Santiago!

The end of El Camino, the church in Santiago

Celebrating Spanish mass with pilgrims from around the world.

Streets of Santiago, ready for the celebration.

Finally in Lisbon, ready to return home.

After Leon, we left our good friend Marcus to skip ahead to Sarria to finish the final five days of El Camino.  In order to receive a certificate of completion from the church, you are required to get at least two stamps per day on the final 5 days.  Stamps are given out at albergues when you spend the night and at churches and other stopping points along the way.

We were all growing road weary and the girls were starting to get home sick and miss their friends.  I didn't think that we could last much more than 5 more days on the road and prior to Sarria, there were plenty of hills and difficult days with few good stopping points.  So, we took a train to Sarria that was packed with pilgrims, most of whom were just starting their journey.

Arriving in Sarria, there was an immediate change in the atmosphere.  People seemed much more religious and were attending pilgrims mass at the local church.  Earlier on, very few pilgrims were attending mass or praying before meals.  The albergue that we spent the night at had a group of nine that prayed for about 15 minutes prior to dinner.  It seemed that the people who wanted to complete this leg of the pilgrimage were more focused on the religious significance of El Camino.

We felt like the experienced pilgrims in the crowd with over 2 weeks of walking experience.  There were a lot of groups with matching t-shirts and for the first time we saw lots of groups of junior high and high school kids traveling together.  We started the day at 6:30 and were the first ones on the trail, setting a brisk pace.  About 30 minutes into our day, Julie gets a panicked look on her face and says "I forgot my I-pad!"  She checks her pack, and sure enough, it was missing.  We raced back to the albergue passing many puzzled pilgrims wondering why we were going the wrong way.  After waking up the owner of the albergue, we retrieved the I-pad and set off again, this time later than most of the pilgrims and with 3 miles already walked.  At least we knew what to expect.

Stopping at the first cafe for breakfast, we were shocked at how nice the facilities were for eating.  The bathrooms had soap, paper towels and toilet paper, a first for El Camino!  This was definitely a different Camino.  There were small cafes about every 2 miles, plenty of places to rest, and the weather was cooperating with low 80's.  With our late start, we were forced to eat lunch on the road, which extended our day by an hour.  My shoulder was starting to hurt again and I took a couple of advil.

We continued on our way, and my left should continued to get worse to the point where I couldn't put any weight on it at all.  I carried my pack with my hips and right shoulder, but my left shoulder continue to get worse.  We finally found the town to spend the night and there was a giant stair case to climb.  I needed to rest for 10 minutes before even attempting to climb the stairs.  At the top of the stairs was the albergue where we planned to spend the night, but it was sold out as were all of the other albergues.  We would have to spend the night in a hotel for the first time since Pamplona.  The manager at the albergue warned us that this would be the norm for the remainder of the Camino.

Gisela made the argument that it was time to end our walking.  My shoulder was only getting worse and this was after a rest day in Leon.  Julie's knees were no better.  We were breaking down.  I tried to persuade her that we could continue, but at the same time, she had a point.  No since risking a significant injury when we had already walked for more than two weeks, our original plan.  I was willing to cut the pilgrimage short if we could get a flight home earlier, a near impossible task since we were traveling on an award ticket with reduced mileage.  I searched the United Airlines site and there was one day in the next two months that was available, in 4 days, Saturday out of Lisbon.  It was time to go home.

The following day we took a car into Santiago.  The town was alive as it was the eve of the festival of St. James.  We attending mass at noon, standing room only, with hundreds of other pilgrims.  We walked the town and celebrated the ending of our walk.  Although we didn't complete the last 5 days, we felt accomplished in what we set out to do.  We had walked for 2 and a half weeks, covering about 170 miles, averaging 10 miles per day.  Our kids matured and took charge of situations.  It was more than we ever imagined.

As we arrived in Porto that night, we heard news of the train derailment in Santiago.  The grand celebration of St. James was replaced with three days of mourning for the loss of 80 lives.  In a way, I'm glad that we weren't completing El Camino after the tragedy as that would be the focus of conversation amongst the pilgrims.  We had picked the right time to head home, giving us a couple of days in Lisbon to relax and unwind from our walk.

