Day 17 - Underneath the Same Big Sky

Destination - Fromista

Distance - 25km

Hours of walking - 7:30 - 1:30

Terrain - pretty even sailing

Weather - very cool morning and then a bright blue sky

Nature - fields upon fields, interesting canal 

Misadventure - none for us, but a cold night for pilgrim friends who got locked out of the Alburgue watching the eclipse 

We arrived in Fromista!

Our mornings will be early until we get out of the desert. We are falling into a good morning routine which gives us time to recoup in the afternoon. Lots of pilgrims left very early, to watch the eclipse. We were not among the early pilgrims. 

We did walk out looking at the full moon for some time and I thought of all our friends and family watching the eclipse. I kept thinking about the song Fivel sings in 'The American Tale' - somewhere out there, underneath the same big sky, someone is thinking of you.... Nice to know that we are in your thoughts at home. 

Sunrise

Big blue sky - Wendy and Dee on the trail

We have been walking past miles and miles of farm land the past few days. It makes me think of my roots and the hard work that farmers do day in and day out to supply us with great food. I wave at all the farmers in their tractors, hoping they know that their work is appreciated and to pay respects to my farm family at home. 

There is a canal that runs along the path we are walking. We saw irrigation pipes being installed. 

Canal along Camino

Installation of irrigation

Canal locks

When we arrived at Fromista we found an awesome Alburgue and settled in with the 'Backyard Gang' from Miami and Otto from Winnipeg. The best meals have been the ones we pull together with friends with supplies from the grocery store. Today's lunch was no different. 

Maria always in charge of food and Otto on his iPad 

Relaxing after a day on the Camino

Otto and I have spent lots of time ribbing each other about football. He decided that if a Bomber fan and a Rider fan could be friends on the Camino, that world peace is possible. He also admitted that Rider fans are the best in Canada. 

Football peace on the Camino, world peace to follow

After an afternoon of recouping from the trail, I joined a group of about 20 people for restaurant pilgrims meal. Wendy and Dee opted for an option with not so many steps required. 

The level of care amongst the pilgrims is astonishing. Today on the trail, I met Jersey John. He is a tiny, five foot nothing, 78 year old man. He is a gentle sweet man. When I met him, I had stopped to remove my jacket. He stopped and said 'are you alright, dear? Is there something I can help you with?'  He goes on his way slow and steady and ready to help anyone who is in need. He was one of the group at dinner. It was a treat to spend time with such a kind man. 

Jersey John and Miami Kelly in an animated conversation

As we talk as pilgrims, things tend to be very real and emotional. Tears and laughter are always in combination. At one spot someone said 'there are 20 people at this table that are all here for a reason. That means there are 40 shoulders to lean and cry on'. And there are. With only what we are able to carry in our backpacks, people will give anything they can to someone who needs assistance . Bandaids, polysporin, advice, support are all doled out freely. It is a feeling that we will never forget. 

Buen Camino!

Cheer of the day from Wendy - finding a five star Alburgue oasis in the middle of the Mesta and being able to share grass, food and fun with the new friends we have met along the way. 

Wendy doing laundry in a scrubber bag

Our oasis in the desert

Day 16 - The Symphony of Sounds

Destination - Castrojeriz

Distance - 19 km

Hours of walking - 7:30 - 12:30

Terrain - big ascent out of town, what come up must come down, rocks rocks rocks

Weather - big blue sky, cool breeze - lovely 

Nature - fields in fallow

Misadventure - Nothing of note 

Desert walking equals early mornings. We left our Alburgue at 7:30 at a fresh 9 degrees and it felt wonderful. The Stars glisten like diamonds in the sky. A great walk, and we got to see another Spanish sunrise. Life is good. 

See the mountains glowing in the distance

Walking on relatively flat paths puts the Prairie portion of the team back on comfortable grounds. The path was a little rocky today, posing issues for blistered feet. Even with the rocks, we made fantastic time today. 

As we walk, if you let your mind wander, you can hear a symphony of sounds. Six feet hitting the gravel, crunch crunch, six poles tap tap, backpacks scrunch scrunch, change in my money belt jingle jingle, Dee's shell hitting her backpack ting ting. It is a joyful sound. Wendy and I tried beat boxing to it; we need rapper Mitchel here to help us!

We were able to view incredible ruins along our path today. 

As well, the town we are staying in has some incredible history. 

Castle ruins

Hey Blaire, doesn't the town have a great logo?!

We lucked into finding a wonderful Alburgue with our fellow Canadians Lynn and Wendy (imagine two Wendy's in one hostel!) The owners of the Alburgue did an amazing job of restoring this building - making it modern but keeping the historical aspect of it. 

A cold foot soaking pool = heaven!

View of the ruins from the back yard

We opted to stay at our Alburgue for the pilgrims meal. Having communial meals with our fellow pilgrims is a highlight. It feels like a big family celebration at the end of the day. Tonight we celebrated our Swedish friend, who would be returning home in the morning. This is his eleventh time doing a portion of the Camino. He travels as far as he has time for. He is full of good cheer and wisdom and will be missed. 

Following dinner, the owner explained some of the artifacts in the dining hall. When they restored the building, they saved the beam and the screw that had served as a mechanical wine press. 

After his explanation, he took us four feet down into their Medieval Cellar. 

We are going down!

Luckily we had Maria with us to translate from Spanish to English. As they renovated their building they found the tunnels below. They brought in a historian to study the structure. It had originated in the Roman Empire. In the tenth century it served as a communication tunnel and defence to the castle located behind the building. Later in the eighteenth century, they utilized it in wine production. Currently they use it to store wine. The owner was so proud of the history and rightly so. They did an amazing job of restoration. 

