Karmino

Final Recap. Final Post.

2009-06-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Some things I lost:

some pride
a little weight
2 pairs of under-roos
1 chapstick
1 pen
1 pair of liner socks
my fleece (on the last day! ugh!)

Some things I found:

my pace
a lot of humility
friends along the way
a renewed desire to take each day as it comes
some new muscles
grace in temptation
an addiction to galician vegetable soup
that the following music has no place on the camino: all things Flo Rida, Beyonce, and God Bless the U.S.A. (I'm a patriot, but you just don't listen to that while walking the rolling hills of Spain...)
that the following music is great on the camino: all things Sandi Patti, Einfeld, Steve Green, 1812 Overture, the Proclaimers (I will walk 500 miles)

Here's my attempt at a final recap....

As they say, the joy is in the journey. That was true for my camino. There is nothing spectacular about reaching Santiago. A sense of accomplishment? Yes. A culmination of all things good, perfect and true? No.

For me, it served as a bleak picture of the day when Christ returns and calls us home. The day when all trials, temptations, fears and sadness will be wiped away by the glorious presence of the Lord.

We are pilgrims on earth and the camino, in so many ways, reflected that for me. Life. You never know what is around the corner, or over the next hill. Sometimes it's gloriously beautiful. Sometimes it's ugly and difficult. Some days are filled with pain, other days you sing for joy as the path is easy and peaceful. Sometimes you can't find your way and the signs are unclear. Maybe you never see a sign but someone comes along the way to point you in the right direction. For some, the signs are as clear as day. You meet people you like, and people you don't. Your circumstances can change in an instant, or your body can fail you. You can walk hundreds of miles along the same path as so many others, yet have a completely different experience.

On the camino, for me, every trial, joy, pain, and temptation was still there. Somehow it felt even more pronounced than in real life. Yet, in the extreme emotions, highs and lows that accompany such a pilgrimage, I found ever greater grace, mercy and love.

I think the camino was the farthest thing I could think of from Washington. I had an awesome job, but in some ways I felt like it sucked the life out of me. I would not trade my time at the White House for anything: the friends I made, experiences I had, all the things I learned and the ways in which I grew. I am thankful for all of the opportunities I was given. Yet, I saw that, in the end, parts of my character that I would not necessairly want to encourage, were growing. Namely, complaining, anger, pride, snapping at people, being bossy, not seeing the big picture.

Going on the camino helped to physically remove me from the pressures, opinions and expectations that were put on me (either by myself or by others). I needed to get out of the city and reorient myself toward the things that mattered.

So, with my only job to walk a few miles and care for myself each day, I was able to do that. I love walking, and I guess I don't mind hiking, but it really had nothing to do with going on a long hike. It had everything to do with finding myself again, spending time with the Lord in prayer and in the Word, and a time of reflection.

I will have to say it was one of the best adventures of my life. Not only was it beautiful, challenging and fun, but for me, it served as a means for spiritual, mental, emotional and spiritual cleansing, of sorts.

I was able to study and read through the book of John, read most of the Psalms and listen to Pilgrims Progress (which was sooooo fitting for the trip!).

Most importantly, I (hopefully) got some perspective. No revelations on what kind of job to get, or where to go or what to do next...but I do know that I cannot plan the future. I have no idea what's in store. I will try to enjoy each day as it comes.

A special thanks to all who I met along the way. The Americans who annoyed me more than anyone. The French who only spoke French. The bikers who all yelled "buen camino" as they passed me by. The hospitalerias that were welcoming and gave me a bed to sleep in. Each cafe worker that made me a cafe con leche...and most importantly...those who questioned my faith and forced me to defend it. Those who opened up about their pains and trials in life in search of some comfort...and those who were just fun to be around and made my trip a true joy.

I would do it again in a New York second.

...and I'm especially thankful to have been able to end my time visiting the Shoemakers in Portugal. No fancy White House job can ever compare to those who give up the luxuries and comforts of home to share the gospel with those who have never heard.

I'm coming home.

Lisbon, Portugal. Final stop.

2009-06-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Starbucks in Portugal. A fitting end to an awesome adventure.

On top of the castle. Sadly, did not meet my prince there.

Amazingly beautiful monestary!

I love it.

Sitting atop the castle...

Shoemakers!...in Portugal

2009-06-21T13:57:00.001-07:00

I captured a moment....

At the castle, which was so beautiful!

Oops, it's sideways, but it was a cute photo!

Church in Porteguese!

Katie at the monestary.

Finesterre!!!

2009-06-21T13:51:00.001-07:00

The end of the road.

Lighthouse in Finesterre

This is where all the pilgrims burn and leave stuff from their camino.

Mile marker ZERO! sweet!

The final 5 kilometers.

Goodbyes in Santiago and to the Ocean

2009-06-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Two pilgrims...different centuries :)

Always a struggle...

Some tasty baileys to finish off my last pilgrim dinner!

Group of pilgrim friends having a final dinner in the cathedral square. So awesome!

Yan (from England) - lost him weeks ago and we were reunited for the final pilgrim dinner.

Finesterre and Portugal

2009-06-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took the bus to Finesterre. Spent 6 hours on the bus (3hrs each way) for about 5 hours on the coast...ha ha! The ocean is always beautiful, but my camino definitely ended in Santiago. I maybe would have loved to spend more time on the coast, but alas, I've been making travel plans as each day approaches.

When I returned to the bus station, I had a lovely bus station pilgrim dinner with Yan (who I met at the beginning of the camino) and this other gal. Then I jumped on the bus for another 8 hr overnight ride to Lisbon, Portugal. That's where I am now. Visiting the Shoemakers. Jonathan was kind enough to pick me up at the bus station at 5am this morning! ha ha. I will be here until Monday when I will take the bus back to Santiago, then catch a flight to Madrid, then London, then D.C...oh why must it be so impossible to get back?!

Have some new great photos which I will try to post sometime this weekend.

My last night in Santiago I met up with a group who joined another pilgrim group (everyone seems to know each other) and we had a nice outside goodbye dinner in the back courtyard of the cathedral. There were people there I hadn't seen since week one or two, so it was awesome. I got choked up saying goodbye.

Still kinda missing the camino...but have to return to find a real job and attend Laura and John-boy Goodrum's wedding. He's already given me permission to wear flip flops to the occasion. I'll make sure I'll tell people "I'm with the groom" so as to embarass him as much as possible.

All kidding aside, I am so glad they are getting married and am excited to be there to celebrate!

More photos to come!

News from this side of the world

2009-06-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

Enjoying my time in Santiago. It was quite nice to sleep in the same bed twice after 33 days of finding a new bed each night! Have had lots of coffee, some churros and a great time just walking around and seeing everyone. I seriously think I see more people I know in Santiago (city of 90 thousand) than I do in DC, it is so weird. Even if it´s just someone you met once a few weeks back, it´s a great reunion.

I am going to Finesterre tomorrow, then to Portugal on Saturday. I am still missing walking and now face the ¨let-down¨post camino. But I have fun everywhere I go, so I´m sure the next several days will be great.

Thinking I will need to get my toes checked by a doctor when I get home as they look very abnormal. oops!

I have a lot of thoughts about the Camino but don´t quite feel ready to write them down, and I find the entire experience hard to explain.

So for now, you get photos. A lot of them. See below!

Adios!

A little more fun...

2009-06-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

I blow-dried my hair and wore my black dress for a nigt out at the parador!!

I know this is disgusting, but that´s my toe. It doesn´t even look like a toe. I am kind of concerned...

Great company for a final fancy dinner. Carolyn (South Africa), Mike (Australia), Susan (Canada), me, Leone (Australia) and Australian Jane. It´s the FIRST time I saw Spain in the dark at night. We always had to be in bed by 10pm when it was still light outside! ha ha

Getting fabric cut for Carolyn in Santiago.

Our table had the menu posted on this pilgrim stick w- the shell.

Loving my time in Santiago

2009-06-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

The lobby of the fancy parador hotel in the cathedral square

Another awesome view

The cutest little coffee shop right downstairs from my room

This is why I love Spain. How cute is this?!

I cannot believe that I have run into almost EVERYONE in Santiago. Out for (another!) coffee with Carolyn and Susan (Susan is in my pics from the very beginning, she is so great!)

More Santiago...and Mass

2009-06-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Mass at the cathedral. They swing this big thing and the picture does not capture the awesomeness of it all.

Thought this was interesting. Pilgrims who just arrived to town at mass. Everyone is so reverant (I hope I spelled that right...).

A backpacker in the cathedral.

Seriously awesome.

My room in Santiago! This is Carolyn (South Africa). I met her on my birthday and ran into her in Santiago so we got a room for two. Much cheaper and very nice!

Pictures of Santiago

2009-06-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

View from my room! I love it!

Right after I arrived in the square, I saw Andre (Germany). I met him a couple weeks back (he was in some photos, I think). Anyway, I joined him for the coffee right off the cathedral square.

The cathedral. So magnificent!

Another view of some awesome arcitecture.

The winding streets of Santiago.

Arriving...

2009-06-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Monte Gazo- 5K from Santiago. As I walked up to the top these Spanish bikers lined up and sang önly you¨- probably the only song they knew in english. It must be the blonde hair! ha ha

So this was like 12K still out of Santiago but it was the first sign to indicate I was in the region, so I started celebrating!

Yep, same pose because that´s how I felt. Awesome. And totally done with the backpack, boots and walking sticks!!

This is the second I walked in. Smiling. And it´s done.

View this morning. I left before the sun came up because a) I wanted that experience at least once and b) I wanted to make it to the cathedral by noon for the pilgrim mass. So I missed the pilgrim mass because I was too busy enjoying the square and some friends I met up with...but I am going tomorrow.

More photos tomorrow!

I made it!!!!!!!

2009-06-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

After walking 363 miles in 33 days I made it to Santiago at 11:50 this morning! It was a wonderful day and though I heard stories of dissapointment upong entering the cathedral square, I felt that it was a wonderful moment.

Will post photos when I can, hopefully later today.

I am dirty, swollen, bleeding and bruised but not broken. I would totally do it all again!

More later :)

final night before Santiago...

2009-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. Spain and Mr. France - met them in Arca. Fun night.

Outside waiting for clothes to dry. Having a good time.