It's difficult to summarize the pilgrimage as there were so many different positive aspects;  spending time as a family, meeting people from around the globe, the physical challenge, time to think, allowing our kids to take charge.  We will value this experience and know that it has changed our kids lives, opening them up to more challenges and adventures.

Castrojeriz to Fromista to Carrion to Terradillos to Leon

I

Crossing a canal, going into Fromista.

Guitar playing Santiago in Carrion.

Sunflowers in full bloom.

On the trail.

Crossing a bridge into Sahagun.

Arches entering Sahagun.

Sunrise on the Camino.

We completed our longest day of the trip walking 16 miles from Castrojeriz to Fromista.  We stopped at 6 miles for breakfast and they for a snack around the 12 mile mark.  The difference between 12 and 16 miles was enormous and we all suffered to the end, but made it without any significant incidents.  I have become so much more aware of my bodies abilities, as well as aches and pains.  The general weak point for all pilgrims is the feet.  There are a lot of pilgrims in their 20's who can easily walk 25 miles per day, but their feet can't hold up.  They have blisters all over their feet and are forced to take days off.

For me, my weak point was some tendinitis in the ankle for one day, then my left shoulder.  I've resorted to walking with two sticks to lessen the impact on my feet.  This in turn has resulted in more effort on my arms and shoulder.  For ever action, there is a reaction.  We gradually have gotten stronger as we continued to walk, but now I think we have reached our limit of improvement.  We have realized that 12 to 13 miles is a comfortable day, giving us time to find a place to stay, do laundry and all the other tasks for the day.  Give this, we will need to skip a few more days via bus or train in order to finish.  It's unfortunate because we wanted to see the entir Camino, but we have to make sacrifices.

The following day, we cut back our distance to 13 miles and skipped ahead one day at the end via bus.  We were in much better shape at the end of the day and spent the night in Terradillos, which would give us an 8 mile walk to Sahagun to take a train to Leon.  We were unprepared for Terradillos as it was so small there wasn't even a small store there.  There was only a restaurant attached to the Albergue.  The albergue was new and we were able to get a room just for the four of us.

Most of the towns have at least 100 residents and a little store to buy some food and a cafe.  On Sundays, the stores and cafe can be closed and you are without food.  It's best to try to being larger city on a Sunday to avoid this.  However, this town was only surviving with an albergue and all the residents had to drive 10 miles to the nearest store.  We made due with ordering from the restaurant, but that meant that we would have to wait to eat breakfast until we walked to the first cafe that was 4 miles away, about 1.5 hours.

The next morning, we were rewarded with one of the best cafes that we had eaten out, run by a German woman and her Spanish husband.  Julie and Emi both ordered the German sausage and Gisela had the dark German bread with eggs.  It Was a good change from the usual muffins or egg and white bread.  We continued our walk into Sahagun and caught a train into Leon, walking another 3 miles to our albergue.  By the time we made it to Leon, most things were shut down, so we have decided to have a rest day and stay tomorrow to see the city.

I mentioned in my last entry about a German, Marcus that we met.  For the last five days he has been walking with us and helping us out.  He started in St. Jean, but had a foot injury and had to rest in Burgos for four days.  We met at the albergue just after Burgos and really connected with him.  He has changed his plans just so he can walk with us.  We eat at the same restaurants and agree on times to meet in the morning to start walking.  He has been really good with the girls playing cards with them and laughing a lot.  It has been an unexpected pleasure to have someone join our group.  

We continually get pilgrims coming up to us saying how proud they are of us walking as a family.  We have only seen three other families since we started.  One pilgrim said that we have inspired him to bring his son back with him next year.  Another gave us some patches that he had made before coming to el Camino.  Everyone is very generous and for the most part open to start up a conversation and walk a while with us.  It continues to be a great experience.

Hornillos to Castrojarez

Emi in good spirits at sunrise.

Three girls on the trail.

Emi adding to the rock pile.

Just after sunrise, a little cloud cover to keep us cool.

Remains of a 15th century church.  El Camino passes through a standing flying buttress.

On the trail.  All countryside today.

Entering Castrojarez.

We were very fortunate last night tohavea nice room in an albergue that had just opened three weeks ago.  The town was completely sold out, so it was good that we arrived early in the day.  We said goodbye to our roommates who were going 18 miles to the next town to make up ground, grabbed a quick breakfast at the albergue and hit the trail.  Itwasour earliest start at 6:15 and we beat most people on the road since it was only a 13 mile day.

