrella del Camino in Fromista. After the usual shower, nap and laundry I explored the town of 1000 residents a bit.

The next day we set our sights on Carrion de los Condes a town of 2400 some 20 km away.  It was sunny and flat.  Marie needed to take the bus to let her blisters heal.  It was a complicated triangular route.  She would have to take one bus to Palencia and then another to Carrion.  I remember seeing her get on the bus and worrying that we would never see each other again since she spoke no Spanish.

Carrion was home to the beautiful Santa Maria Church.  I realize we have not talked yet about the faith aspect of pilgrimage.  Since the middle ages millions of pilgrims made their way to Santiago de Compostella where the Apostle St. James reputedly visited after the Resurrection of Jesus.  Back then these were usually for moralistic or monastic reasons or as penance for sin.  Many died along the way without the pilgrim services of today.  Gradually the importance of place – e.g., the shrines of saints – to express devotion, receive forgiveness or to collect badges and relics became the reason.  That was a primary motivator for us. There are many churches along the Way of St. James that offer pilgrim Masses and a quiet place to reflect.  We took advantage of these often stopping to enter a church and say a prayer. Too, we did not linger as the perceived “rush for beds” was on every day.  Nevertheless, a good part of our day was reflecting on our faith individually and pausing at the many religious statues to read the inscription.  We felt God was leading us to a new way of living.  We could see the face of God in other pilgrims’ eyes.

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I checked in at the refugio and asked when and where the bus would arrive from Palencia.  At the appointed time I went and sat on the bench by the stop.  Within 5 minutes a bus pulls up and there is Marie again, all smiles.  After that that we visited the church to give thanks.  We then spent a very peaceful night in the 54 bed parochial Santo Espiratu Albergue run by nuns.

Well we finally ran into some rain.  We had had a few sprinkles before but on this day it rained heavily in the morning.  We were prepared.  Marie had a waterproof suit she had acquired in Banff, AB and I had my rain jacket and waterproof rain pants.  In addition we had waterproof covers for our backpacks.  So we made the best of it and stayed pretty dry.  Rain gear is indispensable on the Camino.  We were blessed that we did not have much rain the whole time.

It was a long walk to get out of busy Burgos – it took an hour.  When we got back into the country side it felt really good – like being home again, even in the rain.  We were walking 21 km today to Hornillos del Camino, pop. 100.  The rain did not last long and we were walking in the sun with clouds before long.  Marie’s new pack was lighter and she was pleased with it.

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We staid in the 32 bed albergue pictured above.  It certainly was easy to find. We washed our clothes and put them out to dry but it started raining again. We brought them in next to the fire place.  Some refugios had a laundry sink but many did not.  So daily we washed our clothes usually by placing them on the shower floor and stomping on them while showering with soap suds falling on them.  It works!

This refugio had a canteen where we bought baguette, sardines, peanuts for the next day’s lunch.  They had a café too where we had a pilgrims del dia meal.  Very convenient and rustic.  We met Rafael from Brazil for the first time here – a good looking and popular young man.  He was from San Paulo.  Also Eva from Germany and many other Germans were here.

The next morning we set our sights on Castrojerez, pop. 1000 some 21km away.  It was raining a bit again.  We ran into a muddy trail and it went on for a few km!  We kept laughing thru it all though and found a nice place to stop for café con leche.  The rain stopped or at least let up for awhile.

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We made it to Castrojerez, a lovely little town but had some trouble finding the Alguergue San Esteban, as it wasn’t well marked. We did spend a restful night there and felt rejuvenated in the morning.  Thanks be to God.

We hiked to Villafranca Montes de Oca on Day 8, about a distance of 21 km.  Strangely I do not remember much about this day.  Luckily Marie took notes. We decided to stay in the Hotel San Anton Abad which was a cross between a real hotel and an alberque if we remember correctly.  Here are a few pics from that day.  Crumbling buildings, old monasteries, small churches and cured meat.  It was freezing in our dorm.  A young lady walked in named Ainsley and exclaimed “Holy f**k it’s cold in here. She was from Edmonton and we are still connected on Facebook. We had an interesting dinner.  Dave invited a lady from Milan to join us and she walked out halfway through and left us with her bill.  A few bottles of wine later we had forgotten about the whole incident.

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We got up the next day and set an aggressive goal – Burgos.  However it was some 37 km away so we took a bus.  Next to Pamplona, Burgos was the biggest city we had traversed – 170,000 inhabitants.  Wow we thought, civilization again.

