Day 28 - Leon - preparing for the next leg.

"City of Leon 08 04 30 09:57

Today we are getting ourselves organized to start the last 260 km of the Camino tomorrow. We have sorted carefully through our packs and will carry only what we need for the next 15 days. Everything else will be sent by Correos (mail) to our hotel in Santiago. So my pack will be lighter than at any time since I started.

Dad"

The next part is from Jean. The post titled Da y 27 - Leon - Welcoming los Nuevos Peregrinos came in an email from Jean with the subject line "Dad's Hat". As you will see if you read (or reread) that post, there was nothing about dad's hat in the email. The following was in reply to my astute question of "What does this have to do with Dad's hat?"

"Oh yes...I forgot to tell you that part. It was late last night and I was tired.
Dad lost his Tilley hat; he took it to the laundry and when he picked up his clothes it wasn’t there. However, the laundry lady tracked it down and Dad has his hat again. Yesterday we were out for a walk and the wind blew his hat off.... a pretty young woman ran after it and once again... Dad has his hat!

Today we have done messages. Went to the post office and sent a box of clothes ahead to our hotel in Santiago. Then we went to the train station to see about taking the train to Astorga tomorrow. This is Dad’s method of shortening the trail by 56 km so that we are not so stretched. However, tomorrow is a holiday for Santa Domingo so the train is not going to Astorga. Sue was able to make the reservations for part of our post hike trip. Dad and I found the bus depot and there is 1 bus going to Astorga tomorrow so we bought 4 tickets and will take the 10:30 bus to Astorga and then hike 10 or 11 km to the Refugio....my big test!

I thought that Dad had a lot of typos in his emails. I have now experienced the computer and there are some differences from home. I seem to have a lot of typos too! Weather is nice today and I am beginning to recognize pilgrims....they seem to be everywhere.
We have a computer available at the hostel where we are staying in Leon but will not have for the next couple of days."

Jean

Stories from Carrion III

This is the last of 3 stories from the town of Carrion de los Condes

The name of the town is Carrion of the Condes (Counts)

To tell this story, I have to go back to reintroduce El Cid, the great Spanish warrior figure. El Cid was a kind of Robin Hood figure. Both were unfairly made into outlaws. The difference is that as far as we know Robin Hood was a fictitious character. There was never a specific real person called Robin Hood or Robin of Locksley. In contrast El Cid was a very real person. His name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. He was born in Burgos in 1048 and died in Valencia in 1099. His title means Great Leader in the Field (of Battle).

Early on in his career, El Cid was falsely accused of treason and was exiled by the then King of Castile, Alfonso VI. He was given a certain amount of time to leave Castile, and unknown to him, all other citizens of Castile were proscribed from providing any help or aid to El Cid on his journey into exile on pain of death. Exile in this case meant going south into what is now the middle of the Iberian Peninsula. And so as he traveled south, El Cid found towns, villages and farms closed to him. Eventually a small child told him that they could not help him (even thought many wanted to do) because the King would have them put to death.

However, before he crossed the border out of Castile a number of his followers joined him, choosing to go into exile as well, so when he left Castile he had a small army with him.

In that area of Spain today, there are a number of towns that have as part of their name the words de la Frontera (of the frontier) e.g. Jeriz de la Frontera, and at first you wonder why towns in the middle of Spain call themselves of the frontier. The reason is that at that time that was the frontier between Christian Spain in the north and Moorish Spain in the south.

El Cid became a sort of mercenary warlord in this frontier region and, as he was very good at what he did, he soon became very rich and powerful. El Cid was also a family man. He had 2 daughters of whom he was very proud and whom he loved very much. At some point 2 young men, the above mentioned Counts of Carrion came and joined his camp. These counts were not particularly good warriors and showed no evidence of courage in battle, but they did succeed in wooing, winning and marrying the 2 daughters of El Cid.

After an appropriate time they said that it was time for them to take their new wives and return to their land, the region of Carrion, and so a great cavalcade was prepared. El Cid showered his daughters and their new husbands with wealth and after tearful goodbyes the cavalcade left for Carrion.

However these were not nice young men, They were in fact quite evil. It was their plan to take the 2 young women deep into the forest, strip them, tie them to trees, beat them and leave them to die, which they did. However, El Cid had asked one of his trusted lieutenants to follow the cavalcade surreptitiously and see that his daughters were safe (which they were not) and that they arrived at their new homes in Carrion (which they never did). El Cid’s man found the 2 young women in the forest, rescued them, took them to a place where they were nursed back to health and then reported his findings to El Cid.
As you can imagine, El Cid was not happy. He was in fact enraged. By this time the expulsion order of the King had been reversed (although I don’t think El Cid ever returned to live in Castile) and El Cid followed the Counts to Carrion, slew them and took back the wealth that he had bestowed on them.

The 2 nefarious counts for whom the Town of Carrion de los Condes is named are buried in the Monasterio of San Zoilo on the western edge of Carrion. I passed the San Zolio on my way out of Carrion. I did not go in to pay my respects for the quite justifiably executed Counts (they did not deserve respect then or now), but I did wave as I walked by.

The 2 daughters of El Cid went on to make better marriages. And after a highly successful career El Cid retired to Valencia where he died peacefully in 1099.

The El Cid canto is one of the great works of Spanish literature, perhaps next only to Cervantes Don Quixote. Don Quixote has been translated into many languages and may be the first novel ever written. So we all know about the honorable but slightly crazed knight from La Mancha. The El Cid story is much less well known in the English speaking world. And that is a pity.

