My Camino

Cristobal Manuel photo - Haiti

I entered Santiago on April 05, more than a month ago. I've had time to reflect. Just what did my Camino mean to me. It started out as a cool way to spend a month of my life...and that is how it finished. The only real surprise was just how social an experience it is to spend a month walking with people from all over the planet and seeing them a lot, sometimes daily for a few weeks. This made my Camino very enjoyable indeed.

Check out the name list from my diary below. These are people I met on my 2 month trip that I had a meal with, spend a social evening with, walked with for a few days. On the Camino you might hang out with a person for a few days, then not see them for a week or two, then re-connect like lost-long buddies. This was so much fun

I enjoy walking and have been for years, and I enjoy backpacking, staying in dorm rooms and meeting people. The Camino fit like a glove.

Take a look at the 2 photos that I have included in this post. The naked man in Haiti is walking down the street of a ruined city after the earthquakes. Can you even imagine what this man's life is like and what might be going through his mind at this time? If you follow Haiti at all, you know that their infrastructure has not progressed much since then and many lives are still in shambles.

Now look at me in the picture below. I am a tourist in a 1st world country. I'm carrying all I need for a few weeks. Back in Canada, I have a nice house and comfortable lifestyle. On this night, I will stay in a nice hostal, take a hot shower, go to supper with some friends and trade stories of the day and enjoy the wine. My concerns will be simple, my worries few.

What did I do to deserve such luck? Mostly, I was born in Canada. That fact alone sets me up for a pretty good lifestyle. I have my health, a good education and the freedom to gad about the planet on basically no more than a whim.

My Camino has left with a sense of imbalance. My yin/yang is off-kilter. I feel the need to redress that balance, possibly by working in a 3rd world country.



Paris

Fernando BRA William IVR CST

Camino

Christian GER Julia GER Martina GER Armin GER Flavio JPN Thays BRA Sergio SPA Martin GER Yolanda SPA Emma GER Theo GER Olivier FRA Andres CDN Standal CZE Yeoung Li KOR Jesus SPA Bernardo SPA Pitr AUS Luis BRA Louik FRA Mikhail GER Tessa SAFR Jesus SPA Jenny AUSSIE Daniella ITA Balin SPA Anna SPA Peer GER Oscar GER Manual SPA David SPA Antonio SPA PoleEric NDR Dominical ITA Tomas GER Lourdes ECU Gordon CDN Sara CDN Jack KOR Jose SPA Janet AUSSIE Renato ITA Angelo ITA Fernando SPA Mihn KOR Yari SLO Fenn CDN Alain FRA Tomas GER Daniel GER Alex GER Cena BELG Doreen USA

Santiago

Judith GER Sergio SPA Fernando SPA Joss NED Vupkiss GER Sake JPN

Finisterre

Anna SPA Jan AUS Marianne FRA Xavier FRA Susan GBR MaryLou SPA Lissie GER Tia GER Anna GER Jose SPA Juken LITH Werner GER

Madrid

Lisa GBR Monica ITA Hector SPA Julian USA Holly GBR Sam GBR Chris GBR Susan GBR Carol GBR

Porto

Karina POR Katarina POR Joanne POR Amy USA Fernando BELG Lini BELG Natalia POR Nisha GBR Saba GBR Clair GBR Helena GER Jon USA Ju-on POR Inez POR Hendrick GER Tomark GER


New York

Maya RUS Marni NDR Stephanie PHIL

Madrid - Porto - New York - Halifax

OK, the Camino is finished and it will take some time to reflect on just what sort of experience that was and what sort of effect it had on me overall. But my trip was not over. I had expected to take a day a week off on the Camino and left myself some slack for injuries and possible health issues (food/water). I have mucho time. Will visit my friend Lisa in Madrid, then hang a few days in Porto, waiting for my flight. Will also be in New York to see daughter Emily and some relatives.

Madrid

Not a big fan of Madrid. When someone says Paris, I can think of 5 things I want to see just off the top of my head. Not so, Madrid. But big cities get that way for a reason, and my friend Lisa lives there, so off I go.

I met Lisa and her friend Dominique in a *** Casa Particular *** while backpacking in Trinidad, Cuba a few years ago. We got along well, she had done quite a bit of travelling, was a runner and raced competitively. Conversation came naturally. We kept in touch with email and Facebook.

