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Barb and Alan
Barb and Alan

Barb and Alan

traveled in 8 countries Read more🇺🇸United States
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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Alan made a friend
    2Made it to the Galecia RegionTop of our climb todayBiggest key to a room!!Laundry Place - Hang dry onlyWorst meal ever!!! 😂

    O'Cebreiro

    July 20, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    July 19

    With the threat of thunderstorms, we started walking at 5:30 am with our headlamps. Finding our way in the dark takes some concentration to make sure we don’t miss an arrow pointing the way and, at one point, we had no idea which way to go. Thankfully, some other people walked buy that did, so we were on the right track.

    Today started out with a lot of walking on pavement, and that is really hard on my feet. We wanted to go 10 kilometers before we stopped for breakfast, but the surface we were walking on was at a constant slant and it was really hard on my left foot. So, we stopped for breakfast sooner, then stopped again after 10 kilometers so I could put some Fisio Cream on my foot and Achilles, and then again after 20 kilometers for a snack.

    The last 8-9 kilometers were straight uphill which, even though was hard, felt much better for my foot and my back. It is easier on my body when the terrain changes. I think today’s stage was the hardest, physically for me. It took 8 hours, and we did a bit over 18 miles.

    Once we found our place to sleep in O’Cebreiro, we didn’t do much except try to shower, eat and get some sleep. The food ended up being comically bad and, since our room was above a cafe/bar, sleep was difficult 😂. Our Japanese friend (who is a chef) taught us the word he uses for really bad food. He called it “hazare” He claims he will find us an excellent “atari” restaurant in our next town. 🙂

    We head to Triacastela tomorrow...only 13 miles, so a bit shorter.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    11Smallest Truck Ever!2Back in Wine Country

    Villafranca

    July 19, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We hiked back up into some wine country today ending in Villafranca. Tomorrow, we will try to go about 18 miles ending with the climb to O’Cebreiro. The weather may be wet with some thunderstorms, so we will see if we get that far. ☔️🌩

    Tonight, we had a fun dinner with our friends from the Netherlands, England and Japan. The chickpea soup, that some ordered, ended up having intestine and some other unidentifiable bits which caused lots of uncontrollable laughter...good times. Thank goodness I had the pasta salad!!!

    We are at a stage of our journey where some of our group may go faster or slower to get to Santiago, so we hugged and talked of looking out for each other at the end in case we don’t see each other after tonight. I’m going to think positively and say we will see each other in Santiago, if not before! 🙂

    We have 113 miles left to go.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    2Cruz de Ferro
    Dad's AshesAl, Andy, and MeMolinasecaLunch with FriendsMolinasecaKnights Templar Cast in Ponferrada6Leaving Dad's Ashes on Cruz de Ferro

    Cruz de Ferro and Ponferrada

    July 17, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We began the morning by hiking up to Cruz de Ferro. When we arrived, I could see this huge mound of rocks with a wooden pole topped with an iron cross set in the center. There were a few people up on the mound. Since the pilgrims’ path is to actually cross over the mound, Alan and I began climbing and, as I'm looking down to place my feet, I see prayers and messages handwritten on these rocks; pictures drawn, letters, and names. It hit me like a wall, these rocks I was treading upon were thousands of people's inner and most private thoughts. I can’t even explain how powerful it was.

    When we reached the top, I bent down and spread dad’s ashes near a rock that said “Free” and one that said “I Love You” in German. I also left my rock there, and Alan placed his agate next to my rock. So...on this highest point of the Camino, I was able to leave a piece of my dad❤️It was very moving.

    The rest of our hike had us following a path that reminded us of The Sound of Music...beautiful. Then we went down, down, and down some more through cute villages and towns until we finally arrived in Ponferrada. Tomorrow, we head to Villafranca. Only 126 miles left to go.

    Blister and Achilles update: My blister is healed and my Achilles pain was gone this morning. I am hoping it stays gone. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Man dressed as a knight
    1Andy and Alan checking the mapCrosses in the FenceView from the trailPurple heather alongvthe trailFerns!2

    Foncebadón

    July 16, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    We walked about 16 miles today in order to get to Foncebadón. We wanted to be close to our hike up to Cruz de Ferro in the morning, so only rested in Rabanal and then climbed up to here. I told Alan Foncebadón reminded me of a ski lift area without the lifts. We enjoyed the hike today through the oak trees and pines, ferns and vibrant heather. It kind of felt like home.🙂 It was steep at times, and my left Achilles is really feeling it now. I’m really hoping it feels better in the morning.

    On the way here we walked past a fence that people had used to place crosses made out of the wood found on the ground. The fence paralleled the path for about a kilometer and it was full of wooden crosses - big, little, and everything in between.

