Coming down to earth!

It seems strangely ironic to be writing this post just before boarding a plane bound for the antipodes, home! It is hard to believe that just over three weeks ago we walked into Saint Jean Pied-de-Port after finishing the via Podiensis part of the Camino Frances, 750.8 kilometres, and ten days later we walked into Santiago de Compostela having completed 120 kilometres, the Sanabres way, Ourense to Santiago. Hard to believe because now that we’ve been resting and touring, it seems a lifetime ago. A lifetime ago because the rest of the world is catching up with us or is it the other way round?

The last three weeks has given me the opportunity to integrate the recent experiences and try to make sense of some of the conflicting emotions evoked by the Camino coming to an end. In many ways one tends to expect fireworks… a huge relief, a release of emotions and celebrations of sorts after days and days of walking in heat, rain and mud… Whether we were exhausted or sick we were underwhelmed to say the least! Saint Jean Pied-de-Port had changed. We walked through the old gates almost mobbed by day trippers, took a selfie, then asked a teenager to take a photo for us and in the spirit of wanting to share our achievement, we headed to the pilgrims office. It was bigger and busier than we remembered and mainly an exchange of information… pilgrims just starting off, eager to know what was ahead… very much in need of assuaging their fears and insecurities. There was no sign or recognition afforded, proffered to the pilgrims who had completed the via Podiensis. Still searching to share our news with someone else, our next port of call was our accommodation… too early so we settled on a drink and a snack in a near by bar. Both bar and accomodation turned out to be very commercial ventures! They were interested in offering us the required services but no more. For me it was a rude awakening! I reflected on this for a while and realized the toll Covid has had all over the world… claiming all sorts of ventures as victims and changing profoundly both ventures and people that have survived. Our quaint hotel of six years earlier run by mother and daughter seemed to have become a rooming house, our accommodation was a set of rooms with noone in attendance bar a phone number, the restaurants sub-par, offering fairly ordinary food. This greeted us after weeks of individual attention by owners of gites who virtually shared their homes and lives with us!

While on Camino our focus was and needed to be getting through the day, meeting and overcoming any challenges we encountered… personal, physical, mental and the outside challenges beyond our control like weather, terrain and other people. The majority of people, despite the language barrier were all of the same mind, facing similar challenges and more often than not ready to give help and receive it. The hosts too were great believers in the worth of the walk, the pilgrimage. Each day yielded rewards and challenges. At the end of each day you recounted the day’s experiences, reflected on them and shared with other pilgrims.

Arrival… the finish line…

I’ve heard it said that when you finish walking the Camino, it’s not the end but the start… not sure what that means, but during the last few days I have felt a mixture of conflicting emotions.  On the one hand, lots of excitement at the prospect of finally getting to the end of a mammoth journey (according to my fitbit 1000 kilometres plus,  the official distance of the two Caminos is about 870 kilometres, either way we’ve been walking for almost eight weeks!), on the other hand I feel a certain kind of sadness at having to return to ordinary life!

Ordinary, everyday life kind of starts to impinge on the tranquility of the Camino paths as soon as you approach a city … the noise of the traffic; cars, trucks, tractors, motorbikes … then as you enter the city you meet the busy-ness of people, their workday life and their trade. While you are still walking, this is just a phase, a small moment … when you reach your finishing point, it dawns on you that this is returning to your normal life. The busy-ness, the noise, are all going to become part of your reality,  and somehow you wish you could hold back the tide.

I’ve also heard it said that the Camino is meant to shift you out of your old habits, sometimes jolting you out of them. Once again, I’m not too sure about this either… but I do know from experience that you tend to see things differently. For me, the Camino changes my perspective… my surroundings,  the people in my life and what is truly important. This thought stays with me through both sets of conflicting emotions long after finishing a Camino.