Wine cellar

Cheer of the day from Wendy - it was awesome to find another Alburgue with a pool (for soaking feet) and a waterside (for ambiance)

Soaking our aching feet

Triple C's sporting new Camino wear

Day 15 - Spain is like a Box of Chocolates

Sept 26

Destination - Hornillios del Camino

Distance - 20km ( the sign says we have 469km to Santiago!)

Hours of walking - 8:00 - 12:30

Terrain - smooth gravel, hard rocky roads, smooth flat,  a major descent 

Weather - we beat the heat!

Nature - farm land, few dogs 

Misadventure - we need rear view mirrors to watch for cyclists 

Sometimes getting out of major cities can be a challenge on The Way as our precious arrows can be hidden. Today we did fine, with a little help from some new friends. As we were leaving town, we saw a Spanish lady shaking a walking pole at one man we had been following. We caught up with them, and they explained that she was warning them about walking through the park at dawn as it is possible to get robbed. If we get approached, take our poles and fight them off like she had demonstrated. We stuck together and were fine. In talking, our new friend was from Winnipeg and of course I took a beating over the Rider loss of the banjo bowl. Even though he is a Bomber fan, he was a lovely man. He is walking the Camino in memory of his wife. He is full of love and devotion to her memory. 

The landscape of Spain changed quickly as we are now heading to the desert. Before we got there, we had a touch of autumn. 

We pass along the quaintest of villages on our journey. 

Tess - want to go to a museum?

Our path have been very challenging at times and a wrong step on a rock can be disastrous. We have to keep our heads down and our focus sharp. Today we enjoyed some flat smooth paths. At one point, I realized I had lots of flat path and I looked up for the first time in quite some time. I felt my face light up in a smile when I saw the landscape and I started thinking of how far we had come. We planned so long for these moments and now I was walking the Camino. My body may ache but at that moment my heart was very light and full.  What a thrill this is - it's not easy but those things worth working for never are. It was a reminder to me that in my day to day life, I often get wrapped up in the tasks, the step after step on rocks, and forget to look up and enjoy the moments. 

That moment I looked up and smiled. Funny how at supper we all talked about that lone tree. 

The big final descent of the day

We arrived in amazing time with the day to enjoy. 

Tracy's sandwich was bigger than her head

Our Alburgue - love it

This part of the trail seems to be a transition point. We met some people that are just beginning today and others that are veterans. At this point, it appears that everyone is continuing to Santiago. Our Alburge had a back yard with grass - it seems like forever since our feet hit grass. So we spent the afternoon making new friends. 

A group is from Miami and they are amazing. Maria, has been wanting to walk the Camino for many years is on her trail. She is a kind and giving woman who doesn't sit still long. She works with a group that provides services to a village in Niquarqua. It was amazing to listen to her stories. 

The backyard gang

We talked lots about the people we have met in the Camino and how easy it is to open up and share with one another. It is hard to explain to some not on the pilgrimage the deep sense of caring that is shared. We all hope that we can take that back home with us. 

Cheer of the day from Wendy - it was amazing to have a day to sit back, relax and make new friends. We got to meet some wonderful people today. 

Day 14 - Burgos or Bust

Sept 25

Destination - Burgos

Distance - 20km

Hours of travel - 7:30-1:30

Terrain - lots of volcanic rock, flat and dry outside of Burgos

Weather - cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon

Nature - a flock of sheep that sounded like a hand bell choir; black birds that look like crows but sound like roosters - we named cruisters

Misadventure - An Alburgue that smelled like an infamous local Estevan motel; three trips to get laundry done. 

We started the day early to beat the heat getting to Burgos. Dee led the way with her headlamp on as it was a dark path out of San Juan. We started with some easy walking and then the path got rocky and hilly. Back to sheep country!

Boots in - Wendy, Tracy, Dee, Edith and Brenda 

Herd of sheep running

Getting to Burgos was a task that we had been dreading as the task seemed daunting but we managed just fine - we found a bus to make the end of the trip a little easier. 

Once in the city, we made our way to the tourist information centre for assistance in finding a hotel. 'No reservation in Burgos on a Friday night? Oh dear!' Oops! Again, who was to know?!! We found an amazing little hotel right in the heart of Burgos for a great price. We were in love with the clean hotel with friendly staff. 

Clean non- bunk beds!

Burgos was an amazing city. Not at all what we had imagined. Lots of sculptures, old buildings  and laundry services! Oh yes - food!

Triple C's hit Burgos

Burgos Cathedral 

While waiting for our laundry we found what we can only describe as a fast food Tapas bar. We had to fill out our order on a paper, in Spanish. Of course none of us knew how to spell cervaza under pressure.  For dinner we reunited with Mike from Virginia for a meal. 

Loving paella 

We wished we had more time and energy for Burgos but loved every minute of it. We saw the Spanish culture in full action today. Our pilgrim schedule doesn't mesh with Spanish siesta time. Most stores shut down just as we are arriving so it is hard to 'get things down' so we can relax. Most stores are closed from 2:00- 5:00 and the streets are almost deserted. Being a Friday night, the streets started coming alive after 5:00pm. Families strolled the streets shopping and meeting friends and family for dinner. It is a very social culture. Tapas food is perfect for them. They have a small plate in one spot and then move to another at a leisurely pace. Kids were out playing soccer in the street as their parents dined long after these weary pilgrims had to go to bed. 

Cheer of the day from Wendy - spending an amazing afternoon in a great city - we had dreaded going to it as the reviews were not good but we were delighted by it. Amazing!!