Some Pitfalls and Heartache

Sorry, but this one's going to be kind of a downer. For a while, everything seemed to be going wrong. Nothing life-or-death, mind you, but still. . .First someone stole my trekking poles from outside the baggage office in Santiago. They weren't letting anyone put their poles inside their bags or attach them to the side, so everyone was leaving them leaned against the wall. Mine were safe the first day, but the second day I left them they were gone when I went back. The biggest issue is that it wasn't just pilgrims that use that office, but tourists of all kinds. And those puppies are worth about $120. So I was bummed about that. At least I made it all the way through the Camino before they were taken! Then I lost my travel silverware. They were awesome! They all fit inside each other, and were great because they were actually metal. Most people had a little plastic spork thingie that had a little knifeish end, but if your baguette got the slightest bit hard, it wouldn't cut. So mine saved the day many times over. Lastly, I found this really pretty ring in Santiago that I bought, and I'm pretty sure I promptly threw it away in Madrid. I think it was in a bag that I tossed. I even looked in there before throwing it out!
Madrid left a lot to be desired. It felt like a waste of a few days. I do have to give it some credit, though. The city map was amazing, and the metro was the best I've ever been on. Plus, I might have been harder on it than it truly deserved, because after the Camino I felt a little melancholic, a little without purpose, perhaps. There also seemed to be a loss of community. So maybe it just got the brunt of my mood. But I still don't think I'll be sad if I never go back.
Lastly, I went up to Resurrection Fest - something I had been looking forward to for 5 months! Seriously, if I were having a bad day I'd just think about the fact that I'd get to see Heaven Shall Burn live. I'd imagine how incredible they'd be on stage, and all would be well. This earns a *double sigh* - they don't play until tonight, and I'm in Barcelona tonight! I didn´t get to see them!!! :*( My heart sank when I figured that out, leaving a rock in the pit of my stomach. I still get sad thinking about it. So I've decided that if they ever come back to the States, I'm going to see them come hell or high water. Harumph!
Barcelona is pretty nice, but honestly I think I'm ready to leave. Actually, I'm just ready for some stability, a real home, somewhere where all my things have a place. But I'm definitely not ready to go back to DC. I don't feel like I ever want to go back there. And I haven't missed work for one minute the entire time I've been here. I've actually kinda been hoping I would these past few days, but it just hasn't happened. Sorry, Amy. :(
I can't believe it's been 6 weeks abroad already!! It seems incredible that the time passed as quickly as it did. There were times in the beginning when I wasn't sure I would ever be going home - it just sounded like such a long time. But I'll be on US soil late Monday night!

I miss all your faces. Can't wait to see you all. Love you.

Glorious Santiago

I´VE MADE IT!! I´m here, in Santiago, and I´m so happy about that. The walk is all done, and I have to say I´m not the least bit sad about it.
I made it to the Pilgrim Office (well, the end of the line) at 11:42, and was getting my Compostela at 2:24. More than 2 1/2 hours of standing in line. But I got to see some cool things as I was waiting, so that was good.
After I got my Compostela I changed clothes, put my bag in a baggage office, visited the information office to see about what they were doing with all the extra pilgrims (nothing - we get to camp out, I guess), and went shopping. I just got back from walking to and from the train station to see about getting an earlier train to Madrid, but everything´s full. So I´m keeping what I´ve got.
I´m pretty tired. Can´t think of much to write about. Maybe I´ll come back tomorrow or Monday.

Home soon.

HELLOOOOO!!

Despite what my lack of blogging may suggest, I am still alive and well! I haven´t been in a place that´s had internet since Astorga, which was the last time I wrote. Not too long after that day I entered the province of Galicia, and the municipal albergues here are rather bare-minimum, utilitarian type places. Aside from the lack of internet, one example of this is in the kitchens. In every place I stayed before Galicia the albergues had kitchens with pots and pans, dishes, etc. free for use (so long as you cleaned up after yourself, naturally), along with things like salt, pepper, olive oil, and then any food left over by other pilgrims. Mostly pastas. They also tended to have refrigerators for pilgrim use. The ones in Galicia have nothing. They have a stove, but nothing to cook with. No fridge. Many of the ones I´ve been in recently have been old converted schoolhouses.
Regardless of the amenities, I´ve been super happy to have a place to sleep the past few nights. In order to become an "official" pilgrim, you have to walk at least the last 100km. Sarria was the closest "big" city (around 4,000 people) to that marker, at 117km out. I was there 2 days ago and MANY people started hiking there. It´s been hard to not be judgemental. Not only are huge crowds of people clogging the camino with their tiny little cinch bags, acting like this is a fun outing for a day, but there are what I call the bus pilgrims, who take a bus, get off and hike through a town, get back on the bus to the next town, walk through that one, get back on the bus, etc. Some of them even take up albergue room! There have been so many people displaced the past few nights, and I´ve been very excited to have a bed. There have been camps set up in backyards with big tents, crowding 10-12 people in each, people sleeping in restaurants, sleeping in parks, etc. Today I thought I´d have to sleep in a park in Melide, which is the town I´m in, because the town I planned on staying in didn´t have the albergue listed in the books and maps. I ended up having to walk an extra 6km to Melide, and had asked at a Pensión if the lady knew where they were putting extra pilgrims because we had heard along the way that the albergue here was completely full. She let me and the lady I´ve been walking with the past 2 days know that there was another albergue just down the road that had room. I got goosebumps I was so hopefull for a spot. Sure enough! It´s basically a big sports arena, and there are about 120 people on mats on the floor who were part of at least one big group. The walking pilgrims got beds, though! Woohoo!!
I have to confess that I´m very much looking forward to the end of the trek. I have 3 days left of walking, and I am excited for the party in Santiago. Plus, I´m ready to not have to walk all day. :)
The next two nights I have a guaranteed spot with some people I´ve met along the way in a hostal, so maybe there will be internet at those places. They´re an expensive 20-25€ each! :)

I´ll try to talk soon. Miss all of you!!