There was a movie made of El Cid some years ago. Apparently Charlton Heston, when he was not playing Moses had some time left over to play El Cid along with Sophia Loren. I don’t remember much about this movie and whether it had any degree of historical accuracy, however coming out of Hollywood I have only low expectations.

And speaking of Don Quixote, if the (fictitious) knight from La Mancha were around today he would be a very busy man indeed. We do not think of Spain as a mountainous country. But in fact Spain is the second most mountainous country in Europe. Spain is divided by many ranges of mountains (many snow peaked) and hills. And on virtually all of the hills there are many, many wind turbines. Spain is into wind power in a big way.
However, were Don Quixote inclined to tilt at these modern windmills he might have to get a mechanical Rosinante because a horse would not be much of a match against a modern wind turbine.

So that is the third story from the Town of Carrion, a small town with an abundance of history.

Len


1048 to 1099 Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar

Day 27 - Leon - Welcoming los Nuevos Peregrinos

Today we get the first posting from one of the new pilgrims (los nuevos peregrinos). Now that Jean/Mom/Grandma is over in Spain, I'm sure the posts will become much longer!.

"Leon - Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 9:28 PM

Well I had a very good trip here and met the Schuberts as planned in Terminal 2 at Madrid. This morning we got up at 4:30 am to pack dress etc and went to the hotel front desk at 5:15 ready for our 5:30 trip to the train station to come to Leon. In the lobby they had coffee con leche and it was a real treat. We should do this more often at home. The train was a high speed a little like the Shin can sen (spelling JEFF??? – ed. Correct spelling is Shinkansen). The train however broke a wheel and they had to bring a new train in so we were over 1/2 an hour late. The conductor was most apologetic. Nobody seemed disturbed so we carried on as if nothing happened...lovely hot breakfast served by the 2 stewardesses.

Dad was waiting on the platform and we walked to the hostel which is very nice and very central. We had a look through the cathedral.... and let me tell you....St Paul´s problems look pretty small here. This cathedral was started by the Romans and has been developed and maintained over the years... amazing. But the roof structure looks sound...it is stone arches! This key board is slightly different than mine so please correct the typos.

Tonight we have just come in from having dinner...vegetable soup, Dad had chicken and I had Hake in sauce. We’re tired and ready to hit the hay ...perhaps some of this is jet lag.
Tomorrow we will send our things that we want for after hiking through to Santiago. There are too many museums to see but perhaps we’ll see a couple.

Love Mom
PS there are some adorable toys and shoes here for all of our grand daughters. Len has said I could buy what I can carry. Alas...I can’t carry anything more!!!!!"

Stories from Carrion II

(To Andrea and Brandon)
"I just had a message from your Mother. Both she and the Schuberts had good trips and are now safely at their hotel in Madrid. So I will see them at about 09:30 tomorrow morning at the train station.

Dad"

Now back to Stories from Carrion II

"So I do not see the man or the horse again that day. And I set off to explore the town. It is about 14:30 at this point and I know that not much will be open. The siesta is still a much honoured custom in rural Spain and to some extent in the cities as well. And not much of anything is open from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. I want to find these places but I know I will have to come back later to actually do anything. First I find a Farmacia, then I find a Supermercado. Now a Supermercado in Spain is not at all like the Superstore in Milton. About 4 Supermercados could fit easily into the entranceway of the Superstore in Milton. We are truly blessed with an abundance of choice in Milton. A supermercado here is a small, usually family run grocery store of the kind that was common in Canada in the 50’s. Anyway, I found it and across the street was the internet cafe and I found where the bank machines and the restaurantes were on the way back to the monastery. Also I found a camera shop as I needed new batteries for my prodigal camera (the one that was lost and then found in Logroño).

So I went back to my compact cell at the monastery, had a shower, changed into my non walking clothes (I have basically 2 sets of clothing, the one set that I walk in and the other set for when I am not walking. And I rest. Rest is important because your feet and legs need rest even if you don’t feel tired or sleepy.

Around 6 pm, I go out and do my errands; first to the Farmacia, then to the Supermercado. The Spanish diet is high on meat and bread and low on fruits and vegetables, and even though I do not eat a lot of fresh fruit at home I have begun to crave fresh fruit. Well there was not much fruit to be had at the Supermercado that day but I had an orange and I got a few other things. Then I went to the Internet cafe to do my messages and to a restaurante for a bit of supper and to the photoshop for camera batteries.

And then back to the monastery for the night. In the morning I am up at 06:30, carefully packed for the day and my feet carefully prepared for the day with all the sensitive areas bandaged and I am on my way out the gate by 08:15. I stop for a quick breakfast and then to the bank machine to top up my cash. Now I am working my way out of Carrion when I see standing quietly in front of a small hotel, the horse. I continue on my way and I am just passing another Monasterio, the Monasterio of San Zoillo (to which I will return in Stories from Carrion III) and crossing a bridge over the Rio Carrion when I again hear the clip-clopping of the horse and the Peregrino a caballo walks past me again this time leading the horse out of town.

I never actually saw him ride the horse but I presume he must have, and further down the road I find clear evidence of the horse’s passing. I am a veterinarian after all and I can recognize the size, shape, colour and characteristic odour of fresh horse manure. Sometime the political kind of horse manure gets by me but I know the real stuff when I see it. In the course of my professional career I have had to dissect and examine the gastrointestinal tract of quite a few horses. So I not only know what horse manure looks like but why it looks that way and how it is made. The gastrointestinal tract of a horse is a wonderfully complex evolutionary structure. Ruminants (cattle, sheep, deer, bison etc) have a very large dilatation of the esophagus called the rumen which is a large fermentation vat for the plant materials which they eat. Bacteria and protozoa break down the indigestible cellulose into digestible materials. Horses are monogastric animals and do not have a rumen so they have to do the same job a different way. So they have developed a very large and complex folded great colon where the breakdown of cellulose occurs.

