Stage 27: Laguna del Castilla to Triacastela

Yesterday was miserable. Our first and only rainy day so far. today was cold but relatively dry. Pretty good pilgrim dinner last night. they had Membrillo and cheese for dessert. I convinced a bunch of people that we should order it. The Membrino was good, but it was on top of something like cream cheese. I got a bunch of shit from everybody for recommending it. we had a nice bottle of Rioja that I had carried along from the Parador. Left over from our crap dinner when we tried to watch The Way. Justin poured himself a huge glass of wine and drained it in about one gulp. Lea worried about him. I told her, we’re not his parents, he is an adult; don’t worry about it.

I slept ok at the Albergue last night. The snoring was a 2 on a ten scale. More like a lot of heavy breathing. They turned the lights out on us at about 9:30 PM. 

I woke up in the middle of the night. I laid there for a long time before checking what time it was. I figured it was probably 5 AM. it was only 3:30 AM. nothing I could do but just lie there. you can’t turn the light on or get out of bed. There’s nowhere to go. I think I got a little more sleep before people started moving around. Once one person gets up, everybody is awake. That probably happened about 6 AM today.

The temperature was in the low 40s in the morning. We got up late – 7 AM, and had breakfast at the Albergue. I shipped my backpack again. I will continue for the rest of the trip. much better for my back. It was so cold last night that nobody did their laundry. Most of us just wore the same clothes again. Today I wore my Gore-Tex pants and rain jacket, just to stay warm. Too cold for sandals. They were still wet. I lubed up my toes with Vaseline, threw some socks on and put on shoes.

Lea and I got on the path about 8 AM. We walked with Susan from Denmark. it was pretty cold and drizzly when we started. after a couple of kilometers, Justin joined us. he had stayed at the same Albergue. He said he heard our voices when we left. He wondered why we hadn’t waited for him. He’s very immature. I told him that he needs to make a plan if he wants to walk with us. He can’t just assume that we’re all walking together.

He really wanted to talk and talk and talk and talk. I walked with him and talk to him for about an hour. I could tell that he was annoyingly Lea and she didn’t want to walk with him. 

After an hour I told Justin that I just want to walk alone in silence. He was very respectful. He found a couple of folks to walk and talk with, one from Florida and the other from Portugal. The Camino provides. 

I really enjoyed walking alone and thinking today. I did a lot of thinking about where I was going in life. I have a job interview in October for a Worker’s Compensation administrative law judge position. should I go back to work full-time? One of the things I’m thinking about.

About halfway through the 14 mile walk l, I came upon the doctors and their posse in a café. I didn’t want to stop. I said hi and kept going. they caught up with me a few minutes after that. Mike Snow wanted to walk with me. I had a great time walking with him yesterday; so we walked together.

We are now in Galicia. Very lush. Green Hills, ferns, stone walls. Lots of livestock, cows and horses.

We stopped at a café and had more soup. I had two bowls of soup and a slice of cheesecake. i’m good till dinner.

I just checked into our Albergue in Triacastela. Very nice little place. somehow I managed to get a room with six (bunk) beds just for two people. I made the reservation over the phone. I had no idea what I was going to get.

I took off my shoes. My feet feel fine. No blisters. All toes and toenails in proper order. 

Blog done. I think I’ll have a little siesta.

Love,

b

Stage 26: Villafranca to Laguna del Castilla

 

Soup with Martin from Ottawa

Rainy muddy trail

Breakfast at the Parador

16 miles today. Mostly in the rain. I had breakfast at the Parador. Late start - 9 am.

I walked with Mike Snow, one of the ATP. Old friend of Don’s. Mike lives in Auburn. He is a retired contractor. He only walked 10 miles. I did the last 6 or so alone.

I lost my poles. I did not use them today. We made a couple of short stops and I put them down somewhere and forgot them. C’est la vie. Michele and Lea did the same thing today. The last 3-4 miles were bad. Up a steep muddy trail in the pouring rain.

Our Albergue was at the top. I found Justin and Lea waiting for me. I was cold and wet. I made it in my sandals, surprisingly well. Everyhad soup. Lentils and chorizo. I had two bowls and a beer. Sting arrived and bought me another beer. 

I can’t remember being this cold. I just took a hot shower. I am in my lower bunk (which  Lea saved for me!) writing this with cold feet. Still raining out.

I had on my goretex pants and rain jacket all day. Pilgrim dinner at six.

Sorry-that’s all there is today.

Love,

b

Stage 25: Molinaseca to Villafranca

Lea makes a friend in Molinaseca 

Cathedral in Villafranca 

My tub at the Parador

Vista on today’s walk

Typical old town 

Today’s walk

Getting closer to Santiago 

Me moving fast today 

A scene fro the walk today 

Fixer upper 

Lea and I found a nice restaurant in Molinaseca for dinner last night. I had octopus and a ribeye steak.

