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Camino Frances 2023
  • Julie Rosenthal
Aug – Oct 2023

Camino Frances 2023

Camino de Santiago - Walking 500 miles and going to the ends of the Earth with Jörg by my side, watching over me. Read more
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  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023

    Day 20 - Burgos to Rabe de las Calzadas

    September 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today was a nice, calm easy day with a 13km walk on my first day in the Meseta. It was sun and clouds with a breeze so no major sweat happening. The sky was huge with lots of white fluffy clouds, Jörg would have loved this weather day.

    I woke up around 8am. I took my time and really organized my bag. I know it is too heavy, I don’t feel it, but I know it can’t be good for my feet. Luckily I think I have lost weight off my body as it is hard to keep my shorts from falling down, so that is already less weight on the feet.

    I finally made the decision to ditch the sleeping bag. I have not used it yet and it takes up so much space. I have a liner with me and I have never been cold. I know it will get colder, but the albergues often offer blankets and if not, then I will just wear more clothes to sleep in. Let’s see, I may regret that decision.

    I also decided to cut the pages out of my guide book that I have already read. Surprisingly, I feel the difference in the weight.

    After getting all packed, I headed out to find a bank machine and then by 10am, I was at the outdoor store. They had some injinji socks so I bought a couple pair more. I really hope they continue to help keep the blisters away. I just have one blister on one of my baby toes that refuses to go down without a fight.

    Today I passed the 500km left to go mark, done 300km so that feels good … almost halfway!

    I enjoy this town that I am staying in. Again, I am staying in the same albergue as Jörg and I did in 2009. I am not really doing it on purpose, but when there is opportunity to do it, I will.

    Ok, dinner is at 6pm here at the albergue so I will sign off now.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    11

    Day 21 -Rabe de Calzadas to Hontanas 18k

    September 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    I was off at 6:50am this morning. Still dark with headlamp on. It was dark until about 7:30 when I could turn the light off. It was a cool experience to walk at that time. It was a foggy morning so it gave an even more eerie sense. Funny thing is, I feel completely safe on the camino, alone in the dark.

    The fog in the headlamp was kind of like having the static of the TV right in front of your face. At times it felt like I was in a movie where they were transporting me to a different time with the movement of the fog quickly around me. It is very hard to describe, but I did capture some of it on video.

    I felt great today during the walk. The plan was to go at least 18km, but was probably going to go around 27 if I could. I have a reservation in Boadilla Del Camino tomorrow which is a total of 47kms away. So I needed to do this in 2 days. I figured if I felt good, I would just keep going. Well, I did feel good, but I didn’t keep going as I came upon an albergue that I just loved. It is about 1.5km before Hontanas, so out in the middle of nowhere, only looking out into the fields. It was so peaceful and has a restaurant with great food. I stopped for lunch, but decided to stay.

    So, of course, this means that I have a 30km day for tomorrow ... YIKES! The place tomorrow is special though and worth the distance. 14 years ago I stopped there just for lunch. I wasn’t with Jörg as we were walking separately. I met the owner and when I told him I was from London Ontario, he said he had a friend in London and asked if I would take a postcard home with me. I did just that, I carried the postcard the rest of the camino and hand delivered it to his friend in London.

    When I made the reservation, I sent him the picture of him and me holding the post card. I reminded him that I delivered the card for him and he replied “Amazing, you made sooo special now”

    I warned him I might not arrive until late afternoon, so the good thing is I don’t have to worry about the bed, he knows I will be late. So I can take all the time I need. Today I forced myself to take a break every 5km and it really paid off. When I hit 18km, I still had no pains, could definitely go further so I am feeling pretty confident about tomorrow.

    It is pretty clear I am in the Meseta now. I must say, I really do like it. I just love the big sky, it is similar to the skies of Saskatchewan or southern Alberta. The app I use, called Wise Pilgrim, has the camino divided into three sections; Body, Mind, Spirit. The first part was the Body. It was the time you are building up the strength in your body. I just finished that section and have now entered the “Mind” section and it is pretty clear why. When all you see is endless fields and sky where the landscape rarely changes, there is nothing to grab your attention, so your thoughts begin to turn inward.

    I was thinking of Jörg today (like I do everyday), but today I was really focused on how his life was cut way too short. He had so much more to give, and he really loved to give! I know we were together 14 years, but it really feels like we were just getting started.

    I was also thinking about how we were different types of travellers but we complimented each other. I think what he loved most about travelling was meeting people and getting to know them and what I love about travelling is seeing the sights, the nature, the views and all the feelings those arouse. He absolutely loved the camino for the people. He would get so excited when he would run into someone he had already met along the way. I am the opposite. I am doing most of my walking alone and keeping to myself most of the time. Well, my extrovert personality won’t allow me to be completely alone, it is just my nature to try and talk to people, but I am not doing it so much now. I really look forward to my alone time.

    Ok, I have been rambling on enough today. That is what happens when you finish your walking day at noon in the middle of nowhere.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    111

    Day 22 - Hontanas to Boadilla - 32km

    September 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    32kms ... done and done!

    Last night, I stayed out and watched the sunset from my albergue. It was nice because I quite often don’t get that chance. Then it was off to bed. I was up at 6:30 and then out the door just after 7:00am. By the time I got to the trail, I didn’t really need my headlamp anymore.

    I stopped in Hontanas to grab a sandwich and a coke for the road. It was a cute little town. When I passed by a bar I immediately recognized it, I thought, I sat right here. Most of my memories from 2009 are because I have photos and journal, but there is a rare time I will pass something and know that I saw this before, even without the physical evidence.

    The day was quite steady. I kept to my routine and rule of stopping around every 5km and I think it really helped. By the end of the day, my feet and muscles were tired, but not extremely tired. I think I could have gone further if needed.

    For the last 8km, I needed to pull out my music to keep me going, mostly because there was wind and I had a strange squeaking in my backpack (it was the plastic bags, this is the first time, so tomorrow I will take a closer look at that)

    When I got to the albergue, I got a great warm welcome from Eduardo. When I came in, he was on the phone and there was a line up to check in and he immediately pointed to me and I pointed back. At one point, there were ladies behind me, and he told them to come forward (as he knew they were a fast check-in) and he said “that is just Julie from Canada”. When it came my turn, he came out from behind the desk and gave me a big hug. It was wonderful. I felt very special. He also gave me a wonderful bed in a dorm with only single beds. I am sure he saved it for me. Any other place, arriving so late (I arrived around 5pm), I would have most definitely had a top bunk somewhere.

    Dinner was very good, two soups (vegetable and white bean), salad, beef stew, and an ice cream bar for desert.

    I am exhausted now, so I won’t be posting online today at all. Tomorrow I have a room on my own, so hopefully I will get caught up then.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    I showered, washed my clothes, then went out for a little walk and then a drink with another German named Martin. I had a couple glasses of white wine. Joerg was a little silent, I suspect he was a little jealous. I hope someday he will realize that there is no one better than him for me!!    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    13Jörg and I in Carrion in 2009

    Day 23 - Boadilla to Carrión - 26km

    September 21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After a big hug from Eduardo in the morning, I was off into the wind and the rain. The forecast was for rain all morning, so there was no avoiding it or waiting it out.

    I realized once I was on the trail, that I hadn’t fixed the hood on the rain jacket yet because a couple weeks back, the string fell out. I had been carrying it all along, but kept forgetting to fix it. Well today I paid for it. The wind was so strong that I had to hold the hood down for quite a bit. At one point, I found the exact right head position that worked for keeping the hood on without having to hold it.

    The first stop was in 5.6 km so I pulled out the string and fixed it then. The rain had slowed again by that point, so I got excited, but it picked up again and boy was I glad I could tie the hood closed.

    In another 4km, I took a break at another bar, and had a hot chocolate and small piece of cake. I wasn’t really hungry, but it is the least I could do to get out of the rain and use the washroom. It was funny at this bar, there were only a few pilgrims, but I got the sense that the staff didn’t really want us. When I got up to leave, I was putting on my poncho, and neither of them, even though standing close by, helped me. It is always a challenge to put it over the backpack, but I usually manage (and I did this time as well). But usually, when someone is standing nearby, they help.

    At another 3.5km there was a sign for another bar, I thought, yes, I should take the break. I had a reservation for tonight so there was no rush to arrive. This was a whole different experience. The woman behind the bar was very friendly and wouldn’t stop talking. An American couple came in just after me, and the woman spoke Spanish, so she would translate when needed. It was a pleasant experience so I stayed longer than expected. The good thing is, by the time I was leaving, it was noon and the sun had come out. Just another 13km to go.

    I usually have a policy that I take off my boots and socks when I take a break, but because each of these times was inside at a bar, I didn’t want to do that (I think it is a little inappropriate). When I got to the next town, which was at the 20km mark, I was able to finally take off my boots and socks, and my feet were soaking wet. They were all wrinkly and the one blister I have on my baby toe was worse. I kept my feet in the sun for about 20 minutes and then put dry socks on (even though the boots were still a little wet.).

