Valcarlos, Ronsesvalles, and Beyone

Friday, May 18, 2012

8:28 AM Arizona, 5:28 PM Spain

I’ll start with struggling up the road from the river Nive on May 16th.   Upon reaching the town we scout around for an Albergue.  We meet a fellow, Jorge, from Germany who tells us where it is and that it will not open for a while.   I lock up my bike and after talking with our new friend head to the local shop that serves as a restaurant and market which is called Benta.  I order a nice cold beer to drink while basking in the afternoon sun while Lisa wanders around the town.  We purchase lunch stuff along with a bottle of local wine than head to an overlook in the middle of town for lunch.  While sitting there the German fellow, we met earlier, comes over to tell us he has the code to get into the Albergue.  All us sit for a while talking as Lisa and I finish lunch, then head to the Albergue finding it to be a wonderful place about two years old.  The Albergue Luzaideko has two rooms filled with enough bunk beds to sleep 24 people; both rooms have bathrooms attached with several showers, sinks, and toilets; however there are only three of us in the whole place.  We sit in the dining room/kitchen taking and have finished the wine purchased earlier so I head up to the store for another bottle.  It is local wine that sells for 1.59 euro you can’t go wrong there.

Jorge tells us of his family and offers to cook dinner for us.  We offer to split the cost of the food but he declines and heads to the store to buy the makings for dinner while we relax.  Jorge makes us a wonderful meal and we have polished off two bottles of local red wind.   After spending a good amount of time on the internet telling our tails with our bellies filled it is time for bed in hopes we’ll get up early start our second day on the Camino.  Tomorrow we will travel to Roncesvalles, hopefully find that Lisa’s bike is waiting for us, spend the night, and then start riding toward our destination.   It has been a long day filled with beautiful scenery, good wine and food, pleasant talk, and now it is time to shower and get some rest.  Lisa’s feet have not fared well on this first day out.  She has accumulated several blisters and the surgery foot is quite tender.  I am wearing Teva Sandals without any socks, which so far have not caused me to have any blisters or tenderness although my right ankle is treating to start acting up.  I have two leg issues that could cause me problems.  In high school, I played Soccer and received several kicks in the ankle that required me to tape up both feet.  Over the years, my right ankle acts up from time to time becoming quite painful when I walk.  The second problem is damage to my left knee from a car accident in the sixties.  Again, ever so often tenderness occurs and walking or riding become troublesome.  There is no rhyme or reason to this so when it happens I take it easy for a while.  Since I ride a bike on my travels in Europe neither of these have bothered me much over the years.  I felt twinges in my ankle today and being off it for the evening may hold off any problems.  There will be not taking it easy on this trek since we are on a tight schedule due to Lisa’s having to get back in 20 days.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

 We wake up around 7 AM as Jorge wants to get off early, he tries to be quiet, but it does not exactly work.  We begin to eat breakfast and the owner of the Albergue Luzaideko comes in, puts out some breakfast food and coffee, collects 5 euro from each of us, the cost of staying there for the night and breakfast, and stamps our “passports.”  If all the Albergues are like this one, I am going to be one happy camper.  We get on the road around 8 AM and begin part two of our assent of the Pyrenees Mountains.  We have decided that it would be easier on Lisa’s feet if we stick to the N135 to Roncesvalles.  I’m walking my bike up the switch backs leading to the top at 1057 Meters or 3648’.  From time to time we look back at the Valcarlos which is in a valley now far below us.  Upon reaching Ibaneta, the top, it is time for a siesta as it has been a long hard walk and Lisa now has blisters on blisters.  My arms and chest hurt from pushing the bike all the way up from Valcarlos.  Where we are, the two routes from St. Jean merge then head down to Roncesvalles.  We watch as Pellegrinos who have traveled the Napoleon Route walk by.  Then a bus pulls up, drops off about 20 people who wander around the area before heading down to Roncesvalles via walking.  Well I guess there is more the one way to do the Camino.

From there it is downhill into Roncesvalles kind of, as we will only drop down around 100 m.  The road is kind of like a washboard, little ups and downs before we get to the “town.”  We arrive in Roncesvalles, which is consists of a couple of hotels, a monastery that also serves as an Albergue.  Roncesvalles is famous in history and legend for the defeat of Charlemagne and the death of Roland in 778, during the battle of Roncevaux Pass, when Charlemagne's rear guard was destroyed by Basque tribes. Looking around, we do a lot of that, we find Hostal La Posada de Roncesvalles where Lisa has made reservations and had her bike shipped to.  She also sent a package from Madrid with stuff for the bike she purchased in Flagstaff. Thankfully both the bike and package are waiting for her.  The clerk tells us that the bike is in the barn across the lane.  After putting our stuff in the room, we get a glass of wine then put the bike together mounding the items in the box.  After we finish both bikes are placed in the barn and locked up, now it is time for dinner.