But that is probably more detail about equine gastroenterology than most people want to know.

The bottom line here is that not many people travel the Way these days on horseback but in my journey at least one peregrino is doing so.

Len"

Stories from Carrion I

Len/Dad/Grampa passed through Carrion on Day 20 (April 22). This story will be followed shortly by Stories from Carrion II, and later (in theory) Stories from Carrion III.

NB - I have posted many posts in the last 24 hours, so you may not just be able to scroll down and see everything new. You can use the list of titles on the right on the blog screen to click back to any posts you may have missed.

Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 1:35 PM EST

City of Leon, Province of Leon, Comunidad od Castilla y Leon 08 04 28 11:22

Un peregrino a Caballo

Earlier I told you about the Monasterio of Santa Clara in the town of Carrion de los Condes.

Shortly after checking into the Monasterio, I decided that I needed to go into town to do a few errands. I wanted to visit a Farmacia to pick up a few foot bandages (a common theme). I knew that the next day I would be walking a 17 km section with no towns, no villages and no services so I wanted to visit a grocery store so as to have a bit of food with me. I don’t eat much during the day but it is important to have a bit of food with you. I always carry a litre of water also. And I wanted to find an internet cafe to do my messages, check out restaurantes both for supper and for breakfast the next morning, and to check out the bank machines so I could top up my cash supply. I prefer to do that in the larger centres.

So I set off into the Town of Carrion. Since I had started the camino, I had seen quite a few people on bicycles but no one on horseback and I had reached the conclusion that few if anyone traveled the way these days on horseback. But I was about to be proven wrong.

A few years ago, a family led a hinney (a female mule) carrying their belongings across Roncesvalles Pass and on to Santiago, and a man by the name of Tim Moore published a book entitled Spanish Step: A Man and his Ass on the Road to Santiago. But I had seen no one with horse, ass or mule. Just outside of the town of Torres del Rio, I had seen a somewhat dilapidated Estables that was associated with the alburgue at which I had stayed Casa Mari, but no live animals.

I had walked into Carrion and was standing at a small Il Turismo office that was closed because it was only open in the summer (but there was still some useful information there), when I hear behind me the characteristic clip-clopping of a steel shod horse. I turned around and there was a man leading a horse into town. And he stops and asks me in Spanish for directions. Well I had been in Carrion for all of 10 minutes and did not know anything. So I had to say Lo siento, no se (Sorry I do not know). So he thanks me and leads his horse clip-clopping off to ask someone else.
Len"

Day 26 - Leon - Rest and Recouperate and prepare for the arrival of the new recruits.

"Well if everyone is on time, Jean should be in the air from Frankfurt to Madrid enjoying a nice breakfast courtesy of Lufthansa and the Schuberts should be just off the southern tip of Ireland beginning their descent into Schipol Airport, Amsterdam"

While Dad awaits the arrival of Jean, Dick & Sue, he has a little time to catch up and recall some of the events of his trip - these will follow as separate story posts as they arrive from him. The first is on Leon itself.

“Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 1:35 PM EST 6:10 AM

The city of Leon is over 1000 years old. It was founded by the Romans as a military base from which to subdue and pacify the Celts of Asturias and Galicia. The Celts have been here since the Bronze Age and apparently did not fully appreciate the opportunities and benefits of Roman civilization.

The centre of the City is called the Gothic area and is filled with narrow streets , shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. The description Gothic apparently has nothing to do with the Goths who ruled Spain for about 500 years. The Romans ruled the province of Hispania from about 200 BC to about 400 AD when the empire collapsed. Hispania was the most important Roman province outside of the Ialian peninsula. At least two Roman Emperors, Trajan and Hadrian were born in Hispania (Spain itself as a concept or a country did not yet exist). The infamous Pontius Pilote was also born in Hispania.

After the Romans left in about 400 AD several German tribes came in, most prominently the Visigoths (western Goths) and the Suecvi (Swabians).This was about the same time, I think that the Angle, Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain.

The Visigoths ruled most of Spain (again except for the pesky Celts and the Basques) until 711 when the Moors invaded from Africa, and they ruled initially all of Iberia and then progressively less and less until they were finally expelled on January 1, 1492 with the completion of La Reconquista.

My priorities here are much more modest. Aside from meeting Jean and the Schuberts tomorrow morning, my priority is not to tour magnificent gothic cathedrals and museums rich in history (which undoubtedly we will do). My priority is to get my clothes clean. The Camino has a way of reducing wants, needs and priorities to the most simple and most basic. Even though I have been doing some hand washing most days, eventually my clothes need a real wash. I could tell because my clothes and I were beginning to exude a very unsociable odour which even I could smell.

So when I checked into the Hostal Albany yesterday I asked about el servicio lavanderia. Some hotels provide this and some do not. The very nice lady at the desk said no but she pulled out a map, marked a circle where the hotel was, and an x where there was a lavanderia close by and another x where there was an internet cafe (where I am right now). Of course yesterday was Sunday so nothing was open. But I found both places. And at 09:15 this morning when the lavenderia opened, I walked in carrying in a black plastic garbage bag, carefully organized and with the proverbial launder every piece of clothing I have except the ones I was wearing (it was too cool this morning not to wear any clothes) So the very nice lady at the lavenderia took my clothes, gave me a receipt and said my clothes would be ready at 18:30 tonight. First priority accomplished.

