Paul´s dinner in Melide with our four Spanish friends must have been quite an event. I am told, because by this point, I was sound asleep. They went to a local restaurant know for its pulpo...octopus. Apparently, a 70-something year old woman smashes the octopus with a mallet. There appears to be some technique that goes along with this procedure that this woman possesses. Mash it too hard and it´s ruined, not hard enough and it doesn´t taste very good. According to Paul, dinner was actually quite good. And as usual, there was quite a lot of drinking involved. Since I was not there, I became the object of a lot of toasts by our friends. Paul says they bent their elbows quite a bit toasting me. I think any excuse would have sufficed.
The next morning started much like it ended. It had rained all night and showed no sign of letting up. We went downstairs for breakfast. Our friends Fernando, Jose, Jose Maria and Francisco were already eating and trying to decide what to do. They were on a tight schedule. They had to a 7:30 flight that evening out of Santiago back to Barcelona. Jose had a flat tire so they quickly changed it, hoping the rain would let up. It didn´t. With 50 kilometers left to Santiago, they decided to take a bus in, rather than risk their flight. They asked us to join them, but Paul and I begged off. After riding so far on our own power, we did not want to make the last leg of our journey by bus.
We wished our new friends well and said we hoped to see them once again, perhaps in Barcelona. As they took off, Paul and I nursed our coffees while we decided what to do. The night´s rest had done me a world of good. My legs definitely felt better. But I did not relish riding my bike in the pouring rain. We talked over our options. We could spend the day in Melide and hope the weather cleared the next day. However that came with no guarentee. We could just go and try to push ahead. I did not like that option. As we sat without making a decision, the rain started to slow down. We waited another half an hour. The rain appeared to be letting up, so we decided to try to reach Arzua, about 15 kilometers away. We would make a final call there. Once we passed Arzua, there would be no stopping without turning back and neither of us wanted to go backwards.
We packed up our bikes in the drizzle and started walking through town. We stopped at a small store and bought some rain ponchos. I also had a garbage bag with me, so I crafted a rain coat out of it and put it under my jacket and put the rain poncho over my jacket. It did not feel as cool as the day before, so Paul and I pushed off towards Arzua.
The biking did not feel too bad. My legs seemed to be holding out okay. The only problem was on the downhills. When you were moving slowly, the rain felt like a drizzle. When you picked up speed on the downhill, the rain felt like a driving storm. It made it hard to see. Because of the rain, we opted to stay on the road, which I hated. The traffic flew by at un-godly speeds and everywhere were the reminders of those drivers that didn´t quite make the turns. Littered next to the road were the smashed and broken remains of the markers that were supposed to show where the edge of the road lay. I definitely did not feel safe riding along side the road with the occasional hubcap and shattered glass also decorating the journey.
When we reached Arzua, the rain subsided. Paul and I made the call to push on ahead to Santiago. We looked at our map and decided to try some of the camino a little further up the road. We left our point of no return and headed off for the final stretch.
We wound our way through some of the camino path. Although it had rained, the ground was not too soft, so even though it was a little slower going than on the road, I felt a lot safer. I was also starting to have some brake trouble. My back ones were not holding to well and my front one kept popping out. Before every downhill, I had to check to make sure the front brake was attached.
As we rode on, the day actually became rather pleasant. The rain stopped and the sun attempted to break through the clouds. As we peddled on the camino, we passed various pilgrims along the way and wished them a ¨buen camino.¨ The path was surrounded with eucalyptus groves, ferns and ivies everywhere. It was beautiful riding.
We decided to stop for lunch at a little bar by the side of the road, where the camino crossed over. While eating, we met a lovely American woman who was one day away from completing her camino. She had been walking for 29 days and the next day would be in Santiago. We enjoyed chatting with her and hearing of her plans. After the camino and a vacation, she would be spending the next 7 months or so traveling through Asia and other foreign locales. We wished her well and told her we might see her in Santiago and would enjoy a celebratory drink should we see her again.
It seemed as if we only had about another 10 kilometers to go. But it seemed to take us forever. We arrived at the Monte de Gozo, where every pilgrim first sets eyes on the city of Santiago. After more than 10 days on the road, peddling more than 700 kilometers, it definitely was a welcome sight. We spent some time exploring. There was a giant monument commemorating John Paul II and his trip to Santiago in 1993. We also savored the fact that our evening would end with no more biking!
We headed off down the hill. Paul quickly reached the bottom and I gingerly followed as the hill was steep. We turned the corner and reached another downhill. Again, I stopped to check my front brakes and continued on down. However, even though I had connected the brakes, the first time I pulled on them, they popped out! Now at this point, I continued to pick up speed downhill. I had a death grip on the back brakes to no avail. The bike was not slowing down. At the bottom of the hill was a house. To the right was a drop off and to the left, a patch of grass with trees. My only thought was to get the bike to slow down. I dropped my right foot and started trying to drag it to slow down, but my biking sandal kept jumping off the road. I started to turn towards the grass in the hopes that if I had to crash it would cushion the blow. All I kept thinking was how ridiculous to come so far just to crash before I actually arrived in Santiago. I jammed my foot down again and managed to keep it down on the ground. The bike started slowing down. I finally came to a stop. I must say that I have never been so scared in my whole life. That free-falling, out of control feeling was absolutely terrifying. Trying to figure out a way to crash was not something I hope to ever experience again.
I got off my bike and started walking down the hill. Paul was waiting for down some steps. I told him what happened and said I preferred to walk the rest of the way into town.
Our arrival into Santiago was a bit of a let down. The entry into the city was absolutely torn up. The roads, the side walks...everything was one big mess. We were both amazed at how unpleasant the city appeared. With this being a Jubilee year and a record number of pilgrims expected, we couldn´t believe that this would be a year they would decide to do major renovations. We wound our way through the chaos.
We kept looking for the yellow arrows which would land us at our ultimate destination...the Cathedral of Santiago. We finally found the directions for the old quarters of town and made our way through the winding tiny streets. This area started to redeem the image of the city. The old streets were beautiful. We finally wended our way down a large set of stairs under a bridge. We passed a young man playing a bagpipe. As we learned on our journey, Galicia has a very strong celtic background and it is reflected in its music and design.
The bottom of the stairs opened up into a large plaza and as we turned in, we found ourselves in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. We had arrived at our destination.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Monday, June 21, 2004
Samos and On....or not!
Our arrival in Samos was extremely welcome. We wanted nothing more than a very hot shower and a drink to warm the spirit. On the advice of some biking Spaniards who we had been seeing along our journey, they recommended a lovely casa rural for our night´s stay. These casas are very similar to our bed and breakfast and this one in particular was quite lovely.