Just met these guys and he offers to give me a foot massage. Couldn´t be a more awesome ending to the camino. I´m all set to roll into Santiago in the morning :)

tomorrow is my last day!!

2009-06-15T06:32:00.001-07:00

I can´t believe this is coming to an end. I have 20.6 km (12.8 miles) to go. I am sad that it´s over but am ready to stop, all at the same time. I am thakful that this is my last night in an albergue, in a bunk bed, in a room full of strangers. However, I have really, really enjoyed the camino!

I no longer think I will walk to Finesterre...but I will take the bus there!
Hope to spend a day relaxing in Santiago, go to Finesterre (the ocean) and spend the night and then head to Portugal to visit the Shoemakers.

Today was a nice, sunny day and I look forward to my final walk tomorrow! My toes no longer look like toes, but I am feeling great.

Will let you know when I get there!

almost there...

2009-06-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

clean! after a long day of walking (which I loved!)

the very last albergue I will ever stay in!

so many stinky boots!

the town of Arca

the forest I walked through today...

Final days...

2009-06-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

nice scenery

drying the laundry...

so many beautiful flowers, everywhere!

looked like a storm was coming but it never rained! yahoo!

Off for my 2nd to last day of walking. Stayed at albergue DonQuijote.

Only on the Camino...

2009-06-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

This journey is coming to an end. Two days and 26 miles to go. I have been trying to keep a list of funny (or not so funny!) things that would only happen on the camino. Enjoy! (new photos below).

you drink more wine than water
calories are called ënergy¨on packages, instead of calories
you will go a few days w-out washing your clothes, b/c you have no energy to do so
be the only girl sleeping in a room with 6 random guys who think it´s funny to only wear their underroos
eat salad, pasta, bread and vino almost every night for dinner
have a fantastic dinner with 5 different people all of whom speak different languages
pee in the forest, or behind a hay bale
meet two guys in a bar and spend the entire day with them
handwash your clothes and pin them to your backpack to dry
be shocked that everyone feels comfortable sleeping in their underroos in a room full of strangers, and then after a few weeks start doing it yourself (when in Rome...)
squeal with excitement when you see someone you have only met once before
come to see why Americans are so annoying to the rest of the world
have a stranger hand you a carrot, put it in your pocket and eat it when you get hungry
walk through a rainstorm to meet someone at a cafe and care less that you are soaking wet when you arrive
take off your shoes in a pharmacy and ask them to look at your feet
ask random pilgrims to look at your feet
be sooo happy to see a town
have a conversation with two people who grew up in Poland and Germany under communism
become part of a unique community of people who will do anything to help you
will grown men tell you they cried or sang for the first time in their life
escape death by a tractor, not once, but twice
decide to go to the less popular cafe to support small businesses (still a republican, folks)
can you walk through a postcard everyday
do you realize your limitations
can you be soooo tired of walking and sooo sore, but when you look back over what you´ve already done, decide to continue
you realize how much stuff we have that we just don´t need
will you be open to situations and people that you would never be at home
can you have one of the funnest night of your life by laughing with complete strangers who are on the same journey
would I be willing to stab myself over and over with a needle to drain endless blisters
you realize you can be clean enough
will you be sereanaded (sp?) by Spanish bikers
would you put to use all the wedding sermons you heard by Michael Lawrence by explaining to a German (who tells you he is scared of marriage) the gospel using the metaphor of Christ and the Church

There are a million other unique things (and surely more to come!) but if you are so interested, you can ask me in person!

Adios!!

The road to Arzua

2009-06-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

As I walked through a tunnel today there were notes all over to people on the camino. Didn´t see anything for me though ;) Maybe my note is waiting for me in Santiago...ha ha

Sunday morning in Melide. I think they must be having a festival because there were gunshot sounds all day yesterday and what looked like preparations for a parade.

Stayed in a hotel last night and to prove that I wash my own laundry...see photo. I have now used every single thing in my backpack...the rope was the last un-used item, and it worked well as a clothes line! btw, my clothes did not dry properly and I had to tie them to the back on my pack today! ha ha

Brunch yesterday...a beer and yogurt. Awesome.

Another awesome view.

June 13 - on the way to Melide

2009-06-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

I know it´s a little dog but I hate dogs and it walked with me for 5K...ugh! ha ha

Stopped for breakfast and in walked Tom (from England!). It was a great place, lots of character. We were in San Xulian.

The biggest choice you have to make each day...for your vino. Tinto? Blanco? or Rosado?

Wowie - lots of water. I am thankful I didn´t fall in (as some others did!!)

Another beautiful view...

June 11 and 12

2009-06-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Stopping to take a rest under a tree. Soooo tired!

Have been seeing LOTS of animals. Is this a he or she? Anyway, it looks like it´s crying!

Nice foggy morning. It was actually really pretty.

My birthday dinner! Check out the view (in Portomarin!). Great night, great company!

Mike eating octopus! Gross! It´s the speciality here. Notice Dr. Ricardo in the background (I accidently called him Dr. Raphael in an earlier post...ha ha).

Two songs...and a little update

2009-06-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes words to a song can more accurately describe what we think/feel...and since I´m not a musical artist, I listen to others´ songs....

These are two songs I´ve listened to almost every day. The camino is a great metaphor for life and I have listened to these songs before, but on the camino, I heard them for the first time. (I hope I got all the words right, but don´t quote me).

________________________________________

I think the name is Ïf you want me to¨by Ginny Owens.

The pathway is broken, the signs aren´t clear and I don´t know the reasons why you brought me here. But just because you love me the way that you do, I´m gonna walk through this valley if you want me to.

No, I´m not who I was when I took my first step and I´m clinging to the promise you´re not through with me yet. So I follow these trials - bring me closer to you and I will walk through the fire if you want me to.

It may not be the way I would have chosen when you lead me through a world that is not my home. But you never said it would be easy, you only said I´d never go alone.

So when the whole world turns against me and I´m all by myself and I can´t hear you answer my cries for help...I´ll remember the suffering your love put you through and I´ll walk through the darkness if you want me to.

Because when I cross over Jordan I´m gonna sing, I´m gonna shout. I´m gonna look into your eyes and see you never let me down. So take me on the pathway that leads me to you, and I will walk through the valley if you want me to.

__________________________________

¨Lead of Love¨by Cademon´s Call

Looking back at the road so far, the journey´s left it´s share of scars, mostly from leaving the narrow and straight.

Looking back it is clear to me that a man is more than the sum of his deeds, and how you´ve made good of this mess I´ve made, is a profound mystery.

Looking back you know you had to bring me through all that I was so afraid of, and though I question the sky, now I see why...had to walk so I could see the mountain view. Looking back I see the lead of love.

Looking back I can finally see that failures bring humility - it brings me to my knees, helps me see my need for Thee.

Looking back you know you had to bring me through all that I was so afraid of, and though I question the sky, now I see why...had to walk so I could see the mountain view. Looking back I see the lead of love.

_____________________________

I chucked my plans to walk 30K today (given the experience yesterday) and I stopped in Melide. Feeling a lot better today and since I had my own room I slept until 8:30 this morning. Late start, but worth it!

I will arrive (lordwilling!) in Santiago on Tuesday, June 16. Only 34ish miles to go!! Today is my 29th day of walking. Crazy!

BTW, the speciality in this town is octopus...and everyone is eating it...I mean, you walk down the street and people are chopping up or eating octopus. This is one thing I will NOT try.

Also today, one of my fears of the camino was realized...a dog followed me for like 5K, I was to happy to run into English Tom (who walks faster!) and the dog then went with him.

28k´s are too many k´s

2009-06-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted today.

Yesterday, I felt like I could skip over hills and it was thinking how much easier this had all become.

Well, today was another story. I walked 28 kilometers which is just too much for me. I already knew that, but have been pressing on (ahead of schedule) and have gotten a little crazy, I think. Didn´t feel totally great when I left this morning and it only got worse through the day.

It was really foggy and misty for the first couple of hours which was really nice, but after the sun burned through it got REALLLLY hot. I was just wearing a tank top and I think I´m much to blanco (aka white) to be in the sun all day! When I finally got to this town after 6.5 hours of walking (that does not include my breaks) I come to find out BOTH albergues are full.

This is what happens when everyone joins the route, they are full of energy and beat you to the town, and thus, take your bed!!

I sat under a tree for a while because I couldn´t bear to walk through town and look for accomodations. I finally found a place (a pension, which is nicer than an albergue) and they gave me my own room, well for 20 euros. I didn´t care. I would have paid 100 euros for a bed. I walked in, dropped my stuff and laid flat on the bed and passed out.

I finally forced myself to take a shower and walked outside. I ran into none other than Australian Jane! So we joined Leone and Mike for dinner and now I´m going back to bed!

I am only 3 days, 45 miles from Santiago. I cannot believe this is almost over! But is it? Since I´m apparently a bit crazy (even in this fallen state in which I find myself today), I am considering walking further, to Finesterre (the ocean!). It´s an additional 50 miles past Santiago. I don´t think very many people do it, but I figure if I can make it this far...

However, I change my mind about every 15 minutes, so I´ll see how I feel when I reach the promised land.

Birthdayfest 2009.

2009-06-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

The party started last night when I had dinner with the following:
Australian Jane
Two guys from Germany (one who is nicknamed ¨Strawberry¨)
A beautiful gal from Switzerland
The Austrian guy who is undoubtedly in love with her and
Dr. Raphael from Italy.

We all randomly gathered at the same table and kinda just never got up. Had a 45 minute discussion on the orgins of ¨Waltzing with Matilda,¨had a little more wine than necessary (then again, as they say, ¨vino is your gasolino!¨) and I learned two things:

1) all the mud I walked through wasn´t just mud. It´s the same path that the animals walk through...therefore I walked through a mixture of mud and their leftovers (if you know what I mean). Awesome.

2) I apparently ate a pound of worms. When Isabelle and I finished walking through the forest several days back we were tempted by the bags of fresh cherries for sale. We are apparently the only people who didn´t know that cherries have worms in them. (Isabelle if you knew I am going to hurt you!!). And the thing is, I just couldn´t stop eating them. I definitely ate a pound or more. Once they told me this, I was so disgusted that they ordered another bottle of wine to kill off any remaining worms in my stomach. Oh, the camino.

When I finally went to bed, closer to my birthday than our supposed bedtime, I almost gagged at the smell in my room. Australian Jane and I were the only gals in this room full of smelly bikers. Good thing Jane opened the window, I just may have died.