We have paid 9 euro for a Peregrino (pilgrim) dinner, called The Meal of the Day which is common fare along the Camino, will be served a 7 PM.  The table gets a bowl of spaghetti to share, then we each get a plate with a fish surrounded by potatoes, finally salad, and desert.  Most restaurants in Spain open around 7 PM, I am not use to eating dinner so late, but will have to get used to it.  At the table are two non-talkative French men along with Mike and Jerome from Holland.  We have a pleasant conversation with Mike and Jerome over several bottles of wine during dinner.  Since there are other pilgrims waiting for their meal the server hurries us through dinner then out the door.  We say good night to Mike and Jerome, wishing them a wondrous journey.  I find out the Wi-Fi is only available in the bar or right outside in the courtyard.  Lisa chooses to sit outside, I opt for inside in the bar area.  After ordering, another glass of wine it is time for reading and writing emails, making notes on Facebook and logging the activities of the day before heading off to sleep.

Thursday, May 17, 2013

It’s time to mount up and head out.  Little did we know when we headed out just how much time we would spend mounted!  It is hard to ride the path as it is full of ups, downs, tree roots, rocks, and lose gravel.  We pass other Pilgrims who we talked to at the Albergue last night but are now climbing up again, thus walking the bikes, the pass us.  Nevertheless, we give it a go as best we can until we agree it is time to ride on the road.  This seems to be bothering Lisa as riding is doing the Camion the way it should be.  Lisa tells me we have three more days of this, which is not what my map shows.  We reach Burguete and then take to the path again doing more pushing of the bike’s then riding.  Somewhere between Erro and Zubiri we give up and take to the road again which is much easier going.  We reach Huarte, stop at a market then have to find our way back to the Camino as we are now far to west.  Upon entering Pamplona, we pass the bull-fighting arena then a wonderful statue of the Running of the Bulls.  After getting directions, we are back on the Camino ending up southwest of Pamplona in Cizur Menor.  I spy a Refugio, that I learn later was once Lepers hospital, however at this point who cares.  We are exhausted and hope there is room for us but, because we have bikes we are turned away.  Just around the corner is Albergue de Maribel en Zizurthat takes us in without any problem.

After checking in, paying five euro, and given a bed assignment, I receive a key to the room where our bikes will spend the night.  It takes us some time but slowly we figure out that we have traveled 56 Km or about 36 miles.  This is Lisa’s first long ride on a fully loaded bike through some really rough terrain, and busy highways.  She handled it without complaint, so I am proud of her accomplishment today.  It has taken an emotional toll on her, she is crying while talking on SKYPE, which I really understand.  The first year I came to England my first ride was so hard that I ended up sitting on the side of the road crying.  I just wanted to get rid of the bike put my bags on a plane and go home which seems to be where she is now.  I am thinking she needs some space so head to the local store for a few things for dinnerLisa, very much, wants to see Parque Eolico Del Perdon on top of Monte del Perdon so I ask the woman who runs the Albergue how to get to them.  She frowns as she tells me “no es possible,” something I’m going to hear many times, on a bike and we should go around the mountain.  Later she gives me a map showing me how to circumvent the mountain.  This is not going to happen because Lisa wants to experience the Camino, not ride on roads, and must see the Parque Eolico Del Perdon.  So, that is what we are going to freaking do!  Come hell or high water we are going to the top of the mountain tomorrow!

After dinner, we have a little talk about what we have accomplished and some decisions that she needs to make to accomplish getting to Santiago.  Since it has been a long hard day Lisa turns in early.  When I arrive sometime later I find we are in a room full of snorers.  Most of the occupants are still awake giggling at one snorer who does not take the hint when someone yells for quiet.  Sleep comes slowly tonight but it does come.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Today we are up, showered, breakfast eaten, and riding out of town heading toward the mountain.  We are on the Camion path again which is dirt, but not to rocky.  The path keeps crossing roads and each time Lisa pull out her map and asks if we should just ride the road.  Nope!  We are taking the Camion path to the top of the freaking mountain.  As we ride, which is getting more difficult now, we meet a man walking his dog.  He too tells us that it is very difficult to get to the top of the mountain by bike.  He shows us a road that will take us to the top of the mountain however; it is a much longer route.  We talk about it but decide to continue on the Camino path to reach the top.  From time to time we must walk the bikes as the climb is getting stepper and the path narrower.  Soon we are only pushing the bike up a narrow path on the side of the mountain.

In the move The Way the actors have reached the top of the mountain and are talking when the character “Host” spies two bike riders pop up from the trail we are now traveling.  He says, “What you can ride a bike, why are we walking?”  Well we were not going to be doing any popping as we pushed the bike up toward the top.  At one point, we had to walk the bikes down some stairs cut into the path that was dangerous due to lose pebbles and dirt.  It was push then stop and rest, then do it again.  Slowly I make it to the top then check to see how Lisa is doing struggling below.  She makes it to the top and begins to cry with happiness that she is at this spot, which she so wanted to see.  We hug, take pictures, nosh, and then begin the decent to our next stop Puente La Reina where we will spend the night.  The path is somewhat rideable, but again there are times we must walk.   Lisa rides on ahead as I am unwilling to bounce my bike along, at time, such a stony path.  After a while, I catch up to her and we ride into town.

