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.)

Things that make me go HMMM & T-36 To My Camino

   I thought I'd start off this post with a few interesting signs that I've seen since arriving in Europe last Sunday.  People often ask me what Europe is like and how does it compare to the U.S.  That is often a very difficult question to answer... because each country in Europe is truly unique and different from America in a multitude of ways.  The best place to start is England, since that is where I am at the moment.  I've written about this before, but my fascination with all things British never really goes away!  Perhaps, this is rooted in the fact that I'm married to a truly wonderful Brit (Estalita) and the reality that my three children are half British!  While flying across the North Atlantic on Saturday night for what I counted to be my 18th trip across the pond to Europe...I began to think about all the familiar and unfamiliar things I might encounter in the UK before heading over to France and Spain later in the week.  First, I will touch on the familiar.  The reality of the familiar really hit me yesterday while standing in line at the sports shop to purchase some socks.  As I stood there ready to purchase my socks with several other customers at the counter, the shop keeper looked us all over and got on the intercom and said to her colleagues "there is a massive queue at the till, please come and help."  Without even missing a beat, I knew that massive queue at the till is the British version of Hey, we have a big line here at the register.... get up here ASAP!!

Even though we share a common language with England, it can take some time to get used to all the different accents, figures of speech, vocabulary, and colloquialisms.  Here are some pics of the usual and the unusual as it relates to life in this island nation.

                        The familiar- Steak & Ale pie with chips (fries), gravy, HP          sauce, & mushy peas

                                      The familiar- What's left of my Full English breakfast- 
                             Normal fare- fried eggs, beans, toast, cooked tomatoes & mushrooms
                                       Bangars (sausages) & the best bacon in the world!!              

                                      The Unusual- Actual sign in Chelsea area of London
                                       "No Dog Fouling"-- Not sure exactly how we'd say it...
                                        but I'm pretty sure it would be different from this.

                         The Unusual- Actual sign on the  toilet of train bathroom en route
                                            from London to Chester (Nappies are diapers)

                         The Unusual- Prices can be very high in Europe, especially places
                          like London;  36 pounds for 12-24 hours parking at a Holiday Inn
                          36 pounds = about 53 U.S. dollars

                              Welcome to Part 2 of my first Post

776.2, 482.3, or about 1,000,000 depending on how you look at it.  These numbers have danced around in my head over the last 6 or 7 years as I repeatedly visualized and contemplated the journey that I'm about to go on.  Should I do it?  Could I do it?  Would I be able to fit it into a busy work/life/family schedule?  Would my family and friends understand my desire to do something so off the wall?  Why do I need to do it?  Are there  justifiable reasons to spend that much money, be away from  family so long, and put my middle aged body through a month of torture?   776.2 kilometers, 482.3 miles, or about 1 million steps stand in the way of me completing my first Camino de Santiago, also known as the "The Way of St. James."  I've decided to embark on the Camino Frances, an ancient pilgrim path that runs through a small part of France and most of the northwest region of Spain.  The Camino actually served as the backdrop and story line for a 2010 film called "The Way" starring Martin Sheen.

Here is a brief history of the Camino.  There is some anecdotal testimony that James (an apostle of Jesus & the brother of the apostle John) spent a brief period of his life traveling through Spain and ministering to people shortly after the time that Christ dwelled on  earth.  James is said to have preached the Gospel along "The Way" before returning to Jerusalem where he was ultimately martyred for the cause of Christ.  His body was said to be laid to rest in Santiago, Spain.   My walk will begin in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and end at the cathedral in Santiago, a Spanish city where many believe James is buried. 

There are various reasons that one might have for attempting this pilgrimage.  Some do it for religious reasons.  Others travel the Camino to get in better physical shape, to experience the beautiful landscapes and history of the Basque region, or to reflect on some personal aspect of their lives.  Still, others may simply do it for the experience or fun of it.  

 In America, we might explain a journey like this with various "pop culture" language and phrases like "Bucket List",  "Mid-Life Crisis", "Taking a Time-Out", or "Hitting the Pause Button."  For me, the chance to walk the Camino is very layered.  It is an opportunity to push myself through an immense physical challenge, and a wonderful opportunity to meet people from all walks of life.  It allows me to satisfy my interest & passion for foreign cultures, food, history, landscapes, etc... The Camino will hopefully allow me to hear myself think.  In a fast paced culture like America, where many of us are seemingly married to our jobs, technology, media outlets, digital electronics, cell phones, etc... "The Way" represents an opportunity for me to be less connected to the external world and grow more connected to my inner self.  I hope the Camino will offer me time for profound reflection, after a very long, stressful, and mostly frustrating year at my job.  I also want to do the Camino because I CAN.  I am so blessed with wonderful friends, a truly supportive family, and I'm grateful to the Lord that I CAN breathe, walk, talk, and have the financial means to do something like this.  Finally, this journey for me is also about taking the time to honor and remember friends and family members that I've lost throughout my life, especially my father.  My dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was just shy of my 3rd birthday.  I've never really taken the time to grieve for his passing. 

Thus, my goals are clear and the vision for my Camino has been set forth.  I'm ready to get started, and I have no expectations in regards to what I might face over the next month or so.  I hope you'll join me as I chronicle my time and travels on the Camino over the next 4 weeks.  As I packed my bags this afternoon here in northern England, I couldn't help but think of the words of one of my favorite poets.

My house says to me, "Do not leave me, for here dwells your past."

And the road says to me, "Come and follow me, for I am your future."

And I say to both my house and the road, "I have no past, nor have a future.

If I stay here, there is a going in my staying; and if I go there is a staying in my going.

Only love and death will change all things."

Kahlil Gibran

                                           Lights Out.