Santiago! and Finesstere

We decided to walk the last 32 miles to Santiago in two days.  So, once again,  we put in a 20 mile day, but this time with more ease.  It was still close to a 10 hour day, but we started out by 5 a.m and arrived by 3:00pm.  This section of the Camino is beautiful with paths through wooded areas most of the day.

We stopped at small villages along the Camino and really tried to enjoy the day.  We collected about 5 different stamps to make sure we wouldn't be denied a Compestella.  This day was the most crowded with pilgrims that we had seen, even though we started fron a smaller town.  We had decided not to make a reservation with an albergue as there are many large ones with well over 1,000 beds in town.  I was sure that we wouldn't have trouble as the previous days were half full at best.

As we arrived at 3pm, we were greeted with "completo" signs at the first few albergues.   As we looked for a bed, it was clear every albergue and pension We're was sold out.  We left the girls in town as Marion couldn't walk any extra steps,  later to be picked up by car.

We followed some signs to a new casa rural, a type of pension with a private room, but shared bathroom.   We secured the last two room, 10 minutes before the owner received a call asking for a reservation.   Our last night on the Camino would be spent in "luxury" with real beds, sheets, towels and soap in the bathroom.   Juliana couldn't believe that there were 6 extra rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom.

We skipped laundry for once and walked into town for dinner.  We ate at a nice cafe with a very funny waitress.  I ordered my favorite,  grilled chicken sandwich,  the first time seeing it in Spain.   We were catching all the breaks today.  As pilgrims were still arriving in town, they were looking for non-existent beds.  I'm not sure where they slept or what happens during the busiest times on the Camino.   Resources were obviously stretched beyond capacity.

We woke up at 4:30 the next morning so we could arrive in Santiago by 11am and attend the noon pilgrims mass at the Cathedral.   I had thought the last day would be our easiest and we would be skipping and dancing into Santiago.  But the stress of having to be somewhere by a certain time wad foreign to us for the last month.  We had walked with a general idea of where we would go for the day, but were free to make changes.   We had no reservations or time commitments. ..we had been free.

I snapped at Gisela to pick up the pace and said we could only stop once for food.  This was the best fuel for a mutiny and the three girls plotted against me.  Clearly,  I had forgotten what this pilgrimage was about and what is most important in life.  I gathered the family for a group hug, prayer and apology,  and we were back on track.

We held hands together and our pace quickened.  The Camino was filled with pilgrims and tourists who get dropped off by buses to walk into Santiago.   We hit the town, but still had aways to walk to the Cathedral.   Our pace slowed again as we were feeling the effects of the previous day's 20 miles and the past 475 miles.

We arrived at the Cathedral at 11am, and a great sense of joy and relief immediately came over me.  I was walking ahead with Juliana and we had a quick hug and shout of celebration.  Then we were off to get our compostela at the pilgrims office and mass at the Cathedral.   We saw some friends from the Camino and shared celebration hugs.  Since taking two days off for illness in Ponferrada,  we lost track of most of the pilgrims we were walking with.  We had made uo a day by walking 70 miles in 4 days, so those that stayed an extra day were still around.

Celebrating In Front of the Cathedral

Although I speak some Spanish,  it isn't good enough to understand the mass.  The church is truly remarkable and it was moving to see so many pilgrims.  There was a group of 10 nuns who had walked the camino and were at the service with us.  The expression on their faces showed how much their pilgrimage had meant to them.

I'm not sure of the look on my face,  but this was very special to me as well.  With Juliana turning 18 and starting college,  we don't know if we will ever have a family trip like this again.  The simplicity of the Camino is so calming to the soul, but will be lost once we return to our normal lives.  Our first Camino turned us into minimalists already, but there are a few changes that we talked about changing, including walking and hiking more, and more volunteer work.

We bought a few souvenirs then headed to pick up our rental car to drive out to Finisterre.   We had contemplated walking ti Finisterre,  but with my tendinitis and the group's general condition,  we decided to drive it.  I didn't want to walk it as it is the Camino de Santiago,  not Finisterre,  but wouldn't fault anyone who wanted to continue.  Walking is addictive and as much as we were ready to stop,  a small part of me wanted to wake up the next morning,  throw my pack on, and walk anywhere.

Gisela and Joe Cooper at KM 0.0

As we arrived in Finisterre,  I was glad we hadn't walked.  Finisterre is a nice beach town with a peninsula jetting out into the ocean with a lighthouse,  but it isn't the same as arriving at the Cathedral and attending mass.  We slept in a nice hotel by the beach again with the luxury of towels, a private bath, blankets, etc.  The next morning was Juliana's 18th birthday and we are celebrating by flying to London.   She is thrilled to complete a Camino before turning 18 and be in 2 different countries on her birthday.   London has always been the goal and carrot for Marion as she has recently fallen in love with British culture.