The first town was 3.5 miles down the road and it ended up only being an albergue.  Marion was dying of hunger, and we were unable to buy and fruit the day before due to lack of supply.  We stopped at the albergue and Marion picked out Sardines to eat.  Since Marion is gluten, dairy and egg intolerant (no bread, pasta, etc), food is difficult to find for her, so she makes the best of it.  The gluten free craze in America hasn't made it to Spain.

We continued down the trail another 3.5 miles to our planned breakfast stop.  We made it there by 9am, a little slow, but still stopped for coffee and a little snack.  There was a big group of Germans outside the bar who greeted us loudly.  As we drank our coffee, more of their friends continued to arrive and they shouted and hugged them.  They had really bonded on the Camino.

The bonding and sense of community is extremely strong along the Camino.  Although we all have such different backgrounds coming from all over the world, we are all sharing this unique experience.  We are happy to see each other on the trail always greeting one another with an "Hola" and "Buen Camino" that is truly sincere.  You may go days without seeing one another, but if you happen to see someone you had a 30 minute conversation with a week ago, you are so happy to see them again.  You never know if it's the last time you will ever talk with them.  It's almost a sense of last words to a brief friend who shares a small part of their life with you.

After breakfast, we started off again and my ankle immediately began to hurt, really bad.  We had been very fortunate as a group in that Gisela only had minor blisters and Julie had sore knees, but so many other pilgrims had already dropped out or had injuries that kept them in a city for days to heal.  I struggled witha walking stick and a few advil to ease the pain.  Now I was the weak link and I couldn't help pace Emi by holding her hand.

Around the 9 mile mark Emi slowed down again.  It might actually be that the rest of us are getting stronger, but Emi is staying the same.  We have increased our pace by over 1 mile per hour and have the same expectations for her.  When we pace her, she can do it.  We walked together with Gisela and I giving some unappreciated verbal encouragement to Emi.  We arrived into town completing the 13 miles in about 5 hours and at the first bar saw Sean and Becky, our roommates from the triple bunk day who still owe Emi an ice cream.  We greeted them with loud shouts and sat down for a cup of coffee.  It was time to celebrate another full day.

We traded stories about what had happened since we parted ways.  Sean had a similar injury and gave me some advice, more advil and loosen the boots and expect continued pain.  Great.  They invited us to Oman to visit them and traded e-mails, etc.  it was like finding long lost friends even though we only shared a few days together.  They were taking the bus on to Leon, about 5 days ahead in hopes that they could finish.  We said our goodbyes once again as we wouldn't be on the same schedule.

Marcos, a German who stayed in the albergue with us the night before had joined us mid coffee.  He had rested in burgos for 4 days healing an injury and had become very lonely since it was difficult to spot pilgrims there.  We agreed to find an albergue together, which we did, then move onto lunch.  We are staying a small albergue, 20 beds, in a room with 6 people.  It's the size we like, just not up to the cleanliness standards we like, but for 8.5 euros, including breakfast, you can't be too demanding.

At lunch, we sat down and a couple next to us asked if we were walking.  They were as well, but just a segment that would complete their entire Camino.  They had done the beginning and ending but not this middle section.  They were of Spanish decent, living in Germany.  So, we had neighbors that spoke German and Spanish, our guest who Spoke German and English, and us who speak English and Spanish.  We talked the whole time during lunch, constantly switching between all three languages so everyone could understand.  It was great fun and I really appreciated being bilingual.

This is the true spirit of el Camino.  It really changes you.  We used to think we were budget travelers, but nothing compares to this.  Julie is uptight about food being clean, but. Yesterday she dropped her muffin and it rolled about 6 feet on the ground.  She brushed it off and ate it because out on the trail food is scarce and you come to appreciate every last bit.  We laughed about how she has changed.  She continue to help out more than ever with cooking, cleaning, laundry and packing, maturing in leaps and bounds in just a few weeks.  As I think about accomplishing this walk, I can only image how high Julie and Emi will set their goals to top this.

Belorado to Burgos to Hornillos

Walking into a town.