Burgos is an historic and hectic city.  It is home to the Cathedral of St Mary a beautiful gothic structure dating from 1221.  We spent a lot of time looking inside and out.  It was right around the corner from the 110 bed municipal alburgue we stayed in.

We decided to take a break.  Marie’s pack was proving too heavy and cumbersome so we found a store and she bought a new lighter one.  We sent her old pack ahead by post to our hotel in Santiago.  A note on weight. Marie’s loaded pack weighed 14 to 15 lbs and mine was 18 to 19 lbs.  They recommend that your pack weigh less than 10% of your body weight.  Particularly at the start, we saw people with huge packs, hanging fry pans, extra shoes, clothes etc. that they were soon shedding.  We each carried a change of clothes, a pair of flip flops for the evenings, extra socks, a couple of small devotional books, camera and charger, toiletries, rain gear and a warm sweatshirt  I carried both our lightweight sleeping bags and a roll of TP.  That was it.  It was all we needed.

We had a cubby hole to ourselves at the large refugio and I remember the huge pile of boots at the door.  A Danish man came over and asked to borrow our plastic wine glasses.  I remember Kim from S. Korea was there and popped over to say hi. We had a good time in Burgos.

So in Santo Domingo de la Calzada we were about a quarter of the way from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostella.  We had come about 175 km so far.  Before we began this adventure, we were not sure we would be able to complete the long walk.  We discovered that if you get up everyday and put one foot ahead of the other all day long, day after day – it works – the kms really add up!  But it is an ongoing mental challenge.  “Am I going to complete this journey or am I going to quit?” we asked ourselves most days, as did many other pilgrims we presume.  You find out what you are made off and who you really are.  The path is made in walking, the saying goes.  It was OK to ask for help.  And if someone asked you for help, you helped them – it was an honour to be asked.  We were all in it together and had each others’ backs.  A common purpose and goal – not unlike the current Covid-19 pandemic lock down situation.  Barriers between strangers melt away.

Marie’s feet were better so we headed out for Viloria de la Rioja, a distance of about 15 km just east of Belorado.  We were in for a very pleasant surprise that night at the 12 bed privately owned Acacio y Orietta Albergue.

We were the first to arrive.  Acacio and Orietta our hosts were from Brazil.  They were most accommodating.  It had been cool and raining a bit. They invited us to sit by the fire and have a cup of tea.  Acacio was passionate about the Camino, had statistics at his fingertips and could answer any question we posed in at least 3 different languages. After, I dozed off a bit.  When I awoke, another person had arrived and was chatting about their camino.  It was the lady we had seen in Najera and chatted with on the trail a bit. Turns out she was an opera singer from France (or Germany?) and was planning to give a short concert in the cathedral in Santiago when she got there. She was explaining that for her, the Camino was about the journey, not the destination.  She was walking to the beat of her own drum, not following the recommended daily distances etc.  Content to walk on her own, she did not talk for long but had merely stopped in to warm up before trudging off again.  In the days ahead, I remember thinking about what she had said and thinking she was right.  Unfortunately we do not remember her name and did not get a photo. About 6 PM a group of 6 cyclers – all  Spanish young men – checked into the refugio for the night.  So there would be 7 men and Marie all seeping in the same room tonight I thought.  Orvietta with Acacio’s help cooked us a wonderful dinner.  I am sure there was plenty of wine to go around.  We laughed and laughed and laughed the whole evening.  Somehow we could all understand each other, each in his own language.

We had such a good time.  Biking the Camino rather than walking is extremely popular.  There were bikers everywhere but they stuck to the nearby roads rather than the path so it was rare that we would meet.   What a great bunch of guys! Orietta was so nice too!  She took one look at me with my low slung backpack, had me take it off and she cinched up the shoulder straps so it would ride some 4 inches higher.  My pack felt lighter after that.  The next morning they posed for the great photo below.

We said our goodbyes after a great stay and wished each other Buen Camino!  Dave is still connected with Acacio and Orietta through their Facebook page where you can see a photo of the interior of their homey refugio that we will not soon forget.

