Stage 17 - Frómista to Carrión de los Condes

Where We Are Tonight:  Carrión de los Condes         Miles Hiked Today:  12.0 ( 19.3 km)

Miles Hiked Overall:  231.3 (372.3 km)                     Miles to Santiago: 253.6  (408.2 km)

Steps Taken Today:  35,199                                     Blister Count:It's complicated

Spanish Word of the Day: cielo  (sky)

What We Learned Today:  Just when you think you've seen it all on the Camino,  you find something else that blows your mind.

Today's Camino ran right along side the main road...which was not very busy so not much car traffic.  The book called it "soul numbing" but I actually kinda liked it.  Instead of hours of nothing going on, at least the road traffic gave some entertainment at times.  I know true pilgrims are supposed to be thinking deep, enlightening thoughts during the quiet times but that's a stretch for me.  Either I don't so deep thoughts or I like to be entertained, I guess.

Today's high point came in the village of Villarmentero de Campos.  We wanted to stop for a drink but instead we found ourselves in the Camino's version of Disneyland.   There were numerous animals wandering around, there were multiple toys to play with (including hula hoops and hammocks),  walls for your graffiti enjoyment and multiple interesting places to spend the night (including a tipi and cement culverts.)  The craziness went on and on...what a fun place.  They had pizza and coca cola light for me which also helped to rank it among the Camino"s  top entertainment spots.

Pam and I also met a couple of new friends today, but they were a bit stiff..

We went into a Knights Templar church built around the 12th century.   The KT were quite big in this area at that time spreading their version of Christianity and helping to "protect" pilgrims on their way to Santiago.   It was a beautiful building.   Inside is a huge altar piece depicting the life of St. James.

Here I am doing the daily routing of getting my feet ready for the day...lotion, antibiotic cream, bandages and special band aids.  Pam does the same...as does everyone else in the albergue.   Almost every pilgrim you see or talk with has some (if not multiple) issues with their feet and other parts of their bodies.  But especially with their feet.  It's almost funny to see pilgrims at the end of the day without packs. ..they're doing what Pam and I like to call the Pilgrim Wiggle.  Not only do pilgrims walk differently without extra weight in their backs but at night they tend to their physical woes and then everyone is limping and walking tenderly.   It would be funny to watch if it weren't so sad.

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."

―TS Eliot

Stage 16 - Castrojeriz to Frómista

Where We Are Tonight:   Frómista                 Miles Hiked Today:  15.3 (24.7 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 219.3 (353.0 km)            Miles to Santiago: 265.6 (427.5 km)

Steps Taken Today: 45,595                            Blister Count: Don't ask.

Spanish Word of the Day:  Niños (children)

What We Learned Today:  Always pet a pony that comes running over!

Today was just a long slog through the meseta.   We hiked for about 8 hours.

While the path is fairly flat, it is so open that you can see the route a long ways away.  From the top of a small rise you can see the next village that you want to go to, and it seems so close, but on foot it can take a very long time to get there!

Perhaps the only highlight of the day was when we passed by a group of maybe like 5th graders out on a hike.    They (all 40 of them) all wished us "Buen Camino!" one by one as we passed them.  I even heard a couple of them say (in Spanish), "Hey!  Those are real peregrinas!"  Some even took our photos!  That was fun!   And then there was also Pam's new pony friend.

Here is Pam doing laundry...doing our daily duty.

Here is a photo of my credencial so far...in fact I've almost filled up both sides at this point.  Each peregrino needs, at this stage, to get only one stamp per day.   You can get a stamp almost anywhere - the albergue,  stores, restaurants,  etc.   This proves that you are truly walking the Camino and deserve the status of peregrino...which in turn,  allows you to get the Compostela  (or certificate of completion of the Camino) in Santiago.   Without this credencial,  you are not allowed in albergues.   We also got quite a discount on entering the cathedral in Burgos upon showing our credencial.  Closer to the end of the Camino (100K to go), you must get at least 2 stamps per day.  It's a personal mission of mine to get as many stamps as possible. ..but I end up forgetting most of the time.  Not only do we have to do it, I think it's fun.

“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.”

―Steven Wright

Stage 15 - Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz

Where We Are Tonight:    Castrojeriz                Miles Hiked Today: 12.6 (20,3 km)

Miles Hiked Overall:  204.0 (328,3 km)             Miles to Santiago:  281.0 (452,2 km)

Steps Taken Today:   37,978        

Blister Count: K's are healing but where the bandage goes around her big toe, now a new blister has formed...Pam now has 4 blisters.   We both have these issues only on our left feet!

