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Camino de Santiago

April - June 2017
A 37-day adventure by Quisels on the Camino Read more
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  • 37days
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  • 4.6kmiles
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  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 12

    Viana to Navarrette

    May 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Thinking we had a short walking day, we got a late start, leaving albergue Izar at around 8am. We were surprised to find we'd messed up the math somehow as we walked 14.5 miles rather than the 11 miles we'd planned on. Luckily, we found some beautiful parks and motivational artwork in the form of local graffiti to keep us going. We arrived at Navarrette around 2pm and checked into the municipal albergue, with cheaper boarding and communal rooms/ bathrooms. We're both excited to have moved out of the Baswue country and into the kingdom of Rioja, known for it's wine and wealth.

    Tom, who listens to Spanish podcasts as walk, is already so conversational in Spanish that other pilgrims ask him how to say things in Spanish and locals compliment him on how well he speaks the language. This has earned him the nickname "polyglot" from me, in return, he has christened me "grass-waterer" for reasons that are self evident and earn me no praise from the locals.    Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 13

    Rioja

    May 8, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Relatively flat 10 miles of walking made for an easy day. We've come 120 miles total and I would feel more of a sense of accomplishment if I weren't sitting in a waiting room, practicing how to say "my ear hurts" in Spanish. Good news on all fronts, the general md we met with (who used Google translate to explain my prognosis ✅) said it should clear up on its own and there we weren't charged for the visit. Estupendo! We spent the afternoon reading in a great area by the slowly trickling stream, buying groceries, dining at cafes (as a vegetarian, mixed salad is always my main course) and chatting with Danni, the Australian girl we'd befriended a few days back.

    In an act of indulgence, we stayed in a private double room with a "una cama de matrimonial" or marriage bed. It was the first time we slept in a bed larger than a single (often doubles are just two singles pushed together and it leaves a gap in the center) and I slept 9 hours, waking without an alarm at 6am. 😴😄    Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 14

    Santo Domingo

    May 9, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    A 14 mile trek brought us to Santo Domingo, around whom there persists a very silly mythos. I won't get into it here but it has led to the many centuries old tradition of keeping chickens in the local cathedral. We did a tour of the cathedral and it was full of fantastical artwork, which gave it a MoMA-esq feel. The Albergue we stayed in, the Confradiá del Santo, modern, bright and clean, was one of the best equipped and designed hostels we've been in.Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 15

    Tosantos

    May 10, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    On the way to the tiny, 53 person, town of Tosantos, we passed into the autonomous region of Castilla y León and saw some neat, medieval relics. When there weren't cool things to look at, I read aloud to Tom as we walked (reading "Dawn" by Octavia Butler). Many times along the way we encountered the pungent odor of manure. To distract from the smell, Tom and I shared some philosophical dialogue on the Camino.

    R: "We're doing pretty well today, timing-wise, don't you think?"
    T: "Crossing the finish line is not the same thing as winning the race."
    R: "I'm pretty sure if you're the only one who signs up for the race, that you win be default."
    T: "Mmmk, little dawdler. Maybe your nickname will be the dawdle queen."
    R: 😑

    We opted for a longer (17+ mile) day as Tom was excited about having a unique experience at San Francisco de Asis, an albergue that offers sleeping mats, communal meals, and a prayer service with the ritual of reading notes by past pilgrims. When we arrived, they told us that they had no running water...so we're definitely getting a real pilgrim experience. I'm excited about putting my feet up. 👣    Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 16

    Agés

    May 11, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    A windy, winding trail with a moderate amount of elevation through a pine forest brought us to the town Agés. Along the way, we stopped in a Villafranca Montes de Orca, which was once a Roman city, and had second breakfast at the Hospital de la Reina, which hosted up to 18,000 pilgrims per year in the 17th century. There, we enjoyed the company of a little, local tabby cat. It was also fun to run into Jennifer, a woman from Korea we originally met a few days ago in a different town.

    Afterwards, we walked at about the same pace as a small group from the southwest of England whom we had met and chatted with the day before. Their names are Tim and Bob and they are walking with their wives, their last stop is Burgos. Given that one is an MD and the other a priest, they're a surprisingly fun bunch, and theyparticularly enjoy discussing the shit show that is the current state of American politics. We happened to stay at the same albergue yesterday evening and they gave us some tips for the castle tour in England we're planning to tack on to the last leg of our trip.

    There was some competition for beds at Agés, and that, paired with the cold, wet weather, provided Tom and I motivation to move quickly. From apparently nowhere (or perhaps it came from the second chocolate croissant this morning) I outpaced Tom, even finding the energy to jog for a bit. A one point Tom said, "OK, I know you have a lot of energy, but no more jogging." We made great time and completed the 14.5 miles an hour or so more quickly than the last time we this distance.

    We arrived in time to get bunk beds, duct tape reinforcing the top bed; the total cost for a bed, dinner and breakfast for one of us is $22.    Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 17

    Burgos

    May 12, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We had quite a cold, rainy experience walking to the large, modern city of Burgos. We chose to take the longer route which led us through the manicured public park leading up to the city. We splurged and got a room at the Evolution hotel. A whole room and bathroom to ourselves, sumptuous. The hotel is so named due to the hotel's proximity to the Evolution museum, which we spent the evening exploring. One photo shows Tom in front of The Beagle, which Darwin sailed in to the Galapagos. We'll wake up very early tomorrow for our 20 mile journey across the meseta.Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 18

    Hontanas

    May 13, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We trekked across the Meseta, which is a geographical area that has a reputation for being boring, repetitive and bleak. In the 1670s, Italian pilgrim, Domenico Laffi, had this to say about the stretch of the Meseta we completed today, "With God's help we crossed this deserted wasteland and reached the village of Hontanas." I found it quite lush and verdant, if a bit interminable.

    We arrived at a brand new albergue and enjoyed our shiny bunks. Walking has a way of creating an appetite so we paid for the pilgrim dinner. A very late, prolonged and mediocre dinner was made enjoyable by the presence of a couple from the Faroe Islands who were great conversationalists, Marion and Eric. We discussed global politics and found we shared nearly identical views, which pretty much made us all instant friends.

    I got to wear all clean clothing to bed which made me very happy.    Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 19

    Boadilla del Camino

    May 14, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We stayed at the Casa En El Camino albergue. As it was recommended by our guidebook, we were excited to see what it was like. Embedded in a tiny, crumbling town, the albergue was one of the few establishments around. We spent nearly the whole afternoon and evening within the perimeter of the walled off interior. The art work and randomness, along with dozens of roaming, dazed pilgrims, gave the place the feel of a new age festival. Dinner was vegetable lentils from the can and hot chocolate, which only augmented the festival feeling.Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 20

    Carrión de los Condes

    May 15, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Rural, agricultural area (common to see farm equipment on the roads). Lovely park by the water, spent time there with new friends. Enjoyed the peaceful feeling of the cathedral. Tom picked up groceries for us and we are dinner in our double room).Read more

  • Quisels on the CaminoCamino de Santiago
    Day 21

    Terradillos de los Templarios

    May 16, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We made it past the halfway point today, 250 miles and went on a bit further to reach the Terradillos de los Templars, which was once home to a 13th century church belonging to the Knights Templar. The Knights were responsible for protecting pilgrims, which was neat to learn.

    We're both feeling a bit fatigued. I took a rest day to recover from a bout of tonsillitis. A Camino friend, Steve, celebrated his 50th birthday today. I was elated to find that the albergue had a vegetarian option other than salad and savored my lentils sin carné    Read more

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