My Camino (pt. 4)

On the road to Santiago we walked past many vineyards and olive groves.

The olives were different from the ones we get here. They were so good I couldn't stop eating them. The wine was really inexpensive. I don't drink, but it was interesting to see how readily available it was. Beer was sold in vending machines. Sometimes as cheap as 50 cents a can.

This is a statue that told us how far we had come and how far we had to go. You couldn't depend on them being correct, but they did give you a rough idea.

Buen Camino is a common greeting used between pilgrims. It means good walk. You are saying to your fellow pilgrims that you hope they have a good journey.

In the center of every town is a church. As we walked through the towns we would many times go into the church. They were old and beautiful. Some were large and some were small, but every one of them was amazing.

Another mile marker.

A picturesque scene on the side of the road.

 

There is a mountain called O'Cebreiro. It's one of the last really high mountains. I saw this sign while I was walking.

I rented a horse.

His name was blackberry in English. I can't remember what his Spanish name was.

It rained on us and was very foggy at times. The path was extremely rocky and muddy. We passed many pilgrims that I had met along the way and they would shout and wave.

 

It took 2 hours and was the best 34 euros I ever spent.

To be continued... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Camino (pt. 3)...

I celebrated my 59th birthday on the Camino. Friends we met the first night cooked spaghetti and we

 had a "party".

They gave me a shell for my present with their names on it. It was a really nice gesture. One of them met me as I was coming into town and carried my backpack the rest of the way. Believe it or not carrying my backpack was the best present I could have received.

I ate mostly frozen pizzas, oranges, and yogurt. When I eat tuna I have to doctor it with lots of  Miracle Whip and apples, so the first time I was given tuna salad I thought I would pick the tuna out and just eat the salad. I was shocked. The tuna was delicious! I ate it every chance I got after that. When I got home my husband looked it up and turns out they eat a different kind of tuna than we do in the United States. We tried to find it, but decided they don't sell it here.

   This stand was on a hill in the middle of nowhere. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. You took what you wanted and left a donation.

The "Iron Cross" one of the highlights of the walk. You are supposed to bring a small rock from home and leave it at the foot of the cross. Supposedly you are leaving your troubles behind.

 More examples of the pathways.

Miles and miles of roads to walk.

Coming into town. The wisteria was beautiful.

This flower was really gorgeous, but I never found out what it was called.

To be continued...

My Camino (pt. 2)...

The reasons people choose to walk the Camino de Santiago are as varied as the nearly two hundred and fifty thousand souls that walk it each year. Some walk it for spiritual reasons, some walk it for adventure, to prove to themselves they can do it, etc. I think my reasons were a combination these. Most people's reasons are personal and different from the rest. Everyone has to walk their own Camino and the other pilgrims along the way understand this. Some people ask why. I never asked anyone why. Their reasons were their reasons. I felt it was an intrusion to ask.
I am not and never have been athletic. I'm out of shape to say the least, but once I committed I knew I would complete it. I would recommend the walk to anyone who would ask if it was worth it. My advice would be to walk as much as possible before attempting it. The stress on my body was severe. I didn't realize how severe until I returned home. I'm actually still recovering, but feel that I'm almost back to myself. Here are a few more pictures.

 This is the street the walk begins on. The sign on the left is a store that sells Camino gear. I bought my Altus rain poncho here. Across the street is the Official Office where you sign up to walk, get your Pilgrim's Passport (the one the stamps go in), and a shell (the symbol of the Camino) to tie on your backpack. It was raining the day we arrived and continued to rain as we started our walk.

This is an example of the many water fountains along the way where you could fill your water bottles. If the water wasn't potable there would be a sign telling you that. The water was excellent.

This is a Monastery we spent the night at. It was beautiful inside. There was a bridge over running water that we walked over to get to it.

This is one of the symbols to watch for as you walk. This sea shell along with yellow arrows mark the way and let you know you have not strayed from the path. If you haven't seen one of these symbols in awhile then it's time to stop, get your map out, and assess the situation.

An example of the concrete markers that point the way.

Example of another source of water. Wine came out of one spigot and water came out the other.

The roads were long and winding and sometimes took us through tunnels, over bridges, up and down hills and mountains, but always to our destinations.

Notice the yellow arrows.

