Santiago de Compstela

Thursday, May 31, 2012

I find it funny to wake up and find Lisa hidden underneath a mountain of blankets.   There have been times I’ve looked really hard as I could not tell if she was in there, or had gotten up early and left.  But, as I begin to stir she pokes her head out and I’m assured she is still there.  We shower, dress and are on the road along with many other pilgrims.  We walk a narrow road that we share with cars carrying folks off to their destinations.  Some wave as they pass, others stare straight ahead deep in thoughts of their own.  We come upon a campground called Camping San Marcos with a small café.  We stop for some coffee along with a tostada watching pilgrims filing by.    We use the facilities before heading down the path.

We reach the top of Monte del Gozo which was once just a green hill and chapel.  But, because of the Pope’s visit in 1989 the top was leveled and a “Albergue” which can hold 3000 people army barrack like, there is a rather interesting sculpture which seem not to have a name but commemorates the Pope’s visit as well as St. Francis of Assisi’s and World Youth day.  From here we look down into Santiago de Compostela and see the spires of the cathedral.  I light a candle for us in the chapel before we had down to town.  We come to the Albergue Santo Santiago secure our beds then it is off to the Cathedral de Compostela de Santiago.   We are disappointed that there is a barrier about the pillar which holds the statue of St. James.  There are five deep indentations on the pillar where over the century’s pilgrims hands have touched at the end of their journey.

We go to the pilgrim office to get our certificate of completion.  We are hoping that the couple who picked up Lisa’s credential has dropped it off here.  Lisa is again disappointed that they have not and she will not get her certificate of completion.  I feel guilty that I have mine in hand and quickly put it away so as not to be a reminder.  We wander around town running into many of those lives have touched us.  Once more we run into Joseph and we are not like old friends joyous to see each other.  We have dinner together then again wander the town making plans for tomorrow.  We go to the bus station where I purchase a ticket to return to Leon and my bike.   Wander around the neighborhood then back to the Albergue.

Down the street on the corner is a café in the Hotel San Lazare where we stop in to have some wine.  There are a lot of locals there and the owner knows them all by name.  It is fun to watch as she banters with the locals.  Soon several of the gents there begin to sing Spanish songs for our entertainment as well as their own.  We are having a great time an then realize that we’ll soon be locked out of our Albergue.   This will soon be our local watering hole since it is close to the Albergue.  The owner is friendly enough but we never learn her name and I wonder if the locals know it?  We have purchased tickets to take a bus to Finisterre tomorrow.  Lisa tells me she is thinking about staying there and hiking back to Compostela before she heads home.  I was hoping we would attend mass together then head out.  Seems that’s not to be.

Tomorrow Compostela

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

We get up early then after having homemade breakfast in the Albergue Monasterio de La Magdalena down we go to the bus terminal.  The decision has been made to take the bus to Lavacolla then walk to Compostela which is only 7.5 km away.  We head, yet again, to Logo where we will transfer to the bus that will take us to Lavacolla.   Today we spend most to the day bussing through the Spanish state of Galicia.  Most to the telephone poles, church steeples, chimneys we pass have a stork nest in them.  We travel beside and new highway under construction but it seems to have not much in the way of constructing going on.  Lisa is asleep in the seat ahead of me and after typing a bit I think I’ll dose off also.

I am half wake, half asleep looking out the window watching the country side slide by.  I’m trying to make sense of this adventure and smile dreamily as pictures of Lisa and I having fun slowly play in my mind’s eye.   A tear sneaks out as the thought of our journey ending soon comes to mind.  SillyI think to myself.  We work in the same office and will be hanging out together soon.  But, what comes to mind is that I’ve had her to myself for almost three weeks now.  She has been someone to share, laughter, sadness, life, and ideas with which I’ve not had in a very long time.  Several times we have walked down the road holding hands with no need to speak.  Just walking and enjoying the silence, scenery, fresh air, azure sky, and each other.  From the time we joined in Paris to now I have been content.  Not worried about the things in life that distract me from just enjoying being.   Not being caught up in the things of the past, or allowing the worry about what tomorrow will bring to distract from this time together.  I am happy.

