Month: June 2014

Came to the tourism office in Leon early this morning and got one of two private rooms available in a private residence for 25Euros including breakfast.

Coolio.

Today we reach Leon the next to last big city and leave the Maseta. Another big city isn’t really what I’m looking for right now but let’s see what adventures await!

When I woke this morning I had no idea what had been laid out for my life. I didn’t know we’d have bfast with an old friend from earlier in the Camino. I didn’t know we’d stumble into a town during their fiesta. I didn’t know I’d see a bullfight (well it was more of a bull tease), I didn’t know I’d be in Spain during the World Cup and watching Spain lose (and somewhat badly) to Netherlands, and for sure I didn’t know I’d run with the bulls.

I did this all today with Allison (except the bull parts) and I loved life today. How blessed am I?

Have stumbled upon a fiesta in Sahguin. Only pictures can describe.

On our way to Sahagun today.
Breakfasts are fun with new friends. Tamara is Swiss and is wanting to do the Camino from Pamplona alone. Unfortunately she is a fun person to talk to and keeps meeting people. It is a funny inconvenience for anyone walking the Camino that wants solitude.

Today will be a relatively short day for us so a good day of rest for our legs.

Life is good. We are walking again. 3 days in a row. Allison is gaining strength.

So proud of Allison for the miles she is putting in. We find that if we walk about 2hrs and then get her feet up and ankles iced she is ok.

We are firmly in the Maseta today. The Maseta is the flat land (think Great Plains) in Spain full of wheat fields. It is beautiful but lonely (in a good way)

The people of Spain along the Camino have been wonderful. They exist off the pilgrims and are clearly appreciative of the tourism traffic, but the extent to which they go out of their way to help others is remarkable. Asking nothing, often they go out of their way to help.

Impressed.

Pictures to follow.

Well we started off today for a short walk to test out Allison’s ankles. After 15+ miles we stopped for the day in the “incomparable” Maseta. It was a joy to walk again. We’re taking it one day at a time. However.
Maybe we won’t be able to go any further tomorrow. Maybe I won’t be able to make it. Let’s see.

We are going to walk for 2 hrs. We hope we will be able to continue. But otherwise we will begin our trip home with an overnight bus ride to Barcelona.

Fully intent on beginning the trip home today we packed up and checked out of the hotel we’d stayed in to allow Allison’s legs to recover.

Allison however felt a little stronger this morning and we’ve decided to give it one more day. We’re not sure if it will make a difference but it would be a shame to pay all the extra costs to change our flights and then be all better once we were home.

Maybe we will receive a miracle and the Camino will go on. We will know better tomorrow.

Allison and I have a big decision to make. The diagnosis of tendonitis in her legs is a vague one but I fear it could end her pilgrimage. She is conflicted and doesn’t want to give up but her body may not allow an alternative. There’s no way of knowing how long is long enough to rest and if we leave this big city it becomes much tougher to get her home.

We are going to see tomorrow morning. If she isn’t better we will begin the trip home. Disappointed, for sure but we’ll end it together.
In addition I’m not sure what I should do. Allison wants me to continue so that she doesn’t cut my pilgrimage short but at the same time I’m sure she’d like it if she didn’t have to make it home alone and see/hear the rest of the trip through my eyes. Plus we’d set out together and to return separately makes me sad.

Honestly I’d like to continue but I’m sure it wouldn’t be the right thing.

Unfortunately, The next stage is the “empty” maseta where you are able to travel in relatively deserted places and it gives you much time to think. I looked forward to that.

The plazas are busy but most stores closed so we’ll siesta with the locals.

Went to a pilgrims mass this morning at the main cathedral here in Burgos. Burgos was the primary capital of Spain for a good bit of its history so the cathedral is suitably grand.

We didn’t understand much of the service of course, and not being Catholic , didn’t participate in the sacraments themselves. But we did get enough to hear the word perigrinos (pilgrims) and understand a call to be greeted after the service. It was a nice gesture and part of the whole pilgrimage experience that perigrinos are often recognized in such a way.

What will the rest of the day bring?

So we’ve been grounded. I’ve decided to hang out here with Allison in Burgos while her legs heal. I’m not sure what we will do after that but I’m sure something will occur to direct our path. We may or may not reach Santiago.

I’ve often repeated that it doesn’t really matter but facing that possibility I’m finding out that something I already knew about myself. I can talk a good story but I not always honest with others or myself. It is difficult to accept but maybe this is why we are here.

