BELL's Camino

12.10.2011
(Jacaranda, Syringa, bouganvilla in Johannesburg Parks)

Just over two weeks ago I flew out of Santiago de Compestela .

I have come back to a Johannesburg in the height of late spring.  We had great rain the first weekend I was back, and the evenings and early mornings are still cool although the day time temperatures are up in the mid twenties.  As I walk the dogs I see the new leaves on the trees.  The smell of the syringa, jasmine and  Australian frangipani fills the air, and the sight of the brilliant bougainvillea and the madly flowering bauhinia add to the joy I feel as I walk through the suburbs.

I am happy to be back.  This city has a reputation for violence and crime.  What is rarely mentioned is the wonderful people who make up the majority of its inhabitants - people who greet you with a smile, who live their lives bravely and cheerfully.

It has been hectic catching up but today I feel  that I have got my equilibrium back!  I can look at the time away with some sort of clarity and sense of balance.

The Camino - am I glad I walked it (or half of it anyway!)? 

Yes, no doubt about it.  I had an amazing adventure, thanks in good part to my great companions, and our extraordinary guide Sylvia.  Her organisation made it possible to walk out every day with no care in the world other than to get to the next night's accommodation - what a tremendous sense of freedom that engendered.  Not having to worry about what day it was, or where we were going to or had come from was a gift beyond price.

Sylvia has a passion for the Camino, bringing with it a huge depth of knowledge of the trail and its history.  In a former life I think she must have been a mason who worked on one or more of the churches and cathedrals on the route!  She also has the ability to make everyone feel special, from her fellow pilgrims to the shopkeepers and taxi drivers who we met on the way.  These gifts smoothed the way for us, added a richness to the tapestry of northern Spain and made the trip unforgettable.

What did I like about the small piece of Spain we walked through?

The beauty of the countryside from the Pyrenees to Finisterre - a little village on the Atlantic coast which was considered the end of the world until Christopher Columbus sailed  to the Americas. We walked up and down mountains, through glorious forests, open meadows, vineyards,  vegetable gardens and grain fields.  And of course towns, villages and hamlets made up of just the farmer's house and his barn.

I haven't had time yet to go through my journal and my photos and put the two together but certain things stand out in my memory – beautiful Pamplona,  the glory of the colours in the stained glass windows in Leon cathedral and of course the very special cathedral in Santiago (the Holy Grail for pilgrims!)

We met great people, from Caroline our pretty and efficient transport person in St Jean to the taxi driver who took us to the airport in Santiago - and in between a myriad of Jose and Jose Luis's!  Kind people, who went out of their way to help us, thanks to a large extent to Sylvia's magic.

The people of northern Spain (many of whom are Basque) have a great sense of pride and the towns and villages are spotless (sadly the only litter is left by passing pilgrims).  They plant flowers everywhere, in window boxes and in all their parks and open spaces - the colour was spectacular.  The young girls are beautiful with dark hair and eyes, slim with long legs.  We met lots of hard working people,  looking after the pilgrims and working on their farms.

The sound of bells - cow bells and church bells - which will always be the sound of the Camino to me.

A great public transport which worked like a dream, always on time.

Clean rooms, good beds and hot showers at the end of a day.

What did I find difficult about being in such a different world?

We wake early here at home, work through the day and generally get to bed fairly early.  The Spanish have a very different way of living - they start work much later, close their businesses during siesta which start any time from 12.30 to  and open again anytime from 4.30 to 6 (or not at all in some cases!) Dinner rarely starts before 8 and the children are still playing outside at 10.30.  It must be really hot in the middle of the day in summertime,  and air-conditioning seems to be a luxury, so I understand the concept of siesta but I felt that so many opportunities were wasted.  We often left a town before anything was open and often reached our destination during siesta time to find everything closed or closing!

Vegetarians are unusual in Spain but I expected that;  we had a couple of exceptional meals, and on two or three occasions were able to cook for ourselves.  It seemed to me that the pilgrim menu was generally fairly unexciting but it was also very good value being three courses with bread and wine supplied at no extra cost.

