Day 13, Sat Oct 10 - The Thirsty Pilgrims finally arrive at Santiago de Compostela

Buenos Dias - Day 13 - our final leg of our journey - a short 12 km to Santiago de Compostela. Again we left in the dark (despite agreeing to leave later) to get to Santiago de Compostela. As we entered the city, we followed the golden shells embossed in the sidewalk, that mark the way to the Cathedral. WOW! It was an amazing site, at first I thought I was taking pictures of the cathedral, but it was only one of the small chapel like buildings, when we entered the square where the cathedral was, I was in awe! Even though part of it is under construction, it is breathtaking. It kind of reminded me of being in Rome. A quiet moment to realize that we were there and enough time to wipe the tears from your eyes, we still had things we needed to do before we could say we completed the journey. We needed to get our official certificate for doing the Camino trail. We stood in line for almost 2 hours to get the certificate. Your stamp book is reviewed carefully to identify if you actually walked from where you said you did (my lady told me I should have gotten a stamp in Leon where we started, I informed her the whole other side was stamped.....oh - good job was all she said when she turned it over). They write your name in Latin and had you the certificate. You can buy a tube to roll it in for transport and given that it had started to rain, it was an ideal purchase. We walked a minimal of 312 km on this journey from destination to destination (this did not include our site seeing when we arrived at our destination for the day). Some walked more than others, but everyone walked the last day into Santiago. We even made it in time to partake in the pilgrims' mass at noon. The inside of the cathedral was beautiful, the service was special and the nun that was singing sounded like an angel, they even had incense at the end of mass! It was a bit breathtaking. The only downside to all of this, despite all the signage about not taking pictures, some pilgrims insisted of doing this to the point that they shoved a selfie stick in front of one of our colleagues (obstructing their view) just to get a picture. Cameras were flashing constantly through the service and there seemed to be a lack of respect for the religious ceremony going on...too bad for that. The Camino gave things to us many things - we saw beautiful sites as we walked through all the villages, breathtaking views, learning about the culture and learned some of the language, the amazing people we met, the spiritual aspect (personal to each of us), the great food and wine, the friendships we established with each other, the blisters, rashes, swollen joints, many hours of physicial exertion, a sense of pride and accomplishment, a life-time experience, and for some a new or found attire (a hat). And the camino taketh away - a lost hat, a few pounds that everyone shed, the ability to sleep in a noisy room, torn capris, worn in/worn down and now worn out hiking shoes and sad farewells. I do not know how to describe our feelings, it was great that we arrived, but there is a sense of sadness that it is over. Our group has developed a very special relationship and an openness that is rare to find when you combine 7 people together that may know each other a little (well let's hope that Dave and Kathleen know each other after 37 years) just colleagues that you know from work or heard of. We appreciate the organization that Marilyn did to arrange the trip, book the hotels, arrange for the luggage transfers, the recommendations and all the plans made in advance. We are now in the the San Martin Pinario Hospederia, a very large complex - I believe a former place where the nuns lived. We had an amazing meal, after the noon mass, of fish (a type of flounder), potatoes, fresh bread, dessert, appetizer (omelet with everything including turnip tops or green beans and ham (my choice - was delicious)) in the establishment and relaxed in the lounging area in the evening as we reviewed the events on the journey. For anyone contemplating this sort of journey, it would be highly recommended by 7 of us. We would have a few suggestions for you to prepare for this journey (a would encourage you to listen to our advice). Do lots of walking on uneven terrain (gravel roads) in hiking shoes, with a backpack ~15 pounds or so, practice up to 20-22 km, try sleeping in a noisy environment, bring some warm clothing, lightweight rain gear, hiking poles, a good camera, research about the Camino Trail - the spritual aspect, and bring some great companions to experience this adventure with....and if you are lucky, bring a masseur with you:)) I have enjoyed writing the blog of our journey and hope that those of you reading it also enjoyed and learned through us. Thank you to Meg, Gail, Amanda, Marilyn, Dave and Kathleen for allowing me to have this great honor. Adios et Hasta luego, Sandy

