The Occasionally-Examined Life

24 Sep 2019

One of the things I’m often reminded of while walking is that pilgrims have walked this path, through these hills, fields, and towns, for over 800 years. It’s kind of cool to now be part of that.

Claude and I left Recedilla del Camino before sunrise, once again navigating the path for the first 30 minutes using headlamps. It was a little warmer (58F) and dry but very windy. We walked 11Km directly into a steady 20mph wind, with gusts to 26, which is surprisingly tiring, and arrived in Belorado quite early, at 11am. Our walk took us, again, through rolling farmland with acres of wheat and dried sunflowers. Mercifully flat.

We checked into a good albergue, Hostel Punto B, which had a lot of nice facilities. I took the opportunity to pay to have my laundry done but the socks weren’t quite dry. Never underestimate a pilgrim’s ingenuity when it comes to rigging a clothesline!

We went out into town to find a farmacia, an ATM, and something to eat, and were successful with the first two. The siesta shut down all restaurants, though, and we had to settle for tapas and Sangria for lunch.

To be honest, I’m getting a little tired of the beer-wine-tapas diet (yes, folks, you heard it here first). The breakfast albergues and hostels offer is always coffee and toast or croissant, no protein, and lunch is often tapas or a salad (at least there’s usually tuna and egg in a salad). Dinner is usually something we make, like a sandwich, based on our forays to the local super mercado (no, nothing at all on the scale of an American supermarket) but there ain’t much variety in that. We usually pass on the Pilgrim Menu dinner because it’s too much food, too late. On the other hand, I got on the scale at an albergue (probably not too accurate) the other day, with my boots off, and it said 95Kg (209 lbs) which is around 20 lbs less than when I started my walk!

Traditionally, the Camino is a cash-only economy (though many hostels and hotels take plastic now), so you need to manage your cash carefully and, of course, only Euros are accepted. A lot of small towns do not have banks nor ATMs, so planning is important. The good news is that the Internet is very helpful in locating cajero automaticos.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Part 2: What devices are you carrying? I’m carrying an iPhone 6 SE and the compact Bluetooth keyboard shown above, along with a recharging battery, and the usual charger cable and adapters. The keyboard folds up to become a lightweight 2” x 6” x 1” block and works very well.

I’ve spent the last nine months researching the Camino and place names like Zubiri, Logronio, and Belorado were the stuff of my dreams. Now when I find myself in these places, for real, I can hardly believe it. It’s very moving to actually be here.

23 Sep 21019

We got an early start out of Ciruena, before dawn, using our headlamps to see the trail, for a 17 Km walk to Recedilla de Camino. It was a chilly 47-degrees F but dry and eventually became sunny and in the 60s. However, the wind started building throughout the day, eventually gusting to 18mph. No sign of das German ladies.

Our path took us through the larger town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and we encountered this water fountain/art work in the old town. There are a lot of water fountains/faucets along the Camino for the benefit of pilgrims; some are marked non-potable and I’m leery of drinking water in the rural countryside from a funky-looking spigot anyway.

You may remember at the outset of this journey, I mentioned the Pilgrim Passport or credential that we get stamped along the way. The photo above shows my credential at this point.

As we pass farm fields, we see a lot of the invasive plant shown above. It has white trumpet-shaped flowers and that really menacing seed pod. After consulting a local expert at a bar, we discovered it’s datura stramonium, or Jimson Weed, a member of the Nightshade family, and quite toxic. Also possibly psychedelic. I think I may have heard about it in the 60s but can’t remember. The author Carlos Casteneda came to mind but he was the peyote guy, wasn’t he?

We passed through acres of sunflower fields, all dried up and ready to be harvested. I bet it’s quite lovely to see them all blooming and facing upward.

Today’s path surface is what you see here – packed earth and stones; not too hard on the feet but not the best either. The good new is that my blisters are healing up and my feet are generally improving.

Recedilla de Camino is a tiny town and so is the albergue we booked into – just 10 bunk beds. The hospitalero is very nice but also maybe just a little nutty – too long on his own, maybe. Nonetheless he cooked us a really nice dinner and breakfast, both including bread he baked.

Among the guests were two young guys who were hauling all manner of digital devices (laptops, iPads, phone, cameras, stands, chargers) and insisted on videoing everything, even the serving of the soup. They also came crashing into the dorm room about two hours after we’d turned out the lights, waking everyone up. They may be the next Rick Steves, but that was bad albergue etiquette.

Tiny or not, the town did have a nice bar (run by an Ecuadorean who goes home in the winter months) and the required medieval church drenched in gold leaf.

A special howdy to Jack, Verne, Anthony, Brad, Cindy, and everyone else at 1-to-1 Fitness: thanks for following the blog. If I had to assess my training efforts now, I’d say I didn’t do enough cardio and did too much walking on smooth surfaces. I hope everyone is well.

