Our Camino de Santiago

 Our Camino de Santiago    

  I know, I know.. The blog is called Roaming America....so.... we expanded our horizons a bit. Ha...A bit.  This was definitely outside our comfort zone.  I have an idea....Let's go to Spain, where we don't speak the language....and hike from Leon to Santiago. Oh, and lets carry a 15 pound backpack with everything we will need for the next 2-3 weeks. And to make it extra special, lets go through the mountains so that we can walk 8 hours a day, on goat paths, in the dark most mornings, through the rain and wind and fog and sleep in Albergues or hostels with 100 of our closest friends to make it even more interesting. But, first and foremost...lets get our feet all blistered up so that every single step is torture....sound like fun yet?  Well, I wouldn't use the word fun....but...now that I'm home and dry and warm and healing...I'm glad we took this challenge and SO proud of us both for finishing and accomplishing something that as we look back on....was UNBELIEVABLE!!

Mike

Ranell

Everyone has been asking what our motivation is. You ask why...we ask why NOT?  I have always wanted to go on a walkabout of some sort. Ha...Be careful what you wish for. We watched the movie The Way..and thought..we should do that! Little did we know that we would cuss Emilio Estevez the entire time for not showing all the mountains in the movie. This journey is mostly done as a religious trek, following the way of St. James. I figured it certainly wouldn't hurt me to give thanks along the way for the blessed life we have been able to lead.  I have always tried to live my life by doing for others. We have been blessed to be able to apply that thought and turn it into action throughout our lives. I am thankful every day!

     
     We started our training when we were in Miami for the winter.  We bought our boots and walked several miles a day to try and break them in.  We both tried a few pairs of boots until we settled on the ones we thought would be the best for the long haul.  We would go out every day and walk 3-5 miles.  We came home from Miami and continued walking every day.....until I started feeling sick.  As June progressed, I felt worse and worse.  Knowing my body, I knew something was definitely wrong.  I went to the doctor and was tested for multiple diseases.  As it turned out...I had Lymes disease.  It is huge in New Jersey.  I was put on two rounds of a powerful antibiotic...which after the fact...I was allergic to.  It tried...and very nearly killed me.  I missed the entire month of July.  I was so sick that I could barely get out of bed. I was in an important golf tournament for the whole month so on the days I had to play....I would drag myself out of bed, do my best to stay upright, come home and collapse and sleep for 20 hours straight.  So much for our training schedule.  In fact, our whole trip was in question. I finished my second round of the medicine on the last day of July. A week later, I was good as new, but Mike had developed a flu-like sickness that would keep him down for two weeks.  We were really in trouble at this point.  Determined to continue....we didn't cancel our plans. The last three weeks before we left, we started up our walking a little.  We were both still weak but determined. Where there's a will...there's a way!!

Mike in front of The Paradores

First Day

We started our trip in Leon, Spain.  We treated ourselves to a luxurious night at the Leon Paradores.  A beautiful hotel located right on the path of the Camino. The beginning of the Camino starts in Southern France in the Pyrenees mountains so some of the pilgrims who had started at the very beginning of the trail were hiking by as we arrived.  You could hear their walking sticks with their every step on the stones of the square.  We spent the night after a long day of traveling by air and train just to get to Leon. The hotel was next to a river where lots of people gathered to listen to music and play games. We were serenaded by a man sitting below our window playing the accordion all afternoon. So peaceful to nap to his music. We woke early to hit the road but not before having the first of many of the absolute BEST eggs we have ever had.  Everywhere we went, the hostels or hotels had their chickens and roosters right there and collected the eggs that they cooked for every meal!! I LOVED them...but I don't need an egg for quite a while.

Our first day started out nice and flat. In fact, looking back on it, we laugh thinking that we thought it was kind of hard.  Little did we know,we would have ONE flat day.  I remember when we stopped for a drink the first time and met some of the other pilgrims that were walking and we were all tired and sweaty....just wait. 