    Cruz de Ferro will be an early stop in our hike tomorrow. Cruz de Ferro is a place where pilgrims who have carried a pebble/rock from home deposit it here and ask for protection for the remainder of their journey. I have heard though, that there is more to this. Pilgrims have carried their rocks and put their wishes, hopes and dreams into them - miracles hoped for with open hearts.

    Both of us will remove our rocks from their cute little “stone packs” and leave them there.

    It is time now for me to take some ibuprofen, check on my blister (which did great today), and zonk out. Today wore me out. 😴😴😴

    150 miles to go.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    1
    11Main Door of the CathedralCathedralAstorga CathedralBishop's Palace1

    Astorga

    July 15, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Today, we crossed a medieval bridge in the town of Hospital de Orbigo. Alan was ecstatic to hear the bridge was the site of a joust tournament in 1434 that lasted a month in which Suero de Quiñones and his best friends challenged any knight who tried to cross the bridge. The place looks like knights could run out at any time...pretty cool!

    We have changed landscapes now, and we actually got to climb up and down some hills that had trees 🌳 🌳on them...woohoo! We also went through a few more towns along our route today. In the 2nd town we went through, an older man was handing out fresh watermelon. He gave me some, but when Alan walked over, he shook his head and made some hand gestures that made it very clear he was only giving it out to women 😂😂

    We also walked by a spot on top of our last hill where a man named David had set up comfortable spots to rest. He had nectarines, bananas, watermelon, oranges all laid out for everyone going by. He also had orange juice, yoghurts, quinoa, bread, and about a zillion other things for people to take/use/eat/drink...only asked for a donation. He made sure he had items different cultures would appreciate - a girl from Australia was so excited to see the bread and the vegemite and the Koreans couldn’t believe he had rice and some sort of Asian sauce. He even had a bowl of hard boiled eggs! SO KIND!!!

    We ended our day of walking in Astorga. I was bummed the Chocolate Museum was closed by the time we got into town, but I toured the magnificent cathedral and admired the outside of the bishop’s palace (designed by Antoni Gaudi) while Alan spent some time resting...maybe the medieval jousting history excitement wore him out (or maybe it’s because we have been doing more than a 1/2 marathon every day. 🙂

    Tonight we visited with Paku who we might not see again. What a lovely man to have been around. We are hoping to run into him later down the road.

    Tomorrow, we head to Foncebadón...26 kilometers. I have my first blister now, so we will see how it feels after tomorrow 😳😬. We have walked 334 miles so far...only 166 to go!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Alan's sharing how small his towel isWine cavesSpanish licor de orujo2

    San Martin del Camino

    July 14, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    Our walk from León to San Martin was not the most scenic today because of the long route out of the city. Plus, we were near a lot of traffic noise and even took a break at a dive of a truck stop. 😂😂Needless to say, I did not have many picture opportunities.

    But I heard two things today that made me giggle:

    1. A Scottish woman used the words “Matted with grunge” when she was talking about dirty socks worn by a man she had met.
    2. Andy saying, “That was feral!” After finishing his shot of licor de orujo.

    We have been very fortunate that it hasn’t been crowded at all for us and, up until now, we have not had to book an albergue much at all. But as we plan out our last days we might book ahead more because there are more pilgrims starting and other Caminos are connecting to this one.

    This afternoon I was thinking I wouldn’t have much to show you today, but I am always surprised on this trip. When we stay at an albergue, many times the owners provide a pilgrim meal. We have had good ones, so-so ones, fantastic ones, and “oh my word! That was bad!” ones. But tonight’s had to be the best of them all, not because the food surpassed all the others, but because of one Italian man who sat with us. His wife and daughter were at the other table, but he was placed at ours because their table ran out of chairs. We lucked out! He was quiet at the start, but then shared some Italian wisdom and a drinking game with us that made us all SO happy. I have included a video so you can get an idea of the fun we had. Thank you to the Albergue Santa Ana for the great food, wine, and after dinner liqueur!

    Italian Wisdom:
    1. The brain is overrated.
    2. Less brain equals more happiness 😁    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    2Fresh Churros with Cups of Dipping Chocolate4Cathedral😀Cathedral Doors1

    Leon #2

    July 13, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We toured the Cathedral de Santa Maria de Regla this morning and once again we were in awe. The stained glass!!!!! Wow 😮Almost all of the cathedral was built between 1205 - 1301, the north tower and cloister were built in 14th-century, and the south tower completed in 1472...majestic!

    We also indulged in fresh churros dipped in chocolate, bought me a new shirt to replace the one I forgot in the last town, and then found some Jif peanut butter for Alan at a store called Taste of America, but it was ridiculously expensive. So, Alan left it on the shelf and settled for a Baby Ruth bar. I also grabbed my first Diet Pepsi of this trip and some Bazooka bubble gum 😀.