Then I wanted to get some more foot bandages. We will have 8 feet to look after for the remainder of the Camino. While feet usually come in pairs, on the Camino, each foot is very much an individual and needs to be treated as such. Jean will bring 40 of the large format Band-Aids that I like to use and we will supplement those with the ones I can get here. Second mission accomplished.

This afternoon I will move from the Hostal Albany to the Hostal san martin where we have reservations for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. And on Thursday we will take a train to Astorga about 52 km west of León and we will start the remaining 260 km of the Camino.

From Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees the City of León is 440 km so I am more than half way.

Len”

The New Recruits - Travel day 1

While Len/Dad/Grampa was hiking into Leon, Mom/Grandma/Jean and Dick and Sue Schubert started their journey that will have them all meet up in Leon on Tuesday.

April 27, 2008

Jean begins her travel with a flight from Toronto to Frankfurt leaving at ~5:30 EST. Before that she stopped by for brunch with the little peregrinita Madeleine (photo)

Meanwhile Dick and Sue Schubert on the same day left Portland international for Ireland.

Day 25 – Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon

Day 25 – April 27 Mansilla de las Mulas (Km 330) to León (Km 311) = 19 km - Cumulative 440 km

"City of Leon 08 04 27 10:04

I stayed overnight in the municipal alburgue in Mansilla. It was very crowded and all the beds were assigned and they began to pull out mattresses for the floor as more people continued to arrive. Also the showers were not working well so I was not able to get as clean as I like. Anyway it was just for overnight and the hospitaleros were very good and tried hard to accommodate everyone. One hospitalera even set up a foot clinic and began taking care of blisters and bandaging feet.

Today I did the 18 km from Mansilla de las Mulas into Leon. It was a warm sunny day. I was on the road before 08:00 and after a short stop for what the Spanish call breakfast, I was in the southern suburbs of Leon by noon.

Len"

Day 24 – El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas

Day 24 – April 26 El Burgo Ranero (Km 345) to Mansanilla de las Mulas (Km 330) = 15 km – Cumulative 421 km.

"Mansilla de las Mulas, Province of Leon, Leon y Castilla 08 04 26 13:37

Hi

I am 18 km south of the City of Leon. So I will be in Leon early tomorrow afternoon. Yesterday I passed the 400 km mark from Roncesvalles.

Len"

Day 23 – Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero

Day 22 – April 25 - Sahagún (Km 368) to El Burgo Ranero (Km 345) = 23 - Cumulative 406 km

"El Burgo Ranero, Province of Leon, Castilla y Leon 08 04 25 15:30

Hi. A good day today, 22 km. I am only 35 km from Leon. Tomorrow I will walk 17 km to Mansilla de las Mulas and Sunday the remaining 18 km to Leon.

Len"

Image - The Way (aka El Camino), parallel to the road, near El Burgo Ranero

Day 22 – Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagún

Day 22 – April 24 Calzadilla de la Cueza (Km 391) to Sahagún (Km 368) = 23 km – Cumulative 383 Km

Sahagun, Province of Leon, Castilla y Leon 08 04 24 19:17

Hi. I am pretty well caught up on my messages so this is just a check in. I am 57 km from LeonLeon. But I will walk.

Today was a perfect day for walking. Cool but sunshine and a pretty straight run of 22 km. Tomorrow will aslo be about 22 km but I expect it will be a bit harder work.

I think you should pick up 2 more boxes of the large format Band-Aids; so that would be 4 in all (times 10 in a box). They are easy to get in Milton but I cannot get them here. I can get something similar but it is not as good a design and the adhesive is too sticky. There will be 4 of us walking and that means 8 feet to take care of.

Len" and if I wanted to cut corners I would just get on the communter train to

Day 21 - Carrion de los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza

Day 21 – April 23 Carrion de los Condes (Km 409) to Calzadilla de la Cueza (391 Km) – Cumulative 361 km

“Calzadilla de la Cueza, Palencia, Castilla y Leon 08 04 23 20:15

18 km today under pretty good conditions. I am 79 km from Leon.

Len”

Day 20 - Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condes

Day 20 – April 22 Boadilla del Camino (Km 433) to Carrion de los Condes (Km 409) – Cumulative – 343 km

“Carrion de los Condes, Province of Palencia, Castilla y Leon 08 04 22 18:06

Hi. . Today was a good day on the Camino. Cool and with heavy overcast but little wind and no rain. I traveled 24 km from Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condes.

Carrion is a town rather than a village or a hamlet and I’m in an internet cafe so the connections are pretty good today.

I am staying in a cell in the Monasterio de Santa Clara. The monastery has been turned into an alburgue for peregrinos and is a 1 star hotel with a few private rooms, the cells. It is very simple but quite adequate.

Today I walked 24 km . No hills and a good compressed gravel path. So I was able to make a pretty steady 4 km an hour. I left just as the bells were tolling 08:00 (and yes in all these small Spanish towns and villages the bells do toll the hours) and arrive at about 14:30.

Tomorrow will be a bit shorter, only 17 km. I have to stage things so there will be a place to stay when I stop. So some days are a bit longer and some shorter. I have been doing errands today. First to a farmacia to get a few extra large bandages (they are not as good as the large format Band-Aids but they will do until you get here. My feet are pretty good and I have only two bandages on my left foot and non on my right. Also I stopped into a supermercado to get a few things for lunch as the 17 km stretch tomorrow has few villages on the way. And I will pick up two new batteries for the camera. The two I had in it lasted three weeks and about 200 pictures. I have three spares with me. There are labeled super heavy duty and I checked before I left and there were good. But they do not have enough oomph for the camera. As luck would have it, I have a second camera with a fully charged and rechargeable battery. So I am using the new Sony camera and am still in the picture taking business.


