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Spain 2023

August - October 2023
A 62-day adventure by Barb and Alan Read more
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  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    Day 1

    We Leave Tomorrow

    August 31, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I read a quote this week that said, “You often go back to the Camino, not so much to find something new, but to search for what you left there.” It’s been five years since we walked across Spain on the Camino Frances, and tomorrow we fly off to start the journey.

    We are five years older, our bodies could definitely be in better shape, we have a precious little grandson we will miss terribly, and Alan has been struggling with a foot issue for months. But, despite these challenges, here we go!

    We have been dreaming of doing it again from the moment we finished it in 2018. It’s a craving for the simplicity, the countryside and especially the people. There’s nothing else we have done that has given us the “feeling” of the Camino, so I guess that’s what we will be searching for. ❤️❤️

    Buen Camino!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    Day 4

    First Stop

    September 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We have had a 10 hour flight to Paris, and an overnight stay at the Sheraton in Charles de Gaulle airport. Soon, we will be taking a morning flight to Biarritz, France, and finally a shuttle to Saint Jean pied de Port, France where we will spend one night before heading over the Pyrenees in the morning.

    Feelings so far on our travels to the start of our journey:

    The Best

     1. We will be meeting Candi Bachtell in Biarritz ❤️ and sharing a shuttle with her to Saint Jean - We had no idea we would be starting our Camino at the exact same time as Candi when we booked our flights months ago. She’s flying to Biarritz via London and will arrive about the same time as us, so we will be on the same shuttle. We also found out earlier we had reserved rooms at the same place in Saint Jean…crazy coincidence!!
    2. Seeing the Northern Lights on our flight as we flew by Greenland and Iceland. 👍🏻🙂

    The Good:

     1. Premium Select Seats on Delta 🙂
    2. The Sheraton in Charles de Gaulle airport - it was so convenient, it had comfy beds for our weary bodies, it was so quiet and it had amazing food.

    The Other:

     1. Alan is still worried about how his foot will do with long miles each day, after it went into a full blown cramp while on the plane 😳 He may ease into the walking by using a bus or taxi to shave off a few miles of a few sections in the beginning.
    2. Travel is exhausting! It will take awhile for my sleep schedule to recover from this time change.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    1
    Day 4

    Saint Jean Pied de Port

    September 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    We are now in Saint Jean Pied de Port, the start of the Camino Frances. I absolutely LOVE this town! Our room is in a wonderful old building on the Rue de la Citadelle, which is in the old part of town and is the path of the Camino out of town. I feel like I’m back in the medieval times here. 🏰

    We met Candi when we landed in Biarritz and shared a shuttle to town, along with 5 other Camino pilgrims - 1 from Germany, 1 from England, 1 from Scotland, and 2 from Canada.

    We celebrated with a beer and lunch and got our Pilgrim passports stamped. We also grabbed another ham and cheese baguette to pack with us tomorrow. 😋😋

    We’re excited to walk up and over the Pyrenees tomorrow! Last time it was foggy as we hiked over them. Hoping for clearer skies this time.🤞🏻🤞🏻

    Funny notes:

    1. They have a pizza vending machine here, or I guess it’s more like a pizza ATM. I included a picture of it (it’s red). The pizza (in a pizza box) literally came out the slot after the man ordered it. 😳

    2. We think we encountered the restaurant waiter version of the “Soup Nazi” this evening. 😳 He asked us if we wanted a table for two then, before we sat down he turned to the table nearby and berated the people we had met on our shuttle because one of them only wanted an order of fries. They tried to say they were confused, but then he whisked away the food they had already been served. Stunned, we left with them and immediately thought of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. 😂 We were just passing time and not truly hungry, so I guess he did a service to my waistline. 😂

    Tomorrow we hike from France into Spain to Roncevalles.    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    4
    Day 5

    Over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles

    September 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    After watching Candi start walking from Saint Jean, we started from the Croix Thibault and walked up and over the Pyrenees. ⛰️🙂 Alan’s foot did ok (yay) so tomorrow he will see if he can do the whole 13 miles to Zubiri. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

    It wasn’t a blue sky day, but we had much better views than the thick fog we had in 2018. We kept commenting on the views we had today that were non-existent back then. We could actually see the beautiful, strong, stocky horses 🐴 (and a lot of 🐑 ) on the hillsides, instead of just hearing the bells around their necks.

    It was extremely windy, but the sound of it blowing through the trees was soothing - plus it felt so nice and cool on my hot face (because it takes hardly anything to turn me into a sweat ball).🥵 The descent down to Roncesvalles is steep and tough on the body. We were glad to finally finish, get our packs off, take showers, and put on our sandals. I know for sure we will be sore tomorrow, unless the cold beer 🍻 cures it. 😂

    Tonight, we are staying at Hotel Roncesvalles and our stomachs are full from an amazing pilgrim dinner…scallops, cod, steak, mushroom risotto, apple pie and a brownie with ice cream. YUM! It will be hard to top. 😋😋

    So far we have met some really nice people already at the beginning of this journey, but a few really stand out.