Church at Belorado with giant birds nesting on top.

Walking into the big city of Burgos.

Cathedral at Burgos.

Our first rain leaving Burgos.

Entering Hornillos de Camino.

We had a good níght sleep in Belorado and barely heard our Spanish roommates.   The next day we decided to takeaway bus part way into Burgos and then walk into town.  It was one of those odd days which we didn't think we could make it 10 or 12 miles because of mountains so our only option was to skip ahead and walk as much as possible.  We still have 2 or 3 days that we will need to skip I order to finish on time.

We said goodbye to our Dutch roommates who were staying. At the same albergue.  They were only walking a few miles for the day, then taking a bus back to their RV for camping.  They hadn't planned on finishing this summer.  Our Irish friend was going to go half way, so we would be 3 days of himso who knows if we would see them down the road.

We caught the bus and explained to the driver where we wanted to be dropped off sowe could walk.  Not possible he said, we don't stop there.  It was a short bus ride of 45 minutes, but got us 1.5 days of walking ahead.  Before entering Burgos, he made a stop for one passenger and looked at us and said you walk from here.  This is El Camino.  We had thought we were taking the bus all the way to Burgos, change of plans!  We walked into town like proper pilgrims should.

There were two choices of albergues, one with 16 per room, the other modern with 150 over six rooms.  We opted for the smaller one and were the last ones admitted.  Soon, it started filling up and we were a cramped 24 with only 18 beds.  There was a family of six with very young children that came in late in the day with a guide.  There clothes and shoes were clean.  They must just be starting. They were French and didn't speak to us.  The mother was correcting them constantly and the father was not on the trip.  The youngest must have been about 8 or 9.

We exited the albergue and walked around town all day, spending a lot of time at the cathedral, that was built in the 1200's and added onto in various directions for the next 8 centuries.  El Cid, a famous general from the 1200's was buried in the center of the church.  The center dime was beautiful, but the cathedral expanded in all directions with not much symmetry.  Emi wrote the following poem about the cathedral:

The Cathedral of Burgos
The first generation wanted to build a church
They built it simply to worship God
The second generation wanted to be remembered
They spent years adding on paintings carvings and towers
The third generation wanted to look better than there ancestors and built a connecting room with a golden door depicting the life of Jesus
And towers that touched the sky
The fourth generation wanted a legacy that lasted thousands of years
They assigned artist to rooms
They made it expensively with towers ten times higher than than the last generations'
This went on for generations but in the end the only generation that was remembered was the first because they just wanted to worship God

With poems like this, I know the trip is having an impact on Emi even though she doesn't show it too much.  Burgos was a difficult city for us to walk around because of all the shopping.  The girls reverted back to vacations of old wanting to buy clothes and shoes and carry them with them.  Emi promised she would carry some pink high heels for the rest of the trip and never complain.

After the day in Burgos, I was ready to move on.  It was a difficult night for sleeping for me as various groups continued to talk throughout the night and wake up very early and make a lot of noise.  A group of six Koreans packed up around 11 pm and hit the road.  They had said they were afraid to walk during the day which seemed very strange, but to each their own.

We woke up to the sound of rain so we unpacked our rain gear.  We couldn't find Gisela's rain gear for her backpack.  Had we sent it home or did we lose it along the way?  We unpacked everything and replaced to no avail.  We hit the road with a brief pause to stop at the large albergue.  We were in luck, they had bright yellow ponchos for sale and Gisela was saved.  We loaded up and hit the road in the rain which was a nice change from the heat.  It wasn't cold and the rain stayed off of us with exception of the waist down as we had sent the rain pants home.

After about an hour, the rain let up, but not before some loud thunder and lightening far off in the distance.  We were dry within another hour and really impressed with our rain gear.  Nothing had gotten wet. We stopped for breakfast at the halfway point and everyone was feeling good.  We were making great time.  The scenery was the usual, wheat fields, grapes, sunflowers not yet in bloom.  At the 10 mile mark, Emi started to struggle.  Gisela and I took turns walking with her to keep her pace up.  We were able to make the 14 miles in about 5 hours, better than 2.5 miles per hour, almost one mile per hour faster than the first day of walking.  We are making great progress.