The bus stops at a wide spot in the road and we, along with several other pilgrims, head toward the path the drive pointed to.  We are back on the Camino de Santiago now heading towards Compostela.  It is late, we are hungry and discuss that if we get into Compostela to late there may not be a bed to be had.  We come up on a motel kind of place called Casa de Amancio smile and walk in.  After paying for our room we relax in the court yard with a lady from Canada.  We all have wine and are enjoying the breeze, sun and conversation.  There is also a fellow from Germany who tells us more information about his sex life then we need to know.  Lisa and I will be sharing a room again for the last time.  I go for a walk while Lisa takes a nap before dinner.  I find, what looks like, a broken walking stick on the side of the road.  After playing with it for a few minutes it’s as good a new.  I find beautiful park with a brook running through it and sun lite filtering through the trees.  I sit on an old stone bench in this serene space again thinking on the journey.

I meet an old man whose mule is pulling a wagon filled with what looks like Kale.  He sits and I go over to talk with him.  We do not speak each other’s language but manage to have a short conversation.  This is the first time I wish I could speak Spanish.  He has live in this area for a long time and met a lot of pilgrims.  I’m talking to walking history, but cannot understand much of what is said.  We say “Buenos Noches” and I head in for dinner.  Lisa and I enjoy dinner over another of our conversation about our lives, and then decide we do not have to rush tomorrow.  We return to our room, she on the couch and I at the table doing some typing.  She falls asleep so I pack up, wake her and we head off to our respective beds.

Buen Camino

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

Cruz de Ferro and El Acebo

Monday, May 28, 2012

9:48 AM Arizona, 6:48 PM Spain

After a nice breakfast at the café next door we are on the road again this being the second day of walking the Camion with only the rutsack on my back.  We pass through Foncebadon which at one time had only one person living here who tended the church.  It is said that once many wild dogs were living here, but none were seen today.   We will climb to Cruz de Ferro at 1054m then down to El Acebo a distance of 17 km.  .  It was a fairly hard climb up but, well worth it.  There was an emotional moment especially when Lisa turned around and said you’re the only one up there.  Before she noticed the cairn was packed with people going up and down.  Almost all of the people brought a stone or memento from home to leave at the foot of the cross.  One person had ashes of a loved on to leave there.  When beginning the Camino in St Jean there was a stone from home in my possession but, it was left in St Jean due to not paying attention.  There was a second stone which was left in my bags in the monastery.  I believe that the things attached to those stones must have been taken care of long ago so it’s O.K.  There were two things I left behind at the cross which were part of some events best given to God rather than carry around.

We began a brutal steep descent down the mountain which was hard on the knees and the ankles.   The path was strewn with rocks, roots, loose soil, and pebbles making walking very hard and dangerous.  We switched to the road, which ran alongside the Camino, but the downhill grade was much too steep and hard on our legs so it was back to the trail.  After entering a narrow path we could see El Acebo ahead.  I need to stop to rest, but Lisa continues on hoping to find the couple that has her “passport.”  It is a very steep descent into the village of El Acedo and I stop at the first Albergue which was full already.  I find Lisa further on down the street and she has already secured us beds.  She is going to check out the other Albergue in town for here “passport.”  I put my stuff on the bunk, pull out my dirty clothes then head to the washing machines.  Lisa returns a bit later disheartened that she could not find the couple.  We have dinner along with another of our wonderful heart to heart talks. 

