22 August - Day 4

Lights on at 6am. People left quickly. I mosied (sp?) out, said goodbye to my London angels and headed out of Roncesvalles.



Almost all of the walk was through the woods, thick and thin. It was beautiful! Yeah it rained or drizzled... I never saw the sun. My Italian buddies, I had met at Orisson, encouraged me through a tough area, especailly those uphills. Many people passed me, but I trucked on, got a blister, right foot, second toe. I bandaged it. My right big-toe nail hurts. Probably from the stony downhill parts where the toes push towards the front of the shoe. During the last 4 kms my feet hurt so much! I hope I don´t lose my nail. I have already seen some black ones on other people...yuk! Got to Zubiri, checked in the municipal albergue, got my bunk and again took everything out, put it out to dry. The air is so moist, I have no idea if anything will be dry tomorrow. I put on my longjohn pants and 2 blouses and went to dinner with Jean Paul (France), Martin (Quebec), Henri (Montreal), Celina( Germany) and Veronika (Austria).


I had garlic soup and pork in sauce, fruit salad (called Macedonia) and lots of wine. Bread of course. Back at the albergue I tried to use the internet, blogged, but it turned off before I got it posted!. UGH!! There went another €. Now to sleep.

21 August - Day 3

Most people were ready to leave after breakfast. Corn Flakes and hot milk (not bad, actually), OJ, bread with butter and jam. It was raining, not hard. The uphills were tough. I started counting 20, then 30, 40, and 50 steps. I would stop to catch my breath and start again. Then the rain came down harder. It was very foggy and cold. I could not see 10 feet past the trail. An occasional car would go downhill. Never saw one going uphill. Then rain then pelted me, so I got my umbrella. Then the wind picked up. I am talking, very strong winds. The rain was coming down sideways. I would say I can do it, Je Peut, Yo Puedo... over and over. Whenever I would stop, it felt like the wind would get stronger, pushing my back as if to say, "Keep going". I thought of my mother. My legs were soaked. The backpack cover was blown off and I went up the hill to retrieve it. If I changed my stance, my umbrella would turn inside out. It started to tear. I started to cry. My step felt quicker, my shortness of breath seemed less, but my legs were freezing and my toes numb. I went on. 3 hours of this!! I saw no one for all that time. I felt so alone up there, thinking if something happened no one would see me for a long time. The Brits caught up with me. David would converse which helped me by taking my mind off how I was feeling. They offered to carry my pack. I cried, "NO!" We went on, and I was now soaked inside as well. They were as well. But did not seem to mind as much. Youth. And they´re used to cold and wet. I remember Stuart Wilde, from a CD collection I have saying, "I´ll just do cold and wet". I said that to myself, several times, "I´m just doing cold and wet". No biggie, right? I went up a very big hill, and I stopped to catch my breath. Sarah insisted she carry my sack. David helped me bundle up better. They were meeting someone in a car at the Vierge D'Orisson, which is a stone statue of a virgin who looks over the shepherds. We hadn´t realized we passed her awhile back, since we could not see past the fog. When Sarah took my sack I cried again. OMG what an awful feeling. I had broken down my resolve to do it myself. The car found us. The couple Philippe and Martin and their daughter, Pauline got out as they were going to walk with my English friends. Martin decided against it when she realized how bad the weather was. He too. They decided to drive to Roncesvalles and meet them there instead. Everyone´s packs went in and David insisted I leave with them. I wanted to. And I didn´t. The trembling in my body was uncontrollable. I turned away and bawled silently. I got in the car, he turned the heater on and I still shook violently for most of the ride. We went to a bar and they got me hot tea which helped tremendously. Back in the car now, I was shaking less. I was still so wet. We got to Roncesvalles and the now-shaking-from-the-cold group was already there! They said they were there in ahlf an hour. Damn it, I was so close to walking the whole stage. I didn´t know that. I regret it only a little. Next year I will do it again. But I will watch the weather before going. No blue skies, I'm not moving! We moved into our albergue, 120 beds big.


