Jane in Spain

DAY 15: TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017

SUNNY AND COOL

This was a very easy day. Less than five miles to Santo Domingo where we planned to take a rest day. My son Quinn and fiancé Emily are going to join us there. They started in London, went to Paris, then to LaRochelle France and San Sabation, Spain. So excited to see them. 

We had been hearing about all the cold and snow back home. Also hearing that the beginning of our Camino in the Pyrenees was also experiencing cold and threats of snow. So glad we got through it when we did.

Camino artwork in the round about leaving Cirueña.

The road to Santo Domingo. Love walking these roads.

Camino people love dual purpose — when the shoes wear out, make a trail marker out of them.

Had to walk through an industrial area to get into Santo Domingo. Not very pretty.

We finally made it to Santo Domingo. Here’s a sculpture dedicated to the Camino.

Lovely chapel near our hotel.

The chapel doesn’t have a cross, just Mary dressed in real clothes.

Many of the churches in Spain have replaced vigil candles with the electronic version. Probably a lot less maintenance involved but there’s a lack of sacredness. Too electric, not natural. 

This is the Santo Domingo “hanging man” cookie. I will tell the whole story in next blog.

This is the Santo Domingo rooster cookie. I will tell the story in my next blog. Delicious — very flaky.

The bakery had a big selection of other delicacies too.

Lots of chocolate animals.

We were having a beer and the bartender ran out and wanted to know what size socks we wore. He gave us a free pair of “900 year anniversary” (of Santo Domingo) socks … a freebie. A little odd but we loved it. I’m getting the feeling that Santo Domingo is a very strange town with lots of oddities …. the hanging man cookie, the Rooster in the cathedral and happy hour socks. Quinn posed with the bartender and his new socks.

DAY 14: MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017

SUNNY AND COOL

Another adventure awaits! As we left Najara, we saw the preparations being made for the May Day festival. 

We were a little bummed that we didn’t get to experience the festival but needed to get some miles in today.

This is a portable oven. They use it for baking bread at the festival but I think it would do well for pizza too.

At 8am they had it stoked with wood and good coals. This dude was already baking bread for the day.

This looked like a swing set structure with two cow? Bull? skulls hanging from it. Now sure what that festival fun was all about and I think I’d rather not ask.

Beautiful hike to Cireuna. Could see the snow capped mountain in the distance. Love walking through this beauty.

Happy reunion! We crossed paths with our friends Louis & Sara from Venezuela.

Stopped for breakfast in a small town enroute.

Louis said he wanted to see a bullfight in Santo Domingo. We thought about it. Unfortunately, the bullfight isn’t until next week. They will soon be extinct because of all the animal cruelty protests. Not sure if we really wanted to experience it or not. Love the poster. Notice the female picador on the horse. 

Foot break alongside the road. We take the boots and socks off and take a nice rest. A little further down the road we passed a “golf community”. The golf clubhouse was busy but the community was a ghost town. This was a new developement in 2008 and no one bought into it. There are beautiful condos and no one lives in them. 

Happy hour at the only bar in Cireuna.

Nice accommodations in Cireuna. No bunks, double room with bath. We did the Pilgrim dinner in the dining room with about 20 other people including our friend Jazebel from St. Louis and Steph from Majorca. It was a good dinner and a good day on the Camino.

DAY 13: SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017

CLOUDY AND OVERCAST

Got an early start … the Muni boots everyone out by 8am. We stopped in Ventosa for breakfast.

Smoothies for breakfast.

Met some German people who were using a cart to transport their backpacks. They let us try it and it is very light. 

Newly planted vineyard.

A beehive shelter can seat a dozen people. 

