Tag: Camino

Well that was a real over reaction. The 17 klicks turned out to be a non event. The young Spanish entrepreneur set of coffee stands in very strategic locations, about every 8 kilometers, so the 17 kilometer hike was not bad. We covered it off in about 3 hours. The German group are still with us and a lot of fun. Claudia, one of the german ladies is a bit intense. We call her the Camino Nazi. Last night we had dinner together and I related the Seinfeld episode about the soup nazi. No Soup For You, and then I realized what I had said and it went over like a hindenburg zeppelin. Not good. John, stop putting you foot in your mouth.

There they are and they are still smiling at me. The soup nazi front and centre.
The walk was uneventful. 5 th day on the Maseta. Flat, flat,flat but cool and finally walking was pleasant. We covered off 27 kilometers. I think I might have made a wrong turn somewhere.

We arrived in Carrion of the Lost Condom late afternoon. We stayed at a monastery. After buying some flip flops, we had to attend a round table on The Way and tell the other folk as to why we are doing the Camino.. It was interesting and very emotional for many who attended. For most doing the Camino related to some personal tragedy.  A death, depression, lost opportunity, not knowing what to do etc. I talked around the end. So, why am I doing the Camino? Well, for those that know me they know that I love to walk. Walking puts one at peace with one self, with nature and with the world in general. Walking provides an oppotunity to reflect on the past, immerse oneself in the present and peer into the future. With nature it gives you a sense of peace, well being and a sense of belonging in the natural world around you. Added to that you can enjoy the culture,history, architecture, art, people, food, wine and ambience. I felt that way when I did the French walk and now the Spanish way. It is the same sense of intellectual passion and expression and that is why I am doing the Camino.

One can read too much into the Camino. I feel that they are promoting the Camino as something that it is not. After all it is just a trail, a path, a route not unlike many others out there such as the Appalachian trail, the Bruce Peninsula trail or the many others. That is my take on it.

But at the end of the day, sitting there in the garden with a cold beer and reflecting on the days slog one can only smile at the day,s grind. All is right with the world. Life is good and    even moreso with good family and friends.

Luv ya Dot. Happy birthday.

Cheers.

No internet. This is being done via my cell phone plan.

Two tomorrow. Sorry.

Big day tomorrow for my wife. 13 September.

26 klicks today. Started out with a mind blowing hill. A wakeup call. Wow. It was tough. But we did it. Jerry has this system we follow. We walk 100 paces, stop, take 10 or 20 seconds break, look around and then start again.

That is me at the top of a 300 metre hill climb this mornin.

Castrojimiz was interesting. Spread out in a linear pattern at the bottom of a really tall hill. At the top were the ruins of a medieval castle of the time of El  Cid. Views for miles around. The town was also known as a retirement place for Spanish Dukes and Counts or the lower classes of Spanish Royalty. It also has a nunnery that was established in the fourteenth century. Turns out the nuns were not fanatical enough so the local bishop closed it down and kicked the nuns out. It subsequently turned adeinto a cemetery, jail, and now ruins. Great history here. As a history buff how I love this country.

We are in out third day in the Maseta, an area flat, barren and hot. No shade.  Turns out many pilgrims pass on this area and take a bus to avoid it. Me? I love it. It reminds me of our vast prairie and being on the Navy all my life it brings me back to the big sky, vast horizons and broad landscapes. Love it.El Saskatchewandido Spain.

What really bugs one here is that the distances are out of whack. There are real world kilometers and then there are Camino kilometers. Today we walked for 3 hours to arrive at the first village. It said we did 9 kilometers whereas Jerry,s gps said we did 13 kilometers. It is a real demotivator.

Made it to Formista.  Hot, hot hot. They have a canal here with locks.

HOLA

Brenda from Oregon (right) and Margaret from Munich. HOLA.

 

 

 

 

The walk from Beldorado to Villafranco was very boring and very flat. So at Villafranca myself, Jerry and about 20 other pilgrims decided to take the bus to Burgos. After all, this is not an endurance test, nor a race. It is not fun either thus far. What with 4 days of deluges of biblical proportions that even Noah would shy away from interspersed with blistering heat, wet clothes and shoes caked in muddy clay, this has not been a walk in the park. Next week promises to be cooler. We will see.

So in that boring vein I decided to repeat a post from August.