Perhaps this is a good time to talk about footwear – very important when you are hiking long distance. Marie had a pair of Merrill water proof hikers she wore. They were light weight but not quite high enough to prevent water coming in on occasion. I had a pair of Vasque Breeze water proof hiking boots that I was very happy with. They were taller but heavier and took longer to put on with the long skate like laces. Some people wore simple sneakers. Others wore full hiking boots that were very solid but too heavy. We would frequently see hiking boots discarded that someone had got tired of. Foot care was important. I already mentioned the Vaseline. I wore merino wool socks inside my Vasque’s and had no blisters the whole time – just hot and tired feet. Marie had to content with blisters and find special bandages. A product called “second skin” and foot pads were helpful and generally available in the many pharmacias in the towns along the way. Now we know why feet, sandals and dust is mentioned in the Bible so often. When you walk everywhere, feet are important and must be properly cared for.

We were now about 145 km from our start in Pamplona. After a restful night in Najera, Marie decided to take the bus and rest her blistered feet another day. I was feeling good so decided to walk solo to Santo Domingo de la Calzada – 21 km. We would meet at the refugio. I was a little wary but the bus ride seemed straight forward. So off we set on our own.

Beautiful Rioja

Most of this stage was on wide country tracks passing through remote and generally undulating vineyards and farmland – Rioja. I remember hearing cuckoo birds in the trees along the way but could not spot them for a photo. I made good time, nodding to other pilgrims that I passed. Continuing on, I came into what appeared to be a small deserted town called Ciruena. There were dozens of new houses, a community swimming pool, paved streets and no people. I thought this very strange. Looking at the map now, it turns out that there is a golf course there called the Rioja Alta. So this must have been a golf course development that failed to take off or perhaps it was still early in the season or something. Bizarre and eerie!

Heading out of town the path became gravelly – yellow sandstone I think. I was glad I had on my Vasque’s as I did not feel the lose rocks at all. Suddenly in front of me I see a younger man hobbling slowly. As I come up to him, I see he is wearing flip flops – yes flip flops! I asked him if he was OK. He explained that his feet were so swollen he could not get his hiking boots on that day and was walking painfully in his flip flops. So I slowed down and we walked the remaining 5 km together. His name was Pekka and he was from Bavaria. We talked about the Camino, our working lives, relationships, hobbies, whatever. He told me his town has a much better Octoberfest than Munich and that I should come sometime. His English was very good as was that of all the Germans we met. I enjoyed our conversation and thought nothing of it. We made it to the refugio and checked in. Marie was there and in good spirits. That evening or perhaps in the morning, Pekka came up to me and thanked me for walking with him as it took his mind of his pain. I felt honoured that he so appreciated our time together.

Marie counseled him to stay and go see a doctor about his swollen feet and blisters. So we said our goodbyes for now. Turns out he was a very popular guy, liked to joke and we met many others who knew him. I don’t think we met again but we are still connected on Facebook. A special guy and experience for sure.

I almost forgot to mention the famous miracle that took place in Santo Domingo de la Calzada that involves a rooster and a chicken. The legend goes that in the 14th century, a German 18-year-old named Hugonell, goes on pilgrimage to Santiago with his parents. A Spanish girl at the hostel where they were staying makes sexual advances toward Hugonell; Hugonell rejects her advances. Angry at this, the girl hides a silver cup in the German’s bag and then informs the authorities that the youth had taken it. Hugonell is sentenced to the gallows in accordance with the laws of the time.

The parents sadly decide to examine their son’s body, still hanging on the gallows, but suddenly hear his voice – he tells them that Saint Dominic the founder of Santo Domingo, has saved his life. His parents quickly make their way to Santiago to see the magistrate and tell him. The magistrate, who is at the time eating dinner, remarks: “Your son is as alive as this rooster and chicken that I was feasting on before you interrupted me.” And in that moment, the two birds jump from the plate and begin to sing and crow happily.

You’ll be happy to see I have combined two days into one in these daily recollections! We had been having good weather and Day 5 was no exception. We decided on walking to Viana, a distance of 19 km rather than the 28 km shown as the typical goal in John Brierly’s excellent guidebook.

We made our way to Viana a town of about 3500 and checked into the 54 bed Andres Munoz municipal refugio. We had a semi-private room as I remember and a window that opened up to the sun with a gorgeous view – all for about 8 Euro each, the typical cost of a bed in 2010.

The next day turned out to be colder. So we hiked about 11 km into Logrono – a large city of some 145,000. At that point we decided to take a taxi or bus to Najera, another 29 km ahead. This put us back on Brierley’s ‘recommended pace’. We arrived early and had to wait for the refugio to open. Typically they don’t open until 3 PM. Unless you or sick or something, you can only stay one night. Everyone must vacate by 9 AM so the staff can clean and prepare for the next night.

It was a large dorm style refugio so perhaps we did not sleep all that well. But we were safe and dry and had lots of food and of course some wine as you can see in the bag above.

