Tag: Camino

04 September: Navarette to Azofra

Did 24 klicks today. Started out cool and that was great for the first few hours. Normally civil twighlight at the beginning with about 30 minutes before sunrise. You can see ok but buildings and streets are still in the shadows. City lights soon come off and the day begins.

Weird that the start of this walking began with a long climb. About a kilometer uphill. The landscape then flattened out into lush green rolling vinyards as far as the eye can see. The grapes seem to be like concords but they’re probably not.

A glass of wine here costs 1 euro 50. Gosh I love this country. The day progressed across undulating landscape with barren, brown coloured Mesas. The sky is broad but cloudy with the sun obscured by haziness. Thank goodness as the temp is about 30 C today but we cannot really feel its full brunt as there is a constant breeze blowing. It is heavenly. A real gift for us.


Group of Canadians wiped out on their bicycles. Jerry helped the woman with no thxs to us. They just carried on. Why???

Speaking of people, most of the pilgrims keep to themselves. No socializing at night particularly the Americans, Canadians, and Scandinavians. Elderly like me and Jerry socialize well enough and talk to everyone we meet. The older people respond and chat, while the younger ones just stick to their ipads and iphones. Sad. That is the state of the younger generations. No social skills at all. Luckily not all of them.

Pedro and Marisa from Argentina.

Katarina from Switzerland.. our two french sweethearts. French Bulldogs cause they just keep going and going.

Martina and Nolina from Bourges France. Of course some lighter moments too.

The last 5 kilometers were brutal. 32 C. Wind died and very hot. We made it though. I had to cool off. Our current Albergue.

Pool was only 2 feet deep and very cold. I did not care.

Read ya tomorrow.

 

03 September: Viana to Navarette

Why dear lord, tell me why that every town, village and hamlet here is built on a high hill. At the end of the day when your legs are burning, sweat is pouring out of every single pore of your body, you are dying for a cold one you have to navigate up a very steep hill to get to your quarters.

”Why dear lord, why?”

” Because I can” I thought I heard an inner voice say to me. “Remenber John my son, I am lord and you’re not.”

I left it at that.

Viana last night was very cool. They have a custom here called “Kintos” where they have a celebration with the young men and women of the village of coming of “drinking age.” Can you believe it? What a country. I just had to see this….and I did… and I had to participate:

Hola!

We started the day in…more rain. Have to move on though so we cranked through 22 k but decided to stop because every thing is wet and that is not good. Jerry and I stopped at a park just outside of Logrono,a major city in this part of Spain, to change our clothes for drier ones but to no avail because our drier clothes are damp. Press on:


We arrived at our Albergue around 1330. Tired but Jerry and I went to a cafe for a cold one and chatted with two women from the Netherlands. One was named Marijke, the same name as my late wife. That was weird but she and her walking partner were very nice. Glass of wine cost 1 euro 50 cent – about 2.75 Cdn. Wow. What a country.

Marijke is on the right. From Den Haug.

read ya tomorrow and……..HOLA!

 

 

29 August: Zubiri to Pamplona q

Better day today. No rain but steep hills. Right off the bat we had a steep climb but we are still in the Spanish Pyrenees s that is to be expected. We passed through some small quaint villages as well. Stopped for our morning coffee and bun. Not as nice as the French bread with chocolate but ok.  The countryside here when you can see it is spectacular. Houses scattered about will nilly it seems on the hills, clean sparkling white walls of concrete, maybe stucco with red tiled roofs and matching shutters that actually work like shutter should. The hills and the landscapes are amazingly green and lush. God’s natural pallette of various shades of green.we also walked past the Argo river ( go Argos go),a river in Spain that was actually named after the Toronto Argos. I kid you not.

yGetting to Pamplona was a stretch. Again the sign posts seem out of whack or my walking partner Gerry is out to lunch. He thinks in miles while I think in kilometer. We reach the outskirts of Pamplona and he tells me we have a mile to our hostel, but after walking one hour it is nowhere to be seen. In  fact showing up after a very long walk, This can be extremely frustrating when you are tired and hungry, your legs are screaming with lactid acid and you are thirsty for a cold beer. Finally we arrive at our hostel to sleep with 250 of our closest friends. Some scenery:

My walking partnër Gerry from northern Ireland. Good guy and he likes beer and he laughs at my stupid jokes. He also helped me a great deäl during yesterdays brutal walk in the monsoon.

