4 feet 2 mouths

The Sun Rises And Sets In Santiago – Part 7 (by Nathan)

Sunrise near Frómista

There is a profound simplicity to walking the camino.  The rhythm of walking and breathing consumes most of the day and the nights are filled with exhausted sleep.  Everyday we wake, walk, talk, eat, walk, talk, walk, shower, launder, talk, eat and sleep.  This rhythm at first seems never ending, but the body easily welcomes such a flow of exercise, thought and relaxation.  Our day’s tasks echo the simple cycle of the sun that rises and sets in a pure unaltered rhythm.

Sunrise near Carrión

Experiencing these cycles of the sun has been one of the most enjoyable portions of the camino.  Our path is surrounded with all colors and fragments of light. We walk in the deep dark of morning, there is sometimes disorienting fog, there are bright pinks and oranges of sunrise, intense brilliant midday heat, afternoon glow and the reds and purples of sunset welcome star-filled nights.  Like our breathing in and out and our hearts beating the sun rises and sets each day on our camino.

Sunrise after leaving León

Walking from the darkness of pre-dawn into the light provides an optimism to the the steady and difficult walking to be completed that day and every day for four weeks.  Our lives are filled with the uneventful beauty of peace.  Very little happens each day, but slowly we have progressed to our destination- the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Sunset in Astorga

So what is it like to finally arrive at a place after walking 500 miles (800km)? It felt like just another day, another church, another plaza and another new town.  I did not feel any intense emotion at finally being at the place. I was excited, anxious and a bit confused.  But I think what was more overwhelming was the ending of it all.  The steady tranquil walking was over.

Ornate east entrance to Santiago Cathedral

I stared up at the enormous ornate church facade letting the whole experience soak in.  Each detail and carving reminded me of a laugh or pain, a blessing or hardship, or the humility or arrogance of my journey across Spain.  My mind raced with all the wonderful memories from our trip.  There were our favorite little towns, food and sights.  I also felt the warmth of so many wonderful people that we met.  Didier and Basile gave wonderful friendship and conversation on the early part of our journey, Donovan, Nancy and Robbie Inspired us to drink more, laugh more and eat more chocolate.  There were so many new friends of all ages and from all over the world: Irish Richard and Joe, Missouri’s Jim and Ryan, German Gina and Christian, British Sara and Garett, Deanna and Kerry from Australia, Danish Lisette and Bibi and the spirited Suzanne from Colorado.

Lunch for two: meats, cheese, wine and una tarta de Santiago

I cannot forget the most special peregrina of my journey, Carmen.  It is amazing after ten years of a relationship that there is more to learn, and that there is room to grow closer and more intwined into each others lives.  The trail provides a time to talk, to listen and to empathize from the depths of my core.  Walking the Camino to Santiago with someone is difficult;  all their pains, challenges and frustrations become disruptions in your experience.  But the joys of smiling, relaxing, and acomplishing are heightened beyond belief when shared with someone you love.  It takes a dedication to one another, a willingness to compromise, and a persistence to make it to the end (wherever that is) no matter what….and holding hands.  The camino has been a personal and shared journey and the Compostela is a mere milestone in the exciting life ahead of us.

Santiago Cathedral as seen from the east

Midieval angel

The city of Santiago de Compostela is a flurry of excited tourists and pilgrims.  Thousands of people descend onto the city filling the cathedral and outdoor cafes.  The sight to see is the “swinging smelly thing,” the botafumeiro that masks the smell of the pilgrims attending mass.  There is also a time to reflect on the journey, people watch and relax.

Ornate glass façades in A Coruña

A Coruña beach

Many pilgrims continue their journey for another three days after Santiago.  They walk to the most western portion of continental Europe, Finisterre.  Someday we will make that journey, but we went to the beach instead.  A high-speed train took us to A Coruña on the north coast of Spain.  The buildings were decorated with ornate picturesque balconies, and the beach stretched for miles.  The one thing we forgot was how difficult it is to find restaurants open in Spain on Sundays.  We did find a chocolatería that served delicious churros, we rested on the beach in the sun and we strolled on the beach boardwalk before returning to Santiago for another night out.