We got our credencial stamped, paid the 5€ and I got a bunk at the far end of the albergue. The place got full. We went to dinner and had another splendid meal. Leg of lamb in an exquisite sauce, fish consomme and a yummy local dessert, a yogurt cheesy mix with honey. Wine and bread of course.


Thank you to David for the invite. In the mountains through the fog, I could see thousand of white dots. No, I was not hallucinating... they were sheep/lambs grazing. I oculd not see their heads, jsut the white fluffy body. It seemed so tranquil despite the rain. It was actually beautiful, serene. Of course that was the foggy area, before the storm. I sometimes wondered if I was becoming delusional when I was walking in the worst conditions and wasn´t stoppping from tiredness. I saw a grave at one point and decided "no way am I going to die here", although I thought it could happen. I would see myself just giving up and falling on the ground and freezing to death. UGH!! It´s mean on the mind. After dinner, I settled in my bunk then headed to the church for the Pilgrim´s mass and blessing. Mass was boring - dedicated to pope Pius something. But then the priest did the pilgrim´s part. He named all the countries represented that night, then in each language (after he asked us to come to the front) he blessed our way. I went back to the albergue and chatted with several people. I hung out my clothes to dry. Everything in my pack was soaked!


Nadine and Elise were next to me, the Brits across the way and a Spanish couple which I would meet later were on my other side. Lights out at 10pm. I fell asleep immediately, after having such a tough day.

20 August - Day 2

As I walk, as I walk
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty.

--- Traditional Navajo Prayer

People had already left by the time I woke up. The only 1 I heard was the German guy above me. With his crinkly bags. Someone else took his boots by accident, which looke identical to his, but now he has a smaller pair. Poor guy! He put them on... his feet will suffer. The taxi man yesterday was funny. He talked the whole way, had done the Camino also, mentioned how his hemorrhoids were hurting today from a bike ride he did yesterday. LOL. Back to today. So I leave and it´s sprinkling, then more so I put on my rain jacket,went to a boulangerie and bought a warm quiche (it´s cold outside) and trekked out. Already breathing hard. Worst is yet to come. As I ascend, I am awed at the beauty of what lies below me. Tranquil green pastures, sheep grazing, perfect backdrop is the mountain range.


The road is narrow, cars occasionally zip by. Many squashed tiny snakes, medium sized frogs and snails. The cows in the road unnerved me, especially the second group which had 1 watching me hard. Her eyes would not leave me. I stopped, not sure what to do. Looked at the precipice thinking I would jump if she charged. And saw cows down there also and realized she knew how to walk down this drop. Then her back leg starts strumming the ground. OH SHIT!! Just like you see the bulls in the ring do. I told myself it´s ok, walked slowly, took a deep breath and walked between them all. I could reach out and touch one on either side of me (if I had wanted), that´s how close they were to me. As I passed I would look side to side, watching for them. I could not go any faster since I was already out of breath, not just from the hill but also the little anxiety I had just felt. I told them I was a really nice person and that we would be just fine. I listened for their bells and none got any louder! I sat on a rock and took off my right shoe and socks. I felt a hot spot on my second toe and sure enough a flattened blister. I wrapped the toe and moved on. The ascent was getting to me. I saw the sign 4 km to Orisson and kept telling myself I can do it! In French, je peut...in Spanish, yo puedo... in English, I can... This was my mantra for a while. I had to stop every 20 to 30 steps to catch my breath. I came around a hairpin curve and had an incredible sight below me. I teared up when I saw a sign stating, "Those that walk these mountains can touch heaven"



Several pilgrims approached and we sat on some rocks to snack. I lost my water bottle and map somehow and the French man (in his 70s), pulled out my map. Awhile back my other water bottle rolled down the road but was stopped by a wet cow paddy. EWWWWWWWWW! I probably lost it in one of those put on/take off stops,depending if drizzling or if the sun came out. I lost so much sweat. I arrived at the Orisson auberge, paid my 30€ and was taken to my bunk. There was a rainbow outside.