Second Try Today

A lot has happened since I was last able to post. San Juan de Ortega, the town I was in 2 nights ago, was a town of 20. No, I didn´t forget a 0 or two - 20, as in one more than 19. The albergue served garlic soup, a traditional dish of the area, which was mainly water-logged bread in a garlic broth. It tasted alright, and was free, so I can´t say too many bad things about it. During that time, I met some guys and we went next door to the bar to have dinner. Two were from France, Vincent and Bibo (I think that´s what he said his name was). Vincent is from Paris, Bibo from Lyon, and they met in Hong Kong during an internship they both had there. Both studied business in school, and they just graduated, so they´re young. There was Jonathan, a Canadian, who spent the past 6 months in Israel doing various things, one of which was hiking an isolated path for 6 weeks through mountains. So he said the Camino is just for fun. Sounds crazy to me. The last was a Hungarian whose name was so complicated it slipped my mind as soon as he said it. He just finished medical school in Hungary, but has never wanted anything to do with medicine. I was curious why he would have gone in the first place, but never got around to asking. He is going to go back to school for computer science - his dream has always been to write a new operating system. Pretty intense. They were fun, and I´m wishing now I had taken my camera with me to dinner, because I never got a chance to get their pictures. That´s one thing I need to be better at, taking pictures of the people I meet.
Spain won the World Cup. That was sheer insanity. I was in Burgos last night, which is a fairly big city (the second biggest I´ve been in since starting the Camino) at 170,000 people. There was a giant screen set up in one of the city squares, and mobs of people were there decked out in their red and yellow, with flags and horns and even some were dressed up as matadors. I tried the local ¨festival drink¨consisting of red wine and Coke. I wasn´t too sure about it until I tasted it - it´s surprisingly delicious!! I´m told that it´s really only good cold, though, which ours was. The cups they were serving these drinks in, along with beers, were probably 40 oz. In other words, massive. And it only cost me €4. I could only drink about 3/4 of it, all the pop made my stomach hurt and I was simply too tired, but well worth it. Most of the people from the first group I travelled with were in Burgos as well (yay!), so I went with them to watch the match. We were standing on the periphery of the square, and I was only able to handle the first half, then my feet were telling me it was long past time to lie down. I definitely heard when Spain scored in what must have been overtime, though. People were partying in the streets hard core until 5:30 this morning. There were fireworks, horns, shouting, music, singing. Someone near the albergue was even shooting off a gun or two. I´m just thankful ´we´won. Who knows what might have happened had those masses of drunken people been mad about losing.
I had time this morning to go through the Burgos cathedral. It is pretty awe-inspiring. It´s stunning to think how much money went into the place. It was super ornate everywhere, with several (maybe 8?) little chapels inside, each one different. Lots of people are buried in there as well. I took tons of pictures, because I simply couldn´t get over the details in the carvings and sculptures.
I took two busses today. One from Burgos to Leon, and the second from Leon to here (aqui), Astorga. This morning I passed a couple different people that I came to know over the past few days as I was leaving the albergue, and I felt myself slinking off, almost feeling ashamed, even though I knew that there was nothing wrong with taking a bus. I quickly got over this feeling as we drove through some of the most boring countryside I´ve seen. It reminds me of the midwest. Ha. My camera had died in the cathedral, and I had been feeling a little bummed about not being able to take pictures along the way here, but as it turns out there wasn´t anything I wanted a picture of anyway! The first bus was having several difficulties, one of which was being stuck behind an accident in which another bus hit a car. They had to CareFlight someone away, and and ambulance took someone else. At that point it was still a question as to whether I would make my connecting bus, but I was okay with the possibility of not making it. As it turns out, I missed it, but another one came an hour later. While I was waiting I tried to make a post, but I wrote until I ran out of time and the computer kicked me off. Oops.
I also just finished a €10 Japanese massage. It was pretty wonderful. The funniest part was when she cupped a butt cheek, swirled it around a little, then pushed up and suddenly let go, letting it jiggle back into place. She did this 3 times on each side. I almost started laughing. The weirdest part was when she took half a cottonball in each hand, stuck them on the end of her fingers, and then stuck her fingers in my ear! She was pushing around in there and it became clear that she just really wanted to give each body part equal attention. The whole thing lasted 45 minutes, and felt pretty darn good.
All of your comments are cracking me up! Dad - there have been men in speedos, but most of the swimsuits worn by men remind me of those drag suits that were really popular my senior year of high school. The little boyshort type things. Same with underwear. The men all strip down to their mini boxerbriefs or tighty-unwhities (they all are some bright color - something else European, I think) and walk around the sleeping areas like that. Even the old men. Even the large men. Even the old, large men. Like I said previously, it takes some getting used to.
Grandma - don´t worry about me falling too hard for the potbellies! Many of them are wrinkly as well.
Mom - I´ll most likely be coming back, don´t worry. I´ve yet to see cold, fresh milk. Even in supermarkets, they keep the cartons unrefrigerated. And I don´t think it´s fresh. Someone said it´s got preservatives or something in it. I don´t know. I´ve yet to try it.
One last remark to leave you thinking - I´ve experienced more farting here than ever before in my life. And I have a brother and lived with boys for several years! Someone is always letting one rip, and they´re not little squeakers, either. They sound like someone needs to hurry to the toilet because they just made a mess. And sometimes they´re already on the toilet. Tip for anyone thinking of doing anything like this, ever - if you have a choice, pick the bed furthest from the bathroom. If you´re not woken up by the sound, you´ll be woken by the smell.
And with that, I wish you a good night! :D