Lastly, Inquiring Minds Want to Know, Part 1: Why are these posts a week behind? There are several reasons. Early on, I was just too exhausted to write them after walking all day and then doing the usual pilgrim routine (shower, laundry, eat). Then later I discovered that the “free WiFi” (pronounced “wee fee”) promised at most (but not all) lodging is a relative term. Some WiFi is unsecured and dangerous to use, some doesn’t work at all, and some is so slow (especially with everyone on it at once) it’s unusable. I’ve been trying to catch up in bursts when I get to a safe, fast network, so bear with me.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Belorado.

22 Sep 2019

My blisters and Claude’s ankle continue to improve, along with our spirits. This morning we departed Najera in the pre-dawn darkness, headlamps in place, with 56-degrees and a light drizzle, for a 15 Km walk.

Naturally, we start with a nice uphill climb out of town, just enough to get your heart really going and to develop a good sweat inside your rain gear. Later, after jettisoning the rain gear, we have a very nice day, passing through rolling farmland with acres and acres of grape vines, ready to harvested.

We had a lively discussion about how the grapes might be harvested – do the locals do it? Or is there a migrant community of pickers, like there is in the U.S., that does the job? It’s also funny that many towns are having their harvest festivals, seemingly before the harvest.

We encountered a group of about 20 women, German-sounding, all fairly attractive, with a guide, stopping at various shrines and statues, even praying at one of them. There’s nothing that puts a little more energy in your step than being overtaken, repeatedly, by these fit women. I guess the Camino hasn’t subdued Manly Pride, yet.

We finally made it to Ciruena, which is a strange place. There’s a nice, pretty new golf course there (in use) and street after street of modern apartment blocks (all empty). It has the air of a retirement resort gone bust. Claude called it a ghost town.

After the German ladies left us in their dust one last time, we crossed through town to our ancient hostel. How old was it? You can see the hand-hewn ceiling beams in our room in the photo above. Old perhaps, but clean, with good mattresses, and a good shower, so I was happy. It also had a nice sunny terrace, and a clothesline in the sun – bonuses.

I’ve not said much about laundry yet. If you have to hand wash, you do it in whatever sink is available, then hang it out to dry, hopefully in a nice warm, sunny, spot with a breeze. Most albergues and Camino hotels provide sinks and clotheslines. Some provide washers and dryers (3eu each) and I’ve even hand washed stuff then put it in the dryer if conditions were not conducive to air drying.

Tomorrow looks to be dry but windy, as we’re off to Redecilla del Camino.

21 Sep 2019

My feet are feeling pretty good after yesterday, so today’s walk will be a little further, 16 Kms, to Najera.

We’re walking through endless acres of wheat fields now, sometimes on a dedicated Camino path, sometimes on a farm road. We met an Australian family, pushing their 5-yr old daughter in a three-wheeled jogging stroller (no small feat), accompanied by their nanny, all with backpacks. The child emerged now and then to walk, using her own tiny trekking poles, and to inspect fascinating trailside flora and fauna. Amazing.

Najera is a large and very old town and negotiating our way through some of its streets, dodging traffic where buildings were built right out to the curb, was interesting. We finally found our small albergue, Nido de Ciguena, which had four private rooms, and ten bunk beds. Our room did not have a lock nor lockable storage, so we had to take all our valuables with us when we went out to find food.

Here’s a weird thing about albergues: after lights out at 10pm, there’s no one from the property on site until the next morning. So you’re on your own if something happens in the middle of the night. In our case, a guy living across the street starting hollering loudly and whistling for his dog at about 2am, waking us all up. Buen Camino!

20 Sep 2019

Logronio was about to launch its big week-long wine festival and, sadly, we saw it being set up as we left town. With some trepidation, I dropped off my big backpack at an albergue, tagged with the JacoTrans backpack transfer company envelope, and crossed my fingers. It turns out that JacoTrans does a great job for 5eu and it couldn’t have been easier to arrange.

Thus began a week-long run of walking with a partner and sharing a room with him, too. That also worked out very well.

For one thing, when you’re walking with someone else you can get your picture taken on the path pretty easily. The trail became less rocky, which was a relief, and our various injuries seemed to take to the short 13Km distance without getting worse.

So let’s talk trekking poles: I use two and find them to be invaluable going up and down hills. Especially when there are a lot of loose rocks on the path, just waiting to deliver a Camino-ending twisted ankle or knee. There’s a bit of a technique to using them but it’s easily and quickly learned on the path. When not in use, I collapse mine and tuck them into one of my pack shoulder straps, so I don’t have to hold them. If I’m using them a lot, I have a pair of fingerless, kayak-paddling gloves I put on to ensure that no hand blisters form.