These and thoughts of people, nearest and dearest to my heart, were constantly with me as we approached Santiago. The weather was kind, not too hot, but a little on the humid side, so somewhat uncomfortable. The track criss crossed the highway but had enough tree lined avenues and short cuts through tiny hamlets to keep us happy. Our excitement grew as we neared the old city and caught the first glimpse of the cathedral towers, then waned as we started to mingle with the throng of people that is Santiago… pilgrims,  tourists, restaurantors, vendors, beggars, performers… and suddenly you feel insignificant,  a drop in the ocean … at a loss as to what to do next? A photo of course, sharing with loved ones … the pilgrim office or church? … we opted for the church and after being told to go to the end of the queue, were told that our backpacks were too big and we cannot enter the church … lockers are located at the opposite end … disappointedly we walk away and head for the pilgrim’s office … quick service, but alas they could not give us a distance certificate combining both Caminos 😢! No matter, we thought, time for a celebratory drink or two! … and then to the practical … accommodation,  food, souvenirs…

Everywhere, there are pilgrims like us, excited, tearfully overcome with the emotion of having arrived … and lost … looking for accomodation, a place to eat, a place to rest … Many flop down in the piazza, lean against a wall, or lie down on the cobblestones letting it all sink in! Later on, they will be at a table, drinking and eating and waving excitedly at the new arrivals. Tomorrow they will buy souvenirs and make their way home via bus, train or plane.

penultimate day…

Today started with one of the best breakfasts we’ve had while walking this Camino… thick slices of freshly toasted bread, freshly squeezed orange juice, yogurt,  croissants, a platter of jamon and cheese, and melon. Condiments … butter, jams and pureed tomato which you could spread on your bread. Our hosts were attentive to our every need, asking from time to time if everything was alright and if we needed any more of anything. Our stay at this Quinta was also one of the best… we were made to feel very welcome, part of the family … with mum, dad and hostess each spending time with us. We were even sent off with a complimentary picnic lunch … we needed to eat as we were walking so much.

Like previous mornings the fog surrounded us giving trees, houses, animals and people a ghostly appearance. It was so thick in places we could almost lose each other. The sun though was quite hot and soon the fog had all but disappeared giving way to a glorious summer day. Intense blue sky, searing, scorching, blinding light reflecting off white stone paths and concrete buildings followed by dark, leafy, tree-lined paths. Our steps a little lighter and faster at the prospect of being so near the end.

Each corner, each marker brought the kilometres down. And, almost subconsciously we slowed down, stopped a little more often to take another photo. All three of us wanted these moments to last a little bit longer… and at the same time can’t wait for tomorrow when we walk into Santiago.

Camino people

Number one.. lanky couple, the lady donned a black rain jacket, had thick, long, tight curly hair and black framed glass. I’ve seen them on and off for the last week, always hurrying off, always with their collar turned up against the wind and the rain…

We met the Portuguese trio three days ago at our accommodation. One gentleman and two ladies walking to Santiago from Orense with the support of their own car. They would drive and park the car leaving their luggage there, walk for the day, then call a taxi, drive back to collect the car and luggage and repeat for the next day. They are our age, all three from Porto, all speak English, they shared their muesli bars with us, the gentleman offered to shop for us if we had a need. Each day that we see them it’s like seeing an old friend, surprised and happy to see each other. One of the ladies has not been feeling well and spent the night in hospital on a drip… I hope she is all right!

The Australian couple, Bev and Robert from Sydney… a couple of race horses… they have been walking La Via de la Plata and can’t wait to finish… 30+ kilometre days with very little support. We shared lots of Camino stories over a bottle of wine.

Today we met a Belgian who started from Antwerp 1st March. He has been walking a very long time and is looking forward to meeting up with his son.

Also today a Canadian lady who has recently walked the Santiago to Finisterre route.. apparently uninteresting, Finisterre to Muxia was more interesting… on this stretch she has met very few pilgrims.

Three middle aged men have been staying at the same places so we see them in the afternoon, the dinner and breakfast… I’m guessing perhaps German.. they spoke a little English and seemed to find the going tough!

Two ladies, both German, one of which had driven around Australia stood out for their joviality.