Upon entering the Puente Le Reina we come to Albergue Jakue but I am looking for a campground that is supposed to be here.  Lisa and I ride around for a while trying to fine it.  Then I cannot find Lisa!   I stop and ask a man walking down the street if he knows where the campground is and he points to the top of a hill indicating it is up there.  The hell with that I am going back to the Albergue, but first I spend some time looking for Lisa.  Cannot find her so I think she has headed back to the Albergue because she is not camping out.  I arrive back at the Albergue the same time Lisa does and we check in, pay five euro, and unload the bike.  Her bunk is on top of mine, we get our stuff sorted out then I head to the bar for a beer, Lisa goes off to the balcony.  There is internet in the bar so after ordering a beer and a snack I settle in check emails, Facebook etc…

The place has a Buffet style Meal of the Day that costs 9 euros.  We have purchased a ticket to get the buffet, which opens a 7 PM so we wait.  We dine together talking about the adventure of the day among other things.  There is a bottle of wine at our table, which is not that great.  There are lots of salads, meats, fish, and deserts from which to choose.  The food is O.K. but nothing to write home about.  We have had better at some of the other Albergue’s so far. Lisa finishes before me and heads off to SKPYE her boyfriend.  After dinner, I am back in the bar to chat with Mark on SKYPE, and then it is off to bed.  Lisa has talked more and more about using the road rather than the path.  Let us just see what tomorrow brings.

Buen Camino!

Greetings From Spain

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

7:11 AM Arizona, 3:11 PM Spain

Greetings from Spain!  Lisa met me at the camp ground as we planned to leave St Jean early this morning around 6 AM.    There are two routes over the Pyrenees one is the Route Napoleon, and the other is the Valcarlos route.  The Route Napoleon is the more traditional route, but is more strenuous then the Valcarlos route.  Due to Lisa’s recent foot surgery we decided it would be better take the less strenuous route.  Lisa stayed at a Refugio last night while I opted to camp out at a nearby campground.  After dinner I returned to the campground and began sorting through my stuff, yet again.   I discovered that I had not brought my patch kit which contained my wine bottle opener.  As agreed Lisa arrived at the campground around 6 AM and we discussed our options as a patch kit was a definite must for me.  She would go on while I picked up a patch kit at the local bike shop which did not open until 9 AM.  I’d catch up with her later on the Valcarlos route which we had chosen to travel.

For some reason it was a bit daunting to ride through this hilly town.   After walking and then riding I reached the bike shop which was not yet open.  There I met Honrey from Germany who was going to do the Camino on bike also.  We talked until two more Camion riders came along.  Soon the shop opened and I was able to purchase not only the patch kit but, also gas for my stove, which I had forgotten to purchase in Salisbury.  Then I decided that it would be good to have some coffee before leaving town.  Now it was time to find the Valcarlos route and catch up with Lisa.  I’ve been quite worried that she is pushing herself to hard and will end up not being able to walk at some point.  I wander around for a bit, reading the guide book one of my clients gave to me.  I finally figure out the way to go and I’m off riding and I should mention puffing.  It is all uphill from here, 1400 km uphill!

I miss the directions in the book to use the old road which is D128 and end up riding the new highway, certainly not I-17, N135 toward Valcarlos.  It is a beautiful ride even though I’m riding in the lowest gears on the bike.  At this point I am very glad for having the bike re-geared when I purchased it.  It is a beautiful day about 70 degrees, blue skies, and a nice breeze.  As I reach the town of Arneguy I’m wondering why there is not sign of Lisa yet.  Surely she could not have waked that far or nor could I have passed her.  As I ride I think I hear my name being yelled.  My ears go up and I begin to look around, but see not one.  It sounded like it came from my right.  I turn around but, find no one so continue on.  Rounding the bend there is Lisa up ahead in a gas station.  Relieved at finding her she tells me that she took the old road that I have missed.  No matter we were now together and would continue the journey using the old road.

This road was pleasant enough for a while but, as old roads to we began to follow the contour of the land.  The new road is clearly in site and I see it remain fairly flat as we begin to climb and climb and climb.   Then we go down then up, and up, and up and down and down and down.  All the while we are doing this I’m pushing my bike in order not to leave Lisa behind.   Truth be told I’d not be riding my bike anyway as the climb is far too steep for riding.   We end up at what looks like a dead end, but find that the road drops so sharply away that it cannot be seen.  Now we go down a steep hill around a bend down toward the river bottom.  Once we cross the river we begin a steep upward climb to the town looming over us.  Lisa is gone as I struggle up the hill with my bike.  I do mean struggle which reminded me of the first trip to England and my first ride to Glastonbury.

The Camion began to teach me as soon as I reached Paris, but today the message was much clearer.  It always amazes me how the universe/God/whatever finds a way to what it is like when the shoe is on the other foot.  Enough said about that.   