They redeemed themselves this morning when I left the albergue. They were lined up outside with their bikes and sang Happy Birthday to me in Spanish. For this, I will forgive them for their smell.

The walk was beautiful. I walked 25 kilometers today. It took me 5 hrs and 45 minutes. Happy to arrive in this beautiful town where our accomodations are overlooking the river.

I will meet up with Leone and Mike, Australian Jane and some others for dinner tonight.

It´s not really sad to have your birthday in Spain, on the camino. It´s kind of awesome, actually.

p.s. for my birthday, I gave myself some painkillers. Hadn´t taken them the past 2 days, but figured I could give myself a little gift today :)

Birthday number 32.

2009-06-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

Walking up the steps to Portomarin. The end of today´s walk...for some reason, it always ends by going uphill!

Stopped in this beautiful small cafe (check out the view), and Australian Jane (left) bought me a cafe con leche to celebrate my bday, so nice!!

Less than 100k to Santiago!!!!!!!!!!

wowie!

Happy on my birthday!! And surely getting a sunburn.

Let the birthday festivities begin!

2009-06-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

How cool is this...today was a BEAUTIFUL walk and we skipped lots of stones over little streams.

How in the world is Spain sooooo beautiful?!

Yes, I have on the same outfit again! ha ha.

Overlooking Sarria as I left this morning! This was the beginning of my birthday, and I loved it!

Pre-birthday night celebration. btw, it was like 9pm at this time. The sun does NOT go down!

Yesterday...Sarria (I think...)

2009-06-11T06:54:00.001-07:00

Beautiful river ! They say this region is very celtic. Maybe I want to go to Ireland, who wants to come?!

Yet another beautiful scene...

After walking in the mud, I came around the corner and saw this rainbow. How awesome is that?!

I think it´s funny that there was a random bathtub. I may have been a little tempted to take a bath there.

Um, this pilgrim doesn´t look very happy, but at least he´s still standing!

Sarria

2009-06-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

I am here after a LOOONNNGG and MUDDY walk! I couldn´t beleive I was on the right path...I mean just miles of mud. Not even dry ground on the side to put your foot.

A few days ago, I wrote this in my journal, ¨has anyone invented ponchos for shoes? If not, I think I should.¨ Yes, sometimes my thoughts are not so profound. One day I even found myself wondering if ants eat other ants, but I digress, again.

Today´s walk was wonderful but I somehow beleive that the mileage in the book was wrong as it took me all day to walk 15 kilometers! I´ll blame it on the mud slowing me down.

Well, this is where the busloads of pilgrims are dropped off and join the route. My guidebook mentioned that one shouldn´t start feeling annoyed by the mass of people who will only walk at the end, and crowd you out. It´s will be a good attitude lesson. ha ha

I am almost finished listening to Pilgrim´s Progress, which, besides the Bible, has to be the most profound thing I have ever ¨read¨ (...or actually listened to!). So many parallels I won´t even try to explain them. I have found it to be so true and convicting. Hopefully the end will be encouraging. :)

btw, sorry for all the spelling errors. i hate spelling errors. sadly, though, the keyboards are different and I´ve generally got a time limit, so I go as fast as possible.

Adios!

Oooooooo´Cebreiro. The storm!

2009-06-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Herrerias (the bottom of the mountain)

2009-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

The fog setting in, on the road to O´Cerebrio

Me getting ready to get blasted by the rain

Foggy, but beautiful

I figured out how to order a caramel macchiato!!!!!!!!!!

Leone and Mike - Australian couple, they are awesome!

On the road to somewhere

2009-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Me walking in the rain to somwhere...I´ve forgotten where

this is what I look like with my backpack and poncho! ha ha

written on the ground along the way. so awesome! the other ones said, ¨kiss,¨and ¨sing¨

View when leaving Villafranca

The spanish rico suave (named Raul!). Told me that the spanish kiss goodnight. I told him I didn´t kiss strangers, so he settled for a kiss on the cheek. He was feeling pretty cool until I ran into him yesterday and he´d slipped in the mud...ahh, the camino!

Ponferrada and beyond...

2009-06-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Me at another sign...getting closer!!

Friend Isabelle (Germany)´- this is where we spent the night. crowded!

Beautiful view

Castle in Ponferrada

Pilgrims in line for the albergue! Getting tired!!

Samos, part 2

2009-06-09T09:34:00.001-07:00

The monestary in Samos.

The last picture is the 3 guys I had dinner with last night. I didn´t know anyone, and we each came alone so the waiter seated us together. Come to find out they were all the same age, 70!! One from Germany, one from France and one from Italy. They had never met each other. How funny is that?!

Alto do Poio and the road to Samos

2009-06-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Samos and Starbucks

2009-06-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am in Samos. It was such a lovely walk here this morning. I am now in the provice of Galicia (and my book said to expect a sudden change of weather here, and they weren´t kidding!!). Many people say this is their favorite part of the camino. Even when the storm was crashing down on my head I managed to take some photos because the views are unbelievable!

(side note: the storm was quite big and uncharacteristic for this time of year, it even made the Spanish news...and they were expecting snow there today, so I´m glad I am making my way down the valley already!)

So I left this morning and as I was walking something didn´t feel right. What had I forgotten? Had my walking poles, backpack...hmm. Then it hit me, there was no pain! That´s right, I felt great! I was so used to starting off with a limp because my feet were so sore. I still have blisters but they just didn´t hurt today, at all! Wowie, I thought! I am going to walk today until the sun goes down. Though the sky was dark, it didn´t rain on me at all!

I arrived in Samos (only 12K from my starting point and sat for a cup of coffee). As I was sitting there, I heard someone yell out, ¨Starbucks!¨ I knew it had to be someone I knew. At last! Someone I recognize (and someone I had obvioulsy told of my love for starbies). It was none other than Leone and Mike, an Australian couple I met several nights back. They are always good fun and we have an easy conversation. After talking with them for about 2 hours and having a re-fill on my coffee I decided to stay for the night. I am staying next to this Benedictine monestary which is wrapped around a river. It is very peaceful.

I am off to vespers in the monestary then expect to have a fantastic dinner with the Australians. I am happy to stay here for the night because tomorrow there will be a downpour of pilgrims.

To receive the compestela in the end, you only have to walk the last 100K...and I´ll hit that starting point in the morning. I can´t beleive I only have a week left of walking. I am always changing my mind, but today I don´t want it to end...

Where have all the pilgrims gone?

2009-06-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I stopped in a small town (alto de something...??) and checked into the albergue. There were only 6 people, and 5 of them were in a group, all French. I was soaking wet and cold and was enticed by the hot fire they had burning in the cafe next door. Unable to wash any laundry for the 2nd day in a row (since I would have to dry it outside and there was a storm), I forced myself to take a shower and promptly ran over to the cafe to sit by the fire.

I sat there for 3 hours trying to warm up. I guess the lady that worked there liked me because she pulled up a chair and sat next to me and would sometimes pinch my cheek. ha ha. Two old men rolled in sometime late afternoon and bought me a hot cup of coffee. That was awesome since I was down to 5 euros and needed to make it to the next big town to get to a bank.

Although it was freezing and we were in the middle of a wicked storm, they cooked up some hot and tasty soup and some noodles for dinner, which was awesome.

I went to bed, covered by 3 large blankets, and still somehow freezing. I was hoping the weather would clear by this morning. I decided to make it an easy day and only go 12k so that I could get to a town and dry off, do my laundry and re-group.

Well, I woke up to fierce winds and rain. I had no choice but to walk. As I was coming down from the mountain I felt like I was in the middle of a hurricane. I´m sure it wasn´t, but it was hailing and the rain was coming sideways and hitting the side of my face. My poncho was also slapping me in the face. I had almost every piece of clothing on (dirty and all) and did cover my hands with socks. At a few points I seriously thought I was going to be blown off the mountain. I didn´t know whether I should just sit in the mud and wait it out or keep going.

I did not see one other person (pilgrim, farmer, etc.) for 2.5 hours. I was *pretty confident* I was on the right track as I would see periodic yellow arrows, but where were all the pilgrims?

For the first time I actually got a bit scared walking as I did not feel prepared for the elements. What I would have done for some leggings and a ski hat! My face was clinched as tight as my fists as I made my way down, hoping not to slip in the mud that seemed to cover almost half my shoe! I could hear the wind coming through the trees and it sounded like a river was about to run over my head!!

It was definitely one of those moments where I wondered, ¨what in the world am I doing by myself, on the side of a mountain, in Spain?¨

I kept looking behind me to see if anyone was around and suddenly, out of nowhere this man passed me. I swear I did not see him anywhere! He stopped and asked me if I was OK and then went ahead of me. I´m sure he was just a regular pilgrim, but to me, he was an angel.

Finally, after 3.5 long and freezing hours I reached the town. I chose this place because they have a washer and dryer!

I was thinking I was crazy to have let the storm scare me, but when I FINALLY saw other pilgrims in the town they were all sitting around talking about how scared they were and how some of them fell!

Praise the Lord that I did not slip and that my feet were dry the whole time! For all the blisters I´ve gotten from those boots, they definitely came in handy today!

I should also mention that yesterday the fog was so thick that I could barely see a few feet in front of me. I got to somewhat of a crossroads and chose what I thought was the right patn. As I walked, I kept second guessing myself. Then I remembered the book Tracy told me to read before I came, ¨three cups of tea.¨ I did not finish the book, but I did read the part where he was lost and looking for a cigarette butt to show some sign of life. It then occured to me that I should look for footprints in the mud. There were none! Thank goodness for a little common sense! I went back the way I came and found the correct route.

This is all something I never thought I would do.

Helen Tonn

2009-06-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I checked my email and received a message from my dad letting me know that Helen Tonn had passed away.

Helen was a lifelong family friend, neighbor, spiritual mentor and fellow church member. For some reason the computer would not let me reply to any messages. Let´s just say it´s really hard and sad to be by yourself when you hear of a person´s death.

As I was walking yesterday I had a lot of time to think about it (and had my fair share of tears). Here is what I have to say.

Helen loved Jesus. There is no other way to describe her. When we were little, my sister and I would ride our bikes to her house and she would always teach us more about the Lord. We could always just go down there and hang out with her and play.

