mattersofthemoment

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!

We arose early on Day 2. However some people had gotten up in the dark earlier, rummaged around with a light on their head, found their stuff and left before us. I remember it being cool and we needed light gloves. Leaving Cizor Menor, we decided on going to Punte La Raina – about 20 km. Today there would be a steep climb up to Alto del Perdon and then a steep descent.

We likely stopped for breakfast but may have had our own snacks. It soon became the norm for us to get up and walk 5 km or more before stopping for a continental breakfast. We then climbed to Alto del Perdon and surprisingly found some warm coffee at a canteen truck at the top. We then gazed back at Pamplona in the distance as we prepared to descend.

Why were we hiking the Camino de Santiago you probably wonder? Dave had just retired and Marie was a few years into hers. We wanted to bookend our work lives. Carrying what we needed on our backs, not knowing where we would be staying at night and getting physically exhausted every day, was a great segway to freedom. But equally important was spending time together to reflect on our faith, our lives, our relationships. And, we wanted to get closer to God. The Camino de Santiago is a thin place – one where we were more aware of God’s presence in the world and our daily lives. We were seeking a spiritual reawakening and renewal.

We continued through some beautiful farmland and vinyards. We saw some beautiful little churches and chatted with fellow pilgrims, some of whom we recognized from the before. It ended up being another dry and pleasant sunny day.

• 

• 

• 

In the early afternoon we were getting hungry. We trudged into a town called Obanos. As we entered a lady exclaimed to us “Bocadillos. bocadillos!” Great we thought – there is a sandwich place around the corner that she is raving about. (bocadillo is snack or sandwich in Spanish). Continuing, we rounded the corner to see a procession of people following some priests around a church.

When we rounded to the other side of the church, to our amazement, we saw dozens of people congregated around open boxes of bocadillos. And furthermore, they were about to serve red wine, all for free. Needless to say we saw this a one of God’s little blessings on our Camino journey.

Turns out – the Church of San Pablo y Felicia – annually commemorates the Camino mystery of Felicia and her brother Guillén. In the middle ages, Felicia, daughter of the Duke of Aquitane, set out against her family’s wishes on a pilgrimage to Santiago. Seeing misery, poverty and disease all about her, she decided to stay on and help those in need. Her brother Guillen came looking for her to convince her to come home. He was unable to convince her to return. In a fit of rage he killed her with a knife. Feeling much remorse, he prayed to St. James (Santiago) as to what he should do. He decided toobecame a hermit and moved to a hermitage on a hill overlooking Obanos. To this day, this congregation has this annual celebration with food and wine in their honour- and we just happened to arrive there exactly at the right time!!!

More than satisfied, we continued on our way another 4 km and checked into the large Santiago Apostol refugio in Puente La Reina. We had a relaxing evening and called it a day.

It was exactly 10 years ago today that we embarked on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. In the photo above we are all smiles. Right after it was taken, I realized I had forgotten my Tilley hat on the train lol.

It was a Holy Year – July 25, the Feast of St. James fell on a Sunday. This meant it would be more crowded than other years and that there was the possibility of gaining a Plenary Indulgence. The next Holy Year isn’t until 2021, an 11 year gap. We had been in training for months, read everything we could find and been to a workshop or two to prepare. Still we were green and not sure what to expect.

After taking a trans-Atlantic cruise to Barcelona and then a train to Pamplona, we decided to start here. We could have gone on to St Jean Pied de Port, France to start but it was complicated to get there. We walked only about 10 km that first day as far as a place called Cizur Menor. It was cool and dry.

We checked into the Albergue pictured above but forgot to get our pilgrim passports stamped. While we were checking in, an American man was making enquiries about how to send some stuff back home that was ot needed and too heavy to carry. His name was Richard and we got to know him well.

After showering and a short nap (de rigour as we were quite tired) we headed out for a short walk to find something to eat as we had not been invited to the group meal depicted above. We immediately met a friendly lady from South Korea who answered all our questions and made us feel most welcome on our first night. Dave is connected with her on Facebook.

We found a restaurant right across the street and enjoyed the 3 course pilgrim meal including all the wine we could drink for 10 only Euro each. Very reasonable. We then retired to our bunk beds in the open room refugio dorm and slept as well as might be expected given some very loud snoring. We later met and befriended the loud snorer named Kim who several people were talking about in the morning.

All in all we felt quite exhilarated and satisfied after our first day. So far so good.

It has been quite a season down here. Up until about March 1 everything was as usual – fun in the sun, family visit, great friends, good food, yoga and golf. Then we started to hear about the Corona virus. You know the rest – and we all have no idea where this will go next or when it will end.

We are safely home now two weeks early and glad off it. The declaration of the Global International Travel Advisory by Canada on March 13 triggered a 10 day clause in our travel insurance policy. Our coverage would be terminated on March 23. I won’t go into the mad scramble this caused as we all started searching for earlier flights home. Thank you Air Canada for enabling us to make the necessary arrangements on line – without the need to talk to an agent as phone queues were 24 hrs or more! However the price went up, up and up.