Len”

Day 19 - Castrojeriz to Boadilla del Camino

Day 19 – April 21 Castrojeriz (Km 452) to Boadilla del Camino (Km 433) = 23 km –Cumulative – 319 km

“Boadilla del Camino, Province of Palencia, Castilla y Leon 08 04 21 20:15

I am fine and today the weather is better so I was able to travel 19 km.

Len”

Day 16, 17, 18 - Burgos - Hornillos del Camino - Castrojeriz

Day 16 – April 18 Burgos (Km 490) to Hornillos del Camino (Km 472) = 18
Day 17/18 (April 19, 20) Hornillos del Camino (km 472) to Castrojeriz (Km 452) = 20 km over 2 days. Cumulative - 300

"Castrojeriz, province of Burgos, Castilla y Leon 08 04 20 12:12

The weather in Spain has not been very good for the last two weeks and this week it has been wretched; cold, wind and rain. The weather map does not show any sun anywhere in the Iberian peninsula. My progress has been slower than I would like. Only 38 km in the last 3 days. Friday I walked 18 km from Burgos to Hornillos del Camino, the last 8 km into a 40 to 50 km headwind with rain. Yesterday I pulled myself off the road after only 10 km as my boots were soaked completely through and the next stop was another 10 km. Today also only 10 km but part of that is positioning. It is not just a matter of how far you can go but also that there will be a place to stay when you get there, particularly in bad weather. This weather pattern is due to break in a day or two so I hope when you get here it will again be sunny Spain.

Today I passed the 300 km mark, So even if I am behind my plan it is still something. And plans are made to be adjusted according to conditions.

Len"

Day 15 - Burgos - Day of Rest and Recovery

"City of Burgos Province of Burgos, Comunida of Castilla y Leon 08 04 17 09:22

Today is my rest day in Burgos. I arrived yesterday but I could not check in because the hotel I am staying at did not have internal internet and I could not find the internet cafe that they referred me to. However this morning I went to the Oficina del Turismo and they showed me the location of one just around the corner.

According to my Guidebook, I have walked 260 km from Roncesvalles to Burgos. There are 180 km to Leon and 491 left to Santiago. So I am resting and retooling for the run (metaphorically speaking, there will be no actual running involved) to Leon. 180 km in 11 days, so should be quite doable, but if I fall behind there are usually buses available.

I am sure my stamina is increasing day by day. However each day is hard work, both mentally and physically. I am using English, French and Spanish all the time. Sometimes all three in the same conversation, so I am certainly glad that I spent all of that time learning Spanish. I can communicate quite well actually; not like a native of course but quite well. And I can read almost everything. I contrast this with our trip to Japan where I could read almost nothing. So I did not have any of the visual cues we all use continuously. Here I can read pretty much everything and so I have all of the visual cues, street signs , advertising etc.

El Cid
Burgos is the birthplace of El Cid Campeador (born 1099), one of the great warrior figures in Spanish history. He actually lived most of his life in the south. He was falsely accused of treason by the king of the day (Alfonso something or other) and exiled from Castilla. He was kind of a mercenary warrior, and an actual historical person, although his exploits have been mythologized in a great Canto of which I have read only a few parts. In those days things were not as black and white as they were later during the Reconquista, and sometimes there were alliances of Christian and Moorish armies fighting other alliances of Christian and Moorish armies. Anyway Burgos claims El mio Cid as its own and has a huge statue of him in El Plaza (see photo above)

I am about to enter the meseta, the plain of Spain on which the rain does not mainly fall. That may have been a good elocution lesson for Eliza Doolittle but it is not factually true, although this year there seems to be lots of rain all over Spain.

Len"

Day 14 – Ages to Burgos

Day 12 – April 16 Ages (Km 513) to Burgos (Km 490) = 23 km - Cumulative 261

"Today I walked from Ages (Agees?) to Burgos, about 22 km. When I was about 3 or 4 km from the centre of Burgos I decide to try taking a city bus in to the centre. So I found a bustop going in the right direction. There were about five or six ladies (señoras) there. They recognized right away that I was a peregrino and began to ask all sorts of questions. Where was I from? Where did I start? How far had I come today? etc. One lady said that she had done the camino herself. And when I began looking at the route map at the bus stop they quickly came to help me. Pointed out where I was. Asked if I was looking for the alburgue. No, I was looking for a hotel in the
centro urbano (All this conversation was going on in Spanish). They assuered me that this was the right bus. I asked about the bus fare. They told me, but one lady insisted on paying my bus fare. We continued this conversation on the bus. What languages did I speak? They knew a bit about Canada. They asked what percent of Canadians spoke French and did we speak French or English where we live. I told them mostly English but because there were many imigrantes, there were actually many languages spoken. Anyway they made sure I got off at the right spot (the Plaza España) and made my trip much easier and much more pleasant.