Jazebel from St. Louis, Missouri and Helga from Iceland. Jazebel had to be rescued on her first day on the Camino. She tried to walk from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Roncevalle (through the Pyrenees) in one day. She was about 5K from the end and it was about 9pm. She decided to stay in a shelter on top of the Pyrenees overnight. A windstorm kicked in and it became very cold. At midnight she realized she would not make it through the night. The shelter had an emergency phone and she called the rescue crew. They came in a jeep and picked her up. There was no place available in Roncevalle for her to stay so they took her to the Fire Department in the next town, Burguette. One of the rescue people gave her his room and she stayed the night there. Terry and I could have easily made the same mistake of trying to go to through the Pyrenees in one day. The guidebooks are very misleading about distances. Fortunately we were so jet lagged and overwhelmed by the steep trail that we stopped at Orisson and they happened to have beds available. 

The comforts of home (ha ha).

Terry booked a room though “Booking.com”. We made our way to the address. It seemed kind of odd. It was an apartment and we had to go up 5 flights of stairs. Zuelena would like to study to be a pharmacist and is earning a little extra money by renting out her apartment. She gave us the keys and left. It was nice to have a quiet place.

It cost about $10 each to stay in Zuelena’s apartment.

The apartment had a small living room and patio balcony.

We ate dinner at a nearby restaurant. A Spaniard asked me where I was from. After responding with Minnesota, he began to tell me that he was a Timberwolves fan and that he really liked basketball. His favorite team is Orlando.

DAY 12: SATURDAY, APRIL 28

SUNNY

It took forever to walk through Logrono which had a fairly good size downtown area. We stopped at a church that had an original Michael Angelo painting. It was sealed behind glass and vaulted doors. To view it cost .50 euro and it had to be a .50 euro coin. We walked all over trying to find someone who had proper change.

Downtown Logrono.

Michael Angelo original.

Exterior entrance to the church in Logrono.

This is an origami project using wood panels that are folded in precise places to hold itself up.

Ham shanks on display at a local meat market. Once again, the hoof is part of the deal.

At the edge of Logrono is a very large park system with a lake. 

We had lunch by the lake. What a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Another character doing his thing alongside the Camino.

At last, Naverette is in site. It was a long day of walking.

Another winery. Loved the giant bottle of wine on display.

This is the Albergue where we had a reservation. We were 40 minutes late and the guy sold our beds. We were lucky to get to beds in the Municipal Albergue. We were in one of the rooms with 12 bunks. The town was full. An older couple almost slept in the church but were able to get the last beds on the 4th floor of the Muni.

Nice assortment of tapas at a nearby bar.

DAY 11: FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2017

SUNNY AND COOL

Beautiful day and another adventure ahead.

Camino honor system. People were nice enough to leave out fruit and beverages for the early morning pilgrims. You would just take what you wanted and leave the payment in the shell.

On the way out of Sansol through Torres del Rio.

A charming Albergue nearby.

Hiking through very scenic hillside and vineyards..

Another fine dining opportunity in the middle of nowhere.

A little shelter on the Camino for stranded pilgrims.

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Hippie entertainment at the top of a steep climb. Several people were camped here in tents.

Can’t get enough of the poppies.

This was our Albergue in Logrono. It is much nicer than the Municipal Albergues. 

We ate dinner at a nearby place. Many people were playing this game. We haven’t figured out what it is yet.

DAY 10: THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2017

ClOUDY AND OVERCAST

Here’s a hold over photo from last night at the bar where we had dinner. It’s the popular beers!

Love that Sputnik logo.

This. is the 41 percent beer.  I can’t imagine what that tastes like.

Lots of vineyards and hills on the hike today.

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Directional marker with someone’s nice hiking boot filled with flowers.

In the middle of nowhere was a food truck selling coffee, tea, fruit and other items. 

The hostess of the Albergue “El Olivo de Sansol” greeted us at the door. It was her parent’s weekend home when she was a child and she turned it into an Albergue. We loved this place.

Yay! No bunk beds.

Nice sun porch to relax in.

They really liked holy water fonts. There was a whole wall full of them.