Our first Albergue

Our cozy room

We enjoyed our first day meandering through the little villages along the way.  It really does seem like nobody lives there.  No commerce in the villages so unless someone is out working in their garden or doing some other chore we really didn't see anyone.  None of the "houses" along the streets have any windows.  I guess it's because of the heat of the day in the summers but they are all built with stones and thick walls and if you happen to walk by with one of the doors open, you can see them just sitting inside in the dark or with one lightbulb in the ceiling.  I found this so strange...and sad.  I need open windows and sunlight...lots of it.  We were talking about the fact that all of the villages seem to be dying out, as well.  The average age HAS to be 70's to 80's.  No children or younger generations to be seen at all.  I'm sure it won't be long until the Albergues with their bar/cafes will be the only thing in most of these villages just to serve the pilgrims on their journeys. Everyone of the older villagers that we would walk passed and greet would answer us with"Buen Camino" or "Buenos Diaś". After a walk of about 16 miles the first day we ended up at our first Albergue.  It was nice because it wasn't one of the municipal hostels that housed hundreds.  It was a private Albergue that has tiny little private rooms for 2 or 3 or 6 people.  It had a couple bathrooms in the hallway but we had a small but clean room with little metal bunk beds for our first night.  The bar/cafe downstairs also had an outdoor area that you could sit out in and hang our laundry on the line after we washed it in the sink.  We had started out very early in the morning so we were some of the first to land there for the night. We met another couple from Australia who had been laying low there a couple days because the lady had gotten food poisoning and had been too sick to walk.  Before we left the next day, she told me she had decided to end their trip. She was just too weak to continue. NOW, having continued on ourselves...she absolutely made the right choice.  It got harder every day. 
 Dinner that night was a hoot. Probably the hardest with the language barrier that we would have the entire trip, but fun.  The lady who owned the Albergue took a "shine" to Mike. haha...They all do! She was a lot of fun. Plus, she was giving us shots of some sort of Brandy...maybe thats why it was so fun. Anyway...we had visions of a good nights sleep and fresh legs in the morning. 
That was just a vision....across from our open window was....
1. The village bell tower than rang every hour
2. The local domino hall that came to life about 10pm.
3. Frisky roosters!

The sun finally coming up to warm us a bit.

We woke bright and early and headed out the door in the pitch black. There were a few pilgrims that walked along with us but everyone was quiet.  It was really cold and I had left my gloves in my backpack thinking that I would warm up quick while we were walking.  Lesson learned...I didn't warm up. When we stopped a few hours later to get some cafe con lache and toast...I made sure to grab my rain jacket and my gloves.  Anything to keep me warmer. I wasn't the only one.  Everyone was holding their coffee cups against their cheeks to warm up.  We walked through beautiful farmland. Everything was healthy and robust.  There were old men out with their shovels tending to their gardens and animals.  We could see the mountains in the distance but we could also see the city of Astorga that we would stay in for the night before we tackled the task of climbing those mountains.  

Astorga

Cathedral in Astorga

Astorga was a very charming city. It reminded me of a German town and Octoberfest for some reason. We stayed in a hotel that night directly across from a gorgeous old Cathedral and a museum.  The town had a great big square in the middle with restaurants and shops and benches that you could just sit out and let the sun shine on you...which is what I did.  I was tired and still chilled so sitting there in the sun while Mike enjoyed a Cervesa was wonderful. Not to mention, we found a store that had a converter for our phone charger so mama was a happy lady.  We hadn't brought one because everything we had read said that phone service was very iffy at best. We found that to be wrong.  I think the only time we didn't have good service was when we chose to stay in hotels and the thick walls made it hard.  Otherwise, we could check our mail or send texts to my kids whenever we wanted. That made me feel a lot better being gone so long. 

Big day today.  We start UP the mountain.  Let me tell you, waking up early...to start walking UP a mountain....and continuing to climb UP a mountain for 8 solid hours.....ummmm...well, it sucks. Big time! Our bodies are screaming at us.  Our feet are blistering up and my bunion is reminding me why I was worried about this journey.  The flies, on this day....were relentless.  We couldn't even stop for a few seconds to catch our breath because they were swarming us. Especially our faces.  I'm pretty sure I inhaled a few.  I don't have a clue how the people who live here can tolerate the flies on a daily basis.  They drove us nuts. 
The terrain up the mountain was so rocky and slippery, we had to concentrate on every step. I found that the spiritual side of this journey...has yet to come. These first days, I'm having to concentrate on just putting one foot in front of the other. At least for the first five miles or so...you can talk or think or pray or meditate.  After that, it is watching every step and just keep going...keep going...don't stop. Tonight we are staying in a town named Rabanal. I'm not even going to pretend that I know the names of all the little towns and villages we stayed at.  I don't.  I never had the guide book and when Mike was done with a page....it got ripped out and left behind.  One less thing to haul. I did the same thing with the book I had brought for the trip.  I would read at night before bed and then rip out the pages I had read.  I came home with a third of a book.  I was reading slow because I didn't want to finish it because there were no other English written books to replace it.