Day 12, Friday, Oct 12 - the last long day

Hola mes amigos - this is the last big walking day we have - it was 32.4 km for some of us (those that did not take a short-cut through Pedrouzo). Our journey today was from Arzua to Lavacolla, a twisty up and down day. We left in the dark and were treated to seeing a brillant orange/red sunrise - it was a beautiful site. We stopped at about 6,5 km for a coffee and a bit of breakfast, and again like the tortoise and the hare, we were thankful to be one of the first to arrive (we should have use the one bathroom at that time). Some stood in line for quite awhile to use the facilities, others continued on the journey. I enjoyed the solitude of being alone, thinking of why I was on this journey, what it means to me and what I will learn from it. I am sure many people are doing the same, contemplating their journey as we near our final destination of Santiago. I remember seeing a young man weeping in the Basilica in Astorga- I wonder how this journey has or will change him and if he has or will find inner peace. It is truly a sentimental journey for many. Today, we again were honored with the strong pungent eau de farma as we walked through several farmyards and villages. We are still very much in farming community as the tractors are plowing the fields and farmers are ensuring that the silage is well protected for the next coming months. There were several places where the grape vines were overflowing with clusters of grapes (I restrained myself though) and the kiwi hung abundantly from the branches. The apple trees were strategically placed a distance from the pathways and where ever we went, we could see a gentle brook/stream flowing nearby. Many pilgrims are getting more weary - you could see it in their gait and hear it in their expressions. Myself, being the early morning riser, I had a spring in my step (at least for the first few hours) and soon became like the other weary travellers making this incredible journey. We had agreed to meet some of our colleagues in Pedrouzo for lunch and our group dutifully followed the camino trail, while the others took the shorter route. While we waited for their arrival on the outskirts of town, we seen some pilgrims (who looked very familiar) saunter to the rest-stop. Being the very polite engaging folk we are, one of us, and I will not mention who, thought that one of the female pilgrims looked just like the one we met yesterday(Susan) and immediately proceeded outside to give her a big hug, welcome her and inquire about her journey for the day. The colleague was greeted warmly by this pilgrim with a crushing hug. After a few exchanges, it became apparent that this was not the Susan from yesterday and the conversation ended. It was quite comical to experience this and the story was quickly shared with the rest of our colleagues. Once we all arrived from our 7.5 hour journey, we toured the town, the local grocery store and tried to decide where we will eat our supper meal. We all decided on this restaurant that was open at 5pm (many others did not open until 8 pm) - it had many different Paella dishes (rice with different kinds of seafood or vegetables) and was close by. Again, we were treated to a unique kind of experience - the breaker blew several times while our meal was being prepared, we visited in the dark, ate in the dark and again so much enjoyed reviewing the day's events and some of our life stories. For those of you not on this journey, you are often in our stories and we carry you very close to us as you are always a part of our conversation. It is very apparent that we are all grateful to have had this unique experience. As we look around, we feel very fortunate that outside of a few minor aches and pains, we are all well and healthy and able to enjoy the journey. We have learned a lot about each other and relish the great memories we will have. Tomorrow, we only have 10 km to do and should arrive in Santiago de Compostela at about 10-10:30 am. We will get our offical certificate and make it in time for the pilgrims's mass at noon. We will have the rest of the day to tour the city and share in our final supper before Dave and Kathleen leave for Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday. We feel as sense of accomplishment and a sense of sadness as we are nearing the destination. Soon, we will all be heading back to our lives and this will only be a memory. But what a great memory it will be! Adios, hasta luego. Sandy