We found a new albergue in Hornillos and two girls from the previous night were checking in.  Julie asked them if they wanted to share the 6 person room with us and they agreed.  They were two girls who just graduated from college and were having their first day on their own as their experienced friend had to leave them in Burgos.  I guess we were good roommates.  Since town is small, we went into the usual routine of cooking lunch, washing clothes, showering and relaxing.  It was nice to get outside the big city.

It's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow in the 70's and only 12 miles.  We continue to knock out the suggested distances for the day and gaining confidence along the way.  We need to work on Emi's mental game as she is stronger than she thinks and can do it when she puts her mind to it.  For now, we rest up for tomorrow listening to the sounds of a heavy rain.

Santo Domingo to Belorado

Statue and fountain combination in Santo Domingo

Julie in the streets of Santo Domingo, really nice town.

Leaving Santo Domingo with smiles.

Fountain along the way.

Map for the remainder of the walk.

Small plaza for pilgrims on the edge of a town.  Fountain in the center.

Looking for lunch, all closed up.

So the good news is that we were able to finish 14 miles with full packs.  In the guidebook, this was a complete day that took us 7 hours from 6:30 to 1:30 with minimal stops along the way.  We were able to do more as we are getting stronger and the temperature has dipped to the low 80's and was in the 70's until about noon.  It made a huge difference and allowed us to extend our day.  We had planned to stop for lunch around the 10 mile mark, but the restaurant was closed as the owners were on vacation.  That what happens when there is only one restaurant in town.

So, we ate the last of our snacks, emptied ever last stash, and continued on for the last 3.5 miles hungry.  It's always difficult to plan and the more back-ups you carry, the more weight you have on your back.  I always carry a little extra water, but food can always wait.  The guidebook marks most of the fountains, so you know how much water to carry.  With the heat, it's been a lot, but we drink much less with the cooler temperatures.

So we walked around town last night, got a brief look at the cathedral prior to a funeral and bought some new walking sticks for Julie to help with her knees.  For the most part, towns completely close from 2 - 5, with the exception of cafes.  This is a good time for eating and sleeping, showering and washing clothes.  We only have 2 pairs of shorts, 3 underwear, 3 socks, and a couple of shirts, so Gisela and the girls do laundry almost ever day.  We try to map out the following day for breakfast, lunch and a good stopping point, but towns are spaced out in this part of the Camino, which can leave you high and dry.

so, today we walked with much enthusiasm.  In the morning, all four of us were together, then we slowly split into two groups of Julie and I, and Gisela and Emi.  Julie and I talked about the feasibility of her school doing a trip like this and how it would be organized and costs, etc.  she would love to come back next year and be a leader.  Whe is able to figure out the map, stopping points, and which albergues seem the nicest.  She pushes us to wake up early and get on the road.  It's rare to have a teenager want to get up at 5am to start hiking.

Emi is really coming along as well although she had some difficulty with the weight of her pack the last couple miles, but she refused to offload anything on me.  In the afternoon, Emi and I walked together.  I told her about Julie's plan for a school trip and she is definitely up for another time.  She will go on the backpacking trip next year and wants to train and get stronger.  She has a lot of determination in her which is revealed when things get difficult.  I held her hand the final two miles which helped her with the pace and we were able to catch Julie and Gisela by the finish.  Emi was proud of herself.

We are staying at an albergue with a swimming pool, game room, TV and only 8 beds to a room for 7 euros each.  We split two pilgrims meals for lunch including ice cream for dessert.  We feel like we are staying at a 5 star hotel when in fact other than this trip, we have never stayed at such a budget, 1 star hotel.  But, we couldn't be happier.

The market in town is closed for Sunday, so we are eating at a restaurant twice in one day, another luxury.  Tomorrow, we are on to the big city of Burgos which will be a dramatic change from the small towns that we have been passing through.  Although it is supposedly very nice, I have the feeling we will want to get out on the open road.

Ventosa to Azofra to Santo Domingo

Leaving Ventosa, on the trail early.

Beehive building.

Crossing the river.

Entering Azofra, small town, but great albergue.

St. James, by a golf course.

Walking into Santo Domingo.

So, we are finally hitting our stride.  We were able to knock out ten miles per day for the last two days. We woke up early in Ventosa and packed up.  At 6am, the albergue plays Georgian chanting music to get everyone up, but almost everyone was already awake.  We said goodbye to our Dutch roommates and hit the road.