Cozy dining room. Another fabulous Basque dinner. They served a soup called Pistl along with pork and potatoes. On the left is John from Argentina who now lives in North Carolina. He was walking with his daughter Victoria from England. On the right of Terry (in red) is Louis from Venezuela who is walking with his wife Sara who is sitting on the other side of the table. Very interesting conversations. Whenever the Trump subject comes up, we just say were from Southern Canada.

Charming little kitchen for those who wanted to prepare their own meals.

From the Albergue you could see the next town which is Torres Del Rio.



I MISS YOU ALL!

Hi there! Hope you all are eating your corn and minding your manners — no pirate (elbows on the table), no spin cycle (eating with your mouth open) and stay in your seats (hahah).

I was at a small restaurant in Naverette, Spain. I asked the waitress what the most popular item on the menu was. She said it was a specialty of Navarrete, so I ordered it. See photo below. 

It was a sandwich with bacon, cheese and smothered in fried green peppers. I gave it the “5 bite” test and I really liked it a lot. So, what do you think??

Day 9, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017

CLOUDY AND SPRINKLES

Our good weather luck changed. This morning it’s chilly and we’re ready for rain.

Enroute to Villamayor.

My lovely hunchback rain pancho.

We wandered into a blacksmith shop. Jesus had a show room full of artwork he has made.

I really liked this floor lamp that looks like a glass of wine. It stands about 5′ high.

Down the road, we saw a sign promoting our blacksmith.

Just up the road from blacksmith shop is the Bodega Winery free wine Spigot.

A little wine and I’m behind bars!

Next was a beautiful old church. 

And then the wine museum.

Back on the trail again.

This looks like it might be a chapel or church but it is a cistern. It’s full of water.

We finally reached Villamayor. We got the last double room in a brand new Alburgue. Even though it was a private room, it still had bunk beds but we didn’t care — we had our own bathroom. The view from my window was great. We saw many pilgrims who did not get a bed and had to take a cab to the next town. 

We found a cute little bar down the street that had a huge beer collection including vodka flavored beer and tequila flavored beer. Strange … I always thought vodka was flavorless so would the vodka flavored beer taste like beer? He also had a 41 proof beer that was in a paperbag wrapper. 

We came back later to the little bar for a “pilgrim’s dinner”. We were at a table with an Italian woman who was alone and didn’t speak English. Some more Italians came and we pushed the tables together so she’d have somebody to talk to during dinner. A couple more Italians came so Terry and I gave up our places so they could all sit together and we joined English speakers who had also pushed tables together. The burgundy haired waitress did not like this. She pushed all the tables back as they were and we all scrambled for seats again. I sat with John and Jillian from wine country in California. We had a very nice basque dinner with a hearty stew, roasted chicken and flan for dessert.

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DAY 8: TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017

OVERCAST AND GRAY SKY

By this time, we’re starting to wonder about the mileage. We took a second look at the guide book and it defined the way they counted miles. It was a straight line beginning and ending at the most popular Albuergue. That would be “as the crow flies” and it does not take the vertical incline or descent into account. Now we understand why it took us so long to get to Pamplona and how 12K can be more like 20 miles. We are feeling very tired and worn out so we decided to shorten our days. We plan to stop around 3pm no matter where we are. It gets tricky trying to reserve an Albuergue when you don’t know where it is you will be stopping.

We have passed many beautiful old churches. Most of them are locked.

Estella is a charming medieval village. The population is about 13,600.

We stayed at the Capuchinos Albergue de Peregrinos Rocamador in Estella. Very quiet and restful.

It’s always interesting to check out the mercado’s. This is a wall of salted ham. I wonder what they do with the little hoof at the end? Maybe use it for soup??

Lots of fresh seafood but some pretty ugly looking fish.

DAY 7: MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017

SUNNY

We were all gung-ho to make some good mileage. We had planned to make it to Villatuerta. For the most part it was a wonderful walk. Unfortunately, I don’t have many photos because I was having memory issues with my phone. 