Day 11 - Thursday, Oct 8 - Menu del dia for the pilgrims

Buenas Tardes - our journey today was from Palas de Rei to Arzua - a whopping ~ 31 km. Our hiking shoes are now worn, worn in and soon will be worn out! What a pleasant day, a bit warmer than the past few days and we got to wear our sunglasses again - finally! We are back to seeing more grapes, kiwi, pears, apples and walnuts, but still very much in cattle country. Yesterday we even saw a John Deere tractor dealership - can you believe that? There are more pilgrims on the trail, some we have met before, many we have not. We are bit like the tortoise and the hare - we leap forward early in the morning, passing many already on their journey only to be passed by them later as we stop for refreshments and then pass them again further down the trail. We have travelled almost 270 km already with only two days to go. Although none of us will admit this, we are all a bit weary, especially after todays' longer journey, and looking forward to our arrival in Santiago. It is a true test of ones' mental and physical endurance. We discover as much about ourselves as the countryside we are walking through and appreciate the opportunity to be here and doing this journey. Yesterday, we passed a little 12 century church. A blind priest there felt his way around the outside of the church to point out an original carved sign of the cross that was placed in the wall when the church was built. The fact that this church is still standing is amazing. They often have a mass in the villages for the pilgrims, yesterday was no exception, it was mostly in Spanish with a bit of English. It confirms the importance that the pilgrims play in influencing the local economy and that we are recognized for the journey we are making. There have been so many spectacular cathedrals that we have seen. Some are very plain and some quite elaborate, each with it's own history, quite remarkable really. We learned that Melide is the place to enjoy octopus. So we tried it for lunch. Let's just say, some enjoyed the dish immensely, others not so much. Something about those suction cups at the end of the tentacles that is just not that appealing. They cook it in a big pot and sprinkle olive oil and paprika over it and serve it with toothpicks - it is the local delicacy, I will not be requesting the recipe to try it at home. Oh, remember, we talked about on day 10 realizing that we could ask for butter to go with the large pieces of bread they serve us at every meal, well we tried that twice today and neither restaurant had butter to go with our bread, go figure. As we were trying to locate one of our colleagues that took the bus to Melide, we noted that there were two Camino signs going in different directions. The one we followed lead us to some road construction. One short, seemingly friendy Spanish fellow tried to direct us to the Camino trail (we realized that we were almost out of the city and wanted to back and try the octopus). Initially, he was gently pointing the direction of the Camino and tell us where we had to go in rapid Spanish, we were trying to thank him and tell him that we wanted to go back and eat. Soon he was trying to shoosh us out of the city, waving his hand toward the trail and raising his voice as if to say, you fools - are you stupid or what? -- the Camino is that way! Finally he gave up and shrugged his hands at us, probably thinking, why bother! We saw him a bit and he was still shaking his head at us as we were heading back into the city for lunch. It made us wish that we spoke more Spanish so we could explain better what we wanted to do. Someone in the group mentioned, halfway through the day, that the trek was quite flat to that point. Well it quickly changed after that with some quite steep inclines, it had all of us huffing and puffing by the time we got to the top. Finally, after 7 and 1/2 hours on the trail, we reached Arzua. It seems to be quite large, although it is only a population of 6300. After our showers and clean clothes, we gather in one of our rooms to discuss the events of the day before we head off for supper. We have learned that the handle of the plastic spoon placed in the neck of a wine bottle, will prevent the cork (and many cork pieces) from getting into your glass. Well, ideally, you would have removed the cork from the bottle, but as this did not happen and the cork was plunged into the bottle, this was a good improvise. We decide that the restaurant that offered home cooked menu del dia was the place for us to have supper. We studied our choices, the first plate (so for us in Canada - that may be an appetizer), well you can expect it to be anything from a omlet with mushrooms, to spaghetti, noodles with mushrooms and prawns, salad or soup. The second plate - would be your main course, here you could be offered white asparagus with cheese, eggs with chorizo, ham or bacon or even tongue, pork, chicken, or beef (to name a few options) and then dessert. The cook enticed us to come in and she readied a table for 7. Then the waitress questioned us to see what we wanted for the first course, and proceeded to tell us what was recommended - vegetable soupa. We wanted to know what our other choices were and asked her about the options posted on the outside of the restaurant - only to find out some of those items were for yesterday's menu del dia. She then again (in her broken English) proceeded to recite again what our options were for today. One of the colleagues went to chat with a group of non-English speaking patrons to find out what they had and if it was good. All of us were ready to leave and find a new restaurant, but the report from the other patrons enticed us to stay. We were glad we did as the meal was delicious and although we may not have gotten what we originally wanted, all of us left satisfied and full. We got a picture with the cook and the waitress and a big thank you. She invited us for breakfast tomorrow. The whole episode left us laughing about what happened and the outcome. The bonus is that we met a retired nurse (Susan and her husband Brian) from Saskatoon and heard about their journey. Now we must rest as tomorrow will be an equally long journey, but will bring us one day closer to Santigo. The weather is supposed to hold out until Saturday afternoon (we will be in Santigo by then). Buenas noches, hasta luego, Sandy