We are both fine, laying low and self-isolating indefinitely now. Thanks for your support, prayers and understanding. We are all journeying together during this pandemic. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Stay well!

A few pic highlights from our season until we meet again.

Update March 30 day 8. We are feeling fine. We are now officially “quarantined” until Apr 6 as the government upgraded its instructions to anyone returning from international travel within the past 14 days. Means we cannot go for walks or drives anymore. Indoor pacing will have to do. Can still go out in the backyard for fresh air. Stay healthy!

We have been home safely in Canada for a week now and in self-isolation. During our last week in Nuevo Vallarta we were self-isolating as were many others. It was quite easy to do there and not an imposition. Here are some pics of this. Enjoy your self-isolation too and stay healthy.

Update March 31. Received word from our next door neighbour in Nuevo Vallarta about the closure of Dreams Villamagna Hotel until June 1, the building of a wall along the beach front (hopefully temporary!) and how trying their return to Toronto was on March 21 at the PV airport. Click here for the story about similar chaos at the Cancun airport for Canadians trying to get home. Really feel for the laid off staff as many have little or no savings and there is little their government can do for them.

Marie in her research heard about this place, so we decided to go to San Pancho for the music festival. San Francisco, referred to as San Pancho by locals, is a sleepy little beach town about an hour north of our place here in Nuevo Vallarta.

We took an Uber to the Bucerias highway bus stop and then caught the Compostella bus to Sayulita Beach, the so called surf capital of Nayarit. We were dropped off downtown at the bus station and then walked down the busy street a few blocks to the beach. Wow, lot’s of surf, young surfers, not so young surfers, hotels, bars, restaurants, etc. Very nice but a bit on the busy side. After visiting the yummy outdoor food market, we took an Uber from there to San Pancho for $75MX ($6CDN).

San Pancho bills itself as the cultural capital of Nayarit. We were immediately impressed with its sleepiness and quiet streets. The beach has even bigger waves than Sayulita which can be somewhat dangerous with rip tides. White surf was everywhere and absolutely gorgeous sand with very few buildings around. We had time for some Pacifico before checking into the Pal.Mar boutique hotel. Our small room right beside the lobby was perfect. We relaxed in the pool a bit, sipping some more Pacificos – after all we are on the Pacific Ocean.

About 5PM, we wandered a block over to the Plaza do Sul where the (free) music festival took place. There were hundreds of smiling faces of all ages ready for a good time. We saw half a dozen talented bands from rock, to flamengo, to classical, jazz and finally traditional Mexican.

We sampled the delicious food – paella and tamales – yum. A few glasses of wine later we were ‎most satisfied. After carrot cake and coffee we called it a night – a great one for sure.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Even the dogs here are happy and calm! They wander freely with their master everywhere and never act territorily. Kids are everywhere playing as their parents operate small shops. The hotel was absolutely superb – German owned – everything worked well and was in mint condition.

Only complaint – roosters calling out all night long in the street. We figure they were happy too.‎ We are coming back next year for sure but it’s a secret, don’t spread the word.

We went on a delightful outing for lunch at the Ocean Grill restaurant in Boca de Tomatlan, a sleepy little fishing village. The map above shows the routing. We took 3 buses to get there taking about 2.5 hours. You may recall last year we had an aborted outing there as they closed the restaurant due to high waves after we had taken all those buses, lol.

It was a perfect day – unusually calm and warm sun. We arrived in Boca and met our friends Judy, Bruce and Lisa. Dozens of pelicans were dive bombing for lunch as we enjoyed a Pacifico. Then we boarded a small open motor boat for a short ride around the point to the iconic restaurant.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As we approached the restaurant built solidly on stilts over the water and clinging to a steep hill, we knew we were in a for a good time. We climbed out of the boat and headed up the stairway. We were greeted by a huge friendly dog named Wilson who then promptly went back to sleep.

We were there for the 1 PM seating and the place was already full. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I decided to order a Mexcal cocktail. Mezcal is an iconic Mexican liquor made from a special kind of agave plant that grows in the southern state of Oaxaca. It has a very rich flavour. I enjoyed it and the fruit and seasoned salt lining the rim.

Our appetizers arrived and suddenly a strong tenor voice broke out. A man who had ridden the boat with us was visiting from Argentina and sang his heart out to much appreciation and applause. This is a class place and we were having a great time.

But the fun was just beginning. I noticed that they had pulpo (octopus) on the menu and it was their signature dish. While the others enjoyed delicious ribs, shrimp, beef, I went for the pulpo. It has a delicate taste like mild filet mignon and is not at all rubbery. I ate the whole thing tentacles and all and survived!

We were relaxing after the great lunch when the tenor came over to serenade Lisa. Before calling it a day, we took a group photo and went for a quick swim at the beach.

It was indeed a delightful outing, probably one of the nicest places we have ever been period. Highly recommend the Ocean Grill for lunch if you are ever down this way. Thanks Judy, Bruce and Lisa for another great day! Happy Valentine’s day everyone.