    Pierre - He’s from Australia and is doing this walk because his wife, who passed away two years ago, told him to take a little time once she died to mourn, but then she wanted him to spend some time doing something for himself. 🥹 So, he told himself he would do something his younger self would have done, and the Camino is it. We hope to run into him more in these next few days and maybe help him celebrate his birthday in Pamplona.

    Gunnar: He’s from Belgium. He’s working on a Camino video and asked us if he could ask us some questions. In talking with him more today he shared his wife passed away in 2019 from a brain aneurysm. He decided right then to not wait until retirement to do things in life.

    Australian Couple:

    We met a really sweet couple who are walking the Camino with there 9 month old son. 😳 The mom was carrying him in front for three hours while we was sleeping and then, once he woke up, his dad carried him in child carrier backpack. The couple said the little guy enjoyed all the people talking to him. It kept him busy and happy. Maybe he will be one of the youngest Camino pilgrims to make it to Santiago. 🙂👶

    Fun fact learned today: When stung by stinging nettles, grab some dandelion leaves, smoosh the leaves up and rub them on your skin. It takes the sting away! Thank you to the Dutch woman for that. :)

    Tomorrow, our plan is to walk 13 miles to Zubiri - slowly, with lots of breaks. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    1
    Day 6

    To Zubiri

    September 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Alan’s foot passed a major test today in walking 13.6 miles to Zubiri - WOoHOO! We left in the dark at 6:30 am and after taking our time and stopping a few times for some nice breaks, we arrived to our room at Casa Rural Txantxorena around 3:00.

    It was a long day of hiking, and the descent down to Zubiri was comically steep on rocks and the uplifted rock layers that protruded straight up out of the ground like a dragon’s backbone. 🐉 Every time we turned a corner it somehow got worse. My right foot was cramping by the end from tiredness and probably needing more fluids. Every time I would drink a bottle, I would just sweat it all out 😂🥵

    Our room is in an old house from the 1600’s and it is gorgeous! I’ll post a few pictures. Right now, as I’m writing this, we have the window open to the balcony and I can hear the bells clanging on the horses’ necks off in the distance. The woman who owns the house did all of our laundry, saving us some hand washing time. And we were able to sit under some umbrellas and visit for a long time with some nice guys from the UK and the USA.

    Alan and I are really trying to remember the names of all the people we have met and where they are from. I’ve resorted to making a list because, since it’s a bit busier with pilgrims compared to five years ago, we are encountering so many! 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    Day 7

    To Pamplona

    September 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    Today, we walked to Pamplona. We got a late start this morning because our place in Zubiri had a wonderful buffet breakfast laid out, and it was nice visiting with the other people who were also staying there. But, because we left later, we walked some really warm hours at the end.

    Yesterday, we had some cute towns to take breaks in along the way and today, that just wasn’t able to happen, which made for two very hot, sweaty tired pilgrims by the end.

    But Pamplona is beautiful, and the walk up to the old city by the enormous walls and through the gates is pretty cool.

    It’s not even 7:00 and we are TIRED! We’ve already had dinner (amazing!!), bought some snacks for tomorrow, and prepared our packs so we can leave WAY earlier in the morning.

    The plan is to walk to Puenta la Reina - almost 15 miles 😳

    Funny Note:

    We have seen this young couple a few times and, while walking with them today, the young man shares how the sole of his shoe fell off on his first day hiking. So, to make the height of the soles the same for both feet, he peeled off the other sole. He’s not even planning to get new shoes yet! 😳 There is NO way our 60+ year old feet could do that. He let me take a picture. 🙂    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    2
    Day 8

    To Puenta la Reina

    September 7, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Today has been a good day full of great visits with all sorts of interesting characters and super nice people. It was also tough physically (the descent down from Alto de Perdon was still as rocky as we remembered), but both Alan and I felt stronger today. We took the time to stop periodically and also eat which helped tremendously.

    After these first days of walking People are tending to lots of sore muscles, blisters and other body ailments. Everyone is so kind and helping each other out by sharing bandaids, tape, etc. Kristin, from California, even gave me a new hair pony so I could get my hair up off my sweating neck. 🙂

    Speaking of sweat…I have been known to sweat quite a bit when I am hot, but the amount of it pouring out of my body these last two days has been UNREAL! The heat, plus some humidity, is bringing it to a whole new level! 😂 When we get to the end of our walk and I’m trying to check in to our room or bed for the night, I can barely see because of the salty, stinging sweat in my eyes. Thank you, Dad, for passing your “sweat a lot” genes to me. 💕😂

    A few people from today worth mentioning:

    Sally, from Australia 🇦🇺

    Sally is a landscape photographer and anthropologist. She is such a positive person who just oozes good karma. She jokes she’s a lucky person because of the gap between her front teeth. 🤣

    Steve - from Kentucky

    His stories of his airline mixups in getting to the start of the Camino and his descriptions of his physical trials over these past few days was pure comedy.