Day 10 - October 7 - Aroma Del Dia

Wednesday October 7 - Day 10 - NO RAIN today!!!!! Glad to not have to put plastic bags on my feet again. As we venture out, it is cool and foggy. Today we have to travel about 25 km and everywhere there is signage depicting the KM to Santiago de Compestela. Excitement is mounting as we travel along. We see several tour buses drop off passengers and then pick them up again several km down the pathway, some just jump of the bus to get their passbook stamped and back on they go, no walking for them, had we only known it would that easy (although I believe that not one of us would agree to do the Camino this way, given what we have experienced, seen and shared). We are seeing several pilgrims from when we started the journey, but many have joined in, in the last 100 kms. Walkers need to walk 100 km and have two stamps (from different locations) in their passbooks each day to get the certificate at the end. The cyclists need to travel at least 200 kms and get the same kind of stamps in their passbooks. We have noticed that we are quite a speedy group despite our age - we are passing pilgrims much younger than us who obviously have not prepared the way we have for this pilgrimage. We are quite proud of this. It is refreshing to see what we have accomplished and that we have so little distance now to go to reach our destination. Despite some of our fatigue, there is a spring in our steps:)) The scenery for part of the journey, is not as picturesque as the past days. However, for parts of the journey today, I felt like we were in the Sherwood Forest, so lush, green, fresh and branches overhang on the pathway creating a tunnel effect. It was very cool to walk through that. We travelled through several farmyards and villages, with the fresh farm aromas and cow paddies to dodge. We travelled about 8km to our first village where we could have something to chow down. Although breakfast was included in our hotel costs, it was mostly carbs that we ate. As we continued, we decided to stop a little further along the way, and have lunch outdoors under the apple tree. It was quite pretty, however the barnyard aroma filtered downward to where we were eating. Another traveller came along and had her nose covered with her scarf, speaks to the strength of the aroma. However, us rural Canadians have experienced this and are not put off by this :)) The weather, although cool, was perfect for walking, we did eventually shed a few layers by the time we arrived in Palas de Rei. A hot shower or bath, depending on which luxury you had in your room that day, warmed you up and then out the door we went to venture around the town. It is only a population of 3500, kinda country, as we saw chicken coups in town, saw a lady selling freshluy steamed octopus with paprika and olive oil (and a little salt), amongst other things. Amanda and I ventured to a local pastry shop and sampled the most delicious layered dessert with whipped cream, custard and phyllo dough sprinked with icing sugar and a fresh cafe con leche (both were only 3.9 euros), absolutely delicious. We have been sampling more seafood as this is now more available on the menu del dia and are all enjoying this. Again, the best homemade rice pudding in town, delicious. As Canadians, we are not a demanding group, we eat our food the way it is served and do not ask for much and our compliments flow graciously to our servers. We have just realized, 10 days into our journey, that we can ask for butter for our bread, all these days, we have been served plain bread, when we could have just asked for butter to go with this. How were we to know?? As well, salt and pepper are not readily available on the tables, we have learned that you have to ask for this as well. We have had several meals where we were served homemade thick-cut french fries, I wonder if we could have asked for ketchup (we have not seen any served anywhere, but have not thought to ask for this), we may ask for this the next time we are served these, who knows what we will get. There is a beautiful church in the centre of town, the pilgrims mass is at 8 pm. All the windows are stained glass and I cannot wait to get inside. One of our colleagues is trying to arrange some activities when we arrive in Santiago, she is trying to arrange for us to go to confession there, we can book a time on Saturday...so far, she has not had any takers. Some of us have finally had our first blisters and others are all healed. Others are still nursing sore joints. But for the most part, all of us are doing well and still enjoying the journey, the company of each other, as well as meeting many pilgrims along the way. It is an incredible experience. We have met several couples that have started this journey more than one month ago in France - they are excited to be nearing the destination as well. Their stories have been very interesting, as have ours. Salud, Sandy Our next 2 days are long ones (about 28-30 km each day), but our final day on Saturday is only 10 km. It will be an early start and are happy to view the forecast - NO rain, yeah!