Paris...Here's Lisa

Monday, May 14, 2012

11:59 AM France, 3:04:31 AM Arizona

Saturday and Sunday were filled to the brim with walking and subway riding around Paris.  It really started Friday afternoon when Lisa showed up about an hour after I did.  As soon as I reached the hotel it was time to get into the shower.   The last one was at Kevin’s house prior to leaving on Wednesday.  We settled into the room then headed out to find Lisa’s friends Tina and Camille.  Our first experience on riding the Metro was a hoot because we ended up going the wrong way having to get off and backtrack.  We made few mistakes after that and soon became pros at getting around on the Paris underground.  We may have thought once about using the bus system but it was just a thought.  We found Lisa’s friends hotel but, her friends had already headed to a café not far from the hotel.  We found them basking in the sun Tina with wine, and Camille with Corona in hand.  These would soon be their signature beverages as we transferred from Café to Café.

From there on it was sigh seeing, wine, Corona, eating, sharing, and laughing for the next two days.  Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Left bank, Latin Quarter, Moulin Rouge, gardens, wine, food, beer, and lots of walking, talking, and laughing.  We found out of the way cafés for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or just sitting and enjoying a wine and/or beer.  Did I mention wine and beer, lots of wine and beer?  I think we may have caused a shortage of wine and beer in the city of Paris.   Well probably not.  There is not much we did not see in the few days we were there.  Time to leave came too quickly when the alarm rang this morning at 6 AM.   We had packed last night so it was up, load the bike and off to the train station.  Lisa took the Metro while I road my bike.  Luckily I had scooped out the station the first day so finding the miniature elevator needed to get to the track level was a piece of cake.   Lisa arrived at the photo booth, our predetermined meeting place, shortly after me.  We knew the photo booth since I had used it on the first day so I could get my Sr. rail pass.

Both of us have Scallop shells on our backpacks, the symbol of the Camino, which began to draw others headed in that direction; lots of others.  As we looked around the station, we began to spot pilgrim after pilgrim looking at the train schedule board waiting for it to tell them the platform number for the train, which will take them on their adventure.  Bikes in boxes began to show up which mean I would not be the only one traveling on the train with a bike.  I begin to worry that there will not be enough room for my bike even though I have a reservation, two in fact.  In order for Lisa and me to ride in the same car I had to purchase two bike reservations.  We boarded the longest train I have yet to ride in my travels and of course noting was marked to indicate where the bike car was.  So I just climbed on board and off we went.  About an hour into the ride, the conductor informed me I was in the wrong car.  I acted very surprised and upset.  “OH NO!”   The very nice conductor told me it was no problem just change at the first stop three hours later.  This is an express train with only two stops.  In Bordeaux Lisa and I change to the correct car and our reserved seats.  We are now off to Bayonne where we will change to a local train that will take us to St Jean Pied de Port.

At Bayonne we wait for our train to arrive by having a beer but, first I run across the street to an ATM machine for some money.  For some reason upon my return to the station, I check out the platform and see a two-car train sitting there.  In addition, I have spotted several of the bike box people putting their bikes together at the other end of the platform.  There are no reservations on this train so it is first come, first serve. “Is this the train to St. Jean?” I ask. The train attendant answers in the affirmative so I rush to get my bike on board since both cars are still empty.  Then run inside gulp down my beer, get Lisa and we have our pick of seats.    While waiting for the train to leave we meet Natasha who decided to travel the Camino three weeks ago after seeing “The Way.”  The fellows with the bikes pile in and the train begins to fill up.  We leave the station and enjoy a slow ride through some beautiful countryside following a river for most of the way.  We arrive at St Jean, around 4 PM, which turns out to be quite the busy place.  After reaching the town, it is time to look for the Camino office to get our “Credencial del Peregrino” and first stamp.  Volunteers, who are previous Peregrine’s that come to St. Jean to help new Peregrines get rooms and directions, run the office.

At our request, they direct Lisa to a Refugio and me to a campground.  We agree that after checking in we will meet for dinner and look for a grocery store to do some food shopping for our travels tomorrow.  The place we eat at is Chez Edouard, which, we quickly learn, has a real jamoka for an owner.  He chases off some people who just want to sit and have a drink.  “No manga no sit!” he yells.  The people who run this café are the most unfriendly we have seen in any place we have eaten.  We make our plans for tomorrow deciding which route we will take and what time we will meet.  Lisa will make me an egg sandwich for breakfast since I have no propane to cook with which I have forgotten to pick up in Salisbury.  I return to the campground and again for the second time go through my panniers in order to distribute the weight.  Now I find that I have no patch kit for my bike, and no wool cap for sleeping.  The sun is still up at 10 PM so I use the wool cap to block out the light.  I cannot believe the stuff I’ve left at home and was still over weight at the airport.  My friend Gary, who walked the Camino several years ago, told me that when traveling the Camino things you will needl show up, and things you do not need will go away.  Well things went away before I even got here.