This was going to be our first day since starting with full packs for 10 miles.  Everyone felt good and the cool morning air really helped out.  It was another beautiful day of being out on the trail.  We stopped and had our breakfast after about 5miles at a coffee shop and were on our way.  We were able to finish the 10 miles by 11:30am.  All but Marion were ready for more, but the next town was another 5 miles away which would take us at least 2.5 hours, in the hot sun, without a lunch break.  It just wasn't possible to continue.

So, we stopped at the small town of Azofra that had a recently built albergue with 30 rooms, each with only 2 beds for 7 euros per person.  There was even a pool to dip your feet in.  We thought we were living the life of luxury.  Of course the doors to the room didn't lock and were made out of plywood.

So, we continue on as a normal day which is to find a restaurant to eat lunch at, either a "meal of the day" or "pilgim's meal" which is a 3 course meal for around 10 euros.  They serve a lot of food, so we usually split 2 meals which is more than enough for the four of us.  As we hike, we eat bananas, oranges, peanuts and other snacks so we don't run out of energy.

After lunch, we hunt down a market to buy our dinner.  The albergues have kitchens that the pilgrims can use and more than half cook their own dinners.  We aren't. Around during lunchtime, so I'm not sure how much people cook then.  Our dinner usually consist of a salad and cold cuts or smoked salmon and potatoe chips and olives.

At the albergue, we are starting to see a lot of the same groups of people.  Our Dutch roommates from the night before we're there.  Some make a group once they come to the Camino so they aren't alone.  Others come as groups and will add once they get here.  The majority of the people are in their 20's, but there are all ages.

After our luxury in Azofra, we hit the road early again looking for another 10 mile day, we quite a bit of uphill.  I had rained most of the night and for the first time we were cold and needed our sleeping bags. Once again, we were able to knock out the day in about 5 hours.  We stopped at a golf course clubhouse for our morning coffee and breakfast.  Our dutch roommates were just leaving as we arrived.  Again, it seemed like such luxury and we took off our muddy shoes before entering.

In arriving at Santo Doming, we had planned to stay at a small albergue run by nuns.  Rooms of either 6 or 8.  We had some Irish friends staying there as well.  As we waited in the street for it to open, two locals told us to go stay at the other albergue that was new and much nicer.  Based on the local recommendations, we switched horses and moved down the street.  Tonight, we are in a room of 16 people, none of whom we have seen before.  The whole albergue holds 162, but it's probably only 80% full.

It's Saturday, and the town is full of life.  We saw a bride and groom walking the streets, visited the cathedral, bout some new walking sticks for Julie to help her ailing knees and did our usual routine of lunch and dinner.  It was a great day.

Before we left for this trip, a friend of mine told me, that I was changing my family for generations to come.  Both Julie and Emi are talking about doing this next year.  Emi told she will one day do this with her children.  I didn't imagine the impact this would have on them.  Out of 125 guests at the albergue, they are the only ones under 18, yet they don't feel out of place.  They tend to talk to the older people instead of trying to fit in with the 18 - 20 year old crowd.  Emi played checkers with the Dutch guy in his 60's and beat him.  They had the best time and laughed a lot.  It's wonderful to watch.

Los Arcos to Viana to Ventosa

Breakfast on the road.  We have eaten every meal together for the last 10 days.  It's been nice to share meals.

Sunrise on El Camino.  Up early every morning before sunrise.  Not often the kids tell us to wake up at 5:15!

In front of the church fountain in Viana, Spain.

The old woman that stole our groceries.

Gisela and Julie walking hand in hand.

Triple bunk, sleeps a family of four!

Loquats!

Kids with map in hand...we're doomed.

We had another good day walking from Los Arcos with the reduced packs.  Thirteen miles seemed easy even with a few hills.  We were able to get a relatively early start to the day and beat the heat.  Up at 5:15, out by 6:30am in time to see the amazing sunrise.  I'm not sure what was causing the beautiful rays of sunshine, but it was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, it was to our back, so we only had time for a few precious look backs.