    Now it was time to walk the final 6km. I was ready, dry feet, music on the headset, the sun was shining and the views were wonderful, but that wind, it was relentless. I was walking head first into the wind. I had been walking without my hiking sticks, but thought I would pull them out to see if it gave me any extra power to get there. Not sure it helped, but I made it finally.

    I have been keeping in touch with Barb (from Australia) on WhatsApp and we met up with Toni (from Toronto) for dinner. I had a delicious burger and fries.

    I am staying in a private room, and it is wonderful (in hostel standards).It actually has a bath tub. I went into town and bought some Epson salts and just finished my bath. Now it is time to relax and get organized for tomorrow.

    Tomorrow is the special day on the camino where there is a 17km with no towns, only a food truck in the middle, so you have to go at least 17km no matter what. I am thinking that I will only do the 17km to give my body a rest as I have almost done 60km in 2 days. I won’t make a reservation, so if there is no bed, I will continue on to the next town which is at the 23km mark. Be sure to stay tuned to tomorrow’s blog. It was in this 17km stretch that I had a huge personal moment in 2009 and I will share my journal entry with you.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 - Julie’s Journal

    I eventually caught up to Lena just before Boadilla. We stopped at the albergue there for a coke and I met a man working there that used to live in London. He asked me to take a post card home for him so I said I will. I would have loved to stay here at this hostel but Joerg was waiting in Fromista for me. And when I finally arrived … he was a sight for sore eyes! I really missed him.

    He greeted me again with chocolate just like yesterday. He then directed us to the albergue and then asked if he could carry my bag to the room. When I said he could, he said “you are too good to me”. He says that because that is what I often say to him. We went out for a coffee (and hot chocolate) then went for a nap. We are in different rooms tonight.

    It is now time for bed, he has gone and left me with a nice kiss goodnight. Life could not be any better than it is right now. I often think throughout the day “why am I so lucky?” I am so blessed!!! It is time to sleep and to dream.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1

    Day 24 - Carrion to Calzadilla - 17km

    September 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I had a wonderful sleep. I didn’t go to sleep until midnight but slept right through the night. I headed out around 9am. My plan was to only do 17km (the minimum as this is the stretch with no town for 17kms) and if there was a place to stay, then I would stay or I would move on. There was a place, so I am here. It is good to have the short day after two really big days.

    After 8km, the food truck was there, however, it is nothing like 14 years ago. This is practically a cafe now. I had a hot dog and chocolate cake. I actually don’t think it is even in the same spot. I remember it being more out in a field, but this was all crammed in close to the trail. The hot dog was still good though and I took almost an hour break there.

    I took my time with the walk, and actually didn’t listen to music. But boy, I had to go pee lots. I think I stopped 3 times in the 17km. There was no privacy on the trail, so I always just went when I can see the next person was at a good distance. One time, when I looked behind me and saw the next person was far away, I squatted down and as I looked up, right in front of me was a tractor ploughing the fields. He was driving directly at me. I could see though that he respectfully turned away. Some people are so concerned about going outdoors, but in my mind, we all need to go, and if we need to go right now, then we go right now. Men don’t have any problems doing and I don’t think women should either.

    I arrived around 2pm and they offered laundry (wash only) here so I threw all my clothes in. I have no clean clothes so I am still wearing the clothes I was hiking in today. I booked in for a pilgrims meal at the albergue across the street and then went to the other bar and ordered a beer and banana bread (with chocolate on top). I did this for Jörg. He would often have beer and chocolate waiting for me. Today was a windy day again so I felt like he was with me. I thought it only appropriate to share a beer with him.

    I was sitting there, enjoying the beer and view and Kristen (from California) came and sat with me. We started talking and she had lost her husband to cancer around 7 years ago at an early age as well. It was really nice talking with her. We had very similar circumstances.

    I have booked a bunk in Sahagun tomorrow, 23km so I will try to get an early start. Now, just going to relax until dinner.

    Throwback to 2009 - Julie’s Journal

    Well, today was quite the eventful day. It started out awful and ended beautifully … but I am jumping ahead, let me start from the beginning.

    As stated, last night I cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, itchy all over with a lot more bites all over my body, I was feeling awful still.

    We set off by 7:40am, later than usual because I just didn’t want to get up. As we reached the edge of town, Joerg was off and I was happy. For some reason, I was so sick of hearing German. It is always being spoken, I can’t understand so I can’t participate.

    Well, off I went. Ankle hurting, itching all over and all I wanted to do is be alone. I avoided everyone I could and cried most of the time. I was alone.

    Soon my knee started hurting again. I stopped at a rest stop and Jeanetta (from Holland) was there but I didn’t want to be with anyone. I just wanted to wallow in my self-pity. I kept thinking to myself to send Joerg ahead of me. I could tell that I was starting to push him away because I was being emotional. I always have a hard time expressing emotions (crying) in front of others. I know I have been pushing men away all my life when it gets tough. I think deep down I will be rejected when I show my weakness. Again, another internal thought that I must always be strong.

    At about the 8km mark of a 17 km stretch, a man set up a bar in the middle of the field. I stopped there, got the only thing chocolate they had, I faced away from everyone else into the field and was just thinking. It was at that moment I decided I am not going to push Joerg away. I am going to let my emotions go. I am going to cry in front of him and let him see this side of me. It is important to do this. I thought to myself that when I arrive, I am just going to break down.

    After that revelation I set off on the trail again. It was a cold day so I was wearing my hat to keep warm. I was still feeling crappy, limping, pain and I wanted that hat off. It wouldn’t fit in my pocket so I just said “Fuck it!” and threw it away. Soon after I realized that it wasn’t a good idea because someone would think that it was lost. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, a guy rode by on a bike and asked me if I lost the hat. I just waved him off and said no. About 5 seconds later I again realized that that was bad because he was riding by asking everyone. I should have taken it but it was too late.

    I stopped to take the apple out of my backpack and who should be coming up behind me was Hans. I really didn’t want to see anyone I knew. I just wanted to be left alone to cry. Well, one of the first things he says to me is “That was not your hat?” I broke down and told him the truth. He couldn’t believe it. He said there was another Canadian woman who has lost her hat and has gone back looking for it. I told him that if she doesn’t find it, she could have mine.

    He was soon off and I was back to my crying and self-pity. At one point along the trail the song “Don’t Give Up” came on my Ipod. All of the words were so relevant to me. It was like God was speaking to me reminding me that he loves me. There was no one on the trail, the sky was so beautiful in front of me. I stopped and bawled continuously through the whole song. I realized it was true. God does love me and will take care of me. I know Joerg loves me too. I am loved. I listened to the song again and that was the end of my tears. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day. This happened about an hour from my 17 km mark.

    I arrived, got a sandwich and sent an email to Joerg telling him I would be leaving by 1:30 and that I loved him. When I arrived, he was there waiting for me as usual and walked me to the albergue holding my hand. I told him a bit about my day and told him that if I need to cry, I will just do it, I will not hold back. He asked me what I wanted him to do when it happens. I just told him to just hold me. I am the luckiest person on this planet. There could not be a better man for me anywhere.

    Dinner was noodle soup, pork and French fries and an orange for desert. Then we went to bed, but before the lights went out, I had a wonderful kiss.

    Perfect Day !!!    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023

    Day 25 - Cazadilla to Sahagún - 23km

    September 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I was up and at ‘em at 7 and on the road by 7:30. It is now cold in the mornings, it was only 6 degrees this morning so I had pants and jacket on. Today’s goal was 23km. The first town was 6km away so the plan was to have breakfast there. When I arrived, there was one bar open, and they only had a few things in packages, so I had a packaged croissant and brownie.

    The next town was only 3kms away but I was starting to get hot so I stopped again and “zipped my legs off”, took off my jacket and long sleeve shirt. Skip (from Connecticut) came in as well as I was resting. I had met him a few days ago when he accidentally walked too far and had to take a taxi back as the place he walked to was full but he had a reservation where we were. I would tell you the name of the town, but they really just all blend together now.

    Skip and I walked together for awhile. We stopped in San Nichol for a bite to eat, then there was only 8kms to go. After about 4kms, I could see that I needed to take my break. My left leg and blister were acting up. We parted ways just before town. I arrived at my albergue around 3pm. It was good that I had a reservation as they just filled up. It is a parish albergue which I wanted.

