This is for all our English-speaking friends and family, but especially for my sons, Chris and Lance!
I will do this walk for YOU, so I can later lead the way to it, showing you the beauty of my country.
But I am mainly doing this walk
for ME...
to find my inner child happy again,
to connect to my roots and find the path to my purpose,
and to know my sister, again.
Angela
Here we go, guys!! I am leaving...on a jet plane!! But, alas, I will return in a little over two weeks, full of stories and wondrous happenings! I will fill my bag of miracles to share with all of you when I come back!
ReplyDeleteMiss me lots, so you will be ever so glad to have me back!
(Angela)
Liebe Julia!
ReplyDeleteDu bist dann mal weg...SEUFZ...
Ich wünsche Euch beiden alles alles Gute auf Eurem gemeinsamen Weg und zwei unvergessliche Wochen, in denen Ihr vom Alltag abschalten und alles Schwere vergessen könnt. Viel Glück und eine schöne Zeit miteinander.
Viele liebe Grüße Heike
Yoohoo!
ReplyDeleteBack alive...after spending the past four days with family in Madrid and Roa, we departed this morning for Burgos, where we are presently staying at a hostel above a church. Little did we know that the bloody bells ring every 30 minutes, should be fun at midnight, when we are supposedly sound asleep!
When boarding the bus this morning, I asked the conductor if he could get us close enough to our hostel in Burgos, so we would not have to walk too much...my sister almost busted a rib laughing...Once I loaded the 2 lbs of Serrano ham and chorizos in the back pack, I could barely straighten my knees, but was determined to carry on, and left two pairs of pants behind (in exchange for the weight of the ham).
We are now at the hostel with an Englishwoman, another from Sweden, two Germans, and four French guys...The caretaker has already informed us that, after the dinner (soup), he will award us with some guitar recital...Sorry I cannot upload some of the close to 400 pics I have already taken. This pc is still walking backwards...hopefully, we will be able to post some in our next albergue (Hontanas), after a first-day 28 km trekk.
I am so full of impressions already, I am bubbling over!!!
(Angela)
P.S: Lance, no parties in my absence, the neighbors will tell me!
I seem to have dysfunction with websites these days. I am hoping you will receive this post, as well as hoping this is the right place to comment. This is Tammy. I had planned to make the best first impression with a “thank you” card designed and illustrated by me, but I have been having some problems with my hands. I have not given up on that idea, not yet anyway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for everything. I really appreciate you thinking of me, even though I have not had a chance to meet you. Chris has spoke of you often and told me about you. I am excited for when we actually meet. From the sound of it, we have a lot in common and you seem like a pretty amazing woman. I am not surprised because Chris is also pretty amazing. I really admire your spiritual journey. Be safe.
~Tammy
Hello, Tammy
ReplyDeleteWelcome to our crazy, yet interesting, family...you will despair, but you will never, ever, be bored with us, I promise!
Read on - we finally got to a shelter providing a pc that is not broken, etc.I have taken notes thus far, and hopefully, everybody will enjoy the pictures. Today, I took the first ones of the snow-capped mountains! It is so awe-inspiring! Tomorrow, when we get to Astorga (a larger town), I will be able to upload more pics for everybody to enjoy.
(Angela)
Hello, again:
ReplyDeleteWe finally are having access to the internet,since the shelters either have pc´s that still walk backwards, are broken, or simply non-existing.
We have some wonderful experiences to tell:
April 7 - Hornillos
We had to take a break in this hamlet, because our original and very ambitious plan of walking 30 kms on our very first day was, indeed, too large a bite (especially for me).
When we arrived, the toes on my right foot were screaming in pain and totally upset with me. But, first things first:
When we arrived the Albergue in Burgos at 8:00am sharp, we entered a large square behind the building to walk along the river and exit the city. But we were greeted by two medieval pages on the balcony of the "Constitutional Building" trumpeting a tune that, to us, sounded like an encouragement and great commencement of our Camino.
An hour after we left Burgos behind, we encountered an incredibly dark and ominous cloud and covereed up with our rain gear - but, suddenly, before the rain hit us, an incredibly beautiful rainbow appeared our of nowhere, just on the fields of either side of us. It was the first time we have been and walked "under a rainbow", another wonderful "sign" of goodwill towards us. We immediately proceeded to take pictures of it, but my wonderful sister took a closeup of me, which excluded the rainbow behind me- can you believe it? The first time under a rainbow and she bloody ommits it! OF course HER PICTURE includes ALL. Then, the rain came, and we were thoroughly soaked, in spite of the gear. When it ceased, everything was covered in mud, since we were now walking through fields. The grey clay started sticking to our boots and soon we were being unable to walk, having each acquired an additional 3 lbs of clay on each foot. We did eventually manage to wash and shake it off, but were by now totally covered in the mudd.