That beauty would grow with intensity and burn the backs of my legs as we hiked toward Viana.  We started seeing a lot of the same people and recognized them and greeted them as we passed them, then they passed us.  It was not a race, just various groups going at different paces.  Many were suffering and going slow, trying to end the day by noon.

We saw the Irish family again and the husband was struggling greatly with a sore and stiff knee.  He was by far the strongest in the group and now their weakest link.  Roles change on El Camino from day to day and we have to be ready and accepting at what is thrown our way.  We decided to stop in Viana because it was a smaller town and we seemed to enjoy their quiet and friendliness.  Also, the guide book made it sounds like there was a nice albergue.

We rolled into town and the first albergue had a sign sold out.  We then passed the Irish family and they were waiting in line for the free albergue that had space for 16, and they were 12-15 and a little worried about getting in.  We found the one we selected from the guidebook and there was a long line out in front.  We settled into line and some familiar faces were behind us.  When we checked in, they told us there were rooms for either 9 or 18.  We requested the 9 man room and asked the group of four if they would like to stay in the same room.  "Sure, you guys seem ok, I guess.". What a vote of support.

We walked up to the room to discover the triple bunks.  We selected our bunks, not realizing they had been assigned on a slip of paper.  When our roommates showed up, they looked at their numbers, then said no worries and selected their bunks.  They consisted of a husband and wife teaching ESL in the middle east and two of their friends from college, both women.  One in their group llaid down on the bed and immediately ripped a big one.  They all laughed.

We showered, changed, and went to eat.  Soon we discovered that for the 54 bunks, there was only one toilet per sex, and one unisex.  It was going to be a touh morning.  We were starved and split 3 pilgrim meals (three course meals).  Our bodies crave salt and carbs and our minds crave fresh fruits and veggies.  We had salad, potatoes, lamb, fish and fresh melon.  It filled us up and then some.  We waddled back to the albergue for an afternoon siesta.  Our roommates were already sleeping.  Mid-nap a German stumbled in looking for his bed based on the number.  Sean, the husband of the other couple was awake and told him, up there pal, we don't go by numbers, pointing to a top bunk.  The German sighed and threw his gear on the top bunk and left.

Julie's walking sticks had been taken at the last albergue, so we inquired if there were any extras.  The inn keeper produced one and gave it to Julie to try out.  It had been left behind like much gear.  It was too tall for her, but it would work for Stewart, the father of the Irish family.  We walked to town to buy dinner at the store.  One restaurant meal per day is all we can stomach.  We ran into Stewart and Julie gave him the walking stick which he greatly appreciated.  We bought our dinner from the store and started walking back to the albergue.

An old woman was struggling to carry her groceries home.  She had been in line in front of us.  I offered to have one of the girls help her, but she declined saying she lived close by.  Gisela asked me for our groceries and I said I thought she or one of the girls had picked them up.  Julie ran back to the store.  Nothing there!  The old woman must have our food.  Gisela ran to the old woman, limping a little before she turned a corner and disappeared.  She caught her explained the situation, the old woman replied, "I thought they seemed heavy".  We all laughed about the situation.  She told us how she had lived in the same house in the town her whole life.  It was well kept up and being remodeled at the time.  4 full stories and she was living on the top floor.  She wished us a Buen Camino.

Back at the room, we told the story to our roommates and all laughed again.  We had a great time with them and enjoyed having someone else in the too with us, other than the disgruntled German.  The heat was unbearable as usual, above 90 as we tried to sleep at 9pm.  Our room had a view of Logrono and a 13th century church in ruin.  We finally fell asleep and sometime during the night when I was fast asleep, the German returned and left before I awoke.  He was on Gisela's bed, so she heard him come and go and only saw his mid-section as he changed in front of her in the morning.

We slept in until 6 as we knew we were only going to hike 7 miles with packs on.  It was a good night sleep for most of us.  We packed ate and hit the road, stopping briefly in Logrono before reaching our destination of Ventosa.  The albergue was closd upon arrival so we walked town which consisted of a bar and meat shop only.  We ordered some sandwiches, coffee and waited for the albergue to open.  It was the best albergue yet, 42 spaces over 7 rooms with 3 showers and two toilets per sex.  Now that's a better ratio.  