Our room in Rabanal

The streets of Rabanal

Olives with everything!

Happy Mike

Rabanal was a very old village. Old buildings made of rock.  Most were falling down...some already had.  Old people....very old people.  As we came into town we stopped at the bar/cafe that was in the center.  They had a few rooms so we rented one and collapsed.  After the fact, we wished we had looked around a bit first because there was an Albergue there that was run by Monks.  It looked clean as a whistle and beautiful...but we had already rented a crappy room so we just let it be.  At dinner tonight in the bar, we sat by a young German man and an older American lady.  They had walked together for a few days on the trail and were eating dinner together as well.  Behind them was a table of eight single walkers who had hooked up on the trails and Albergues and ate together to have company.  That was how most of the groups were.  Lots of singles that would meet either on the road or in the hostels and then hang out together.  Surprisingly, to me anyway, lots of single ladies walking this on their own.  It takes a lot of guts and gumption to do this alone.  Mike and I talked daily about how the "quit" factor would be HUGE if you were on the journey alone. Easier to let yourself down when things get really tough....which they did daily....rather than letting someone else down. I know that following Mike's every step is what kept me going and going and going like the energizer bunny!  

Buenos días from Rabanal

 Our dinners were "pilgrim" dinners.  Each place would have a choice of three starters and three entree's and three deserts to choose from for around 9Euros.  That included a bottle of their wine.  We were very happily surprised that the wine was always good. One single lady who was having dinner that night in the dining room behind us....rehydrated with said bottle of wine. Not such a good idea.  I saw her get up and try to walk out and did a face plant on the rock floor and busting her head on the rock wall on the way down.  I did see her the next morning having coffee and heard her tell someone she was staying another night before starting back up on the Camino.  No kidding. Especially with the day we have in front of us. The toughest day of my life....is on the horizon!

I'm reading directly from my notes I took..."Today was THE hardest, most painful day of my entire life. EVER! We headed straight UP the mountain for about 6 miles... turning my legs to jello. Then, the trail goes down the most treacherous trail I have ever been on for about 7 more miles. No words can describe the foot pain I have with each step. Pure torture. That's enough about my day from HELL." We did come to the top of this mountain and reached the big cross where everyone steps up and says a prayer and places the rocks they have brought to offer.  Some bring special rocks from somewhere else, some pick up rocks along the way.  I placed a couple of mine and said a few special prayers.  We ended up seeing quite a few of the regular pilgrims we had met along the way.  Some were hanging around the  top for a while to take in the view, say their prayers and just catch their breath. 

I love all the rock houses

 

The best part about this day was the charming town we ended up in at night. There was a big wedding at the cathedral in town so all the locals were dressed to the nines. Which for the older ladies, kinda looked like USA 1965. We sat outside at a table for dinner at a local merchant.  There happened to be a couple of American couples we had run into a few times on the trail. We had a nice chat and such a nice dinner from a man that was so proud of his food.  He kept bringing us little tappas plates with munchies.  He brought us some black tomatoes that he had quartered and salted with olive oil.  I loved them and raved to him as best I could with the language barrier.  He made it clear that he and his papa had grown them up on the mountain.  He insisted I take one with me on my journey so I stuck it in my backpack. One of the couples sitting with us was a Mother and daughter.  I think the daughter was close to my age.  They were really struggling with the trail.  No doubt.  Not to mention the daughter had sent her laundry out to be laundered at some hotel they had stayed at along the way and I supposed she was allergic to whatever they had washed her socks in.  Her feet were completely red with blotches. I can't imagine.  The mother was telling us she was writing a scathing letter to the man who wrote the guide book that we were all carrying.  She said it was very misleading as to how hard the terrain was.  Mike asked the younger lady what was the hardest day for them so far....she was taken aback..."The hardest???? They are all hard...and get harder every day!!" I guess I wasn't the ONLY one so surprised at the treacherous terrain we were trekking.