Many dogs in the countryside were chained up on short chains.  Horses too in one place.  I think that the problem is that many of the dwellings are not fenced in so the animals would wander,  but it was hard to see.

The churches were generally very ornately decorated, many with gold from the New World, and I felt they were wonderful monuments to the craftsmen who built them, but they didn't feel very sacred.  If anything many of them were more like museums.  The Marian tradition is very strong in that part of Spain so the Madonna was prominent and it was hard to find Jesus (usually tucked away in a side chapel!).  I have always loved old churches but by the time the Camino was over I was all churched out!

Many pilgrims  walk part of the Camino over a number of years, others do it in one go and at a fast pace (30 odd km a day or more!).   Is it a spiritual journey?  I think in part, but it's also a great walk with friends and their faces as they come into the plaza at Santiago say it all.

Would I walk the Camino again? Right now the answer would be no - I loved the walk but there are other places to explore.  But I am glad I did it; for many reasons.

You Don´t Always Get What You Ask For !

Our group arrived in Santiago de Compostella on September 22 ina timely fashion; we were able to attend the Pilgrims Mass at Santiago Cathedral. I was feeling rather dazed when I entered the cathedral. I had just been to the Pilgrims Office to request my Pilgrim´s Certificate ...¨"Not the Compostella" I said ... I accompanied my friend, who was unable to walk,  from Arca in a cab. I went to Monte del Gozo and walked to Santiago from there." The kind lady looked at my passport and my credential listing all the stamps from St.Jean Pied de Port to Santiago and asked if I had walked most of the way. Yes I said ... not mentioning the group´s occasional bus detours through the Meseta and up O´Cebreiro. Amazingly she issued me with a Compostella certificate not the other tourist credential! "No!" I wanted to shout ... "I am a sham .. I am not as deserving as these other hard walking, sun-burned pilgrims with blistered feet and aching bones!"  The eager crowd of anxious pilgrims was pushing forward, breathing down my neck ... I thanked the official, took my Compostella and tearfully exited the building. So I was already in a certain frame of mind when I entered the Cathedral ... too late to find a seat I stand while the nun with the voice of an angel leads the throng of worshippers in a rehearsal of the responses. Then the actual service starts and among the celebrants is the priest from the first pilgrims mass I attended in the tiny town of Rabanal del Camino. At the end of the service a surprise ! The bishop of El Salvador is there with a group and thay have paid for the great incense burner , the legendary Botafumerio to be lit and swung ... a rite usually reserved only for occasions of special religious significance. I feel altogether too blessed ! We all meet in the square in front of this magnificent cathedral and hug and kiss each other ... as do other pilgrims who have bonded along the way. We retire to our accomodations in the medieval monastery recently partly adapted as a modern hotel ... its small cell-like monks rooms ideally suited to pilgrims but whose grand lower rooms, once cloisters and refectories adding a touch of regal grandeur. We have two days in Santiago to adjust to not walking and to get used to the idea of returning home.  We shop for souvenirs and  eat at fine restaurants (The Casino certainly stands out for fine fare and exceptional, friendly service). On Friday night, the entertainment in the streets turns the city from sacred to profane ... music, dancing, Galician pipers, medieval troubadors, flowing wine, cerveza and the mysterious flaming cauldron of liquer, spiced with coffee beans and orange peel around which witches chant their incantations! A true bacchanal ! What a town ... what memories! On Saturday morning I leave early and catch a train to San Sebastian. I have said final farewells to Sylvia .. our wonderful angel who has guided us through the spiritual and physical ups and downs of this journey, to Bell ... a perfect room-mate in every way; little Bell the Gazelle, always energetic, well organized and ever cheerful;  also to our other South African companions .. Theresa, Zuretha, Jill and Janette who have joined us for the last two weeks ... strong, good natured and always there to help an exhausted companion carry a heavy bag up a flight of stairs or retrace steps to meet and encourage a faltering walker onward. Christine ... whose has been a vast source of knowledge and help with translation in times of dire need and who has also received her Compostella! YEAH!  has  already left. Alan , always an eager Tapas companion and curious about sampling new cuisine and exploring nooks and cranies of each new town and city has departed early as well. On my long 11 hour journey I fly through some of the areas I have slowly walked over ... revisiting Astorga and turning north at Leon has we head over the Pyrenees to the coast. I can see from this vantage point why I spent all of the day walking to Roncevalles in a mist ... the mountains are perpetually covered in grey clouds. When I land in San Sebastian late at night it is lively and filled with fast cars and beautiful people. I see no sign of dirty, exhausted pilgrims. It is a bit of a shock ... all this fast paced activity. But I will adjust and enjoy the warm sunshine and smooth beaches ... there is great beauty here too ... perhaps the greatest gift of this Camino has been to bring a greater appreciation of life in general. I feel I know my place in this universe a little better ... it´s not that I have experienced a monumental life-changing experience. If anything ... I am  more like myself than before ... with one difference. I know I have done something rather exceptional and I am pleased  ... very pleased and amazed. Everyone should try to do one exceptional thing outside their comfort zone ... and with companions like I have had on this journey, the outcome can only be positive. Ultreya dear friends!!  Judy ...The Pampered Pilgrim