    We had a pilgrims mass tonight and it was in both English and Spanish. After the mass, there was a special pilgrims blessing. When the blessing was done, then we had to each take a special message specifically for us that was printed on a rolled up paper. Mine is: “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” Mt 5:14.16

    Dinner is in about 10 mins (at 8pm). It is a communal dinner, but we each had to bring something that would feed 4 people so it is like a potluck. There is a grocery store across the street, so I picked up some cooked pasta. It should be interesting.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023

    Day 26 - Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero -18k

    September 24, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I am in a private room in El Burgo Ranero right now. It is not luxury, but again, I can just spread my things all over the place so it works well for me. It also has a nice quiet outdoor space and I sat for a little bit in the sun (though not too long as I get enough sun every day). I will also not have to worry about bothering people with my snoring. I really don’t know how bad it is and if I discovered a better side to sleep on or not. I think I may try to record myself tonight and see.

    Today’s walk was 18kms and manageable. I stopped my usual every 5km or so and as usual, people asked if I was ok. I am kind of used to it now, but when one guy stopped and asked “tu bien”, I said yes, he didn’t believe me and continued to prob. I had my socks off as I like to let my feet breathe and so I guess he was very concerned about this. Then I got a little pissed off. I said “Tres Bien” and gave him a look. I know they think they are being kind, which is why I started to let it slide, but to then go on and on about it, that is just annoying.

    I am two days away from Leon (a big city) and am thinking of the supplies I may need. The one thing I have been debating is new shoes/boots. The ones I have are pretty tight and hot which is why I think I need to stop more than usual and let my feet breathe. Before I had left Canada I had decided at the last minute to take these boots. My ankle was still very weak and I didn’t feel supported in the Hoka’s I had bought. My ankle feels much better now, so I am thinking of possibly getting Altras. I have heard great things about them, especially the wide toe boot. I will probably take a look, but I am scared to give up my boots just yet. There is a couple tough areas coming up, plus the reality of more rain. I will let you know what I decide.

    Today’s walk was uneventful. It was mostly walking on a path beside the road. For a lot of it, I actually walked the road as it wasn’t a busy one (only 1 car passed the whole time). I like road walking as it is predictable. Not likely to have a loose rock in my way causing havoc when I step on it and twist something.

    I think I am going to sit down tonight and do some serious planning on my stops and perhaps reserve a little bit. It is getting really crazy out here and I hear so often people turned away. I have around 325 kms left. We officially passed the half way mark yesterday. This would mean I have roughly 16 days left if I do around 20km a day, not including a rest day. I think I may take a rest day in Leon and then we will see.

    Well, I better sign off now and do some planning and some eating.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    11Jörg in 2009 waiting for me outside Mansilla1

    Day 27-El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla 18km

    September 25, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I am sitting in the Mansilla Bus terminal right now waiting for the bus to Leon after walking 18km. I just missed the bus so I have to wait 2 hours before the next one, so I thought I might as well be productive and write my blog. Let me start at the beginning.

    I woke up in the middle of the night last night to go to the washroom and I had a brilliant idea. Why don’t I take the bus to Leon? The reason I want to get to Leon today is that my friend Christina is there right now and is leaving tomorrow. She is a couple days ahead of me on the walk. I thought about it and it is only 18km walk that I am missing and it is all along the highway, nothing of importance to see. I thought, life is about our connections, so if I go today, I can have dinner with her, then she will be off tomorrow and I will explore Leon.

    So, today I walked the 18km I was scheduled to walk and instead of finding a place to sleep, I am hopping on the bus. It is just as well. I can tell my body is ready for a rest day.

    Today was practically uneventful as yesterday, except when I burst into tears. I was walking along the road and thought I would put on some music. I looked at my playlists and I had the album “The Movie Album: As Time Goes By” by Neil Diamond. I smiled and thought, “ok, I will probably cry a bit but it will be nice to listen to this”. The reason it may be emotional is that I played this album over and over again when I was in the US just after meeting Jörg. Almost every song on the album is about love and I was falling in love with Jörg so they all had meaning.

    Some of the songs are
    Secret Love
    Can you Feel the Love Tonight
    Love with a Proper Stranger
    When you Wish Upon a Star
    Ebb Tide
    True Love
    Can’t Help Falling in Love

    Most of these brought smiles and a few tears, but mostly happy memories. I burst into sobbing snotty tears when Neil Diamond started singing “My Heart Will Go On”.

    Jörg is forever in my heart.

    Time to get ready for the bus ride. I will tell you all about my evening tomorrow.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    11Jörg in 2009, outside León CathedralJörg in 2009, outside León Cathedral

    Day 28 - León - Rest Day

    September 26, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Well, the planning has started. I started to put together a tentative plan of where I will stay and reserve a few beds and it is really hard to believe that I have just over 300kms and only 2 weeks left. If I go according to my schedule (and it could easily change), then I would arrive in Santiago on October 12th. That would be perfect timing for me. I would spend a few days there, go to Finistere for a day and then make my way to Germany in time for Bärbel’s birthday.

    So it was wonderful last night. I arrived in Leon and the albergue around 5:15pm. I showered, changed and was ready to go out the door. I met Christina and Kangmi at the Cathedral. We toured inside the cathedral and then went for sangrias. Dinner in Spain doesn’t start until 8-8:30pm, so it was a long wait for food. It was worth it. We ordered a few dishes to share including a salad, cured meat platter and croquettes (my new favourite food!). These croquettes were filled with blue cheese.

    We finished dinner around 10:30 and we all headed in different directions for our beds. It was definitely worth missing the 18km and spending the 2 Euros for the bus to see them. Christina is off again this morning. Will still be a day ahead, but if I don’t catch up, I am sure I will see her in Santiago. I am making plans to try and see her in Denmark before I head home.

    Today I didn’t get out of bed until 10:00am, and even then, I sat around in my sleep clothes until 11 and finally said it was time to go outside. I did a little shopping but didn’t really find what I was looking for but it wasn’t anything urgent.

    I spoke with Maximilian today to have him help me with my cell phone. I have voicemail but wasn’t sure how to get into it as the instructions were in German. He helped me sort it out.

    Now I am just heading out again (stores open again at 5:30) to try and find some yoga pants or leggings so I have in case of cold evenings.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 Julie’s Journal

    Ok, the last words I heard before sleep was Joerg looking into my eyes, smiling and saying “beautiful” Can there be anything better??    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1
    12Jörg in 2009 in LeónJörg on his way with his big backpack

    Day 29 - León to San Martín - 26km

    September 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    I was off early today. I figured today I could leave early (before sunrise) because the first 8-10km will be through city streets and highway. By the time I was out the door, it was about 7:15am.

    Well, the sunrise today was magnificent (as you can see by all the pictures I took). The timing was perfect when I was a little on the outskirts of the city to see this.

    I did 26km today. It was mostly walking a path beside the busy highway so on went my headset again. I listened to CCR and Bruce Springsteen, pretty safe listening, no major love songs!

    I didn’t have a reservation in this town so I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a bed. The next town is another 6.5kms. The first two albergues I approached were full but I lucked out on the third one. It had beds in the dorm and a private room. The private room was only 25 Euros so I opted for it. I have the next two nights reserved and they are dorm beds, so I might as well enjoy the privacy while I can. I looked up the reviews of this place and they all look great.

    There is an evening meal here at 7pm so just relaxing until then. I am not even gonna bother to explore the town. I don’t think there is much here.

    Tomorrow’s walk will start for 6km along the highway, but that will be it for the highway walking. It will be back to hills and paths. In 3 days is the big climb up the mountain to Cruz de Farro. This is where everyone leaves their rocks from home. I am looking forward to that, I have brought a couple rocks from home, but will tell you all about it on that day.

    Ok, I am signing off and going back to relaxing!

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1Jörg and I in 2009 leaving the albergue in Hospital de Orbigo1Jörg in 2009 waiting for me to pee1Jörg in 2009 sitting with friends in Astorga

    Day 30 - San Martín to Astorga - 26km

    September 28, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today was long and hard. It wasn’t longer than the day before, but there were a few tiny hills and I got caught in the heat of the day again.

    I started off early, 7:30am, but by the time I hit the outskirts of town it was 7:45 which was just enough daylight to see without a flashlight. The first 7km was along the highway again but then we finally turned inward and it was back to paths and towns. I stopped at the first town and had breakfast and used the facilities (i.e toilet).

    The next town was only 3.5kms away, but again, I needed a washroom so I stopped again and had an orange juice. The challenge is that every time you need to use a washroom, out of respect, you should buy something. I don’t mind doing that at all, but then buying something means I sit and drink or eat the item, which then eats up more time.

    It this town, I also needed a small bottle of water for my pocket so found a man who was offering water. He was in a type of garage and it was decorated with souvenirs from all over the world, photos and postcards that pilgrims sent him. The water was by donation so I gave him 5 Euros. He was excited and then said you need to take a banana as well. Then he proceeded to take me all around his room showing me all the canadian postcards and money he had on the wall. Just as I was about to leave, he told me to wait (this was all in Spanish, but body language tells a lot). He then came out from his kitchen with a nice slice of melon for me. It was wonderful, so refreshing.