Spanish Breakfasts
One thing about which I am not very enamoured is the Spanish concept of breakfast (Desayuno). Usually just breads, pan tostado or sweet breads or buns or croissants or brioches. Nothing even vaguely resembling a good cooked English breakfasy. In Logroño I was staying at a nice 3 star hotel and I went in for breakfast at 07:00. There was a nice cold breakfast buffet laid out, and on every table was a sign saying Huevos revueltos y bacon (scrambled egges and bacon). So I asked for the scrambled eggs and bacon. I quickly came to understand that this was another Si Pero No story (Yes but No). Yes there would be scramblerd eggs and bacon but not until later when the cook came in. So I had the very nice but cold breakfast buffet. And by later I was already on my way out of Logroño. In Santo Domingo de la Calzada I also stayed in a three star hotel and went in for breakfast at 08:00. Just Zumo de naranja (orange juice), cafe con leche (as always) and breads. It makes you appreciate what an advanced intellectual concept the simple Egg McMuffin is.

By the way Jean Santo Domingo was the first and only place where I saw tea being served! "

Day 13 – Belorado to Ages

Day 13 – April 15 - Belorado (Km 541) to Ages, Province of Burgos (Km 513) = 28 km - 238

"Ages 08 04 15 20:07

I am in the village of Ages about 25 km east of Burgos. Today I walked 28 km. Idid not plan to walk that far but that is how it worked out.

My original plan for today was to walk the 24 km from Belorado to San Juan de Ortega. Then I changed it to a short day . Only 12 km from Belorado to Vilafranca Montes de Oca. That was because there was a steep climb after Vilafranca into the Montes de Oca. When I got to Vilafranca it was only noon, so after a sandwich for lunch I decide to do the climb today and the additional 11 km to San Juan which I did. But when I got to San Juan I found out the alburgue was closed for reservations. So I had to walk the extra 4 km to Ages. Since it was getting late I was concerned that perhaps the two alburgues would be full. And I was considering the option of camping out for the night (which I could do). However when I got to Age there was lots of room. I am in a very nice private alburgue 18 Euros for bed, dinner and breakfast.

Tomorrow I will work my way towards Burgos where I plan to take a day off, rest my feet and get caught up on my laundry."

Day 12 – Santo Domingo to Belorado

Day 12 – April 14 Santo Domingo (Km 563) to Belorado (Km 541) = 22 km – Cumulative - 210 km

"Belorado, Castilla y Leon, Spain 08 04 14 16:47

Again a quick check in and then more details. As you can see I have now passed out of La Rioja and into Castilla Y Leon. La Rioja is one of the smaller comunidades of Spain and Castilla y Leon is , I think, the largest. I/We (Mom and Dick and Sue Schubert are joining dad and will do the rest of El Camino with Dad) will be in Castilla and Leon for about 3 and a half weeks, so I will not put that in the location again until, we are ready to pass into Galicia.

Today I walked the 22 km from Santo Domingo de la Calzada (means Santo Domingo of the Highway) to Belorado. I have now passed the 200 km mark ( 210 I think and the book says I have another 541 to Santiago. Tomorrow will be a short day, only 12 km. Today I had intended to stop in Villamayor del Rio but I missed the alburgue, so I walked the extra 5 km to Belorado. I had to push myself for the last 5 km but I am glad I did. The place I found to stay is perfect. It looks newly constructed, is modern and immaculate and has both a hotel and an alburgue. As there hotel is only 30 € , I chose a hotel room. Very simple but very nice. It does not have a long bathtub to soak in but it does have a very elegant shower.

It has a dining room that opens at a decent hour (18:30) serving a pilgrim menu, and three computers. I told her(the lady at the alburgue) “Es todo que quiero, una habitacione, un restaurant y el internet nada mas” - All I want in life is a room, a restaurant and the internet, nothing more.

There is a bit of a climb up Montes de Oca the day after tomorrow so I am positioning myself for that. Tomorrow I will walk the 12 km to Villafranca Monters de Oca and I will do the climb the next morning when I am fresh. Then there is a 12 km stretch through a forest with no villages or services. I am approaching Burgos, which is the last city before Leon but Leon is still 230 km away. I will walk as far as I can and then on April 28 I will take a bus or a train to Leon to be there for your arrival (the arrival of Mom and Dick and Sue Schubert who will do the rest of El Camino with Dad). Then I have decided that on May 1 we will take the train to Astorga (about 50 km west of Leon and start the rest of the Camino from there).

Today is cool with some sun and many clouds. For a while on the approach to Belorado I thought it might rain.

Today for the first time since Roncesvalles my little toe on my right foot did not hurt. Only on the Camino would this be worthy of mention in international email.

I think I told you before (or maybe it was one of the messages lost in the ether) that I thought I had trimmed my toenails well before leaving, and I had not brought a nail clipper with me. But there was a little tag of nail on the litle toe of my right foot that was catching in my sock and causing tenderness and some pain in that toe. Even though I tried to protect it (including splinting it to the adjacent toe) it still hurt. In Logroño I was able to buy a small nail clipper and fix the problem but it is only today that the toe is better. Otherwise I deal with foot problems day by day. Today was not too bad.

Nothing else to report, at least nothing else as important as my little toe!

Len"

Day 11 – Najera to Santa Domingo de la Calzada

Day 11 – April 13 Najera (Km 584) to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Km 563) = 21 km Cumulative – 188 km

"Santo Domingo de la Calzada, La Rioja, España 08 04 13 18:08

Today I walked 22 km from Najera to Santo Domingo. Should have been an easy 22 km but it seemed quite long. Tonight I am staying in a hotel. Last night was in an alburgue, a hostel with about 60 beds in one room. Very nice but very crowded.