Only 11 Minutes Left On This Computer

I´m trying to conserve my cash, as I´m running a little low and there won´t be an ATM until Burgos tomorrow.
Made it to San Juan de Ortega!! 24km and some change - woohoo! :) I put on those blister plasters, called Compeed, and they were miracle workers. I still felt the blister for sure, but I was no longer limping, I was placing my foot straight instead of out, I resembled a normal human being.
It was a hard day today, though. Just after km 8 I was thinking ¨Today is a good day!¨ I was feeling good, I was happy, and I spotted a really cool-looking lizard on the road. At first I thought he was one of the greenish-brown lizards that you see all over here, kind of like the ones that run rampant in Florida. But this guy was black with bright green spots. And he held still for a body shot and a closeup! I thanked him before moving on. :) Shortly thereafter, however, the climb started, and it got really stinkin´hot. If there had been a town at about km 16, the day would have been just about perfect. As it was, there was nothing after the first 12, so the last 12 were climbing mountains and in the sun with no good stopping points.
Walked most of the way with a guy from Germany. Not sure what his name is - it´s one of those names that I could have him say about a million times, and I still wouldn´t get it. It´s definitely not Otto, that much I know. We´re smelly as a rule, pilgrims are, but he was a little smellier than most. It was hard to walk next to him after about 10 this morning. At first I thought it might be me, but I doubled up on the deodorant and triple-checked and it wasn´t me after all.
Garlic soup at the albergue tonight. Traditional dish of the area, apparently. Slightly intrigued. . .
My skin´s bubbling. It´s on my arms. I think I´m trying to sweat, and for whatever reason my skin is blocking it. It goes away when I rest for a bit.

Okay, out of time. Adios!

Blister!!!!

Not too much to say today. I was only able to walk 4km yesterday, because the blister that encompases my entire little toe became pretty bad. I´ll spare you the gory details, but it became a bit bloody. MJW - you´d definitely be grossed out. My ¨rest day¨ yesterday enabled me to go 11km today, which is better. I just went to the Farmacia and got some blister plasters - we´ll see if they work. I´ve heard from Sasha from New Zealand that they are superb. I hope she´s right. :)
People here in Europe are much more comfortable with their bodies than we are. It´s wonderful. It takes some getting used to, I admit, to see blue hairs walking around in just their bras on a hot day, and old men with their bellies bouncing a bit as they walk down the street, but I love it. I spent about an hour at a municipal pool yesterday afternoon, and I was one of 2 people in a one-piece (the other was wearing Hello Kitty) - EVERYONE else was in a bikini. Even the mothers, one of which was about my size but had about 30 years on me.
I´m loving how far money goes when you´re a pilgrim. I have to confess that it´s one of the reasons I haven´t quit just yet - I´ve spent about 110 € in a week. That includes housing, meals, sunscreen, soap, everything. It´s cheaper than living in DC for that amount of time, that´s for sure! Who ever thought you could go on vacation and save money?
Mom said the other day that when I get home she´s treating me to a pedicure - it´s one of the things I´m most looking forward to! My feet are nasty! I´ve seen worse on this trip, though, that´s for sure!
I´m so tan you might not recognize me. :)

Coming to Terms and the Spain/Germany Match

Sitting in a bar with several pilgrims and several more Spaniards watching Spain play Germany in the World Cup semifinals. I don´t really care who wins, but, admittedly, it would be cool for Spain to win while I´m here. I´m just imagining the celebration, really. Although, I´ll most likely be asleep for it tonight. Hopefully I´ll catch some of it tomorrow. . .or if Spain goes on to win the whole thing.
Ate a rather delicious dinner with all the pilgrims in the albergue tonight. I´m staying in a church, and cost is by donation, and they cook dinner for everyone! We had a salad type thing (a little lettuce, many tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers and white beans), some pasta al dente with zucchini, and watermelon for dessert. Of course, there was wine and bread. Staples.
Walked with Rob from Georgia (state in US, not European country) today. He´s probably in his mid fifties, has two sons, and is very sweet. He´s doing this for many reasons which we bonded over a little, but he´s a little pushy with his views on religion. Despite feeling slightly preached to today, he helped immensly to pass the time.