We went exploring through the tiny town, whose main focus is a beautiful monastery located in the center of town. As we were walking around, there seemed to be quite a bit of local traffic. The people were dressed to the nines and we quickly surmised there was a wedding at the church next to the monastery.
We continued our explorations and found a tiny chapel. A guide inside explained that it dated back to the 9th century! She filled us in on many of the details of the chapel which was quite simple in its design.
Paul and I decided to go to dinner, but in the meantime, I found an internet local to post and so he had a couple of beers while I wrote my tome of the day. As I was crossing the street to join him, I ran into the four Spanish gentlemen and they asked where we were dining. I pointed to the little bar, which was very working class, and they absolutely insisted we dine where they were headed. It seems the four belong to a bicycle club, of which they are the only four members. They had biked part of the camino 11 years ago and were now completing the last leg of the journey.
We had an extremely enjoyable dinner. There was a lot of food, a lot of laughs and a lot of drinks. As Jose said, Spaniards live to eat! Again, after dinner, there was an argument as they would not allow us to pay for dinner. They insisted. Upon comparing notes, we were headed to the same end destination the next day and Paul insisted he was taking them out to dinner. The evening was late and it was time to turn in.
The morning was cloudy when we left, which made for good biking weather. We followed the road out of town for a while and then decided to follow the camino. It was absolutely spectacular scenery that wound through tiny little farm hamlets. Galicia is very green and also wet. Part of the day was spent in a fine mist but it was not too bad. Although the riding was enjoyable, it was also hard work. Some of the trails appeared to be nothing more than paths for the heavy rain. They were heavily filled with large stones so it was a lot of walking and pushing again. Our morning took a lot longer than expected and we were falling behind schedule. To top it off, Paul had a slow leak in his tire. We kept stopping to pump it up until we could find a cafe or bar for lunch. We finally found one and Paul changed the tire.
Because the trip had been enjoyable but very slow, we found the road and headed into Portomarin. We made a few wrong turns. A yellow arrow usually marks the path of Santiago, but a lot of times it´s like playing "Where´s Waldo" and trying to find that darned yellow arrow. We finally coasted in Portomarin but decided to push on so as to make up some time.
The morning´s ride, however, took its toll on my legs. Rather, I guess the two previous day´s rides had done me in. The ride out of Portomarin was straight up hill and my legs could no longer peddle. I had to push my bike up even the slightest hill. To top it off it soon started raining. With my legs screaming to quit and the rain drenching us, we continued to push on very slowly. Paul would ride ahead and wait at the top of the climb and then gravity would take us down hill. In order to get to our next stop, we still had a long way to go. On those climbs up the hill, my mind kept screaming for us to stop and yet we continued. We finally arrived in Melide, drenched, cold and exhausted. My only thought was a hot bath and bed. Paul went to meet our Spanish friends for dinner. I begged off and after a good hot soak and a muscle relaxant and pain reliever, I promptly went to sleep.
Paul came in later and told me they had a wonderful time at dinner. More later about this later as we are trying to make it to Santiago in a timely manner.
We went exploring through the tiny town, whose main focus is a beautiful monastery located in the center of town. As we were walking around, there seemed to be quite a bit of local traffic. The people were dressed to the nines and we quickly surmised there was a wedding at the church next to the monastery.
We continued our explorations and found a tiny chapel. A guide inside explained that it dated back to the 9th century! She filled us in on many of the details of the chapel which was quite simple in its design.
Paul and I decided to go to dinner, but in the meantime, I found an internet local to post and so he had a couple of beers while I wrote my tome of the day. As I was crossing the street to join him, I ran into the four Spanish gentlemen and they asked where we were dining. I pointed to the little bar, which was very working class, and they absolutely insisted we dine where they were headed. It seems the four belong to a bicycle club, of which they are the only four members. They had biked part of the camino 11 years ago and were now completing the last leg of the journey.
We had an extremely enjoyable dinner. There was a lot of food, a lot of laughs and a lot of drinks. As Jose said, Spaniards live to eat! Again, after dinner, there was an argument as they would not allow us to pay for dinner. They insisted. Upon comparing notes, we were headed to the same end destination the next day and Paul insisted he was taking them out to dinner. The evening was late and it was time to turn in.
The morning was cloudy when we left, which made for good biking weather. We followed the road out of town for a while and then decided to follow the camino. It was absolutely spectacular scenery that wound through tiny little farm hamlets. Galicia is very green and also wet. Part of the day was spent in a fine mist but it was not too bad. Although the riding was enjoyable, it was also hard work. Some of the trails appeared to be nothing more than paths for the heavy rain. They were heavily filled with large stones so it was a lot of walking and pushing again. Our morning took a lot longer than expected and we were falling behind schedule. To top it off, Paul had a slow leak in his tire. We kept stopping to pump it up until we could find a cafe or bar for lunch. We finally found one and Paul changed the tire.
Because the trip had been enjoyable but very slow, we found the road and headed into Portomarin. We made a few wrong turns. A yellow arrow usually marks the path of Santiago, but a lot of times it´s like playing "Where´s Waldo" and trying to find that darned yellow arrow. We finally coasted in Portomarin but decided to push on so as to make up some time.
The morning´s ride, however, took its toll on my legs. Rather, I guess the two previous day´s rides had done me in. The ride out of Portomarin was straight up hill and my legs could no longer peddle. I had to push my bike up even the slightest hill. To top it off it soon started raining. With my legs screaming to quit and the rain drenching us, we continued to push on very slowly. Paul would ride ahead and wait at the top of the climb and then gravity would take us down hill. In order to get to our next stop, we still had a long way to go. On those climbs up the hill, my mind kept screaming for us to stop and yet we continued. We finally arrived in Melide, drenched, cold and exhausted. My only thought was a hot bath and bed. Paul went to meet our Spanish friends for dinner. I begged off and after a good hot soak and a muscle relaxant and pain reliever, I promptly went to sleep.
Paul came in later and told me they had a wonderful time at dinner. More later about this later as we are trying to make it to Santiago in a timely manner.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Some miscellaneous notes!
Paul has been reading these posts after the fact. As such, he wants me to put a disclaimer that if he had been posting, some of the entries would have a decidely different tone, especially those regarding him. My reply...to the blogger goes the history.
I feel there is so much I am leaving out, I hope to add later memorable moments that due to time I haven´t included.
For instance, one image that I will remember always....we were riding into an extremely small village. There was a rather overgrown park with a children´s slide. On a bench in this park was a tiny, older Spanish couple. He was dressed in what looked like his best wool jacket and vest and she had on her dress. At her feet, lay a dog. As they sat on the bench, she was lovingly combing her husband´s hair. How long had they been married? How many times had that same scene played itself out? I´ll never know the details, but I really didn´t need to.
Again, I hope to add many more of these plus, I´m sure many that Paul has as well.
