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David and Sean’s Camino
  • David and Sean's Camino

David and Sean’s Camino

David and Sean will fly to Paris, France on June 2, 2023 to begin their Camino de Santiago adventure--a walking trek of approximately 500 miles. Read more
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  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Friends

    June 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    One of the most important parts of a Camino is the people that you meet and interact with. We have met many people along the way, and many of those whom we have interacted with repeatedly, but often just a “Buen Camino” in passing, in part due to the language differences. (And in part because I was once again catching my breath up or down a hill and they were passing by.)

    Carlo and Luigi are the exceptional exception! I first met Carlo while waiting in line to check in at Roncesvalles. We chatted for a long time. Carlo is from northern Italy and speaks very good English.

    At one point in our conversation an anxious Frenchman cut in between Sean and I. Rather than make a confrontation, I stepped back to join Sean—and Carlo did the same so that we could continue talking…

    (continued in part 2)    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Sean’s Kindness…

    June 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Sean has been patient, encouraging, wise (often reminding me of my father and of Nancy—two of my favorite people!).

    Add kind to that list. There have been far too many examples to list, but I will focus on one: today Sean bought me lunch for Father’s Day. Unexpected and quite a treat. (Note: We later learned that we were a week early, so I’ll celebrate Father’s Day twice this year!)

    The photo shows what was left of my grilled squid. (I know, I will never make it as a food blogger if I don’t remember to take a picture BEFORE I eat everything!

    I tried to order a coffee flan for dessert but got a molten lava cake. (For those familiar with the movie “Chef” it was NOT undercooked!)

    God bless Sean! I am so thankful and blessed that he is on this journey with me.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Friends part 2

    June 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    When we crossed the bridge into Zubiri, Sean spotted Carlo down by the water. We visited again and met his friend Luigi.

    And we keep running into them—by happenstance?

    Even while writing this entry we took a break to get lunch, and walking down the hall Carlo stepped out to set his shoes outside their door.

    Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

    I have been thinking a lot about that since what I thought was a miracle with dialysis in Pamplona didn’t work out as I intended.

    Thank you God that everything IS a miracle even when I don’t perceive your intention.

    (The picture that I attached to the first part of this post shows Carlo and Luigi down the street.)    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    I Remembered!

    June 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Another great pilgrim dinner! And this time I remembered to take a picture before I scarfed it all down.

    The menu said fried rice with vegetables, but I think it was couscous. I recognized zucchini, some orange squash, and slivered almonds. I’d already eaten a wonderful salad as my first course and the portions were so generous that I couldn’t finish the second course! (I still had room for the yogurt with fruit that was served for dessert.)

    All for 14 euros each. Amazing bargain.

    We sat next to another father-son couple that we had met on the trail the other day. They ordered two different main courses than Sean and I had. I told our waitress that I wanted to live here so that I could eat here every day! Yum!

    Some pictures from our walk back to the albergue, including a mosaic done in leaves and flower petals.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Logrono

    June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Had some difficulty breathing during the night, lack of dialysis catching up with me. We decided to skip ahead to Logrono with a quick stop at the wine fountain.

    A day of missteps! In short, stopped to ask directions MANY times. Once a agricultural equipment worker gave us a ride and would not take money for his kindness.

    Upon arrival in Logrono information kiosk did not know where hotel OR street were! More direction-asking. Thanked God repeatedly once we got here. Over 5 miles on our rest day—but only a block or two from dialysis for Wednesday and Friday.

    Amazing pilgrim lunch! Appetizer of mussels with red and green peppers and onion salsa. Scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms and asparagus as first course. Chicken sausage and then baked apple for dessert.

    Then a nap!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Bells

    June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    We have heard a lot of bells on our Camino.

    First it was mostly on animals: cows, sheep, and even some horses.

    Then it seemed like we always passed through a small village at the top of the hour and it was church bells.

    And lastly, Sean wears his two metal water bottles tied to a scarf so they hang down from his neck, and when they clang together they sound like the cow bells! (I’m certain there’s a great joke there, but I’m too tired to see it.)