Hi there.

Pamplona is a beautiful city. Our hostel is located in the centre of a walled town, over a thousand years old. Unbelievable history. They have had the Romans here, the muslims, catholic, facsists and now democracy. But they have thrown off the yoke of catholicism for a more secular society.You can say whatever but catholocism and protestantism  has given the world fantastic architecture, music, art and literature.

A local church.

Tapas

Dot eat your heart Dot.

They have the running of the bulls here during St Fermin  day festival in July. Earnest Hemingway made that event famous with his first novel The Sun  Rises. They have a bar here named after him.kinda empty. Perhaps they are looking for some bulls.

That is all. Read ya larer.

Oh yeah and someone stole my poncho in Zubiri. Bien Camino!

Shakeyjay.

 

 

 

28 August: Roncesvalles to Zubiri

One word to describe today: Brutal

It was 21 km of pure tortúre. It rained like a monsoon all day long. The rain gear and poncho coverage was like a sieve. Soaked through to the bone. On top of that the terrain resembled a surface of loose rocks, granite crevices , and gooey mud. I fell many times. And on top of that there were many hills. One hill went up about 4 kilometers. The down hill parts were equally treacherous. And on top of that and that and that the kilometer markings were off. That is the worst part as you see a sign that says Zubiri 4.9km. after walking for an hour you would expect to arrive only to read Zubiri 3.9 km. Brutal. I was piss……ed.s of people doing this. Buen Comino. Are you kidding me ?

And speaking of the Camino. Why doing this? They would ask. Well I dont really know. Religious? Physical?  Dont know. What can I say that wouldn’t up set  people. I don,t know. It is as simple as that.

One woman whom  I met during dinner last night told me she broke off with her boyfriend, lost her job and was evicted from her apartment. So that is why she doing the Camino . Wow I thought. Many people do this for various reason’s, it is an existential issue. Really?

Really.? Yes really. I would have thought many other thoughts about this but I would be labelled  according to whatever perceived injury. Just a thought. I thought.

All the best.

Happy anniversary Dot. Two years of undetected crime.it has been great.

Oh and it is raining.

John.

27 August: Lourdes to Roncesvalles Spain

What a day. No sleep last night. Tossed and turned all night. Probably worried about my train connection after my Dutch fiasco. No worries though as I made it fine. Except for the weather. Believe it or not it is 8 C here in Roncesvalles, high winds and pouring rain. In fact it has been raining now for 4 days. And it is a hard rain, and wet and cold.

“Come to Spain” they said.

“You will love it” they said.

“ I came, I saw and I am drenched….” I said.

I feel like this guy.

Lourdes was very nice. Beautiful in fact. But they do have homeless there. But they are more refined I think. Take this guy. He was hanging outside the train station. He was listening to some tunes on his iPhone and doing yoga. He was prepping himself before heading out to rip people off. Oh well.


The trip down from Lourdes was uneventful. When the sun did shine the countryside was beautiful. Green and very lush. Small towns and villages were nestled among the rolling hills of the Pyrenees. A beautiful part of  France. But somewhat affluent. In other areas of France buildings and houses appear dirty, old and tired. But not here. Clean and refined with a Spanish influence. This is also Basque country. Fiercely independent. Freedom signs dot the landscape on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.

I arrived safely in Roncesvalles but very tired. I am sitting  in a cafe (bar) writing this. Spanish beer is very sweet. But good. I haven’t met a beer yet that wasn,t. And I need the carbs. That is my excuse anyway.

I bet you didn’t know that Roncesvalles has a storied past. When Charlemaigne came from Aachen Germany to kick moorish butt in Spain he promised the locals in Pamplona that he wouldn,t damage the ramparts. He lied. So the Spanish residents were angry and they attacked Charlamaigne,s rearguard when he was leaving Spain via the Ronceau pass. The locals attacked him at Roncesvalles. Charlies’s fav general, Roland, was killed and he is buried here. Check out the song of Roland. It is famous. Now all of this occurred in 778 ad. Interesting? You bet.

So I am here now with 280 other pilgrims. I am not sure I am going to like this. Too many people. And we all emit that green hueish aura that comes with being a pilgrim. Yes we stink. But when everyone stinks nobody stinks. Ah, the life of a pilgrim. Try it and come to Spain….I said.

Read ya tomorrow.

Shakeyjay is out.