Throw out all your expectations concerning where I will be on a certain day. It´s what I´ve had to do. I´m in Grañon tonight, which is where I should have been yesterday, and I´m surprisingly okay with it. I´ve learned that distance doesn´t dictate lessons learned, struggles won, changes made. I will still spend 27 days figuring out who I am, who I want to be, what I want and how to get it. This can be a meaningful experience regardless of if I walk the entire distance. I would even argue that it will become even more meaningful if I listen to what my body is telling me and stop when necessary - it will give me a chance to love my surroundings and live in the moment rather than being conscious only of pain. There is no sense in that.
I think I am becoming more comfortable with my limitations. If I accept them for what they are, I can move on to aspects that are perhaps more important, hold more weight, than how far I can walk each day with an extra 12 kg on my back. Ultimately, I don´t think pushing myself toward 40km a day will have a positive impact on my life. It is still a struggle, and I still have to push myself, to complete 25km/day.
That should be enough for me, and I think, perhaps more slowly than I would prefer, that it is becoming my truth.

I miss and love you all. :)

The going gets better, and then tough again

It´s cliche, but it really has been a roller coaster these past few days.
Saturday I stopped short, going 19km, because my feet simply were not allowing me to continue. Then Sunday and Monday I was able to go 33 and 30km, respectively, which was great. Sunday actually felt pretty good most of the time, and I seemed to recover quickly. Yesterday was horrible, probably my worst day so far. I was doing alright, walking with a new group, but we were taking it very slowly. We had gone about 22km by about 3:00, and stopped at a bar with a patio to take a break, where we could take our shoes off and the guys could get several big beers. At 3:45 I was still debating on whether to continue to the next town, but they were convinced (due to their documentation) that the town was only 4km away. My book said 7.6. I felt like I could manage 4, I wasn´t so sure about more than that. They convinced me to come along, and it turns out my book was right. I was about to have a nervous breakdown by the time we reached the albergue, like if anyone asked me how I was doing I would simply start bawling. I was in extreme pain the rest of that night, even after taking 4 Aleve and rubbing some rejuvenating cream on my feet. I woke up today with feet that were still very sore, so I only came 15km. I had started to catch up to where I wanted to be, but today I just couldn´t hack it. I´m hoping the break will allow for better days ahead.
I´ve nearly resigned myself to taking a bus at some point to make up for lost distance, but it brings several nagging questions that don´t really have answers. Why do this to myself, put myself in so much pain, every day for nearly a full month, if I´m just going to take a bus to finish it? What´s the point of all this, then? Everyone keeps telling me that this is going to be a life-changing experience, which is what I´ve been looking for, but what if it isn´t? And what if it´s not because I took a bus? Will I feel like it´s something I didn´t do right, didn´t complete, if I don´t walk the entire distance? I´m afraid I will. Or maybe I´m already changing.
It´s hard for me to see beauty surrounding me when I hurt as much as I often do. People around me will be taking pictures of a landscape that just doesn´t excite me, or say comments ("what a wonderful life!") that I just can´t get behind at the moment. Do they not hurt as much as I do? Are they better at finding and appreciating good things around them? Are they simply better people?
When I finally get to an albergue and they have an open bed for me, I am more thankful than at any other point in my life. Maybe there´s some beauty in that. . .

Some facts about gravel:
Gravel is the bane of my existance.
Gravel makes me want to cry.
Gravel is evil.

The pilgrim menus have been great, with two courses and dessert (does that then make it 3 courses?), bread, wine and water. The most I´ve paid for a pilgrim dinner is 11 €, most of them running 8-9 €. I guess that´s one good thing about living as a pilgrim - it´s pretty inexpensive, and you still eat well! :)


I thought of all of you on the 4th, wondering what your plans were for that day, figuring you´d be going to cookouts and barbeques, playing some sort of outdoor game like bocce, and watching the fireworks. I hope it was great! I tried explaining it a little to some of the people I´d met that day, and they seemed to appreciate all of it except for the tendency to wear red, white & blue. They were a little befuddled on that point.

I´m off to find a small snack before dinner. It´s only 4, and dinner isn´t until 7 or 8, depending on the place.

I donçt know how to work this silly keyboard

So symbols will be off. Youçll have to forgive - Içm too tired to try to figure it out.
Sorry about not posting yesterday - there was no functioning computer at the albergue yesterday.
I didnçt end up looking at the sites of Pamplona. I was walking with James, excited at the fact that having someone to walk and talk with took my mind off the pain for an hour or so, and realized once we were out of the city that we had passed through it, and that I hadn´t seen the Plaza del Toros or anything. I debated for about 15 seconds on going back, then decided that it just wasn´t in me. Maybe one day I´ll be able to make it back there as a true tourist.
Here´s the journal entry from last night:
7=1 6:50pm Zariquiegui
I kept calling this town Zaricooeygooey, but apparently it´s There ee gwee. Huh.
Today I really truly didn´t know if I was going to make it here. The sun was SO fíng hot, there was pretty much no shade, and I felt sick to my stomach. It took a little over 2 hours to go the 6.2km from Cizur Menor. I finally got here, and after wandering the town to find the albergue, walk in to find the manager asleep. I mean ASLEEP. She doesn´t speak a word of English, and she seems to think the best way to get me to understand her is to speak very quickly and use many words. And it seemed like she just wanted to talk, not like she was telling me something important like where the beds or showers were, or how much it cost to stay there, or if dinner would be served. All I wanted to do was find a bed to get off my feet. The left one now has a blister because I didnçt change out of my wet socks fast enough yesterday. Itçs just on my little toe, but there are periods of pain.
I think there are 7 of us here. Not a popular stopping point, apparently. I thought I was the only English speaker, but I just saw Pierre from Jersey. Met him last night. Not sure about him.
Içm sunburned as hell, and sore from my knees down. You have NO idea how tempting a bus was today.