50kms to go - from Melide

Hola amigos! - from Judith,

Well, here I am sitting (finally) in an internet cafe with only 50 km to walk before arriving in Santiago de Compostella. We have entered the third section of the trip, from the town of Sarria to Santiago .... the critical 100 kms that one must walk before receiving one´s religious certificate or "Compostela."

Well ... I hate to admit it but I will be receiving a "tourista" certificate because I took a cab for part of the journey between Morgade and Portomarin. Both Christine and I will take that and Sylvia as well because she is a Buddhist and does not walk for "religious" reasons. hen I heard that I felt better. She has walked the Camino multiple times! 

And today, as I was walking I saw a blind man with a walking stick in one hand and a sweeping cane in the other and I thought to myself, "Yes, there are people who are truly deserving of this compostella. Their faith allows them to achieve miraculous things."

Christine is taking this very badly, but her health simply does not allow her to walk up to 25 kms a day. In Morgade, I stayed with her for moral support as she was very depressed. While we were waiting to call a cab, a Hungarian couple asked for her help in organizing their return home due to a death in the family.

Christine was the only one there able to speak three languages and get it all sorted for them. I thought to myself then that there is a reason for everything. In her own way she provided a minor miracle for this couple.

Prior to our arrival in Sarria we went as a group, by small bus up to the mountain top village of O Cebreiro ...

high above the clouds, to visit a 12th century church, resting place of The Holy Grail.  It is a remarkable village, only about 20 houses, many of Celtic origin, the round stone thatched Galician style. Altogether a bit of an Indiana Jones experience. Yes ... I did see the true grail (one of them .. the other is in Valencia !)
The bus dropped us off in Sarria in the afternoon and we walked 13 kms to Morgade (a hamlet of about 2 houses!) through very rural, very noxious smelling roads ... lots of cow dung and fields fertilized with pig manure and urine. In fact, the whole of this section has been primarily rural, with the paths running through farms and fields, sometimes shaded by large oak and chestnut trees.

 Sometimes I want to shout "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" as the breezes knock down showers of acorns and chestnuts on to our heads!" The scenery would be very familiar to New Brunswickers ... it looks  like the land and hills around Hampton and Sussex . The South Africans are enchanted with this ... I am rather bored as it seems so familiar and I miss all the little towns. Most named places are simply hamlets with one or two farms.
Now that we are in Galicia and getting closer to the sea the temperatures are cooler. The next big city will be Santigo itself.

All in all I have enjoyed the larger Spanish cities most of all ... the architecture, historical churches, lively squares and noisy night life ... not to mention the tapas bars and the wine and food. Pamplona , Viana , Leon and Burgos certainly stand out.

 Pamplona

 Logroño

 Burgos

 León

Astorga

 I haven´t been a terribly good correspondent because many days I was simply too tired after walking in 35 degree temperatures and not feeling up to hunting for an internet cafe.
A lot of my trip has sort of blurred into a single impression of hot, dry dusty roads with agonizingly brutal downhill stretches on rubbly roads and trails.

 There were certainly days when I wanted to pack it all in. However, I walked until I couldn´t walk any more and if it was possible I called for a cab to finish the last few kilometers.