Day 9 - October 6 - The hunchbacks on the Camino

It is Tuesday, October 6 and as we head out from Sarria to Pontomarin - it is raining again. We are the hunchbacks on the Camino (all of us with ponchos or covers to protect us and our knapsacks from the rain). It is actually quite something, so many variations and colors, it is quite the sight to see, we look like hunchback whales with our covers draped over our back, turtles with large shells of various sizes, colors and shapes! Some of the travellers are discrete like us that wear our grocery bags between our socks and shoes to protect our feet from getting wet, but others wear the white garbage bags over their shoes and pants up to their knees! How they navigate the slippery rocks and mud with that I am not certain. We Canadians are more reserved and fashionable. Today was a great day for walking (outsite the periodic rain showers and drizzle), the temperature was perfect for walking (except those that have a windproof raincoat that does not breathe (I know what my kids felt like in diapers and rubber pants.....sweaty hot (and not the good kind of hot)! Our journey today was through many farmyards (we walked right through the farmyard, past the milking pallor with the music a blaring as they were milking) by the chicken coup as the roosters were trying to gather the hens, by the ostrich that wanted to bury his head and could not because of all the rock, and by many apple and chestnut trees. It was quite picturesque as we walked along. Out 25.69 km journey today was probably the best because of the terrain and the countryside. We had a few steep inclines and some slippery decents that were tricky, but all in all, it was a great journey today. The country side with the rock walls took us back to the 16th or 17th century. We could envision the King's men or the armies coming through these windy rock-lined pathways with their flags and horns. Moss has grown over some of the rock and it is even hard to believe that there is rock under that. These are OLD fences, quite unbelievable that they are still standing. Watch an old version of Robin Hood and you will get the picture of what we are seeing. We saw an elderly gentlemen chopping down weeds near his home with an handmade hoe and shared the pathway with a small herd of cows going to the next pasture. An middle-aged lady was carrying two small battery packs on her back that charged her cattle prod as she herded the cows onward. It was quite unbelievable. Needless to say, the cityfolk tried to stay clear of the cow's tails that were manure coated and prayed that they would not get swatted by these as the cows wondered by. Many of us scavenged the apples that fell from the trees onto the ground (me included), as you could often find several good ones amongst those that were severely bruised or damanged. They were delicious, crisp and obviously fresh and gave us the right boost of energy to take us to our next meal. We had only eaten a very light breakfast and felt that there would be several places to eat along the way. It was not until 12:15 or so that we found a place that we could order something to eat and have a place to sit, the food tasted even better as all of us were hungry. As we arrived at Pontomarin - over an amazingly high bridge (made me dizzy just to look down), we are excited to be here (we had been walking for about 5 or more hours), only to meet stairs into the town. Are you kidding me???? 50 or so stairs greeted us. Okay, so we put our heads down and started to walking straight up without watching how many more we needed to climb and before you knew it, we made it. Okay, now there is an incline to get to our hotel. Some of those with swollen joints were questioning their abilities, but happily, everyone today walked the entire journey and made it to our hotel. The next big decision we had to make was what time we were going to gather for our menu del dia. After our meal, we gathered in this lounging area and brought out the bottles of wine we had purchased previously and reviewed the highlights of the day. We decided that it would also be a perfect time to ice the joints that now are swollen and tender. One of the group went to secure ice for the white wine (dulce (sweet)) and for our joints. She took a grocery bag with her and came back with only three cubes of ice. This would hardly chill the wine, let alone ice the joints, but we managed to address what needed to be done. We shared stories, chocolate, nuts, chips and wine. Quite a feast I would say and we are still very much enjoying each others' company and companionship. We have now travelled 210 + km and are on our last 4 pages of our journey. We have passed the 100km marker to Santiago and are excited as the destination is nearing. Many of the pilgrims we have met today and those we have seen along our entire journey are getting excited, you can hear it in their voices. Tomorrow is supposed to be about 26 km as we head to Palas de Rei and there is NOOOOOO forecast of rain for tomorrow, although it will be cool. Hasta luego (see your later) Adios, Sandy

Day 8 Oct 5, The pilgrims feast

Monday - Ocober 5 - many of us awoke in the middle of the night to rain and wind - gail force, pelting against the building, wondering what our day will be like. Will we be walking in this all day, how cold will it be? We had agreed to meet at the hotel restaurant at 8 as this was to be a shorter day. This was the first time we noted that there was a breakfast buffet for only 5 euros (about $7.50) and this included coffee. It was delicious and we feasted. To our surprise the wind was warm and although the ground was wet, it was not raining. We donned on our rain gear anyway, as the forecast in Sarria and in Tricastela was for rain and the clouds looked onimous. Soon we were shedding our rain gear as it was quite warm (about 17 degrees) but quickly put them back on as the rain started again. We were soaked again as the rain came and went in gusts. By the time we reached the hotel, we had walked another 19.22 km - by tomorrow we will have walked well over 200km almost 2/3rds of the way. Many are still tending their blisters, and aching muscles. Some have found some new issues, swollen ankles, knees and for the light sleepers, getting a good night sleep is challenging. The hotel walls are not well insulated, cannot imagine what it would be like in the hostels (all those body noises too!). Today, we walked through several small farming villages, the barnyard is right next to their houses. The potent aroma from the cattle pens filled the air and made us hold our breaths as we walked by. It was a nice journey today, going up and downhill. Interestingly, the farmers keep their cattle on their land with electric fences, although I am curious to find out how strong the current is, I have not touched the fence. They also seperate their land from others, in some areas with rock fences... it is pretty amazing to think that someone piled all those flat stones on top of each other to make miles of fence. Lots of work! We are still seeing lots of apple trees, although not as many orchards as we have previously seen and I do not think we saw any vineyards (although the rain forced us onward). Chestnuts and walnuts line some of the pathway and with the blowing wind, many find their way to the ground. This makes walking treacherous - it is like walking on marbles. Speaking of treacherous, we were almost run over by a cyclist as we were going downhill. It is not a cyclist route and he did not alert us that he was coming, it could have been a serious incident for both the cyclist and one or both of us (he was going at a pretty good clip). We are still annoyed that he did not yell out at least! We are seeing seeing more and more pilgrims on our journey now, apparently the closer we get to Santiago, the more pilgrims we will see. We are starting to recognize some of several of the travellers as they are walking similar distances each day. It is neat to converse with them about their journeey. We all arrived safely though, Gail arriving earlier in the morning. She has toured the city (population about 17,000). She travelled with the lady (Linda) from Auckland today and found the companionship great. We decided to change it up and have our big meal at 2 instead of 7 or 8pm. Most of us had the the Menu del dia for 16 euros (our most expense pilgrim meal yet), but it was worth it. Hotel Roma did not disappoint us. The menu del dia usually includes a first plate, second plate and then dessert. Although, there were not many choices for the first or second plate, we had about 15 choices for our dessert. The crepes with chestnuts, whip cream and carmel sauce was decadent! Somehow, I thought that the chestnuts would be crunchy and flavourful, but they were soft and more bland, however, a great dessert all the same. So we feasted again. We are thankful that we are expending a lot of calories on our journey or we would be in trouble. We are averaging 35,000 to 53,000 steps a day as we often tour the villages/towns/or the city we are staying in. Tomorrow we are heading to Pontomarin about 22-23 km. It is supposed to be cooler (about 15 degrees) and rain. We are hopeful that the forecast is wrong as much of our footwear is still soaked from today (tried the small grocery bags between my socks and hiking shoes, no, it did not work, everything was wet)! I think we will all need new hiking shoes when we are done :)) Buenas noches, Sandy