Julie at KM 0.0

So, thus ends our Camino for now.   We have talked about what we have learned, how we have grown,  and how this pilgrimage will change our lives.  I ask Juliana and Marion if they will someday walk the Camino with their kids.  As I asked the question,  I came to realize how out there we really are.  Who tells their two teenage daughters we are walking 500 miles this summer?...Joe and Gisela Cooper.

I hope that you have enjoyed our story.  I'm humbled at the number of people who have been reading this blog.  I encourage you to leave comments and share this with you friends.  If anyone is considering walking the Camino with their family,  I highly recommend it.  It may not be easy,  but it will be days that you will never forget for the rest of your life.

God Bless.

The girls before the Pilgrim's mass at noon.

The path into Santiago

Inside the church at pilgrim's mass

One of the countless arrow markers

Julie - last day of walking

The Final Stretch

After the big 20 mile day, we were spent.  We were slow to get going in the morning and walked at a slow turtle's pace.  Most of the time we can manage the turtle pace, but not after a 20 mile day.

We walked through some beautiful countryside.  It was cool again with mist and light rain for most of the day, so I wasn't able to take many pictures.  By noon,  we had only managed to walk 10 miles.

We found a cafe, sat down,  and planned the rest of our day.  We talked with some bikers from Canada, who felt they were missing too much by riding.   They wanted to come back again and walk.  I always wonder if there are many people who do a part, say they want to come back, and actually follow through.  These girls seemed like they would.   The question is always about making the time to do it.  The time rarely appears,  you have to make it.

After assessing our physical and mental condition,  we decided three more miles is all we could manage.  There were hills and we were just walking slow.   It was our shortest distance day in weeks, and we still walked for 8 hours. I guess we over extended ourselves with 20 miles.  The owner of the cafe called ahead and booked a room for us. It was almost 4 by the time we arrived.   The albergue was split between two buildings and ee had one building yo ourselves.

Despite this being the busy section of the Camino,  it isn't that crowded.   We are staying in the smaller towns and the albergues have plenty of room.  The trail is crowded in the morning,  but empty after 12pm.  We  dreading this section after our last Camino,  but this section has been very enjoyable.  The weather is also the best of the Camino.

Since we had a room to ourselves,  we decided to wake up early the next day and try to walk another 20 miles so we could arrive in Santiago in 3 days.  The kids fell asleep at 6pm, so woke up at 4:30 the next morning for the first time in awhile.

Ww knocked out the 20 miles with more ease this time.   As we get closer to Santiago,  we want to finish.   It's not that we want the pilgrimage over,  but there is a draw to Santiago.   I almost feel like walking the entire 30 miles tomorrow.  Santiago draws us like a giant magnet.   We all have aches and pains (except Juliana), but we walk more than ever before.

Two more days....

Gisela in the early morning on the Camino

Crossing a bridge

Painted shells at a local shop

Marion using her balancing technique to cross a stream

Marion...on the trail

Portomarin

Less than 100 kilometers to go

Despite a late start at 7am and immediately going the wrong direction,  we had our longest day in terms of duration and distance.   We knocked out 20 miles over 10 hours of walking and stopping for lunch.

Leaving Triacastela, there are two options:  long and flat or short and over a hill.  Surprisingly,  we took the over the mountain route, something we would never had done at the beginning of the Camino.  It wasn't too hard and we kept a steady pace throughout the morning.

Around 9am, we ran into some old friends and walked with them for awhile catching up on things.  They stopped for breakfast and we said we would see them later on the Camino. 

The trail was nice, going through wooded areas and small towns.  As we approached Sarria, we wanted to continue past this main stop.  Sarria is the starting for many pilgrims as you can earn a compostela for walking the final 100 kilometers.   As such, the Camino explodes wiyh pilgrims after this point.  We stopped at a cafe and made a reservation for an albergue 8 miles after Sarria.  We were committed.

As we walked through Sarria,  pilgrims were already waiting outside of albergues for them to open.  The streets were relatively empty as many businesses were closed for the festival of St. James.   We stopped for a quick lunch, almost an hour which is good by Spanish standards,  and had the Camino to ourselves.   Everyone had left town early in the morning and most pilgrims were stopping at Sarria.