 As a result my feet and knees are still in good condition. There were days however when I had no alternative but to walk on in my very slow manner until I got to my destination, sometimes after 12 hours ... worried about heat exhaustion and running out of water.

 Sadly, after all of this I seem to have shed very few pounds. The pilgrims fare is unusually starchy ... bread, cheese, smoked ham. Dry toast with coffee in the morning, an omellette on baguette for lunch and some sort of mixed salad or fish dish in the evening. Very few fresh vegetables.

 Today, as I am now in the Galician region renowned for its seafood I had octopus ,boiled and then chopped up and seasoned with a spiced olive oil, for lunch. "Interesting"! Bought a bottle of the areas famous white wine  Ribeiro to share with the others tonight.

Sylvia has done an excellent job in choosing our accomodations ... usually two to a room with an ensuite shower and sometimes a tub. So we haven´t really been roughing it by sharing accomodation in large albergues where there can be as many as 100 other pilgrims sleeping in bunks! So I really have been a Pampered Pilgrim and when I get home I hope to download my photos and compose a more descriptive blog with that title. Now , my time is about to run out and I must go . Will write agian from Santiago ...Judy

el Camino de las Cafe-Bars

I have been really frustrated by our inability to get stamps -´sellos´ - from churches in our pilgrim passports. The majority of churches we pass by are closed. Of those that are open, there are very few with a pilgrim stamp on offer.  I think three churches on this trip have had someone sitting in the church offering a stamp to passing pilgrims. 
I remember reading somewhere that the pilgrim office doesn´t really like to find a credencial filled with stamps from bars and restaurants but if you do not stay in the albergues the only other places you can get stamps is cafe-bars, restaurants, hotels, tourism offices etc.
In some towns you read a notice on a church door directing to another church in the town for the ´sello´ When you get there that church is also closed.  In Melide the other day we walked an extra few hundred meters to the Parish Church to get a stamp in our passport.  We couldn´t find one but a rather irritated gemtleman sitting in the pews told us to go to the door on the right of the altar.  I knocked on the door and when I opened it, two angry men told us to go away in no uncertain terms.  "Sello?" I asked.  "No! No! No!" said one, shooing us away with his hands.  So, no church sello in Melide but we did get three from different bars on the way out of town.
Many cafe-bars have a stamp or stamp and pad on their counters so that pilgrims can just walk in and stamp their passports without even buying anything from the bar.  Surely churches can do the same thing?  If a church is open to visitors, they could chain a stamp to the table at the entrance that has their notices and booklets on it. Even if the church is closed it would be possible to have a small table outside somewhere with a stamp on the table for passing peregrinos.
The very enthusiastic priest who used to usher pilgrims into his little church in Furelos passed away about 2 years ago and now his church is also closed.  I remember being conned into entering his church in 2002, seated on the pew and having to listen to a half hour discourse on the history of the altar and pillars - all in Spanish - before we could make our escape. 
When I get to Santiago and offer them my credential I will forgive them for thinking that I have made a pilgrimage to the bars and cafes of Spain from St Jean pied de Port to Santiago - I just hope that they will forgive me!  There just weren´t any other opportunities to get stamps anywhere else.

Internet

Since we've been in Spain I've only managed to post from one Internet Cafe which we found in Logrono. Hotels, Pensions, Hostals and even albegues now all offer WiFi (wee-fee in Spanish). Wifi is great if you have a laptop or notebook with you but for those with no computer devices it has become very difficult to find Internet facilities. I was hoping that our amaWalkers would all contribute to the blog but so far nobody has been able to find an internet to send their posts.

Ladies toilet - YECH!

On the way to Foncebadon

Ladies on the Caminos - PLEASE do not leave your toilet tissue on open ground for everyone else to see and trip over.
Nearly every open piece of ground - which could normally be used as a picnic site - is being taken over by peregrinas as an open air toilet site. 

DRIP DRY LADIES !!!!  Or, carry your unsightly toilet paper with you in a plastic bag and get rid of it in the first available dirtbin.