my adoptee

My black tomatoes...yum   

the skinny rock streets

It was neat to "walk"....and I use that term loosely ...around the village and see all the people we had seen one place or another throughout our journey.  They all walked the same.  Limping around in flip flops just trying to find some dinner or a pharmacy. There were actually a few children in this town.  Something I hadn't seen up until now. It was nice to hear their laughter as they played in the streets. Barely any cars anywhere so that is where they played...in the narrow rock streets of the village
Of course, we weren't surprised that we were adopted by the shopkeepers dog. I'm like a dog whisperer.  This cute little dog would go and bark at another dog then run back and hide at my feet like I KNOW you will protect me.  He was so sweet. Off to bed then wine country tomorrow...ahhhh...No mountains! 

Today was a Loooooog hike through wine country.  I didn't take too many notes on this because I remember I was just too tired.  It was beautiful though....and probably our favorite day. We walked through the mountains but through vineyard after vineyard.  We watched  farmers working in their gardens and in their vineyards.  The workers would sometimes leave plump ripe grapes laying out on the rocks along the path so that the pilgrims could grab some to snack along the way.For some reason I didn't think that wine grapes would taste that good...but I was wrong.  They were sweet and tasty.  We loved the grapes...but not the seeds. As we walked along...we would see gardens in full bloom too.  Old men out with shovels weeding and picking their veggies.  We were always surprised that we would see so much produce out growing in the gardens but wherever we had dinner...at the cheap bars or the expensive restaurants....breakfast or dinner...no matter...whatever you ordered...the side was french fries. We were dying for a green vegetable.  I'm not sure where they all went.  Certainly not served with any meals. We even saw a couple old men out roasting bushels of beautiful red peppers over an open fire....yuuummmm. If you like fresh eggs and french fries....for every meal....Spain is your place. We saw so many different kind of fruit trees too. I saw one man that had a pocket knife picking up the pears and cutting the good parts off of them and having his lunch.  I was envious of his knife.  We did run into a man that had a little fruit and vegetable table right before we entered the next town.  We stopped and bought some grapes and a couple plums and an apple. Hands down...best plums ever. The  man spoke no English.  We gestured and used the few Spanish words we knew...He asked where we were from. Mike answered.. Estados Unidos....the only thing the man said after hearing we were from the US...Obama, no bueno......as God is my witness. Mike just howled...I'm pretty sure, he even wet his pants a little.

Todays little stroll was UP 2300 vertical feet and about a dozen miles. As we waked through the countryside, we walked along and followed a brook for miles and miles. We listened to the water and the waterfalls and a lot of cowbells echoing up through the valley. As we entered one of the very small villages along the way, a man with about 6 bulls came down the street right at us. Quite the sight.
I can honestly say...I never believed I could EVER do the climb that we did today.  Mike maybe, but not me. I do not know how these pilgrims that are doing this alone can do it. I would probably find myself stopping all the time instead of continuing to put one foot in front of the other for hours on end. The walk today has been a lot of road walking.  Easier on the feet and ankles for sure.  We walk up this mountain road and see that the top is a curve and just think...if I can just make it there....then we get THERE and it goes on for miles and miles more.  Tonight is our first time staying in one of the larger municipal Albergues. Sleeping and showering with about 100 of our closest friends. hehe I have to say....I have not seen this many naked and nearly naked people in a long long time. Communal showers are just tons of fun too.  Actually, none of it bothered me. I think it was because I kept thinking, I don't know these people and will never see them again....when in Rome.