After dinner Lisa does wash and sits with some people she has met.  I wander around town then sit a bit to do some blogging.  There is not internet here so before bed we have a beer and talk with the owner of the Albergue.  It has been in the family for three generations and she seems quite happy to be in this very small town catering to pilgrims.  Everyone we talked to that evening found the trail very hard to negotiate and very tiring which caused them to walk less than planned.   While Lisa is looking for her “passport” I asked about a bus and was told we could be picked up at 9 AM in the morning.  “Would you like me to call?” She says.  “YES!” I say.  Then tell Lisa after the fact to which she readily agreed.   Her feet have not been kind to her on this short walk and again I’m concerned how she is going to make the rest of the walk, it was time for bed.

Buen Camino!

Lisa's Camino "Passport" is lost = Sad Day

Sunday, May 27, 201

1:06 PM Arizona, 10:06 PM Spain

It was a long day and it hard to remember all of what happened.  We were out of the Albergue by 8 AM and I say to Lisa what will we do until 2:59 PM when our bus leaves.  She says we have to be at the bus station by 10:50 AM; I’m confused.  We check the tickets and sure enough it says 10:50 AM but then I look at the day.  The tickets are for Monday not Sunday!    We head to the bus station to find it locked up tight.  I suggest we get some breakfast then come back and see what we can do about the ticket.  We have breakfast in a small café where Lisa checks her Camino map book and we talk about what to do.  Two other pilgrim couples come in just as we finish eating; we both use the bathroom then head to the bus station.  We are worried about what will happen when we reach the bus station.  Lisa is concerned that she is running out of time and really does not what to spend another day here.

We arrive to find the station is still closed but not the gates the buses use to get in and out.  I think we can probably get one of the drivers to help us out if the station does not open.  Lisa asks around and finds out the station will open in about 10 minutes.  Once the station opens the same fellow we dealt with yesterday tells us that there is no bus to Sarria today at all!  Our options are now to wait until tomorrow or start walking.  We get a refund on our tickets and will begin to walk to Ponferrada where we will get the bus to Sarria; no problem.  Lisa looks for her map and cannot find it, nor can she find her Camino “Passport.”  She must have left it at the café and we hurry back there.  The waitress indicates she did not see anything on the table but the newspaper we were looking at.   I suggest that one of the other pilgrims must have picked it up and maybe took it to the Albergue we stayed at.  On the way to the Albergue I recognize one of the couples from the café.  They tell Lisa that the other couple picked up her “passport” and are taking it with them in hopes of catching up with her.  They had assumed we had left town after breakfast which of course we had not.   Lisa is very upset as this “passport” has memories attached to each stamp from every town we have stayed in.  Also without it she cannot get her certificate of completion when we reach Santiago, she must start a new one which will hopefully show she has completed at least 100 Km.

We begin our hike in hopes going at least 23Km, but the path is mostly up, and rough as we are in the mountains again.  Other pilgrims pass us like we are standing still which is very frustrating.  My ankle is giving me problems and Lisa’s feet are getting blisters and the surgery is hurting.  We are quite a pair for sure hobbling along like some old couple however; many much older pass us by.  We enter Ganso and come up on the Bar El Cowboy.  Here in the middle of northwest Spain is a cowboy bar decorated with Wild West paraphilia.   We do manage to make it to Rabanal del Camion and the Albergue La Senda.  We made it 17 Km then call it a day, but Lisa goes on a hunt for the couple who have her passport while I settle in.  She returns empty handed and despondent that the “passport” is gone forever.  While I’m cooking up some dinner Lisa chats with two German women.  The kitchen is upstairs along with the dining room, bathroom and a couple of bedrooms.  All the rooms are quite small and we are in a room downstairs.  My bed is right next to the door but once I’m asleep all is well.

I don’t believe that Lisa’s “passport” is gone, but that it will show up either along the trail, at the office in Santiago, or will be mailed to her.  My belief is that she was given a message to trust but cannot which I truly do understand.  I work very hard at getting out of the way and letting God take care to things.  At this point one is my daughter, which is really, really hard to turn over and trust all will be well.  It is really easy for me to tell Lisa to let go of the things she cannot control when I am still attempting to control things I cannot.