Progress on the Camino

I took this photograph used on the heading of this blog in June. 3 months later and there is a large construction going up in the field on the left facing the village. It looks like a complex of duplex flats. What a pity they didn't build it a bit further back or on the other side. It will dominate the view and obscure that lovely approach to the village.

This concrete and stone path down the hill to the magnesite factory outisde Zubiri is a welcome change as the dirt path used to be a death-trap in wet weather.

The eucalyptus forest outside Arca is making way for a new Autovia between Santiago and Lugo.  There is also a new highway being built between Santiago and Finisterre that will cut down travelling time to about 45 minutes.  One can see the roadworks cutting through the 'montes' forrests on the way to Fistera.

Busy Camino

 The Camino is very busy with large numbers of pilgrims vying for beds in all the villages. Beds in towns and villages are booked by midday and even large albergues have 'Completo' signs up soon after opening.
In Zubiri a woman was desperate to find a bed as everything was booked from Roncesvalles to Larasoana and Trinidad de Arre. The hospitalero in Lorca said that this year was crazy - much busier than last year. In Cizur Menor we met two couples from Belgium who were trying to book beds ahead in Puenta la Reina that day.

The tourist office told them that everything was full - hotels, pensions, albergues etc. I phoned the Hotel Jakue and managed to find them the last two rooms at R65 each. In Los Arcos we met them again. They were intending to stay in Logrono and had tried to book ahead but were told that everything was fully booked there and also in Viana - 9km before Logrono. I called Jose in Viana (whose apartment we had booked ) and he found them 2 rooms in his aunt's apartment. I am so pleased that we have pre-booked accommodation all along the way. Its hard enough to walk up to 25km a day in the hot sun without having to worry about where you will sleep at night. Over 134000 Compostelas were issued in Santiago up to end of August but those only represent pilgrims reporting at the Pilgrim Office there. Many more pilgrims are actually on the Camino who don't intend walking to Santiago - like Brian and Tricia, and the two couples from Belgium who are only walking to Burgos this year. when we started out from Los Arcos this morning there were pilgrims strung out on the path before and behind us as far as the eye could see. "It looks like Moses and the Exodus" said Brian, and he was right.

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6 Sept. Pamplona to Puente la Reina

We walked around the Citadelle before leaving Pamplona through the park. We stopped at Cizur Menor for a drink then started the steady climb up to the Alto del Perdon. It was a beautiful, clear day - no wind and very little smog so the views were incredible both back towards Pamplona and Puente la Reina. The temperature has been in the high 20s every day and many people have sunburn.
We stopped at the private albergue in Cizur Menor for cold drinks and a bocadillo. It is like an oasis in the town and such a wonderful place to stop.
Bell, Alan, Brian and I did the detour to Eunate and although the guide book says that the church is open every day but Monday it wasn't open. We ended up walking 27km today and it was great to arrive at the Hostal Jakue. We all stayed in double rooms and private bathrooms. The buffet was delicious.

The scenery is very different from walking in the spring when the wild flowers were spectacular and everything was green.  Now the wheat and cereals have been harvested and the flowers have all gone.

AmaWalkers' meal times

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Photos from St Jean to Pamplona and Sept. 5th - Zubiri to Pamplona

The Virgin de Biakorri (1095m)

An equestrian pilgrim leading her horse

Spanish and Basque names on the signs

Judith in the mist:  The Col Lepoeder is 1430m

 Tricia and Alan

Bell and Hemingway!

Brian and Syl

I walked most of the way with Bell and Alan. We seem to have the same pace. Tricia likes to spend as much time as possible on the trail so she is a bit slower, by choice. Brian marches ahead. We had breakfast before we left so didn't go into Larrasoana, the first village after Zubiri. Its also one of the few villages you don't walk through on the Camino. The path up from the picnic site before Trinidad de Arre was very dry and stoney. I had to get to Pamplona before the banks closed at 2pm so after having a lunch in Trinidad de Arre, Bell and Alan walked on and I got a bus the remaining 4.5km into Pamplona. I was able to do the banking and then arrived at Pension Sarasate - almost home from home now! After checking in we had dinner at Bar Dom Luis. Good day today.