This is my favorite town so far. It is called O Cebriero. Rocks rocks everywhere. The streets the churches the houses the roofs...everything made with thousands of rocks.  Its adorable.  We stopped in one of the bars for lunch and the old lady cooking had an enormous pot of soup going.  I asked what kind it was and she said cabbage, white bean and potato. Ummmmm Si Por Favor!!!! 
I sat there and ate my soup and wrote my postcards that I'd picked up earlier.  We went back to our cozy bunk beds and tried to nap before mass at the cute church and dinner.  The Albergue was freezing!  I got up on my bunk, fully dressed with my gloves and socks on inside my sleeping bag.  I put my earplugs in and pulled my scarf up over my ears and eyes and then pulled my sleeping bag completely over my head. All diva....all the time!!  It would have been fine if the French men would have shut up but not even my earplugs and bag over my head could shut them out.  Everyone else was pretty considerate of nap time.
We got up...freshened up and headed for Spanish mass at the local church. It was raining now and making us even colder.  After mass, we headed back to the bar for more of the wonderful soup for my dinner.  The place was hopping now. Standing room only.  Lots of pilgrims and only so many places to eat.  Plus, at the Albergue...there really is no place to just sit.  You are on your bunk and if you aren't on the top buck...you can't even sit up. so, people were wanting to sit at tables and just chat but the owners weren't having that. Eat and get up. We ended up sharing our table with a young man and older woman, both from Italy who had met on the trail.  He spoke English but she didn't. Lots and lots of singles walking this alone.  More power to them!!  

O Cebriero church

I told Mike that when we were in church....I had actually prayed for the French to shut up! haha...Yes, I know thats not the sort of thing you should pray about but...I need sleep.  He told me since people pray about Superbowls and things like that....I might get a pass.  For whatever reason......at bedtime....it was quiet as church!!  Happy dance Happy dance!! Just saying!

NOW.......BEGINS......OUR.......SCARIEST......DAY!!!!!

Our home away from home.

Today ended up being one of our most miserable days ever.  We woke early and headed out in he pitch black. It was freezing cold, howling wind, driving rain and very slippery muddy paths. With the darkness and our heads down to fight the wind and rain, we missed an important marker. Instead of turning right at the cliff...we turned left. BIG mistake. We walked a couple miles down a rock path and found a solo Taiwanese pilgrim who we, unfortunately, listened to when he made it clear to us that the road we had wandered upon ran parallel to the Camino and would eventually meet up. Wrong road....wrong way.  He spoke no English and we spoke no Taiwanese so........ He was standing there waiting for someone behind him and we went ahead and headed down the road....for a few miles. Wrong move.  It was taking us in the complete opposite way of the Camino. So...here we were...in the black of night...or early morning...in the horrendous weather conditions...freezing cold, soaking wet, alone, lost...and now scared. We walked for a few miles...at least we were on some road...that would lead somewhere....right? Finally, we saw some car lights coming from the opposite direction. The car...which happened to be a taxi slowed down and rolled down the window and was saying...no Camino, No Camino....go back. HUH??  I've been walking for a few hours downhill and you want me to turn around and go back?? Jesus Take the Wheel! We begged him to help us out and give us a ride but he kept insisting he was full.  We could see that there was only a lady in the passenger seat.  She did NOT want to help us but he finally stepped out into the rain and told us to get in the back where the luggage went.  Whatever!! He only took us back up the road a bit to where the first rocky road that we had been on met up with the road but that saved us a couple miles. He pointed us in the right direction and we walked a few miles until we finally could see a marker and a few pilgrims walking. Hallalujah!!  The sun was coming up now so at least we could see more than just a few feet in front of us.  We walked a few miles down the muddy soggy path and then it started back UP!  We hiked and hiked straight up to the tip top of the mountain.  It was the place where the big statue of Santiago is and a perfect place for pictures.....on a normal day.  Today, the conditions were horrible.  The wind was blowing so hard we couldn't even stand up.  It blew Mikes hat off once and he barely got it before it was gone forever.  We just put our heads down and continued down the other side. We walked a few miles down the mountain and finally got to a place where we could go inside and warm up and have a cafe con lache. Mike was drenched and frozen.  His rain jacket isn't the breathable kind and he was drenched from sweat but frozen.  I was frozen but at least the parts covered by my rain suit were dry. We were hours behind for the day and very frustrated.  As we sat there having coffee and toast...we both just looked like we had been rode hard and put up wet.  We made an executive decision.  We were done for the day.  Mike talked to the lady of the establishment and she called us a cab.  We waited for about an hour...who knows where it came from...at that point, I didn't care.  We had the taxi lady take us to the next town and we called it a day. Enough is enough.  We will start again tomorrow. Today....I got some hot tea and a hot bath and a nap....I ALMOST felt human.....almost.