Until later,
Cristina and Paul
I feel there is so much I am leaving out, I hope to add later memorable moments that due to time I haven´t included.
For instance, one image that I will remember always....we were riding into an extremely small village. There was a rather overgrown park with a children´s slide. On a bench in this park was a tiny, older Spanish couple. He was dressed in what looked like his best wool jacket and vest and she had on her dress. At her feet, lay a dog. As they sat on the bench, she was lovingly combing her husband´s hair. How long had they been married? How many times had that same scene played itself out? I´ll never know the details, but I really didn´t need to.
Again, I hope to add many more of these plus, I´m sure many that Paul has as well.
Until later,
Cristina and Paul
What a Hard Day!!!
Last night, after we arrived for our night´s stop, Paul immediately headed to the bike shop. He had been having trouble again. At the shop, they had to replace nearly all the spokes on his back tire. No wonder he struggled yesterday. The repairs were crucial as we faced our biggest challenge the next day.
Today was probably our hardest day of biking...or rather I should say walking. We climbed over the mountain into Galicia, the last province we will be crossing before we arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
The day started overcast and slightly windy, but we were encouraged that our ride, although climbing, seemed easy. We knew that would change. As we wound our way through the various villages, we passed many pilgrims who were also starting out to the top of the mountain. As we looked up, the tops of the mountains were cloud-covered.
We enjoyed the first part of the day´s ride and stopped to take quite a few pictures. This was fortuitous. As Paul was taking one photo, a few pilgrims were walking by. I like to ask where people are from. One woman answered she was from Barcelona. The next woman looked at me and said she did not understand spanish, so I asked in English and she became very excited! She said she had heard very little English on her journey. When I asked her where she was from, she said Michigan. I told her Paul and I lived in Michigan for a number of years and asked where in Michigan. As one of those small world moments go, it turns out she hailed from Ann Arbor as did we for many years. We spent quite a while talking to her and marveling that we passed her home on a daily basis and many time while riding bikes with the kids downtown. We probably attended the same church and yet here we were next to a field in the middle of Spain and just now meeting. Quite an incredible experience. We wished her well on her journey, she expected to take another couple of weeks to her journey´s end, we hoped to finish in a couple of more days.
As we headed up the hill, the climb started to get harder. I told Paul I would meet him at the top and off he rode. It became apparent that I would be walking up and pushing my bike. The grade was too steep and I could walk faster than I could bike. At some point, the walkers took a different path. I continued on the road and soon found myself alone with my thoughts. Since I´d been listening to myself for quite a bit on this trip already, I decided to pull out my cd player and listen to some music. I brought along some Led Zepplin to help on the expected arduous climbs. Unfortunately, my batteries were dead. Back to my own thoughts.
I took my time pushing up the hill. At one point, I was passed by a couple peddling up the hill. They waved, wished me a "Buen Camino" and promptly disappeared up the road. There were many memorable images as I climbed....passing a cow by the side of the road. She willingly posed for a picture next to my bike. Looking back and watching the valley disappear gave me some hope the top was just around the corner. Several kilometers later and I was still pushing.
As I climbed, the temperature was dropping decidely. It was an interesting constrast. I was extremely hot and sweaty and yet it was getting colder and colder. I finally reached a point where the road was starting to disappear into the mist of the clouds. Probably a low moment for me because at that point, I didn´t know how much higher I had to push. At one section, I could not see the road any further than twenty feet in front of my bike. I felt like I was in Brigadoon and when I came out through the mist on the other side, my bike would turn into a donkey and I would be in medieval times doing the Camino. (Perhaps you can surmise now why I would rather listen to Led Zepplin than listen to my own thoughts.)
Anyway, the climb eventually ended. The cold did not. It was a bone-chilling mist. At the top of the mountain is a very old village that must be quite beautiful in good weather. I found Paul in a nice warm bar and he told me he had to walk up as well. We stopped for a short while and then wanted down the mountain as quickly as possible to some warmer weather. That is a double-edged wish. To get down the mountain quickly is to experience frigid wind-chill. It was horribly cold.
We have arrived at Samos, our destination for the night. While it was probably one of our more shorter journeys, it was also our most challenging. It is time for dinner and then off for a good night´s and well deserved rest.
Cristina and Paul
Today was probably our hardest day of biking...or rather I should say walking. We climbed over the mountain into Galicia, the last province we will be crossing before we arrive in Santiago de Compostela.
The day started overcast and slightly windy, but we were encouraged that our ride, although climbing, seemed easy. We knew that would change. As we wound our way through the various villages, we passed many pilgrims who were also starting out to the top of the mountain. As we looked up, the tops of the mountains were cloud-covered.
We enjoyed the first part of the day´s ride and stopped to take quite a few pictures. This was fortuitous. As Paul was taking one photo, a few pilgrims were walking by. I like to ask where people are from. One woman answered she was from Barcelona. The next woman looked at me and said she did not understand spanish, so I asked in English and she became very excited! She said she had heard very little English on her journey. When I asked her where she was from, she said Michigan. I told her Paul and I lived in Michigan for a number of years and asked where in Michigan. As one of those small world moments go, it turns out she hailed from Ann Arbor as did we for many years. We spent quite a while talking to her and marveling that we passed her home on a daily basis and many time while riding bikes with the kids downtown. We probably attended the same church and yet here we were next to a field in the middle of Spain and just now meeting. Quite an incredible experience. We wished her well on her journey, she expected to take another couple of weeks to her journey´s end, we hoped to finish in a couple of more days.
As we headed up the hill, the climb started to get harder. I told Paul I would meet him at the top and off he rode. It became apparent that I would be walking up and pushing my bike. The grade was too steep and I could walk faster than I could bike. At some point, the walkers took a different path. I continued on the road and soon found myself alone with my thoughts. Since I´d been listening to myself for quite a bit on this trip already, I decided to pull out my cd player and listen to some music. I brought along some Led Zepplin to help on the expected arduous climbs. Unfortunately, my batteries were dead. Back to my own thoughts.
I took my time pushing up the hill. At one point, I was passed by a couple peddling up the hill. They waved, wished me a "Buen Camino" and promptly disappeared up the road. There were many memorable images as I climbed....passing a cow by the side of the road. She willingly posed for a picture next to my bike. Looking back and watching the valley disappear gave me some hope the top was just around the corner. Several kilometers later and I was still pushing.
As I climbed, the temperature was dropping decidely. It was an interesting constrast. I was extremely hot and sweaty and yet it was getting colder and colder. I finally reached a point where the road was starting to disappear into the mist of the clouds. Probably a low moment for me because at that point, I didn´t know how much higher I had to push. At one section, I could not see the road any further than twenty feet in front of my bike. I felt like I was in Brigadoon and when I came out through the mist on the other side, my bike would turn into a donkey and I would be in medieval times doing the Camino. (Perhaps you can surmise now why I would rather listen to Led Zepplin than listen to my own thoughts.)