At home I had 70 second graders following my path and rooting me on.

Knowing that these sweet kids were following me kept me going.

The terrain could be very rough.

A place for pilgrim's to take a short break.



More pictures to come.

To Be Continued...

My Camino...

On March 12th, 2015 my brother and I boarded a plane in Dallas, Texas bound for Paris. We had decided on April 8th, 2014 that we were going to walk the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. I started preparing for my journey that same evening. I began walking almost daily around town or on the treadmill. I bought the best hiking boots I could find, acquired the perfect backpack, and filled it with what I thought to be essential items. Keeping in mind that everything I packed I would be carrying on my back. I researched, researched, and researched. When the day came to leave I was as prepared as I was going to be. I knew it would be the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. I was not fooling myself. Realistically, I knew that determination was the only thing I truly had going for me.

We got off the plane in Paris and took a taxi to the train station. We rode the train to Bayonne, France and then a bus to St. Jean Pied de Port, France, where our journey would begin. We arrived in St. Jean on March 13th and started our walk the morning of the 14th. We walked 7 miles the first day.

We started in the very corner of France and quickly made our way into Spain. At first 7-8 miles was a huge undertaking. Muscles and joints you never knew you had became the only thing you could think about. After the first few days we were walking 9-10 miles per day. As days turned into weeks we found ourselves walking 10 and 12 miles per day and by the end it was 12, 14, 15, and even 16 miles per day. My muscles eventually stopped hurting, but were replaced with blisters. On the 16th day I developed a blister on the ball of my right foot and then on my left foot. I had to bandaged it and keep going. I'm going to show a picture of one of the blisters. I know it's not something you care to see, but I don't think, when I say blister, that you can really grasp the magnitude of it. I had one on both feet.

This picture is after I got back home and it was nearly well.

I don't really know how to describe it. Spain is beautiful, the people were exceptional, the walk was everything I thought it would be. We encountered rain, snow, sleet, and sunshine. The paths that we walked on were always different. They went from rough to smooth to jagged to paved to everything in between. I fell more than once, but only hurt myself twice. I wound up with two scars on my right elbow, a black eye, three damaged toenails, and some gray hair. I didn't start out with gray hair, but the stress on my body was so great that I literally have noticeably gray hair now. I allowed myself to become dehydrated a few times. The last time was severe and after that I was very careful.

 Our maps would show the type of terrain we would be encountering each day and many times it would show it to be flat, but no matter what the map said there was always hills to climb.

At night we stayed in Municipal Alburgues or Hostels. You had to get a stamp at each place you spent the night to prove you were walking. If you weren't walking you weren't allowed to stay in the Alburgues, At the end of the walk you had to show your booklet full of stamps in order to get your Compostella. An Alburgue is a room full of bunk beds that are occupied by men and women. A Compostella is the certificate you receive for completing the walk.

 

Tomorrow night I will put some more pictures up and explain a little more about the walk. From start to finish I walked 546 miles. Beginning in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and ending at the Cathedral in Santiago, Spain.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

 



Off The Grid For A While...

I've been under the weather lately, but so have a lot of other people. I went to the doctor and he gave me a shot. I feel much better, but the drainage and coughing seem to keep lingering on and on. Hubby has it worse than I do. His has been going on since September 12th. He started getting it the day we left on a trip, that's how I know the exact date. He is going back to the doctor tomorrow, maybe this time it will help.

I'm getting ready to leave for the Camino de Santiago. I won't be able to post until I return, but will post as soon as I can. I may be able to read and comment. I haven't been able to figure out how to post pictures from the I-phone or the I-pad. Sure wish I could. Hubby isn't going on the Camino he is staying home to take care of critters.

Just wanted to touch base and say that I would be off-the-grid for a while. Hope everyone has a great and blessed week.

Wordless Wednesday...

Have a great rest of the week!

What's Off The Needles...

Here's a scarf I knitted for my granddaughter. She is a Harry Potter fan. You can make it any color you choose. It's very simple. I used a 16" circular size 8 needle. Cast on 70. Place marker and join in the round. Work in the stockinette stitch (knit all stitches) 7inches wide and 70 inches long without fringe, or as long as you want it.

 

 

I was taking it to her today, but seem to be under the weather a bit, so it will have to wait.

 

Have a great evening!