Mother and son… were also German and were over the moon collecting stamps for their “credentials”.

The smoker that passed us this morning is an anomaly… it cannot be “doing it tough” as you stroll forward, smoking and staff in hand making his way towards Santiago. Are we all like that? Somehow trying to expiate our sins!

Then there are the bar tenders and wait staff, hostel, hotel, albergue hosts who greet us with open smiles… “tell me what do you want? drink, food, toilet… stamp?” These seem to replace the open church and chapel where you could walk in, sit for a while, maybe praying and getting a stamp… We have not found even one open chapel/ church this entire week!

Another closed Church.

Misty mornings

Both of the last two mornings have started with a mist over the landscape and dew laden grasses in fields along our paths. There has been both the promise of a fine day after the mist is burned off and the treat of rain as clouds, white, black and in-between are blown across the sky.

On both days we have had our wet weather gear ready at hand, just in case we get rain… so far we’ve put it on and taken it off about three times… better safe than sorry. The cloud cover and the frequent tree covered paths has made for easy walking, though not without the usual challenges of water, mud, uneven rocks and steady uphills! The walking was made even more pleasant by the closeness of towns where we could stop for a coffee and a bite to eat.

Still tired after walking 17 kilometres, still needing to rest in the afternoon, still looking forward to a drink and later, dinner.

Sunday in Galicia

Perfect start to a perfect day, but it is Galicia and though the rain did not fall from the sky, there was plenty of water underfoot!

Paths seemed to be creek or riverbeds as water trickled down any slope it could find. Some paths had stone slabs down the middle as the water was too high for pilgrims to continue their journey. The excess water is also responsible for the abundance of green everywhere… ferns, moss, small and big trees … also good for shade.

The day neatly divided itself into two, before and after the monastery at Oseiro, with a big break for lunch. But even before it started we were blessed with a café being open early Sunday morning…(three kilometres from our accommodation), not only serving good coffee but they also prepared sandwiches for us…(our emergency supply) and the owner was Italian! Outside the cafe and in the square people were busy creating designs with flower petals and beautifying the streets… big Fiesta was on the cards, Corpus Christi… and just to prove the point, a number of loud, deafening bangs split the air… we jumped a mile… they were testing the fireworks!

The proper walking soon got underway an alternating sequence of tree lined paths, roman looking stone paths, both ascending and descending, sandy paths and bitumen. The walking was easy as we joked and talked and stopped to take photos. By 12.00 we were at  the monastery… mass was finishing, then followed a small procession and then we were given a guided tour of the monastery.  An hour later we were ready for lunch and probably a snooze… but we needed to reach our next destination.

The afternoon as you can imagine was challenging because of the same challenges that the morning had thrown at us with the added handicap of full stomachs (we just wanted to sleep), the increase in heat and humidity, and the steeper climbs and descents.

We stopped at 5pm and resume the walk tomorrow… 73 kilometres to go!                       All three of us very happy with the day but even more with our drinks and amazing meal the locals have prepared for us. People are truly amazing.

Mist, rain … we are in Galicia

Six years ago, while on Camino on Spain, I heard people saying “if it’s raining, you must be in Galicia”. Well, here we are… it’s raining and we are in Galicia walking with Daniel to Santiago de Compostela.

Bill and I left Saint Jean Pied-de-Port three days ago. It took two days of travel, cross the border into Spain and then travel across northern Spain to Ourense, one rest day in Ourense and then we started to walk, today. It was raining when we arrived(11pm), it rained all day yesterday, and today as soon as we set foot on the pavement… it started to rain! Luckily it did not last long.

We headed out of the wet, sleepy city and crossed the old Roman Bridge and immediately started climbing, again! This time though we are in Spain and we are hopeful of open cafes with coffee and food! 3kms from the city centre we found a lovely bar serving croissants, chocolate croissants, tortilla and coffee. We were set, fully caffenaited and hunger sated, we continued the climb, steep in parts but manageable. We passed small towns with little churches, closed of course, gardens, vegetable plots, fruit trees, grape vines and then open road and patches of forests. It was the green, wet Galicia that we remembered.