Anyway, the climb eventually ended. The cold did not. It was a bone-chilling mist. At the top of the mountain is a very old village that must be quite beautiful in good weather. I found Paul in a nice warm bar and he told me he had to walk up as well. We stopped for a short while and then wanted down the mountain as quickly as possible to some warmer weather. That is a double-edged wish. To get down the mountain quickly is to experience frigid wind-chill. It was horribly cold.
We have arrived at Samos, our destination for the night. While it was probably one of our more shorter journeys, it was also our most challenging. It is time for dinner and then off for a good night´s and well deserved rest.
Cristina and Paul
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
We are Passed the Half Way Point!!!
It is absolutely incredible. We have reached the halfway point of our journey. Paul and I are enjoying two much needed days of rest in the city of Leon. We are staying within the old quarters, which is filled with tiny streets, lots of outdoor cafes and bars. The large Gothic Cathedral sits on top of the hill of this section of town and just fills the sky. It is huge.
The above graph was written while we were enjoying a two day rest in Leon. I then spent another hour writing down a lot of descriptions of our trip. As I went to post, it vanished into the ether. Since the locutorio was closing and it was time for dinner, the post was lost until today. I shall try to recreate our impressions, but it is so difficult to remember the many images and impressions of this glorious trip. Suffice to say that it has been one of the most amazing experience we have both shared.
I just re-read what I had posted previously, so to update...last time I posted, we were in Santo Domingo de la Calzado splurging at the Parador. It was a beautiful state run 4-star hotel that used to be a pilgrim hospital and way station that was just spectacular. It is reported that St. Francis of Assisi passed and stayed there on one of his many journeys. My strongest image is of sitting on the bidet in the beautiful marble bathroom handwashing clothes in the tub.
In all these small villages, Paul and I enjoy arriving, washing off all the dust from the day´s journey and heading to the plaza for a cool drink. I think it is our favorite time of day. Paul says any future vacation, doing the same thing will pale in comparison after this trip because we won´t feel like we earned that drink! We definitely find it to be so enjoyable and relaxing after a hard day´s ride.
At this point in our journey, we started traveling on the camino itself, often a dusty backroad filled with stones and rocks. It makes the traveling more challenging, but we have also started seeing more and more peregrinos (pilgrims). Most of them are walking, but we have also started meeting others who are biking like we were. As Paul is in better shape, he tends to ride on up ahead and it´s nice to travel where there are others. This is helpful especially when I´ve had trouble with my bike. Leaving Santo Domingo, I stopped because I had dropped my ring. Of course, my bike fell over. After I picked it up, something was wrong and I couldn´t get it moving. As I was fiddling with it, two young men stopped and asked to help. They determined that the brake lines were all messed up and had frozen the brake on the wheel. The problem was quickly fixed. It turns out they were Brazilian and also biking the Camino. They rode up ahead and told Paul and I soon caught up.
There are many nationalities along the camino. We have met people from Holland, Scotland, Australia, Germany, Japan as well as many French and Spaniards. It is fun to stop and try to chat with people, most of whom speak very little English or Spanish. Most of the time, it becomes a wave of the hand and a "Buen Camino".
During this part of the journey, Paul and I had a miscommunication that caused us to get separated....he kept on going up the hill, I thought he was waiting for me in the next village. As I waited down below, he was waiting at the top. I finally started pushing my bike up the hill...it was a steep grade with very little shoulder and lots of fast moving trucks. At the start of the climb, there had been an accident earlier in the day...a truck lost control and plowed over the guardrail, spilling its entire load of fruit into a ravine. Needless to say, I was not thrilled about walking 3 kilometers up hill, but the camino path was even more arduous, so up I pushed and I figured Paul and I would connect somewhere. At the top of the hill, the camino path was just off the road so I quickly rode to join the path where I knew I would see people. As I was taking a small break, two Spaniards rode by and stopped to ask if I was okay. I explained I had lost my husband somewhere. One of them looked at me and shrugged and said, ¨that might be a bad thing or it might be a good thing!" That gave me a good chuckle. We started riding down the trail, which was just spectacular. They soon outdistanced me and I traveled down the path alone. As I was passing a walker, he turned and asked in halting English if I was Cristina. He then explained that Paul was up ahead on the trail and would meet me at the next stop. As I rode along several people did the same thing. Paul and I met up at a tiny little way station with a bar. He determined that while I was waiting for an hour at the bottom of the hill, he was waiting at the top. In any case, all ended well with a quick beer.
Our journey´s end for the day was in Burgos, a wonderful city that we had visited before. On our way into the city, we met up with the Brazilians again and traveled together. They liked to chat with us, which Paul and I found funny because we told them we didn´t understand Portuguese. That didn´t faze them in the least. They kept right on talking...in Portuquese. Somehow, we found our way to the center of town. Paul wanted to by them a beer but they were going further on. Perhaps we´ll see them in route to Santiago.
After our miserable second day, traveling could not have been any better. The winds were at our backs, it was terrific cycling weather...cool enough but not too cold. As we left Burgos, the scenery started changing. The verdant wheat fields waving as the wind whispered on them started turning amber and honey-colored, the ground ochre and rust-colored. The hills started to vanish and everything flattened out. Because the riding was so good, we changed our plans. Instead of taking three days to reach Leon, we did it in two. We spent two days covering more than 200 kilometers.
Our midpoint to Leon was a tiny little town called Carrion de los Condes. There were ran into another couple we had been passing on the road, Juana and Antonio. They were a lovely spanish couple who was doing the camino for the second time. The first time, they did the route called the Via de Plata (or the Silver Route) which comes up from the south. They started their journey some 500 kilometers before Paul and I did and were mountain biking the entire camino. That night in Carrion, we shared a wonderful dinner of local specialties and great bottle of wine. After dinner there was a small argument because they insisted on paying for dinner. Paul and I argued to no avail. We asked them to join us in Leon for dinner, our treat. Juana said we should not feel obligated to return the favor. I explained it was their obligation to allow us to entertain them. Unfortunately, we did not see them once we got to Leon, but we hope to somewhere along the road to Santiago.
In Leon, we spent a much needed day of rest. It was nice to be able to sleep in and not have to jump on a bike. On our first night, we shared dinner with two American couples we also spent time with in Burgos. Paul had been sharing emails with Charles regarding our journey and we found we would be along the path at the same time. Charles was traveling with his companion, Anna, and friends Dwayne and Mina, who were on their honeymoon! The next night, Paul and I had the most wonderful dinner in a little plaza in the old gothic quarter of Leon. As hard as we try, we never seem to be able to start our dinner before 9:00 at night. Rested up, we left Leon with the realization that we were starting our most challenging part of the journey.
