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Camino De Santiago
  • Carlea Bauman
  • Carlea Bauman

Camino De Santiago

Une aventure de 18 jours par Carlea En savoir plus
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  • Carlea BaumanCamino De SantiagoVoyageur
    4

    We need to talk about cows

    26 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    León, Castilla, and Galicia is dairy country here in Spain so there are cows everywhere.

    I wish technology has made it so that I could transmit the scents that a high bovine population avails us of but alas, it has not. Shall I describe? I shall.

    There’s the typical cow shit, of course. We all know that one. It’s pervasive. It hangs in the air like light posts. You think, “Is it my shoes?” But it’s usually not the shoes. It’s just there, ever present. (That’s not to say that our shoes—and walking poles—aren’t biohazards, because they definitely are. There is cow shit e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.)

    We saw someone’s laundry hanging out to dry in Fonfria, a hamlet that is one part hotel and one part cheese making center of activity. We couldn’t help but wonder what that clean laundry ended up smelling like after airing out among the cow essence. I mean, why bother?

    Then there are the cheese factories that we have had the pleasure to walk by. Their scent falls somewhere between sweet and rancid, like rotting fruits and vegetables but it’s animal by-product. Is it cheese, or is it mold? They’ll never tell.

    The cows themselves are cute but mostly indifferent to the pilgrims and all have refused to respond to my entreaties to moo. Heifers.

    I don’t think I will miss the cows of Spain. I definitely won’t miss walking through cow shit. And my age-related lactose intolerance has made it so I can’t even appreciate the cheese the region is famous for. I ordered a cheese board last week in Cacabelos and lived to regret it.    En savoir plus

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  • Carlea BaumanCamino De SantiagoVoyageur
    1This is a horreo. It's for storing grain. We've seen dozens of them.1One of the many water fountains that line the Camino11Yay! I can walk on a bridge!Mere steps away from our hotel. 16 miles!

    Palas de Rei-Ribadiso 16 miles

    26 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    The pain is gone and the joy is [insert Oprah song-song voice] BAAAAACK!

    SIXTEEN MILES! New PR!

    I employed all those remediation techniques that I detailed prior but I’m pretty sure it was the paracetamol that really did it for me. I think it’s a magic pill. Better living through chemicals!

    I had almost no foot pain today. Couple that with the fact that I wasn’t carrying a 16 pound pack, I mean, it was intoxicating. The miles flew by. Well, hang on. Around mile 8, I would have paid good money to take a nap, but at our lunch stop I got a cafe con leche and that pepped me right up.

    It rained quite a bit today. Did I care? Not one fucking bit.

    At our lunch stop, a literal horde of Germans showed up and overran the tiny restaurant we were at, which sent Laura scurrying to the bathroom because the line was 10 people long before she could even say, “Auf Wiedersehen.” We ran out of there before they could organize themselves and start walking behind us. But it was fine because…paracetamol.

    We have heard that once you forward your pack the first time, it’s hard to go back to carrying it and, yeah, pretty much. We’re doing it again tomorrow.    En savoir plus

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  • Carlea BaumanCamino De SantiagoVoyageur
    Getting ready to head out this morning
    Pan tostada con tomate y aciete oliva. SO GOOD.20 kms!2Our hotel for the night is called Kilometro 15 because there are only 15 kms to go!

    Ribadiso-Amenal 15 1/2 miles

    27 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    I’m full of mixed emotions tonight. Tomorrow we reach Santiago. Today was our last long walk. We only have 10 miles left to go.

    In four days, I return home. In six days, I’ll be back teaching a class at Bodhi’s homeschool co-op and making my Friday run to Wegmans. I am excited about these things. I cannot wait to see my family; I have missed them terribly. I look forward to not having to walk a gazillion miles every day. I look forward to my feet not hurting. I look forward to taking a bath, oh my god. And sleeping in my own bed.

    But this has been such a wonderful adventure and I will miss so many things. I will miss fresh-squeezed orange juice available at every bar and restaurant. I will miss the simplicity of walking the Camino. I will miss beautiful Spain. I will miss hearing and saying, “Buen Camino” dozens of times a day. I will miss all of this physical activity. Walking seven hours a day every day changes your body and I like it.

