Stage 11- Villa Franca to Burgos

The original Greek word for enthusiasm meant "to be filled with God."  When we are "filled with God", we tend to lead on purpose.
- Richard Leider

Stage 11 was an extra long day for me as I completed 38.3 km, 23.8 miles, and 51,067 steps walking from Villa Franca to the city of Burgos.  A good portion of the initial 12.8 km involved a fairly steep climb, and then heading back down into a beautiful plateau.  During the middle of the walk, much of the terrain involved navigating around large rocks and and cobblestones that are not very kind to the feet.  I managed to acquire two new blisters which really affected my progress today.  The one on my right foot near my heel was especially troublesome.  I'll put a compeed (medicated bandage) on that one before continuing tomorrow.  We had chilly weather most of the day with occasional breezes as well.  It didn't turn warm until about 2 in the afternoon.  By that time, I was beginning my last stretch, which included about 15 km on pavement through small villages and the city of Burgos.  

We finally arrived into our hostal in Burgos around 7pm.  Today marked the last full day that I'll be hiking with Lauralee from Ottawa.  We met up with a number of her friends in Burgos.  We all had a nice dinner together in a restaurant next to our hostal.  We'll walk as a group for a bit tomorrow.  One person in our group is Lloyd, an 82 year old man from Thunder Bay, Canada.  Lloyd has already done some other stretches of the Camino during his trip, and he is excited to be walking again tomorrow.  I'll walk with this group for about half the day on Wednesday, and then continue on so I can make progress towards Santiago.  Tomorrow, I begin a 3 day stretch on the Meseta, a relatively flat, shadeless, 66km stretch across a seemingly endless stretch of crop fields.  I think I'll be going thru a lot of sunscreen tomorrow!! 

Here are some pics from this stage.

Lights out.

Stage 10- Granon to Villafranca

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” 

- E.B. White

Today was my 10th day of walking on the Camino, and I'm beginning to feel more like a veteran as each day goes by.  My body still aches, especially my feet, but I do feel like I'm adapting to the physical demands of this long walk.  Everybody out here has some type of ache or pain, and it sort of bonds us all together.  There is a lot of talk about foot care, blisters, and how to keep yourself going through these long days on the trail.  Today, I covered 17.3 miles, 27.7 km, and 37,889 steps.  It was a fine day to walk with cool temps in the high 50's.  We made our way through mountain meadows, grasslands, and quaint little villages.  Spain is such a beautiful country.

 I've met so many fine people along the way, and one of them is Lauralee.  She has been a great companion to have on the Camino, and we've traveled at the same pace over the last 6 days on the trail.  We encourage each other along the way, and share about our life experiences, family, and friends back home.  She is such a kind, intelligent, and open minded person.  Lauralee will be meeting up with some friends in Burgos in a few days, and I'll be picking up my pace, so Wednesday will likely be the last day that I'll be walking with her.

Enjoy the pics from stages 9 & 10.

Lights out.

Stage 9- Najera to Granon

"Information does not change behavior.  Practices do."
 - Richard Leider

My journey today on the Camino took me from Najera to Granon.  I traveled 17.4 miles, 28 km, and 38,563 steps.  It was another beautiful day for walking with sunny skies, cool breezes, and comfortable temperatures in the mid 60's.  It did rain for a bit later in the day, about the last 15 minutes of my walk as I approached the town of Granon. 

After a restful night of sleep in a nice hostal in Najera, I headed out with my Canadian friend Lauralee for the journey to Granon.  We headed in the wrong direction out of the city of Najera, and nearly got attacked by a large dog trying to jump a fence just outside the city center.  We failed to notice the wrong turn, and were alerted by a taxi driver about 1km away.  He gave us some directions (in broken English) about how to reconnect with the Camino, and we headed out a country road in hopes of linking back up with the trail.  At first, it didn't seem too promising, but we ultimately linked back up with the Camino about 2 miles out of town...so no harm was done!!

I grabbed one of my usual breakfasts about 8km out of Najera.  A normal breakfast for me on the Camino is freshly squeezed orange juice, a banana, a cafe con leche, and an egg/potato tortilla, (which looks like a piece of pie). 