We started climbing the flat and vastly spaced fields of Northern CAstille, climbing hill after endless hill, with nothing but more hills behind it. The sky was in sharp contrast of Tiffany blue against the pale yellow or green of the different areas. Every so often, you would encounter a solitary tree that, I am sure, would be very inviting to picnic under during a hot sommer noon, but now they looked like reigning queens among the fields. The last hill we climbed was called "MATAMULAS", (HORSEKILLER) for all the accidental deaths of many an animal carrying supplies to the upper reaches of the Province. Well, in my case, I called it "MATAGANAS", or "JOYKILLER". A nun crossing the path with us explained that the next village, Hornillas, was merely "beyond the hill". Now I believe she was being "illuminated", because we finally reached it three hours later, half dead.
(I am being called for dinner, they are having a group meal here at San Martin del Camino, from where I am writing this, so I will try to access later).
Angela
We finally reached the albergue in Hornillas, a quite well-preserved village of stone or adobe structures with cobblestone streets. The albergue was annexed to the local church and was a 2-story structure with yard-thick walls. We were assigned our beds (all beds in the shelters or albergues consist of bunkbeds, and each room can have any number from 12 to 50 beds), and proceeded to wash some laundry, which we have to hang as exposed to as much sun as possible, praying it will dry before nightfall, for the evening mist will soak it all over again. After that, we have time on our hands for sightseeing, reading, sleeping or simply chatting with the other pilgrims who have come from, literally, all over the world. That night, we were sharing some chats in the kitchen-dining-living area, where a vast fireplace hat been lit, when a group of Mexican cyclist arrived. Can you believe that I had been on the Delta flight from JFK to Madrid with them? Here they were, thousands of miles away, and we all meet in this totally isolated place in the middle of nowhere...so very funny!!! Other countries covered were Australia, England, Germany, Austria, France, USA, Canada, Argentina, Spain, etc....The first of our many nights sharing sleeping and washing facilities with total strangers went smooth...of course one has to get used to the orchestra of different snoring (and other)sounds, and the bath/shower facilities are shared, as well (co-ed), but with individual cabin privacy within the bathrooms, of course. What more do you want for 3-4 Euros per night?
ReplyDeleteThe Albergue hosts (3 women) were rather rude, though, and one of them (let's call her Ms. FEMINAZI) was screaming at a French woman who had (for the third time) ran across the street where the hosts were running a pub, to ask if there were sufficient accommodations for her and her friends...I looked at this gracious host and told her that what she needed was an angel to bring love into her life, meaning she needed to find a husband...gave her the angel, and from then on she was smiling and totally happy, for she truly believed that she will soon encounter him.
April 8- Hontanas/Castrojeriz/Itero de la Vega
We walked through more fields, endless fields, finally climbing a steep hill and, suddenly, the valley appeared before us as if by magic, and a wonderfully preserved medieval village appeared, complete with stone fountain, sheep, cobblestone, and wooden carts...It was so beautiful!! We stopped at the albergue, where we had originally intended to spend the (previous) night, and were warmly welcomed with the most wonderful potato omelette sandwich I have ever eaten! a tremendous cup of warm coffee accompanied that, and we sat, happily, outside on small chairs, soaking the morning sun and listening to the chimes of the old church across from us. We vowed to absolutely walk the extra few kms next time and spend the night here, it was a very magical place.
On our way to Castrojeriz, one of the toes on my left foot started giving me problems, and we barely made it into the village. An older man on a bicicle greeted us and indicated that he was the innkeeper of the local albergue, and that if we were to have a seat, he would have a look at my toe. He asked the lady tending the restaurant/bar to hand the first aid kit to him, and he then proceeded to disinfect the toe (a blister had formed under the nail and was pushing it out, like a bucktooth). He asked for my sewing kit and, after disinfecting the needle, sewed through the blister, leaving the thread in, to allow future draining, bandaged me up and called a taxi to take us to the next village. By now, a Swedish woman named Ewa had joined us, also with blisters on her feet, and asked to share the ride with us.
The taxi driver picking us up had two years ago taken former President Bush's daughter and a friend to another village down the road, and was best friends with the furniture maker in my parent's villa, about 400 miles away...the world is, indeed, small.
We reached the albergue in Itero de la Vega, and found a very clean facility with friendly innkeepers and an incredibly large patio to hang and wash laundry and enjoy the sun that was shining warmly that afternoon. The beds were clean and comfortable, the food was sooo delicious. We strolled through the village and encountered a long bench of old men sitting and waiting for their time to be over....I asked to take a pic of them, for I was "looking for a husband". You cannot imagine how they all woke up....so funny, fighting each other on who was more elibible to marry, and whose widowerhood was longer or shorter....I assured them that I would study the picture carefully and would then decide and let them know. (Can you imagine you have done everything you believe you needed to do in life, and are now sitting dressed in the black you will probably be buried in, basking in the sun and waiting for your life to end, not speaking to each other for hours because there is no topic to discuss? I am sure I have given them plenty of material to argue over for the next few months, at least).