Her dear husband, Bill, drove the church bus. We didn´t need to ride the bus but somehow it was more fun. I remember how sad she was when he passed away many years ago.

Somehow, Helen and Bill always seemed like part of the family. We grew up with her grandsons, J.T. and Scotty in the youth group.

My parents were especially close with her and after Bill died, she would oftentimes call and ask for help and they would always go down the street to help her with whatever she needed.

In God´s good providence, I was able to see her just a few weeks ago before I left for Spain. I flew to CA to see my grandma who was in the hospital. Helen had just had a heart attack and was in the same hospital just a few doors down. The entire trip was hard for me (I hate to see people suffer) but Helen, as always, had a sweet countenance about her. I was with my mom the last time I saw her and when we went to her room she was reading her Bible, which was a surprise to no one.

She gave me a pep talk about Spain (because I was so nervous to go) and reminded me how young I was and that I had a whole life in front of me. She also encouraged me with the truth of the scriptures.

I know she is now with the Lord. Certainly where she wants to be. It´s sad to see her go, but what a neat celebration of a life well-lived!

Sure wish I was there for the funeral but I send my love and hugs to everyone.

Here´s to hoping that when I come to die, I go with the same grace and peace that Helen had.

O´Cebreiro

2009-06-07T03:29:00.000-07:00

Does anyone think it´s a bad idea that I have painkillers for breakfast. And that I eat breakfast twice, everyday?!

Right now I am at the top of the mountain at O´Cebreiro. I just climbed from 705 meters to 1300 meters in about 8 kilometers. There were signs warning about fitness and the strenous climb, but I figured that if I could make it this far that I could do it. And I did! And I did NOT send my backpack forward in a car!!! The other day I reached the highest point, but today was the steepest climb.

I am somehow way ahead of schedule. For the past two days I just kept walking and walking, further than I intended. I really can do 20K days from here on out, but somehow feel like I will do more. We all know that that may change tomorrow depending my mental fitness and physical pain.

Yesterday I walked 25 kilometers in the POURING rain. I mean a downpour! But since I was already in it I decided not to stop. I ended up in Herrerias and checked into the albergue. I was the ONLY person, which is really strange. I was in the middle of the mountain all by myself. That is, until Wolfgang showed up (his real name!). He is 35 and from Germany. Needless to say, we bonded quickly since there was no one else around. Since like most Germans I have met, he is incredibly fit and FAST, after 5k this morning we parted ways. Last night I jokingly told him not to kill me, as we were alone in this old room in the middle of the mountains, but of course he didn´t. I will have to say though, it was FREEZING. He was great and one of my favorites of the camino.

I stopped halfway to the top for some hot chocolate. That was a bad idea. I was dripping with sweat yet freezing at the same time. I think it´s generally a bad idea to stop. When I started again I couldn´t even feel my fingers. Wanted to get socks out to put over them but didn´t have the energy to remove the poncho, backpack and jacket.

So I made it and am now about to go downhill. I stopped in the church only to throw my poncho over the holy water. Awesome. And the church was filling up because a service was about to start. By the way, when I went to hear the Gregorian monks sing the other day it was standing room only, and I accidently leaned against the light switch. I am totally that girl.

My rock and the cross

2009-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

So, as is custom when you reach cruz de ferro, pilgrims leave a rock they brought from home. This is to symbolize the things you will leave behind on the camino. I never really thought much about it, but the day I left DC I did pick up a rock on 6th street from someone´s yard and tossed it in my bag.

Yesterday, I arrived at the highest point of the journey (1500 meters-ish). It was a beautiful walk to the top of the mountain,and once again, I felt like I was walking through a postcard. I walked alone the entire day.

When I reached cruz de ferro I felt this sense of accomplishment and marveled at the things left on the tall pole, with a cross on top (notes, jewelry, a pair of boots!...). As I was standing up there alone, this gal starts playing her guitar under the tree. She is carrying it along on the camino!! She sang,¨¨life is beautiful, thank you Lord.¨..that´s all she said in English. Suddenly, I was overcome by the moment and decided that it was time for me to leave my rock. Caught up in the symbolism of it all, I sat down and thought through past failures, pain, problems, sins, unfulfilled dreams, etc. with music playing in the background, a soft breeze blowing through the mountain pass. At that moment, ready to ¨leave it all behind,¨I reach into my bag and to my surprise, my rock was gone!! The only thing that has gone missing from my bag this entire trip!!

Just then, the little hippie sitting under the tree stopped playing her guitar and started smoking weed. Just like that my special moment went up in smoke with puff the magic dragon. I started laughing at the ridiculous-ness (is that word?!) of it all and decided to go on my way.

About an hour later, I was needed some inspiration so I turned on my IPOD. The first song to play was, Ït is well with my soul.¨ As I listened to the words this verse struck me...

¨My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the tree and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, O my soul!¨

Although I know I cannot ¨leave things behind¨on the camino (I am sure to have the same problems when I get home), it was a sweet reminder that I don´t even need to symbolically leave anything behind. It´s all covered. It was already posted on a tree. And I don´t bear it anymore.

On the way to Cruz de Ferro

2009-06-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Walking in the mounains

Reached the highest point

Relaxing

Cool sign in a random town

Check out this guy´s tan line! He turned as I was taking a photo of him! ahh ha ha!

Astorga, Hospital de Orbigo

2009-06-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Dead animals - gross!

Entrance to Astorga after a LONG walk

Made myself smile...this is what I look like after a long day of hiking

Starting off the day

Hospital de Oribigo. SO CUTE. Looked like the renaissance faire!

Leon

2009-06-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Bottom photo: day off. Sure is nice to carry the boots instead of wear them!!

Mental vs. Physical...lessons learned

2009-06-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today I realized how much of this trip is mental. Yes, the physical part is taxing at times (lots of times) but my brain is also getting a workout.

As I was walking out of Astorga this morning, I was walking down a hill and all of these people were out running. Uphill. Reminded me of D.C. when everyone is out running. Anyway, as they all passed me, gasping for breath, I suddenly felt quite lazy. Here I was walking downhill and they were struggling to get up the hill. Several minutes later it hit me that this is a mental battle in my mind. I am walking across an entire country for crying out loud, but in my head I was still feeling like I was lazy. It is so easy to compare to others, but we don´t know their circumstances. Some people breeze past me when I am walking, but then I realize they are not carrying a pack (apparently you can get them shipped ahead). Other times, I feel quite proud of myself as I just marched up a hill and see people sitting halfway up...only to find out later that they are walking with a bum knee, or with a crutch or a limp. Every step for them is potentially 100 times more difficult than it is for me. Then there are the Germans that rise at 4:30 to beat everyone to the next town. Or the people that walk 35-40 kilometers a day. I am not competing with them. Or the lady that limps. Or the people out for a run. I am only competing with myself.

Lesson learned for me? Apparently not, because this afternoon I learned it again. My guide book, most appropriately, warned to keep focused even though it wasn´t a terribly difficult day. We started heading uphill into the mountains and oftentimes had to walk right along the side of the road. Accidents are prone to happen when we are not looking, it said. Lost in my own thoughts, about 5 km from town, I starting tripping over rocks, or unintentionally wandering into the road as I would lose my focus to look at the view, or the bikers passing me by. Once again, I realized that this is at least half mental, and sometimes I need to focus on each and every step. A couple times today I came to a crossroads and had to get out my map. Even then I was confused. There are not always a sufficient amount of signs (and sometimes there are way too many...) and I had to clear my mind and focus and just figure it out.

And another example from this evening....I arrived in Rabanal after walking 13.3 miles in 5:04. I think everyone arrived before me, but I was enjoying the day. As I descend upon each town I swear my feet know it, and I start feeling every pain possible. When I reached the alberque and go into the bar to find the hospitalera, she tells me they are full. I have found it virtually impossible to cry on this trip, but suddenly my eyes welled with tears. As we stepped out, she put her arm around me. A universal sign that I was dissapointed. Instead of thinking clearly (there were more refugios only 200 meters up the road!!!) I let my emotions overwhelm my mind. Mental game, once again.

Amazingly, as all things seem to happen on the camino...these two ladies I met just two nights ago from Norway, (they have been best friends for 35 years!) tell me that they have a¨hotel¨room for two and would be happy to change it to a room for 3!! God´s provision, once again. Once I drag my bright red, hot and sweaty self into the room I see that there is a bathtub! Suddenly, I knew this was going to be a good night.

Clean and with my head cleared, I go outside only to find out that there is a salad and sangria waiting for me. Once again I realized that I could go on. I know there will be more mental battles ahead, but hopefully now I am prepared for them.

Off to hear the Gregorian monks sing!!!

(I am in a town of 50 people so I am lucky to have an internet...pictures another day).

Oh, tomorrow we will reach the highest point of the camino, 1, 505 meters!!!

Opinions, Astorga and Chocolate

2009-06-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am in Astorga. I managed to walk 25 kilometers today because either my blisters are healing or I am getting used to the pain. I think it´s a little bit of both. Thankfully, I have a new one today, just to remind me that this won´t be easy! ha ha

It was a beautiful day. I must say that yesterday I accidently took the ¨alternative route¨...the one that basically walked alongside the highway. Not pretty, but got me to where I was going, and I met some new people along the way.

Here are my thoughts for today. We all have too many opinions, and share them too frequently. It all because clear in regards to my blisters.

¨You have to wear two socks¨
¨You have to wear only one sock¨
¨You need to soak your feet in cold water¨
Ït can´t be cold water, it has to be salt water¨
¨Drain them, and put a thread through it¨
¨You must elevate your feet when you sleep¨
¨Don´t touch them or they will be infected¨
¨You have to use compeed¨
¨Don´t ever use compeed¨
¨You have to take a rest day¨
¨You have to keep walking so that they will turn to calluses¨

Oh my gosh people, I get it. Every body is different. Why can´t we just say, ïn my experience, this is what worked for me...¨ It´s not like I haven´t tried ALL of the above. Sometimes we just have a blister that won´t go away. Or a problem. Or a tough situation. It´s this way in all of life. We spend so much time telling people what they HAVE to do. Maybe the problem isn´t meant to go away. Maybe it´s part of the journey.