    Now, our rest day is done, our packs are ready to go, and tomorrow we continue on. We only have two more weeks of walking to go, and we are excited to start seeing some different types of landscapes.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Leon Cathedral
    Camino friendsPost dinner drinksLeon sunsetPaku, Chamu and AlAndy found some Jif! 🙂

    Leon #1

    July 13, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    When I was putting together my video footage from today, I chose the song “Glorious” by MaMuse because that seemed to fit today. All of us had reservations in León, so we were able to take our time and enjoy a few more leisurely cafe stops along the way. Then we ended up hiking in and through a huge sheep 🐑 herd, we found some Camino friends we hadn’t seen since earlier, and ended our day with 16 of us enjoying a great dinner in León this evening.

    At the end of dinner, we had to say goodbye to Chamu, who is returning home to his family. He originally planned on walking for about eight days, but has now been walking for over 20. Once he met Paku, and heard his story of surviving cancer, they became fast friends, and were nicknamed the “Lavender Brothers” for always picking some wild lavender and attaching it to their backpacks 🎒. Chamu gave us all a copy of this quote by Eduardo Galeano as a parting gift:

    “Each person shines with his or her own light. No two flames are alike. There are big flames and little flames, flames of every color. Some people’s flames are so still they don’t even flicker in the wind, while others have wild flames that fill the air with sparks. Some foolish flames neither burn nor shed light, but others blaze with life so fiercely that you can’t look at them without blinking, and if you approach, you shine in the fire.”

    He told us that we were all flames of light and he has pieces of us that will always be with him, and we will have pieces of him, so only happy tears were allowed. 🙂💕

    Tomorrow, we get to explore León and tour the cathedral, AND word on the street from Emily and Andy is there is a Taste of America store that has Jif Peanut Butter. Alan is pretty pumped at the possibility. 😂😂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    2Sunrise
    Spanish Version of French ToastDark skiesCroquetas-Yum!Best hot chocolate ever!!!Spanish Trivial PursuitAfter dinnerCourtyard relaxing

    Mansilla de las Mulas

    July 11, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Today started out with a beautiful sunrise, a perfect cafe breakfast stop, where I had the best French toast and Alan was gushing over his eggs with bacon. Then...as we kept walking we saw the sky get scary dark ahead. The forecast had called for afternoon thunderstorms, so we figured we would be done with our 16 miles by then. The storm had other plans. It literally “stormed” in on us quickly. Flashes of lightning were ahead and the thunder was rumbling. We threw on our pack covers, rain jackets, and rain skirt things just before the skies opened up.

    It’s not a good feeling to be walking along a flat plain (almost the tallest thing around) with trekking poles with lightning striking around you. We were being pelted with rain and hail then saw a small covered area where other hikers had taken shelter. I literally ran there with Alan right behind. We were so thankful to be under something. We found out later that our friends had to duck down in a ditch trying to get lower. 😳

    A man in a car stopped and offered to take a few of us into town, so Paku (who was soaked and freezing without a coat) and two others did that. A very kind Italian man gave a warm fleece to a soaking wet and shivering Korean young man. The rest of us waited out the worst, and then we hiked 3 miles SO fast to get to the next town. We stopped in a cafe and had some coffee and hot chocolate to warm up then speed walked another 3 1/2 miles into Mansilla de las Mulas to our albergue.

    Our clothes are washed and dried, our shoes are stuffed with newspaper, and now it’s time to eat. Tomorrow - Leon 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Go Cougs!!!
    2Sunflowers facing the rising sunOnward to Santiago! 🙂Cave built into hillSahagúnCooling off and stretching my back

    Bercianos

    July 9, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    July 10th

    We had a great day today! We went just over 13 miles, so a few miles shorter than yesterday. The early morning, walking as the sun rises, is amazing to me! Amazing because it’s incredibly beautiful and peaceful, but also amazing because in my normal life I hate mornings - haha! I’m usually a night owl and would rather sleep in a bit. Now, I still may grumble a bit as Alan nudges me awake, but I love it once I’m out walking. 🙂

    The good:
    1. sunrise over the wheat fields
    2. Fields of sunflowers all turned towards the rising sun (I so wish we could see them all in bloom).
    3. Seeing the Moratinos bodegas (caves built into a hill) that were used for wine making and food storage. Some of these were at least 500 years old! Tree was a sign telling us that “No, these are not Hobbit houses” 😂
    4. The best almond pastries from a cafe in Sahagún, and the WiFi at the same cafe so I could upload some posts
    5. Getting to our albergue by noon and enjoying sangria outside
    6. Seeing Andy walk up to the albergue after we worried his Achilles wouldn’t let him continue on today
    7. Shade on the last part of our walk was heavenly
    8. having our own bathroom !!!!!! 😀👍🏻🚽
    9. Talking to Mom and seeing Adrianne’s Snaps 💕

    The Not So Good:
    1. Mosquito bites 😖 I have quite a few from the other day’s early morning walking near some wet areas, and they really itch. Of course Alan has ZERO -not fair!
    2. Flies...I am trying to get used to the flies, but they are annoying. 🤨 Everyone is so used to them here, but, when Alan told me to just ignore them, I told him they tickle when they land on me 😬 drives me nuts!