In Granon, I stayed in a donativa for the first time.  This means that there is no set amount to pay.  You pay what you think the dinner and night of lodging should be worth.  Upon arriving at the donativa, I was led up to the third floor of the  building.  There were bunks everywhere, but on the walls it seemed.  The decor was a mix between a Halloween haunted house and the Adams Family residence.  I picked a bunk by the steps and realized this was really going to be an experience for the ages.  There were about 20-25 of us staying there and only one restroom.  There were Finns, Canadians, South Africans, Americans, Australians, Brits, Scots, Romanians, Germans, and probably other nationalities that I'm inadvertently leaving out.  We actually had a decent dinner of pasta, chilli, salad, vegetables, and bread.  I didn't end up sleeping very well due to the ringing of the church bells every half hour, and the freezing temperatures in the house.  It seemed as if everybody in the house was coughing this morning from all the dust, etc... in the structure.  To top it all off, one man in the room to the left of me claimed to have a Poltergeist type of experience during the night.  Something or some being kept removing the blanket from his feet during the night, and he was totally convinced of it!!   So let me ask you, how much would you pay for this experience?

Lights out.


 

Stage 8- LoGrono to Najera

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, and far enough ahead to motivate them."
- John Maxwell

During stage 8 of the Camino, I walked 28.9 km, 18 miles, and 40, 186 steps.  The terrain was relatively flat today, and the weather was mostly cool with some scattered showers in the afternoon.  Much of the walk today was along a path adjacent to an interstate.  I had a great stay at a hostal for 30 euros, and it was so nice to have a hot shower and get a good nights sleep.  I really struggled with doing 3 long days in a row, but I was able to find the energy and strength to make it.  In order to make it to Santiago by the 17th of June, I'm going to have to increase my daily progress by about 8 km per day.  Hopefully, my body (especially my feet) will be able to endure the additional load.

Enjoy the pics.

Lights out.

Stage 7- Los Arcos to Lo Grono

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4

During stage 7 of the Camino, I traveled 17.3 miles, 27.8 km, and 38,677 steps from Los Arcos to Lo Grono.  The weather was cool in the morning and hot and dry again in the afternoon.  The landscape in this region of the Camino reminded me of the Italian country side, and also the dry arid regions of Southern California.  There was a lot of climbing on this day, which made for some really tough walking, but also some extremely rewarding views. 

 Most of the day, I hiked with Laura Lee from Canada.  I also walked and chatted with Cathy, an empty nester from Dallas/Ft. Worth.  She had wanted to do the Camino for about 10 years, but waited for her daughters to head off to college before she decided give it a go.  I also met Linda, a volunteer on the Trail who is from San Diego.  Linda seemed to be an expert on almost anything Camino related, and she clearly has a passion for the Camino and this region of Spain.  Linda has walked part of the Camino Frances before, and also walked many other routes of the Camino throughout her adult life.  I also met Mark when I  arrived at the alburgue late in the afternoon.  Mark is originally from Michigan, but moved to Wyoming about 7 years ago to work in the oil and gas industry.  Since things have slowed down there, he decided to give the Camino a try before embarking on a new career.  In his words, he told me he was on the Camino because of a "movie choice."  He had rented "The Way" several years ago and that had impacted him in a very profound way.  The amount of people that I've met from all over the world has truly been one of the highlights of my Camino experience thus far.

After checking into a really comfortable alburgue for the night, I had some dinner near the city square with a couple of hikers.  I then returned to the alburgue to do some laundry and plan out the next day.

Here are some pics from Stages 6 & 7.

Lights out.

Stage 6- Villatuerta to Los Arcos

  

"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,

  To gain all while you give.

  To roam the roads of lands remote,

  To travel is to live."

- Hans Christian Andersen 

During Stage 6 of the Camino, I traveled 25.4 miles, 15.8 km, and 34,879 steps.  I had another fine day of weather with cool temps in the morning, and bright blue sky in the afternoon.  I hiked through the city of Estella, and stopped briefly for some breakfast and to help a fellow hiker find a bank and change some money.  We got lost briefly heading out of town looking for the legendary wine fountain on the outskirts of the city.  After about a 40 minute fruitless detour, we got back on our way heading in the direction of the wine fountain at the Monasteria de Irache.  Just before reaching the wine fountain, I stopped along the trail at the work site of an old blacksmith.  I ended up buying an iron scallop shell (the symbol of the Camino), that was handmade by the blacksmith.  While there, I talked briefly with a 79 year old Welshman who was hiking the Camino alone.  He was a retired technology teacher, and a poet as well.  He shared a few of his poems while waiting to have his staff repaired by the blacksmith.  The Welshman had damaged his staff and nearly his own self when he was knocked to the ground by a cyclist a few days earlier on the Camino.  