Just thinking that outside of salvation, maybe we should just let people figure it out.
(I spent a lot of time thinking about this today, as I was walking in silence for over 6 hours :)

It is also worth mentioning that I met the most gorgeous man I have ever seen in my life in San Martin this morning. He was one of the bikers (that finish the camino in like 2 weeks, instead of 5). I was sitting there drinking my cafe con leche and was the last one to leave the albergue (it was only 7:15). He and his friends showed up (as they has already been riding for over and hour) and he grabbed the seat next to me. He spoke English as he lived in PA for a year. Anyway, after having a nice breakfast we said ¨buen camino¨and went on our way.

I spend my entire day looking for signs (LITERALLY!), I just hope that was a sign of things to come...

Lastly, any amount of physical pain I felt today was soon diminished when I entered Astorga as it is the chocolate capital. That´s right, chocolate producers right here in my town. There is even a chocolate museum. I got a chocolate bar for my backpack, just in case :) Awesome.

p.s. I walked through a farm today. I was looking down at all the rocks so as to not slide the wrong way off of one and all of the sudden I heard a loud sound. I looked up and what was backing out of a barn RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME...a tractor, with two dangling dead animals hanging from it. I gasped and then moved out of the way so that they wouldn´t be traveling over my head! Gross. I managed to get a picture. Will put it up next time. Maybe that´s a sign that I should be a vegetarian.

La Virgen del Camino

2009-05-30T10:46:00.001-07:00

Awesome name for a town, eh?!

Am thinking that eating an entire back of bbq flavored fritos while walking uphill in an ugly industrial area in the hot sun today wasn´t the best idea.

Today I could have done without....here´s how it began.

Stayed in the Benadictine Monestary in Burgos. I regret that I brought only a sleeping bag liner instead of an entire sleeping bag (I was worried about the weight...) because I have had some cold nights. Anyway, the nun assigned me to my bed, by a window, and they had no pillows or blankets. There is something to be said for the simple life, but I am pretty close to having had enough of it. So, as I am freezing to death and listening to the sounds of about 40 people snoring (since I forgot to get out my ear plugs and couldn´t find them in the dark) and all the sudden, out of nowhere, I start feeling sick.

That´s right, for the second time on this journey I spent the night sitting on the bathroom floor heaping into the toilet. I went to the closest bathroom, which was the men´s, so I´m pretty sure it was extra dirty. Anyway, didn´t really sleep, obviously.

This morning another gal got quite sick (much worse than me) so I think she stayed in Leon. As I was feeling better in the morning, I decided to drink two cups of cafe con leche and then by a bag of chips for the journey...and I wonder why I get sick. ugh!

I proceed uphill through the ugliest part of Spain you can imagine (and I think it was marginally shady...) and arrive at La Virgen del Camino. I could have swore the sign said to go to walk in the middle of the freeway (I am clearly losing brain cells) but after about 30 seconds there I realized that it was quite possible that La Virgen del Camino would be my final resting place. Where I was walking was too narrow for me to turn around so I just waited until I didn´t hear any more cars and then made a run for it. By run, I mean more of a hobble, given that I am carrying a backpack with so much stuff tied to the outside (looking like the Beverly Hillbillies) and my wicked blisters refuse to heal so I walk with a limp.

Anyway, I made it to the albergue where I met a great girl from Australia. We had the all-to-common discussion on why we doing this, what is the pain for, should we just go home, yada, yada. We decided a nap would heal our mental, physical and emotional woes. So, after a 3.5 hour nap I am up, just in time to get ready for bed. Awesome.

I drained the same two blisters for what seems to be the 100th time. I basically doused them in antiseptics and am REALLY hoping they heal before I start climbing over the mountain in 3 days.

Tracy, you once mentioned that you hoped I wouldn´t curse you while walking the camino. I didn´t curse you today only because I don´t curse :)

Goodnight!

Castrojeriz and San Anton

2009-05-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

From top:

Castrojeriz (amazing old town)

Me sitting at the ruins of San Anton

The ruins (both pictures)

Me walking, in case you didn´t believe ,)

SURGERY!! ouch!

2009-05-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

From top:

my trusted helpers with their wine and medication, ha ha

the rest are self explanatory...suffice it to say that she put a needle through the huge blister, squeezed out the water, and put a thread in it...yuck!

Hornillos and Hontanas

2009-05-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

Favorite group of ladies with whom I always have a good time

Hontanas - the city is hidden in a pocket of the hills. Walking and walking forever and then you see it!

View from where I was sitting after dinner (next picture) in Hornillos

Sitting with some vino and amigos in Hornillos, thinking that walking can´t be that bad...

Burgos

2009-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Villambista and Villafranca...in between thunder and lightning storms

2009-05-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

From top:

Sleeping arrangements in Villafranca

Best communal dinner (and night) in Villambista

Upon my arrival in Villambista (hence comment above)

Watching a dog. What?! Please notice my great outfit.

Having a little snack at a local cafe (they had fresh orange juice!)

Between Santo Domingo and Belarado, part dos

2009-05-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

From top:

Me and Yaga (Poland) - love that girl!

My new look, red bumps up and down both arms. Beautiful.

Boots

I hope you can see the SWEAT as I walked 25K that day (about 16 miles).

Beautiful landscape, again...

Between Santo Domingo and Belarado

2009-05-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

From top:

How I felt after walking over hill after hill and finding no field full of poppies

My feet, when they were still working (barley!)

Road to somewhere, but I LOVED the red ground. It was beautiful!

The guys I had a fun dinner with in Redecilla (guy on the left, Yan, is from England. I run into him a lot)

Starting out one day

Ventosa, Najera and Azofra

2009-05-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

From top:

Amazing alberque in Ventosa. One of my favorite places

Me cooking!!

Cemetary

Road into Najera (I think)

The only bull I have seen.

LEON is too pretty for me

2009-05-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

If I did not look like I have lived in the wilderness for the past couple of weeks, I would love to say in Leon and sip a mochachinno along with every other trendy and beautiful person that lives in this magnificent city. I am inclined to stay and visit, but my quick stop in ¨Choca-Latte¨(how cute is that?!) for a mint milkshake will have to suffice. Took the bus back out of the meseta this morning (it feels really lame to be going BACKWARDS on the camino, by the way) to Burgos. Met some lovely ladies there and then caught the bus to Leon.

I ran into none other than Bernard at the bus station. That guy is everywhere. He is the 60ish year old grandpa-like figure that kind of looks like santa claus (see photo way below) that will ONLY speak french. We have somehow learned how to communicate. I have a feeling it won´t be the last time I see that guy. And, in the ongoing serendipity of this journey, we picked up Susan in Carrion (she is in the same photo way below for a homeade meal we had one night). It´s always a treat to have a friend.

Spent an hour sitting in front of the cathedral waiting for the Spainards to wake up from their siesta (I am seriously considering adopting this life) to find out where the internet cafe was...only to find out I was looking at it. Good times. Can´t say I feel like the time was wasted, however, the cathedral is awesome and it is not everyday you get to wander around one...not in the United States anyway.

With that, here are some photos!! a LOT.

Death on the Camino...and other news

2009-05-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have had a very limited amount of internet access as I am in the middle of nowhere...currently getting lung cancer in a smoke filled bar...many things to report on.

As I mentioned earlier, in Burgos, I decided to not stay in the main alberque in exchange for a peaceful experience in a smaller, newer one (where, by the way, she made us scrub the floors and toilets before we left...so very interesting). Anyway, in the morning, when I went to the beautiful square that houses the catherdral, there were many pilgrims still roaming about. I then heard the news that a man had died in the main albergue the night before. He was with an Italian group and was in his mid-50´s, from what I understand. People were noticably shaken and saddened as many had shared a meal with him the night before.

As people gathered to talk about it and console each other, I started hearing such comments as, ¨when you die on the camino you go straight to heaven,¨ and ¨at least he died doing what he loved...¨

The night before in my small albergue, I had an interesting conversation with the German guy (who I probably would have been scared of in the U.S.) We had spent most of the day together and therefore had a lot of time to talk. He told me he´d done something very bad in Germany and that he was scared to go home. I decided to attend the mass that night (as we were staying in a Seminary and I had not yet gone to one). When I asked him if he wanted to join me, he told me that he was already damned. This really struck me and I could not stop thinking about it. When I returned to the room I told him that he was not already damned since he is still alive. That he still has the opportunity to repent and believe. He brushed me off.

The next morning, together, we heard of the man´s death. It was a striking reminder to me that we never know how long our life is. I have had so many conversations on this journey about people´s disbelief in God...how they will become religious when they are older, etc.

When I realized I was surrounded by so many people with no hope in the true God, it overwhelmed me. And as I walked out of Burgos, for the first time on the camino, I cried.

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In other news, my blisters have gotten the best of me. I was so down the past two days as all I wanted to do was walk. I so enjoy being outside, so many things to see, and so challenging all at once. It kills me that two small blisters on my toe could stop me in my tracks. Let´s just say that with each step Ifeel like my feet are going through a meat grinder. I tried motrin, but that is masking the pain. Last night a nurse I had dinner with did surgery on my toe (wait till you see the pictures). I was hoping today would be better, but after only 6 miles, I am stuck here once again. (I am in Castrojeriz, by the way).

In so many ways the camino is not what I expected (not that I knew what I expected...) it is way more awesome that I ever could have imagined, very humbling and greuling...all at the same time.

I now realize my only competitor is myself, and I will have to suck it up and take the bus once more. The rest of my body and my spirit are willing, but my left pinky toe is not (sucker!). Praying that after one day of rest I will be able to continue on. It is a long, hard road to Santiago and I give props to anyone who has made it. Some days I feel as if I will not make it, but Lordwilling, I will arrive...with my body still intact.

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Lastly, I must once again comment on God´s provision for me...
A nurse to take care of my feet.
Friends arriving to stay in the same town as me when I thought everyone was ahead. (I was down yesterday, and when I woke up from my nap saw that many friends had arived, Susan, Yaga, etc...and we had the most fun-filled evening!)
Time today to sit in the old ruins of San Anton (an old convent). It was a beautiful day and the most awesome place to have a quiet time.
Coffee that is more awesome than anything at Starbucks that is served everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere...

I have to take a bus back to Burgos tomorrow (going backwards which is super lame), so that I can catch a bus to actually move me forward. All I want to do is walk. Also a good reminder that we do not always get what we want (even if it´s a good thing!!).

Adios!

Sorry, no pictures...