    We head to Mansilla de las Mulas tomorrow (about 16 miles), and then on to Leon on Thursday where we will spend two nights (taking a rest day)...woohoo!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    2
    Always trying to get 10 miles by 10 amHomes built into the dirt hillside

    Terradillos

    July 9, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    July 9th

    We are halfway there! Exciting, but daunting knowing we have another 250 miles to go. 😳 Today was one of those days where we had some mental struggles. The walking forever on a straight road/path was hard. The end seemed to never be in sight.

    But...we loved the food truck that showed up just when we needed it, AND our Italian friends reappeared after not seeing them since the 3rd day of our walk. They don’t speak English and we don’t speak Italian, but somehow we communicate 🙂. One of the guys calls Alan “Washington” and I am Barbara. No one understands “Barb” as my name, but when I say ”Barbara”, they nod, smile, and understand.🙂 We spent our first night with them and our 3rd, and when you spend time with people on this journey, they become special to you...quickly. So nice to see them again!

    We are staying in Terradillos tonight and happy to be in a room with just two beds for us...felt like we won the lottery when the woman showed us where we would be. 😀 I’m hoping for more sleep tonight, because I was in a room full of snorers last night.

    Another good moment was walking into Ledigos ( a couple miles before our destination) and being able to order a pizza that was SO good. It was such a simple pleasure when we were tired and hungry.

    Because today was one of those days where I just wanted to get to our albergue, I didn’t really take many pictures at all...a few video snippets, but not much else, and Alan didn’t take a single one...sorry ☺️    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    1
    Patu and AlanCalamari Sandwich

    Carrion de los Condes

    July 8, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Very slow WiFi - So who knows when this post will go up. I am spoiled with WiFi speeds at home🙂

    July 8th

    We had a very short day miles wise with only 10 or 11 miles to Carrión de Los Condes, but walking on a path with the scenery the same and no hills made it seem further than it was. It seemed like we would never get to the town we could see in the distance.

    Memories from today:
    1. Mirabelle crocheting me a tiny backpack to put my stone in 💕🙂
    2. Early morning coffee stop with ping pong, a melted chocolate bar, a baby lamb, laughter, and Chong serenading us on guitar.
    3. Meeting Patu, who has been walking for 45 days through France and Spain after receiving a bone marrow transplant to cure his cancer. Amazing man!
    4. Eating dinner and having a beer under cover during a thunderstorm
    5. Viewing the ancient church artifacts in the church Iglesia de Santiago    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Dinner last night
    2View after our climbLove the building artRogue sunflowers1Canal system in FromistaMy cubicle for the night - SO nice!Alan's beard so far

    Población de Campos

    July 7, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    July 7th

    We were going to stop in Fromista today, but decided to walk on to Población de Campos. We are really glad we pushed on because our albergue has an amazing bar with awesome food - I had some Croquetas caseras that were so yummy, and Alan is oohing and awing over his bacon and cheese bocadillo as I write this.🙂😋

    Another plus at this albergue is that each of our beds are in their own little cubicle mini room...so much better than regular bunk beds. I have added a picture so you can see. Even the beds on top have little mini rooms and stairs that go up to them. It costs 10 euros a piece to stay here, and all of the pilgrims were very excited to see that the washing machine was free...no hand washing today 🙂

    We walked 18 miles today, and for much of the walk (except the last 4 miles) I did not feel well. I told Alan I was not going to eat as much tonight as I did last night. Even though last night’s dinner was amazing, I think it was too much for my system and too late in the evening. We only have around 10/11 miles tomorrow, so I have eaten earlier and way less tonight. We will see how tomorrow goes.

    Because I was battling heartburn and my stomach, I didn’t take many pictures/video today. I took a couple after our big climb up from the valley (we had a great view from the top) and I took some of a few sunflowers 🌻. We have been going by fields of them, but they have not bloomed yet (except for the rogue ones we saw today). I would love to come across a whole field of open sunflowers!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    1Morning light
    Walking into HontanasArc de San AntonOur Albergue for the NightEverett and Alan1

    Castrojeriz

    July 6, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    July 6th

    We walked about 12/13 miles to Castrojeriz today, which takes us over the 200 mile mark. Woohoo! This village was established by Count Muño (or Nuño Nuñez), who defended the fort at the end of the ninth century against the Arabs. Before that it had been a Celtiberian, Roman and Visigoth fortress. We are staying at an albergue that is in a building that is 500 years old. 😳 The locals say that kings and queens would stop here to stay...crazy old history over here!