I put my stuff down, wrapped the blanket around me and slept within 1 to 2 minutes. Tired from the climb, tired from not sleeping these last few days, and tired from the jet lag time. I have 2 women as roomies for now. 1 French, Nadine and 1 from Montreal, Elise. They have walked 1 week from a French trail. They will stop in Leon and do the rest next year. The couple yesterday, Marta and Jaime are here for 2 weeks. They walked all the way across the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles today. NO WAY! I still have more uphill to go! I forgot to get my credencial stamped last night, but got one today. A while later 3 from London arrived. Sara, her husband David and her brother Richard. The hospitalera prepared a wonderful meal. First course, an excellent bean soup. Second course, beef with red peppers in sauce. Of course plenty of bread and wine. Flan for dessert.


Seems pretty common here and in Spain to do 2 courses in the meal... different inthe states where it is all 1 course together. I then played shithead with the Brits. At our table we had 6 from Italy, 3 English, 2 Germans, 3 French, 1 Canadian, and 1 USA, me. 3 from Portugal came in late. They had bicycled ahead and turned back when the rain got to be too much and Roncesvalles was still far away. We went to bed just after 9 pm. Woke up once during the night and had a hard time falling back asleep.

19 August - Day 1

Here begins the Journey
Now begins the Day.
With one step upon the Road
My soul is on its Way.

I couldn´t sleep last night. I repacked and got rid of a few more things. I wrote information from the Camino forum about the pros and cons of different albergues. Layed down at 2 am. At 3am I listened to my Zen. Fell asleep and woke up 3 more times! The last time was 1 minute before the alarm went off. Readied and out the door after my goodbyes with Begoña. Got 200€ from the ATM and went to the metro. Went the wrong way 1 stop and headed back on the next train... 2 more connections later I arrived late to catch the train to Pamplona. Phone calls later, I headed by metro this time to the bus station. 2 hours later I was on the most comfortable bus to Pamplona. I saw the landscape change, definitely more hills and then mountains. At the bus station in Pamplona I could not find anyone to share a taxi with to go to St Jean-Pied-du-Port (SJPP) so headed to a city bus stop to take me to the train station. Maybe there I would find other pilgrims. I looked at the schedule, and not understanding the Basque language, I felt something was not right and walked back to the bus station. Just then 1 woman and 4 men were walking out of the snack shop and I asked if any were going to SJPP (which is on the French side of the Pyrenees).


A couple were. We (6) got into a taxi van and headed north. First stop was Roncesvalles, which is known as the beginning of the Camino on the Spanish side. I would be there in a couple of days. On we went to SJPP. The rest of the ride showed us beautiful vistas, lush, green, woodsy, cute villages. The whole ride was 24€ each. We went to the office of Les Amis du Chemin de St Jacques and got our credencial. This is a little booklet where I will get a stamp placed in it each time I stop in an albergue. Like a little passport. It will be shown at the Cathedral once I am in Santiago de Compostela to prove I walked it and then I will be given the certificate, called the Compostela. Antoine was awesome... all smiles, laughing, singing, welcoming us. We each got our credencial and headed to our albegue. I got a room with 3 bunk beds and 1 twin bed, 7 of us, men and women and 1 dog. He wears a backpack with his food in it!

Then Marta, Jaime and I walked around this lovely village and ate a big dinner.



The albergue is in a family home.... I am not allowed to shower there however. Headed to bed early since I haven´t slept much and must be ready for the uphill climb to Orisson tomorrow.
On this date many years ago it was the beginning of my marriage, which ended with a divorce this past April. And today is the beginning of a new journey. What will this one bring?