Today I stopped in Puenta la Reina for a mini siesta. I laid down for an hour in the shade of some trees in a park by the church. The sparrows were diving and climbing the air currents surrounding the church tower like crazy. I feel like it was something out of a movie.
Last night and earlier today I was feeling very jaded. Couldnçt believe I was getting up to torture myself all over again. And I seem to be getting tired earlier and earlier every day. I walked with Aishling for the first 2 hours, which helped a lot. The next hour felt like hell, which was why I stopped for a bit. Some other pilgrims had paused there for a nap as well, so I joined them. Took off my socks and shoes, pulled out my little rollup mattress thingie, and took a nap. I felt much better afterward, both emotionally and physically. Felt like it would be possible to finish the day, another 12 km.
I had to take another 40 minute break just outside of Cirauqui, which was the town just before this. 5.7km to go. Again, I felt much better, but it passed after about 1.5 km. So the last 4 felt like an eternity.
I think I may have to cut tomorrow short. Içm honestly not sure Içve got 30km in me tomorrow.
I am a slave to my feet and the sun.

Hola from Larrasoana

I think I now know what Dante meant about the 7 circles of hell. Yesterday was the first, today the 2nd. My feet and legs were still sore from the first day, and yet I had to go even further today. Granted, it was only about 1 km further, but still. I was making awesome time in the beginning - I got nearly 15 km in 3 hours. It all went to scheit after that, though. I started at 6, got in at 2. Another full 8 hours.
I´ve met some awesome people by passing back and forth, though. Managed to snap a picture of them today while we were waiting for dinner. Fernando from Germany, who I actually met on the bus to St. Jean, James from Australia, Kyle from Canada, Jess from Iowa and Aishling from Ireland. They are all really good people, who have amazing outlooks. It makes me a little sad that I can´t surround myself with them all the time. In fact, tomorrow during the walk will probably be the last day that I ever see them, since they are all planning on stopping in Pamplona for the night and I am going further. I´ve got less time to finish this silly thing.
I´m hoping and praying that my feet stop aching soon. They felt like they were going to start cramping at any moment once I got to the albergue and had a chance to lie down. Actually couldn´t sleep for a nap, they hurt so much. Thank God I don´t have blisters, though. James and Jess both do. I honestly don´t know how they´ve made it even this far.
Pamplona should be neat to see tomorrow. If I have the energy I´m planning on stopping to see the Toros Plaza, where the Running of the Bulls begins. I have to keep reminding myself that it truly is about the journey, and not just the destination. It´s hard not to try to hurry, though, when all you can think about is getting off your feet and lying down for a nap.
I saw several versions of my pet slug today, though none of them were nearly as big as Slugger. He was the King of Them All.
I also had a buddy today for about 2 km. I named him Frederico. Good Spanish name, I thought. He was a cute dog, who saw me slip and fall into some rushing water and stuck by my side until I reached the next town (don´t worry, mom, I was fine. Just got wet.). Got a picture of him, too.
It´s amazing, but today it was actually too hot to eat. I ate a banana at a little before 6, just before I stepped on the road, then ate an "omelete" and pineapple juice at 9, then didn´t eat anything until dinner was served at 7. I noticed a little hunger after passing through Zubiri at noonish, but it quickly vanished. And apparently tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. They´re estimating it reaching 38. It´s hard for me to do the mental calculation to Farenheit in my head, but I guess it only reached 32 today. So that´s quite a big difference. :0
It´s after 9, which means it´s late for me. Probably going to get up at 5 tomorrow to try to beat the heat.
G´night!!

Holy Smokes, I Made It!

I actually made it into Roncesvalles!! There were so many times when I simply wasn´t sure how much farther I would be able to go. And to be perfectly honest, I was on the verge of tears for the entire final 3.6 km. That was the point when I finally made it OVER the Pyrinees, and could see the town in the distance. I was certain at that point in time that I was nearly there, only 1 km left, 2 max. Nope - 3.6, and I would argue that they were perhaps the hardest in the journey today. They were downhill. Unlike any downhill adventure I´ve experienced to date, SO steep. My legs were shaking, my feet were aching, and my knees started hurting. My poles saved my life 3 distict times, keeping me from tumbling down the mountainside. And unfortunately, there are two bigger drops tomorrow. I´m hoping that they´re longer, yes, but perhaps not as steep. Time will tell.
The views were unbelievable. A helicopter passed BELOW, there were wild horses passing by 3 feet away. There were also dozens of gigantic birds, that at first I thought were huge bald eagles. Remembered hearing that they´re a type of buzzard that can have a wingspan up to 18 ft. I was joking to myself that they were circling in wait of me, that they knew I was passing through and it was only a matter of time before I dropped.
I´ve passed through a couple episodes of despair today, when all I could see were mountains and it seemed the climbing would never end. But I came to realize that sometimes all it takes to lift you out is a short pause to look at the peaks and valleys, the magnificent surroundings.
Oh - I want to correct one thing I posted earlier - there ARE craggy, rocky parts to these mountains (like any other, I suppose). I simply wasn´t high enough to see them before. I climbed 1450 meters (nearly a mile) up. UP.
I saw a mountain-sized slug today. He was black, and his back parts were wavy, and he was the size of a chipmunk. Seriously. I took a picture.
I spent a lot of my time thinking about what I would post here, or write in my journal, in order to not think about pain. I thought about all of you, and what you might be doing, and how it would have been great to have any of you here to have someone to talk to. I like doing this on my own for many reasons - I don´t have to worry about holding anyone back with my frequent few second-stops, I get to really notice the small things I pass along the way - but I´m sure the time would have gone much faster had someone been keeping my attention by blabbering away. I came across many very friendly people, but most of them didn´t speak English at all. The ones that did were already in a group, and moved at a different pace.
Time´s almost up, and it´s also almost time for the pilgrim dinner. I think I overheard we´re having fish, but whatever. I´m in Spain, for goodness sake! :)

