Doc, it hurts when I do this...

ACHES and PAINS

You´re going to walk 800 kms, things are going to hurt. Some pains last an hour or a day, some go away as you get tougher, some will be with you in Santiago (see pic above). That being said, everyone on this hike is dragging some albatross. Mine is the right foot and I accept that. No real complaints. Health is good, stamina is good.

´CROO

I started Camino with about 30 other people and there are that many around me any one night, but people take break and go at different speeds, so the group changes by 5-6 people everyday. There are 8-10 people I have seen for the last 4 -5 nights. Couple of Japanese, a bunch of Germans, a Czech, Brazilian, few French, a few South Koreans, but of Spanish people, som English and South African, a sampling of Americas and and 2 Canucks (Andre zoomed ahead)

Pic is Pitr (Austria) and Mikail (Germany). Tessa (South Africa) is inside checking in. Pitr and I said farewell to Tessa and Mikail in Burgos as we wanted to up the pace by 5-10 kms a day.

There are some kids walking, but usually for a week ro so, everyone else is 30´s and up with Olivier at 69 and tough as nails. People are dropping back, dropping off, injured, sick.

RELIGION

Just realized on this hike that many peoples names ae based on saints names, even if the country changes the names Johan, Pitr, Mikail. Just how pervasive is this religious thing anyway????

Me, I´m not trying to be religious or even spiritual, altho I wouldn´t mind being less pissed off at organized religions, especially Christians. Unfortunately, the more I ponder, the more upset I get.

Will stick with the original reason...cheap, fun way to walk for a month

WALK INTO TOWN, WALK OUT

Took awhile to see he pattern. The Camino is really old, so it follows rivers into town, then croesses a really old bridge and heads for the church, usually in the center of town and also usually on a hill. The towns grow out from there, but the pattern holds. It is very cool to see a hill town out as far as you can see, then slowly make you way there, walk thru and then put it in your rear-view mirror

SPAIN IS CLOSED

Don´t know how this place works. Hard to find an open cafe at 7:30 AM (need to ask around), little bread shops and mercados seem to be open on a whim, with no posted or standard hours. The fields are all cultivated, but only saw tractors and farmers on one day in the last 2 weeks. Of course, everything shuts down from 1 PM to 5 PM (just as us Pilgrims hit town).

You can get everything you need, just not necessarily when you want it. Keeping a day of food in the pack is a must.

Of course, after 5 PM and especially 7 PM, the whole country is out there, kids and all. Quite the style. Most Pilgrims in bed by 9 PM, so we are not real party-goers. 30 kms a day with a pack takes its toll.

Tons and tons of windmills. All places have auto-shut-off lights for halls and bathrooms. Pretty energy-conscious country

WEATHER

Couple of rainy days, with more to come. Some days hover around 4C and start out below 0C , which is bitch-ass cold in shorts.

The sun tracks from behind your left shoulder, as we are always heading basically West. If you´re lucky, you´re done for the day before it gets in your eyes. My legs are burnt on the SouthWest side, as are parts of my face, even with the cream

OH, IF ONLY...

Usually, I´m quite pleased with my gear. On this trip, it is clunky. I circled the planet last year and felt like I had everything I needed and nothing extra. On this trip, I carry a bag bigger than a full 1/4 of the Pilgrims. I could have left 1/3 of the clothes behind and carried a sleeping bag that weighs a full kilo less (and sucks up less space).

So this trip, the gear is clunky. That being said, getting lots of time to review while on the walk.

Remember the first Matrix movie? (and they went downhill from there). The problem with the second movies is that they underplayed a lot of what worked in the first and overdid the junky stuff. Same with my packing this trip. Personally embarrassing

Paris to Pyrenees to Pamplona

PARIS

Paris was a lot of fun, 2 operas, a club concert, a few museums and big headliners like the Eiffel Tower and Catacombs. The food was wonderful, the prices outrageous, the weather brisk but sunny, the subway system fast, cheap and efficient. You could walk to your heart´s content, then just subway to whatever the next place was.