As we left Leon, the amber fields started to change to back to rolling hills that were untilled. The wind was not so favorable and the heat was starting to rise. The day´s journey was shorter than previous days but definitely starting to get more challenging as the road started to climb. Many of the people we started our day with finished in Astorga, but Paul and I pushed on to Rabanal del Camino, a very tiny village at the base of our first long climb into Galicia.
We continue to be amazed that people actually live in some of these villages. Many of the houses look abandoned or on the verge of collapse and right next to them, you will find a home that looks lovingly cared for with a new door and flowing flower pots on the balcony.
Rabanal del Camino is a very tiny village with not much more than two hotels and a hostel for Pilgrims. It is very easy to see how it is a way station along the way for pilgrims. The first set of mountains looms over the village. Our hotel was quite striking, but it seemed almost cruel that after a long day of climbing, our room was on the third floor, with no elevator. Once we got to our room, we discovered that it right under the roof and we had to watch our heads or we would bump them into the sloping ceiling.
This morning, we started our first challenging climb up the mountain. The tilled fields are no more and instead, there is lots of scrub brush and wizened trees covered with lichen. I gave Paul permission to head to the top, I would get there when I could. Off he went with a group of other cyclists to the top of the mountain. I, in turn, took my time up the road. There were many pilgrims who left from Rabanal that morning and I passed them on the road. I stopped to walk with an older German woman we met the day before. This was her second time walking the camino. She said the experience was much different this time because her chakras were in orange and red and that meant she was much more grounded. I just found it amazing that she would walk it twice!
The ascent was gradual so I was able to ride up almost the entire way, which surprised me. Paul discovered once again that he had bike trouble. For the second time, he had broken a spoke and his brake had been rubbing the wheel the entire time up. Because we were headed down, he didn´t want to fiddle with the brake, but definitely needed to have it fixed before our really big climb tomorrow.
At the top, we spent time enjoying the view and a rather post with an iron cross at the top. Tradition has it that you leave rocks at the base of the cross with your names or wishes for good luck. Paul and I left four sandstones with Jack, Leigh, Tom and Peter´s names etched into them. After a few pictures, we heade down the mountain. Many people urged caution as the descent was steep and winding.
After the hard climb, it was exhilirating to fly down the mountain. We stopped along the way to take lots of pictures, the scenery was just breath-taking. We passed through some more beautiful villages, stopped for a beer and a snack and finally ended our trip in Villafrance del Bierzo. It´s a beautiful village at the base of our next climb. It reminds me almost of a swiss village. Many of the houses look like chalets. Right on schedule we arrived in time to shower and head down to the plaza for some cool refreshments. Tomorrow could be a challenge, it´s an 11 kilometer climb. Hopefully, at the end of the day´s journey, I´ll find a ciber-cafe so I can post again. Until then,
Cristina and Paul
The above graph was written while we were enjoying a two day rest in Leon. I then spent another hour writing down a lot of descriptions of our trip. As I went to post, it vanished into the ether. Since the locutorio was closing and it was time for dinner, the post was lost until today. I shall try to recreate our impressions, but it is so difficult to remember the many images and impressions of this glorious trip. Suffice to say that it has been one of the most amazing experience we have both shared.
I just re-read what I had posted previously, so to update...last time I posted, we were in Santo Domingo de la Calzado splurging at the Parador. It was a beautiful state run 4-star hotel that used to be a pilgrim hospital and way station that was just spectacular. It is reported that St. Francis of Assisi passed and stayed there on one of his many journeys. My strongest image is of sitting on the bidet in the beautiful marble bathroom handwashing clothes in the tub.
In all these small villages, Paul and I enjoy arriving, washing off all the dust from the day´s journey and heading to the plaza for a cool drink. I think it is our favorite time of day. Paul says any future vacation, doing the same thing will pale in comparison after this trip because we won´t feel like we earned that drink! We definitely find it to be so enjoyable and relaxing after a hard day´s ride.
At this point in our journey, we started traveling on the camino itself, often a dusty backroad filled with stones and rocks. It makes the traveling more challenging, but we have also started seeing more and more peregrinos (pilgrims). Most of them are walking, but we have also started meeting others who are biking like we were. As Paul is in better shape, he tends to ride on up ahead and it´s nice to travel where there are others. This is helpful especially when I´ve had trouble with my bike. Leaving Santo Domingo, I stopped because I had dropped my ring. Of course, my bike fell over. After I picked it up, something was wrong and I couldn´t get it moving. As I was fiddling with it, two young men stopped and asked to help. They determined that the brake lines were all messed up and had frozen the brake on the wheel. The problem was quickly fixed. It turns out they were Brazilian and also biking the Camino. They rode up ahead and told Paul and I soon caught up.
There are many nationalities along the camino. We have met people from Holland, Scotland, Australia, Germany, Japan as well as many French and Spaniards. It is fun to stop and try to chat with people, most of whom speak very little English or Spanish. Most of the time, it becomes a wave of the hand and a "Buen Camino".
During this part of the journey, Paul and I had a miscommunication that caused us to get separated....he kept on going up the hill, I thought he was waiting for me in the next village. As I waited down below, he was waiting at the top. I finally started pushing my bike up the hill...it was a steep grade with very little shoulder and lots of fast moving trucks. At the start of the climb, there had been an accident earlier in the day...a truck lost control and plowed over the guardrail, spilling its entire load of fruit into a ravine. Needless to say, I was not thrilled about walking 3 kilometers up hill, but the camino path was even more arduous, so up I pushed and I figured Paul and I would connect somewhere. At the top of the hill, the camino path was just off the road so I quickly rode to join the path where I knew I would see people. As I was taking a small break, two Spaniards rode by and stopped to ask if I was okay. I explained I had lost my husband somewhere. One of them looked at me and shrugged and said, ¨that might be a bad thing or it might be a good thing!" That gave me a good chuckle. We started riding down the trail, which was just spectacular. They soon outdistanced me and I traveled down the path alone. As I was passing a walker, he turned and asked in halting English if I was Cristina. He then explained that Paul was up ahead on the trail and would meet me at the next stop. As I rode along several people did the same thing. Paul and I met up at a tiny little way station with a bar. He determined that while I was waiting for an hour at the bottom of the hill, he was waiting at the top. In any case, all ended well with a quick beer.
Our journey´s end for the day was in Burgos, a wonderful city that we had visited before. On our way into the city, we met up with the Brazilians again and traveled together. They liked to chat with us, which Paul and I found funny because we told them we didn´t understand Portuguese. That didn´t faze them in the least. They kept right on talking...in Portuquese. Somehow, we found our way to the center of town. Paul wanted to by them a beer but they were going further on. Perhaps we´ll see them in route to Santiago.