    I got off again and the next town was only 2.5km but I needed the washroom again, this time for #2. I was just about to do an 8km stretch without towns so I didn’t want to do that somewhere in a bush. So again, I sat down and enjoyed a coke and a break. While there, a dozen people came in that were part of a hiking tour. They had just done 6kms and they had about 10 to go. They were all excited and proud they got 6kms out of the way. I just thought it was funny. I don’t resent these groups at all, it is sometimes the only way people can do the walk.

    All these breaks left me at about noon and I still had at least 12kms to go. It was a long haul. Very little shade so when I found some, I stopped. At one point on the trail, the tour group had passed me and when there was a rest stop with a tree and a bench, many of them were huddled there. I thought I would stop and take a break, and one person said “come on over pilgrim”, so I did. The problem was, that there was one woman on the bench taking up the whole thing, so I was just standing there, with my big backpack and obviously exhausted and they didn’t offer the bench. I used the excuse that the flies were too much, and left (which they were annoying today). About 15 mins later I found my own spot and had a rest and my lunch.

    I finally made it into the town just 4km outside of Astorga and sat for a coke and a break again. I so badly wanted to call a taxi to take me the last 4km. It was already 3:30pm but I didn’t do it. I walked the last 4km in and passed the spot where I was sick to my stomach in 2009 (which you can read about in the throwback).

    Upon entering Astorga, I passed through Plaza Mayor. It is sort of special, as in 2009, we made a stop there and there were a bunch of people at a table we knew from along the way and they called Jörg over to join them so we did. I had nothing but smiles seeing that place again.

    After settling in, I went out to find a supermarket to get some soap (just ran out), and stopped for a sangria in a plaza while video chatting with Aunt Mavis over messenger. It was nice to talk yesterday to my Dad as well by FaceTime. That is what I love about technology!

    Ok, now it is time to get some sleep. Long day again tomorrow (around 20km), and it is all uphill.

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s journal:

    Today started out nice. I was walking a good pace with Joerg. The landscape changed so we now had trees, paths, hills, rocky paths … it was wonderful.

    We stopped about 4 km outside Astorga for a break where I ate my yogurt. Afterwards, about 1 km in the town outside Astorga, I started to slow. I told Joerg to go ahead. After about 10 mins, I got the urge to throw up. I had to stop and sit and when no one was around, I threw up. A bike riding by asked if I was ok and I waved him on. After about 10-15 mins I started again, but in about 15 mins, I felt sick again. I stopped on the side of the trail. I saw a couple come by, so I held off until they passed. They stopped and asked me if I was sick and I said yes, but I asked then to just keep going. After, I threw up again, I started walking again. In about 5 mins, Joerg was walking towards me and gave me a hug. The couple had told him that his girlfriend was sick.

    We stopped at the railway for another 15 mins, I ate a bran bar and started to feel better. We walked into Astorga and when we were in Major Plaza, a whole table of pilgrims were waiving to us to sit down. They were all friends of Joerg’s and I told him that. He said “he has no friends, all his life he is alone.” I told him they are his friends. It was Hans, a couple from Denmark (ahouse, Bjorne), Connie our friend from Germany and a new guy from Germany named Sven.

    Joerg is the social one of the two of us. Most of the people I meet are because he arrives early and then talks with all the people who arrive. I know I would just be a loner if he wasn’t around. After Astorga I was feeling better so we walked the extra 5 km to here. This albergue is really nice, clean, friendly, has a middle courtyard with a bar and a nice quiet backyard with grass. It is so peaceful, I love it!

    After dinner, as usual it was bed time. After a wonderful kiss from Joerg it was sleep time. I had the best ever sleep on the Camino. I slept until 4:30 where I woke coughing, then went back to sleep until 6 when my alarm went off. The blanket they had on the bed was so soft and cozy, I forgot where I was.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1213Jörg and me in 2009 outside the chuch31

    Day 31 - Astorga to Rabanal - 20km

    September 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today was supposed to be somewhat easy (even though it was a steady climb up), but it was so hot and no shade that the last few kilometres were difficult.

    I started out before sunrise and the full moon was out. It was so huge in the sky, the pictures don’t do it justice. I had a couple yogurts before leaving but they weren’t sitting well in my stomach. I am used to leaving without any food and then eating an hour later. I had extra from yesterday, so decided to try and have it. Not again.

    The first town was about 5kms away and I stopped and had a toasted sandwich, not wonderful, but better than nothing. I had a nice visit with Caryn (from Steveston BC) and then I was off. There are quite a few Canadians on the camino at this time. I kept making stops in the towns every few kilometres. The scenery has definitely changed to mostly trees, just none of them were nearby or big enough to provide shade.

    When I arrived, I had immediately asked if they did laundry. It cost me 8 Euros, but well worth it. I was in no mood to wash and everything was dirty. So I gave her my clothes, and I went to the bar next door and had lunch. I sat with Lisa and Jenna joined us. We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other. Lisa is from Texas and Jenna is from North Carolina. After lunch, I wandered up into the town to find the spot where Joerg and I sat waiting for the albergue to open. I found it, and asked someone to take my picture there. When we were here in 2009, the monks were out of town, but they were here today so I was treated to Gregorian Chants and Vespers in the church. There was a pilgrims blessing but it wasn’t until 9:30pm so that was too late for me to wait up.

    I came back to the albergue just after the service and had another great time visiting with Jenna and Lisa. We sat outside chatting and laughing until 9pm. I had no time to write this blog, which is why you are getting it a day late.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1Jörg in 2009 leaving RabanalJörg in 2009 at Cruz de FerroJörg in 2009 - his rock signed by the familyJörg and me relaxing at the Church watching everyone at the Iron Cross1Jörg passing through ManjarinJörg in 2009 on the difficult downhill after Cruz de Ferro1

    Day 32 - Rabanal to El Acebo - 18km

    September 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today was a very difficult day, both emotionally and physically. I was expecting the emotional as today was the day I passed the Cruz de Ferro, but wasn’t anticipating the physical.

    I decided to head off later this morning. It was only supposed to be around 16km and I had a reservation for a private room so I could take all the time I need. I left about 8am, the sun was still rising so I got to see the nice glow on the horizon.

    We climbed the highest peak of the camino today and then came down from it. I decided to book in a town on the mountain so I wouldn’t have to go all the way to the bottom today, the down was only about 3.5kms for this day.

    The first stop was Foncebadon which was about 5.5kms. It was a steady climb up and I was ready for some breakfast by then. After the break, the Cruz de Ferro was only 2.5kms away.

    I had it all planned, I would sit in the same spot that Joerg and I sat, I would hang for about an hour and get someone to take my picture there. When I arrived, the church where we sat was under renovations with scaffolding and a fence blocking the passage. I just leaned up against the fence and looked at the spot. That was the start of the emotions. I was disappointed, but then I started thinking about my rocks. I brought 2 rocks, one from Utah from when Jörg and I first met, and the other was from Jörg’s windsurfing beach at Gordon’s Beach in Shirley.

    I was holding onto the rocks and didn’t want to let go. I am not ready to let go. I felt like leaving the rocks was leaving Jörg behind instead of just sharing him. I know I have so many things of Jörgs, so logically, I am not leaving him behind, but it was how I was feeling. I finally went up to the iron cross and placed the rocks. As I was there, I could see that I could in fact go sit at the church as it wasn’t blocked from the Cruz de Ferro hill. So I went down and sat at the church in the exact same spot we sat. I thought, “Why not, if someone comes and tells me to move, then I will”. When sitting there, I was practically alone as everyone else was at a distance behind the fence, so it was a good time to just let go and have a good cry.

    It was time to continue. I started off again and the next stop was in about another 2.5km at Manjarin. It is a village at the top with officially only one resident. There was a food truck there, so I stopped and had a pop and chocolate cake. It came just in time because the blisters on my toes were starting to hurt.

    I took off the boots and socks while resting. It was noon and I was ready to go on, just 6.5km left, about 3km still up and the rest down. This is where it started to get difficult. Today was a real hiking day (not just walking). Mostly scrambling over rocks. This is usually the stuff I love, and was enjoying it for awhile, but my two toes really started to ache. They ached so much that I was limping. I stopped at the top of the mountain, took off the boots for a rest. The funny thing about my blisters, is that they don’t really hurt to touch when I take my boots off. I keep feeling them and they are ok, but after about 2kms, they were aching so much. There were a couple opportunities to take the road, instead of the path, so I did that to give my feet a break.

