Penultimate day on the road…

The theme today seemed to be mixed feelings… glad it is almost over and time to rejoin the family or life left in suspension for a while or sadness that the end has come. What is it that we are losing? What is it that we will miss?

It certainly won’t be the 6:00 am alarm, the dry breakfast of toast or cakes with the cafè americano con leche, the cold wet mornings or the hot, never ending afternoons with always 5 more kilometres to go, the steep climbs and even more steep descents, the shingle, the slate, the rocks the pebbles that seemed to make your feet go every which way, the cafès with long cues to the bar and even longer cues to the bathrooms which inevitably had run out of paper, the packing each morning and unpacking each afternoon or evening, the peeling off socks after a day on the road and hoping there would not be a blister, the morning ritual of checking for red/hot spots on your feet and taping them so they would not get blisters, the sore knee or hip joint at the 13 kilometre mark which told you it was time to stop…

Maybe it is the ever changing beautiful scenery upon which we have feasted each day at each bend in the road or at the top of each hill/mountain we have climbed, or the unbidden “buen camino” from locals and fellow pilgrims alike, the eagles, hawks that have hovered and flown effortlessly above us, the birdsong that has errupted after each rainfall, the earie misty fog of the last three days, the hospitality of all our hosts, the food nd drink we habe been served, the pilgrims with whom we have broken bread and shared stories, the time for silence, the time for relection…

Giving and receiving

Forty days ago we started walking from a very picturesque French town. We did not know what we were letting ourselves into. We had been dreaming and planning for a long time and we hoped the preparation would see us through.

The journey ahead was daunting in length, duration and difficulty. One of the best ideas we had was to stock up on chocolate! Great idea, great excuse to indulge and not feel guilty because we would be walking it off covering all those kilometers and it would give us an energy boost!

The chocolate became more important in other ways. We would offer it to fellow pilgrims who had stopped near us, their faces opening and brightening up at the mere thought that someone would offer them chocolate. Some politely declined, others taking a square and then accepting a second one. Each time though, it became the icebreaker, a way to talk to other pilgrims, share some of the joys and some of the difficulties. It was also a way of being identified as the couple who offered us chocolate, or the “map me” man, or the weather man as Bill used some of these opportunities to offer tips or knowledge of the road ahead and what the next day may hold. The sharing of the chocolate was an invitation to share time together perhaps at a deeper level than mere travelling companions.

We found over the course of the journey that we were being invited in the same way. Help, in the way of sustenance and assistance were being proffered and we were placed in the position of accepting or declining. 

In either case an openness was required. An openness to let the other in, acknowledge one’s weakness and accept help. On the Camino this has seemed easy as everyone has the same destination, everyone experiences difficulty, everyone needs encouragement, everyone can use a helping hand, everyone can empathize… the reasons for the journey or how we choose to complete it is almost irrelevant. We acknowledge each other’s presence, efforts and acheivements and delight in all that is around us.

People we have met

Raw travel fellow travellers:  Andy from Brisbane is a day ahead of us, powers ahead on the uphill, Annette from NT is skipping the Meseta as she has limitted time, Stephen from Sydney made it to Burgos and has made other plans, Allan and Linda from Warnambool are still with us, fairly fit, get away early, finish early and generally have a good look around the town where we stay the night.

Korean couple we met on our fist few days, almost up ended him when sharing a seat, I stood up and the plank of wood shot up and he went down…

The Japanese girl in need of water on the second day

The Irish ladies who talked and talked, it seemed to give them more energy, the more they talked the more they walked

The Italian family who seemed to barge in at every cafè

The german group tackling one section a year and who took over the breakfast room and every cafè btween the town with the cliffs and Burgos

Marsha and Steve from Maine with whom we’ve had a number of conversations both on the road, in cafès and accomodation

Dorothy and Mike from Ontario who are booking accomodation as they go and for whom it is becoming quite stressful

Two English women with whom we have shared chocolate and who keep passing us on the road (one had to return home as her brother had taken a turn for the worst)

The Danish couple we met at dinner in Boadilla

New Yorkers, mother and daughter with whom we shared meals amd a magical walk in the foggy morning mist to rejoin the Camino and who dubbed us “our hero Camino couple”

The Italians from the 150 strong group who joined the pilgrimage at Sarria

The two Italian ladies from Bologna which we lost track of in Sarria

The Latvian lady who knew all about the Latvians in Australia and who told us that the original Crocodile Dundee was actually Latvian

The other Canadian couple who kept passing us and who led the cheer when we made it up the stairs in Sarria

The two French ladies who seemed to be going on a leisurely stroll down the Champs Elyse, stopping to have a picnic now amd then and who still managed to pass us

The Dutch father and son completing a section as a Christmas present… and many, many more.

The Taiwanese movie director, met, lost and met at the end.