It was incredibly peaceful to walk in the afternoon and have nature to ourselves.   For one of the few times,  the afternoon was cool and pleasant,  and we had the luxury of shade.  We passed through quiet farm villages and a few small towns.

The miles were taking their toll on us and we slowed.  My tendinitis came back along with a bad case of heartburn.   Marion's ankle started hurting again and it was clear 20 miles is her limit.  We watched the kilometer markers slowly count down to the magic 100km.  Our albergue was at 98km.  They were still holding our beds for us.  We were thrilled to arrive.

The meaning of walking the Camino is really starting to sink in as we only have 4 more days of walking, having completed 90% of the distance.   We want to get to Santiago,  but don't want it to end either.  It has been a special time together as a family and with fellow pilgrims.

Julie and Marion

Only 100 Km to go!

Julie

Julie and Marion on the Camino

Gisela and Marion with a herd of sheep in the background

Festival of St. James

The noise of 50 people was less than the four old Frenchmen from the previous night.   I did have to tell my neighbor to be quiet as four Spanish teenagers were whispering loudly within 12 inches of my ear.  They quieted down and I slept soundly throughout the night.  Gisela was not as fortunate and tossed and turned for most of the night.  At 5am, a chorus of alarms sounded and the room slowly came to life.

We were out by 6am and the visibility was maybe 20 yards with a thick fog that soon turned to a mist and a light rain.  It was cold, probably in the upper 40's, but we were comfortable with all of our rain gear.  While stopping for a quick coffee, we outfitted our packs with the rain gear and Gisela sported her poncho.

We climbed up and down for most of the morning and were slow going.  We stopped at each small town alobg the way either for a snack or just to get out of the rain for awhile.   We took our time, with options as to how far we could go.  The hot sun would not make us stop early.  

The clouds cleared at times to amazing views into steep canyons with hills spotted with houses and tiny villages.  We descended close to 2,000 feet during the day,  but we still had plenty of climbing, passing over San Roque peak.  With the rain, I was unable to take many pictures,  but the views were great throughout the day.

After almost 14 miles we hit Triacastle which is a small town,  but with a market and 5 albergues.   It was already 1pm, so we decided to call it a day.   The next albergue was 6 miles away anf Marion had a stomach ache and Juliana had some foot pain.

We were able to get a room in an albergue for just the 4 of us.  We all needed a little peace and privacy,  and hopefully a good night of sleep.

Tomorrow we arrive to the mark where pilgrims can start walking and still receive an official certificate for a pilgrimage.   The population of pilgrims will explode starting tomorrow and we will have to stop early to find an albergue.

Statue of a pilgrim

Mount of San Roque

Back on the Camino

After two days of rest, we were all anxious to get back to walking the camino.  We weren't sure how Julie would respond after the food poisoning and having eaten almost no food for three days, so we didn't set our expectations on getting too far. 

It shouldn't have been a surprise,  but we were able to walk 19 miles on our first day back!  My pack felt heavy, but my legs were full of energy. We took some time getting ready as we were out of practice wjich was probably best since Ponferrada isn't the best marked city.  It was almost daylight as we left the city.

Ponferrada is another one of our favorites on the camino.  It's not too big with a population of 75,000, but has everything a pilgrim needs.  The castle pictured in my last post was impressive.   It has a few nice town squares in the middle of the old city.   Best of all, we stayed at an albergue that had just opened a month ago.

If there is such a thing as a 5 star albergue,  Guiana is it!  Each room only has 6 beds and its own private bath and shower.  But this isn't your typical Camino shower, granite with a shower head that pours water over you.  The hospitalero was the nicest, making rice for Juliana and making sure that no one else was assigned to our room.  She even offered for Juliana to spend a month with her next summer.

All in all, it was a relaxing few days and it seemed like we were staying in a hotel.  Luxury.

After leaving Ponferrada in the morning,  we walked through the suburbs of Ponferrada that was lined with nice, new houses.   A long stream of cars passed us from 7 to 8 am, most likely people commuting into Ponferrada for work.  This is the first time we have seen this type of activity that early in the morning.   The rest of Spain seems to casually roll out of bed and start working around 9 or 10.  In other parts of Spain, we pass restaurants that advertise breakfast, but aren't open by 9am.

We continued on our scenic walk and arrived at Villafranca del Bierzo.  For the first time, I was confused which way to go.  There were arrows pointing in all different directions.   At the information booth, a guy told us a completely different direction to go.  We walked for awhile without seeing any shells or yellow arrows that mark the Camino,  and we knew we were in trouble.   We asked an old man on the street, he looked at us in bewilderment,  the shouted some directions.   It took us to a busy highway, but from the guidebook,  I could tell where to pick up the Camino again.