After leaving the blacksmith, I headed up the hill to the Monastery and the wine fountain.  There were actually two fountains side by side, a water & a wine fountain provided by the Monastery for hikers on the Camino de Santiago Trail.  There is a webcam at this site, so Estalita was actually able to see me standing at the fountain getting some wine for the long trip ahead.  By the way, she got up at 4am to make sure that she could see me waving to her from the fountain!!  

Shortly after leaving the fountain, I headed into a steep alternate route climb into the mountains that lasted the better part of 3 hours.  I didn't see any other hikers along this route, and only 1 cyclist near the tail end of it.  A few hours later, I made my way into Los Arcos and found a crowded alburgue to stay for the night.  The cost was 10 euros.  I checked in and then walked into the town square for some sangria and some carbs.  I had some bread and spaghetti bolognese for my evening meal. 

 Overall, I had probably one of the worst nights I've had in terms of lodging while hiking the Camino.  There was a shortage of TP, only ice cold showers, inconsistent internet, and I had a top bunk as well.  I also encountered my loudest snorer on the Camino.  I thought the room was going to shake right out from underneath  me!!   Under normal conditions, I might have struggled to fall asleep, but the demand of walking so much every day and expending a ton energy makes it rather easy to fall asleep each night.

Lights out. 

Stage 5- Uterga to Villatuerta

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” ~ Pablo Picasso

My stage 5 walk consisted of going from Uterga to Villatuerte.  I covered 26 km, more than 16 miles, and 36,239 steps.  The weather was cool for most of the morning, and then the heat set in just before midday.  I ended up meeting a Canadian lady about a third of the way to Villatuerte.   Laura Lee is a Canadian, who works for a University in Ottawa.  I have been walking most of the Camino on my own thus far, so it was really nice to have some company for the day.  We both tried to make it to Estella today, but we ended up running out of energy around 5pm.  I stayed in a really nice alburgue with only 6 beds (no bunks), with 2 other Americans, a Canadian, and a young British couple from the south of England.  I decided to eat the peregrino dinner in the evening with about 24 of my fellow hikers.  The dinner cost me 13 euros, and it consisted of bread, red wine, water, chicken, potatoes, carrots, and some flan for dessert.  It was quite a hearty meal, and a great way to meet some new pilgrims.  I sat at a table of four with Laura Lee from Canada, and two retired Irish ladies from Dublin.  After dinner, my evening consisted of hand washing some clothes, managing/caring for the wounds on my feet, and planning the next day's itinerary.  So far, the Camino has been a lot of fun for me to experience.  There is certainly a lot of discomfort each day when I wake up, and a lot of aches and pains to overcome because of all the pounding on the body.  I do feel like I'm adjusting to the discomfort.  Everybody out here is dealing with it.  I've found that just like a lot of other things in life.... the key to getting through it is determination and being mentally focused.  When I find myself on long climbs, or difficult descents, I just focus with an added intensity, and I draw on strength from my faith, my family and my friends.    I heard a fellow hiker say the first week of the Camino is all about the adjustment for the body, the second week is about the mental struggle, and the rest is all about your spirit.  I'm just going to keep plugging away and find out for myself.

Here are some pics from the last two days. 

Lights out. 