So what to do in Burgos for a few days? Well there is a lot, museums, cathedrals, etc. but they all involve walking and Allison should have her feet up as much as possible. Hmmm

Anyway, we may not post much for a few days.

Love to all back home. Thanks for all your prayers. Allison appreciates the thoughts as do I.

After walking yesterday Allison noticed a pain in her ankles and shins. Today as we walked into Burgos. We slowed to a crawl as the pain became worse.

Concerned about something serious like stress fractures we went immediately to the hospital. Good news no fractures. Bad news, Allison is ordered off her feet for 3-5 days with tendonitis.

Good news, we have some spare days in our schedule. Bad news, not that many.

Stay tuned… Meanwhile pictures as we approached Burgos.

They say the first third of the Camino is for the body. Well after blisters and worn out legs, feet, hips and knees We were both wondering if we could do this thing and enjoy it.

Well just when some discouragement was setting in we had a better day yesterday and an even better one today.

Oh, it still hurts and hurts quite a lot. I’ve never walked through pain like this before, and knowing that it has to be repeated again the next day doesn’t help you get through. But I think we’ve either just gotten used to the pain, or it is actually lessening. Maybe a bit of both. I do find it possible to sleep on my side at night though due to the added stress it puts in my knee and hip.

We’ve fallen deeply into the Camino routine. It would seem odd, for example to “sleep in” past 6:30am, or to eat breakfast first thing in the morning… I mean, before walking your first couple miles anyway. It would also seem strange have to choose what to wear or to have to find “something to do” in the morning.

Allison and I are also getting more confident in using our very basic Spanish. It has been fun to try it out with mostly kind and patient audience.

The food has been very varied. We had an awesome seafood piella last night and some homemade flan desert as part of our pilgrims dinner for the day. I know that they say it is impossible not to lose weight on Camino, but I swear I’m gaining weight. Some things I don’t think we’d ever tired of cafe-con-leche and vino tinta come to mind. Other things we’ve tired of already: bocadillos (the fast food of the Camino – basically a baguette with some ham and cheese).

Well enough for now. For those tracking us we’ll pass through Burgos tomorrow (Saturday), the last big city until Leon.

Blessings to all

Mark and Allison

Another 19+ miles today and. Believe it or not we have pressed forward to the point that we have “made up” the day we rested in Puenta de la Reina.

We’ve crossed the border from La Rioja into Castille y Leon and are staying in the town of Belorado with its famous ruins.

Another night in a private too and we are getting spoiled.

We’ve met so many people on this trip. The spirit on the Camino is one of generosity and friendliness. Everyone seems to be in the adventure for all of its worth and the good is tolerated with the bad and mostly with a smile.

What makes this so? Certainly it isn’t the fact that most are on vacation for most vacation spots aren’t like this. Much credit has to be given to the Spanish people in the area for in most all places you are greeted with a “Buen Camino” and a smile despite the fact that hundreds of pilgrims pass each day.

The closest I’ve come to this experience is tent camping in the mountains. Life would be very much better if we all were able to live this life of generosity.

I had to share in her pain. I have my first blisters.

Today was another long walk covering 30.7km. (19.1 mi). We also stopped at Najera and visited a history museum. Najera is a site recently in the news because the digs here have turned the scientific world upside down because they’ve found prehistoric remains of a race with both Neanderthal and Homosapien genes. Previously “indisputable scientific fact” was that the Neanderthals were a unique species that died out. Just goes to show ya…

Anyway the museum had a cool history being previously a hospital and a prison.

Other than that, today was misty and presented a long walk over compacted clay filled with stones that made concrete feel like comfort foam.

Long walk today. Over 21 miles mostly on pavement. Beautiful sunrise and some other neat sights. Pictures to follow.

A lot of walking on hard track today but the countryside was beautiful. For those tracking is we will go through Logorno tomorrow.

Woke to find Allison’s feet feeling much better. We decided we’d try walking again and were pleased to find she was able to walk without too much discomfort. We took it more slowly at times but also kept a good pace other times.

Since today was Allison’s birthday. She got breakfast in bed (a tradition in our family) – a pastry at her bunk at the albergue – and a present if picked up for her in Pamplona. Her last gift though was her absolute favorite I think, a night in a hotel!!

Today was filled with medieval villages and original Roman roads and bridges.

We’ve ended the day about 5km west of Estella. We’ve entered wine country. Life is good.

Pictures to follow.