Town of O Cebriero

A good nights sleep and a warm bed and I feel like a new person.  My feet are all sewed up. Tending to your feet it THE most important part of each day.  Some pilgrims have their toes turning black from infection in the blisters.  We have been sewing ours and so far, so good.  You run a needle and thread through the blisters and tie it off at both ends.  That keeps the blister open and allows it to drain.  Sometimes they close back up and fill up but so far...no infections.  We cover our feet with vasoline before we put our socks on every morning too to cut down on any friction. Anything to help.  Believe me...I would rather walk 50 miles uphill than 1 mile downhill.  With my bunion and bruised up big toe and my blisters that sort of stay raw...every step downhill is torture.  My blistered toes go up against my boots and make each step painful. I really have to use my walking stick to help me go downhill.  That...and Mikes arm once in a while. 

Water for the animals

a house for drying the veggies

Today it sort of rains on and off all day.  Now that we are down from the mountain its not a freezing howling kind of rain.  Just light on and off.  We just ended up taking our jackets on and off all day but no big deal. This was my second favorite walking day!  It was all through the dairy country.  Lots of funky smells but so cool to be up close and personal.  The Camino trail wandered all through the villages and houses.  Sometimes even right between house and barn. It was fun to watch the locals tending their gardens and animals as we walked.  We watched a couple men tending to a cows hurt foot.  We watched a lady as she tended to her cows giving them water and food.  We watched the dogs and kittens play as we basically walked through their yards. Lots of cows and horses and sheep and dogs and cats along the way.  The gait of all the pilgrims has really slowed and become almost hard to watch...us included. The accumulated weariness is catching up to us all.  You are dog tired at the end of the day....get a few hours sleep and get up and do it all over again the next day on legs and feet that are over their limit in abuse. Mike and I take time every single night to rub each others feet and legs down with either a green sludge that is kind of like an icy hot rub...and ibuprofen cream. Then we pray for a miracle by morning!!

beauty at our rest stop

  Today we walked 16-17 miles....not much to look at and our batteries need to be charged.  At the end of our walk...we got to the town we were scheduled to stay at in an Algergue with all of those newly acquired best friends...when Mike made another executive decision.  The days are starting to run together and we just need......a bubble bath....and maybe have our clothes washed a little better than with our bar of soap we have been using.  I haven't written about all the days but...you get the drift. So....THANK GOD for Smartphones....he found us a little oasis called Pazo Santa Maria.  We got into town and it was a few miles off the Camino trail so he called us taxi and it took us there.  Look it up...pazosantamaria.com.  It was just what the doctor ordered.

Sunrise at Pazo

  We were greeted by Maria who apparently did everything.  She checked us in, took our dirty clothes, built us a fire, cooked our dinner and probably would have done back flips it we asked. We didn't. Come to find out...we were her ONLY guests for the night. ahhhhhhhh. This is an estate that was owned by Spanish nobility in the 1700's. It was bought in 2006 and turned into a private get-away. We had a couple extra days built in to our schedule so we asked if we could stay an extra night. un NO...we had the entire place to ourselves today but tomorrow they were completely booked.  So much for a little R&R but boy did we enjoy our one night.  We took a long nap and a bubble bath and then went into the dining room for our private dinner.  They had cooked everything on the menu so no matter what we ordered...they brought us everything. Color me happy!! Mike was in wine heaven and a full moon just added to our bliss. This place had their own garden where they grew the vegetables that they cooked and their own hens for the fresh eggs.  I could have stayed forever!! I can't say enough about how this little break picked me up and set me on the right path.  NOW...I can finish.....I think.

Cheers

our room

We woke the next morning as the sun was coming up and went inside to have a cup of coffee before we hit the road.  We usually don't eat any breakfast until we have walked for a few hours.  This morning we were greeted with hot coffee and freshly made croissants straight out of the oven.....um, can I PLEASE stay?? Heaven!!