Day7 Oct 4 - the pilgrims face rain and wind and succeed

Okay, an update from yesterday, yes we were all cold, up at this high altitude with impending rain coming in. Some of us decided to go the the pilgrims' mass at the local church. Note for you to remember, if the priest is askng who speaks English and you put up your hand, you will more than likely doing one of the readings in the mass, just saying. The priest was very inclusive of all the different nationalities in the church and it was very nice. A great way to end the day. Sunday, October 4 - Well, here we are - rain as was predicted- only it was supposed to be scattered, or at least only one or 2 mm----well we can all attest that it was in buckets! We started off with cafe leche with tostado (toast) at 7:30 am and then waited until 8:15 or so to head off from O'Cebreiro to our destination today at Tricastela, and really today was not as much about the journey but the destination. Kathleen shared a trick about wearing plastic bags around your feet and then placing them in your hiking shoes...great idea - your feet (and socks will stay dry, while your shoes/boots get soaked).  Off we went amongst the fog and light drizzle.  It was surprisingly warm, despite the rain. Headlamps are a bit of a taboo on the trail and very few people used them this morning. As we head out, we see sunlight trying to peak out amongst the fog and rain and a little rain shone on the valley below...it was a photographic moment if your camera was water proof. Off we went, we discovered that Meg is a fast walker when she is not taking pictures and wearing shorts and a poncho (over her knapsack), she looked like a seasoned hiker -well done Meg! We stopped at about 5km and viewed farmers milking their cows and slopping the pigs (reminds many of their younger days on the farm- only we were finished by 7 am - must be the Spanish way on Sunday - slower to rise). We had tea or more coffee, snacks and figs and off we went again. All of us had ponchos or coverings on our knapsacks, and a wise one amongst us (Marilyn) whose luggage was quite light, left her knapsack in her luggage and only had to worry about a few snacks. her hiking poles and something to drink...none of us thought of this (or had room in our luggage to do this)! The further we got on our journey today, the faster Dave got, never looking back to see where we were or checking on where Kathleen was or if she needed water (Dave was carrying their backpack that included the snacks and water), he was a man on a mission (who finally stopped at about 12 km). As I passed him, he encouraged me to carry on as he waited for the rest of the group to catch up. Just about then, I was feeling quite smug about how well the plastic bags wrapped around my feet, were keeping my socks and feet warm and dry. We were busy dodging the cow paddies, puddles and slippery sections on the trail and doing quite well. My regular lightweight pants (from Sport chek - they were not rain pants - no these would be at my house nicely tucked away with my golf gear), were still dry...I was impressed. Then out of nowhere - gale force winds picked up, blowing sleet like rain against us, throwing us around like puppets on a string. Many of us got blown into other people and fences and had a hard time keeping upright, the wind and rain combination was fierce. You can imagine one of our colleagues, with a very small bladder, trying to void in one of the bushes at this time....not sure where everything ended up, but at that point, I am sure it did not matter. Needless to say, our dry pants did not stay dry long.  Soon the water was seeping into the grocery bags around our feet and socks and making an awlful slooshing sound.  Not only were our feet and socks wet, we were keeping the water in the bags around our feet. We no longer cared about the puddles, now stretching the width of the trail or trying so desperately to dodge the cowpaddies on our trail. We only longed to get to our destination to shed the wet wear, shower and get some dry clothes on. I struggled trying to see, the steam coming from under my raincoat fogging my glasses and the rain pelting on them made seeing where I was walking quite a challenge, not to mention that I was also trying to use my hiking poles - very dangerous combination! I am sure many can attest to the same challenge. Meg's poncho was wisked away from her like some released kite, it is probably hanging on some farmer's fence post or on a cow horn. She is now in search of another poncho or a garbage bag to keep herself and her knapsack dry tomorrow. Amanda, the sheepherder in our group (also the youngest) kept going back and forth to check on others in our group and ended up wrapping some American girl's knee with here tensor and sharing her hiking pools with her. This young lady is very grateful and shared her gratitude with Amanda (they are staying at the same hotel as we are). Canadians are known as being friendly, compassionate and caring - great work Amanda! We are staying at this amazing hotel (Complexo Xacobeo) where we can get our laundry done (or do it ourselves) and at the end of the day, we are enjoying our clean dry clothes. We are able to put our hiking shoes on the radiators, which are now dry and ready for tomorrow! Our meal again was amazing, we shared it with a lady from Auckland New Zealand (also worked in health care). As we reflect on our day, we delight in sharing the memorable moments of the day, the amazing, some say the best homemade rice pudding they have ever eaten, the challenges of the wind and rain, the solitude of walking alone and the great meal we shared at the end of the day. We are thankful for each other's company and for the opportunity to be here. Tomorrow will be another challenge as the forecast for more rain continues. Oh yeah, if you were counting, today's km was 21.44. Tomorrow will likely be around 18-19 km and then we are back to 28-32 km/day for the rest of the journey. We are enjoying coming in early and having a restful afternoon. Till tomorrow, Sandy