We were up and at it early before saying our goodbyes to everyone. We were heading for Los Arcos and there would be some climbing today. We had gone about 3 km so it was like 9 AM. We came upon the beautiful Bodegas Irache vinyard. We were wishing it was later in the day because they had to our astonishment a dispenser for pilgrims – red wine and water! I filled my water bottle, my hat, my pockets with wine. Marie was more sensible and filled up more on the water. The rest of our day was going to be a fun one for sure.

By now we were starting to feel the physical strain of the pilgrimage. I remember having to lift my legs one by one with my hands to get into bed at night – they were so weak and tired from the day. And climbing up and down from an upper bunk on the ladder was painful on the feet. Marie had blisters on her feet she had to contend with. To reduce friction, we would apply vaseline to the souls of our feet each morning before dawning our socks. Still, after a good nights sleep (we were getting somewhat immune to the snoring), we would feel healed, energized and ready to go again.

Each day, we would stop at a small corner store and pick up some fruit, bread, cheese, nuts, carrots etc for the following day. In the morning we would have some fruit and Dave would make a sandwich to share for lunch. We would stop for a continental breakfast and later in the early afternoon, have lunch alongside the trail. In the evening, either there would be a communal meal or we would find a restaurant for the menu del dia. This would usually consist of salad or soup, meat and potatoes and a desert – with endless wine included.

The trick with all this is the hours that places are open in Spain are different from home. Corner stores and restaurants were generally closed from 12 to 3 PM and again from 6 to 8 PM. Too often we would arrive to see the “cerado” (pronounced serado) sign in the window – “cerado, cerado, cerado” became our frequent chant. So we adapted and tried to get in early enough to have dinner before the restaurants closed at 6 PM. Otherwise we would have to wait until 8PM, faint with hunger. Language was never a problem. We simply pointed and they brought it. We were eating to fuel our bodies.

We made it to Los Arcos, a town of 1300 residents. We checked into a 48 bed private refugio sponsored by Austria – La Fuente. Freshened up we checked out the local church. Often there were special Masses for pilgrims and we attended a few. The “race for beds” though each day made us not want to linger and then get in too late and potentially be turned away. We never were turned away and never had a reservation anywhere except at our hotel in Santiago for the very end.

We went out to a spiffier restaurant then usual and had a great Italian dinner with friends shown above. We then went shopping for some food at the corner store. Another day done – about 22 km.

Resuming our pilgrimage adventure (only 29 more days to go lol), it was starting to warm up a bit. We hiked for awhile enjoying the fine panoramic views. We stopped in a town called Cirauqui pictured above for café con leche. Our goal today was Estella a distance of 21 km.

Most of the Camino Frances (our route) was generally a well maintained foot path. Occasionally we had to walk along a busy highway but this was rare. There were indeed some steep gravely sections and some wet areas. There were also some old wonderful Roman roads and medieval bridges. Traversing cities could be confusing. It is not a wilderness hike by any means. There are frequent small restaurants, grocery corner stores and a choice of accommodation facilities: refugios (dorms), hostels (private room, no facilities) and hotels (full facilities.)

By now we were getting to know a few fellow pilgrims. You would get to know someone, not see them for a day or two and then run into them again. The most frequent nationalities were Germans, followed by S. Koreans, Brazilians, Americans, Brits, French, Canadians, Italians and gradually more and more locals. We remember also meeting Danes, Austrians, Poles, 2 Irish nurses and a fellow from Russia.

We decided to stay in a smaller parochial refugio in Estella – S. Micuel Arcangel. We had stayed so far in a large municipal one and a privately owned one. This was fun. We all had to help prepare the communal dinner and make a contribution. There was much laughter and sharing of stories. There was group prayer and blessings and we all ate together. It was very moving.

One of the guests had a sad story to tell. His name was Hung from S. Korea. He had misplaced his wallet a few days prior and had no money or ID. His wife back home was scrambling to replace his credit cards and send him some money. He may have lost his passport too. He really missed his wife. What a mess this is when you are in a foreign country! He was staying in the refugio for 2 weeks until everything could be sorted out. He was very sad about this delay and we expressed our sympathy and support. Suddenly at the dinner table he broke out into the song “If you go to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair.” Thinking of this moment now still brings tears to our eyes!!!

We were never to see Hung again as he would be walking 2 weeks behind us now. Such is life on the Camino with its ups (graces) and its downs (misfortunes). Just like in the real world!