I am in wine country and there are vineyards everywhere. I am traveling approximately west southwest and there are ranges of mountains on both the north and the south. The ones to the south are snow capped. Most of these small towns and villages have a medieval centre and then modern suburbs. The weather has been for the most part quite cool. Spain generally is having a very cool and wet spring. My feet still hurt but not as much. I am very careful preparing them for the day and when I take my boots off. The two moments of truth each day are when you put your feet into your boots and when you hoist your pack onto your back. Today I left Najera at about 07:20 and arrived in Santo Domingo at around 14:00.

Today I did something I have never done before in my life. I am paying to have the hotel do my laundry. I have probably stayed in thousands of hotels and I HAVE NEVER PAID TO HAVE MY LAUNDRY DONE … BUT TODAY I AM. One reason is the laundry facilities in the alburgues can be quite limited. Last night there were none at all. And things have been so wet here that it has been hard to get my clothes dried out properly.

So far I have walked 14 days I think. I started on April 3 and I have walked 188 km. Tomorrow I go to Belorado.

I am going to send this as I may be running out of time

Len"

Day 10 – Navarrete to Najera

Day 10 – April 12 Navarrete (Km 600) to Najera (Km 584) = 16 km. Cumulative 167

Najera, La Rioja, Spain 08 04 12 14:30

Today I am at the alburgue in Najera a very nice single story building beside the river. I am not sure yet what river. Today 16 km mostly through endless vineyards, a few showing the forest green leaves of spring. And mountain ranges both to the north and to the south, some significantly snow capped. The sun did come out today and I expect mostly sun for the next week.

I left Navarrette at 08:40 and was here about 14:00. The sign on the door said open at 16:00. but a few minutes later a very pleasant man who proved to be the hospitalero came, opened up and I was the first person signed in.

I now have 12 “sellos” (seals or badges) in my “credenciales” so I am making progress. I am 2 days behind the plan and 1 day behind my cohort but for good reason and I have enough flex in my schedule.

This morning I met a man from Switzerland by the name of OLE. The proprietor of the Hostal in Navarrette slept in so we had to rouse him and breakfast was late. Nice man and like many hostels, bars and restaurants a family business. Anyway the interesting thing was that Ole not only was from Switzerland but he had walked from Switzerland. Not all this year. In 2006 he had walked from Switzerland to Le Puy in the south of France. Quite a number of people seemed to have also started at Le Puy. Ole was walking much faster and much longer than me each day. He plans to be in Santiago when we are in Leon.

Tomorrow I will walk to Santo Domingo de la Calzada about 22 km. Then we will see where to next.

18 days to Leon

Len

Day 9 - Logrono to Navarrete

Day 9 – April 11 - Logrono (Km 613) to Navarrete (Km 600) = 20 km - Cumulative -151

"Navarrette La Rioja

Today is a short day only 13 km from Logroño. I left Logroño at 08:10 and arrived here at 11:45. I resisted the seductive temptation to continue. The next town is Ventosa and there is only a small alburgue. If it is full you are out of luck. And my feet will welcome the short day.

Len"

NB: Somehow my pedometer and Dad's pedometer got a little out of sink the last few days, but he's at Navarrete and we both agree that's 151 km!!

Day 8 Logrono - Day of Rest and Recovery

"Well my clothes are clean, my feet feel better, my camera is in my hands, and I can walk tomorrow. All is right with the world. Except that it is raining hard and has been off and on for several days. However in Galicia (to which we are headed but not for a month or so) there have been torrential rains and massive flooding. The news clips show rivers of water flowing down roads. I hope that is all done with by the time we get there."

Day 7 - Torres del Rio to Logrono

Day 7 – April 9 - Torres del Rio (Km 633) to Logrono (Km 620) = 13 km – Cumulative – 131 km

Logrono, La Rioja, Spain 08 04 09 15:29

“Today completes one full week on the Camino and I have walked 130 km from the northwest corner of Navarra to the southwest and have now entered the Comunidad of La Rioja.

I wrote a long message yesterday PM and when I went to send it the internet connection was broken. Could not save, could not print, could not send so I lost it; so I may repeat myself a bit.

I am in the municipal alburgue in Logrono. Free internet and no time limit.

I had been considering staying over in Logroño as a rest day but another event supervened. I have lost my camera. I don’t mind losing the camera itself. I have already replaced it. But the chip in the camera has all the pictures from the first week.

Last night I went to dinner with Elizabeth from BC (a retired nurse) and Tony from Barcelona (a retired informatician = a computer person). Every alburgue has a closing time, usually 10:00 PM, but most are flexible. Not this one. We got back at 10:15 and the place was locked up like a medieval fortress. Iron gates everywhere. After trying various things like trying to attract some ones attention and climbing in a second story window, we went to the police station across the road. At first they thought they might have a key but they could not find it. Then they literally burgled the place, got the door open and let us in. But in the confusion I lost track of my camera which had been in my hand. I have looked everywhere carefully and will go back to the alburgue this PM - I will leave a message but if it does not show up by tomorrow I will have to move on.”

Later…

“I went back to the alburgue fully expecting that they had not seen the
camera but they had it. Another small miracle on the Camino.

Of course now I have two cameras but in the great scheme of things that is a
minor problem. Do not bring another camera!

Len”

Day 6 - Los Arcos to Torres del rio

Day 6 – April 8 Los Arcos (Km 642) to Torres del Rio (Km 633) = 9 km Cumulative - 118 km

Torres del rio Navarra Spain08 04 08 12:53

First a check-in and then I will go over my messages. Again a timed computer but it is early and I am the only one at this alburgue (very nice) so far so I will keep using Euros until I have done everythjing needed. Except I have to sign in again every 20 minutes. Today a short day only 9 km to give my feet a rest and catch up on things. So far I have travelled about 118 km and am more than 25% of the way to Leon. While the rain held off all the way to Los Arcos, it rained all night. Which was ok except a few km of the path today was a mud track which after the rain was a quagmire.