At the next town,  we decided to call it a day.  The albergue wasn't bad, single beds instead of bunks, but about 6 inches apart.  To our dismay, our fellow bedmates were a bunch of old Frenchmen.  One thing old guys do well, smell and snore, and this group held up that reputation.  I slept with headphones listening to a book on tape.  Marion and Gisela barely slept.

Because of the poor night of sleep,  I decided to delay waking up until 5:15.  We had a big day ahead of us,  but we also needed rest.  The morning was cold as we left at 5:45 and being in a narrow canyon kept the day dark untik almost 7am.  The first 9 miles were flat and we knocked it out by 10am with a couple of stops for breakfast.

The next 5 miles had a 2,000 foot elevation gain.  It took the next three hours to get uo the hill to O'Cebreiro.  Marion was sustained with wild blackberries from the side of the trail.   Juliana didn't need any fuel as she charged up the hill.  Gisela probably could have used one of the horses for rent at the bottom of the hill, but she is determined to walk every last mile.

We decided to stop as the next few towns were small with limited accommodations.  We saw the Frenchmen at our albergue,  but eere happy to see that they were in a different room.  Our room has 56 beds and is completely full, but I think we will be able to get a better night of sleep.  The Camino is crowded now mainly with college aged Spaniards.  I didn't see another American in our 104 person albergue that is completely full.

O'Cebreiro is a very small but nice mountain town.  There are a few restaurants and stores.  The held a Pilgrim's mass at the church which we attended.   A nice way to finish off a day of walking.

Julie and Marion on the trail

Our albergue with 56 beds...all full.

You can pay to ride a horse up the mountain.

Walking through a small Camino town

Marker that we are entering Galacia - the Western province of Spain

A day of rest

We made it to the iron cross early on Sunday morning to find a Spanish family reunion taking place at the cross.  They were singing and shouting,  taking pictures and had completely taken over the site.  Kids as young as five to older adults.   They were having the time of their life.

So for us, it was not the quite reflective time we were expecting.  That is life on the camino and you need to take everything in stride.  We placed our rocks on the pile, took a few quick pictures,  then headed down the trail.  This section is the highest altitude on the Camino.  It would be all downhill for the rest of the day.

As it turned out,  Juliana's food poisoning was just starting.   She continued to feel bad for the resy of the day.  We decided to take a rest day in Ponferrada.   After a visit to the doctor,  he recommended another rest day until we started walking again.   So we are here resting for one more day.  It is also good for my tendinitis.

Fortunately,  we are staying in a very nice albergue with staff that have helped us out tremendously.  Enjoying a day off, but anxious to get back walking.

The Castle at Ponferrada

Camino statue

Julie and Marion in front of the iron cross

The "Hippie" Albergue

Family reunion at the Iron Cross

Finding Burritos in Astorga

Any change from the typical Spanish meal is a welcome change,  but finding a burrito,  is heavenly.  Astorga vaulted to the top of my favorite cities in Spain.   It's relatively small at a population of 20,000, yet has everything,  including burritos.

We arrived just after 12pm and were tempted to keep going after only 15 miles, but I had heard too many nice things about Astorga snd we had promised Marion that we would visit the museum of chocolate.  Astorga is the chocolate capital of Spain.

After settling in to the albergue that serves 160 pilgrims,  we were ready for lunch.  As we walked toward the main plaza, Gisela saw a fellow Mexican that we had met earlier on the Camino.   She pointed us ti thd burrito restaurant.   Granted, it wasn't quite California style,  but it sure tasted good after so many days of similar flavors.

Like all Spanish towns, all the shops close between 2 and 5pm in the afternoon.   Marion and I had scheduled free foot massages at the albergue at 5:00, so we would hit the museum and errands after the massages.   As it turned out, we had signed up for only one massage and they were running late.

I found a priest from Lafayette,  Louisiana who I had spoken with earlier in the day on the trail.   He was really struggling and had just started in Leon a couple days prior and was still trying to get his Camino legs.  I offered for him to take my place for the massage and he was elated.
We dropped Juliana and Marion at the chocolate museum and left to find a shoe repair shop to sew up and fix Marion's that were starting to deteriorate rapidly.   For 8 Euros, the boots looked like the start of the trip with holes sewn and new inserts.  Spain has sone excellent craftsmen.

The girls enjoyed the chocolate museum that had an informative video on how to make chocolate from scratch.   They had a new appreciation for chocolate after learning the multi step process involved in making a simple bar.  The highlight was the free tasting at the end of the tour.