The few pilgrims we met were quite focused on their finish line. Some have been walking from Seville, some 1000 kilometres away. Others, the cyclists, went by in a blur merrily wishing us a Buen Camino.

The day had its challenges and we managed to meet them. Please arrived at our lodgings early afternoon. We met a trio from Porto and later a couple from Sydney. We shared some stories,and some wine ready to do it all again tomorrow.

tying up loose ends

June 5, 2023

Today we walked into Saint Jean Pied-de-Port. We started walking forty-three days ago, April 24. We have had four rest days. On average we walked 20 kilometres per day, (official distance is 750.8 kilometres between Le Puy en Velay and Saint Jean), but our bodies and our fitbit would tell another story…

GR65, Via Podiensis, Le Puy en Velay to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port 750.8 kms.

The day started promisingly enough after a very restful sleep in another almost regal suite. Breakfast included riz au lait, brioche, croissants, freshly baked bread, home made confiture, coffee, yoghurt, juice and fresh fruit. As we were some distance out of town, our host drove us to the GR65 and we were on our way… shortish last day which we planned to enjoy thoroughly.

The air was fresh, though the sun was already a little too hot for comfort at 8 am. Fortunately the paths alternated between shade and full sun at regular intervals, enough for us to reap the benefits of the cool breeze. At times, when we had to cross the unshaded parts, it seemed that we were shadow-hopping. Overall, the heat made the day more challenging than we had anticipated. However regular stops, seeing familiar faces along the way, re-uniting with Camino friends and encouraging each other onwards, saw us reach Saint Jean in the early afternoon.

We seemed to have walked into some sort of welcoming committee, but no, it was a bus group on tour listening to a history of the gates and fortifications. For them, we seemed to be a curiosity… old pilgrims coming in… We stopped, determined to have our own record of our arrival, we asked them take a photo for us with our cameras, then we took a selfie. Finally, we got someone else to take our photo, just in case the others weren’t good enough. Were we excited? I think so. We had grins on our faces from ear to ear! We had made it! We were in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port! Pilgrims everywhere, walking poles tap, tapping away along the cobblestones, making their way and lining up outside the Pilgrims Office. There were pilgrims arriving in both directions, coming and going. Pilgrims just starting and getting Credentials or those like us, arriving from the Le Puy direction needing their Credentials stamped. Backpacks on backs or leaning against walls, in doors and shopfronts, a must for anyone in the town! And the most curious thing of all, a tourist train in the main street, full of curious daytrippers… all waving at us!

Our first stop in fact was the Church. We were so thankful to have made it! Even with an hour to go, we were so hot, tired and I was feeling unwell that we wondered if we needed a car for the last 4 kilometres! Slowly, step by step we had made it and we would be able to rest for a few days before rounding off our Camino by walking the last 120 kilometres from Ourense, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, with our son Daniel. Another blessing, another gift to be savoured amongst the many we have received so far.

While St Jean PdP has changed (more tourists), nevertheless it still has a spiritual side. One of the most memorable gifts, or should I say blessings are the people with whom we have shared the journey. Both on foot and in spirit. The moment we walked into SJPDP, we asked each other: with whom do we share our news? A quick photo and off we sent it to our closest and dearest. In the next few minutes we were pinching ourselves, making sure that it was real, but also scanning faces for that moment of recognition… yes we had made it…over those hills, the muddy quagmires, the slippery, almost vertical, cliff-faces and embankments, the sharp descents, the long ascents under a blaring sun, the pauses for snacks, lunches and cooling our feet, the sharing of information and the wonder of all that surrounded us at every turn… flowers, birds, butterflies, frogs, forests, valleys and hilltops. We marveled in awe and saw each other struggle and overcome our own limitations. That moment of recognition between pilgrims says it all… we made it despite the hardship.