Stage 4- Pamplona to Uterga

 "Not all those who wander are lost."    J.R.R. Tolkien

Today was another gorgeous day on the Camino.  I covered 16.8 km, about 10.5 miles, and 26,883 steps.  I set off around 9:15 after an unexpected encounter with a Syrian refugee in the center of Pamplona.... ( I will blog more on that in a later post.)  I hiked for a few hours to get out of the city, and then ended up making a lunch stop at a great little village cafe in Zariquiegui.  I intended to stay for an hour to rest my feet, have some food, and catch up on a few emails.  This stop ended up being a very productive stop for me.   I was able to rest a bit.  That was key since I've developed my first painful blister on my left foot.  I was also able to connect to the Wifi, and it was by far the best service I've found on the Camino.  I had a baguette, fresh avocado, and some freshly squeezed orange juice for my early day meal.  I also enjoyed a cafe con leche, one of my favorite Spanish treats during my 3 hours at this oasis on the Camino.  After tending to my wounds, and drying some clothes, I set off for Puente la Reina in the middle of the day.  This was not the best decision I've made on the hike.  Between the intense heat of the day, my sore foot, and the intense climb and steep descent over the next 5-6 km, I decided to call it a day  in Uterga.  I ended up staying in a small alburgue (10 euros), and I also sprung for the pilgrim dinner that night for another 10 euros.  There were only 3 of us in the alburgue, so I was able to get a bottom bunk and not worry about waiting in line for a shower.  I spent the evening organizing my pack, planning my route for the next day, and sharing dinner and conversation with a really nice retired couple from Holland.  Cannelas and Marie were probably in their early seventies.  Like me, they were attempting to walk the entire way to Santiago.  They were walking at a rate of about 10-15 km per day.  They were so excited to be out there enjoying their adventure.  Most of our conversation centered on the Camino, our families and friends, and politics in America.  They were very curious about Donald Trump, and they wanted to know how I felt about the upcoming elections in America!


Lights out.

Stage 3- Zubiri to Pamplona

Today started off with misty conditions, but ended up being a glorious day in the 70 degree range.  The journey was a gorgeous one through river valleys, farmlands, a few mountain ascents, and even some city walking as we entered into the city of Pamplona.  This stage was 20.9 kilometers, about 13 miles, and 30,147 steps.  Pamplona is a city of 200,000 people, but it felt much smaller than that.  Many of the businesses and restaurants were closed when I arrived in the city around 3 pm.  This is the norm for the region as Mondays are treated more like a weekend day in the states.  After a bit of searching I found a small pension to spend the night, which was located just off the main square Plaza del Castillo.  I did some laundry, caught up on some work emails, and then ventured out for the typical late Spanish meal.  It is customary to eat dinner in Spain around 9 or 10 pm.  After dinner, I briefly checked out the Cafe Iruna, one of Ernest Hemingway's old haunts, before heading back to my room to pack my things up for the next days journey.

Here are some pics from this stage of my journey.

Lights out.

Stage 2- Roncesvalles to Zubiri

"The truth is that we are so often focused on What we are doing, that we often lose sight of Where we are going." 

On Sunday morning, I woke up to a very sore body and the sound of rain pelting hard on the rooftop of the alburgue.  Stage 2 from Roncesvalles to Zubiri would end up costing me 21.9 kilometers, roughly 13.6 miles, and 30, 583 steps.  Things leveled off quite a bit in stage 2.  Much of the walk was through woodlands and shaded areas in the Arga River valley.  I have to admit that I was not in the least bit excited about walking in the cold rain!!  I had to check my attitude early in the day, and look on the bright side.  It would give me a good chance early in my trip to test out my rainproof gear, and see how my pack would hold up in damp/rainy weather.  It ended up pouring most of the day, but the walk was still very enjoyable.  I spent my last few euros on a baguette and some water early on in the walk at a small cafe in the town of Burguete.  The American writer Ernest Hemingway used to spend time in this village unwinding with his friends and fishing for trout in the local river.  I passed by the hostal where he used to stay when he needed to escape the faster paced city of Pamplona during his frequent forays into Europe.  The last 5 km of this leg of the Camino was especially tricky because of the slick conditions on the trail.  I  nearly fell 4-5 times, and did end up falling twice.... once skinning up my leg on the sharp rocks that line much of the trail on the final descent into Zubiri.  I finally made it into Zubiri around 3pm, starving, thirsty, without any euros, and no place to stay.  I washed my muddy and bloody leg off in the river, and then I proceeded to look for some lodging.  I had no luck at the  first 3 places I tried in town, so I decided to get hydrated and eat something before I resumed my search for lodging.  I used my credit card in a market to purchase some drinks and snacks, and then I managed to find an alburgue heading out of town for 8 euros.  With no euros in hand and the fact that alburgues don't generally have the ability to accept credit cards, I ended up convincing the young attendant to accept a 10 pound British note in exchange for a room.  He realized the British note was worth more than 5 euros above the cost of the room, so he decided to go with it.  I agreed to bring him euros in the  morning once the bank opened and I was able to change money.  I went out for dinner later in the evening for my first real meal on the Camino.  Fortunately, I found a place that took credit cards.  I sat with a fellow hiker named Henry from Denmark.  Henry spoke very good English, as most Scandinavians do.... so we had a nice chat about life in general and our reasons for doing the Camino.  As it turned out, Henry had been in the Danish Navy for 30 years, and one day just decided to quit.  Henry said he'd had enough of bureaucracy, downsizing, budget cuts, etc... and it was time to be done with it.  He said he wasn't a big spender in life, and he'd saved well over his 30 year career, so he intended to do a very "slow" Camino.  After a bountiful dinner and some good conversation, I headed back to my alburgue for the best "cold shower" I've had in some time!  Actually, I'd have preferred some hot or even warm water after the long day out in the cold rain, but I was just glad to get cleaned up and head back to the room to rest and prepare for the next day.  