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Casa Particular

Cuban gov't has started allowing private citizens to host people in their houses...of course they don't tax these enterprising people 50% of their earnings, they tax them 50% of a month, regardless of whether the room is booked. If you only book 13 nites, you go out of business. Socialism doesn't work, because the talent does not rise to the top and personal initiative counts for naught.
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Last year, when I started my big round the world trip, I found myself travelling close to old friends. Made the decision to visit everyone that I could, if possible. It has turned into a very good decision.

Lisa was running the Madrid Maraton during my stay, so we got in a training run (my first after 30 days of walking) and a chance to catch up on the past few years. Her parents were in town from England as well, so I got to meet them and we got to a few bars and restaurants. Also got in a bit of live music, one of my favorite ways to spend time. To say that I enjoyed hooking up with someone 1/2 a world away from where I met them would be an understatement. Feeling very global these days.

Porto

After Madrid, I flew RyanAir to Porto, Portugal (bastards dinged me for a bag that was 11 kg (1 kg over the limit. Lesson learned). A gorgeous city, built on hills over a river that runs into the sea. I was in walking heaven.

In Madrid, because I booked late and the Maraton, I ended up in a hostel down in the ranking. Your basic bed and hopefully bathroom. Nice roomies in the dorm, but essentials only. In Porto, I booked in time to get a highly rated hostel, the Rivoli Cinema. Easily one of the better hostels of the 80 or so I've stayed in the past 2 years.

What makes a good hostel? Clean sheets, small rooms, lots of bathrooms, hot showers, kitchen, balcony, secure entry and rooms, lockers, free internet, free breakfast, 24 hr staffing, big common room, beer fridge, downtown location, friendly staff. The Rivoli has this and more. I stay in hostels and dorm rooms to save money and meet other backpackers. A common room and kitchen are essential. Even better is if there is a large single table to sit at and interact with people. Not a bunch of tables, one big table.

The Rivoli staff has one person dedicated to putting on a nightly social gathering that includes food and wine (thank-you Katarina, Natalia? and Joanne). So easy to meet people when everyone is sitting in the same space, sharing food and alcohol. I really enjoyed myself and met mucho new people.

One night, one of the staff took us out to what was supposed to be live Portuguese folk singing. Ended up being a folk dancing club...which ended up being a lot more fun, if quite embarrassing at times. Even with alcohol, my feet don't move that well and complex steps are beyond me on a good day. That being said, the evening was seriously fun.

The pic below is Claire, Saba and Nisha, tho not at the club. That pic is yet to come and won't be as pretty as my silly, slightly intoxicated face will intrude.


In Porto, I got to the beach, a walk on the river, a few museums and little cafe/restaurants. The locals were very friendly, the prices cheap and I thoroughly enjoyed myself for the few days I was there. Hope to go back and walk the Portuguese Camino (12 days to Santiago).

Noo Yawk

I love New York. Have lived and worked there a few times and visited at least once a year for 30+ years. Love to visit my mother-in-law Sara, even tho my wife and I have split up. As she says, I'm still the father of her grand-daughters.

I also get to see my daughter, Emily, who left home after university 6 years ago. She has had quite an interesting life already, and has done quite a bit of travelling. She is currently with Amnesty Intl and getting lots of hands-on events coordination experience.

We went to see live music a few times, once with her co-workers at a bar that has a different band every hours Rockwood Music Hall and a concert at Mercury Lounge (Eliza Doolittle)


Halifax

OK. Back in the home town, the house. Takes a week or so to settle in, rest up, fix little broken things, meet up with the old crowd, soak in the tub, pay old bills, etc. I'm here for 6 months and then off again, hopefully teaching special needs kids in the Middle East or West Africa.

The health is good, finances workable, family situation stable. I'm the right guy at the right time of my life and am enjoying the luck as it comes my way.

Camino HeadSpace

The Camino was quite an experience. Physically easier than expected, weather much nicer and warmer, and a much more social experience than I expected. You walk 900 kms in 30 days with basically the same bunch of about 60 people, there are some changes in your head and attitudes.

Still working on that and the last post for this blog will be in a few weeks once I get a chance to figure out just why I enjoyed myself so much.


No, it's not the wine (altho that made the trip a lot of fun)

The pic below is the 100 kms to go mark near Sarria, which is the minimum required to get a Compostella in Santiago. They bus people into the hostels to get this done.

What's odd is that after walking almost 700 kms to get here, the 100 kms left seems like a cakewalk, barely worth putting on the shoes. Imagine thinking of a 100 Km walk as pas grand chose. Too cool, eh!

FinisTerre - The End of the World

...and the end of the walking. There was some talk about going for 1000 kms, but once I dipped in the Atlantic after so many kms of walking, the motivation dropped to zip.