Tomorrow we will begin the trek up the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles via the road less traveled.   We have decided to take two days rather than one to achieve this hopefully find Lisa’s bike waiting for us.  Lisa has rented a bike from a company in Portugal who has promised to have the bike waiting at La Posada, a hotel, in Roncesvalles.  Lisa will walk the next two days, which has us both worried about how her foot will handle this, while I will be pushing my bike until we get hers.  Once we have retrieved her bike it will be off through Spain to Santiago de Compostela.  Our first stop will be Valcarlos near the Spanish, French boarder.

Buen Camino!  

Heathrow to Paris

Friday May 11, 2012 France

10:16 PM Arizona, 6:16 AM France

I actually see sun attempting to peek through the gray morning sky.  The ship is pulling into Le Havre harbor after a fairly clam English Channel crossing.  However, at times I am amazed at how the sea pitched this large ship about last night.  Want to see if I can connect with Lisa but, cannot connect to the internet aboard the ship will now have to wait until I reach our hotel in Paris.  The ship is about to docked and it is not time to see if my “Connection Angle” is still with me.  The ship is to dock at 8 AM and then I have to get to the train station to catch 9:30 AM train to Paris.  This train will allow me to travel with my bike and get to Paris by noon.  If I miss it I’ll have to wait until 11 AM and will not get to Paris until 3 pm.  If I make it I’ll be in Paris in plenty of time to check into our hotel.  Trying to find my sea legs, but I think that by the time I do the ship will dock.  The sky is still gray and rain is pattering against the front windows of the ship.  It has been raining regularly over a month in England, France and Spain.  The sun is supposed to come out but it is not getting the job done.  I watch a tug turn us around so the ship can back into the berth.  We have arrived at 8:30 AM, time to go downstairs, get my bike, get off the ferry and ride to the train station.

A few wrong turns but I’m at the station and with ticket in hand, I am on the train with 5 minutes to spare, thank you Connection Angel.  I must change trains at Rouen, which is no problem as I have used this station three times before.  This is a three-car train, which is quickly filling up the closer we get to Rouen.  I become anxious that the conductor might ask me to leave the train before I reach my destination.  Nevertheless, all is well as the train pulls into Rouen and it is time to change.  After look around for the lift (elevator), seeing none, I ask the station attendant and he tells me that there is no lift on this platform and I should take the escalator up.  Immediately Mark’s story of his attempting to ride up the escalator in Amsterdam and falling over backwards last year flashes through my head.  With trepidation I head toward the escalator planting my feel as firmly as possible up we go.   Thankfully I arrive at the top with no mishaps and find myself right next to the information boot which I know has a lift to take me down to the platform where I’ll catch my next train.  As the lift doors open the attendant points to a train sitting at the platform and tell me that is my train.   I am on and off to Paris.  At this point, I am beginning to think that there is a force at work here.  MMMMMM! 

The station in Paris, Saint Luzern, is north of the hotel where we will be staying.  Setting off thought the streets of Paris with a fully loaded bike draws quite a lot of gapping mouths.   Not too bad, I think to myself pulling up in front of the Monessen train station where I need to pick up the reserved tickets, which will whisk Lisa and I to St Jean Pied de Port in three days.  At the reservation desk I’m told “Your reservations have been canceled”.  Don’t attack the agent!  After a bit of quiet talking I exit the station with tickets and Sr. Pass in hand.  Now it is time to find our hotel which is a few blocks from the station.  It takes me all of five minutes to get there and check in surprised to find out that Lisa is not there yet.  The lift in the hotel is not working so I have to drag my four panniers up five flights of stairs.  Also, because the lift is broken my bike will stay in the manager’s office, not the garden as planned.  O.K. no big deal I am here and will have time to get a shower.  I am shocked to find, upon entering the room, that the twin beds we requested are right next to each other with no room to separate them.  I am worried about how Lisa will react to seeing them.  It is time for a shower since my last one was two days ago in Arizona.  Just as I am getting wet when there is a knock on the door = Lisa has arrived.  I manage to get the door unlocked and slip back into the shower unseen.  After my shower we talk a bit, she is fine with the bed arrangement, warning me to stay on my bed, and then it is time to fine Lisa’s friends and start enjoying Paris!

After a ride on the Metro, we meet up with Tina and Camille at a corner cafe.  Tina is Lisa’s friend from N.Y. where she owns an architect firm, Camille works in London for a finance firm.  After some drinks and snacks, we wander around Paris until we find a place for dinner.  We enjoy a nice dinner, talk, laugh, and make plans for tomorrow, it is time for Lisa and I to travel the Metro back to the hotel.  Our hotel, Pavillon Losserand Montparnasse, is on a narrow street filled with numerous shops that beckon to us.  The main one is a bakery directly across the street from our front door.  The first thing we do upon opening our eyes is to head downstairs to buy some wonderful treats from the bakery along with fresh brewed coffee.  After which it is time to shower and head out to meet Tina and Camille.  Over the next two days, we become Metro experts.  We visited Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Left bank, Latin Quarter, and The Moulin Rouge.  In addition to walking around doing Paris tourist things, we have eaten wonderful food, drank wonderful wine, laughed until tears came, and shared intimate details of our lives.  The time in Paris flew by and now it is time for us to head to the train station and travel to St Jean Pied de Port.  We are sad at having to leave, but excited to begin the Camino not really fully realizing that we had already started it.