    We are really enjoying walking in the early morning with the sounds of the birds as the sun rises. Most of our walk today was along dirt roads or paths with just a little road walking. We had a nice breeze again, and it did not get too hot. One of the videos I added has the sounds of the birds.

    When we walked through the Arc de San Anton today, we could hear some wonderful jazz music coming from a bar/cafe area. We stopped in for drinks and met such a nice man running it. I’m talking with him, he gave us his motto on life: “One should only work for life...Never live to work. When you work for life, then you are happy, you have family, you have friends. You must know that is the important thing. Living to work is an unhappy life.” Very wise words spoken by an extremely happy man 🙂

    We also met a man named Everett (from Los Angeles) who has been walking on the Camino since June 1st. His story of how long it took him to hike up and over the Pyrenees was inspiring. Inspiring because he did not give up, and kept on going for 14 hours! So far he has only been able to do about 10 kilometers a day, but he hopes to lengthen that with the new insoles he bought today. You would like Everett. Maybe we will see him again down the path. I sure hope so. I included a picture of Alan with him.

    I have heard people say that the Camino is special, and we agree. A nineteen year old German boy said today that the Camino is how the whole world should be, and it’s so true. The leaders of the world could learn a lot from this.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Paella!!!
    1Hornillos in the distance1Ripping out pages as we go to save weight 🙂When you can't catch an old man with a cane3What flower is this? Beautiful!Paella dinner13Nice husband carrying my pack 🙂

    Hornillos del Camino

    July 5, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    July 5th

    Today, we entered the Meseta (the flat plains on the plateau of central Spain) which is the section between Burgos and Astorga. The weather was perfect -not hot and there was a breeze that kept us cool the whole way to Hornillos del Camino. We will be on the Meseta for a few days. No shade, so we are hoping it stays cooler like today, otherwise we will break out the umbrellas ☂ for shade.

    Our albergue is very nice and welcoming with a lot of nice people staying here. Alan and I have our own room with twin beds 🛏. Yay for not having a top bunk!!! For dinner, the owners of the albergue made a huge paella dish for us with bread, salad, lots of wine 🍷and dessert. It was so good!

    The WiFi is horrible here, so not sure when this will upload. Tomorrow we continue on to Castrojeriz - another 13 miles. After tomorrow we will have gone 206 miles 😀.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    San Pedro Festival Activities
    In the cathedralMy Pilgrim Credential1Huge Sculpture in the cathedralOne of the ceiling domes in the cathedralGiants and Big Heads in the FiestaPart of the Cathedral

    Burgos #2

    July 4, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    It felt so good to sleep in a bit this morning! Our bodies needed it. We explored a little this morning by touring the Cathedral - oh my goodness! I couldn’t even begin to capture it all in pictures/video. Just looking up at the different domes was amazing, let alone the paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. It’s hard to comprehend how long it must have taken to complete the different works of art. We also got to see some fiesta celebration with a parade of the giants and big heads. They are in one of the video snippets and a picture I added here.

    This afternoon we went to the Museum of Evolution which houses some of the oldest evidence of human life on our planet- another “wow” experience. The castle didn’t make the list today, because we decided to do what the Spanish do and had a siesta. Everything pretty much closes down from 2:00 until 5:00 or later, so why not rest ourselves 🙂.
    Restaurants don’t really open up for dinner until 8:00 or later which is a schedule that we are not used to.

    I thought I would attach a picture of my Pilgrim Credential today. This is what we need to stay in the different pilgrim albergues along the way. We have to have it stamped each day, and then during the last 100 kilometers it must be stamped twice a day as proof of our journey. Cafes, churches, and other places also have stamps. Once we get to Santiago de Compostela, we will show our Pilgrim Credential and then receive a certificate of our journey. That seems like it will take forever, since we have only gone 180 miles and we still have 320 to go 😳.

    Tonight we had a goodbye dinner for four of our people who are heading back home. We are sad to see them leave 😕...such good people. But, on a happy note - I met another fellow WSU Cougar and his wife who are walking the Camino. GO COUGS!!! They had dinner with us tonight and we hope to see them along the way.

    Tomorrow, we head to Hornillos 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Early morning by the sheep
    Top of the climbMore poppiesCathedralAdam, Kati, Chong, Min, Andy and AlCathedral in BurgosDinner Crew TonightBurgos

    Burgos #1

    July 3, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    We arrived in Burgos today. 🙂 Remember when I said we were not going to take a rest day? Well, we changed our minds. Once we got to our hotel room, we realized how tired our bodies were. Plus, this way we get to stick with our group and spend some more time with those who are leaving to go back home...and get to see some of the amazing sites in this city that we will probably never get to see again.