ANGELA
April 9 - Boadilla del Camino / Fromista / Carrion de los Condes
ReplyDeleteToday, we walked, accompanied by Ewa, to Boadilla del Camino. On this route we came across a very delightful old man, Alejandro Sandoval. He proudly carried a plaque on his coat " Alejandro Sandoval, friend of pilgrims to Santiago" and a notebook, in which he was writing everybody's name and where we were from. He has been walking these daily 5 kms, greeting pilgrims and (as he told me) looking for a wife. I told him that he was very handsome and should not have a problem succeeding. Finally, we took a picture with him and he wished us "buen camino".
When we arrived at Boadilla, we found the most beautifully tended gardens in the Albergue. The innkeepers were from Argentina, and are extremely hospitable and friendly. They prepared a very delicious breakfast for us and showed us the premises and grounds. This is definitely an albergue to seek "next time".
On to Fromista we continued, now well reinforced, passing the very abandoned albergue of San Anton, a former cloister, now half in ruins. It is kept very "natural" with no hot water and no electricity, and it is only open from June through September. This was a haunting sight, though, with the only inhabitants being a pair of storks up on the steeple.
Julia had dreamed of a white horse and was telling us that during breakfast when, on our way out of the village, we encountered a pilgrim on horseback (a white horse)coming the other way. We did manage to take a few pics of him and his horse, but it was too late to snap one of the "templar" coat-of-arms emblem on the back of his shirt. Quite a character!
We were now walking along the Canal de Castilla towards Fromista. This Canal dates a few centuries, and the purpose had been to use barges on this canal to carry wheat and corn from the vast fields of Northern Castille to Southern provinces of Spain.
We finally reached Fromista, where we were able to visit the wonderful medieval church and have a refreshment in the plaza, or center of the village, while waiting for a taxi we had just ordered to take us to our next location (since both Ewa and I were still hobbling with our respective blisters). Along came a man who appeared to be around 70 and who looked vaguely familiar, asking if we would mind if he shared the ride to Carrion de los Condes with us. No problem, it would be cheaper (usually, you are charged about one Euro per mile, and this would be around 20, or 5 for each of us).
Well, this was Jose, from Logroño, a 26-year veteran pilgrim who had now reached Santiago a total of 32 times. We later found out that he had been the first pilgrim of the new Millenium entering Santiago, and that there were quite a number of articles written about him, as well as a "knighthood" as caballero del Camino. And this is where I remembered his face from, one of the albergues we were at had a large picture of his face, looking like Santiago himself, with that large, grey beard.
ok, continuing....
ReplyDeleteCarrion de los Condes welcomed us on Easter Friday, with all its solemn and austere celebrations. We reached the convent, but found that the nuns had gone off somewhere else, and two other women were running the show for the week. We were assigned our beds, and were shown where we were to leave our boots, walking sticks, etc...and proceeded to wash our dirty socks and pants, since the sky was becoming very gray and angry and there would only be a narrow window of time to dry the clothes outside. I have learned to use safety pins in lieu of clothespins...very ingenious! We visited the church and attended the Good Friday procession. Met so many people with so many individual stories and reasons to walk. A woman from Belgium has been walking since January, crossing her country, down through Luxembourg, Germany to Northern Italy, then along Southern France, to Lourdes, and now on the Camino. She fell, needed stitches, had been at the Burgos Hospital for 2 weeks after receiving a nasty spider bite on her leg, and there she found that her cancer, which had been in remission, had spread again. She is so determined to make it to Santiago, and has not told her family of her recent bad news. Other people include a grandfather and grandson, Aidan, from Scottland. This kid is so delightful had has now become the pet of all pilgrims. We all play cards or other games with him, share our candy with him. I gave him my whistle and an angel to accompany him. They left this morning, and I am sure we will not see them again, since we remained an additional day....but I wish them all the very best....
ANGELA
Our time is up! We were able to walk from Burgos to Ponferrada, and have today taken the bus to Madrid, where we are spending the night before our departure tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWe were not able to regularly log in to describe our adventures, but have everything written down and will detail everything, attaching pictures, once we return home.
The travel was undescrivable, and the pictures taken will not do justice.
The people we have met along the way were unique; Ewa, Stefan, Dittmar, Aidan, Nieves, Paloma, Pedro, Hartmut, Chuss, Kathy, Vladi and all others...we will write about our encounters and daily walks---It was a pleasure and great honor to have met you all.
We will return next year - with many more angels.
(Julia & Angela)