The countryside is lush and rolling mostly farmland. I am now in southwestern Navarra and entering wine growing country. Yesterday I experienced one of the small miracles of the Camino. In the village of Irache just west of Estella there is a large Bodega (winery) that is right beside the Camino. And in the wallof the Bodega they have installed a free wine fountain for pilgrims. There are two taps - one for vino and one for agua. And you can drink as much as you want of either. So I had a few tablespoonsful of wine and a cup of water.

Overall this is an amazing total immersion international experience. Today I walked part of the way with Tony, a retired informaticiaen from Barcelona. His English is about the same level as my Spanish but our French is about at the same level. So we conversed using all three languages at the same time and it works. We shared a beer in the bar on the way into town and my thought was my feet hurt like hell but it is wonderful to be here.

Most of the alburgues so far have been very good to excellent. This one is 6 Euros and has everything I need. It is communal living and is simple and certainly not primitive. Some are municipal and staffed by volunteers. This one is private and run by a very nice lady named Mari.

Well enough for now. Others are waiting to use the computer.

Len"

Day 5 - Estella to Los Arcos

Day 5 – April 7 - Estella (Km 663) to Los Arcos (Km 642) = 21 km - Cumulative - 109

"IT THREATENED TO RAIN THE WHOLE DAY but held off until I reached Los Arcos The scenery is beautiful here. Rolling hills and farmland. The Camino would be a lot easier if the Spanish did not insist on putting all those damn hills in the way. But of course the hills are as much a part of the Camino as the villages and towns and farms and forest and factories.

I decided to stay in a hotel in Los Arcos rather than an alburgue. I wanted to do my laundry, catch up on the internet and maybe try a telephone call. Guess what. No internet, no laundry and no telephone. I call this episode Si Pero No (Yes but No). Yes there is a laundry service but no it is external and it will take two days to get your clothes back. No there is no internet in the hotel but you can go to the Casa Cultural and use a computer there. When is it open? It is open tonight from 5 to 8. Three times I went to the Casa Cultural and it was never open. No there is no telephone in the hotel but you can use the one around the corner or across the square. I am sure they are there but I could not find them."

For those of you smart enough to wonder "if he couldn't use the internet at the Casa Cultural, how did he send this message?" it was sent the day after with that day's update....

Day 4 - Puente la Reina to Estela

Day 4 – April 6 Puente La Reina (Km 685) to Estella (Km 663) = 22 km Cumulative 88

No news is good news.
For the record, the highlighted route on the map may not be 100% identical to the actual Camino.

Day 3 - Pamplona to Puente La Reina

Week 1

Day 3 – April 5 Pamplona (Km 707) to Puente La Reina (KM 685) = 22 km - Cumulative 66 km

" Puente la Reina, Navarra, Spain 08 04 05 16:20

Hi

Once again I am on a timed computer so this is only a check in.

Today 22 km Pamplona to Puente la Reina with only a 300 meter hill to climb and descend. Very nice alburgue. 6 Euros, clean modern and everything you need. And tell Jeff yes my feet are sore, so are everyone's. Tomorrow I might try to get a hotel so I can send some longer messages.

25 days to Leon,

Len"

Day 2 - Zubiri to Pamplona (no bull!)

Week One

Day 2 – April 4 Zubiri (Km 729) to Pamplona (Km 707) = 22 km Cumulative - 44 km

" Pamplona, Navarra Spain 08 04 04 15:55

I am on a timed computer so I may have to cut this short and maybe send another message with a second Euro.

Today from Zubiri to Pamplona 22 km except that I got off the trail a couple of times so it was more like 24. Today I am living Sue's dream and staying in a convent - well ok an albergue that is run by a convent. I am going to send this now, catch up on my messages and then I will send another message. I am fine but my feet hurt and I an going to winnow and re-organize my pack as tomorrow has a steep climb up and down on the way to Puente la Reina.

Len"

Day 1 - Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Week One

Day 1 – April 3 Roncesvalles to Zubiri (Km729) = 22 km - Cumulative 22 km

The first day involves a 400 ft drop in altitude, and reminds Len it is often more painful hiking downhill than up.

"There were about a hundred at Roncesvalles. Sometimes I am alone and some times with others. The first person I met is a Presbyterian minister from Owen Sound - also covers Tobermory and Stokes bay

Len"

ps - Tobermory is where the Lillie family cottage is .... small world!

The last leg to Roncesvalles

Travel - Day 0 - Travel Madrid to Pamplona to Roncesvalles-Orreaga (751 Km to Santiago)

"Good Morning

I wanted to check and make sure that the connection was working and it looks like it is. Yesterday's message was not very smooth as I was still figuring out the computer rental system here. It is 2 Euros for 30 minutes or 3 Euros for 60. And I did not note the time when I started so I was hurrying. Today is smoother."


In the evening Len will attend a Pilgrims Mass at Roncesvalles then dinner - Spanish time (9ish) then off to start hiking first thing tomorrow morning.

It's no joke - On the way to Madrid

Travel - Day -1 - Another relatively uneventful flight from Franfurt to Madrid.

"I did not get a telephone yesterday. When I came out of the baggage hall I asked at the info kiosk (note: I asked for information¡¡). They told me that the telephone kiosks were in the mall in the secure departures area (like at Heathrow I think. Anyway I could not get in there. I will try again as I work my way to Roncesvalles"