Crazy three sets of spiral stairs at Galician Ethnography museum

Walking for so many hours has allowed the engineer in me to think about the many numbers and values that go into a journey of this type.  Here are some of the most relevant numbers of the camino:
– 29 days to walk from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago
– 1,000,000 footsteps each to walk 500 miles (1,100-1,300 steps/km)
– 180 hours of walking (approx 4.5km/hr)
– 150 villages, towns and small cities
– 27 liters of wine consumed together
– 20 liters of beer consumed together
– 180 liters of water consumed together
– 25 three course pilgrim dinners

Finding the right information about this journey can be difficult.  For anyone planning a trip on the Camino Francés we have a few recommendations from our experiences and those shared by friends.  The landscape of Spain is extraordinarily diverse with mountains, deserts and seascapes; we enjoyed them all, but here are some of the best portions.

Favorite stretches of the Camino:
– St. Jean to Roncesvalles and Larrasoaña
– Astorga to Molinaseca
– Villafranca to O’Cebreiro (scenic route via Dragonte and San Fiz de Seo)

The city and food of a place can make the journey even better.  Sometimes we would land in places that were complete dives, other times the people welcomed us with delicious food and friendship.  If you are hiking the Camino make sure that you stop and sleep in these places, it will be worth it:

Our Favorite Albergue experiences:
– Azofra municipal albergue – private rooms.
– La Piedra in Villafranca – clean, friendly and built into the mountainside.
– Porta de Santiago in Arca o Pino – clean and welcoming.

Some friend’s favorite Aubergue experiences:
– Grañón parish hostel – nightly communal parade in the street.
– Boadilla del Camino – “En El Camino” – pool, huge lawn, great food and family that
is very welcoming.
– Santibañez Parish Albergue, Excellent communal dinner.
– Send a comment if you have any others.

One of the most amazing experiences of the camino is the consisent transition from the natural environment to the villages and cities.  Even the smallest town has density of buildings and people that exceeds San Francisco.  The history and community of the people is layered like the mortar and stones that make up their buildings.  Here is a list of our favorite towns, sleep here or plan on spending a couple hours to enjoy the character and charm that each has to offer:

Favorite towns:
– Zubiri- cute riverside village.
– Puente de la Reina- charming town with wonderfully detailed buildings.
– Los Arcos- Quaint plaza with cafes and sangria.
– Santo Domingo- chickens in the cathedral!
– Hontanas- tiny village, but friendly and relaxing.
– Carrión- wonderful market and many streets to stroll and people watch.
– Hospital del Orbigo- long bridge leads to charming main street.
– Molinaseca- picturesque stone village.
– Villafranca del Bierzo – the start of the mountains and transition of cultures.

The Camino Francés passes through some of Spain’s best cities.  The culture and devotion to the camino has taken place for a thousand years and nowhere on the journey is it more prevalent than in these wonderful places:

Best Small Cities:
– Pamplona- a mix of Basque and Spanish with color and food to match the vibrancy
of the people.
– Burgos- taller and more dense with copious amounts of plazas and cafes.
– León- a maze of winding streets with tapas bars enclosed by old city walls.
– Astorga- a hilltop city of chocolate factories, parks, churches and Gaudí.

Sunset in Astorga

The Camino de Santiago was life-changing.  It was subtle, but the effects of a journey of this type are positive.  The mind and body is put to work through all the complexities and weight that burdens the daily life.  I feel that my core has been cleansed.  I am ready to explore more of the world, and I welcome the time return to my career.  I feel this inner peace, a contented soul that is difficult to describe other that there is lack of cloudiness.  There is clarity of who I am and where I am going.  To those I meet along the way, “Buen Camino!”

How Jesus Brought My Skirt Back From the Dead, a Camino Miracle – Part 4 (by Carmen)

Tree farm providing much needed shade

Map of the camino near León

We were in the final stages of the meseta, the flat and largely shadeless plateau stretching 231 km (144 mi) between Burgos and Astorga. The sun was hot but the lack of change in elevation meant we could achieve greater distances. With this in mind we endured long walks from Carrión to Sahagún and then to Mansilla. We stole shade when we could from the small tree farm groves that would spring up occasionally. The towns themselves were rather unremarkable places. The true highlight was mingling with other pilgrims, either over a dinner in the main square or a beer in the albergue courtyard.

Nathan in cloister

Cloister keystones

By this point, León was in our sights. This one of the larger cities on the camino and as soon as we passed the medieval city walls into the old town, Nathan and I were impressed. A maze of cozy winding streets led out onto pleasant plazas. There were a two main historic sites to see. The first was the painted ceiling of the Iglesia de San Isodoro. Frescos almost 1000 years old look down on the tombs of kings from that period. I was so amazed at how the biblical stories depicted are still relevant so many years later. The second sight towers above the entire city.