    The way down was obviously more painful as the toes would hit the boot a bit. When I was about 1.5km away, I was in so much pain that I just had to sit down on the trail and take off the boot. I have been wearing 2 socks. Injinji liner and a thin hiking sock. On top of that, I had wrapped the toes this morning with “sleeves” and bandages. I really think that the pain comes from the heat, not the touch. Whenever I let them breathe and cool down, they don’t hurt anymore. I decided to keep the injinji sock off this time, and the last 1.5km was back to normal with only minimal pain. I really have to figure out a way to keep the feet cool. I have one more mountain after this (O Cebreiro), then I would feel comfortable trying different shoes, instead of the boots. I really wonder if I should just cut open some holes in the boots and see if that helps. I will think on that.

    I am now relaxing at the bar. I had my shower, but no energy left to wash clothes. I have a wonderful small private room. Dinner is at 7pm, after that, I am off to bed. I need to make some decisions for tomorrow as I still have about 6kms of downhill. I will google some solutions to my blisters/toes/shoes problem.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    Well, we did it. It was hard today but we arrived. The uphill was easy. We made it to the top and Cruz de Ferro in under 2 hours (it was 8km).

    We spent about an hour there, both sitting quietly with our rocks. Joerg then went with the camera to place his rock and then I did. Afterwards we sat together quietly just watching the people.

    It was a big moment. I had a few tears in my eyes. I thought about how far we have come (almost 600km). I thought about all my loved ones back home and I couldn’t help but think how blessed I am. I am so blessed to have Joerg in my life. He is such a wonderful man. I couldn’t help but think I don’t deserve him. I try not to think negative, but I can’t help it sometimes. Funny thing is that I know he sometimes feels the same and that could be further from the truth. In reality, I think we are perfect for each other. I sometimes think that all my life was to lead me to him. When we are in the cities, he would sometimes tell me when to cross the road and I would tease him that I managed to cross the road all my life. He would laugh and say “I don’t want to lose you”. That is how I feel. I don’t want to lose him. I want to spend my life with him. When we were in Astorga sitting with the group of people, the lady from Denmark asked me if after the camino I was going to move to Germany. I hesitated and then the subject changed so I didn’t have to answer. Later in the grocery store I was thinking about it and smiling. Joerg asked me about it and I said I was remembering the question and that of course the answer is “yes”. He then said “Canada is better.”    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    11

    Day 33 - El Acebo to Ponferrada - 16km

    October 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I am an idiot. No worries, I am now laughing at my idiocy. Last night, I had a private room so I decided to take the inserts out of my boots to give them a chance to air out and low and behold, the original insert was still in the boot and came out at the same time. WHAT?! No wonder my boots were so tight and hot all the time. I took them out as well.

    So, in the morning, I decided to wear only my hiking socks (no injinji socks) and the one arch support insert. My blisters were pretty small and I wrapped them. Let’s see if that helps, because the pain yesterday was crazy.

    Well today, NO PAIN! In fact, I didn’t have to stop my regular 5kms to air out my feet. The toes have so much breathing space, I couldn’t stop talking about it. I ran into Yannette on the trail and we talked about it for awhile.

    The first 7kms was all down hill, similar to the trail yesterday, all rocks, but today, I could enjoy it. I felt so much relief, I can’t believe it took me 30 FN days to figure that out .... again, I am an idiot!

    In Molinaseca we ran into Jenna so we all had a drink and then walked the final 9kms together. We took the back route in through Campo which was nice. Jenna had an albergue booked so we followed her and are staying at the same place. Quite modern and nice. We shared a wash and dry, went to see the castle, then had some food. Very nice relaxing day.

    Tomorrow I am planning a short day as well (15km). I am heading to Cacabelos, it is the town that Joerg first told me he loved me.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1Jörg in 2009 in CacabelosJörg in 2009 enjoying the sunJörg in 2009 in Cacabelos1

    Day 34 - Ponferrada to Cacabelos - 18km

    October 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I am sitting in Cacabellos waiting for my dinner.

    I started the day at 8am again. I started out in the city, but a couple times I blindly followed someone else with a backpack and soon realized I didn’t see any arrows. I was lucky I had the wise pilgrim app which shows the trail and where you are on it. So I could get myself back on track again but probably added maybe a kilometre extra to my day.

    The scenery today wasn’t anything spectacular so there is no video, only a few pictures. I took my time as I knew it was a short day, but I was also conscious of the time as I wanted to be here around 1pm as after that, the sun becomes unbearable. It is unseasonably warm here. It is still close to 30 everyday.

    Last night I booked my hotel in Santiago. I have booked it for Sept 12-15 so now I really do need to arrive on the 12th. On my first break of the day today, I sent a message to the tattoo artist I wanted to go to and I have an appointment for 10:30am on September 13th for my tattoo. All my plans are coming together nicely. I have around 190kms to go.

    Also on that first break, I decided to send an email to the Albergue in Cacabelos again asking if they are open and if I could have bed number 19-20. I had sent them an email a week ago, but didn’t hear back from them. In the email, I had explained that I stayed here in 2009 with my husband and that he first told me he loved me here and that he died this year. I said it would be special if I could stay again. Last year, they had closed in September so I wasn’t sure if they would be open. I also didn’t hear back from them today either.

    When I got to town, I walked through town to the albergue and I could see that it was open. I went inside and the woman in charge asked me to just sit on the bench while she showed the other people their room. As I was sitting there alone, waiting, I started to cry. I think part of it was the release of the stress knowing that it is actually open. When she came back and was checking me in, I asked if I could make a special request for bed 20 and she asked me if I was Julie. She had read my email so she understood.

    She was very kind, we talked about Jörg and she asked how he died. When we got to the room, she said “this will be sad for you”, I said “yes”. She opened the door and then left me there and said “I wish you a good life”. I went inside and just sat for awhile, then I just lied down for a bit. Finally I got up, and then put my headset on and watched the video from Jörg’s celebration of life and had another good cry.

    It was time to venture out. I met up with Jenna and had a beer and we talked about Jörg. I showed her pictures from when we were here and showed her our wedding photos. It was very nice. She has been very kind and supportive. Now I am waiting for my ravioli starter and haven’t decided what I will eat after.

    Tomorrow will be a long day. I can do anywhere between 18-25km. I think I would like to do the 25km, but I will gauge it tomorrow.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1Jörg in 2009

    Day 35 - Cacabelos to La Portela- 23km

    October 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    I have stopped at a lovely albergue in La Portela de Valcarce. My plan was to do a 26km day but as I was walking by this albergue, I saw a couple ladies outside looking relaxed and drinking wine. I yelled across the street “is it good there?” but I couldn’t hear the reply. I crossed the highway and one of the ladies was the owner and said there was only one bed left. She talked about the meal being all together with salad, and I cut her off and said “I’m in”.

    I started off around 7:30 this morning. I was ready by 7:15 but had to take some last pictures of the albergue and say goodbye to my special room. It was still dark but I had read last night that the walk was beside the highway, so I thought it was ok to walk a little in the dark. As usual, the sunrise was nice and the golden hour always brings out brilliant colours. It was such a beautiful walk to Villafranca through the rolling hills and vineyards. After that, it was mostly beside the highway so easy walking. In fact, it was a little cloudy so it was perfect for walking an extra long day.

    It is 8:15pm now and I am writing this blog from bed. There are only 4 beds at this albergue, 2 bunk beds in a little room. It is all women tonight and we had a nice dinner with salad and pizza and ice cream. We stayed out talking quite a bit after dinner. I told my bunk mates I would only type for about 15 mins, so I better break now. I won’t start until 8am tomorrow as it is only a 14km hike, but it is all up hill, so should be interesting. I am very excited as I will be staying on top of the mountain tomorrow.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    After dinner, Joerg and I talked more about writing the book. I said we need to do it soon after the camino so our memories are fresh. He said we needed a place by the ocean that is warm and with wind. I think he likes the idea of writing a book. At one point he said “It is also a love story”. Those words have been echoing in my head ever since.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    11Jörg in 2009Jörg in 2009Jörg in 20091

    Day 36 - La Portela to O Cebreiro - 14km

    October 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I am sitting on top of a mountain, literally! I am sitting outside my albergue looking at breathtaking views. It was only a 14km hike today but it was all uphill, and 8kms of it was steep. I am in O Cebreiro for the night and it is at an elevation of 1330m.

    I woke up at 7am ready for an 8am take off, but to my surprise, David, the owner of the the albergue was making us Churros with chocolate for breakfast. I don’t think I have ever had one before. It was delicious and very kind. With my belly full, I was off at 8:30am. The day was a beautiful sunny day again. The walk up first takes you through a few cute villages and then starts on a track path, full of mud and cow dung. Man were there flies everywhere. That part wasn’t so pleasant, but I still enjoyed it as it was real hiking.

    The second half was a little easier terrain with mostly dirt and rocks, but there was no tree shelter. I found a shrub once and kind of rested behind it, but really, mostly sun exposed for the afternoon. I arrived at the top around 2:00pm, just in time to be greeted with a bus load of German tourists. This is a wonderful spot and I can understand why tour busses would come up here. There are views almost 360 degrees around. I am really looking forward to the sunset tonight, and then the sunrise in the morning.