Along the way, there was a nice woman who passed out loquats to hungry pilgrims.  We had a couple of bunches and gave her a two euro donation.  We saw our roommates near the end of the day, but they were going on to the following town.  Hopefully we will see them down the trail.

Our roommates tonight are a Dutch couple in their 70's, Peter and Katlina.  It's our first time seeing them, but there are other familiar faces here.  Tomorrow we plan for a 10 mile hike with full packs.

Lorca to Los Arcos

The gate at Los Arcos...centuries old

Statue in Estella with Emi

Common El Camino marker

Julie with a new friend.

Approaching a small town on the way to Estella.

Somehow my post from the first day got deleted.  To summarize, we hiked 15 miles with packs and limped to the finish resting at the final three towns.  On day two, we decided to slow things down and stop after 6 or 7 miles.  We st.opped for the night in Lorca which consisted of two Albergues and a really small market.  It was Sunday, so the Albergues had no help to cook.  The sto was closed, but we managed to find the owner working on his truck.  He was nice enough to open up so we could actually eat.

The Albergue was small, only 20 beds, and we were in a four person room all to ourselves.  It really didn't help us sleep any better as we could still hear others waking up at 4am starting to pack to try to beat the heat.  We were up early as well, packed at our usual slow pace and hit the road for Estella, a mere 5 miles down the road.  We were able to arrive around 10am and selected a hostel to stay in based on recommendations from our guide book.

The guy at the front desk was extremely nice, and took us to a sporting goods store to look for lighter sleeping bags.  It was clear ours were much too heavy.  We bought some and proceeded to sent back our heavy bags along with jackets and rain gear that clearly wasn't needed.  Unfortunately, our net reduction was only about 15 pounds spread out over 4 people.  We still have some extras we might send back or donate.  No sense in carrying more than we need.

We had time to spend looking around town and getting the errands done.  We looked ahead to the next day and it was a 13 mile day with no resting points or water past the 6 mile mark.  Concerned how we did the first day and wanting to cover a bit more ground, we decided to have our packs sent ahead to the next town and essentially carry day packs.  It's a common practice and gets us closer to the weight that a lot of people were carrying.

The night at the hostel was interesting.  Part of their mission is to care for developmentally disabled (proper term?) individuals who seemed happy at the place but unable to really communicate effectively.  They were also a bit loud.  Taking the positive, we were glad to help support a hostel with this cause and it reminded us of all handicapped persons we saw in Lourdes.  Again we were thankful for being able to make this journey.

Julie and Marion both told us some wonderful reflections about the Camino.  We really don't need that many things, just some clothes and food.  They were thankful for all that we have as a family and their wonderful school.  Julie said that she really wants to complete this trip to the end.  She put to rest and doubts about carrying on.

So the next morning we were up at 5:15, packed and gone by 6:15, and on the road with much reduced weight.  The Camino seemed enjoyable.  Instead of wondering how far we could make it, we were enjoying the scenery, talking about it important thoughts.  Contemplating why some towns were in ruins and others rebuilt.  We saw our first Shepard and flock of sheep.  It was cool in the morning, especially compared to the 93 degrees we would feel at 1pm.

About an hour into the walk, we met up with another family but with younger kids than us, a 10 and 12year old (with small packs).  They too had sent much home or abondandoned gear along the way.  We walked with them for over an hour and really enjoyed their company.  They were packed in15 minutes, a new standard for us to reach.  They were from Ireland and the heat was killing them as well and had a similar goal of completing the day by noon, going at their own pace.  We both had come to many of the same conclusions on how to approach the Camino that was reassuring.

They stopped for a mid morning meal and we continued on, only to see them again entering the town around 1:30.  They were off before we could catch, but we might run into them again tomorrow.  We check into an Albergue run by Austrians that was filled with Germans and Austrians.  The beer was flowing at noon and they were singing songs as more Germans continued to arrive throughout the day.

Los Arcos is a small town of about1,500 residents yet has a church that rivals the Santa Barbara mission.  At 5, the whole town started for the church for a funeral.  Stores shut down and virtually everything stopped to celebrate the life of one of their fellow residents.  At 6:30, the plaza outside the church was filled with them having drinks and dinner.  It was a glimpse at how life was for the last centuries.  Tomorrow we will pass by the cemetery that has the inscription "I was what you are now, and am what you will be".