Spanish Word of the Day: trigo (wheat)

What We Learned Today: Sometimes walking up a steep rocky side trail in the hopes of getting a better view isn't worth it.

Today was another day spent hiking through the meseta, the open high plains.  There are some ups and downs, but mostly it is fairly consistent elevation, 800-900 m (2600-3000 ft) .

May is a good month to be doing this Camino because the meseta is still green.  The fields are beautiful.   It's amazing how many different shades of green there are!

The fields are full of big rocks and here they pile them up on the edge of the fields or make awesome stone fences with them.

We have seen many wind turbines on our travels.

If you look closely at this church you will see that there is a big nest on one corner.   (There was actually a nest on each corner.) These are stork nests.  It is so cool to see them flying around.

Speaking of birds, out in the meseta there are very few sounds.   We haven't walked by roads much and between villages (usually 10K apart) there is nothing but fields.   The one sound you do hear, constantly, is of many small chirping, singing birds.  It's a lively and lovely sound.   It's hard to spot them and so far I've only gotten one photo.   At the beginning of the Camino,  we saw many big birds (we sometimes laughed that they were swarming vultures) that were something like falcons or other birds of prey.  These big birds were fascinating to watch in the big gusts of wind. 

We walked by ruins of a convent from the 15th century.  It is still an amazing structure, mostly intact, but now the road runs through it.

We ended our day in the village of Castrojeriz.  This cute village has ruins of a castle from the 9th century.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

―Henry Stanley Haskins

Stage 14 - Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

Where We Are Tonight:  Hornillos del Camino               Miles Hiked Today: 12.4 (20.0 km)

Miles Hiked Overall:  191.4 (308.0 km)                         Miles to Santiago: 293.6 (472.5 km)

Steps Taken Today: 36,986          

Blister Count: K's are all healing and Pam's are being held at bay

Spanish Word of the Day:paella (a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings - yummy!)

What We Learned Today: Why even look at the weather report?

Today we left Burgos early to hopefully beat the heat of the meseta.   So we slathered ourselves with sunscreen and set out.   And then it poured down rain!  And then after that episode, it started to blow.   The wind was kinda deja vu from our first day.  It was so cold that today was the first day that I wore my down jacket all day.  So much for the hot and dry meseta.

The landscape is really changing.   No more grapes growing...only wheat for miles and miles on the better soil and barley and oats on the poorer soil.

It's quite different to walk on relatively flat land as opposed to hilly or mountainous land.  Villages are deceptively far away...you can see it in the distance but it takes forever to get there.

In Hornillos, we are in a nice albergue.   At the communal dinner,  we had a very delicious paella.  Pam is in the photo to give perspective to the size of the paella pan.

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It has been so awesome to walk the Camino and to see peregrinos we've met over our time here.  We're still seeing some people from our first days but also constantly meeting new people.   Tonight our dinner table was loud with maybe 5 or 6 different languages.  This is perhaps the best part of the Camino.   The world is a small place and regardless of your country of origin, we're all the same in so many ways.  Maybe if the leaders of the world walked the Camino the state of world relations would improve. 

Today we met a couple of other Americans, one from South Dakota and one from Whidby Island in Washington State.

“Go as far as you can see; when you get there you’ll be able to see farther”

―Thomas Carlyle

Day 14 - "And on the 14th day they rested!"

Where We Are Tonight:  Burgos again!                    Miles Hiked Today:  just a few around town

Steps Taken Today:  8,127                  

Blister Count: K's almost all healed (knock on wood), P holding steady

Spanish Word of the Day: descanso (rest)

What We Learned Today:  Even a pilgrim needs to take a break.

After coming into town half-dead last night, we decided to look at our schedule and reevaluate.   We know how many days we can spend on the Camino (giving us ample time to recuperate in Italy afterwards before we fly home!) and we have a rough idea of how long we can walk each day.   So we made out a tentative schedule and found out that we have a couple days of wiggle room.  So that means A DAY OFF!!  

We are so tired and a day off is so needed.   We had an awesome day: sleeping in, taking yet another shower,  getting our clothes washed by a real laundry service,  walking around playing tourist, and eating in quaint restaurants.

Burgos is a wonderful city full of life and energy.   Their main cathedral is spectacular;  it rivals other Gothic structures like Notre Dame in size and splendor.

We walked through main plazas, tree-lined parks and many shops bustling with life.  This is a place in which, like all we've gone through so far, I need to spend more time.   The town is also home to the famous El Cid, a local war hero and strategist.   It was an awesome day off!