    The Young Boy Offering Lemonade

    Just before Puenta la Reina, when we thought the hot day’s walk was never going to end, we came across the nicest boy offering lemonade for a donation. He asked us where we were from and had a book we could sign. He even had a stamp to stamp pilgrim passports. He put a smile on a lot of people’s faces today. 💕 🍋

    Tomorrow, we walk to Estella. Tonight, we sleep in an air conditioned room - WOoHOO!!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    3
    Day 9

    To Estella

    September 8, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    It became obvious to us today that our memories from five years left out some of the more grueling aspects of this journey. Our memory of today’s short, steep hill in reality was not short, but a very long, steep path that went on forever. I told Alan our brains must have glossed over some of these hard sections and just emphasized all of the good. 🙂

    Besides that, The morning was beautiful walking towards and then through the towns of Cirauqui and Lorca. Then the early afternoon heat hit hard and it seemed Estella would never get closer. After a needed popsicle/ice cream bar break, we broke out our reflective umbrellas! They really helped keep the worst of the heat off of our heads. We’re praying for some cooler temperatures. 🙏

    Special Person of the Day:

    Nestor - Nestor is originally from Argentina and he hosted us at his pension tonight. He does not speak English, but through Google translate he showed us so much kindness - making sure we were drinking enough water on our journey and that it was ok to take a bus if needed. I think we must have looked pretty wiped out. 🥵😂 He also served us an amazing paella dinner, explaining to us the local ingredients used. It was the best we have had so far on this trip.

    It’s now almost 10:00 pm. Our room is in the old part of Estella and we can look down onto the street and see families with kids walking around, visiting and playing plus a group of teenagers rolling a couch down the street on top of a shopping cart. 🤣

    The Most Irritating Fact:

    Biting flies/insects seem to be attracted to me (probably because I sweat so bad) and like to bite me. 😡

    The Most Surprising Moment:

    3/4 through our walk today, when we were low on energy, we came across a donation only food stand for pilgrims. I can honestly say I didn’t expect to eat toast with olive oil along the trail -Yummy and a big morale booster!    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    1
    1
    Day 10

    To Los Arcos

    September 9, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    I’m lying here in our room in Los Arcos listening to the end of a rain shower and the birds are going crazy. I am SLEEPY!

    We left Estella at 6:00 am to take advantage of the cooler morning air, which also helped us arrive before the hottest part of the day.

    We spent the afternoon/early evening relaxing in the plaza visiting with some Camino friends, eating a homemade empanada and pizza, and rehydrating. I can’t drink enough liquid, it seems.

    Best Parts of Today:

    1. Walking in the cooler morning air
    2. The food truck in the middle of nowhere that gave us a place to sit, eat, drink, and recharge before the last push to town
    3. The little breeze that cooled my face
    4. The realization that a cast of characters is forming around us and it will be fun to see how it plays out
    5. FaceTiming with Adrianne and Eddie and then with my mom💕

    Worst Part of the Day

    Only one thing - We met Ken in Pamplona, but because he is walking further than us tomorrow, we may not see him again.

    Tomorrow, we walk to Viana and rumor has it there is a festival happening there that may include running of the bulls 😳    Read more

  • Barb and AlanSpain 2023
    Day 11

    To Viana

    September 10, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Humidity, Mud, a Surprise and Bulls!

    We thought today would be a bit easier, since it was a little shorter, but our feet are TIRED! There was a huge thunderstorm last night and then it rained until 6:30 this morning. We ended up leaving a bit later than usual, so that meant the sun ☀️ hit us earlier in our walk. So, in the order of occurrence, we had:

    Humidity = tough to climb the hills, sweat, tough to drink enough, more sweat, and eventually heat rash 😡

    Mud from the Storm = wet clay build up on the bottom of our shoes and a very slippery path - so slippery a Camino friend fell and was covered in mud on one whole side of her body and face. She felt the mud would be good for her skin. 😂

    A Surprise = An Italian couple serving cold drinks and snacks along the path just when we were desperately wishing for a cool breeze and a place to just rest.

    Bulls = Fiesta in Viana with the Running of the Bulls today! Our hotel room looks down on the end of the run and it seems almost all the residents are dressed in white with red bandannas and sashes.🙂

    We had our first croquettes of the trip today 😋😋and bought some wonderful, small bocadillos from some young girls raising money during the fiesta. 3 € for two of them, and it included tiny cups of red wine. 🍷

    Tomorrow, we walk to Navarette.

    p.s. I’m going to try adding pictures of some of the people we have met.    Read more

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