    The hike itself was pretty tough, but I took it at a slow and steady pace. I really wasn’t tired until about the last 30 minutes. It was around that time, where we officially leave Castilla Y Leon and enter Galicia. I love that, when you enter Galicia, then you know the end is close. My app says there is 152kms left and the trail signs say about 159km left, I will go by my app thank you.

    Tomorrow is mostly down. I have booked a private room to treat myself so there is no rush to get off in the morning. I can sit and enjoy the views, that is if there isn’t a fog, and if there is, then that will be fun in itself.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1
    1Jörg in 20091

    Day 37 - O Cebreiro to Fillobal - 17km

    October 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I started the day by coming out at 7:00am to see the stars. Cassiopeia was right in front of me. I don’t think many of you know the significance of Cassiopeia for Jörg and I so I will fill you in now.

    About a month after we met in Nashville, Jörg and I travelled together for a week in my car visiting the national parks of southern Utah including Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, etc. We ended the week visiting the Grand Canyon together. Well, the first day of the trip, we were in Zion. I actually had a tent so we camped together. I forget at what point in the evening (I think in the middle of the night), I pointed out to Jörg the constellation Cassiopeia (it is the W shape set of stars). It is the only one I know (well except for the Big Dipper) and learned it from the movie “The sure thing” in the 80s.

    Well, throughout the week, we would always look to the sky in the evening and I would point it out. On the last night we were together before he left to go home to Germany, we were up at 4am and we both went out of the motel room to look outside for it but it was cloudy. Throughout the years we joked about it whenever we had a chance to look at the stars. I feel he is now in those stars watching over me.

    Today was lovely. Coming downhill from O Cebreiro is nothing like coming down from Cruz de Ferro. It is quite pleasant, the path is mostly smooth but steep in some places. I hiked the day with Jenna. She is off to Triacastela (another 3.7km) today so we separated and will probably see each other again in Santiago.

    The town I am in is still on the mountain, about 2/3rds of the way down. I have a private room today and it is beautiful. I am sitting in my room, waiting for my laundry to dry, then I will venture out and just sit and enjoy the view for the rest of the day. My friends Nadine and Jacqueline are here (from Belgium) so I am sure we will have a nice visit.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    2Jörg and me in Samos in 2009

    Day 38 - Fillobal to Sarria - 22km

    October 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Well, are you sitting down to read this? It wasn’t an exciting day but lots of interesting things happened so I may have a bit of a run on the mouth (or fingers in this case).

    First off, I had a wonderful private room last night but I had a terrible sleep. I finally faced the facts yesterday that I have bed bug bites. I had washed everything I own and put in the dryer. I figured it was solved, but I woke up about 1am and had a couple more bites. I am not sure if these were already there and just started itching or if they were new. I was so paranoid about it that I couldn’t really sleep. Every time I thought I felt something, I quickly turned on the lights and nothing was there. At about 4am I finally said, “this is enough, I need sleep, don’t think about it and just sleep.” So I got a good couple hours of sleep.

    I was awake and ready to go by 7:30 so I decided to go. It is still dark until 8am these days so I needed to wear my headlamp. Off I went, about 20 minutes or so into the hike (it was downhill on a path), I could hear someone hiking behind me and see a headlamp. That is no big deal, always happens, but when I looked forward, I saw someone coming towards me (up the hill) that wasn’t wearing a headlamp. I started to wonder why they didn’t have a headlamp and why are they walking backwards on the trail. It took me at least 5 seconds (and count that, it is pretty long), to realize that the figure coming towards me was just me. It was my shadow created by the headlamp on the person behind me. Too funny!

    The hike today was new to me. The last time I was here, the standard trail was through a town called Samos. Now, that part of the trail is an option, and going straight through is the regular trail. The regular one is 6km shorter so you know which one I chose.

    It was shorter, but it was a bit of a challenge. After about 3kms of going down, it was time to go up again. It was a pretty big hill and then there were steep parts going down again. Jenna and I laughed the night before because when you see the elevation profile, it almost looks like the “middle finger”. When I got to the top, I sent Jenna a text saying we definitely named it correctly!

    Today was only 22km (funny I can say only 22km now), but I was feeling extra tired. I am sure it was lack of sleep that contributed to my lack of energy. I made lots of stops to replenish the energy.

    I arrived around 3:30pm, so in the late hot sun again. When I was checking in, Yannette saw me and said a group of them are getting together for dinner at 6 so I joined them. It was fun chatting about nonsense stuff and laughing (I am keeping this PG so I won’t give details). At one point someone asked if we thought we lost weight. Most of us said yes. I can feel it in my shorts and can see it on my face. Then someone had an idea to find a picture from when we started. So I dug back, and boy can I see a difference. That felt good.

    Ok, I am going to head to bed now. Keep our fingers crossed that I don’t see any new bites in the morning or I will definitely need to take more aggressive tactics to rid my stuff of them. The good thing is everything is contained in one bag. The other good thing is that I looked around the table tonight and saw lots of bites, so it ain’t just me.

    TTYL (Video coming tomorrow, sleep 💤 more important today)

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    The hike today was beautiful. Lots of trees and mountains and very cool old villages. We took our time and walked at a steady pace. I think we finally arrived at the Albergue at 5:30pm. Along the way, Joerg and I kept joking about his “girlfriend”.

    Last night, there was a German lady with a German man that we kept running into. They stopped at our albergue. At one point, Joerg told her that I only spoke English. She didn’t say anything, then he started to say it in German but she cut him off saying she understood. She then still continued to speak in German. At one point, she started rubbing Joerg’s leg for a good 30 seconds then she offered him a mint but did not offer me one. I didn’t think anything of it except that she was a little rude.

    Later I asked what she was talking about when she was rubbing his leg and he said he can’t remember but it was nothing to do with his leg, she was just rubbing it. That was too funny. I don’t feel threatened at all, but we were joking about it all day. For example, there were notes on some posts and he said they were from her telling him to meet her after dark under Cassiopeia.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    1Jörg in 2009 at 100km marker11

    Day 39 - Sarria to Portomarin - 22km

    October 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Wow, all I can say is WOW. I thought I was prepared, but you are not really prepared until you witness it. What I am talking about is the mass exodus from Sarria.

    I started at 7:15 this morning. The temperature was to go into the 30s again today and I had 22kms to go, so I wanted to get here as soon as I could to avoid the heat of the day. Well, that didn’t work, it was still 3:30pm when I got here.

    I started without the headlamp but we soon left the lights of the city so it was time to put the headlamp on. When I was putting it on, Joyce (from Netherlands) asked if she could walk with me with my headlamp. So we walked together for 3.5km. That was the spot for the first break and the sun had risen. The place was huge and the crowds were just as big but only 2 people working there. It took at least 15 minutes to get my breakfast. The nice thing is that it was bacon and eggs. Normally when you travel, you are excited to have the local food, but after 39 days I was so excited to have food from home!

    Then it was time to walk again, but I realized soon I needed to use a washroom, so in another 5km, I had to stop for a break again. Well, this place was even busier. I had to wait at least 15 minutes for the washroom, and then 10 mins just to buy a bag of chips (so that I could use the washroom).

    I then stopped another few kilometres away for my lunch. I was going to keep that short but got talking with a guy from LA who is doing the 100km. So because of all the long breaks, I was again stuck in the heat of the day. The good part this time, is that I had a great sleep last night, so even though I was a little tired because of the heat, I still had energy when I arrived.

    After lunch, it was less than a kilometre to the 100km marker. I had to do a double check that it was the right spot, but it was. The camino path has been rerouted in many places, so this marker needed to obviously be moved. In the pictures, you will see a picture of Jörg at the 100km marker and you will see me with it today, in a completely different place.

    After showering and getting organized, I ventured out and found the supermarket. Got some water, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy some bread for the road (kind of tired of it). I have some trail mix and nuts in my bag, so that will hold me until I need real food tomorrow. I think it is 8kms away.

    I ran into Joyce again, so we went to dinner together at a nice Italian restaurant. The forecast for all of next week is in the 30s everyday until I reach Santiago, so I really have to discipline myself to take shorter breaks, I think I will try to set a timer on my phone.

    Ok, time for bed --- wash, rinse and repeat all again tomorrow. Almost there.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    We ran into Joerg’s girlfriend a couple times again. The second time, she came up from behind us as were sitting at a bar and she rubbed Joerg’s shoulders. Joerg was quick to point it out. I eventually said to him “I don’t mind when she touches him because I know I am the one who can touch him anytime”.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    5

    Day 40 -Portomarin to Palas de Rei -26km

    October 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I got the last bed at the albergue at the first one that I stopped at after a long hot day again. I was awake around 6am, but it was too early to get out of bed. I decided I might as well do my morning ritual (brush teeth, take medicine, fix hair etc.) so that when it was late enough, I could just get up and go. It really is a guessing game. I want to start early enough so to finish early before the sun is too hot, but then I don’t want to go too early and miss the scenery.

