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With Best of Intentions

July - August 2021
Phil's journey on the Camino de Santiago... and life - 2021 Read more
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  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions

    Ambasmestas

    August 3, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 34 °C

    Got coffee before leaving Cacabelos this morning. Usually we leave before anyone is open. Also took some pictures of the card playing baby Jesus church on the way out of town.
    I
    Had breakfast after 4 miles in Villafranca del Bierzo. From there, a narrow canyon leads up to the foot of O Cebreio pass. The main Camino route follows alongside a freeway and a major highway up through the canyon, which is not a main selling point. We heard of a more pleasant alternate route that went up the side of the canyon above all of the highway noise. The vertical element of this route was undersold considerably. We ended up gaining more than 1,400 ft vertically and then dropping back down 1,000 ft to meet the main Camino route. Aside from the vertical issues it was very pleasant with spectacular views of the Bierzo valley behind us. We are telling ourselves it was a good warmup for the O Cebreio pass which is coming up tomorrow.Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions

    Walla Walla

    June 30, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

    It’s Wednesday evening.
    Friday we drive to Boise for my sister’s 50th anniversary. Saturday my brother Dale and I will start from there on our journey to Spain. I’m sort of mostly organized. Tomorrow we have lists that cover most of the day.Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 1

    Out of Walla Walla

    July 2, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Packed up and heading out to Boise on the first leg of the start. Attend my sister's 50th wedding anniversary tonight. My brother and I will get on the plane Saturday afternoon to start making our way to Madrid. Portland overnight, then Dallas and on the next day. Land in Madrid on the 5th at 9am.Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 2

    Boise to Portland

    July 3, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Well, we made it to Boise. So far so good. Had a great time at my sister Anne’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration last night. Tons of family and a great video production. Congratulations to Anne and John! My brother Dale and I said goodby to our wives and are now waiting at the gate for our flight to Portland. Early tomorrow we head to Dallas, then change planes for our flight to Madrid (happy 4th of July btw). We arrive in Madrid at 9 AM on the 5th.Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 3

    THE NAME OF THIS BLOG

    July 4, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    If you are wondering about the name of this blog, it has a reason. While researching the Camino de Santiago on different forums, the most common comment about blogging was “I had the best of intentions, but didn’t end up adding much content.” In case this is also the case for me, I offer the name as an apology in advance. I do have the best of intentions to keep this blog relatively current, but if it gets in the way of the experience…

    As for the experience, why am I starting a 500 mile walk in a foreign county? Several reasons. I am recently retired from work that I really enjoyed and feel the need to transition. I need an adventure! Also, I haven’t spent a great deal of time with my brother Dale, who was already planning to do this walk (second time for him). I’m looking forward to getting quality bro time on the trail. I will miss Debbie, my wife, but couldn’t convince her that she needed to walk 500 miles in the heat. Lots of WhatsApp updates will have to do.

    People who have done the Camino say there is also a spiritual element to the walk. I do have some personal work I hope to accomplish on the Camino. I’d like to be more accepting and less judgmental of others and of myself. I would like to be a kinder and supportive person. And I’d like to say that if I am successful in my spiritual goals and any of you treacherous bastards try to take advantage of the kinder gentler me when I return, I’ll make you pay by god!

    We’re landing in Dallas, so bye for now. Next stop is Madrid! Happy 4th of July to you all.    Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 5

    Madrid

    July 6, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Hey, well we made it to Spain. Got to our hotel in Madrid, staggered around the city for a while trying to stay awake until bedtime (9 hr time difference), and then slept for 14 hours. Today, we had breakfast in the neighborhood and then went to the train station to buy tickets to Pamplona. Our idea was to go to a cool city and get some intel from other pilgrims on how difficult it is to get accommodations on the trail. Then we would decide which Camino route we would take… even though we already have semi-decided we want to go the Del Norte route along the northern coast of Spain.

    As we bought our tickets, the agent said “Oh, this is great, there is a great festival there starting tomorrow”. It turns out, the Running of the Bulls festival will be going on for the next week. This will certainly have some impact on the availability of lodging, though maybe not as much due to COVID. So we’re off tomorrow for Pamplona, and may or may not have a place to stay, and may or may not keep going out of town if necessary to get a roof over our heads. And hell no, I’m not going to run with the bulls!

    I’ve been using my hard studied Spanish and of course it’s pretty rough communicating. Me: has a great question all framed out, asks the question. They: reply in not classroom Spanish, Me: dazed look, embarrassed shoulder shrug, shuffle off with lowered head. Yes, this trip will definitely be a learning experience.

    Good Night,

    Phil    Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 6

    Madrid to Pamplona

    July 7, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    A rocky night of sleep last night. Sill not adjusting to local time. I’m guessing that won’t be a problem when we start walking the Camino. We’re on the train to Pamplona now. I was hoping for a high-speed train but no dice. So we’re plodding along at 100+ mph on a regular train. Countryside is dry dry dry. Too boring for a photo. Irrigated farming, but in between it looks like sage. The hills we pass through are OLD. Nothing like our PNW basalt and granite.

    Including a picture of a local “bar” (ubiquitous small restaurants) close to our Madrid hotel where we ate lunch a couple of times. Lots of ham on the hook! Another photo of the Madrid train station. We hope to get into an Alburgue in Pamplona, but will walk out of town if they are full from the Running of the Bulls festival.    Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 6

    In Pamplona

    July 7, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We found room at the Jesus and Mary Catedral Albergue in Pamplona. Private room, which is pretty okay considering we’re STILL jet lagged and sleep starved. No more sleeping in!
    Pamplona is awesome! The old city is basically a big walled castle on a hill overlooking the new (1800’s) city. It has everything an old European city needs.
    Huge stone walls, a drawbridge, a cathedral, narrow winding streets made of cobblestones…

    The running of the bulls is happening all this week! And no Randy, I have no intention of getting anywhere near those 9 ft tall beasts of satan. The crowds are much smaller than a normal year (Covid), but the bars are packed with young people dressed in white with red bandannas and sashes, My brother and I ended up buying $2 souvenir shop red bandannas so we could fit in with the 18-30 year old crowd of runners. I’m sure we absolutely pulled it off.

    Tomorrow we have time to look around Pamplona some more and then we take a bus to Irun in the evening. That’s the town on the coast where we will start walking from the next day. Met a guy from Norway today who told us the first 5 days are spectacular scenery but brutally physical. He looked a little wimpy, but we’re still considering forwarding our packs if there is a service there.    Read more

  • TravelerWith Best of Intentions
    Day 7

    Pamplona to Irun 1

    July 8, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We found an earlier bus out of Pamplona and decided we would rather get to Irun earlier than later. The other bus wouldn’t get us there until 7:30 at night. We are still discussing our first day walk. It’s about 15 miles unless we can find an intermediate place to overnight.

    Pamplona was great, but we want to get to the ocean and start walking. May have to come back again with Debbie.

    It’s been overcast and cool on our trip so far. It rained overnight and sprinkled during breakfast. It’s trying to sun on us as the bus heads into the coastal mountains.    Read more

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