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Camino de Santiago
  • Barb and Alan

Camino de Santiago

152-päiväinen seikkaillu — Barb and Alan Lue lisää
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  • Matkan aloitus
    2. maaliskuuta 2018
    Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan

    Our Camino de Santiago Plan

    26. maaliskuuta 2018, Yhdysvallat ⋅ 🌧 46 °F

    Right now, we haven't left home, but in a couple of months my dream of someday doing the Camino de Santiago will come true. On June 17th, Alan and I will fly to Paris, catch a flight to Biarritz, France, and then make our way to Saint Jean Pied de Port, France by train to begin our trek.

    We are hiking the Camino Frances, which is one of the many ancient Camino de Sanitago pilgrim routes that stretch across Europe ending at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain - 500 miles.

    I have been obsessing over this trip, which is crazy, because I shouldn't be. I am used to planning a trip's every detail, but for this I'm suppose to just let it go, walk until we are tired, find an albergue, eat, sleep, and do it all again...kind of resetting life back to the basics. I'm willing to do it, though. I crave simple.

    This map shows our route and some of the villages, towns, and cities we will walk through.    Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan

    Almost Ready

    10. kesäkuuta 2018, Yhdysvallat ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    I think, after way too much thinking, I have my Camino stuff ready to pack...If I forgot or need something, I can just buy it when we get there. My pack only weighs 9 pounds with everything in it, and that makes me happy, happy, happy! 😀 Countdown is really on now.Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    11

    Day #1 Seattle to Paris

    18. kesäkuuta 2018, Ranska ⋅ 🌙 68 °F

    We have had a VERY long day traveling from Seattle to Paris. Staying tonight at a Citizen M hotel next to CDG airport...very cool hotel! We had a very short layover in Iceland, and Alan was tempted to snag some beer there, but refrained until we return there at the end of July. I will try and do some video on this trip...added a short one here, but will post a longer video to my Facebook also. It was too long for this app. We fly to Biarritz/Bayonne tomorrow and then a shuttle to Saint Jean Pied de Port. Time to sleep 💤 now 🛏🙂Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
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    11

    Finally to Saint Jean Pied de Port

    19. kesäkuuta 2018, Ranska ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Today, we traveled from Paris to Biarritz France where we caught a shuttle (with 6 other pilgrims) to Saint Jean. All of the other pilgrims were from the US except one from Ireland...very nice people, who I’m sure we will see again. One girl had a water bottle with the word Elma on it - haha!

    It was surreal to finally be in this town that I have read about and seen pictures/video of. It is truly real, now, that we will begin this journey. I am grateful we decided to have a rest day tomorrow so we can get caught up on sleep and recover from our jet lag. We plan on doing some exploring of the town, getting our pilgrim passports stamped, and definitely eating some sorbet down the street. The weather is warm and muggy, but very pleasant. I might not like it so much as I start hiking up the Pyrenees 😂 I will be sweat ball!!!

    I put a few pics and short video snippets from today on here, and I have a longer video I will put on Facebook. Time for some sleep...Alan is already zonked.    Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan

    Exploring Saint Jean Pied de Port

    20. kesäkuuta 2018, Ranska ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We had a rest day as we explored Saint Jean and learned some of it’s history. We climbed up to the Citadel to take in views of the town below, walked long the fortified walls, and weaved our way along the narrow streets of this medieval town. At one point we found ourselves in a shop just full of spices...bags and bags! We are in awe with how old everything is!

    It was a hot day today, getting up to a very humid 88 degrees. Tomorrow is supposed to be a tad bit cooler as we head out to begin our hike...thank goodness!

    We have already met some of the nicest people. A couple from Australia spent some time with us after they had just finished the le Puy Route through France, and a couple from Virginia is going to join us at the Pilgrims’ Mass tonight in the 13th century church, Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont. We spent some quiet time sitting in there earlier today.    Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Wine kept getting refilled 🙂11Wonderful dinner!We lucked out with a room for just us2Post hike lunch

    Orisson

    21. kesäkuuta 2018, Ranska ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We began our hike out of Saint Jean this morning and immediately began to climb steeply up a narrow road. It was very foggy as we climbed, AND SO MUGGY!! I probably could have filled my water bottle with how much sweat rolled off my face and body 😂.