As requested, here are a couple pictures of the view yesterday outside of O'Cebreiro.

Day 6 - October 3 - the real climb!

Here we are in O'Cebreiro at 1400 or 1500 meters elevation, the wind is cool, but the sun is warm.  This is one of the shortest days on our journey - we only walked 12.5 or so km - although most of it was uphill.  We got in before noon - so have had a relaxing afternoon.  The views are undescribeable....something that you would see in a picture.  Our camera shots will not do it justice we are sure.  The mornings have been very cool - you see your breath as you walk - so only 3 to 5 degrees.  Everyone is layered up except some adventurous couple who insist on walking in shorts - first thing in the morning, the rest are in long pants or at least capris and still cold.

We have become creative with our meals, today, we stopped at one village and ordered our coffee, tea or soft drink and then had a picnic - with cheese, tuna, figs, crackers and all sorts of other goodies.  We are careful to not over indulge on the figs, this can be an issue if it does.  Everyone is getting very comfortable with each other, it is quite nice.

Along this journey, we have noticed that town, city (of course) and even the little villages all have churches.  It is obviously a very important part of their lives.  We walked up to the cross at the top of the hill past O'Cebreiro and were treated to even more spectacular views of the village and the countryside.  A fellow was playing his bagpipes as we walked back to the village, we were piped in - it was awesome.  We are now in the Galicia region and will be treated to a few rainy days according to the forecast.  Tomorrow's trek is about 22 km or so and no matter where we look at the forecast, it all points to wind and rain.  It will be tricky going downhill (some of it rather steep) if it is raining.

We are able to eat our supper meal early tonight (5:30).  Many of us are struggling to get a good night's sleep - maybe because we are too hot/cold, snoring roommates, no roommates, short beds, eating too late or a number of other things, so hopefully, we all get a good night's rest and are ready for the journey tomorrow.  Cheers for now, Sandy