    Looking forward to a few days in one place, dialysis a couple of times, and enjoying a hotel room with a great shower, a phone, and even a TV.

    p.s. Nancy, remember how surprised we were to discover that the first floor is “zero” and that the next floor up is “one”?!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Respect

    June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    I have sometimes felt embarrassed and disappointed in myself on this Camino.

    Taking a cab to finish the climb over the Pyrenees on our first day. Taking a cab to get from one side of Pamplona to the hospital on the other side. Taking both a taxi and a bus today.

    However, while walking today (deliberately in the wrong direction) we passed our good friends Carlo and Luigi! We explained our situation and in very halting and careful English, Luigi explained how much respect he had for us doing what we are doing.

    Very kind.

    And Luigi has military background (something that he and Sean have discussed at some length), so his salute to me was especially meaningful.

    Very gracious.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Thunder or Door?

    June 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Some of the doors here at Hotel Logrono close with such difficulty that they are hard to distinguish from the thunder outside. Hint: the doors make a louder, shorter sound, while the thunder makes a softer, longer rumbling sound.

    We have seen and heard many thunderstorms, but not been caught unprotected in any. A few raindrops here and there but usually gone by the time I can get my raincoat on and my rain cover over my backpack.

    Last night I was having difficulty getting to sleep. Very hot and humid. Then God sent a thunderstorm and it got considerably cooler and less humid. Thank you God!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Somewhere in between…

    June 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    According to the stages that we have completed on the Camino, solely walking, we have walked 46.4 miles so far, plus a bit more for partial stages.

    According to my FitBit we have walked 81.93 miles so far.

    The truth lies somewhere in between.

    I have realized that the FitBit doesn’t really count distance—it counts steps and converts every 2,000 steps into 1 mile. The “miscalculation” becomes the much smaller steps that I am often taking: uphill, downhill on unsure footing, and even flat terrain when I am tired.

    It will be interesting to see what difference these upcoming dialysis sessions will make and how much further we will be able to go.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Dizzy as a Loon

    June 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Dialysis went well yesterday, particularly considering the language barrier. Everyone was very kind—doctor, nurses, technicians, and even patients. The other patients were very interested in where I was from and I was somewhat of a celebrity.

    Needless to say, I didn’t “fit right in” as you can see from the picture! Back home they put a stool out in front of my chair so that my feet can rest on it, rather than hanging for four hours. But here there is a foot stop, so my knees were bent for that time. I don’t think they get many patients this tall!

    Some medication they gave me caused me to be as dizzy as I’ve ever been, and for over 12 hours after. We won’t do that again on Friday!

    My weight gain was NOT bad considering that I hadn’t had dialysis in over a week—in fact, I’ve sometimes had more weight gain during my 3-day weekends at home.

    All is good. Sean and I are spoiled, but it will be good to be back on the Camino at the end of the week.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Food

    June 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Cousin Russ wrote that he thought he was gaining weight reading about our food experiences. Well, it’s a good thing we’re walking so much!

    What I’d read: meager breakfast, big meal at noon, pilgrim dinner (lower quality, lesser choices).

    Our experience: fresh-squeezed orange juice along with a fresh-baked, French-quality croissant, often with Spanish ham and cheese. Meager? Yeah, right! We’ll often grab a sandwich for lunch since we’re still walking and don’t want to fill up, but even then it’s Spanish ham and cheese on a French baguette. Ooh la la! And dinners! Three courses and the first course (often a salad for me) is usually as much as I would eat for an entire dinner at home. I feel bad leaving half of a course, but I simply can’t eat all of it!

    Again, it’s a good thing we’re walking!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    On the road again…

    June 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Nancy and I will frequently sing that phrase (we don’t know the rest of the words) whenever we start out on a trip—whether a road trip, a short journey to visit one of the boys, or one of our grand adventures.

    Tomorrow morning I will have my final dialysis session here in Logrono and then Sean and I will be “on the road again.” The next part of the Camino is a bit of a climb to Najera, so we’ll tackle the first part in the afternoon, hoping to reach Navarette by nightfall and have that much less of a climb on Saturday.