I forgot to mention that while waiting to board the plane in Dallas a fellow asked me if I were going on the Camino.  He could tell because I have the traditional symbol of the Camino, a Scallop seashell, attached to my backpack.  He had done the Camino twice and was thinking about doing it again next year.  Why anyone would do an 800 Km walk more than once is beyond me.

Buen Camino.

Dallas to Heathrow

Thursday, May 10, 2012

7:37 AM Arizona, 3:37 PM England

Liz was my seatmate for the flight from Dallas to Heathrow who is an English woman married to an American and has lived in the U.S. for 21 years.  She was heading home to visit family in Taunton and Cardiff; we share our experiences of the two cities.  Very bumpy flight with so – so service.   After watching a movie with poor sound, I managed to get a few hours’ sleep before landing.  Having arrived a half hour early but are put in a holding pattern that puts us in a bit late.  I am feeling the peace that settles over me whenever I land in England.  I am happy to be “home,” apprehensive about getting to Salisbury, then on to Paris and making all the connections.  As we are about to land, the flight attendant announces that there is an Industrial Action (a strike) going on in customs and it would take longer the normal to get through.  Oh Joy!  It only takes about an hour to get through customs, pick up my bag and get to the bus ticket counter.

“I’d like a one way senior fare to Salisbury please.”

“You have a senior bus card?”

“No.  I have a senior rail card never needed a senior bus card before.”

“The government has stopped subsidizing seniors so you need a card which is 10 pounds.”

“How much is the ticket with and without the card?”  The prices given did not offer that big a difference so I opt to pay full fare.

“Next bus is full next one is a 4 pm or you can go through Bristol now and arrive in Salisbury at 4 PM.”

“No thanks let’s see what the train has to offer.”  NOT “why the freak didn’t you tell me that in the first place!”

The train counter attend tells me I have twenty minutes to catch the bus to the train.  I by a train ticket which will get me to Salisbury by 12:45 PM.  I will have to take a bus to Working where I will catch the train to Salisbury.  Mark and I have done this when we leave to go home.  This will be the first time I am doing at the start of the trip.  With ticket purchased it is out of the terminal to the bus stand where I watch the bus driver and several passengers watching, and discussing fluid dripping from the back of the bus.  I guess they decide that the bus will not blow up so we load and are off.  Out of the bus into the train station and five minutes later up pulls the train.  The reason I wanted to take the bus is that I’m going to be lugging a 49 pound bag around in addition to my backpack (rutsack in England). The bus station in Salisbury is closer to Hayball’s, where my bike is stored, then the train station by about a mile.  I decided that I will take a cab from the train station = what the hell.  The train arrives on a track that is close to the station bike rack.  I walk along the parked bikes looking to see if my old bike is still there.  Low and behold there she sits waiting for me only there is a note taped to her.  “You have fourteen days to remove the bike or we will remove it.”  The note has a date of November 2011 on it.  MMMMMM do not count so good do they I think.  I dig out the keys for the locks, move the bike to a new position and put a rain cover on the seat.  That will do for now I hope.  Outside I ask how much for a ride to Haybills, liking the answer I am in the cab and we are off.

Cab drops me off at Haybills where I receive a warm welcome from Gram the owner.  He assures me that he has tuned up my new bike, checked it out, and it is ready to roll.  The sky has been gray since arriving and I am hoping that it will not rain until I get on the ferry later tonight.  I roll the bike out of the store, down to the corner where there is a bench.  I can get my panniers open pull some stuff out and get them ready to put on the bike when it begins to rain.  I gather the bike, panniers and all the stuff and hustle down the street to where there is a kind of min-mall. Once inside I finish getting the panniers packed and attached to the bike.  Now it is time to go to the bank gets some cash, then off to Pound Land for some things of necessity after which it’s time to hit the King Head Pub for lunch.  There is a corner in the Kings Head where Mark and I have sat in the past.  It is lonely sitting there having lunch without him.  During lunch I catch up on emails, and Facebook posts for a message from Lisa.  After lunch I return to the train station and ask for a ticket to Portsmouth.  The attendant tells me that the train leaves in twenty minutes.  I have made some great connections so far relieving much of my anxiety about getting to Paris on time.  After arriving at Portsmouth I ride over to the New Ferry terminal.  The last time Mark and I were here construction on it had just begun.  I make some adjustments on the bike and rearrange the stuff in the panniers.  I still can’t figure out why my bags weight so much.  I have less stuff then last year, but more weight.