2009-05-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

I tried to load them here and it wouldn´t work, maybe another day...

Burgos!

2009-05-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

I am in Burgos now. The largest city I have come to. I was in a town in the mountain yesterday, but after walking through pouring rain and mud, I decided to take the bus to Burgos today. Had I more time, I certainly would want to walk the ENTIRE camino, but I am a little slower than I thought I would be. I should be able to walk the rest from here (if my body holds up). I was already slipping in the mud on flat land and going uphill, so I know that I would have slid right down the hill in the rain today. ha ha. So, I went to see the cathedral in Burgos today. It is so beautiful. I am staying at a new alberque off the beaten path that I read about...it is very luxurious, I feel like I am staying in a hotel. Only 20 people can stay there and we will all make dinner and eat together. I met two guys today and we decided to go together to checkout the new place. Last night I stayed in a room with 50 bunk beds, and it will be nice to have a more peaceful evening.

Today has been awesome, as I am in a big city and have run into almost every pilgrim I know...even my two ladies from Finland (that I started the trip with)...we found each other in a cafe, twice! It was so nice to see them and say goodbye as their journey ends today. And the doctor from Belarado...so random, he is in town and saw me as well!

OK, I will try to load some photos. Tomorrow I enter the meseta, which from what I can tell, is what cleanses you of all your dross as it´s long, flat, hot and boring. We shall see!

First Aid Day

2009-05-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a much needed first aid day. Woke up this morning and my arms are not only full of bumps which seem to be swelling, but they were itching. Two blisters (not bad unless you plan to walk 12 miles with them...), etc. It was also pouring rain. So, Yaga and I decided to take the bus just 15 kilometers to the nearest pharmacy. There I was given cream to put on my arms.

As I was sitting outside in Belarado I ran into this man that I met several days back (that had made a tasty dinner). He and his friend inspect my arm and my toes and then tell me to go to the pilgrim doctor. I´m sure it´s not called that but basically when you are a pilgrim you get free health care. Totally God´s providence in them telling me that the day I needed to go. (Also, they made me watch their dog while they went to the store...my life is so random out here, but I totally have a picture to prove it!!) So, Yaga and I head on over to the doctor. He tells when just what the expert pilgrims suspected. Bed bugs. Just kidding, that would be terrible. It´s an allergic reaction to the sun. So he gives me some antihistamines (sp?) and inspects the cream from the pharmacy. Tells me to use both, and to walk with covered arms, at least until it heals. With that he inspects my blisters, and gives me a needle and string to thread through them (who knew?!). With that, he gave us a pep talk and sent us on our way.

So I was feeling good after all the rest and since it was only noon I decided to walk on. About 7 kilometers in, I come upon a new alberque where above mentioned man that I had met earlier is staying. He convinces us to come in a try to pour wine into our mouths from this flask (I also have a picture to prove this!). After spilling wine all over my shirt, he tells me that since he walked the Camino last year he came back to help at this alberque. We decide to stay. Now, Yaga and I are honored guests and get our own room while everyone else has to share in the bunks! They were very convincing that I needed an entire day of rest. The lady who works here is now doing my laundry, they are making us dinner, and they made me some beans and vegetables.

Along the way, Yaga and I had a great conversation. Today is a meaningful day for her and we agreed that God gave us each other just at the right time. We are very similar and it was a joy to spend the day with her.

Today to me was a good reminder of God´s constant provision...from the people coming about just at the right time, to ¨chance¨encounters, etc. I just finished eating my vegetables and recounting to my new German friends all the ways that the Lord has provided for and sustained me, just today!

Tomorrow I will head to Ages and that will be my final day before reaching Burgos!!

Rough Day, Mr. Italy and Jaga

2009-05-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today (I think it´s my 8th day walking) I completed my 93rd mile...but oh so many more to go. This morning started out wonderful, I was walking from Azofra to Granon (past Santo Domingo) and as I crossed over ever hill I was eagerly expecting to see the fields full of red poppies (Tracy´s infamous picture). Sadly, I did see poppies but they are not yet fully in bloom, so I will have to have a different trademark picture from this trip. Again, I felt like I was walking through a postcard all morning.

I arrived on the hilltop town (name escapes me right now) at about 9:30 this morning. I was proud of myself for having walked 6 (hilly!) miles in just 2 hours and 1 minute. So, to congratulate myself I sat down at the local bar to take off my boots and drink some cafe con leche. Enter Mr. Italy (named Paolo). I have never seen him before and he snags the seat beside me. He insists that he order food and I taste his to decide what it is I wanted. As such, our friendship began. Over a shared breakfast he made me laugh which was nice since I had walked alone all morning. I left the cafe and went on my way. As I entered Santo Domingo he caught up with me (much to my surprise as I had my IPOD in). He comes up from behind take out my IPOD, put it in his ears and starts dancing around, much to the amusement of me and his two Italian friends. I go to sit in the square at Santo Domingo and he continues to make me laugh as he starts playing with the children in the square. [side note: as I sat in the square at the foot of the cathedral, the clock struck noon and the bells began to toll. It was so beautiful and awesome]. Anyway, I was feeling good and decided to go on another 5 miles to the next town. I said adios to my new friend, thankful for the morning amusement he provided. I don´t know what drew me to him but I am pretty sure it was the Prada sunglasses. Perhaps next time we meet, we´ll share some pasta.

Well, it was downhill from there. Literally. Which hurt my feet like nobody´s business. I couldn´t wait to get to Granon and complete my 13 mile journey for the day. I was looking forward to sleeping in the attic of the cathedral and experience the hospitality of the nuns. This albergue is well-regarded and I was looking forward to my time there. Well, so was everyone else. As I arrived in the town, hot, tired and sore, I realized people were RUNNING past me to secure a bed. So lame. What kind of pilgrim does that. Also, these people were not WALKING the whole way behind me, they were dropped off. All to say, there was no room in the inn. As I was on the verge of a major breakdown, I decided to head to the bar for yet another cup of coffee to collect my thoughts. I WANTED to ask for a taxi, but I am not going to wimp out yet, not on the account of a little trial. So I loaded up and headed to the next town, where thankfully a bed was waiting for me. It was my longest day yet at 25 kilometers (16 miles?)..and that is way too much for me. 20k is my cap.

At my wits end, and weary and swollen (both my feet and the million red dots on my arms) I decide to go sit in the church to continue my reading through the book of John. It was awesome and encouraging. As I headed back in for dinner I met my new friend, Jaga, from Poland. I LOVE her. Instant friendship and shared experience. We were both looking for a friend today and it´s just what I needed.

Lesson learned, maybe the way I plan out the day isn´t always the best. God has a better plan.

My feet are jacked up but my spirits are high.

Azofra

2009-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

I only have 5 mins on the computer...ha ha. Walked from Ventosa today. The albergue in Ventosa was AMAZING, so relaxing, they were so kind, etc. I might move there! Ankle is totally better (PTL!) but there are red bumps up and down my arm and hands, I think from the sun. ugh, the sun!! Yesterday´s walk was as ugly as could be and I had those nagging thoughts of ¨why in the world am I doing this..¨.,¨but today was much better. Walked through rolling hills of vineyards and the ground was red. So neat! Am in La Rioja now, wine country. Cooked myself dinner last night using ingredients I found at the store. I rarely even do that at home! ha ha. I´ve been going to bed at 8pm, and that´s after a nap!! see ya!

Day 6 and 7 in photos

2009-05-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

Top: walking into Logrono (today)

Making dinner last night (right before I got sick!)

Alberque Andres Munoz - old coverted monestary, BEAUTIFUL!

My feet during a break yesterday. Now have one blister but I turned into McGyver and burned a needle, then pricked the blister, the covered it. Hasn´t bothered me at all. Left ankle hurts!

Bottom photo: me walking through vineyards yesterday, probably getting heat stroke as I took the photo :)

Day 5 in photos

2009-05-19T04:37:00.001-07:00

top photo: my first group dinner.

bottom photo: a wine fountain! see, it´s popular...made a pilgrim traffic jam. I put some wine (just a little :) in my half liter platypus...ha ha!

Day 4, I think...

2009-05-19T04:27:00.001-07:00

Pictures, day 3

2009-05-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

sick, ugh!

2009-05-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I started feeling a bit queasy. But, instead of taking a nap when I got to town (which is the normal order of pilgrim life...at least mine!) I decided to tour the town. I don´t know if it was the fact that I walked so many miles in the sun wearing a sleeveless top and no hat (YES, I had on sunscreen...), or the fact that I started drinking water from Spain instead of bottled water (as I was the ONLY person doing so...), the lack of sleep, or all of the above...but I spent the night on the bathroom floor throwing up. I have to say, however, this lady (no idea what her name is) stayed with me, brought me a chair, tea and a cracker. She also gave me her bed, as she was on the bottom bunk and I was up top. Not only did she stay with me and give me her bed, but since we were in different rooms, she moved all of my stuff for me. It was truly the Lord´s kindness as I don´t even know that she spoke English. Come to find out this morning, last week she was sick for three days and some other pilgrims helped her, so she was returning the favor. So awesome.

Then, I had started to get really sick while helping chop up vegetables to make a group dinner. I obvioulsy missed dinner, but this morning, the group made me breakfast! what?! That is so nice! We all decided to make today a short day, walking only 6 miles, so that we could rest. I had a nice leisurely breakfast and didn´t start walking until 8am, it was so nice (as I ususally leave at 6:45!).

I am now in Logrono, waiting for the hostel to open (biggest city since Pamplona). Since all I have is time, I will try to download some photos.

Though I generally walk alone by day, the spirit among the pilgrims is sweet at night. (Don´t get me wrong, there are complainers, but I tune them out!!)

414 miles to go!

2009-05-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Viana this afternoon. Intended to walk 17 miles to Logrono, but want to be carerful of my ankle that is still hurting! So, I stopped after 13 miles in Viana and will stay here for the night. It´s a really nice alberque. Used to be a monestary and is really beautiful. Today, I was alone most of the day except for the company of some butterflies. One of my fears in coming was that I would be alone, but I have found that I prefer it. I even stopped in the middle of who-knows-where at a stream, took off my boots and relaxed for a while. I did meet up with two Austrian guys (they have been friends for 40 years!)...they sent their wives on a separate vacation and they decided to walk the camino!