    Got to venture into “pinchos territory” this evening. Tapas are called pinchos in this region. Had a bit of success, after first wandering on the wrong street for a bit. LOTS of pinchos places in the old town. Have posted a couple of pics. We also enjoyed gelato, but too fast to take a picture!

    The last picture was prob our favorite: a quail egg on some meat mixture on a fluffy bun with a slice of roasted red pepper. Yum!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler
    2

    Navarrete

    June 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    Just a quickie. Walked after dialysis to get part of tomorrow’s climb out of the way. Stopped in Navarrete—a lovely little village. I’ve attached pictures of the church here as well as the BEST dinner we’ve enjoyed on the Camino, which is saying quite a bit! We enjoyed paella along with a number of finger foods (I went slightly crazy picking out a bunch of things from the display case with no.idea of what many were!).

    Taking a breakfast break as I write this then on to Najera, after an early start to the day.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler
    1

    Najera

    June 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌩️ 64 °F

    We got an early start today and thought we would be in Najera by lunch, the maybe go further and take some distance off tomorrow’s trek. However, we took a wrong turn somewhere (or missed a turn) and got off course. Settled into a delightful old albergue on the outskirts of Najera just in time to shelter from a tremendous thunderstorm! Lights have gone out once or twice.

    Spotted a bar/cafe that offers a delightful selection of paellas so we’re headed there for dinner in a bit. And I’m hoping to pick up a walking stick before dinner. Left my trekking poles at home, never used them enough to understand their value, but will benefit from at least one for balance sake.

    Here’s a few pictures from today.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Purple

    June 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌩️ 82 °F

    Silly thing. I became obsessed with the color purple during my preparations for the Camino. Purple iPhone, can opener, towel, collapsible cup, and so forth. Don’t know why. It’s just become my favorite color—although I am still very partial to green.

    Anyway, we are seeing a LOT of purple along the way, mostly in the way of wild flowers by the side of the trail. I’ve attached a pic here, but there seems to be an endless and delightfully never ending variety!

    Thank you God for purple. (And those other colors too.)    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Random thoughts…

    June 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Scattered thoughts, no particular theme.

    Thank God for Sean. I can’t imagine making it this far without him, or having hope of continuing.

    There’s nothing quite like reaching the top of a difficult climb or rounding a corner and catching sight of a goal—whether it’s the destination for second breakfast (yes, that’s become a thing!), a lunch site, or the day’s final destination!

    Thank you for your prayers for strength, endurance, and wisdom. Those are being answered daily—and only enough for each day! Then we begin again.

    We are still on schedule. A schedule made with ignorance of terrain, unsure footing, heat, never ending hills, and more. Praise God!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Random thoughts, part 2

    June 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Made it safely to Santo Domingo. The last picture is from our room at the albergue. “3rd” floor, which is European for 4th floor! Quite a climb—especially at the end of a Camino day.

    We’re right near a church but haven’t visited yet. We’ll post pictures when we do.

    Nancy and Harrison are off on an adventure of their own = Las Vegas! Wishing them a great time!

    Very quiet towards the end of the day. Sean was listening to music on his earphones, most traffic had passed us (I’m slow!). It was a great time of prayer and meditation!

    Sean took a picture the other day of writing on the path—“Be the turtle.” I think I’m the turtle: the slowest one, but still finishing.

    I feel strong, even after 15 miles yesterday and 16 miles today (Fitbit miles). God is truly blessing!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Clay day

    June 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Yesterday was rock day. Today was clay day. I’ve attached a photo from both days to show the difference.

    Today was difficult in a different way. Yesterday’s thunderstorm had really stirred up the clay, making many parts of our Camino slippery and mucky. I very nearly went down in the mud several times, and even Sean stumbled once or twice. Graciously, he went ahead, often showing the safest way through and several times offering me a hand over the most treacherous parts. We got through safely without making any “mud angels.”Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Proud Father

    June 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Yesterday was Father’s Day and it was quite possibly my best one yet! I had three goals on this Camino: draw closer to God, draw closer to my son, and have a grand adventure. And I am getting to know Sean in ways and depth that I could not have anticipated and hoped for!