There was a threat of rain for today. Everybody had their rain gear ready. Lea and I got on the road at 6 AM. we didn’t see a single soul for an hour and a half. not too cold, very dark, a little drizzly. we didn’t need the rain gear. 

We got to the next town, Ponferrada by about 7:30. Michele, TDFSF and their posse, stayed in that town. They got an earlier start. 

I didn’t feel great when I got up today. I felt tired and groggy. It was a monster day – 19 miles. I had a little bit of doubt. 

After we passed Ponferrada, I started to feel better. I sped up and left Lea a little bit behind. we passed a few towns with no place to stop for breakfast. At about 9 AM, we found a breakfast place. We were about halfway. I got there first and started to eat my breakfast. after Lea sat down with her breakfast, I was already ready to go. I asked her to hurry up so that we can get moving. She wanted to relax and take her time. She suggested I go on without her. So, I politely left the Señorita behind. 

I was on a mission today: partly because I felt good, partly because I thought it might rain. I started walking extremely fast. a blistering pace (pun intended). I passed almost every pilgrim out there. I passed TDFSF ATP, Juan and Maria, Sting, et al. I drank water on the fly. I only stopped to pee twice. I made it to Villafranca by 12:30. 

It drizzled again toward the end. No jacket necessary. I walked through extremely beautiful vineyards and Rolling hills. 

I decided to splurge. I had booked a room at one of the finest hotel chains in Spain - The Parador. I got to my room and took a hot bath. Huge bathtub. One of the best baths of my life.

Then I sat in bed and Booked Albergues, hostels and hotels for the remainder of my trip. No more worrying about where I’m going to stay. It wasn’t very hard. there is no need to hire a company to book everything for you in advance. Between the guide books, the apps and booking.com you can easily book things a few days ahead. this gives you a lot of flexibility. The people who used companies to book in advance had a lot less options. A lot of people are afraid to stay in the Albergue bunkhouses. I think that’s a mistake. The bunkhouse is a part of the Camino experience. That’s where you meet people. you learn to sleep in a crowd and just deal with the occasional snoring.

Michele and I had a delightful lunch at the Parador. More octopus. As we sat at our table, we saw Justin approaching the hotel with his backpack. Yes, Justin is staying at the Parador. His mommy booked him a room. Life is not fair. Michele gave Lea a nice hotel room in town. Michele had booked it but upgraded to the Parador. Very generous.

Tonight we had a big plan. Chuck was going to stream, “The Way“ on his phone. We would cast it onto Michele’s TV at the Parador. She rented a suite for this purpose. The Way is a Hollywood movie starring Martin Sheen which deals with the Camino. My job was to provide “dinner“. Justin asked what I was going to get for dinner. I told him I would get whatever they had at the supermarket. The selection was limited. 

Let me add that I wanted Chuck to come over and make sure that he could cast the movie, before I bought the stuff for dinner. I had a lot of doubt. Michele seemed to be able to cast something from her phone onto the screen. They decided it would work. Lea and I bought a bunch of cold cuts, bread, wine, potato chips, etc. for dinner. We got paper plates and cups at the dollar store.

I love the dollar stores in Spain. today just as I saw Juan And Maria, The rubber tip from one of my poles got pulled off in a metal grate. I got new rubber tips at the dollar store, for a euro. The call the dollar store the “bazar” in Spain. 

So, we set up “dinner“ in Michele’s suite. The crew showed up. We all ate and drank.  Movie time. Of course they couldn’t get it to work. they started to watch an episode of a series which dealt with food in Spain. I went off to my room to write this.

We are now less than 200 km from Santiago. It makes us all sad. Whatever has a beginning has an end.

Time for another bath before bed.

Love,

B

Stage 24: Rabanal to Molinaseca

 

Only 223 km to go!

I walked with Cowboy Russ and Lea today. We left at 6:20 AM. Our intent was to get to the iron cross for sunrise which was about 8:15 am. It was dark and cold. We had to climb 3 or 4 miles up to the next town. We had a tentative plan to meet Michele there. She wanted to get going so she left before we got there. 

As we climbed it got colder, windy and foggy. Again, I had on almost all my clothes. 

I had the best night sleep yet on the Camino last night. About eight hours. My back didn’t hurt at all at night or in the morning. i’m still shipping my pack. it feels a tiny bit like cheating when I see everybody else carrying their backpack. it is necessary right now. 

After a quick coffee in the town where Michele stayed, we proceeded a mile or so to the iron cross. I had been hearing about the iron cross the entire Camino. People bring rocks or objects from home and leave them at the base of the iron cross. I didn’t bring anything from home. I did pick up a beautiful rock along the way to leave at the iron cross. 