Yesterday, on my way into town I met Eric, who walk the camino last year as well. He gathered a few of us and we all made dinner. It was really tasty! I was joined by Bernard (France - 65 yrs old), a gal from Korea (same age as me), a Canadian (she is 58 and very fascinating) and Eric who is 55...besides the gal from Korea, and clinger (who is 21 and from Germany), I am one of the youngest people walking the camino. Although everyone spoke a different language, there were enough translators to help us have a good conversation.

As I have walked I have become accustomed to my backpack, I sometimes forget it is there! I have become more attuned to my feet, however. My ankle is quite sore. As I´ve talked to folks along the way I realize that everyone has their own ailment...blisters, knee, etc. I guess I will just go as far as my body allows.

Naturally, I think about a lot of things during the day, but I don´t really know what to share here on this blog, so I will leave you with random happenings and pictures (hopefully I will download some tonight).

It is striking how many people here are in search of something...the meaning of life, to find God, etc. I have found myself to be mostly silent (probably due in no small part to the language barrier), but I also just like listening to everyone else. I don´t really know that I have anything to share or talk about.

The road today was up and down many steep hills with no town in sight. I have not cried once on the camino (yet) but as the journey was ending today, as I was walking up what seemed to be an endless hill, I saw the city over the horizon. It was enough to make anyone gasp. It is all so beautiful and my eyes welled up with tears (of happiness!) and I thougt, I can do this again tomorrow...

Los Arcos

2009-05-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Amazingly, I made it to Los Arcos today. The camino kicked my butt. It was the longest stretch yet of nothing. By nothing, I mean beautiful rolling hills and vineyards. No kinsman-redeemer snatched me up...darn it! Anyway, though the nature was exquisite, I can see how one might get lonely on the camino, although there are so many others on the path. My mind was wandering to all things painful, my left ankle (which I bandaged up sooooo tightly I´m surprised I still have circulation!) and my left toes. Still no blisters (praise the Lord!). Today was a total of 13.5 miles. It took my a little under 6 hours to walk it. I didn´t stop once during the last 7 miles because I just wanted to finish. I think that is generally a bad idea. Tomorrow, I will take rest breaks.

So, halfway through the day, we climed up this steep hill (which I prefer to going downhill). I get up there and this stupid cat jumps in my bag of bread. I freaked out because I hate animals and it kelpt following me. Needless to say, I chucked the bread and it was a short stop. Right as I was arriving in Los Arcos, I hear some lady yell, "it´s the American girl who is scared of the cat!" Word travels quickly. More quickly than I walk. Well, we are now friends and decided to splurge and pay 10 euros for a room for 3. It will be nice to have some quiet. I am at the Austian Alberque (just for Lisa!) and I paid the guy 5 euros to do my laundry. I don´t even care. I´d rather take a nap.

The morning started with me listening to Sandi Patti and ended with U2. It was a good variation, I would say.

Oh, and clingler, I ditched him. He walks slower than me, ha ha. But he did show up twice just after I was finishing my snacks (and I have kind of lost my appetitie) so he eats all my left overs. He´ll probably stick around now for the free food. Dang it.

Pictures tomorrow. Gotta go. see ya!

Estella

2009-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am now in Estella. It is Saturday night. Yesterday, I finished in Cirquri (sp?...I don´t have my book with me). On the way I met Sandro, a Brazilian that lives in Madrid. Although he walks considerably faster than me, he walked with me the entire way into town. It was nice to have a walking partner as it was almost all uphill and quite taxing. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Once we arrived at the mountaintop village, we found the alberque. Sandro came along just at the right time, as I needed to really know Spanish in this town, so he helped me out. He passed me this morning, and I will surely never see him again as I´m sure he´s almost to Santiago by now.

Last night was interesting, I was reveling in how beautiful it was and how nice all the people were. That is, until I was sittting in front of the church (along with about 15 other pilgrims) reading my Bible. Everyone has a journal and writes in it, by the way. So, anyway, the bells rang at the church and Sandro (Brazilian from above) asks me if I want to go to mass with him. I decline. This German guy proceedes to tell me how offensive it is that I am reading my Bible yet refuse to go to church. I tried to expain that I do go to church (probably more than the average person, but I digress...) but that I am not Catholic. He tried to get into an argument with me and I just ignored him. By now, all pilgrims are staring at me. Things only got worse when above mentioned German asked me where I was from. I said the United States. "Oh, you love Obama,¨he proclaims. "Actually, I don´t,¨I say. This prompted an outcry from each person, surely each representing a different country. Someone yells out from the crowd, " well, there is no way you liked Bush." At that moment, I don´t know if it was my annoyance at their judgements toward me, or my realization that I don´t have to change who I am to please them....when, I broke the one rule I had given myself. I told them that I worked for President Bush. Needless to say, arms flew into the air, things were said (thankfully) in languages I didn´t understand, and everyone but Sandro and Jennifer (Canada) left. A half hour later it was time for dinner and I wasn´t sure that anyone would allow me to sit at their table. But, I walked in and I guess the pilgrim spirit overcame the group anger toward me and someone called out, "Miss Karen, come sit with us." Thus ended the night.

This morning, I set out for Estella. I do still concur with my earlier statement that I enjoy the time between the towns (and the smaller villages) to the large ones. Though I decided to walk only 10 miles today and stop here, I was completely exhausted. No blisters yet, but each day has brought its own physical ailment, which I spend about the first half hour praying about. My body is OK so far. I got here, took a shower, then crashed for 4 hours! I got here so early (by noon) that I intended to tour. When I finally got myself up, I wandered around the city and it crossed my mind to visit the Red Cross building that has a sign saying, ¨Pilgrims, come here." I was feeling terrible. I ran into my first American, Justin from Texas. He showed me the way to the store and told me I should eat, but the thought of eating made me want to throw up. So did the thought of walking another mile. Is it too early to be thinking this way?! I decided it must be allergies as my nose was running the entire day (it was pretty, but the grass clearly affected me). After a claritin and another 3 hour nap, I am up. My fellow pilgrims keep stopping by (probably because they want the computer!) and to tell me they are glad I am alive, and telling me I should eat regardless of whether I feel like it. All to say, I´m alive and will journey on, at least for another day.

On a side note, I have a clinger. Met him at a picnic bench by a church. I sat on his bench mostly becasue I had never met him and it was the only space to sit. I think he took that as a sign that we will do everything together. He just sits and stares. As he is doing now. ugh. Tracy, this reminds me of the time when you got up in the middle of the night to escape...ha ha.

Pictures of Day 1

2009-05-15T02:34:00.001-07:00

Pictures of Day 2

2009-05-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

Viva Espana!

2009-05-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the camino. Granted this is day two -- but hello, who lives out here?!, it is so beautiful! So I ended up starting in Pampalona, no particular reason but it may have been that I met 3 ladies and felt better venturing out with them then by myself. I walked about 15K yesterday. Didn´t intend to stop in Uterga, but after sitting there with about a million other pilgrims for lunch, I didn´t want to get up (btw- I love the food!). I got a hot shower, laid out my stuff, drank some cafe con leche, read and then took a 3 hour nap. The nap proved useful since the day was simply glorious, until I tried to got to bed at 10 and the snoring from the man on the bunk above me was more than I could handle. Everyone was asleep and I didn´t want to wake them up by looking for my earplugs so I just suffered. After about an hour, I got out my IPOD. It did not cross my mind once to put on my IPOD while walking - there is so much to see - but I was glad to have it last night. Here is one thing I learned today - Í´d rather stay single the rest of my life then be married to someone who snores like that guy!

The first day started out with rain. The only difficulty I´ve had so far is the constant readjustment of my outfit - too cold, too hot, raining, etc. The pack feels fine while on, but I did notice today that my back started hurting a bit.

The steep climb to Alto del Perdon was a lot easier then going downhill! I am so thankful for my walking sticks which helped me to keep my balance over the muddy rocks. There are so many pilgrims around I haven´t had to be alone unless I wanted to be. However, I have not yet met one American. I always run into this Italian boy. I didn´t think he spoke English until I happened upon him in Puente La Reina this morning at the same coffee shop. Guess he was tricking me because he does speak English. We generally walk at the same pace so I guess if I get bored I can talk to him. I separated from my Finland friends today and chose to take a path off the main route to see this amazing 6-sided church. It was the first time I was truly alone, walking down a farm track, but it was so nice. It was an hour long detour, but worth it. I am truly in awe of the beauty. Suprisingly, the towns are great, but I actually love to walk between the towns.

I plan to finish up at about 18K today, and then do 15K tomorrow to Estella. There, I will start doing to the traditional 20ish K per day to make it to Santiago. A Canadian lady (who has been walking since the middle of France) convinced me to start of slowly. So, I will heed her advice.

Ok, well, I am going to attempt to load some photos. I know I look terrible, and I don´t have a mirror, so don´t judge. :)

I made it!

2009-05-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

After a pretty long, but pretty easy trip, I am now in Pampalona. I was not sure I would get on the plane as I was so nervous (Carlynne drove me to the airport in silence as I thought I was about to throw up...SORRY!). My nerves definately got the best of me, but once I purged that out of my system at Dulles I was on my way. It could not have been any easier to get here --everyone was so helpful. I went to 3 airports and rode 2 buses and still managed to make it.

At Dulles, a gal sat next to me who had the same boots on --obviously going hiking. It was reassuring to talk to her and her friend about where we were going, expectations, etc. I truly think it was a gift from the Lord. Once I got on the bus from Madrid to ? (forgot the name of the town) I met two ladies (both in their 50´s) from Finland who are walking the Camino. We met up with one more German lady and we all found a place to stay together. It´s the Jesus y Maria alberque in Pampalona - ha ha. The first place we went was closed.

Well, anyway, I am supposed to be silent in like 15 minutes and I have to get my stuff together. The four of us went to a cute outside cafe and had the biggest sandwich and bottle of wine I have ever seen. So far, I love Spain. That being said, I have not yet walked one mile. I was going to start from Ronsavalles but may just start from here. Will decide in the morning. There are a gazillion pilgrim and my idea of being lonely has been thrown to the wind.

I will say however, that I am not yet excited about the people who apparently don´t use deodorant?! What?! It´s Eurpoe, I guess!

Gotta go - see ya! maybe pictures another day.

Thank You...and, I'm off!

