Tuesday, May 29, 2012

12:47 PM Arizona, 9:47 Spain

We are up early, order a breakfast of coffee and Tostada while chatting again with the woman who runs the Albergue.  We ask her about the winters here and what they do for business.  She tells us that there is not enough show for skiing and very few pilgrims, so they must make their money during the summer months.  We head down to the corner where the cemetery is to wait for the bus.  Two other pilgrims join us so we spend time talking about our lives.  As we talk a mother with a boy about 9 come by.  They are walking the Camino together and she tells us he is having a grand time.  Never complaining and out walks her on most days.  The bus showed up at 9:30 AM and we received a “Mad Hatter Ride” down the mountain to Ponferrada.  Upon reaching the drop off point which is not the bus terminal as promised, but the middle of town we follow the arrows to the information office.  We keep running into this guy who I find very annoying.  He has this very young oriental girl in tow and I had seen them several times during my wandering without Lisa.  It is quite obvious that he is quite proud of having this young lady to accompany him.   On the way to the information office I bring them to Lisa’s attention.  She gives me the look and I change my attitude, love it!  The information office is outside this enormous castle built by the Templers to protect the pilgrims and town.  We are told how to find the bus station but quickly lose our way.

As we walk Lisa stops an older woman and asks the way to the bus station.  This woman grabs hold of Lisa’s arm and leads us through the town to the bus station.  After she lets us go Lisa is rubbing her arm where the woman had hold of her during our trek.  We purchase our bus tickets, correctly this time, and run into a fellow traveler Joseph from Germany.   Together we travel to Sarria where we will spend the night and gather yet another stamp for our Credencial del Peregrino; “passport.”  The first Albergue we arrive at is not to Lisa’s liking, because it has no kitchen, so off we go in search of yet another.  Joseph has decided to say there so we say our good byes hoping to meet again.  As we follow the yellow arrows around a corner there is a garbage bin with a map of Sarria stuck in the handle.  “Thank you very much God.”  It lists all the Albergues in the area so we head to the nearest one but become lost yet again.  We are again adopted by fellow walking down the street.  He leads into a back ally and I’m thinking were going to get mugged.

He leads us up and up until at the very top of the “hill” is a monastery Albergue which has a kitchen.  After checking in it’s time to look for a market to get our evening meal.  Of course everything is downhill from where the Albergue is, and everything purchased needs to be carried back up the hill.  We get to the market and Lisa suggests that eat out because having to carry the food back up the hill and then cook it seems a bit much.  We purchase some fruit along with a few things for breakfast then go looking for a place to have dinner.  It’s “COCKTAIL TIME!”  We settle on a café, and a table outside, that has several fellows playing guitar and singing. The lady at the next table, who was on the bus with us, begins to talk to us.  Come to find out she is from Phoenix and her daughter works at REI in Paradise Valley store in Arizona.  She says her daughter told her to be on the lookout for us.  The only one I know at the REI Paradise Valley Store is a friend of my daughters.  Could it be?

It also turns out the she and I worked at Good Sam hospital in downtown Phoenix around the same time.  Also next to us are two young women from Maryland.  One just finished a contract position at the Smithsonian in DC, and the other a teaching position in France; were now walking the Camino contemplating what to do next with their lives.   The lady from Phoenix informs us that we need to have gotten two stamps a day as we walked in order to qualify for a certificate when we reach Santiago.   I have not read anything about needing to collect two stamps a day.  Lisa is not very sure she will get her certificate for completion of the Camino and is talking about changing plans yet again.  Once back at the Albergue I go on line and check this out whether the two stamp rule is true.  Low and behold there is some kind of requirement to get two stamps every day or at least from Sarria for the last 100 Km.  The rule seems to be very vague as many pilgrims write that they had received their certificate with only one stamp per day.  If this holds true I’ll not be able to get a certificate either.  So I guess we’ll see when we get to Santiago.

Before turning in Lisa and I talk about whether or not we should stick to the original plan of taking a bus to Lavacolla and walking the last 10 Km to Santiago.  Neither of us feel we will be able to walk the last 100 Km from Sarria to Compostela.  Lisa’s feet really hurt and my ankle is giving me a lot of pain also.  So tomorrow we will bus to Lavacolla then find a place for the night, walk into Compostela, find an Albergue, check about the certificate, get some bus information about getting to Finisterre, and back.  Lisa will leaves in a couple of days for Madrid via Ryan Air and I’ll take the bus back to Leon to get my bike.   Trying not to get too sad about our adventure coming to an end, but it is sneaking up on me.   I don’t want this experience to end.  I might have said this before, but I’ll say it again this is turning into one of the very best adventures I’ve ever had.  It is very easy to travel with Lisa.  She does not complain about the weather, the Albergues, or cities we end up in.  I’m also already thinking that I will do this pilgrimage again next year.  I’m already missing her traveling with me.

Redone 12/8/2012, posted  10/19/201