St Jean Pied de Port

OH MY GOD! The Pyrinees have got to be the most gorgeous mountains I have ever seen. But more on that later.
I have been scolded for not posting more (up until today my days have consisted of almost nothing but traveling, and the train stations do not have computers for public use), so I thought I would post what I've been writing in the amazing journal Matt got for me.

6/24 2:21pm Gare Paris de Austerlitz (one of the train stations in Paris)
Just saw a pigeon with a club foot.
The French use baguettes for EVERYTHING. And if it's not on a baguette, it's in a crepe. :)

6/24 9:58pm Somewhere along France's southern coast
Finally on my way to Cannes. Slept in the train sitting in the station that I was originally supposed to take there last night. Lots of cancellations due to massive strikes. Then I was supposed to take a train that left at 7:46 this morning, but that was also cancelled. So here I am.
My feet hate my shoes. Not a good sign at all. Foreboding, even?
Met two really nice girls today, with accents. English? Austrailian? Couldn't tell. Their trip totals 7 weeks, and they're halfway through it. Also met a nice American couple. She's from LA, he's from San Fran. He's a cute little Granola. They're stopping in Cannes as well. We all literally ran through the station to get onto the train, as it was due to hold 3 trains' worth of people from the strikes.

6/25 10:23am Hotel Balladins, Cannes, France
Couldn't find a hotel with an open room last night. Congress in session. Had to take a cab to this one 5km outside the city. During my search I ran into a couple I had remembered from the train station in Paris. I stopped to talk to them, and an Albanian kid joined us. He asked if he could look for a hotel with me, and he seemed harmless enough, so he tagged along. He got very annoying and made me feel a little ill at ease when he started talking about how there's a kidnapper running loose around town. He kept touching my stuff, too. ¨What's that?¨ ¨My knife.¨ ¨Knife!!? . . . What's that?¨ ¨My hiking poles.¨ ¨What?¨ Finally I ditched him for the cab.
Had an interesting breakfast. Baguette, no surprise, some applesauce-like substance (not bad), hot milk (don't think I'll pick that again. It came out of a machine, I was hoping it would be cold, but it was frothy and steaming), and watered down orange juice. To the beach for a bit, and walking to the train station.

6/26 3:53pm Rocamadour, France
Sitting on a little balcony at my hotel. Spent the whole afternoon walking ¨downtown¨Rocamadour. It's HOT, and steep, so I'm rather exhausted. I think I may run a bath after this.
This place is everything I was hoping for. Medieval town built on a cliffside - I can't think of a better place to visit. Some locals still use horses for transportation! :)
My hotel abutts up to a campground, which by the looks of it is pretty popular. It's about a km from the center of Rocamadour, and 3km from the SNCF station. The walk this morning was super - very peaceful, through farmland. I was following little wooden signs with a hiker painted on and 2 little green waves. At a T in the gravel path the post was there, but the signs were gone. I wasn't sure what to do at that point, and just when I was about to guess, along came a cute old man on a 4-wheeler with his dog trotting beside him. We communicated w/ hand guestures and I was on my way. (I would have guessed correctly, by the way.)
Got to see Cannes for the 1.5 hours it took me to walk the beach from my hotel to the train station. It was nice enough, but reminded me of Virginia Beach. Definitely a beach town. I'd go back if someone else wanted to, but I'm not sure I'd pick it on my own. So far, Rocamadour is my favorite.
I saw a wedding procession today. That was fun. They came through the town in their cars and were cheering and honking their horns. Everyone in the street started clapping their hands and cheering back.
The churches/chapels here frighten me. I stepped in one below the main square of the castle and there was a nun inside. I'm pretty sure I jumped. Maybe it's because it's so like stepping back in time?
I ordered a meal in a restaurant for the first time today. I've been buying from vendors, as it's so much cheaper. I had no idea what I was ordering, but it turned out to be chicken breast with a delicious cream sauce on top, and fettucini on the side. Gobble gobble. Okay, bath time!!
5 minutes later
:( I'm going to have to settle for a shower.

