A Million Steps

At 6 AM the albergue lights flash on like lightning. Suddenly, sleeping bags rustle as they are stuffed into sacs, zippers zip up and down, sandals shuffle along the wood floors, whispers and outright talking fill the air. These are the sounds of morning life in the albergue. 
Ryan and I tend to get up at 6 and are on the road by 6:30 or 7. We eat a quick bite of yesterday’s sausage, cheese and bread, fasten on our headlamps and head out of the city. Our lights flash around the dark streets looking for arrows that point the way. The first hour is the most difficult as our muscles warm and our brains come to terms with the truth of another day’s walk. The sunrise quickens this process and we begin to scan the horizon for the first village where we’ll stop for espresso and breakfast. 

For the next 5-7 hours we walk. So many things cross the mind. This is so beautiful. This is so hard. This is so peaceful. This is is so crazy. The conversations go from surface to deep to silent then make the rounds again. We slow pace and exchange physical/emotional conditions with friends and strangers that we come along side. “Buen Camino!” is heard over and over again. 

When we finally reach our destination, our next task is to find the albergue we want to stay in. The check in process is always the same. Take your boots off and leave them with your poles outside the entryway. Give the hospitalero your passport and your credencial. At each place you stay, your credencial is stamped. This proves you have actually walked and is needed when you get to Santiago in order to get your Compostela, the official document awarded to bona fide Pilgrims. 

Once checked in we lay out our sleeping bags, organize our space, shower and either do laundry or find a restaurant for lunch. Many people takes naps. The rest of the afternoon and evening is spent exploring the town and hanging out with friends. Dinners are generally cooked in the albergue kitchens. Tonight, the Italians are cooking and tomorrow night Ryan and I! This is a very rich time!

Lights generally go out at 10 but most are in bed before that. The next morning we do it again!

One additional thing. These Europeans are not as modest as most US Americans. Many walk around in their Speedo-type underwear, no matter the gender, age or body type. Some shower areas are shared by men and women with shower curtains flapping a sneak peek. It’s taken some getting used to for me but now it’s just part of the daily experience. 

Ryan putting the paper/plastic sheet and pillowcase on the bed. 
I have more photos but this is the second day the wifi has been weak and won’t upload photos.

And, now I have strong wifi so I’ll add the rest of the photos! 

Boots and sticks room

A few of the albergues we’ve stayed in.

The coed flapping curtain shower room. 

Washing clothes with shampoo which Ryan and I have also been using to shower with. This is only because after 3 days of use we realized our body soap was actually hand lotion. 😣

Sharing a tiny kitchen with other pilgrims. 

To those of you who were hoping for photos of the not so modest Europeans….come on! Get your head in the right place! 🤣

I did hear a story today of a 60+ year old man from Europe who was sharing a room with 4 mid-60 year old women and 2 other people. He was certain to tell the 4 women that he only desired younger women and to not get any ideas. Apparently, he was quite cocky. The next morning, he was laying on his back on his bunk wearing only his very small underwear and exercising. Legs stretched fully out in the air, he was apparently working his upper inner thighs…together, spread, together, spread…..😳

Note: this is obviously a generalization. The men I have met from Europe are wonderful and quite endearing. 

I want to post one more thing. Following the signs for the Way can be difficult sometimes. I walked alone again today which was so peaceful and enjoyable. One of the great things and not so great things about me is I tend to go along in life living in the moment and not thinking much ahead. This is not a good characteristic to have when walking the Camino. At one point, I was merrily walking along a lake only to discover I had gone the wrong way. I went left at the lake and all the other peregrinos went right. I turned around and quickly got back in rank with the crowd. This put me on guard! So, I was very careful to watch for arrows. Well, that is until I got into this one beautiful vineyard. Suddenly, I realized I hadn’t seen any arrows for awhile. So, I turned around and retraced my path. This scenario happened about 5-6 times today! Every time though, I was on the right path and would quickly run into other pilgrims. 

***A note to parents: This post is not to cause worry! I promise I am never in danger. There are always people a bit ahead and a bit behind. So please! There is no need for worry! 😄

I started taking photos of some of the different arrows/signs that you have to keep your eyes out for. You’ll see why sometimes they are hard to find! 

And one more because this was so fun to come around the corner and find! 

Pretty tired tonight after walking another 20 miles so I’ll just post photos. Tomorrow will be an easy 13 miles. 

Sunrise photos with one ominous bull! 

The little town of Naverrete

We’ve heard it’s about a week from harvest and the grapes are plentiful and refreshingly delicious! Today was another day of walking through vineyards.

I mean, come on! ❤️

Oh man! It’s been an incredible week and everything I had hoped this experience would be! Today was our longest trek…20 miles. It was long but my knees held up just fine. I walked slowly down every hill, depending on my poles and braces to protect my knees. The walk was beautiful and it was the first day Ryan and I walked separately. On this walk, no one is ever really alone as people are always before and after you. 
Today we walked to Logroños which is the wine region so most of today we walked through vineyards. At one point, I heard a lady behind me singing. As she came up beside me I could tell she was a local. She was singing a song about the Camino to me. Once she was finished, she walked over and picked a big clump of grapes. She handed them to me, said, “Buen Camino” and went on her way. It was very sweet and memorable. 

The other thing that is so beautiful about this experience is the people. So many countries and languages are represented on this walk. We all begin as strangers separated by language and culture. As time has gone by, it’s as if we’ve blended ourselves into our own nationality. We are joined by the challenge, the pain, the success, the small living quarters, and the hope of reaching Santiago. The barrier of language disappears and we communicate through a knowing expression or sympathetic touch. We have a new language, a new culture. It’s really quite extraordinary! 

Solo walking!

Along the walk people discard broken down or painful boots. Sometimes people leave other odd things behind! 

623 kilometers to go and feeling strong! 

The Camino singer picking grapes for me! 

There’s a place for everything especially boots and poles! 

This guy is from Italy. He and Ryan’s common language is German. He was trying to do the walk in 20 days instead of 30 and messed up his legs. My leg is also in view with an ice pack wrapped around it!

The wifi was bad last night so these are photos from yesterday. Fortunately, the walk was fairly easy. Just after leaving Estella we came to the wine fountain which is another iconic site on the Camino. We were there around 7:30 AM so we had our drink a bit early! Some people drink from their shells, some directly from the fountain and others fill their water bottles. I’ll post the video that Ryan took of me directly on FB. 

This is how we find out path. 

We stayed here in Los Arcos. Doris and Tatai were Ryan and my first roommates in St Jean Pied de Port. We have walked the path together each day at different paces but generally end up in the same albergue each night. 

We cooked our own dinner last night. It was fun sharing a small kitchen with people we’ve been walking with for the past 6 days. Ryan playing cards with other pilgrims. 

This cat was so cute until he jumped on the table and grabbed our cheese.