We made it to Navarette without any issues and, hooray, my backpack was waiting for me. The photo above shows the view out our hotel window Ah, yes, “hotel” – we’re able to stay in hotels now by virtue of sharing a room. Still not the most economical choice (Albergue bunk bed: 6-10eu, hotel room 15-25eu each) but it does mean you don’t have to listen to snoring in the bunk room, and you’re using a private bathroom.

Here’s another interesting cultural fact: lots of bars and restaurants in Spain are closed from 2-5pm, so forget it if you’re starving and want a salad at 3:00 in a small town. The previously mentioned Pilgrim Menu dinner, which many places offer, may not be available until 7:00 or later. Claude and I have become adept at finding an open market and buying the makings for our own picnic lunch.

Tomorrow we’re off to Najera, through more vineyards.

18 & 19 Sep 2019

My 10Km walk into Logroño was uneventful, if painful, and it was interesting to see the city’s updated take on the Camino markers and traditional scallop shell.

My Canadian friend, Claude, started a few kilometers further out than I did, so I met the landlord, got into the apartment, and sat down to a traditional treat, Churros and Chocolate, to await his arrival:

The treat was tasty but the chocolate had about five times the caffeine found in a cup of coffee. I was thoroughly buzzed by the time Claude arrived.

I’m sparing you the photos of my blisters, but here’s what I did to deal with my feet during our layover and after:

– I went to the farmacia and stocked up on supplies for treating my burst and unburst blisters and put them to good use. God bless Compeed blister plasters!

– I took a cab to the local Decathlon sporting goods warehouse store and bought a day pack and some comfy gel insoles for my boots.

– I tied my boot laces differently to provide more ankle support.

– I adjusted my schedule for the next week to walk only 10-15kms.

– I started using a “backpack transport” service to send my full pack on ahead to my next albergue each day. I carried a very light day pack as I walked.

– I changed my sweaty socks for dry ones every twice a day while walking.

Walking less distance each day ate up time and pushed me into another decision: to skip the “Meseta” section of the Camino by taking a train from Burgos to Leon, putting me back on schedule.

“Skip a section”, you say!? Can you do that? Is it “allowed”?

Well, yes and yes. Many pilgrims skip the Meseta because they think a solid week of endless wheat fields is boring. And skipping it has no effect on whether you can receive your Compostela (completion certificate) in Santiago. I had not planned to, nor wanted to, skip it, but skip it I will now, for the sake of my feet.

17 Sep 2019

My feet were in no condition to make my originally planned 28Km walk to Logroño so I let my schedule slip a day and shortened my distance to Viana, only 18Kms away.

The terrain was mercifully fairly flat but the trail was still rocky as I passed through many acres of harvested wheat fields. This is definitely farm country.

It’s hard to let your mind go and be open to whatever thoughts the Camino may bring when you’re totally focused on putting your feet down in the least painful place on the path.

I finally limped into Viana to find a festival going on and parts of the Camino path through town closed for bull running. Yes, just like in Pamplona: bulls in the streets, with men in white shirts and red bandannas baiting them and running like hell. I didn’t care for it; the bulls were scrawny and pitiful looking and it just seemed cruel.

I arrived at the albergue to find the private room I’d reserved given away to some tour group. I did however get a coveted bottom bunk.

The other end of the bunk room is shown above. Pretty tight quarters. Europeans are somewhat less concerned about modesty, so facilities not segregated by gender are common and, hey, everyone behaves like an adult.

The albergue served a Pilgrim Menu dinner and I spent time with a group of women with whom I’d gotten acquainted on the path. All were over 50, two were from Australia, one from the U.S., one from Canada, and one from France. We got on very well and had fun discussing our Camino so far. These are the kinds of connections you make on the Camino.

I also ran into a retired Canadian Army Major, whom I had met in Orisson on our 1st Camino stage. He was one of the guys I got together with for pinchos in Pamplona and he was having significant pain from an old ankle injury.

I had planned a rest day in Logroño, and so he and I hatched a plan to split the cost of a two-bedroom Airbnb-type apartment I found there in order to rest our injuries.

16 Sep 2019 – 22Kms

I got an early start out of Estella after the standard “pilgrim menu breakfast” (toast, butter, jam, orange juice, and coffee – no protein – for 3 Euros) and we climbed steadily out of town.

I now have large blisters on both feet and after a short while it feels like the soles of my boots are paper-thin. The trail surface does not help – packed dirt with lots of sharp rocks sticking up.

Not far from Estella, I came to the famous Irache Wine Fountain, provided for pilgrims by the Irache Monastery. Free wine, right beside the Camino path! Pity it was 8:30am – I just had a taste. Lovely bouquet.