    I decided I would leave the hostal and go get some breakfast before I leave. I got a chocolate croissant that I ate right away but got a sandwich to go. Peggy arrived at the cafe after a large tour group of Germans so had to wait a bit for her food. I think we ended up leaving around 7:30am. We walked together for about 2/3rds of the day. I ran into Matt (guy from LA) so I walked with him until the end. It is kind of funny now. I really don’t get a chance to walk alone too much now, but I don’t mind. There are so many people on the trail, you might as well walk with someone and talk, because that is what most are doing.

    It was a long 26kms today. I was trying to get a bed before reaching here, but I knew the chances were slim, most of those in the small towns were full. I didn’t mind, as tomorrow will be a shorter day.

    I am sitting waiting for my laundry to be done. I didn’t do any washing the last couple days so there would be no hiking tomorrow if I didn’t do it. I am looking forward to not having to do the hand washing laundry soon.

    Ok, I am keeping this short. The scenery today was nothing spectacular, in fact, mostly boring, so not many photos and no video. Let’s hope tomorrow is nicer. I don’t have to leave until 8am so that will be nice.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    Well, saying I am in a crappy mood now about sums it up. I was fine until dinner but that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I AM SO SICK OF GERMAN!!!!!!!!!!

    We started out in fog again today. The ground was wet so I decided to wear my poncho to start off. It soon came off when I realized there was no rain coming and I was getting hot. We hiked to Portomorin where we stopped for coffee and groceries. Seeing the old ruins in the river was kind of neat. We stopped and had lunch in Gonzar and then continued to Ligonde. It is here where things started to go down.

    The albergue in Ligonde was nice but there was nobody there and no one working there. Joerg really wanted to be with people as we were alone yesterday. I really wanted to be alone but I could tell he wanted to see people so I agreed to go one 1 km more. Well, he got his wish. We are jammed in a room with 18 beds, barely room to put bags. The showers are 2 together so you have to share the space.

    The funny thing is, I didn’t mind the room (I have had worse), but I wanted some time alone so Joerg went for a beer and I went for a walk (after my shower). I kind of felt bad leaving him alone (though he was with a couple Germans) so I eventually came back to sit with him. Well, they continued to speak German so I buried my head in my guide book. When I even asked the woman a question in English (Did she like travelling alone), she answered “yes” and then proceeded to explain in German why. Holy Crap … and I was the one who asked her the question. To top it off, she spoke perfectly good English.

    Well, it was time for dinner and they joined us so it was another hour of pure German and me staring out to space. I couldn’t take it anymore, I just had to leave when I finished my dessert. I went for a little walk, then just decided to go to bed early. So here I am at 7:30pm writing in my journal.

    Joerg I know feels bad, but in some ways I think he should. The very least he could do is try to translate some of it for me so I don’t sit there like an idiot. Next time ... I am not going to let myself get into that … when the Germans arrive I am just going to leave.

    (Excerpt from the next day in the Journal)

    Well, the evening yesterday ended very nicely. Joerg came to bed all nice and drunk so I took advantage of him just like I warned him earlier. He was asking if he was the problem and I said no and we would talk about it tomorrow. And we did talk about it. I explained that sometimes I would like to be alone, simply for the reason to be alone and nothing to do with him. I also talked about the translation thing and he apologized. He usually does do a good job but there was none at dinner.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    Jörg in 2009 trying to look grumpy but just looking cute

    Day 41 - Palas de Rei to Melide - 16km

    October 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    20, 23, 10. “Huh”, you say “what are these numbers about Julie?” Those are the number of Kilometres I am doing over the next three days to reach Santiago. Unbelievable, in 3 days this will be done. I am so looking forward to it being done and if you ask any of the crowd I walk with that started in Saint Jean, they feel the same.

    The funny thing is, as much as I want it to be done, it is more because I am ready for it to be done, not because I am sick of it and want it to be over. About a day or two before Sarria, I realized I have a sort of peace about me. I really think there is a better word for it, but I can’t think of it at this moment. I feel lighter, easy going, not so worried are a few other words to describe it. In fact, the feeling is so deep that the Sarria crowd does not bother me. I enjoy seeing all the different people and know that they have their own reasons for doing the camino. I have just chalked this up to a different part of the camino. Just like the Pyrenees, the Meseta, the big cities and the 100k people.

    Last night I went to dinner with Rachel. Very sweet 19 year old girl from the US but is going to school in Sweden right now. We had some good chats and she struggles with what she wants to do with life (Something we all struggle with at some point).

    Everyone has their own reason for doing the camino, even if they don’t know it. There are a lot of people who are here because it is a very cool hiking trip. I have no resentment there, it is true, it is a very cool hiking trip and doing 100km in 5 days is no easy task and most people cannot do that, so it is great they are challenging themselves. I explained to a few people, including Rachel, that yes, I am doing the camino this time in memory and honour of Jörg but when we did the camino the first time in 2009, it was really because it was a cool hiking trip across Spain. I had read some camino books, and understood the spiritual side and there was hope that something would change (and of course it did, my dear Jörg moved to Canada), but it wasn’t the initial driving force to do the walk.

    Ok, enough about my thoughts and feelings, on to tell you about my day. I had a TERRIBLE sleep in the albergue. The albergue was nice, and no major snorers or people disturbing us, but the heat was unbearable. The people sleeping next to the windows had closed them and the room was an oven. I was on a top bunk so the heat was rising and there was nothing I could do to cool down. I actually have a fan, but it is too loud to use in the middle of the night. At one point I went down to the basement lounge to cool off. At about 6am, with hardly any sleep, I decided it was time for a hotel room. And I wanted a real hotel room, not a pension, not a Casa Rural, but an actual hotel. I found a 3 star hotel (extreme luxury in camino terms) that had a sale, and the room was going for 55 Euros. I snapped that one up. I am sitting in the room right now, writing this at a desk with the air conditioning on and looking out to the park across the street through my floor to ceiling windows. (I will attach photos of course!)

    I walked alone for about 5km and then ran into Peggy (from New Hampshire) so we walked the rest of the way together into town (16km in total). She was going another 5km, so we had ice cream and then parted, but I am sure we will run into each other again.

    After showering, I met up with Matt for a drink which was nice and we had a good chat. It is sooooo very hot still so it was time for me to get back to my air conditioning while I have it.

    They have a buffet dinner here at the hotel at 7:30, and I first thought I would treat myself (I don’t even know how much it is), but I am so enjoying just relaxing in the room, that I think I might just survive on my nuts and treats in my bag. We will see. I probably should have something, but they also offer a breakfast, so maybe I skip dinner and just have a great breakfast. Oh, how tough these decisions are.

    Before I go, I thought I should give you an update on my bed bug problem. I have not had any new bites. I have a feeling I just got bit that one night, but they didn’t hitch a ride with me. I am still keeping everything separate in my bag, and have decided when I get to Santiago, I will wash everything again, and empty my backpack and leave it in the sun for a couple hours in a black garbage bag (that is the famous trick to killing them and their eggs.)

    Ok, going to go put my feet up and watch a little TV.

    TTYL    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023

    Day 42 - Melide to Taberna Velha -8km

    October 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Ok my devoted readers. Yesterday I left you hanging as to what decision I should make, to go out and eat dinner or stay in and not eat dinner. Well, it turns out there was a third option which I chose which was a big mistake. I had decided to go have dinner, but when I was outside my hotel, Charlene (from US/Canada/the world) was sitting having a beer so I joined her. Visiting with Charlene was not the mistake, it was actually quite nice, the mistake was only having a beer.

    When I got back to my room I was feeling sick. I got the chills and started sweating. I had a fever all night and it finally broke at 3am but a headache and sore throat were lingering. Given I didn’t have dinner, I ate all the snacks I had left in my bag and would nibble on them all night long. At 7am, I decided to go down and have breakfast. It was important to get some good food in me. It was an awesome buffet breakfast with eggs, bacon, toast and jam. They had all sorts of things, but I couldn’t eat them, I was quickly full.

    Check out from the hotel was noon so I decided to try and go back to bed for a bit and see if the food helped. I woke up at 10am but still with a headache and feeling weak. So now I was 2 hours behind already on my day and had to make a decision. I thought I would try to walk but knew at some point I would need to take a taxi. Maybe I should just take it from the hotel. I thought, no, just try now and see how you feel, maybe you get better.

    After I left the hotel, I stopped at the pharmacy in town and asked “hables ingles?” And the woman just flat out said “no”. I can see the look on her face that she was annoyed and really didn’t want to help, so I just left. I know I could have pulled up google translate to help me, but when you are sick, you just don’t think rationally.