I had grand expectations for the iron cross. I thought it would be a huge tall metal edifice. instead, it was a telephone pole with a three or 4 foot metal cross on top.

I thought about all my regrets as I laid my rock down at the base. Those regrets that nag at you through your life. I just let them all go. Never to bother me again. I hope.

We continued for miles in the wind cold and fog. I tucked my poles under my arm and put my hands in my pockets. people were shocked that I had sandals with no socks. my feet weren’t too cold. 

Then we heard bagpipes. at first we weren’t sure what it was. It got louder. Then we came upon a glorious food truck, playing music, with a bunch of cows hanging around, and a fire burning. 

It was like a magical oasis. We stopped by a fire, had some food and basked. 

We didn’t want to leave. we had a long day ahead of us. 16 miles total. Onward.

After several miles, we could see mountains off to the left and it looked like the sun was breaking through. it was spectacular. slowly the clouds and fog and wind all went away. it was one of the most beautiful vistas on the Camino.

Lea and the Cowboy 

We knew that there was an awful downhill stretch coming up. it seemed to take forever to get to it, but we did. it wasn’t as bad as advertised. we had to traverse some loose shell and rocks on steep descents. We managed. 

Partway down the descent we came to Acebo. This was the Cowboy’s destination. I could tell that he wanted to continue walking. We said our goodbyes, hoped to see each other again up the road, and parted.

Lea and I finished the dissent. We came to our destination Molinaseca after about four or five more miles. it is a beautiful small town with a river running through it. All the buildings have black slate roofs. we came to our “hostel” El Palacio. They gave us an elegant room with lots of space and a sunporch. We have a clear view of the Camino walking by the hotel. we can pilgrim watch from the room. I took a shower. I hand washed my clothes. They are drying on the sunporch. I am kicked back in bed, relaxing and writing this blog.

I have to mention a conversation we had in Rabanal  yesterday afternoon. We sat around and had drinks with Sting, Mary and Craig from Sacramento and Judy and Kim from Newfoundland. The subject of TDFSF came up. To my surprise, several people don’t like them. They think TDFSF are pretentious. Maybe they are.

Judy and Kim first encountered Don and Chuck on a train before starting the Camino. They thought they were cold and rude. Judy and Kim are very down to earth. Judy is a retired social worker. they are probably in their late 60s or early 70s. Mary felt the same way about them. I get along fine with TDFSF. I like them But I can understand how they might rub some people the wrong way. They are wealthy high tech dudes. They are staying at the nicest places, eating at the finest restaurants, and not mingling as much with the Pilgrims. Chuck comes across like a Company president or executive. They are very accomplished. If you have the opportunity to talk to Don or Chuck, you realize they are smart funny nice people. It might be a class issue. Mary and her husband Craig are retired land surveyors. I have more in common with Don and Chuck than most pilgrims. 

I am more down to earth than them. I think I do a good job in life navigating amongst groups.

Love,

the bear

Dinner in Rabanal

 

I was happy that we were in a different town from the doctors, et al. I wanted to meet some new people and have different experiences. I got it today in Rabanal. After my siesta, Lea and I walked over to the café where we met Fran earlier. 

We met up with a bunch of people we knew, and met some new faces. Mary and Craig from Sacramento were there, Kim and Judy from Newfoundland. We met Neil from England hereinafter “Sting“. 

Then cowboy Russ showed up. 

Judy and Kim invited us to dinner with them. The cowboy came along. we went to a nice restaurant in town. There were about 10 of us. Food was excellent. I had margarata meat (bull). Very tasty. They student like beef Bergen young. You know what I mean despite googles failure to understand me. We had a couple of bottles of wine and shared stories, reasons for being on the Camino, etc.    Turns out the cowboy got bit by a dog on the Camino. He wanted it to be a story about a vicious dog. It was a Chihuahua. It got infected so he’s hobbled a little bit.

Tomorrow morning we’re going to the iron cross. It’s the highest point of the Camino. There’s a big iron cross there. You’re supposed to leave some object like a stone behind. We will leave early and try to get there for sunrise. We stopped at a store and got provisions for a little picnic.

Love,

the bear 

Stage 23: Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

Fran from Cleveland 

18th Century Church in Rabanal 

Livestock on the trail 

Man pulling cart

Wild West “Albegurgue”

I had a low key dinner last night with TDFSF and their growing posse, and Michele. It was hard to find anything open in Astorga before 8 pm. We all wanted to eat early and get to bed.

I slept poorly again. 11 pm to 2:30 am. C’est la vie. Up early to walk with Lea and Michele at 6:15. Very cold. I wore almost all my clothes: a pair of shorts under my light long pants, long sleeve shirt, light fleece jacket under my rain jacket, with a buff on my head. My toes were cold in my sandals. Rain is forecast in a few days. 