I pre-purchased my ticket for the ferry about a month ago.  Purchasing the ticket was quite a process as at first they told there was not room on the ferry.  Therefore, I checked and found out that there were motorcycle openings.  Writing back, I requested one of the motorcycle slots because I had to get to Paris to meet my girlfriend for a romantic getaway.  Therefore, I stretched the truth just a little.  They informed me that there was now a slot open for a bike which needed to be secure quickly.  I purchased the ticket and now bike and I will arrive in France tomorrow morning around 8:30 AM.   If all goes well we will dock in in time for me to catch the 9:00 am train to Paris.  In the snack bar I find an outlet, pug in the phone and computer and it is time to have a snack, blog and wait.  The Ferry does not leave until 11:00 pm so after riding my bike onto the ferry I climb the five decks to the passenger lounge and find a spot to bed down for the night.  I have to give a little background to explain that the first time I took the ferry to France it was this very spacious ship.  It had seating from one side of the ship to the other.  There were several rows of seats which faced windows overlooking the front of the ship.  It also had a bar area, formal dining room, night club, kids play room full noisy machines and a buffet dining room.  A year later when Mark and I took the ferry we were on about ½ the appointments of the first ferry.  This one has about a quarter of the second ship.  It seems there are not enough seats for everyone to sleep in.  Nor is there any space to throw down a sleeping bag and stretch out like I did in previous years.  I put my stuff in a seat near an outlet and head off to the cafeteria for some dinner.

After dinner I see that a section seats that had a “reserved” sign on it beginning to fill with passengers.  So I take a look around and spy a place that would work for me to sleep in.  This “place” is between two rows of seats.  The rows need to be long enough so that my head and/or feet do not stick out into the aisle.  I blow up my air mattress and slide it between the seats, then slip into my sleeping bag, and settle in for the night.

Buen Camino!

Time to head to the Airport

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

5:54 AM Arizona

Did not sleep much last night = anxious about getting to airport on time.  You would think that after eight years this would be a piece of cake, but no!  Will head over to Mark’s home where I will leave my car and he will take me to the airport.  I’m still really bummed that he’s not going to be able to make the trip this year.  Sometimes I've had this picture in my head of us doing The Camino together, not sure why.  Well if not the Camino at lease riding around for a bit through England and/or France.  Flight leaves Phoenix at 11:25 am and arrives in Dallas/Fort Worth at around 3 pm.  There will be time to get a bite to eat before leaving for Heathrow at 5:30 pm.

The tomorrows weather in Salisbury is supposed to be 59 degrees and cloudy with a chance of rain, Portsmouth 59 degrees with a chance of rain.  The weather in Le Havre on Thursday is supposed to be 66 degrees with a chance of rain and Paris is to be 69 degrees with a chance of rain.   It has been raining in most of Europe for the past month, but it looks like Lisa and I will have some nice weather in Paris. At least until we leave for St Jean Pied de Port on Sunday.  The weather is also looking good for the first week of our Pilgrimage with a chance it could hit 80 by the time we get to Roncesvalles which is something to look forward to.

 

I am at my son Kevin’s house where I woke up at 3 am, on the computer for a while, then readying the clothes I will be wearing for the next two days.  Elizabeth comes out around 5 am to start getting ready for school, then its Tyler’s turn.  It is now 6 am, Kevin and Jean are up getting ready to head off to work, and it is time for coffee.  Claudia calls to see if I've relaxed yet, we talk and laugh, then it is time for a shower.   Time to call Mark to tell him I am on the way to his house, due to my anxiety about getting to the airport I have to make sure he is up and ready.  Say my good byes and off across town; dam slow drivers.  I’m climbing the walls that it is taking so long to get to Mark’s house.  Finally, at Marks house, with plenty of time left to get to the airport, he loads my pannier bag into his car.  “How much did you say your bag weights?” he asks.  “The scale said it weighs forty two pounds!”  I reply.  “It feels heavier that that!”  He says and we head off to the airport and a little breakfast together before I leave.

After parking, we proceed to the ticket counter where I place the pannier bag on the scale.  “Fifty-four pounds” the attendant states.  I am perplexed, as I had weighted the bag several times at home.  “How much will that cost” ask I?  “$60” says she.  $60 dollar for freaking 4 lbs. you have to be kidding, think I.  Mark and I take the bag around the corner to begin looking for things that can reduce the weight.  Mark makes a few trips with the things I have picked out as “unnecessary” to weight on the scale as we laugh a bit about having to do this.  We find around 5 lbs., its back to the scale that now registers 49.5 pounds, good to go.  We chat a bit over breakfast then he hands me a sealed envelope.  OH, OH!  “You can’t read it until you are in the air,” he tells me.  We get a guy to take a picture of us before I head to the gate.  As I head for the gate, I am starting to tear up at having to leave him behind.  We have flown out together for the past three years; this year I fly alone.  In the air, I open the letter and read the words of my friend.  It is a beautiful letter filled with good wishes and advice.  Tears run down my cheeks and I look across the aisle wanting to find him there, but he is not.  Mark and I have been friends for about 26 years.  We have been though a lot in that time, ups and downs, great happiness and deep sorrow; he is truly what friendship is all about.  I had really hoped we would do this Camino together as we have done other things in the past laughing, arguing, and finding our own wondrous thing to point out to each other.