Shell shocked (unintended pun)

Second day out of Sarria and together with fellow pilgrims from Saint Jean we were trying to figure out what was different about this section of the Camino as opposed to previous sections. We came to the conclusion that it was the incredible number of pilgrims on the road… we were feeling shell shocked (Bill pun, scallop shell being the symbol of the Camino)

we all started with a largish group (we had it on good authority) that about 250 were leaving Saint Jean every day the week after we left… We saw some on the road as they caught up and passed us, but we were evenly spaced out and often you saw only a handful of fellow pilgrims at any one stage. After Sarria the numbers swelled so much that there are ques at the bars, both for service and the servicios (we adopted the tactic of going to the second or third one so we can get served and use the bathroom without the long wait). Now, at the narrow pathways you get traffic jams, pilgrims seem to jostle to overtake the slow walkers and become impatient when others stop mid stride to take photos.

We all do the Camino our own way… some have limited time, or poor health so the small sections suit them best, others just want a taste then tour the country. No matter everyone has the same objective, get to Santiago!

On the way, we have all the wonderful scenery and the people, we don’t want it to end, though our bones and our muscles are telling us we have done more than was ever expected!!!

The pilgrims gather…

The exit from Sarria was anything but quite and an 8 am breakfast made sure of it. As we left our accomodation groups of pilgrims were finishing off breakfast and taking snaps before they set off on the final leg of the Camino. Whether they just joined the Camino or they have started at other points along the journey it does not really matter. Everyone has 113 kms to walk to Santiago de Compostella. Everyone has their own reason. Everyone has their own way of completing the journey.

There is a distict divide between those who have been walking for 30 plus days and those with fresh legs… the seasoned walkers have a steady, unhurried pace and seek solitude and silence, they occasionally stop to stretch, look behind to see where they have come from, look into the distance trying to estimate how much longer before the heavens open up and whether they will make it to shelter in time or put up with another drenching…the newbies are all full of energy and full of their previous life, still in a hurry to get to the next point, still gossiping about work, friends or…; they are loud, pushy, self absorbed and far too fast…

Yet, we are all seekers of something. Each of us here walking, doing things we could not imagine possible. 

One of the many pilgrim blessings we have received here in Spain mentions God guiding our steps towards Santiago but it also adds that whatever graces, lessons received accompany us back to our homes.

One of the questions going round my head and which we share with other pilgrims … what happens at the end? We complain about the aches and pains, but we now don’t want it to end. The feeling is bitter sweet. 

Will we feel at a loose end? Yes we all have plans… but can anything be the same?

Tormentos… word of the day (thunderstorms – friday)

Thunderstorms were the order of the day, lightning, rolling black clouds, heavy rain, light rain, sunshine, claps of thunder echoing between the mountains. We should have been miserable, especially as people kept passing us, almost jogging past and we had not put on our wet weather gear at the beginning of the day.

A loud thunder clap and a heavy downpour saw us scrambling for jacket and pants and backpack cover.

And then, each little bend in the road revealed a new surprise and we could hardly contain our excitement, our joy, our happiness, stopping frequently to take yet another photo, wildflowers, slugs, ferns, trees, tumble down cottages and chapels, churches, mountains, villages, cows… the light gave everything a new look and we took delight at each and everyone of them, sometimes, I fear at the annoiance of those who wanted to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

We adopted a Finnish lady’s philosophy and continued to enjoy the surroundings and the experience at our own pace.

TThis did not prepare us for the brusque manner with which we were dealt at our accomodation. It seemed we were an annoyance much like the heavy rain… we had better put up or shut up was the feeling. At first we were just glad for a clean, dry, warm place to stay, but we felt like pawns being shunted from one place to another. We had been looking forward to using the advertised laundry facility and found out it was a laundry service for a fee,  there was no lounge nor garden in which to relax… just four walls and no window for air… not happy!

The saga has a slightly happy ending as we got an early breakfast (it helps us get to our destination by lunch time) and we found out that fellow Raw Travel pilgrims felt the same way. They had discovered that the town was run by one operator who then sub-let to others in the town… and of course one other couple got the royal treatment, sort of 1.5 kms out of town, beautiful house but no dinner! You can’t have it all … the beauty that surrounds us cancels everything else out.

Sarria (saturday)

Sarria has been one of those goals along the way, a marker, another acheivement. This is where the majority of pilgrims start their journey; just over 100 kilometres to Santiago.

Many years ago, when I started dreaming about the Camino, it was just that, a dream. When we actually put our travel plans in place; airfares paid, accomodation booked, it was still a dream, becoming more and more real as our departure day approached and our starting date made its way towards us, we knew we could make the walk but didn’t quite believe it!

Approximately 700 kilometres later, we can hardly believe we have actually walked it! Step by step, ache by ache, hot shower after hot shower, endless taping of feet and toes, linement and other remedies.

Now, what seemed impossible is possible and we can say only 100 kilometres to go!!!