We hadn’t gotten far before we caught up with Amaya from San Sebastián. She is very nice but speaks little English. We met her a few nights ago at Amelia’s Albergue. She walked with me in relative silence to the first breakfast stop. Her backpack was tilted on her back and hanging too low. I offered to help her with it though google translate. She was too shy to accept assistance. I tried to get Jim Burd to help with an intervention but he missed her by 5 minutes. Off she went. I asked Jim to look out for her.

We had a nice breakfast stop in Santa Catarina. Seeing lots of new faces. New groups. I’m eager to meet new people.

We are staying at a different town from the group. I am in the mood to meet some new people. You get tired of the same old faces.

We are about halfway - 6 miles. My back hurts a little. It hurt last night. That is why I slept badly.

I shipped my pack again to allow my back to heal. Very easy. Five euros.

I talked to Peg yesterday. She cracks me up. I missed her baby shower. Lots of people at the shower and maybe some people reading this did not know that she pranked me. He never read the blog. He did not comment. All the comments from “Justin” were really from Peg.

Peg can’t pronounce Albergue (Al bear gay). She calls it an 

Albuguergue. Pronounced like the city in New Mexico.

We are walking through more foothills. You can see the mountains ahead.

We are jaded now by the beauty of Spain. The first weeks, we were awed.

We arrived at Rabanal at about 11:30 am. We had to go to a cafe to check in. We met Fran from Cleveland there. An old hippie. They had Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson song’s playing. He and I talked about music as we pilgrim watched. I was impressed how many people he knew walking by. He came to the Camino with three friends. He ditched them to be alone and happy and free.

We got to our Albergue. Small room with shared bath. Saw Judy and Kim from Newfoundland. Cold stone floor. First time I have been really cold. I took a hot shower and got under the covers to warm up. Took a catnap. Then wrote this blog.

I am waiting for one more toenail to fall off; then I’ll wear shoes and socks. It is barely hanging on. Ugly but not painful. I’ll spare you a photo. Almost everyone has experienced blisters or toenail problems. Those who trained the most and hardest fare the best. 

Love,

the bear 

Stage 22: San Martin del Camino to Astorga

 

Two Pilgrims 

On the Camino Today 

Entering Astorga 

Sean, Lea, Michele and el oso outside Astorga 

On the Camino Today 

I had a fantasy about doing the Portuguese Camino before coming home. It was just that. I am coming home after the Camino.

We had pilgrim dinner at the Albergue last night. Michele came over. Lea had  dinner with Sean, which pleased her. We drink my bottle of red wine. Amelia made delicious meatballs. 

I laid down and listen to music for a while, dreading the 10 o’clock curfew. Lights out, ear plugs in.

The snoring was tolerable. I actually got some sleep. this Albergue had a reasonable rule that no one could get up before 6 AM. Nonetheless, at 5:30 somebody’s alarm went off. Asshole. 

At about 630, Lea Michelle Sean and I started our walk. I forgot my sticks and wallet at the Albergue. I had to run back to get them.  It is getting very cold. it was 39° on our walk this morning. I put on long pants and wore my rain jacket. still wearing sandals with no socks. 

It was a nice walk. We went through several cute little towns. had a delicious breakfast with the gang. 

At some point we entered some foothills. It reminded me of Sonoma County. The color of the dirt was just slightly red. Lots of oak and pine forest. 

Sean came up with a good title for a book: “How the Camino Ruined My Life (in a Good Way).”

There was a woman named Mary from Sacramento at the Albergue. She told me yesterday that she had a come to Jesus talk with Justin about his work situation. she said that he told her he did not get his contract renewed because he wasn’t productive enough. essentially, she told him that he was a slacker and would need to buck up in life. Probably true. I saw that he was upset and asked him about it. he told me what happened. I told him that I would talk to him on today’s walk. 

This was his first job out of college. He’s a mechanical engineer. It was a contract job lasting six months. I told him that life is long and that this job was just a blip on the screen. Everyone has a bad job experience sometime in their life. At the same time, he should consider what Mary said. Workers do need to be productive.

He is immature and lost. he is happy on the Camino. he has a ready-made community of supportive people. I talk to him about finding community at home; at work, at church, with hobbies and activities, etc . His family puts an incredible amount of pressure on him. I encouraged him to move out of the house as soon as he can. he will never be independent living there.

We arrived in Astorga about 1 PM. 25 km, about 15 miles. We ran into cowboy Russ. He is staying at our hotel. He says Juan and Maria are also here.

I showered, washed my clothes and hung them to dry.

Visited the impressive Cathedral and walked around Astorga. Very touristy.

Gaudi Palace

I am meeting the doctors, et Al for dinner later.

Drama with Lea and Sean: as we walked around town, I could tell she was upset. Sean was unclear about meeting her for dinner. Now she has a date to meet him in half an hour. Her world is right again.

Love,

the bear