Six years ago, April 22, 2017 we arrived in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port full of excitement and trepidation. We explored the town, visited the Pilgrim Office, the Church and the tourism office. We were gathering as much information as possible in order to be prepared for that impossible climb to Orrisson and then up and over to Roncesvalles and eventually to Santiago de Compostela, 799 kilometres away. At the time, and even now, it seems like an unreachable target! June 1, 2017 we walked into Santiago! That makes it a total of 1550 kilometres (my, probably inaccurated calculations…1515 kilometres according to some other source). So one could say we completed the circle, or should I say, tied up the two loose ends at Saint Jean Pied-de-Port.

The whole way!

… a couple of thoughts

Last night before we reach Saint Jean Pied de Port and it is bitter sweet. Many of the friends we have made along the way have either gone further and passed us by a day or two, or they have returned to their daily life and will return next year. Some have taken Varients, alternate routes and are a few days behind us. Nevertheless, we have met up with Richard again and we have met a Canadian and an American couple. We have also met a German couple whom we see from time to time… they will go on to Pamplona. We are all longing for the finish but also don’t want the experience to end.

The day started sweet and serene, morning dew freshness and birds singing happily. The morning mist added a special magic to the whole landscape. The plan, like other days, was to get as many kilometres as possible behind us before the heat and beat the now regular afternoon thunderstorm (which has actually come at night). Today though, had the added challenge of alternative tracks so we had to be extra vigilant not to take the wrong turn! A wrong turn would mean extra kilometres and higher, steeper climbs! Luckily we managed, we almost took the wrong track, once and we were tricked by a Gite sign momentarily.

Being the second last day we wanted to enjoy it as much as possible though distance, heat and the never ending climbs took all our energy… the day ended as it started… a car ride (our accommodation has been out of town and off the track) we lapped up every moment of being pampered.

endings … new beginnings

The kilometres are coming down. Two days to go, 700+ kilometres covered and about 50 kilometres more to cover. I would like to write something profound, but nothing comes to mind. We are both feeling tired… the heat that increases hour by hour each morning and intensifies when we walk on bitumen or along concrete walls; the climbs in and out of towns sap our energy.

We start each morning refreshed from our night’s sleep. For about two hours we relish the fresh air, the  changing scenery and the birdsong. By the third hour we start checking for our morning break… How much further?… Will there be coffee? … Will there be tables and  chairs? As we walk we see fellow pilgrims from previous days or as recently as breakfast. We are all eager to get to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, but we are also sad because this will be another occasion to say goodbye.  Some will end here and start up again in a following year to complete the entire Frances Camino. Some will go on to Roncesvalles, Pamplona or Burgos. Some may even go all the way to Santiago… Bill and I will enjoy a rest day, then make our way to Ourense in Spain (by train), 120 kilometres from Santiago and walk another seven days with our son, Daniel. By the end, we will have walked 870 kilometres! Even I can’t believe it.

At the moment we are enjoying the road, even the excruciating uphills! We actually count our steps (100) to get us up, or we aim for the first or second bit of shade; then we stop, take in the scenery, take a few extra breaths, especially if there is a bit of a breeze, and we get going again for the next 100 steps! We marvel at the difference in temperature when we step into a wooded area, tunnel-like, dark and smelling of moss, fern and mint. Here, the birds, frogs and butterflies are more active… present, but hard to spot. We revel in the coolness and linger a while. Then, back into the blinding sunshine, the asphalt, the occasional tractor and car, the colourful wildflowers by the roadside,  another climb, another 100 steps, stop, breathe, feel the trickles of sweat run down the sides of our nose and then drop off onto our clothes. The sweat is as salty as sea water, so we remember to take another drink… we stop again, take a sip of water, look into the distance ahead and behind.

We notice the intense blue sky, the billowy, white clouds… we wonder whether it will rain and when… and we keep going… we’ve spied another bunch of trees which may offer some shade and respite from the heat… and as we set off yet again… a gift, a coolish, gentle breeze to help us on our way.