    So...Both Alan and I plan on touring the inside of the cathedral tomorrow, visiting the museum, and maybe checking out the castle. All of that will happen after we sleep in a bit instead of getting up at 5 am. 🙂

    Here are a few pics and video from today    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Masage truck in the middle of nowhere
    Some of our groupOur albergue tonightI love this restaurant/bar!Trail ArtOak and Pine ForestAgés in the distanceReminded us of home

    Agés

    July 2, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    The cooler weather today made for pleasant walking. We had a change of scenery and walked through miles of oak and pine forests. My back was better today. I did some stretching with my poles (thanks,Candi 🙂), Alan took a few things from my pack for a bit plus gave me some back rubs on our breaks, and we bought some ibuprofen cream which works great. Hopefully, it continues to be fine.

    Our first plan was to stop in San Juan de Ortega today, but after a quick rest and snack, we continued on to Agés. We are glad we did because our whole crew is here. It was so relaxing sitting out under the umbrellas this afternoon visiting with them all. Our group consists of: 2 couples from Sweden, 3 people from Poland, 1 from Italy, 1 from Iran, 3 young women from Vermont, 1 young guy from Texas, 1 guy from Ireland, a couple from South Korea, and us with ages ranging from 18 to 65. They are a great group of people. Sadly, some of them will be leaving us after Burgos (where we will be tomorrow), and that will be hard. 😕

    Many of us have booked nice hotel rooms in Burgos, though, which we are very happy about! We are ready for a little pampering and REAL TOWELS! 🙂 The topic of doing a rest day came up, but Alan and I are feeling great, so we have decided to not do a rest day yet.

    We have walked 163 miles now, after the 16 miles we did today, and we have around 14 or 15 miles tomorrow to get to Burgos.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Huge breakfastPharmacy Vending Machine :)1Big White Poppy FieldOur Crew Waiting for the Albergue to openOur Room TonightPool to cool off in1

    Belorado

    July 1, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    So...I had my dad on my mind today as it has been a year since he died. He really enjoyed hearing about our hiking adventures and seeing our pictures, plus he thought our plan to hike across Spain was pretty cool. To honor him, I have brought some of his ashes with me and thought when the time was right, I would let him go.

    Later on on this trek we will get to a place called Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross). It is a cross on the Camino de Santiago where the tradition is to throw a stone, brought from the place of origin of the pilgrim, with his or her back to symbolize their journey. I have brought a rock from home to leave there, but maybe I’ll let dad go there, too...if I’m ready to let him go. We’ll see.

    Highlights from today’s walk:
    1. It wasn’t too hot ☀️
    2. Beautiful rolling hills of wheat
    3. You can buy mini shampoo from a vending machine 😂
    4. Watching Spain vs Russia soccer match with the local people
    5. Hiking 10 miles by 10 am again
    6. Our albergue- it is a great place. Yummy food and even a pool
    6. Alan and I miraculously having a room to ourselves- yay!
    7. The group of people we are with. 🙂
    8. Being able to FaceTime mom ❤️

    We have 15 miles to do tomorrow and then about 17 the next day going into Burgos where we have made a reservation at a hotel...and we’re excited for that!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Trying to Beat the Rain
    Cement Lounge Chair to Rest On5Poppies!!!1Packs at Breakfast BreakDinner menu

    Santo Domingo de la Calzada

    June 30, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    The town celebration went on until the wee hours of the morning, and the music and revelry kept me awake. It was like reliving my college days with AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Queen and Van Halen songs blaring 😂😂 So, when Alan woke me up this morning, I really wished I could sleep longer...my brain kept saying, “just a little while longer, you don’t have to get up.”

    But, no...we had to get going. We left early again, not to beat the heat, but to beat the thundershowers this afternoon. We didn’t want to get caught in a deluge like some of our group did yesterday.

    Today’s walk was about 13 miles, so that felt nice compared to our 18 milers the last two days 🙂 I woke up while walking in the cool morning air and enjoyed the landscape changing from vineyards to wheat fields. I kept telling Alan it looked like the Pullman area and the Palouse...beautiful rolling hills with wheat with a slight breeze blowing through. The difference being the red poppies. I can’t get enough of them 🙂

    I also enjoyed visiting with our fellow hikers today. The ebb and flow of the walk meant at times you walk with one person and then you are with others. I also spent some time walking alone while Alan walked ahead with Andy (from England). They share a common love of the same music and sped off discussing Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mud Honey and who knows what else 🙂.

    What I didn’t enjoy, today, was my left shoulder tightening up on me, then my middle back. “How can my pack seem heavier today?” I kept asking myself 😬 I have gone through it more than once thinking maybe I would find something hiding in there I could toss, but no 😂😂. I barely have anything, and for sure can’t get rid of any of it.