Someone asked me once what was the pilgrim life was like.  Well…..

Pilgrims can be anybody. They come from all walks of life. Judges, retired Naval Officers, mad French mathematicians, flying Dutchmen, crazy Germans and others.  Pilgrims show up en masse at Pilgrim starting places like Vezelay France or St Jean Pied de Port. Now Pilgrims are not allowed to swear,not allowed to have money, although most of them arrive via first class air or high speed trains. No,no, no. Pilgrims can only suffer.

And because Pilgrims have no money, they have no alarm clocks with them. No matter as most Pilgrim hostels are beside churches. And churches have church bells that go off at 6 am every morning. Precise. It is god,s clock so they have to be. The first time I experienced this it was frightening. You see, I had broken the second and third major Pilgrim rule in that I was having fun the night before at a singsong with some wine. You see, Pilgrims are not allowed to have fun (2nd rule) nor are they allowed to drink (3rd rule). No, Pilgrims are only allowed to suffer. So you can imagine how distraught I was when those bells went off. I jumped out of bed and thought my head  was exploding when those bells went off. Alas it was only the bells and not my head. Then again a severe red wine hangover would fit right in with the Pilgrim,s code of conduct….major pain.

At that moment all of the Pilgrims have one thing on their mind…toilet. And you probably thought those walking sticks were for walking. No,no, no. They are for fending off the other pilgrims while running to the toilet in order to be the first one in there.

Then tbe Pilgrim goes and has breakfast. Gruel actually because the 4 th rule of a Pilgrim is that you cannot enjoy food. You have to suffer so our gruel has the texture and look of metamucil, or…..well, you get the disgusting picture. After gruel and cold stale coffee the Pilgrim has a choice. He can start his daily walking grind or he / she can attend Pilgrim classes. There is: “How to be a Pilgrim 101;” Lessons in Self Flagellation; “ “ The Pilgrim,s Handshake” and of course one of my favourites in “ How to meet and greet other Pilgrims – the secret code word.” And for this one time only I am going to tell you what it is: ” Bon Compostelle.” But if you forget it you can always say: “ Pass the Pasta.” That will work as well. Which reminds me of the Pilgrim cook book – an absolute must for the proper, discerning Pilgrim – “100 ways to cook pasta” also known as, and I love this part, “ Pasta and the Pilgrim,s Life.” I know, I know, a real classic best seller.

So what does a Pilgrim wear. Anything really. Modern or traditional. The traditional Pilgrims have those earth tone coloured robes made of homespun wool. Itchy as hell…ooops sorry for swearing…They have these long hemp belts for a tight or loose fitting fit. Now you never want to be behind one of these pilgrims as they tend to roll up the hems to their waist as they are goiing up a steep hill such that…like a true Scott…their bare asses are stairing right back at you. Not a pretty site. Oh, and those long hemp belts? Well, one tine I saw one of these Pilgrims cut a small piece of hemp and then roll it up in paper and smoke it. Bad, sacriligious, blasphemy and a cardinal rule of the Pilgrim.  You must….you must pass it around.

 

Thats all for today.

Burgos tomorrow. The birthplace of El
Cid.

 

 

 

Left early enough. Loved Santo Domingo. Awe inspiring church, cloisters and monasteries. Stonework is amazing. Seems like they use a mixture of grey or taupe coloured granite and sandstone. It is beautiful. I have said this many times that whether you are a believer or not, Christianity has given civilization a multitude of awesome architecture, impressive art,music and literature. I am a believer and when I see this I am bewildered.

But modernity is here side by side with the old. They compliment each other. Domingo is old but it is a modern city too. One feels a sense of contentment walking the narrow streets. Love it.

Meet my new friends from Brazil enjoying a paella lunch washed down with Sangria. Paella is a rice based dish. Add shrimp (big) chunks of whatever and voila…delicious.

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Oh and  siesta time is near. Everything shuts down for a few hours before reopening a few hours later. Then out to have a meal, wine perhaps or a beer. The Spanish have their evening meal late,usually starting around 7pm. Highly civilized. Golly how I love this country.

One can sense a major change coming as the horizons get bigger, landscapes broader, drier with rolling hills. Harvest is in hence a dull,yellow and dustier look and feel to the ground.

Belorado is but a small farming village of no real repute except for its respite from the daily slog. 20 clicks done today. Enough. Albergues beckon.