Day 5 - Oct 2 - the ascent

Well, pleasantly surprised that today's journey was only 17.5 km (approximately), we got in a noon to Vega de Valcarce (about 1/3 or more of our journey)... We have enough time to do laundry and hang it to dry.  Some of the group walked along the river, one road the bus part way, the rest did the camino duro (along the ridge).  The vertical ascent was a killer, but the ridge trail was along the chestnut groves and was well worth the grinding climb.  We took a detour (unintended) to a bar/coffeeshop following the yellow camino arrows.  We saw huge squash and pumpkins (weighing 30 pounds or more), of course, could not fit it in our backpack, so they stayed in the field.  The detour was worth it as it had great coffee and a clean washroom.  Back on the trail, the views were spectular - there was an obvious forest fire - as all the charred rubble was evident everywhere.  The purples crocus and green ferns regenerating the forest added a nice contract to the charred wood. We are getting brillant and adventurous at taking risks, we took a shortcut!!!!! It was across someone's garden plot, down a steep embankment, through some electric fence  and we finished up along the old highway along the river.  Sandy was prevented from stealing the billygoat as the guard dog was quite fierce looking with a furious bark!  We saw a lot of people picking (rather raking chestnuts) and the forestry is quite beautiful.  We cannot believe the greenery, once we passed the burned area.  It reminds me abit of New Zealand - north island - very lush!

Our experiences - we had another face plant (well almost) in the field (some hidden wire jumped up and tripped one colleague (not me...just saying).  We have been keeping the pharmacy busy with swollen ankles, allergic type rashes, blisters, and other aches and pains.  Thankfully, the pharmacist speaks and understands English.  We went to eat at this restaurant that had a Menu del dia (menu of the day - often for the pilgrims), but no one spoke English.   They had no menus for us to view, but the owner tried to explain what they were serving and our choices, we got by with gestures and our poor knowledge of Spanish and had a terrific meal with all seven of us ordering the same things.  We had a nice fellow from Frankfurt join us (he was alone) and had a lovely meal with local wine.  Rashes are starting to clear, we are getting into our own rythmns and still enjoying each other's company.  We are learning more about each other at every supper meal, never learning more about our colleagues.  Tomorrow will be very challenging as our ascent is very steep and we have been forwarned of the challenges.  We hope the weather stays clear with no rain (as this is in the forecast). Chow for now, Sandy

Day 4, October 1 - the incidents

What an amazing day, the lazy pilgrims only started our day at 8:15 - can you imagine!  Tried to find an open coffee shop - no luck, so we just walked out way out of the city of Ponferrada and on our way again.  Today's hike was pretty incredible - walking through the orchards and vineyards only 25.31 km - a breeze compared to yesterday.  We walked in a very chilly morning and fog...in fact we did not disrobe (take of any layers) until close to noon.  The apples, lemons, tomatoes, walnuts, figs, plums, pears and then the vineyards....the concord grapes off the vine were absolutelyl delicious....many of us need to repent again.  Can you imagine being surrounded by all of this and being able to feast on all this fresh fruit and produce.  The squash, pumpkins and zucchini were huge.  The landscape of rolling hills and side hills with rows and rows of grapes were so incredible to see - it looked like pictures, there is no way that our photography can capture the beauty of what we saw.  Despite the rolling contour of the land, the ups and downs, the beauty of the view made todays' journey somehow "just a walk in the fields".  I have to say again, the concord grapes were so delicious and sweet - just devine - alas I need to repent again!

However, today's journey was not without its mishaps.  To start with, a faceplant in the middle of a busy highway - (name withheld to protect the colleague impacted (not me)) taught us a valuable lesson...keep one eye on the ground and one on the pathway ahead, not sure that this would have helped, though.  We are glad to report, there was no serious injury and only a few blood drops were left on the thoroughfare.  We are usually jaywalking, but this time we actually waited for the light to turn green, thankfully.  Secondly, walking this length of distance encourages us to have frequent rest stops along the way, usually in the villages we walk through.  Today was no exception.  As we stopped for a lunch break, many decided to remove their footwear and air their toes.  Others, proceeded to walk barefoot in the one grassy spot in the entire village only to find out that dogs also enjoyed the green grass and left evidence of their enjoyment.  Unfortunately, this evidence ended up on the bottom of the barefoot of some unsuspecting colleague....oh yuck!!!!  Oh well, nothing that our rolls of toilet tissue in our knapsack and handsantizer couldn't fix.  Lastly, our colleague, who decided to take a bus for the last part of journey, was unable to locate our accommodations - this is only a town of 3500.  She made about an extra 9 km walking up and down the streets, asking everyone she met where this place was, even using her google translation off her iphone which did not help her.  We were finally able to find her in the plaza, enjoying a beverage with her new found Irish friend, about an hour after we arrived.  Good news, we all survived the day and enjoyed a menu de dia (menu of the day for pilgrims) with each other as we recounted the day.  Oh - we are so blessed to have experienced the beauty of the day and enjoy the fruits of the season!  Tomorrow should only be about 20 km, however, I would suspect it will end up to be closed to 25.  So far, in 4 days, we have walked 112.68 km.  We will all need new hiking shoes soon.  Chow for now, Sandy