In addition to official Camino route markers and signs, I’m guided by a series of yellow arrows. These were originally painted by a parish priest and Camino devotee named Don Elias Sampedro. In 1984, he put in motion his mission to rescue, clean, and mark the trails along the Camino. I wouldn’t have been able to negotiate my way through small towns, past rural crossroads, and across major highways without these arrows, which appear on sidewalks, streets, walls, rocks, and more.

My feet were killing me when I arrived in Los Arcos, so I hobbled over to a nearby farmacia for advice and supplies. Their suggestions help but I remain very concerned about my feet.

There’s not much to Los Arcos, described as “having a population of 1,200 and declining”. I put myself into a pension, essentially a B&B but with a pilgrim menu breakfast. I ate dinner nearby and shared a table with a young couple from Utah – they were walking 32Kms per day! Too ambitious for me but let’s see what tomorrow brings.

15 Sep 2019

The guide books say this is a stage of “primarily rolling ups and downs”, but I beg to differ. I think the authors need to review! There are a few steep ascents and descents. They also use the phrase “stretches of authentic Roman road” as if its romantic or special; the truth is the Romans who built and maintained those roads are long, long dead and there’s nothing romantic or even smooth about these parts of the path. Perhaps if we all wore steel-shod Roman Legion boots?

At any rate, it’s a very pleasant day, mostly sunny with moderately warm temperatures. I continue my trek westward, sharing the universal greeting “Buen Camino” with other pilgrims. We are a mix of so many origins and languages and this Spanish greeting becomes our lingua franca.

We’re also in wine country and acres of vines surround us. The vines are heavy with grapes and harvest time is coming soon.

The Camino also takes us through “hill towns”, up and down their incredibly steep streets. Pity the poor bicyclists and I saw one lady struggling with a regular piece of airline luggage on wheels! I have no idea how she negotiated the path.

After 22Kms, I reached Estella and I was pretty weary. Worse yet, I have to trudge all the way through town to get to my albergue, The Capuchinos Rocamador. No, it’s not a place that specializes in coffee drinks – it’s a “parochial” albergue, run by the church or a monastery. I wanted to try one out, to see what they’re like. This one was spare but clean and had everything (lounge, laundry, food) that a typical albergue has. They usually have a “pilgrim service” available too, a mass or blessing of some sort.

Their three-course Pilgrim Menu induced a wonderful beef stew, which I very much enjoyed.

Tomorrow, feet willing, I’m off to Los Arcos.

14 Sep 2019

One feature of Pilgrim life is that we often leave town quite early. It’s quieter and cooler, especially in cities, and we have to be out of most albergues by 8:00 or 8:30am anyway. I took the photo above while walking out of pre-dawn Pamplona.

Today I’m walking 24km, up and over the Alto de Perdon mountain pass and down into an area of wheat and grape vine fields, to Puente la Reina. Both the ascent to 790m and the descent afterwards are especially challenging. I have plenty of company, including pilgrims on electrically-assisted mountain bikes (not sure how I feel about the correctness of that).

It turns out that these hikes are hard and physically demanding. Yet there are all kinds of people out here, old and young, fit and not, small and large, and all are determined to make their goal. Some pilgrims, due to vacation constraints, make the journey in two week segments, coming back year after year until they’ve completed it all. We form a community based on shared desire and on endured hardship.

I finally reach the top of the pass and find my friends Laurent and Claude enjoying the view with a little lunch from a food truck.

Descents can be very difficult. They’re hard on the knees and the footing is often unsure. Carrying a backpack shifts your center of gravity, making it harder to react to the unexpected; slipping and falling would be disastrous. Use of trekking poles for support and balance is mandatory for me.

The Camino path features many different surfaces, but the one shown above, especially for a decline, is one of my least favorite. Those rocks range from apple-sized downward.

Unfortunately, some foot damage has been done and, when I get to my albergue, I find some serious blisters have developed on my feet. This is not unusual but it’s discouraging given that all of my training walks, sometime 3-4 hours long, didn’t produce any blisters and I had sort of hoped that I’d toughened up my feet and was immune. In addition, after taking 31,000+ steps today, my feet are just kind of bruised, so walking is painful.

A nice couple from Valencia saw my feet and offered me some soothing after-hike foot lotion, which felt good but didn’t do much for the problems. Naturally, on the the topic of foot care, every pilgrim has advice (solicited or not) to offer.

That night I experienced my first episode of uncertainty about being able to continue the Camino. That really shook me.

Luckily, I found that Laurent and Claude were staying nearby, so I hobbled over to join them for dinner, and temporarily washed away my concerns with some excellent Sangria. Laurent, an accomplished amateur photographer, took this portrait of me. It turns out I may have lost a few pounds on the Camino.

The next morning, I forced myself to not think about quitting and just went through all the usual pre-departure steps. And I soon found myself walking out of town with all the other pilgrims in the pre-dawn hour, instead of taking a taxi back to Pamplona.

Onward!