Buen Camino!

A Day of Rest and Reflection

Saturday, May 26, 2012

12:11 PM Arizona, 9:15 PM Spain

Today we left Leon leaving my bike and panniers to the care of a group of nuns.  What could happen to them with God’s own watching over them?  At the Autobus station we had a little breakfast, jumped on the internet, talked to a Germen pilgrim on his way home and a Dutch pilgrim who was going to bus for a short while then walk again.  After boarding the bus I slept some on the tip which was only an hour in duration.  Arriving at Astorga around 11 AM we went to the ticket counter to purchase the tickets for the next leg of our journey.  After much discussion with the attend we had to decide whether to take the bus tomorrow at 2:59 arriving at Sarria at 7 pm and hopefully find a bed.  Or, wait until Monday and leave at 10:59 am which would get us to Sarria in time to get a bed.  However, Lisa did not want to spend two days here so I thought Lisa purchased our tickets and we decided to leave on Sunday at 14:59 PM.  This would mean taking a chance on finding an Albergue that was not full by the time we arrived.  After wandering around the town, stopping to eat some wonderful pastries, we found the Albergue de Peregrions San Javier and checked in.  Lisa needed to get her boarding passes printed so she would be ready to return home from Madrid.  The Hospitalero gave her directions to shop where she could do this.  The mission completed it was time of wine and lunch in the town square during which we had a very nice heart to heart talk about our lives.

We are truly a work in progress and have enjoyed each other’s company on the trip immensely.  We laugh and cry easily feeling comfortable with each other.  I am beginning to dread our arriving at Santiago and her leaving.  For dinner Lisa has a need for a good salad.  We head to the local market and purchase the makings along with a bottle of red wine to compliment the meal.  Lisa whips us up a wonderful salad which we share other Pilgrims.  We meet fellow pilgrims from Germany, Netherlands, Australia and Spain.  One person is a German whose name is Joseph who is quite a good cook.  After dinner we take a walk along what is left of the castle wall that still surrounds the city, from which we look out on some beautiful vistas.  Walking around town we find another Albergue, an archeology site of a Roman villa, and a wonderful sporting goods store where we buy some foot shave that is supposed to be the best around.  Back in the Albergue we spend a little time on the computer then it is off to bed.  In my room you can see between the floor planks to the room below.  They squeak and move as you walk on them.  Hope I don’t end up in the room below tonight.

Buen Camino! 10/19/2014

Together To The End and What Is A Pilgrim...

Friday, May 25, 2012

8:45 AM Arizona, 5:45 PM Spain

We woke with several decisions to make.  If we take the bus again where well we get off?  Should we take the train?  Is there some way to send my bike and panniers ahead and walk with Lisa?  Do we split up and Lisa will bus and walk to Santiago.  But first thing we decide is that we’ll spend another day here in Leon.  It’s time to get out of the Albergue and either find another or get a hotel; little did we know that it was possible to stay in the current Albergue.  Since it had not been possible in the past we took it for granted that it was not allowed.   However, we did ask the clerk if it was possible to leave my bike and panniers there for 11 days.  He stated it was not because they will be closing for good in five days, but the Albergue across town might allow it and he would call them for us.  They did not answer so he allowed me to leave my bike and panniers there while Lisa and I went in search of our next bed.  Along the way we stopped at the wonderful Café Agora for breakfast.

Lisa had tea, I coffee, a couple of breakfast sandwiches, and orange juice.  We got on the internet for a little while then I went to pay my bill.  The waitress told me it was 5.30 euro.  Lisa when to pay for hers and the waitress looked confused.  She then indicated that 5.30 was the total bill; what a deal.  After checking in at the next Albergue we asked one of the Hospitalero if it would be possible to leave my bike and panniers.  He would have to ask one of the Brothers, this was a monastery, later in the day and would let us know about 3 or 4 pm.  If the answer was “yes” Lisa and I would complete the Camion together, if the answer was “No…”   We acted like tourists visiting several sites in the town.  From time to time we would break out laughing about last night and wonder where our new friends were.  Well it was time to head back to the Albergue to see what the answer would be.