The hostel was big and noisy, as expected. Going to bed at 1:00 AM pretty much made me the first one in bed. The hostal served breakfast of coffee, cereal and croissants, which is a hell of a nice way to start the day. Got to finish the days playing foosball with different groups. Nothing like a little competition and beer to loosen things up.

The subways in Paris ran about every 4 minutes. Amazing. Even during rush hour, the pace was congenial. The French know how to do things, get up late, work a bit, siesta or hang out in a cafe, then head out again later for a late supper. Work about 10 months a years and call it a good life.


PYRENEES

Flew Ryanair down to Pau, then trained to St. Jean Pied de Port (start of Camino). Arrived in town at 8 PM, and by 10:00 had got my Pilgrim credentials (to stay in cheap 6€ hostals), a place to stay a Pilgrim meal and a new buddy Paul from Canada.

I start with about 30+ others, but for most, it is the last time we see each other as everyone moves at different speeds and may stay at different Aubergues. Today I see my French buddy Louis for first time since 4 dyas, while Andre (40 kms a day man from Quebec..on his 4th Camino) is way ahead somewhere.

There are people from all over Europe, a few Japonese, Phillipinos, Australians, South Africans, North America. Today, I walked for a bit with Standal from Czech.

The first day was 27 kms with a 5000 ft climb, multiple snow passes, followed by a 200 ft drop. The beer at the first hostal is to be compared with any in my life. Supper was a table of 8 Pilgrims. with a bit of wine and mostly English spoken.



PAMPLONA

Pamplona came too early in the middle of a long 40 kms day to make a long stop. A gorgeous old city with all those winding streets and hopefully well-placed little doorway should you get caught in the path of a running bull (July).

The picture is the original gate to the city and was considered the doorway to France

I ended up the day in a little village with a great bar and has calamari and beer for dinner.



CAMINO

The Camino path is very well marked. It means that I only need the book to look for places to stop-stay. I never really know where i am, just that I am on the trail. After the big Pyrenees climb, the rest of the hike is basically rolling hills. The continuous up and down does wear on the feet however.

The refugious are a mixed bag, but every village has at least one and some sort og restaurant that serves a Pilgrim meal at around 10€. The winter weight bag is working out well so far, as the places are heated minimally at best. Been averaging dorms of 16-20 people so far and hottish showers at each stop.

FOOD

I´m eating well. Not a lot of control over what I eat or when I eat it, but after a few days,I get my fill. You body doesn´t care that much, as you as it gets carbos, fat and protein.

My basic day is breakast at refugio or in village (cafe con leche, pastry or bread, maybe an apple). Mid-morning is yogurt and more fruit. Lunch is bread and cheese, maybe a beer. Supper is soup or salad, usually fish in olive oil, more bread, some wine and maybe a dessert. All in all, a good way to get thru the day


GEAR

Basically pleased with my gear. The mornings and evenings are quite chilly, but most of the day, I am in shorts and a light wool top from MEC that zips from the top of my neck to my navel, which gives it quite a range of temperature. The winter weight bag and clothes suck up mucho space in the pack and it is full, but makes it a tad clunky. Compared to other hikers, I am in the middle for pack size.

Laundry is tough, as you are only in each place one night and usually only after 4:00 PM. Not much time to air-dry stuff. Had my undies hanging off my pack today. Will take a rest day in a few days and do a real laundry

HEADSPACE

As with any trip, the freedom to be travelling and healthy cannot be under-estimated. This particular trip is quite physical, outside all day and challenging.

While each step doesn´t take you very far, the collection at the end of a day gets you quite a few towns down the road. After a few days, you have done some mileage. The mechanics of the trip are about as easy as one could get, so there is lots of free time in your head to just let things lollygag their way thru.

I like this a lot. Life is good. (The horses below are alive...it is siesta time)