We finished the day with stocking up on much needed supplies.   We go through sunscreen,  vasoline, and snacks for the trail at a furious pace.  In all, it was a fantastic day in Astorga.

The next morning,  we were up early and out the door by 5:30, the earliest we were allowed to leave.   We had a big decision to make, an easy 13 miles with 1,000 feet of climb or 16 miles with 2,000 feet of climb.  We would make our decision at the 13 mile town.

Just outside of Astorga,  a restaurant was advertising gluten free and organic breakfast.   Since Marion cannot eat gluten or dairy, it seemed like the perfect place for us.  There were giant sandwiches premade on the counter.   Marion asked which were gluten free.  None were replied the owner,  we don't have any gluten free items today.

Marion reluctantly ordered tortilla - Spanish for Eggs and potatoes and a rice milk mocha.   The owner refused to open the chocolate rice milk for Marion and would only prepare a rice latte.   Juliana ordered meatballs, which she would regret shortly.

The meatballs sat like a rock in Juliana's stomach and she would suffer for the rest of the day.  The trail was nice with a gradual uphill for most of the day.  We were back in the wilderness,  away from busy highways that connect Burgos to Astorga.   It was nice scenery and pleasant walking.  Now, we are starting to see a lot more pilgrims on the trail as many start in Leon or Astorga.

Despite Juliana's trouble and the uphill,  we made good time arriving at the 13 mile mark by 11am.  We rested for 30 minutes and decided to continue.   It was relatively cool for us at around 80 degrees.   It took another 2 hours for the additional 3.5 miles and climb, but we made it, earlier than most pilgrims.   We had a real sense of accomplishment as this was probably our hardest day yet between the distance and climb.

Tomorrow we look forward to the Iron Cross.

Cathedral in Astorga before sunrise

Pilgrim Statue

Free food  and drink (donation) for pilgrims in the middle of nowhere.  The Camino provides.

Marion getting her coffee.

Marion, Julie and Gisela ready for the day

Marion in a Spanish version of Medieval Times.  A giant steak followed. 

We "have to" walk to San Martin

It is a relief to get out of the big city and back to the small Camino towns.  It seemed like we walked forever before leaving Leon as the city has stretched into neighboring towns as suburbs.   Crossing the bridge out of Leon,  the rule thd bigger the river, the bigger the city held true.

Once again,  we were plagued with slow packing and multiple early morning stops for coffee, then food,  then drinks.  Believe me,  all were necessary to keep us going, especially Marion who needs snacks or coffee to give her a little boost of energy.   By mid morning,  we hit our stride and were knocking out miles at a decent pace, ending the day by 12:30 after 16 miles.

On deck for tomorrow is 15 miles into Astorga,  the chocolate capital of Spain.  For some reason, our guidebook recommended stopping in a town after 13 miles followed by 18 the following day to get to Astorga.   It makes no sense to split the days and is just one of the many frustrations I have with the guidebook.   Although the layest edition,  it is terribly out of date with many new albergues and cafes opening recently.   On the positive side, the guidebook author does add thoughtful insight that helped me today.

One of his questions that he poses to the reader is if this is just a long walk or a pilgrimage.   The answer is a long walk to many, but to us, it is a pilgramage.  With severe pain in my right ankle from tendinitis,  I would simply rest a day to recover, but the pilgrimage aspect keeps me going.  I honestly thought that I wouldn't be able to walk at all today.  Those were some of my first words to my wife, Gisela,  this morning.   Her response was a simple,  we have to walk.

This reminds me of a homily our priest once gave as why we attend mass, bevause we have, because we have to or because we have to.  The first "have to" is because a parent makes a child go to church.   The second "have to" is because it is a sin not to go to mass...a comandment to keep the Sabbath holy.  The final "have to" is because our soul seeks the nourishment that mass provides.   We all need to discern which "have to" drives us to church and for me it is the final one.

Walking the Camino is the same.  We met a brother who "had to" walk the Camino with his sister as an escort.  Many are on a long walk through Spain.  But many simply have to complete the pilgrimage.   We "have to" walk.

Leon

Back in the big city.  Made it by noon after 15 miles.  It's an adjustment getting back into a big city with all the cars, noise and people.

Leon has a beautiful cathedral and is filled with shops.  Once again,  we are stocking up on supplies.   My tendinitis is worse, but there is no cure but rest.  We have about 200 miles to go and the end actually seems close.

No real insights today.   It is ss of our pilgrimage is on hold for a day as we pass through Leon.