    The albergue we are in tonight is very nice with a huge lounge area to enjoy watching the World Cup. It’s fun watching the game with people from the countries who are playing. The French were quite pleased when their team won earlier today. Sleeping wise, I am on the top bunk again, and I can zip up there like an expert now. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Breakfast Stop
    1Wine CountryYay for real beds!11

    Najera

    June 29, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 75 °F

    We walked another 18 miles through vineyards today to Nájera. When we got into town, the woman at the market told us it was Fiesta San Pedro. We got to witness the most amazing celebration by a town I have ever seen! The Spanish people know how to celebrate! I added a small video snippet of some of it. Such a happy and joyous time.

    We met up with our Camino friends this evening to eat outside at a bar, but the the skies opened up with thunderstorms, and so the town people in the bar brought us inside and treated us like family...good times!

    Another “feel good” moment for today: We were getting tired as we crested our last climb today, but we were greeted by a wonderful man playing a guitar. It lifted our spirits 🙂. This same man (we found out later) left all of his guitars and other instruments and ran down the trail for 10 minutes to give a woman her money belt she had left behind. She shared with us how she cried with gratitude because she had $500 euros in it. She said she will never forget it.

    Tomorrow is a little bit shorter day, and I am sure my feet will be happy about that. We are going to Santo Domingo.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Vian Church Door
    Encouraging Graffiti3Poppies and Old Stone HutViana ChurchOur crew today1100 miles!Post Hike

    Logroño

    June 28, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We have officially walked 100 miles now!!! We left just before daybreak and enjoyed a much cooler morning as we left Los Arcos behind. Today’s walk took us up and over many hills which gave our legs quite a workout. We are definitely in wine country now with vineyards next to us much of the way. We left the Navarra province of Spain and entered the La Rioja, which is a province and autonomous community in northern Spain with a renowned local wine industry.

    A wonderful part of doing the Camino is getting to know all of the people who are walking around the same speed as us. There is a group of us who seem to be staying in the same towns. Each morning all of us leave at different times and throughout the our walk we catch some, get passed by others, and it seems we all meet up during breaks and at the end. We had an enjoyable break in Viana today with Joshua (from San Francisco) Adam and his mom (from Slovenia), Noel (from Austin, Texas), and the four Spanish women we shared a room with. Noel used the street in front of the cafe to teach Adam the Cupid Shuffle to the delight of all of us. 🙂

    We felt great walking today until we had about 4 miles to go. Man! My feet got tired at the end. We ended up walking 18 miles by the time we got to our room, BUT we have our OWN room AND our OWN bathroom 🚽. 🙂👍🏻The bonus is it is also air conditioned, and we are enjoying that as we prepare our packs for tomorrow.

    Our routine each day is pretty simple now:
    1. Walk
    2. Get our beds
    3. Take a shower
    4. Wash clothes by hand then hang to dry
    5. Check out town/surroundings
    6. Eat (sometimes eating is first before checking things out)
    7. Buys snacks for next day’s hike
    8. Gather dry clothes
    9. Get backpacks ready to go for next day
    10. Go to bed 🛏 (add pictures and write about the day before sleeping)
    11. Repeat

    Tonight, we walked through Logroño ‘s beautiful cathedral...each church we go in seems to get more amazing. Logroño is quite large compared to most places we have stopped, and besides the plaza and cathedral, we won’t be able to really see much. Rest and sleep are more important. We plan to go all the way to Nájera tomorrow...another 17-18 miles.

    Nothing major bothering our bodies so far. Alan has a foot that bothers him mainly in the morning...Seems to be a nerve thing, we think. Some of the others in our group have been dealing with blisters. I hope we continue to avoid them.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Pilgrims Blessing
    Watching World Cup in the Plaza35Pointing the way3Following My Shadow2Los Arcos1Sangria1Church front and Plaza

    Los Arcos

    June 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    We left Estella around 6 am after a great night’s sleep. We had gone to the store last night to get some bananas, snack bars and salty chips to carry today. Yesterday, I didn’t eat enough, and I wanted to not make that mistake again. We motored out of town with another group of young women. We got to a spot where we could go left or right, and we all went right, so we missed seeing the wine fountain. 🙁 We talked to this Irish guy later today, and he said that it was not open this morning when he went by, so that made me feel better.

    We stopped in Azquata for breakfast, and noticed, as we were leaving, that we were in quite a bubble of pilgrims today. We hoped that Los Arcos had enough beds.

    We spent most of today walking by farmland-vineyards, wheat fields, potatoes, and some family gardens. The family gardens are so perfectly tended to, and we have noticed how carefully they water each row or section. They do not waste any water at all!