    So, I started walking and boy was I slow. I always track my walking with my Apple Watch and my pace was around 3kms an hour and it was a lot of effort to do that pace. About 2.5km in, there was a rural hotel. I decided to go in and ask her to call me a taxi. I took the taxi to Aruza which was about 5.5km before my final destination. I had the driver drop me at the pharmacy. This time I went in prepared with google translate with my symptoms and she gave me some cold medication (at least that is what I hope it is). I am supposed to take it every 8 hours.

    So today I walked a total of 8kms of the 20km I was supposed to. If it was at any other time, I would have just taken the day off, but I have now booked everything including the beds, tour of cathedral, tattoo, plane to Germany so I really need to stick to the schedule now.

    I am in a beautiful little albergue in a small village owned by a German woman - Heidi. She did all of our laundry together and I had a nice afternoon nap. We will all have dinner together. I hope I can eat it. My headache is less but I still feel weak. I have to try and keep drinking water.

    I have decided to ship my bag tomorrow. I would really like to walk the whole 23kms and that may help. Then only 10kms the next day into Santiago.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    2Jörg and me in 2009Jörg in 2009Jörg, me and the gang on the last night before Santiago

    Day 43 - Taberna Valha to Lavacolla -23k

    October 11, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Almost there. I walked the 23kms today without my backpack. That was a huge help. I was still very slow going in the morning. I took a break at 2.5 kms and had an orange juice and bought a coke for the road. I was feeling ok, but very weak. Another few kilometres in I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach, but nothing arose with that. At about the 8km mark I stopped on a bench and opened up my coke and decided to pull out my headset. It was almost noon already and at that pace, I would arrive at 6 or 7. I don’t usually use my headset except on parts near the road, but the people that are walking now don’t really engage with you and only about 1 in 15 will actually say buen camino. I figured I need it and I am not missing out on much.

    Well, that sure helped. It was either the tunes or the coke, but I was on the move at my normal pace. I stopped in A Rua to say hi to Peggy and Kristen, and then was on my way again. The last 5kms were long but I knew I had a bed and my bag was already there. The crowds actually thinned out now, so I took off my headset again.

    It was worth the extra long trip to only have 10km left to go for tomorrow.

    I am settled and showered and now that I am here, I am a feeling a little down. I am missing Jörg quite a bit. I think partly because I am sick and he would absolutely be taking care of me, but also just because he isn’t here. Our last evening before Santiago was wonderful. We ran into a lot of familiar faces and had dinner with them which made Jörg very happy. My camino family is all scattered but I will see them over the next few days in Santiago.

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

    The hike today was nice again. Lots of trees and green. The one difference is that we finally had rain. The rain brought out the greens more. Joerg laughed at me in my poncho as I look like an alien … after looking at the pictures, I agree.

    At dinner, we all got a table together, the Canadians and germans … it was so wonderful. It was a great fun evening for our last night.

    Oh, I forgot to mention my time alone. In the afternoon, I told Joerg I wanted a couple hours to myself. I lied in bed and listened to my Ipod. I spent it listening to my inspirational music reflecting on my journey. I cried. I am so happy and blessed. After my time alone, Joerg came by with an English Cosmopolitian and then lied down with me for our last nap together on the camino. It was wonderful.    Read more

  • Julie RosenthalJulie RosenthalCamino Frances 2023
    Jörg and Me in 2009 for our morning picture before leaving for SantiagoJörg and me in 2009 arriving at the cathedralJörg in 2009 in front of the cathedralJörg waiting for his CompostelaJörg in 2009 just getting his CompostelaJörg and Me in 2009 waiting for the pilgrims mass11

    Day 44 - Lavacolla to Santiago - 10km

    October 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I have arrived. I was only 10kms away so it was a nice easy walk. I wasn’t planning to start until after 8, in daylight, but everyone was already awake at 6:30, so I just got ready to go and was on the road at 7:15. There was a bit with headlamps, but we were close to the city so a lot of areas had street lights.

    I stopped for a break at 4kms. I needed to fill out the details of my second credential as I had run out of room on my first one by Sarria. I wanted everything ready when I got to Santiago.

    I had mixed feelings coming into town. A bit of my sadness continued from yesterday, missing Jörg, but some of it was joy that it was almost done. I did a lot of talking with Jörg, quite often out loud, but no one nearby.

    When I arrived in town, I stopped on a bench about 1km from the cathedral. I wasn’t tired, I just wanted some time to hold onto this feeling. Jörg and I journeyed this together for over 750kms, and that part of the journey was going to be complete soon.

    I then continued on and came into town. When Jörg and I arrived in 2009, it was raining, so we just wanted a quick picture and then get our Compostela as soon as possible. So our first picture is around the back of the cathedral. I found the spot and took a picture there. I then decided to go around to the front and view the renovated cathedral. Looks quite different from when I was here 14 years ago.

    I didn’t spend much time in the Cathedral square, I wanted to get my certificate first and then come back. So off I went, and the process was very smooth. I waited maybe 10 minutes. When I got up to lady #15, she was very very kind. I told her that I wanted En Vicarie Pro on the Compostela with Jörg’s name. That is when you can add the person’s name on the certificate if they have died and you are doing it in memory of them. She asked me who he was, and she really engaged me in conversation so I told her our whole story. I had in my hand the picture of him holding his credencial from 14 years ago. She was really interested and even talked to me a bit about grief. I was at least 10-15 minutes with her. I am so very pleased that she took the time to make that moment so special.

    Then I went back to the cathedral and took out all the photos I had carried with me, and listened to some music on a playlist I created for Santiago, I shed a few tears, but not as many as I thought I might.

    Now it was time to find my pension. When I was looking to book Santiago, I was hoping to get something close to the cathedral as that is where Jörg and I stayed. My friend Jenna told me about her place and said she thought there was a room left, so I booked it online and saw on a map that it was close, so all good. So today, I turned on Google Maps to get me to the place, and if you can believe this, it is actually the exact same place Jörg and I stayed. Obviously a different room, but really crazy eh?!

    First thing I did was take a nap. Didn’t have enough sleep last night. After I uploaded my blog, I went out to meet Matt at his hotel. We were out on the patio having a drink and started up a nice conversation with Mark and James from London England. They were a hoot so we all went for dinner together at the hotel which didn’t start until 8pm. We had some good times, with the wine and vermouth flowing. I had to leave just after 10 as my albergue closed at 10:30. That is a very late night for a pilgrim. I was lucky that the light was still on and I had organized everything before I went out so it was easy to just pop in bed.

    After my nap today, I got in touch with Christina and we had lunch together. We had some Asian food, which was a welcome treat for me. Something different from bread and pasta. She is here tomorrow still so we will probably get together again then. We were making informal plans for me to come visit and meet her family in a couple weeks.

    After lunch, I came back to my room for a bit to get unpacked and a little organized, then I met up with Matt for a drink. I convinced him he should really go to the mass, it is all part of the experience and he is leaving tomorrow morning. So we went to the 7:30pm mass and we were lucky to have the botafumeiro. This is the giant insense burner that the cathedral is famous for and doesn’t always happen. Only on special days and if someone sponsors it. Today is a National holiday in Spain (It is like our Canada Day), so it was a good chance we would see it.

    We were both hungry so we went for dinner at the Parador. A couple of people Matt met along the trail joined us and it was a very nice evening. We were out until after 11. It was wonderful to see the cathedral all lit up. The next few days call for rain so I am incredibly lucky I arrived when I did.

    Ok, time to go to bed now. It is almost 2am and I have a 10:30am appointment with a tattoo artist!

    TTYL

    Throwback to 2009 from Julie’s Journal

     WE HAVE MADE IT !!!!!!!!!!

    Today we started around 7:30am. It was raining again and it rained on and off all day. Along the walk today, we kept running into the same people. It was a nice calm steady walk in the rain. About 15 mins from Mount Goto (near the TV station) I took a misstep, twisted my ankle and fell. The ankle hurt but what hurt more was my left knee. I soon discovered that the knee was cut and bleeding.

    When we arrived just outside Santiago, I saw the end of a rainbow, then it started to pour down rain and didn’t stop. We went to the church (that walk felt like it took forever), took our picture then went to the pilgrim office to get our certificate.

    After that, it was time to find somewhere to sleep. We eventually agreed on a 2 star, right beside the church for 2 nights. It is a small room but it is nice and only 55E each night.

    After checking in, we showered and then went out to get something to eat. Then Joerg went back to the room and I stayed out shopping. It was hard in the rain but I bought a pair of pants, top, underwear and umbrella. Something I can wear tomorrow.

    The evening was spent in bed. Joerg I think slept for 12 hours total. I didn’t cry when I arrived. I think because I did all my crying yesterday.    Read more

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