After our miserable second day, traveling could not have been any better. The winds were at our backs, it was terrific cycling weather...cool enough but not too cold. As we left Burgos, the scenery started changing. The verdant wheat fields waving as the wind whispered on them started turning amber and honey-colored, the ground ochre and rust-colored. The hills started to vanish and everything flattened out. Because the riding was so good, we changed our plans. Instead of taking three days to reach Leon, we did it in two. We spent two days covering more than 200 kilometers.
Our midpoint to Leon was a tiny little town called Carrion de los Condes. There were ran into another couple we had been passing on the road, Juana and Antonio. They were a lovely spanish couple who was doing the camino for the second time. The first time, they did the route called the Via de Plata (or the Silver Route) which comes up from the south. They started their journey some 500 kilometers before Paul and I did and were mountain biking the entire camino. That night in Carrion, we shared a wonderful dinner of local specialties and great bottle of wine. After dinner there was a small argument because they insisted on paying for dinner. Paul and I argued to no avail. We asked them to join us in Leon for dinner, our treat. Juana said we should not feel obligated to return the favor. I explained it was their obligation to allow us to entertain them. Unfortunately, we did not see them once we got to Leon, but we hope to somewhere along the road to Santiago.
In Leon, we spent a much needed day of rest. It was nice to be able to sleep in and not have to jump on a bike. On our first night, we shared dinner with two American couples we also spent time with in Burgos. Paul had been sharing emails with Charles regarding our journey and we found we would be along the path at the same time. Charles was traveling with his companion, Anna, and friends Dwayne and Mina, who were on their honeymoon! The next night, Paul and I had the most wonderful dinner in a little plaza in the old gothic quarter of Leon. As hard as we try, we never seem to be able to start our dinner before 9:00 at night. Rested up, we left Leon with the realization that we were starting our most challenging part of the journey.
As we left Leon, the amber fields started to change to back to rolling hills that were untilled. The wind was not so favorable and the heat was starting to rise. The day´s journey was shorter than previous days but definitely starting to get more challenging as the road started to climb. Many of the people we started our day with finished in Astorga, but Paul and I pushed on to Rabanal del Camino, a very tiny village at the base of our first long climb into Galicia.
We continue to be amazed that people actually live in some of these villages. Many of the houses look abandoned or on the verge of collapse and right next to them, you will find a home that looks lovingly cared for with a new door and flowing flower pots on the balcony.
Rabanal del Camino is a very tiny village with not much more than two hotels and a hostel for Pilgrims. It is very easy to see how it is a way station along the way for pilgrims. The first set of mountains looms over the village. Our hotel was quite striking, but it seemed almost cruel that after a long day of climbing, our room was on the third floor, with no elevator. Once we got to our room, we discovered that it right under the roof and we had to watch our heads or we would bump them into the sloping ceiling.
This morning, we started our first challenging climb up the mountain. The tilled fields are no more and instead, there is lots of scrub brush and wizened trees covered with lichen. I gave Paul permission to head to the top, I would get there when I could. Off he went with a group of other cyclists to the top of the mountain. I, in turn, took my time up the road. There were many pilgrims who left from Rabanal that morning and I passed them on the road. I stopped to walk with an older German woman we met the day before. This was her second time walking the camino. She said the experience was much different this time because her chakras were in orange and red and that meant she was much more grounded. I just found it amazing that she would walk it twice!
The ascent was gradual so I was able to ride up almost the entire way, which surprised me. Paul discovered once again that he had bike trouble. For the second time, he had broken a spoke and his brake had been rubbing the wheel the entire time up. Because we were headed down, he didn´t want to fiddle with the brake, but definitely needed to have it fixed before our really big climb tomorrow.
At the top, we spent time enjoying the view and a rather post with an iron cross at the top. Tradition has it that you leave rocks at the base of the cross with your names or wishes for good luck. Paul and I left four sandstones with Jack, Leigh, Tom and Peter´s names etched into them. After a few pictures, we heade down the mountain. Many people urged caution as the descent was steep and winding.
After the hard climb, it was exhilirating to fly down the mountain. We stopped along the way to take lots of pictures, the scenery was just breath-taking. We passed through some more beautiful villages, stopped for a beer and a snack and finally ended our trip in Villafrance del Bierzo. It´s a beautiful village at the base of our next climb. It reminds me almost of a swiss village. Many of the houses look like chalets. Right on schedule we arrived in time to shower and head down to the plaza for some cool refreshments. Tomorrow could be a challenge, it´s an 11 kilometer climb. Hopefully, at the end of the day´s journey, I´ll find a ciber-cafe so I can post again. Until then,
Cristina and Paul
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Day Six - Brief Update
If you are waiting for updates...Paul and I are fine. It´s hard to find Ciber-Cafes as they are called here, so this is brief just to say that all goes well. We hope to reach Leon tonight for a two-day rest and will post more on this incredible journey. The fact that I am still pedalling is a miracle in itself. But more on our trip later.
Paul and Cristina
Paul and Cristina
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Days Two and Three on the Road
As we settle in our evening in Santo Domingo del Calzada at the end of our third day of biking, Paul and I are both amazed that we have come this far. Yesterday, we started our second day of biking in Puente La Reina, both feeling a little optimistic that the journey would be not too difficult. That thought was quickly dispelled. Before leaving for the day, we went to the Post Office to forward about 18 pounds of weight. It´s amazing what you think is absolutely necessary when you start the journey, but as you start hauling it the hills, the thought quickly becomes dump it all! We got on the road around 10:00 in the morning as the post office did not open until 9:00. Thinking we should do better with less weight, we crossed the bridge out of town to face a huge climb. Turns out, it was harder than either one of us could manage so we ended up pushing our bikes for several kilometers up the hill. People driving by would shout words of encouragement.
As in Minnesota, this is road construction time and there was a lot of truck traffic. They are building a new highway. At one point, a worker told me to expect a loud noise but to not get scared. What an understatement. They were blasting the hill with dynomite! It´s hard not to jump when you hear the explosion. Every turn, I kept hoping would lead to a flat section or better yet a downhill. As we trudged up the hill, Paul further ahead of me, the sun was already blazing and we were both dripping wet. It was pretty discouraging when this tiny, little and old Spaniard passed me by riding his bicycle up the hill. However, he urged me on and just ahead, he stopped to tell me the end was in sight and the downhill was just around the corner.
The downhills are exhilarating! It´s a great time to rest your legs. The sun was starting to take it´s toll and I quickly finished my first litre of water. We took a small break at the Bodega of Irache which is next to a Monestery. The Bodega has kindly put a fountain for the pilgrims. One side has water and the other side has wine. They allow you to drink your fill but not to take any for the road! At the monestary, we met two young French girls who were also biking. Our conversation was in broken English, French and Spanish. After our break we headed off down the road.