Santiago Signoff

The rest/party day in Santiago was about as much fun as one body can have in a 24 hour period. The loose crowd of 30+ people that I have been walking with the past few weeks all conglomerated on the Cathedral Square the same day. So much hugging and kissing and smiling and laughter...and then of course, beer. The local police ignored us till about 2 AM, which is pretty good. A few of us tried to do the Paris to Dakar rally (pilgrimage). So silly, I can´t tell you. The earlier part of the day was spent as a late sleep in a bed with sheets, a 2 hour breakfast, Pilgrim mass in the Cathedral (they don´t call out your name, but they call out your pilgrimage (...from Canada, walking from St. Jean Pied de Port), a long soak in the tub, a nice nap and a free Pilgrim meal (1st 10 people only) at the oh, so swank Parador Hotel on the main square, the the Square. Lot of very happy, emotional people.

One of the coolest days of my life.



FinisTerre

The hike to the End of the World is about 90 kms. Barely worth putting on the shoes, eh? We re-connect with old friends and make some new ones.

When you leave people on the Camino, it is rarely a serious goodbye. It is a small Camino, only so many places to be at walking speed. But once you get to Santiago, the goodbyes get pretty emotional. Some people you have been seeing, chatting with eating with, sharing albergues with for a few weeks. Now in FinisTerre, a even smaller crowd and the goodbyes are likely the last ones. The tears are flowin.



Camino Signoff

My little diary has over 70 names of people I have shared time/experiences with on this Camino. When I get time, I´ll type them all up to keep the memory. A bunch of new Facebook buddies and a group to share some of the party pics.

People ask me if I am travelling alone. I think of it as travelling solo. I am open and enthusiastic about meeting new people. I spent 80% of my walking time on the Camino alone with my thoughts. The rest of the time (you only walk about 6 hours a day) was the most gregarious experience I have ever had, not unlike living on a kibbutz in the 70´s, but the whole crowd moves every day at various speeds and for various distances.

My 30 kms a day pace matched up with 20 or so people, and these people I shared the last few hundred kilometers with. The ones at 20-25 kms a day I left in Burgos.

Walking all day outside, your head is filled with the beautiful scenery, the amazing smells of Spain in full, glorious spring (cow dung a free bonus) and a wide variety of very cool people to meet and greet with.

Your walking is usually doen by 2 PM, then it is get the Pilgrim stamp, a shower, little laundry, some lunch, maybe a nap. Supper is Pilgrim menu is some local restaurant with anywhere from 2 to 20 people. So much fun.

Walking the Camino is an extremely cool way to spend time in your life.

Camino, Camino, Camino!!!!

Like daugher Sophie said when I retired and decided to travel around the world...Well, at least you will have new stories.

I have walked the 800 kms Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago, no breaks, no stops, on foot.

It is a nice feeling of accomplishment.

As always, I am fully aware of just how lucky I am.

Camino 400-800 kms

DROP-INS

Everyday, the crowd walking grows. Entire alburgues fill up after supper as groups descend on the Camino´s last 100 kms to get their Compostela. Other night I went to sleep with 9 other Pilgrims and woke up with 65 !!! in the dorm. Yikes.

LEATHER AND SILK

No, not a kinky way to pilgrimage, just a realization of how cool old gear materials are. The top I wear everyday is Merino wool. It has amazing range, I wear just it most days, it keeps you warm even when wet and it does not retain odor. You can get a few days walking out of it before it needs a wash. Try that with a techie top.

My sleepwear is my silk jammies from MEC. Again, quite a temperature range of comfort, no odor retention and hang dries in a few hours. Really amazing stuff.

I am wearing my Tech Amphibian warer shoes, but really wish I had a nice pair of Vasque Sundowners (full-grain leather with leather liners) plus 2 sets of insoles. The people with this setup are doing the best in these wet, muddy conditions.

As for techie gear, the rain shell works great and the fleece top keeps me nice and toasty at night and hides some of the grubbiness.

MUTTERING

I caught myself muttering as I walked along the other day. No big deal by itself, except that the day before, I had met a woman who has done the Camino more than 4 times. As I talked with her, she seemed very coherent, but as she continued aboout here business, she was muttering. Not just a sentence here and there, a full blown mutter that lasted as long as she was in the room and even as she walked about the albergue.

I can assure you that the next time I caught myself talking to myself on the Camino...I stopped right away...I think

THE SUN

As we always walk West, the sun sits over my left shoulder in the morning and as long as we don´t try a 40 kms day, we stop before the sun gets in your eyes. Very cool to have this as part of your day

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)