2009-05-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is it, my final night in the U.S. for six weeks! I can't believe the day has finally come for me to go...

I am apprehensive, excited, wondering what exactly it was that prompted me to go, etc. I am wondering what it will be like to be alone with my Bible, journal, God and nature for all of that time. I am wondering about my physical aptitude.

There is no telling the fun or trials that the camino will bring. I covet your prayers for safety and general calmness (today I feel quite anxious). I know the Lord is my ever present help and even when there is no person to provide guidance or comfort, I trust that the Lord will supply my every need.

With that, here is my shout out of THANKS to all who have helped me get to this point (in no particular order...):

Tracy Smith - unintentionally inspiring me to go (she did it by herself in 2001!)
Carlynne - biggest cheerleader, taking care of and being responsible for all of my personal items, all around best friend, and the small bible
Ceithamers- having some confidence in me and more in the Lord, prayer warriors
Roommates - listening to me talk about the camino all of the time and letting me spread out my hiking gear all over the living room.
Jessica Sandle - knowing all things hiking, excellent advice and great encouragement (and for packing my backpack!)
Edelen - survival kit, great advice, a knife and rope, and faith that I can do this
Nathan Santamaria - for having family members along the camino
Little Yee - Spanish book, trip to buy my hiking boots and for taking care of some personal matters while I am away
The Behrens - for being generally adventurous and excited about the trip and cheering me on
Melissa and Dave - meeting with me last Friday to tell me all about their experience on the camino and offer some good advice
Eli, Moriah and Sunshine - letting me walk with them in the morning, and not being embarrassed when I wore my hiking boots and backpack and general encouragement
Kimmy - being a great support and going on long walks with me
Mom and Dad - the camera, trip to REI and giving me the DNA that made me crazy enough to do such things as this
Colleen - camino gift packet
Jordan - Spanish language for my IPOD (awesome invention, btw!)
Scott Filer - headlamp
Mandi - covering my Sunday School class
Church Staff - letting me use their office space, allowing me to hang around and talk about the camino, and random tidbits of advice I collected along the way
Don Whitney - excellent book: Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life - esp. the chapter on Silence and Solitude
Cofraternity of St. James - for having so much information on the camino that I have lost countless hours of sleep because I can't stop reading it
REI - for taking my money in exchange for some travel/hiking comforts

I know I have missed countless people. I truly feel like I am being sent off, cared for and prayed for during this trip...and I appreciate it all so much.

The preparation for this trip has been a great metaphor for life. Some are very excited I am going, some think it's a terrible idea. Just like in all of life, I tried to make the best decision I could with the information I had. Is there any guarantee that I will return safely? No. Is there any guarantee that it will be awesome? No. Yet, I am excited for this adventure and excited to see how the Lord uses it in my life. I am also thankful that, regardless of how this all turns out, I have friends that care enough to tell me they think I am making a bad decision and friends that will pull out all the stops to make sure I go. The fact that I have so many people that care is just an indication of how blessed I truly am...

I will miss you all.

Buen Camino!!

2009-05-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today I wrapped up my final preparations. I think everything is set to go! Now I just keep packing and unpacking my bag to take out anything I can. Each time I go on a walk the more convinced I am that I don't need all of those things. Thousands of people have walked this path before me and survived without most of our modern conveniences. That being said, I have no intention of leaving my IPOD behind. Guess I will just have to suffer the weight of that one :)

There are so many details to take care of before leaving the country for 6 weeks. Thankfully I have had ample time.. I just hope nothing will fall through the cracks.

I find the more I think of it the more fears I can come up with: getting lost, being lonely, being attacked by a dog, running into a bull on the path, not finding a place to sleep at night, getting sick, getting hurt...on and on. But they say the camino is a lot like life. There are hard parts and there are great parts. I have no romantic notions that this will be easy, but I still want to go. Unfortunately, the weather forecast calls for rain all next week in Ronsavalles, my starting point. Also, I need to learn to think in kilometers and not miles. I am going to be sooo confused!

Today's photos come from my time with Caleb this morning. We had such a nice time. He is too little to be embarassed that I was pushing him in his stroller around Shirlington with a backpack and hiking boots, so it worked out just perfectly! And he was a little angel :) I am really going to miss that little guy, and his mom! ...and everyone else.

4 days to go!

2009-05-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today, I took the pack out for another test drive -- 8 miles. A much better experience than yesterday, although I do feel sore. I think today was more successful for two reasons. One, I had company for the first part (tx to Eli, Moriah and Sunshine!) and two, I brought my IPOD.

Speaking of my IPOD, I have now spent countless hours downloading some good tunes - I am hoping they provide the necessary encouragement to press on when I am ready to quit. I also downloaded my first book on tape, "Pilgrims Progress." Can't think of a better time or place to hear the classic.

A big thanks to Kasey and the CHBC church staff for letting me constantly pop in and use the church office as my hub for copying, faxing and collecting random tidbits of wisdom and advice.

Tonight I met with a couple who walked the Camino last year. They offered good advice and a dose of reality. I am scared to death, but am too far in to drop out now...

With that, I leave you with some pictures from today. The beautiful capitol, Sunshine demonstrating how heavy my pack is (!), my "before" picture with the backpack and my shadow (new camera, ha ha). (I realize the pictures are at the top and not the bottom, haven't figured out how to change it...)

Already want to chuck the backpack!

2009-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

I take back what I said yesterday about the pack. The proud moment of packing only 18 lbs. soon faded when I actually put it on and walked farther than, say, a trot around the living room. Set out for a 5 mile walk with it on this morning at 6am. Somehow missed my walking partners, probably because I took too long to load the monster onto my back and tie up my boots. Beyond being the freak walking around capitol hill with hiking boots, shorts and a fully loaded backpack, the whole trek was basically t.e.r.r.i.b.l.e! I had a big complain fest in my mind about how heavy it was, my hip hurt, lost feeling in my toes, my knee hurt, yada, yada...I wanted to come back and promptly cancel my ticket. Seriously. Instead, I totally crashed. That's right, after just a short 5 mile walk. How lame is that?! I wonder if I can toss the extra outfit and replace it with some vicodin. I am never gonna make it with this kind of attitude. They say it takes about 3 days to get used to carrying the backpack. I certainly hope this counted as day one.

I did time myself and it turned out that I walked 20.57 minute miles (that included the stopping to re-lace the boots, stretching, and general slowness acquired from walking with a bad attitude). From what I have read it is generally a good pace. If all goes as planned and I get up early and start walking, I should make it to town each day with enough time to do a litte sightseeing.

Today I feel like this whole trip might not be the best idea. I don't exactly know how I am getting from Madrid to Pampalona. Maybe that should be my goal for today, finding a way to actually arrive at the starting point...

So, my plan for today is to take every last thing out of that backpack and chuck half of it. Forget the lip gloss. And the skirt! ...and find a bus to Pampalona.

On a brighter note, I had lunch with the fabulous Jen Veerman, and can I just say how awesome it is that she is getting married!! And grandma is out of the hospital! yahoo!

Pre-Camino trip to CA, 6 days to go

2009-05-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

I took a quick trip to CA to see grandma Race this past weekend. She is in the hospital and I was feeling really sad about it, so I decided to go see her! Since I am confident she wouldn't like pictures posted of her in the hosptial, here's a couple from the White House Christmas Party.

I also got to see my cute cousins. Saw others too, of course, but since I didn't take any photos of them, there is no honorable mention (but it was great to see you!).

There are only 6 days left until I leave for Spain. I feel mostly excited but also very nervous. Honestly, I don't really hike, so this is all just a little random. I've already concluded that I will sell all my hiking gear upon my return...but as avid hiker, Jessica Sandle, told me tonight...my feelings on that may change by the time I get back. ;)

On a side note, Jessica helped me pack my backpack tonight and I am proud to say that on my first try it weighed a mere 18 pounds (including the skirt and a dress for my final days in Santiago). This means I get to pack my lip gloss!

What and Where...

2009-05-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I leave for Spain in 11 days...

In case you haven't heard me talk about it enough, here is some more info (and some history) on this crazy adventure.

For over 1000 years pilgrims have been making their way across Spain to the city of Santiago (in the northwest region of Spain), to visit the shrine of St. James in the cathedral. This pilgrimage is called the Camino de Santiago de Compostela ("the Way of St James"). St. James was one of the twelve apostles and brother of John. The body of St. James is supposedly buried there, in the cathedral.

The camino is a collection of many routes that cover most of Europe. The main route (which I will be walking) is the Camino Frances. I will be starting in Ronsavalles and will walk 497 miles to Santiago. I plan to take no longer than 35 days to walk the camino, but will be in Spain for 41 days...giving either time for ample rest and relaxation at the end, or a pretty slow pace throughout.

For all the worry warts, the Camino Frances is the most-traveled, well-marked path leading to Santiago. The path is filled with hostels (refugios and albergues), water fountains, bars and restaurants. Some websites I read noted that it was impossible to get lost. I'm confident I will be the exception, but I also trust there will be enough kind pilgrims around to help direct me onto the right path.

The custom of making this pilgrimage nearly died out, but has revived over the last 30ish years and now is becoming quite popular. The numbers of pilgrims walking the camino has been steadily increasing: in 1986, 2,500 pilgrims walked, and in 2007, 114,000 pilgrims walked.

The traditional symbol of the pilgrim is a scallop shell which most pilgrims hang around their neck or attach to their pack. It is also the symbol that guides you along the way on the path. Certainly for some, the pilgrimage is a religious experience. Others go for the challenge, some because they are between jobs (that's me!). Everyone has their own reason for walking the camino.

As for my specific reasons? I am not really sure why I think this is a good idea. But I do. I have the time, can afford it and am physically able (hopefully!). It seems that only on a rare occasion in one's life do all of those things intersect. I also think it will be a good time for silence and solutide, personal reflection and prayer.

I have truly enjoyed my time off work and after this little trek I plan to become a good member of society and find a job...but how awesome is it that I get to walk across Spain first?!!!

My purpose in having this blog is to keep you updated along the way. And if I'm smart enough to figure it out, I will post some photos. For anyone interested in following along, I hope you enjoy it (and I hope I do too!!!)

To be a pilgrim...

2009-04-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

"He Who Would Valiant Be" - John Bunyan

Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He’ll with a giant fight,
He will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labor night and day
To be a pilgrim.