6/26 11:27pm Rocamadour, France
Some things I've been forgetting to mention:

• The French cows are entirely white. Nearly all of them.
• I stopped in an internet cafe in Cannes because I couldn't find a street, and was there for several minutes due to mass miscommunication. Everyone thought I was asking for cocaine, due to my inability to correctly say ¨Hoche¨.
• I'm a little sad at the loss of my nameless friends.

I've met an English girl, though. Sabrina. Seems awesome, like I'd be her friend if we lived in the same town. She was my server at the Snack Post, and after she showers we're going to get a drink. Kinda just wanting to go to bed, I'm so tired, but I didn't come here to sleep.

Okay, I've used all of my allotted time on the computer. I'll come back later for more posts. But I'm looking at the mountains ahead of me wondering how I'll ever make it over them.

HELLO FROM PARIS!!!

Sitting in a cove in the courtyard of my hostel in Paris as I write this. Have to pay per minute for internet, and the keyboard is difficult to use, so this won't be long.
It's beautiful here. The buildings are more intricate than any I've seen before. And I couldn't ask for better weather - it's actually cool!
My hostel is amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's some historic landmark and therefore gorgeous. I shared a room with 4 other girls, and the room had two sinks and a shower attached. The restroom was right across the hall. I got free breakfast of orange juice, baguette, chocolate croissant and hot chocolate, all for 30 Euros. For a night in Paris, that's a steal.
I've seen the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I'm hoping to go in the Conciergerie today, as well as walk around Montmartre. Then I'm off to Cannes tonight on a train that leaves at around 10:20 tonight. I have a sleeper couchette in a room I'll be sharing with 5 others. I wonder if there will be a shower anywhere. . .
Bit of bad news - I don't see the cable to hook my camera up to a computer, so I don't think I'll be able to post any pictures before arriving at home. Unless someone along the way has one. This kiosk doesn't have any slots anyway, so I can't do anything at the moment anyway.

Write soon.

Santiago Festival

I just read on Santiago de Compostela's tourist site (santiagoturismo.com) that there's a pyrotechnic display of setting a model of the cathedral on fire, but this happens on the night of the 24th! I'll be 20km away! I like fire. . . :(
There are apparently also fireworks, so maybe I'll be able to see them from where I'll be. That would make up for missing the cathedral burning a little bit. ;)

Unexpected Supplies

I've been reading through the Camino Forums again, and someone had the brilliant idea to ask what the most unexpectedly valuable supply was that they took with them/wish they had taken. There were some ingenious ideas on there!
Some of the ones that I'll be looking to get for myself:

• a twisted clothesline - it's two thick strips of plastic that are twisted on one another, and you just stick your clothes into the little spaces. I think someone said AAA has them with suction cups so you can stick them to windows, and these require no clothespins.
• sink stopper - I have one of these. For washing clothes in the sink, for those albergues that don't have washers/have huge lines for the washers.
• reusable grocery bag - also have plenty of these. Apparently great for all sorts of things, but mostly grocery shopping - I guess most Spanish grocers expect you to bring your own sacks.
• sticky labels pre-printed with my name and email - easy and fast way to share information with wonderfully awesome people met along the way.
• knife set with corkscrew - I've been reading that a multi-purpose knife like Swiss Army or Leatherman is pretty much essential for all sorts of situations, but a couple people have said the corkscrew was their most-used utility. Super for opening a shared bottle of wine with new friends.
• spork - two, two, two utensils in one!
• needle and thread - I have a sewing kit here, so I'll just need to modify it for the trail. I've heard that polyester thread is the most useful. I'll have to look into that.
• dedicated face cloth - I'm sure we can imagine how grungy a face will get, and those that know me know I like that exfoliation feeling that just doesn't come with drying off with smooth cotton.
• diaper pins - apparently very useful for all sorts of things. Some mentioned instances - emergency clasping-together of something split, fastening wet items to the outside of my pack for last-minute, on-the-road drying.
• chamois - as swimmers know, these are fantastic little cloths for super-drying. I would think there'd be one or two at home. . .Lighter and smaller than a regular towel, and cheaper than a 'super-absorbent' travel towel.
  
• LED light - I'd originally thought about getting a headlamp, but EVERYONE gets annoyed at them, and it seems like a very newbie mistake to bring one - they are blinding to everyone else. A small handheld/lanyard LED light provides the visibility in the night to the bathrooms without the excessive brightness of the headlamp or the blinding positioning of eye level for everyone around me.
• cover-up - I have to check to see if I still have one of these. I used to for one of my old swimsuits, but I'm thinking I donated it in the last move. People use these as modesty-protectors when adding/subtracting clothes in the albergues, as a sheet on a warm night, as a ground cover, a pillowcase, flowy top or skirt in the evenings. . .

Also, I posed the question of what to do with my pack after I arrive at the albergue for the night, but want to see the town/city before bed. Everyone that responded said that they just leave their packs beside their beds and take the essentials with them - money, ID, camera! This makes me so happy. One, it means I don't have to take the huge thing around any more than necessary. Two, it shows that there's a wonderful level of trust and respect and a great sense of community. Obviously, it's not like a pack has never been stolen in the recent history of the Camino, but really, if I have what I'd need to not be trapped in a foreign country (ID and money), what can't be replaced?
I'm loving this already. I wish everyone had a chance to do something that made them as excited. I feel exceptionally lucky, and I haven't even left!

It's official!