    This is one example. While walking we were joined by a fellow pilgrim. It came up that Sean was a weather specialist for the Air Force and she asked him his opinion about global warming. They then proceeded to talk about that topic and other potential world-ending cataclysmic events for the next 40 minutes or more!

    I stayed quiet and learned SO much! Not only about the topics but about how much Sean knows AND what a great teacher he is.

    I am proud of all of my sons. But I became even prouder of this one as I got to know him even better! Very cool.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    A Couple 360’s

    June 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Just a couple of 360 degree videos I shot while walking the Camino. The first is from yesterday and you can see “the storm clouds are gathering” (line stolen from the TV show Sports Night). The second is from today.

    I could shoot these all day long, with endless variety, and everyone of them showing spectacular scenery. But then we wouldn’t get much walking done!

    Enjoy.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Belorado

    June 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Safely holed up in Belorado—which puts us “on schedule.” Tomorrow may prove to be grueling: uphill all the way with over 16 miles to cover (according to the Camino planner we’ve done just under 14 each of the past two days, with less climbing).

    We’re in a hotel for a change. I needed to bath (a luxury!) and I’m hoping Sean can get some good quality sleep.

    A few more pics of Camino markers we saw along the way today. It’s like playing Where’s Waldo! The last pic is of the cathedral here in Belorado. If you look closely you can see a giant stork’s nest on the far side of the highest tower and a stork proudly standing there.

    We passed a good looking pilgrim dinner menu on the way over here, plus some very photo-worthy sights in one of the public squares so we’ll try and capture those for a later post.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Marking the Way…

    June 19, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    Linda asked if there weren’t sign posts to mark the way. Oh boy are there!

    There’s every kind of marker, but sometimes you have to really be on the lookout—and fortunately I’m with Sean who is fantastic at spotting them.

    Often times it is simply a yellow arrow spray painted onto a curb, the side of a building, an electrical pole, etc. Sometimes it is a brass marker embedded into the sidewalk or street. And sometimes it is an “official” blue and yellow sign placed in a highly visible area (if you know where to look!).

    Sean says he is so good at spotting them because it is similar to video games he has played. I thank God he is so good at it.

    I’ve posted a variety of these signs for your viewing pleasure.    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Rained IN

    June 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Last night we got “rained in”. And hailed! And lightning’d!

    We were enjoying our dinner meal (the pilgrim menu for me with sweet rice with langostinos as first course, red peppers stuffed with cheese and cod as second course, and cheesecake for dessert; and a Spanish take on “hot dog” for Sean!) when the thunderstorm hit.

    We had been eating under the shade of a garden umbrella but the wind was starting to take them down. I rushed back to the albergue to get another layer of clothing and that’s when the hail started! By the time I got back they were moving everyone under shelter and then eventually indoors where we finished our meals—all slightly wetter.

    The picture shows where our table WAS, after they collapsed the umbrellas to prevent further knock overs.

    A delightful weather event to partake with my Air National Guard weather specialist. As Sean said, “dinner and a show!”    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Event-full Day!

    June 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Sean and I rose early, knowing we had a long day to get to San Juan de Ortega—including a significant climb. Little did we know.

    We had over 7 miles in by 9:30. Stopped to grab breakfast and a rain storm hit. We waited out most of the storm, chatted with the Colemans who we’d met several times before, then headed out again.

    The video shows rain runoff and one of the pics shows a pile of hail by the side of the trail!

    The Colemans caught up with us later and interviewed us for their YouTube channel (Cruisin with the Colemans), video should appear in about two weeks!

    Climbed a never-ending hill to find that no beds were available in San Juan de Ortega, so we grabbed a pizza and made for Ages, where we ended our day. 21.33 miles worth (according to Fitbit)!    Read more

  • David and Sean's CaminoDavid and Sean’s CaminoTraveler

    Kindness

    June 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    I wish I had a picture to post with this—but a picture probably wouldn’t do it justice.

    Yesterday I had struggled up a hill (a frequent occurrence!) and had stopped to catch my breath at the top. A gentleman with no lower jaw (cancer perhaps?) and no words, graciously offered me his walking stick.

    God, please abundantly bless that gentleman and his kindness!    Read more

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