    A surprising moment was when we came upon a food truck along the way with music playing. The guy running it had food, snacks, cold drinks - even had beer taps! We grabbed a cold drink and continued on. We used our lightweight reflective umbrellas for the first time today to keep the sun off of us. It made a huge difference compared to yesterday when we didn’t use them.

    We arrived at our place for tonight right as it opened. Within an hour it was booked full. Our friend, Anja, just barely got a bed at the municipal albergue when she arrived around 3:00. So glad she did, because she looked too tired to go on.

    We spent the evening in the plaza having some sangria/beer and watching the World Cup. They had a tv rolled out for the Korea vs Germany game. There were a lot of happy Koreans in our group when Korea won. 🙂 We ended our evening with a meal served by the family here, and then going to the church for a pilgrims blessing. The inside of the church was crazy amazing! It would take years to notice all of the details.

    Tonight, we are in a room with 3 bunk beds, and Alan is the only man, which hasn’t phased the Spanish women at all...They were trying to teach him some Spanish and then embarrassed him by saying he was handsome. 😂😂

    Tomorrow, we have a 17 mile day to Logroño where we are splurging on our own room with our own bathroom and air conditioning!! Woohoo!!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    3Al and Noel13Our hostel bed cubicles11Rough old Roman Road1

    Estella

    June 26, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We started walking at 5:00 am this morning to beat the heat again, which meant we left in the dark. The best part of doing that is watching the sun rise and the warm colors of light that spread over the landscape. We were blessed with just that when the skies lightened showing us a gorgeous view of Cirauqui on its hill in the distance as we walked towards it.

    We weaved our way through three towns on hills today, and during that time ran into and/or walked with different people who we have been walking with over the last weeks. We walked by olive trees, wheat fields and vineyards, and even along an old Román road.

    I struggled at the end today, and at one point an old man with s cane was going faster than me. 😳
    But, we finally arrived in Estella. Estella is almost 1000 years old!!! So mind boggling to me when I look at the old buildings and try to imagine how it was back then.

    Our place tonight (Agora Hostel) is great! Everything seems brand new. We are the only ones on our floor, and our beds are in little cubicles . Very tired now....tomorrow we go to Los Arcos.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Albergue JakueSalt replenishing 😊13th Century Church1Looking back toward Pamplona

    Puenta la Reina

    June 25, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We were up and walking out of Pamplona by 6:00 am this morning to try and beat the heat, and really enjoyed our hike up to Alto del Perdon - the pilgrims monument. I have to say we did not really enjoy the decent on the rocks. It took such concentration to not slide or twist an ankle, and my knees and ankles are very tired tonight from it.

    The heat came on strong today, and we were suffering a bit (maybe a lot) by the time we walked into our albergue in Puenta la Reina.

    I got a bottom bunk tonight!!! Woohoo! Hallelujah! 😁 Our place had a wonderful outdoor bar with tables and chairs in the shade with a great big tv to watch World Cup soccer.

    I have been craving salad 🥗 and was excited to be able to have that tonight as part of the dinner buffet that was served. It was all fantastic, as was the self serve wine 🍷 👍🏻

    Highlights from today, besides the dinner and wine 🙂:
    1. walking through Pamplona city streets before anyone was up and about
    2. The fresh squeezed orange juice
    3. Walking with Ariel and Noel (I need to get some pics of all of these wonderful people)
    4. Visiting with Anja (from Holland) this afternoon and evening
    5. watching the two young men from Louisiana ( who are studying to be priests someday) try to get ready for bed after having too much wine...Hilarious!
    6. Finally...Spain was able to tie Morocco in their World Cup game at the very end, so people here are very happy 😊

    Tomorrow we continue on to Estella.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    3
    Albergue for the Night1Tapas and BeerRunning of the Bulls StatueOctopus12Yum!!!Entering Pamplona

    Pamplona

    June 24, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Pamplona...WOW! We arrived into the old city around noon today just as our albergue was opening. We are staying at de Jesús y María, and I’m residing on the top bunk again (I think I am getting better at it 🙂). Our albergue is in the old town, so it was easy to spend the afternoon/evening exploring the streets and plazas. I think a person could spend days winding around the narrow streets, nooks and crannies of this city.

    What was amazing to us was how many people we ran into that we had already met earlier on this journey...Noel, David, Helene, Ariel, Nadia and her husband, etc. Our Camino family seems to be forming.

    Alan couldn’t get enough of the octopus tapas here, whereas I was thrilled to find out that KitKats here are just like the ones in Canada...WAY better chocolate 🍫!

    We have found the local people to be so kind everywhere, and two times today we had people show us the way to go when they saw us struggling.

    Tomorrow, we head to Puenta la Reina...about 14 miles. No blisters, yet, knock on wood...just tired legs and shoulders.    Read more

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