    Orisson is a lovely place with gracious hosts. Bonus for us when we were given a room with just two beds, so still haven’t had to experience the bunk beds with numerous people, yet. That will be tomorrow in Roncesvalles.

    We walked a bit with some German women, and I was able to use a tiny bit of German that was somewhere tucked in the back of my brain. 😂 Then we caught up to Richard (who we met on our shuttle ride the other day). He is from California. In the common eating room there were so many people from different countries... German, Swiss, Dutch, Astonian, Italian, Russian, Brazilian, French, Canadian, and American...all with different and moving reasons for doing the Camino.

    I will try and put a video on Facebook with some footage I took today.    Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    1Bliss 🙂
    Monastery in RoncesvallesFood Van 🙂Our bunks1Iglesio de SantiagoCrossing into Spain1

    Roncesvalles

    23. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    Note: My posts are late because of WiFi issues, so it will be probably hard to stay on top of each day. I will do my best. Maybe when we get to Pamplona, it will be better.

    We had a foggy, mystical trek over the Pyrenees on our way to Roncesvalles. No views because of the fog, but it gave the hike a mysterious feeling...we never really knew what was coming next until we were close to it.

    My favorite parts were hearing the bells of the sheep 🐑 and the horses well before we would actually see them. Another, was coming across a van selling bananas, hot chocolate and homemade cheese after we had been climbing for awhile.

    The crossing into Spain was SO not like coming into the USA from another country. No border guards peppering is with questions...we just crossed over a cattle guard on the trail and we went from France to Spain 🙂

    Towards the end of our hike, we descended a steep path (that was a bit brutal on my knees) and were met with the view of Roncesvalles. Wow! The monastery was a beautiful place to stay. We had a pilgrim’s meal at a restaurant nearby, and then we survived our first bunk beds, as we shared a cubicle with a couple who were from Sweden and Iran,

    Tomorrow we hope to go 16 miles to Larrasoaña. We are leaving early so we can stop a few times along the way.    Lue lisää

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  • Barb and AlanCamino de SantiagoBarb and Alan
    Beautiful roses on many housesMan selling fresh bread from his carNeighborhood catsOn bridge going into Larrasoana1We are in Basque country nowBreakfastPaella makes Alan happy

    Roncesvalles to Larrasoaña

    23. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    We hiked from Roncesvalles to Larrasoaña today - around 17 miles. We were a tad bit tuckered this afternoon at the end because we definitely did not eat enough along the way, and plan to do better tomorrow.

    We are staying at the Albergue San Nicolas which has been very nice! I have a top bunk again- maybe, by the time this journey ends, I will master the getting up and getting down. As it is now, I’m sure there are people on the Camino who will tell stories of the woman from WA USA who cannot seem to do it gracefully 😂

    Our hosts served a scrumptious meal for dinner tonight - minestrone soup, pasta salad, pork, and red peppers with garlic and olive oil. Plenty of red wine 🍷 and cheesecake for dessert. Earlier, for lunch, Alan and I shared some paella 🥘. Alan was in heaven! The owner of the bar gave us samples of his friend’s wine and refused to let us pay for it. Very relaxing place with Nora Jones music 🎶 playing in the background. Tomorrow, we go to Pamplona.    Lue lisää

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

    Pamplona

    24. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Lue lisää

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

    Puenta la Reina

    25. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Lue lisää

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

    Estella

    26. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    27. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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!!    Lue lisää

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

    Logroño

    28. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Lue lisää

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

    Najera

    29. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌧 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.    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    30. kesäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌧 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. 🙂    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    1. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    2. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 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.    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    3. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 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    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    4. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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 🙂    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    5. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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 😀.    Lue lisää

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

    Castrojeriz

    6. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    7. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Lue lisää

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

    Carrion de los Condes

    8. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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    Lue lisää

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

    Terradillos

    9. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ ☀️ 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 ☺️    Lue lisää

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  • 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

    9. heinäkuuta 2018, Espanja ⋅ 🌙 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!    Lue lisää

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