We saw very few pilgrims as we were taking the main roads rather than the trails. At the bottom of the downhill ride, we pulled into a village and stopped for a beer. We met two Finnish couples who were walking the Camino for the second time. They were done for the day, we had to push on. We bought more water and then headed once again straight up hill. For the second time in the day we found ourselves pushing our bikes up the hill. At this point the sun was straight up in the sky and brutally hot. I finished my second liter of water by this point. As we trudged into Sansol, Paul was hurting from dehydration. We found some shade and tried to cool off and get some water down. We eventually pushed off, but once again found the climb too difficult to ride so we once again started walking. Then, just to keep things interesting, it all of a sudden started raining. At first, it was sprinkles but pretty soon it was a downpour.
From the blaring sun to pouring rain, with thunder no less, I think we both were wondering what the h*** we were doing.
Once we got to the top, it was a terrific run downhill, but I was nervous about slipping on the wet pavement, so caution was required. We eventually made it to our stopping point in Logrono. As we pulled into the city, I clumsily hit a curb and took a tumble off my bike. No real damage other than a few more bruises to add to my collection, plus the great embarrasment of falling in front of a large group of tourists.
We walked into the old quarters of town and stopped at the Albergue, the hostal for the pilgrims. There we collected our stamp on our passport to show we are making the pilgrimage. We then headed off to our hotel. As we entered the main plaza by the cathedral, a large festival was under way. It had a medieval theme and was just packed. There were jugglers and all sorts of entertainment and food. Apparently, we had the good fortune of arriving in town during a rather special day. The only problem was Paul and I were so exhausted we just wanted to get to the hotel and head in for the night. We did manage to head out for another beer. We grabbed something to eat at the festival, had an ice cream and then called it a night.
Paul had a suspicion something was wrong with his bike, because he exerted alot of energy biking and on the downhills, his bike would slow down considerably. This morning, we went in search of a bike repair shop. We found one open and the owner told us we were very lucky he was in because everyone was on vacation. He spent a good half hour tweaking our bikes. Turns out Paul´s front tire was rubbing on the brake. No wonder it was hard for him to bike. When we asked how much the charge was Chema told us no charge. We were rather embarrassed he would not take payment for his services, but he told us any hand labor was a gift from God and he could not charge pilgrims for the service. He asked us to send him a postcard when we arrived safely in Santiago, which of course we will do. He showed us a folder filled with postcards from all over the world from people he helped.
Today, due to the bike repairs, we got off to a later start than we wanted to but today´s trip was shorter than the previous one. Today, we opted to try traveling on some of the walking trails. It turns out they were not too bad and in fact, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The trails cut through spacious fields of grape vines, wheat, beans etc. We finally started running into some pilgrims. One was a young girl from Germany. We also met a Spaniard from Madrid. He was walking until he got to Burgos, our next stop, and then he was taking a break to go back to work. He planned to continue his journey in October.
It was nice today not to hear the roar of traffic in our ears. It was peaceful and what we pictured our journey would be. Today was also a much easier journey. There were only a few spots where we had to walk as the hills were too much for us. Once again, I took a tumble off my bike. I think my legs get too tired to release from the clipless pedals. Anyway, over I went and this time I gave myself a huge bruise on my calf. I think people are starting to stare at all my bruises. First, at me and then at Paul. Some of the older Spanish women shake their heads and purse their lips.
Tonight, we ended our trip in a small village called Santo Domingo del Calzada. It´s a quaint town and we´ve splurged and are staying at a Parador, a rather luxurious hotel. We are off to dinner and then rest up for our trip tomorrow, which is a longer trip than today.
Hasta luego,
Adelante and Ultreya,
Cristina and Paul
As in Minnesota, this is road construction time and there was a lot of truck traffic. They are building a new highway. At one point, a worker told me to expect a loud noise but to not get scared. What an understatement. They were blasting the hill with dynomite! It´s hard not to jump when you hear the explosion. Every turn, I kept hoping would lead to a flat section or better yet a downhill. As we trudged up the hill, Paul further ahead of me, the sun was already blazing and we were both dripping wet. It was pretty discouraging when this tiny, little and old Spaniard passed me by riding his bicycle up the hill. However, he urged me on and just ahead, he stopped to tell me the end was in sight and the downhill was just around the corner.
The downhills are exhilarating! It´s a great time to rest your legs. The sun was starting to take it´s toll and I quickly finished my first litre of water. We took a small break at the Bodega of Irache which is next to a Monestery. The Bodega has kindly put a fountain for the pilgrims. One side has water and the other side has wine. They allow you to drink your fill but not to take any for the road! At the monestary, we met two young French girls who were also biking. Our conversation was in broken English, French and Spanish. After our break we headed off down the road.
We saw very few pilgrims as we were taking the main roads rather than the trails. At the bottom of the downhill ride, we pulled into a village and stopped for a beer. We met two Finnish couples who were walking the Camino for the second time. They were done for the day, we had to push on. We bought more water and then headed once again straight up hill. For the second time in the day we found ourselves pushing our bikes up the hill. At this point the sun was straight up in the sky and brutally hot. I finished my second liter of water by this point. As we trudged into Sansol, Paul was hurting from dehydration. We found some shade and tried to cool off and get some water down. We eventually pushed off, but once again found the climb too difficult to ride so we once again started walking. Then, just to keep things interesting, it all of a sudden started raining. At first, it was sprinkles but pretty soon it was a downpour.
From the blaring sun to pouring rain, with thunder no less, I think we both were wondering what the h*** we were doing.
Once we got to the top, it was a terrific run downhill, but I was nervous about slipping on the wet pavement, so caution was required. We eventually made it to our stopping point in Logrono. As we pulled into the city, I clumsily hit a curb and took a tumble off my bike. No real damage other than a few more bruises to add to my collection, plus the great embarrasment of falling in front of a large group of tourists.
We walked into the old quarters of town and stopped at the Albergue, the hostal for the pilgrims. There we collected our stamp on our passport to show we are making the pilgrimage. We then headed off to our hotel. As we entered the main plaza by the cathedral, a large festival was under way. It had a medieval theme and was just packed. There were jugglers and all sorts of entertainment and food. Apparently, we had the good fortune of arriving in town during a rather special day. The only problem was Paul and I were so exhausted we just wanted to get to the hotel and head in for the night. We did manage to head out for another beer. We grabbed something to eat at the festival, had an ice cream and then called it a night.