Pazo Santa Maria

      






Back to the trail...we are reaching the end of our journey.  The last 100 kilometers or about 60 miles is all you need to hike to qualify for the pilgrims certificate.  That is where all of the different trails meet up and its where it starts to get very crowded.  There are day- trippers that come in for the last bit and there are pilgrims that are on some sort of bus tour that they walk a bit and then get picked up and wined and dined and so on.  This changed the journey.  More people...with fresh legs and energy made it a lot louder and downright rude sometimes.  It was wonderful to be able to just be in your own head to meditate or reflect or pray or think.  Now, it became very different.  People talking on phones or in big groups taking up the whole trail when all most of the pilgrims wanted to do was put their heads and put one foot in front of the other.  You are definitely not as tired as we are if you have energy to chat on your phone. The new pilgrims that have just come on the trail stand out like sore thumbs.  The pilgrims that have been hiking across the mountains....look just like us....beat down and dirty....but satisfied and proud.  We have one more day until we reach Santiago. Come on legs.....you can do it. Mikes achilles is so swollen its rubbing on his boot and causing a problem.  My bunion is crying.....our blisters ....have blisters....tomorrow can't come soon enough.

The camino shell

TODAY IS THE DAY.....Thank You GOD!

Santiago....here we come.  The last 4 or 5 miles into Santiago...is downhill.  Bad news for my legs that are on their last legs....haha. I hooked my arm in Mikes arm and my walking stick in my other hand and hobbled down the hill.  Just as it should be....we walked arm in arm for miles and miles to finish the journey of a lifetime.  I couldn't be happier.  We have accomplished what I am certain...will be the most physically challenging thing we will ever do ...in this lifetime.  And here I am...with the man I have loved with my whole heart ...for the last 38 years....holding my arm....helping me along the way....as he has done every day for the last 38 years. ;)

WE MADE IT!!

  

ok...ok..you caught me.

As we walked through the tunnel to enter the square in front of the Cathedral, a bagpipe was playing.  Perfect.  All the pilgrims were congregating in the square after their journey.  Some were praying, some were laying where they had fallen, most were just standing around taking in the whole scene.  Our hotel was directly across from the Cathedral so we looked in the cathedral quickly then went directly to the hotel to get checked in and put our bags down. I have to say though...not just us ...most of the pilgrims found it very strange walking without their back packs.  We have walked every step for hundreds of miles 6-8 hours a day with 15 pound packs on our backs....its weird when its not there. We checked in....and as I sat down to wait for Mike to get the paperwork done....i just closed my eyes and rested....maybe napped would be another word. ha

 After dropping off our bags and taking a shower and washing our clothes and hanging them up we went out to get a better feeling of the town.  The Cathedral was open so we could go in and look around which we did quickly but we were waiting for tomorrow...Sunday...to go to the special pilgrim noon mass. If you have seen the movie The Way...it is where they have the huge incense burner that they raise and swing. Quite dramatic.
The city of Santiago is big but the historic old town center where the  Cathedral is located and all the old rock streets and buildings is just the right size.  So quaint and charming with all the rock streets and alleyways with the the business all crammed in.  We loved walking around and finding bakeries and merchants with old school shops.  The butcher the baker the candlestick maker.  I LOVED it. The streets were FILLED with all the pilgrims celebrating the end of their journey in the outdoor bars and restaurants. The last day Mike and I grabbed a bottle of wine and a sandwich and went out on the square in the midst of the action and sat down on the ground in front of the Cathedral....and had a picnic. We had gone to the noon mass which left us awestruck.  There was not room for another person to stand in the entire place.  Wall to wall pilgrims and most of them still holding their walking sticks and packs. Dirty from their journey but feeling blessed that they made it. More than one weeped as the service progressed.  It was amazing. Just sitting there watching the people, the surroundings, the beauty....listening to the beautiful music ...made me all but forget about the pain we both endured. Almost.

Pilgrim mass

We stayed another night in Santiago but we were both anxious to get HOME! We changed our plane tickets and left for Madrid the next day to spend one night then catch our flight home.  We walked into the Hotel Ritz in Madrid looking like the dirty pilgrims that had walked across all of Spain.  They didn't care.  Everyone in Spain has a special respect for those who do the pilgrimage. I'm happy to be here but I need to go home.

Mikie at the Ritz

I'm home now, safe and sound and rested and healed.  I look back on this and I am still in awe.  I told Mike that I couldn't put into words just how challenging and treacherous this whole trip was.  He said...not to worry...they really don't care. ha....ok....I get it.
I, on the other hand....to the day I die....will forever be astonished and proud of what we just accomplished.  It was truly amazing.

I hope you enjoyed our journey through my pictures.  I can only wish that someday..you will do something so out of your comfort zone...that you will look back and be proud and amazed at yourself.

Peace my friends!
Ranell and Mike