I just booked my flights! AACK! I leave from DCA to Paris on 6/21 and arrive at IAD from Barcelona on 8/2. I managed to get these flights for less than 1100, which seems like a fairly good deal. Thank you, Kayak!
Now I just need to get flights from Columbus to Washington, but I have a free round-trip flight with United still. So that'll work.
I'm now extremely nervous.

??

What am I thinking??

Thinkings

I took my pack out for a trip yesterday. Bought myself new hiking shoes, and needed to wear them in, so I walked into the city, and did a little over 6 miles with 25 lbs on my back. Needless to say I woke up this morning sore all over! It frightens me a little - I will be going more than twice that amount on even my shortest day! It's also inspiring to get some practice in. I'll be walking in to work probably starting this week, if it's not bitterly cold out. I was hoping it would be warmer by now. . .

During all those miles, I had quite a bit of me time. Mostly I was signing the 2 lines "Damn, she's a sexy b*tch, a sexy b*tch, damn she's a sexy b*tch. Damn, girl!" over and over (and over). There were some moments, however, when I realized that during my four weeks of hiking I probably won't be singing parts of a song stuck in my head (I'd better not be, anyway - I think I'd have to be institutionalized if that were the case). That's a LOT of alone time. I know I'm stinkin' awesome, but THAT awesome? Is ANYONE that awesome?? Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, let there be amazing, friendly, appropriately chatty people on this hike.

Another big worry, as dumb as it is, is how I'm going to cope with non-ice water. Seriously, there is NOTHING better than a big glass of ice water giving you brain-freeze on a hot summer day. And this is Europe we're talking about here. Not only will the fountains along the route not be ice water (duh), but even the restaurants will not supply ice. And many of them are so small (read: population 200) that they may not even HAVE ice. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do. When I'm working out, freezing cold water is the only thing that keeps me going.

June is creeping up faster than I'd like to admit. With all the superficial preparations I'm making, I hope I'll be really, truly ready for this adventure.

Moulin Rouge?

The latest question: to buy a ticket to a Moulin Rouge show or not to buy a ticket? I'm planning on seeing the building - can I really go to Paris, walk by the place, and NOT see a show? It would mean packing nice clothes (meaning extra weight in my pack) and spending an extra $125, though. . .

Trials and tribulations of planning a major trek, emotional worries and doubts

I've been planning this summer trip to France and Spain for what feels like forever now - I started around Thanksgiving. Figuring out the European Rail system is difficult, to say the least, as raileurope.com doesn't have all possible routes available online. I've spent pretty much the entirety of this weekend (among many previous hours online as well) researching how to get to all the places I want to see in the time frame I have, and I've yet to feel reassured that I have the schedule solidly figured out. Part of the issue is the fact that I'm trying to do this a few months too early, as raileurope doesn't show most schedules previous to 60 days in advance (this makes the planner in me very nervous). The only problem with that is the fact that I'll be traveling during high season. This means that there is a high probability that if I don't reserve tickets as soon as possible, I may not have a seat. Oh, they'll still issue me a ticket on the train, I just won't be able to sit down! Highly concerning, considering the fact that most of the trips are over 5 hours! I am also trying to take advantage of as many night trains as possible, as they save me on hostel/hotel costs, plus get me to where I'm going early in the morning. No wasted hours! :)
Another perplexity is the difference between passes and point-to-point tickets. At first, it seemed a pass (the France-Spain pass in particular) seemed the way to go. Then I learned that even after buying the pass, I'd still have to pay for reservations on almost every train! After all is said and done, it seems like buying point-to-point tickets are the cheaper option, as the reservation price is included up front. Come the end of April, I'll be calling their help line and having a professional tell me the best (cheapest) option.
All this being said, I think I have a detailed-yet-tentative schedule figured out.

Some things I'm excited about:

• I'll be arriving in Santiago (provided I do it all in time. . .) on the day of their huge yearly party, Festival de Santiago. 2010 is a holy year (their saints' day (Santiago (St. James)) falls on a Sunday), so it should be super-charged with Galician parades, rituals, singing, fireworks. Downside: since it's a holy year, officials are estimating there will be twice the number of pilgrims on the Camino. Could prove problematic when finding hostels. Upside: twice the chance to meet new friends along the way!
  
• Getting to see Heaven Shall Burn in concert! They've been one of my favorite bands for the past 4-5 years, but since they're German they usually only tour Germany/Austria. They are actually going to be playing in a music fest in Viveiro, Spain (thus the reason for traveling back up to Ferrol) a few days after my walk! Can't wait for that. Very serendipitous.
  
• Visiting the town of Rocamadour. Look it up. I also really want to get to La Roque-Gageac, which is about 50 km away from Rocamadour, but there's a definite lack of public transportation in that area. At this point it doesn't look like I'm going to make it. :(

I'm sitting here now wondering if I'll actually be able to do it - get by alone in two foreign countries for 6 weeks without a solid understanding of either language with only a backpack, relying heavily on my own two feet. It's scary, exhilarating, nerve wracking, and mind consuming. There's a reason I need to do this, but I'm not exactly sure what that reason is. What if I don't find whatever answer(s) I'm looking for? What if I don't even figure out the question? Or perhaps even worse, what if I DO and don't like what the answer is, don't want to come back, or don't know how to get to the place in which the answer lies?