Buen Camino!

GETTING READY

SATURDAY, April 7, 2012, 10:16 AM

  

It is almost time to leave on for Europe this year.  The plane ticket has been purchased from Phoenix on May 9 to Huston and then on to Heathrow arriving 8:30am on May 10.   After arriving in Salisbury, via Bus around 1 pm, I’ll walk a couple of blocks to the bike shop where my bike is stored.   After adjusting my panniers and picking up a few things at Poundland, and visiting my friends at the Salisbury International Festival office, it will be off to the rail station and a train to Portsmouth arriving around 7 pm.  Once there it will be time to have some dinner at a local Witherspoon pub before heading to the L & D Ferry terminal.  At 11 pm, the ferry will transport me across the English Channel arriving in Le Havre around 8:30 am.  From the ferry terminal, I will rush to the rail station and jump on a train to Paris where meeting up with Lisa at the hotel we booked.  WHEW!

Well that is the plan up to Paris anyway; we will see how the whole thing comes off.   The rest of the plan is to spend three days poking around Paris before heading to St Jean Pied de Port, France.   Upon arriving in St. Jean, we will begin our pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, or The Way.   Well maybe not immediately as we will spend the night in St. Jean and then begin our trek over the Pyrenees.  Lisa has rented a bike to be delivered to Roncesvalles which is the second stop on the Camino.  This means I’ll be riding and she will be walking from St. Jean to Roncesvalles a distance of 15.6 miles up Pyrenees and then down.  We will be start at 594ft climbing to 4719ft before descending to Roncesvalles at 3036ft; what goes up must come down.

All this planning has taken some getting used to as I do not do a lot of planning before leaving on my travels.   Usually I show up at the “Inn” and if there is no room move on.  This has worked well for the first five years but, when Mark began traveling with me it was difficult for him to deal with at times.  After the first year, in which it was, in my head, Mark coming on MY TRIP, it moved to OUR TRIP.  Which mean doing planning with Mark on what, when, where, and how.  Since we have different expectations of how the trip would progress it caused some tense moments.  Last year we had MY TRIP, HIS TRIP, and OUR TRIP which seemed to work out fairly well.  The exception was that HIS TRIP caused me a great deal of worry.  Over the last few years then I have become somewhat less protective of MY TRIP and more open to OUR TRIP but, not thrilled with HIS TRIP.  So traveling with Mark has put me a bit more at ease with doing some preemptive planning which relives the stress of those who need to know the what, when, where, and how.  Once on my own I’ll return to “by the seat of my pants” touring.  Truth is that having a riding companion for the past three years, despite the times of tension, has been quite fun.  Mark presents will be sorely missed, once Lisa heads home, as he will not be going this year.

Lisa and I are now looking at Hostels in Paris for our three day stay.  There are some, quite pricey, that get great ratings.  Other less expensive Hostels are not so good in the rating department.  I’m still considering camping in one of the two campgrounds right on the outskirts of Paris.  Also in the planning stage are the procuring rail tickets from Paris to St. Jean.  Which will also, somewhat, dictate where we will stay as the train we’ll be taking leaves Paris at 8:25am.  I’ll need to ride to the train station, Gare, while Lisa will use the cab, bus or walk.  The train ride appears to be 6 hours with one change in Bayonne.   The plan is to arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port on May 14^thand begin the Camino on the 15^th.  We will attempt to reach Santiago de Compostela, by May 30^th .  From there Lisa will head back to Madrid, while I head to Bilbao, Spain and then on to a few days riding in France.  My desire is to eventually ending up in Calais and a short channel crossing back to England and the white cliffs of Dover.  Now this plans my change because my friend Gary may meet me somewhere along the Camino or elsewhere.  Gary may be in Germany working which, if it happens, will end just as Lisa will be heading to Madrid.  We’ll see how this works out. 

I have begun to pack my panniers, which serve as a suitcase, with much less then ever taken before.  There is a new Exped micro sleeping pad which takes up much less room and weight.  I’ll be taking fewer clothes then in prior years, in addition to less bike parts.  I have renovated my handle bar bag making it much more stable on the bike as I ride.  There is a new bike trunk which serves as a food holder.  My tent has a vestibule which almost doubles its size, which I will not be taking this year.  Last year my bags weighed in at 47 pounds.  Hopefully this year they will weigh in at 38 pounds.

I look forward to spending time with Lisa on OUR TRIP, as she is a good friend.  As I write this, find myself being sad that my best friend and I will not be traveling together on OUR TRIP this year.

Thursday, April 12, 2012, 12:22 PM

MORNING GLORY CAFE

Quick up date as some things have been reconciled.  We have booked a hotel, not hostel, about three blocks from the train station in Paris.  This will leave us free to roam about Paris most of the 11^th, all day on the 12^th and 13^th, then not have to rush across town for our early train, which also has been booked.  Lisa is about to jump out of her skin, no longer wanting to work, but talk about the trip and what we’ll do and see.  So the pilgrimage is taking on a life of it’s own…