Here are some pics from Stage 2 of my journey.

Lights Out.

Stage 1- St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncevalles

"The elevator to success is out of service, but the stairwell is always open."
Zig Ziglar

The Pyrenees 1 and Eric 0.  That is the score after my first day hiking the Camino from France into Spain.  Ok, maybe we'll call it a tie since I actually survived!!  This first stage was mostly a steady climb with a few descents in the spectacular mountains of this region.  The weather was warm, but the wind gusts often approached 30-40 mph as I gained elevation.  Fortunately, for me there was no danger of blowing away.  I did about 26 km or close to 16 miles...40,017 steps to be exact.  I thought the downhill parts would be much easier than the climbing, that is until my toes felt as if they were going to come through the front of my shoes.  All in all, it was a great first day on the Camino.  I walked with a guy (Antonio) from Portugal, but I spent most of the day walking alone.  I had a lot of time alone with my thoughts.  One that came along more than once went something like this "what in the bloody world am I doing!!"  I felt a similar feeling about 25 years ago as I layed down to sleep on my first night of basic training in the Army!  I spent my first night in a Spanish alburgue which cost me 8 euros or about 10 U.S. dollars.  This particular alburgue was part of an old Catholic church and convent.  The place was crowded with a few hundred other peregrinos or hikers just like me.  There were about 12 bunks in my room.  The accomodations were very basic, but I could have slept on a bed of nails.  My other challenges continue to be finding a place to change dollars to euros (I'm down to my last 4 euros) and finding WiFi in the Spanish countryside...hence the late blog post.  It's probably not accurate to characterize them as challenges.  A challenge in my book is fighting cancer, being a single parent, or losing a job.  I'll just refer to them from now on as obstacles.  Well, it is time to post some pictures from the first day.  With any luck...they'll post.  I'm currently poaching WiFi from an alley outside a tapas bar in Pamplona.  Yeah, I said tapas and not topless.  Haha!!  More on tapas at a later time.

Lights out.

It all starts in St. Jean Pied de Port...time to ascend into the Pyrenees mountains.

"Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can't, you're probably right."   Henry T. Ford

Today I begin my Camino in the little village of St. Jean Pied de Port, France.  This idyllic picturesque hamlet lies in the shadow of the Pyrenees mountains.  The climb is steep from the get go and it won't be long before the "Camino" leads into Spain.  Last night I spent my first night in an alburgue.  These are the accomodations that most hikers (pilgrims) seek out after a long day on the trail.  Alburgues cost anywhere from 5-25 dollars a night.  In this part of Europe, all transactions are done in Euros.  It takes about 1.20 in U.S. currency to equal one euro.  The alburgues sometimes include a basic breakfast like mine did this morning.  This will include some fruit, coffee, juice, and indeed some marmalade and croissants since I am in France.  The alburgues are usually located in public or private guesthouses, monasteries, churches, inns, lensions, etc...  You never quite now what you might find.  My room last night included 5 sets of bunks with 9 out 10 spaces filled.  I believe there were 6 French, 2 Spaniards, one Chinese man, and me.  It was quiet and clean, but one of the campers' alarms went off at 3 am this morning...and it woke me up.  I was never able to get back to sleep.  Perhaps, it is the anticipation of getting started!!

Here are a few photos of the village of St. Jean Pied de Port. (The clam shell is the traditional symbol of the Camino.)