Paul had a suspicion something was wrong with his bike, because he exerted alot of energy biking and on the downhills, his bike would slow down considerably. This morning, we went in search of a bike repair shop. We found one open and the owner told us we were very lucky he was in because everyone was on vacation. He spent a good half hour tweaking our bikes. Turns out Paul´s front tire was rubbing on the brake. No wonder it was hard for him to bike. When we asked how much the charge was Chema told us no charge. We were rather embarrassed he would not take payment for his services, but he told us any hand labor was a gift from God and he could not charge pilgrims for the service. He asked us to send him a postcard when we arrived safely in Santiago, which of course we will do. He showed us a folder filled with postcards from all over the world from people he helped.
Today, due to the bike repairs, we got off to a later start than we wanted to but today´s trip was shorter than the previous one. Today, we opted to try traveling on some of the walking trails. It turns out they were not too bad and in fact, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The trails cut through spacious fields of grape vines, wheat, beans etc. We finally started running into some pilgrims. One was a young girl from Germany. We also met a Spaniard from Madrid. He was walking until he got to Burgos, our next stop, and then he was taking a break to go back to work. He planned to continue his journey in October.
It was nice today not to hear the roar of traffic in our ears. It was peaceful and what we pictured our journey would be. Today was also a much easier journey. There were only a few spots where we had to walk as the hills were too much for us. Once again, I took a tumble off my bike. I think my legs get too tired to release from the clipless pedals. Anyway, over I went and this time I gave myself a huge bruise on my calf. I think people are starting to stare at all my bruises. First, at me and then at Paul. Some of the older Spanish women shake their heads and purse their lips.
Tonight, we ended our trip in a small village called Santo Domingo del Calzada. It´s a quaint town and we´ve splurged and are staying at a Parador, a rather luxurious hotel. We are off to dinner and then rest up for our trip tomorrow, which is a longer trip than today.
Hasta luego,
Adelante and Ultreya,
Cristina and Paul
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Our Spanish Adventure....We're so Cutting Edge!!!
Paul, Leigh and I went to see Shrek 2 this past weekend and Paul and I got a good chuckle about the suave Spanish Puss in Boots, voiced by that handsome Spaniard Antonio Banderas, commenting that he was the best cat burglar in all Santiago de Compostela...which is our final destination on our Spanish biking trip.
Then, in the wee hours of this morning as I surf the web, I see this picture on the Drudge Report with the following caption....
Wed Jun 2,12:55 PM ET
President Bush (news - web sites)'s daughter, Jenna, right, walks with unidentified friends on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, Wednesday June 2, 2004. Jenna and her friends started the estimated 112 mile (180 kilometer) pilgrimage last Saturday and are expected to arrive in Santiago Thursday after completing 19 miles (30 kilometers) a day. (AP Photo/EFE, Lavandeira jr)
Are Paul and I on the cutting edge of popular culture or what!
Then, in the wee hours of this morning as I surf the web, I see this picture on the Drudge Report with the following caption....
Wed Jun 2,12:55 PM ET
President Bush (news - web sites)'s daughter, Jenna, right, walks with unidentified friends on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, Wednesday June 2, 2004. Jenna and her friends started the estimated 112 mile (180 kilometer) pilgrimage last Saturday and are expected to arrive in Santiago Thursday after completing 19 miles (30 kilometers) a day. (AP Photo/EFE, Lavandeira jr)
Are Paul and I on the cutting edge of popular culture or what!
Paul and Cristina's Marvelous Spanish Adventure!
Well, it's less than one week before Paul and I head off to Madrid with bikes in tow to start our 400-mile bike ride across Spain.
I have created this blog page so I can share our experiences with our family and friends. We are both so incredibly excited about this amazing journey. I am still dumbfounded that I even agreed to do this, considering my exercise routine has consisted of only a morning two mile walk.
For those of you we haven't talked to in awhile, our trip follows the Pilgrim Path called the Camino de Santiago or The Way of Saint James in the northern part of Spain. As we love visiting the country, we felt this would be a unique way to experience some old and new places.
The following description of the Camino de Santiago is taken from this website:
http://www.jrnet.com/travel/articles/santiago.html
"Santiago (St. James), the patron saint of Spain and the first Christian martyr, is buried in Santiago de Compostella at the northwest tip of the Iberian peninsula. The Apostle James was beheaded in Jerusalem in 42 AD, and legend has it that the remains were transported by his disciples to be buried here. Stories of the discovery of the Apostle's tomb in the 9th Century brought pilgrims from around Europe, and the "Camino de Santiago" - Road/Path/Way to Santiago - soon became the most important Christian pilgrimage of the Middle Ages.
While there are many paths to Santiago, four major routes developed starting from Tours, Vèlezay, Le Puy, and Arles in France, to cross the Pyrenees at the Somport or Roncesvalles passes, joining together at Puente la Reina in Navarra (near Pamplona) to form a single path across northern Spain to the saint's shrine at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella. The Spanish part of El Camino de Santiago (which is the route we are taking)runs some 800 km (500 miles) from the Roncesvalles pass through Puente la Reina, La Rioja, Burgos, Leon and finally crossing Galicia to Santiago. The Road to Santiago is a fantastic tourist venue for hikers, bikers and walkers. The Road crosses some of the country's most spectacular landscapes, and is dotted with beautiful Romanesque and Plateresque churches, chapels, and monasteries.
A proper pilgrimage must be made on foot, bicycle or horseback - the pilgrim has the use of free hostels along the route (We of course are staying in hotels,since we are on vacation after all!), and gets his pilgrim's passport stamped along the way and certified at the Cathedral in Santiago. Whether you plan to do a proper pilgrimage or not, the Road (or just about any a part of it) is a great way to see Spain, and enjoy the Camino's period architecture, shrines, villages, countryside, and hospitality."
Paul and I have been doing some training rides around the Twin Cities...literally around the Twin Cities to get ready for this trip. We've been doing a 48-mile loop, around both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, which is longer than any one leg of our trip. Of course our success will depend heavily on being able to do this for 12 consecutive days!!!
We have planned this on our own and will be carrying all our supplies and clothing on our bikes. For those of you who know me or have travelled with me, you would be mighty impressed to know that my entire wardrobe fits in two gallon-sized zip-loc bags with room to spare. With a few assorted odds and ends, that's all this clotheshorse is taking to Spain. (I am thinking of treating myself to a little shopping spree in Madrid when we finish, as of course, I hope to be fit and toned after this workout.)
I also figured out doing this blog and writing my entries in a cyber-cafe while drinking a glass of Rioja or Sangria would lighten my load since I wouldn't have to carry a journal! Every ounce is gonna count as I peddle my a** across Spain. Check in often, if you'd like. I hope to post daily and add pictures of our journey so you can follow along vicariously!
Adelante and Ultreya!!!
Cristina and Paul
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