"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly"

―Mae West

Stage 13 - Ages to Burgos

Where We Are Tonight:  Burgos                      Miles Hiked Today:  14.9 (23.9 km)

Miles Hiked Overall:  179.0 (288.0 km)            Miles to Santiago:  306.0 (492.5 km)

Steps Taken Today:  41,536        

Blister Count:  K's are all healing as are Pam's...but Pam has one more

Spanish Word of the Day:  asfalto (asphalt)

What We Learned Today: Walking across hot asphalt for hours is soul draining.

Early this morning we passed the half million step mark in our journey.  That is 500,000 steps!  Or, just imagine marching and saying "left-right-left right..."  and repeating that two word sequence 250,000 times.  That probably explains the blisters and sore feet.   Only about another million steps to go before we get to Santiago.  That's depressing.  Enough said about steps.

Today we climbed one more rocky hill and now we're basically in the meseta - a drier, flatter plain that doesn't have much cover at all to hide from the sun.

We're already feeling the crazy heat and so are now thinking that a daily ice cream is not out of the question.

We didn't fully understand the severity of the sun until midday when we came to the outskirts of Burgos.  There were supposed to be signs leading us to a non-traditional Camino route into town (since the Camino route takes you through the industrial area into town and is far from beautiful or interesting or peaceful).  As with the last time we came to a city, the usually very-helpful Camino signs and arrows disappear in all of the other road signs and distractions and it.becomes very hard to know where to go.  So, we missed the turnoff and bumbled our way into town via lots of hot asphalt. It was hours of soul-draining walking.

Here I am at a resting spot near Burgos...so exhausted.

Today we met pilgrims from Mexico and San Diego.  So far we we have met people from 4 other states (California, New Mexico, Washington, & Tennessee) and 28 countries (Germany, the Netherlands,  Ireland, USA,  Spain, France, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, Brazil, Australia,  Korea, Canada, Greece, Palestine, Guadalupe, Great Britain, Venezuela, Belgium, Singapore, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Colombia, Bulgaria, South Africa, Japan & Mexico).

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

― Nelson Mandela

Stage 12 - Belorado to Ages

Where We Are Tonight:  Ages                      Miles Hiked Today: 17.2 (27.7 km)

Miles Hiked Overall: 164.1 (264.1 km)          Miles to Santiago: 320.9  (516.4 km)

Steps Taken Today:  50,037                         Blister Count: K's are all healing as are Pam's

Spanish Word of the Day: mosca (fly)

What We Learned Today: If a bottom bunk is available,  grab it before someone else does!

We started off today extra early...for us,  anyway.  If we get on the road by 730, we celebrate.  Other people leave by 5; that's just insane if you ask me.  We left early because the two obvious places to stay tonight after a decent day of walking did not accept reservations and are pretty small...so we are competing with everyone else for a bed.

We continued 3.7 km past San Juan to Ages

Here is Pam drying her clothes on her backpack as we walk.

This type of Camino is what is killing my feet!  Loose and sharp rocks on the path. ..enough already!

Today was pretty mountainous...beautiful scenery.  These are the last mountains or hills we will see for awhile; the higher elevation and the slight breeze made walking perfect today.  The landscape and vegetation are changing.   For a long time today we walked through a forest of pine trees and it smelled SO GOOD!

Both of us love to look at all of the wild flowers that grow along the Camino.  We've taken photos of all of them, I think.  My favorite are the poppies and Pam's is the wild thyme.  It's funny to see all that grows wild here that we'd pay good money for at Home Depot.  We've decided that Spain has the most amazing variety and colors of weeds of anywhere.

It has also been very buggy today...the sky is literally filled with flying insects.   They can't be mosquitoes or I'd be eaten to death by now but that's what they look like.  They don't appear to want to bite...just annoy.  The word of the day is fly because we are noticing them more and more in restaurants and communal places.

This is a photo of me at a memorial remembering 300 people who were killed in 1936 during Spain's civil war when Franco was in charge.  Due to the horrible conditions of the rest of Europe at the time, Spain's horrendous situation has been somewhat overlooked in history but it was, in fact, quite bloody and dire in its own right.

When we arrived in Ages tonight we were more than 1/3 of the way to Santiago de Compostela!  That is simultaneously inspiring and depressing, depressing knowing we still have 2/3 left to do!

"Walking the Camino you can make yourself miserable or strong. But the amount of walking will be still the same."

―Unknown