Leon cathedral from the plaza

Tons of stained glass inside the cathedral

The nearby cathedral was the true gem, though. They had used advancements in the gothic architecture of the time to build soaring ceilings and walls of stained glass.

Gaudí building in León

We were also treated to a building by a favorite architect, Gaudí. We learned that the building was significant as the first major building in the town to be built by a middle class citizen as opposed to the church or aristocracy.

Pulpo on the plaza

For dinner we settled into a small plaza ready to people watch. While deciding what to order we saw a plate of pulpo (octopus) pass by and we had to have it. With a. bottle of rosé we watched the street theater come to life. By the time we finished eating at the very early hour of 9:30pm, things were just getting going. But it was bedtime for us.

The next day I was dealing with the side effects of an unfortunate reality of the camino – bed bugs. I learned that my proclivity for attracting mosquitos meant I was extremely attractive to their blood-sucking, bed ridden cousins. It is truly disheartening to feel so vulnerable and helpless against the attack of such a tiny creature. And, like mosquitos, I am allergic. On the morning we left León, my body decided to react to a collection of bites on my big toe by forming a giant blister. Not good when you have 35km ahead of you.

So we made it a short day and ended up at Casa de Jesús (named after the owner) in Manarife. It was a strange day since we felt that we had more energy to walk off but my toe prevented further movement. We used our time to write, do laundry, catch up on the internet and recoup in general. But since Manarife was extremely tiny, we were anxious to move on to Astorga the next day.

Nathan on bridge into town

Spain’s got hops

The walk to Astorga passed through cute towns, more trees and even a crop of hops.  As we neared our destination I suddenly realized that I had left my skirt on the clothes line in Manzarife. It was just a skirt but I had only brought one other pair of pants. I also cherished this skirt as the perfect travel wear since it also turns into a halter top. Seriously, how cool is that? For the rest of the walk I had to force myself not to think about the loss.

Nathan the peregrino

Tree lined path

In Astorga I was resolved to act. I called the albergue and arranged for my skirt to be taken with a transport company that usually transfers people’s backpacks to a town I would pass through the next day. I also called the place it was to be delivered so they could expect it. Accomplishing all this in Spanish was a feat and I was proud.

Afterwards we walked around Astorga, which surprised me by how pretty it was. We meandered along the shops selling jamón, chocolate and a local shortbread called mantecadas. We joined some fellow pilgrims for wine and tapas in a broad plaza.

Astorga cathedral exterior

Me inside the cathedral

Then we headed over to the cathedral – yes another one! It’s lucky that neither Nathan nor I get tired of going to these magnificent structures. Each one has its own story, architecture and feel. This one was rather bare inside but had a beautiful baroque façade. Next door we explored another excellent Guadí building, originally constructed as a monastery. His creative decor of ceilings and walls always amazes me. I also liked that the entryway included his signature art nouveau arch.

Gaudí in Astorga

The next day, I arrived at the meeting point I had arranged for my skirt hopeful only to find that the backpacks had arrived but not my package. After a few calls I was told he was coming. I tried not to get my hopes up as I waited. But came he did and I was reunited with my favorite skirt. When I asked how much I owed he waved me away and said nothing. It was so kind and I left the albergue buoyed on a wave of gratitude.

I felt so so grateful – to Jesus the albergue owner in Manarife, to Jose Luis for driving it, to the staff at Albergue del Pilar for trying to help me figure things out. It was the kindness of strangers that made me feel cared for, even loved. It got me thinking about the power of love in all its forms. How easy it really is to give and receive. How it is a common link of everyone in the world. How there should be more of it. I got to thinking about the people I love in life and how I wish I could spend more time with them. In the end I was moved to tears over a silly skirt. The tears were not of sadness but I felt as though all the love of the world had entered me and filled me up. These moments of awareness or enlightenment or whatever you want to call it are so fulfilling yet fleeting. It’s funny how you can feel clarity on how the essence of life one moment and then it becomes somewhat elusive the next. Even as I write this it is hard to understand the intensity of emotion I felt at that moment. That is what the camino can do though. It wears you down mind, body and soul until you start afresh and appreciate everyday life’s small miracles.