After a potty stop I found Carlos and asked him what the verdict was.  He gave me the answer; I tear up some then go in search of Lisa.  “SO!” she says.  “YES!” I say with tears in my eyes.  He said “YES!”  We hugged with tears in our eyes.  WE WOULD FINISH THE CAMINO TOGETHER!   Tomorrow I’ll put something’s in my rutsack, we’ll head for the bus station and travel to Astorga to spend another down day.  Then we’ll bus to Sarria and walk the last 120 Km to Santiago de Compostela.   Gary said that the Camino takes unexpected turns.  There is no way in my wildest imagination did I ever envision Lisa and I walking into Compostela, riding yes walking no way in hell!

The sacred Way: Being a pilgrim.

Stage One, Feeling what it means to be a pilgrim:  In reality we are all pilgrims as we travel though life.  My friend Mark and I call it the great experiment.  Our parents or caregivers are the first guides as we begin the walk.  Some of us will be filled with fear, others happiness, others with great expectations, then there are those with none.  Now toward the end of the road, life, one really begins to understand with it means to be a pilgrim and it is difficult to put into words.

Stage Two, Reading the signs as the Journey takes on a life of its own:  There are times the signs are there, but we chose not to read them because we are so caught up in what we think they should be.  This Journey certainly did take on a life of its own from the time Lisa got her foot operated on to today.   The trip was mean to happen even after two operations on her foot we went.  On the trail we lost each other and by grace of God came back together.  Now what started out as a bike ride across Spain will end walking like the pilgrims of old.  In the end stripped of all the worldly things we had dragged here being left with just us.

Stage Three, Awareness of companions along the way and why they are there:  Of course when riding there were only Lisa and I as companions.  Slowly others came into the picture but only after we independently made the decision to get rid of the baggage was there really time to become aware of our companions.  They were to be there when it was time for them to show up and I have no doubt that in the coming days there will be more.   I am now more aware then ever of the beautiful caring soul that Lisa keeps hidden so well and the personal cost of that.   We did not become friends by accident, but by our spirits calling out to each other.  Comfortable in each other’s presents when we’re at our worst and at our best.  Other companions are present even if not physically on the road with us.  For me there is a new perspective of our friendship and again spirits connecting.

Stage Four, History the story we witness = social, spiritual and political:  The deeper you go in Europe the deep you go in history.  You see it in the country side, the building and the people who have lived in the same towns and building for generations.  And, for generations have been helping pilgrims complete the journey just like they have done for Lisa and me since we began.  We are witness to the history of the Camino in each building we pass, each town we visit.

Stage Five, No longer an observer but becoming part of history: There is an awareness of the background that has shaped the people and land around you.   There is also a connection between us, pilgrims today, and those that have passed before and those that will come after.  We are part of this history now and forever.  Our names will be lost to time, but the energy we have put into this pilgrimage will go on and on.

Stage Six, Seeing where Heaven and Earth touch, seeing with the eyes of the spirit:  Heaven and earth, in my mind, most certainly touch on the Camino.  When you start looking with the eyes of your spirit it is so easy to see.  We who walk become one spirit and energy, touching each other’s lives.  The faith that pilgrims display in their caring for each other and those who care for the pilgrims as they walk is nothing short of being witness to a miracle.   This is what we humans can be to each other once we take off the filters that stop us from seeing each other’s beauty.

Stage Seven, Affirmation!  Opening to what is confronting and revealing:  Here is the hardest stage!  By the end you are confronted by truth’s that do not fit reality.  Things are revealed that show what humankind is capable of, what your life could be like should a different road be taken.  The Camino can be a very scary road as the familiar is left behind, and the trappings of the life are stripped. “You live a live not chose one”

 Buen Camion!