We pray that we have the strength and perserverance for the rest of the journey. God only knows, we have had plenty of encouragement from locals, fellow pilgrims, friends and family and of course each other. Most of all I have felt the hand of God all around.

New and old(wednesday)

Restarting after a day’s rest has always been a little difficult as you expect to eat up the road with renewed vigour, but you end up fatigued in a matter of hours…

Today’s efforts were made slightly easier after a chance meeting (at dinner) with three people from previous weeks; a couple from Maine and a lady from London who lived in NY for a few years. Great people, with a good sense of humour and a fair number of stories. We caught up with them, shared our recent experiences and jokingly said we would be meeting on the road.

The morning was bright and brisk and we made good time. We wanted to cover as much ground as possible before the heat, and of course we meet up with the couple from Maine and shared a portion of the walk with them. We also met up with a Canadian woman from Ontario who had just started the walk and shared part of the walk and more stories. Usually the talk is about each other’s homeland etc but it inevitably makes its way to the Camino, the experience, the expectations, the preparation or lack there of… and why? or today’s question what led you to do the Camino. 

The answer seems to change everytime you try to articulate it. Maybe it becomes tempered by each challenge we have met, or how we have responded to these challenges. All I know is that it has become obvious to me that I really don’t know why and that it doesn’t really matter. The experience has gifted me with wonderful company, beauty unbounded and a sense of walking in God’s presence.

A little heavy I know and yet the knowledge is somewhat liberating.

The climb…(thursday)

We had heard story after story about the difficulty and challenge this climb was going to present and were so apprehensive that we made sure we had the phone number of a taxi, just in case it might be too much for us. We had also made sure our bags were light weight and that we would start as early as we could so we would climb in the coolness of the morning and face the descent in the afternoon.

As we have learnt from experience, nothing is what it seems… projected distances and guide’s accounts especially:

• The climb was difficult but certainly do-able
• Yes, we kept climbing for the first 7 kms, but also for the rest of the day
• 13 kms turned into 20 km

Luckily, the weather was kind and we enjoyed magnificent views. We entered Galicia and like clockwork the clouds gathered and gave us a little sprinkling.

At this stage of the walk, many who started with us are either one or two days ahead of us and many of the pilgrims have just started or started a few days after us. Either way, there are many new faces, accents and habits to get used to.

I am constantly surprised by people’s stories; the pilgrims from northern NSW, the lycra clad Gaston types who have to finish before everyone else… faster, better, stronger, bigger???, the Irish lady who had lived in Melbourne and was doing the Camino in 2 week stages each year (she has one stage to go), the American tourist who comes back year after year to enjoy all the quaint towns of the Camino but who bags its religious aspects and those who walk it, the school group who are walking the Camino and learning Spanish, the Dutch man who got 10 days of the Camino as a Christmas gift from his son (both walking), the rude (all nationalities) who insist on speaking their own language and who get upset about the service or lack of it, the French couple who walked for 11 hours in bad weather because they had lost their way and many, many others.

More and more the Camino reflects our lives… the ups and downs, the walking together and the walking alone, the good days and the bad days, the chatter and the silence, the meeting and overcoming of challenges and the failure to meet the challenges…

The journey continues, the stories, the legends, the places, the history, the people are all important, however the more important thing is the searching… everyone is looking for something and the Camino provides the backdrop… the space away from our everyday life, the natural sounds and sights and the physical challenges often absent from modern westernised lives.

Last rest day

The excitement is palpable. Everyone on the Camino can smell the finish line, and yet there are 200 kilometres or so in front of us… the weather is unseasonally hot with thunderstorms being forecast. Most of the walking needs to be completed before lunch… but we all get caught; either because of pre-booked accomodation or the need for accomodation when everyone else needs it.

Today we explored Villafranca del Bierzo; quaint, fascinating township that lives mainly off the pilgrim trade. One of the three sites visited was open and that was enough, then a very long lunch in the plaza and observed the people going by. Locals returning from the market shopping and pilgrims coming in for a drink, lunch but principally to sit and take boots and socks off. After hours of walking they kind of peel off; a good airing and rub will see most pilgrims through, others have blisters which no amount of airing or rubbing will fix.

At this stage, we recognize and are recognized by a number of fellow pilgrims. Some with whom we’ve shared stories, accomodation or meals and most certainly the road. Striking up a conversation has become easier and easier, even with the language barrier as the shared experience can be seen in each other’s gait and glance. Where there had been hesitation in approaching other pilgrims at the beginning of our journey (especially amongst English speakers, perhaps out of respect for privacy or cultural differences) there is now a familiarity… we are all in this together, we are all suffering the heat or the rain or the cold, our backs, legs, calf muscles and feet are worse for wear and we all want to get to Santiago!

Bill and I are making the most of our last rest day, taking full advantage of siesta time as we have a long stage ahead. We plan each day making sure that we are sensible and pace ourselves… the proverbial tortoise and the hare… except that these tortoises plan to get to their destination rather than win the race.