    Tomorrow, when we get to Santiago, I may or may not wait in line to get my Compostela. It would be nice to have but it’s not worth standing in line a long time for. What I’d rather do is find a seat at a cafe and watch other pilgrims finish their Camino and see the emotions wash over them as they realize all they have accomplished. I suspect I’ll be a puddle.    En savoir plus

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  • Carlea BaumanCamino De SantiagoVoyageur

    Champs-Élysées stage (Camino version)

    28 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    As we make our way to Santiago this morning, I have an image in my head that it will be like the final stage of the Tour de France, with the guys’ jerseys unzipped, passing bottles of champagne back and forth.

    Walking versus driving perceptions are so weird. Shortly into the walk this morning, we will skirt the Santiago airport—a place I will need to cab to tomorrow as I make my way to Madrid for my return home—after we pass it, we will still have at least 8 miles to go.

    Our last night on the Camino was a bit anti-climactic. Laura and I have often chosen to stay off-stage, in smaller towns, as we go. It’s quieter, which is nice, but doesn’t have as great a selection of hotels and restaurants. Our hotel was great, if odd. There hasn’t been a single human working here the whole time. I was texted codes for the front door and our room and, somehow when we arrived, our packs were magically waiting for us next to our beds. The restaurant across the street is the only one for a few kms, and they know it and they know you’ll take what they give you. Which we did, with minimal grumbling as we reflected fondly on the places that made us feel like members of their extended families.    En savoir plus

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  • Carlea BaumanCamino De SantiagoVoyageur
    We made it!
    10 km to go!We didn't get it but it made us laughOur Camino friend Mike from Australia1

    Amenal-Santiago 10 miles

    28 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We kicked off at around 7:30 this morning and started getting signs from the universe that things were going to be awesome.

    It started with a kitteh who showed up while we were having breakfast and perched on my lap the whole time, purring her little heart out. Oh sure, she was using her charms to get some food out of me but it was the first kitteh I got to pet in almost two weeks and it was heavenly.

    Then, at about mile two, we were afforded a stunning sunrise. We haven’t had many of those because it’s been cloudy most mornings, so this felt quite special.

    As we got closer to Santiago, we were able to see the city. From about 4 km we could see the spires of the cathedral. We then walked the longest 4 kilometers of our lives. It took forever.

    As we got even closer, we realized that the locals just don’t give a shit. We were practically speed-walking with less than 1 km to go and this family of four felt it was their prerogative to spread out across the entire alley and crawl. I wanted to scream, “MOVE OUT THE FUCKIN WAY!” but that really would not be honoring the spirit of the Camino. So I had to settle for an under-the-breath, “Jesus fucking Christ,” which is totally okay with the Pope.

    There was a guy with bagpipes as we entered the tunnel to the plaza of the cathedral and some stairs down and then we were there. And it was over. The longest walk either of us has ever taken was done. Thirty-five days and nearly 500 miles for Laura, and two weeks and 170 miles for me.

    After we took pictures of the cathedral behind us, Laura laid down on the ground to rest. I was afraid to do this because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get back up. But eventually I decided she looked quite comfy so I joined her. We hung out like that for half an hour or so and watched others come into the square, which was delightful.

    One of our Camino friends told us the Compostela office moved very quickly so we headed over to get our documents. They’re pretty fricking cool. One even has my name in Latin on it. One details how far I walked, which is farther than what I thought it was based on the Camino app I’ve been using. So yay me. I’ve decided to count every mile, even though I cabbed some of them because what the fuck ever.

    On our way to our hotel, we stopped at The Pilgrim House, which is like a welcome center, and donated our poles. Both of us bought ours in Spain because we didn’t want to have to check any luggage and they aren’t allowed on board most flights. I have poles at home that I like much better and, to be honest, like my sneakers, I’d prefer to never see my Camino poles ever again. And now I definitely won’t.

    Tomorrow I head to Madrid for one night and Laura stays here and waits for her husband. They will spend an additional week in Spain. I bought a ticket to a flamenco show for tomorrow evening, the earliest show they have because I cannot guarantee how long I will be functional.

    For the very last time, Buen Camino!    En savoir plus

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    Fin du voyage
    30 octobre 2024