First Part

Left Tallahassee at 6:30am and Mariano drove me to Jacksonville to catch my first flight. Jacksonville to Chicago on American Airlines. I wore my backpack and checked in my suitcase. I had to place my walking sticks in the suitcase since I´m sure they did not want my weapons in the cabin of the plane. Got to Chicago and saw my brother Tony and his wife Ellen who met me at the airport. I went in and out of the security several times due to trying to find each other. By the last time they checked my belongings, my shampoo was leaking. No problem, I took and extra baggie.
The next leg of the trip was Chicago to London. We sat on the plane 2 hours 20 minutes before we took off, because some wheel in the baggage department was not rolling correctly. The pilot even told us that it was a section that was not even in use. I think he told us because he was as frustrated as we were. So of course I arrive in London too late for the next flight, London to Madrid.
I get to London and you would not believe the chaos in the airport. I do not recommend using London as a connecting airport. When I got off the plane, someone from British Air met me to tell me which flight they had switched me to, since I lost the other flight. Just getting from the plane to security took an hour and a half. So I get past security and was told I had to check in with my new flight and get a new ticket for that change. I show the woman my new ticket and she tells me, ¨Going to Vienna?¨ "WHAT?" Vienna? Great, now I have to deal with this mistake. I told her I was going to miss my second flight of the day due to all these problems and she pushed me through to another airline. I had to run to catch the plane and got on and Iberia flight to Madrid. Before I left I asked about my suitcase... "well, it might not be on this flight, but would on the next...we have many flights to Madrid".
So you know what happened next.... no suitcase. I had to file lost suitcase report and was told I would probably get a call that evening or next day. I explained I was supposed to leave at 7 in the morning for St Jean Pied-de-Port. So you know what happened next. No suitcase. Now it is the next day, did not leave for SJPP and could not get through to ask about my suitcase. I took a metro and bus to the airport, only to be told they had no idea where it was. I was so sad. Sadder yet was a young man from South Africa, Chester, who told me he had been saving for 2 years, as a teacher, to go on the Camino. Oh wow, another Camino walker. He had been in Madrid for 2 days with no suitcase in sight. I was told I would probably get mine the next day, because they saw on the computer that it is in London. They cannot find Chester's. So, now another day in Madrid, with only the clothes on my back. Of course I do have clothes in my backpack I could use... I would rather have my walking sticks and leave!!



Now Madrid is an awesome place and I am spending it with my cousin Begoña, so I am not actually suffering (like Chester from S Africa). But still, this is taking 2 days off my trip. I told m cousin about Chester, and I decided to see if I could find him (yeah, sure, somewhere in Madrid.... let's see,should I call every hotel?) and I tried calling the guy from Iberia, and no way that I can connect with Chester.
There must be a lesson somewhere. Ummm, Hello Universe?
PS> There is something yet to come about Chester. Stay tuned. (Camino Magic is afoot)

As Ready as I can Be

4 days to go. I have moved out of my house... all my belongings are in storage, scattered at several places, in fact... I am staying at my son Salvador's apartment with only my backpack and suitcase packed, along with a few extra items of clothing I may wear for the next 4 days. I have checked the Camino forums over and over for last minute tips... I have packed and repacked my backpack, thinking (hoping) I can let go of something else which will make my pack lighter... I am saying some goodbyes here and there... what else is there to do but wait, now.
Concerns? Yeah.
-Will I do the mountains alright? High elevation, cooler weather, uphill climb all in the first day. (I have walking sticks and I have cool weather clothes).
-Will I do the plains alright? Much heat, the sun burning down on me, miles and miles of flatland. (OH I bought my hat today...that should help).
-Will I be able to carry this pack? These moving days have been havoc on my lower back pain. (I am seeing the chiro on Monday - hmm a massage would be nice, too).
-Will I have enough time to do it all? I may not be able to walk great lengths each day. I may want to do a sidetrip like to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim museum and Nerea's mom. (Well, I just want to enjoy the journey, not be attached to the destination).
-Will I get sick on the Camino? I had a little scare recently, but I'll be alright. Saw the oncologist this week also, who told me to have fun. (But like my surgeon's nurse said, "They have hospitals in Spain, right?").
-Will my feet make it? So much talk on the forums of foot problems. I would hate to have to end the walk prematurely because of destroyed feet! (But yeah, I read a bunch on prevention also)
And there are others. But you know me.... it always works out.