The trail is accented with red poppies. They randomly appear and are such a welcome burst of color.

Love seeing the horses wandering around the trail.

Even though this was suppose to be a flat day of hiking, there were plenty of steep hills. Mid afternoon the sun and heat got to us. We through off the backpacks and boots and sat in the shade for awhile. We abandoned the idea of going to Villatuerta and switched the Albuergue  reservation to Lorca. We eventually started walking again and it was a horrible hike back and forth under a freeway and up a steep hill. The reward was finding a really cool Albuergue and we were able to get a double room for $4 more than beds in a dorm. 

DAY 6: SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2017

SUNNY

Fortunately, our hotel was on the outward bound side of Pamplona. We were heading uphill through three small towns and then to Alto del Perdon. Off in the distance we could see the wind turbines. They looked so far away. It was a very steep climb.

It was hot dusty, steep and long.

Getting closer.

We were so happy to find this little bit of shade on our way up the hill.

This is Alto Del Perdon, “Mount of Forgiveness”. The climb up is an arduous one. This iconic sculpture is dedicated to all the pilgrims who walk the Camino. The long metal sculpture representing pilgrims on foot and on horse reflects the historic and eternal nature of the walk. There is a Spanish inscription on it, “donde de cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas” meaning “where the path of the wind crosses that of the stars.”

Going downhill was quite treacherous. It was steep and rocky. Many injuries happen on this hill. We ended the day at the next village which was so small but welcoming. They had a lovely outdoor patio. We grabbed a couple beds, did laundry and sat outside and drank beer. We were delighted to see our friend Marina from Southern England. She saw us drinking beer and couldn’t pass it up. She stayed for the night too.

DAY 5: APRIL 22, 2017

SUNNY

This was our first rest day and it was much needed. Yesterday’s 20 mile hike into Pamplona was a killer. I could hardly walk today. One toe was bruised and purple. It looked like it was ready to explode. The other foot had some major blister action going. We hobbled over to the Pharmacia. I showed the pharmacist my toe and he asked me the pain level from 0-10. I told him 8. He gave me a tube of “radio salil” and said to apply 3x a day and wrap it. It’s miraculous how fast my feet started feeling better. I love the Pharmacia!

Life on the Camino is not always pretty.

Next we hobbled over to the lavanderia and dropped off all of our clothes to be washed. We were actually wearing our pajamas — nike shorts & t-shirts. Next stop was the “Eat & Drink” which was international fast food. We had doner kebab which I was introduced to in Istanbul many years ago.  The meat is grilled on a vertical spit and sliced off — kind of like gyros. It was fabulous. Came with fries and a coke which they were more than happy to substitute a beer for the coke. All for about $6.

The “Eat & Drink” was right around the corner from our hotel. 

We were starting to feel human again after the feet, laundry and lunch was taken care of so we headed back for a lazy afternoon nap before hitting the town.

It was another warm day. We walked to the area where the running of the bulls take place. We happened to stop at a church on the way. To our delight, it was the church of San Fermin — the patron saint of the running of the bulls.

This is San Fermin (I like to call him San Fermentation), patron St. Of the running of the bulls.

These fences are along the street where the running of the bulls takes place.

We wandered to a bar for a beer. Minutes later there was a big hubub going on in the street. It was a loud marching band playing    what I was told was ‘typical Navarre music.’ People were dancing, cheering and having a great time and it was only about 7pm. I asked someone if it was about a soccer game. No, they were warming up for the running of the bulls which doesn’t start until July 7th.  That is a long time to warm up.

A community band playing in the old part of Pamplona where the bulls run.

This banner preceded the marching band.

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Were not sure what this was but it was some kind of bacon and ham thing​​.

 

DAY 4: FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017

SUNNY

This was a very long day. Beautiful hiking trails and we wandered to an Abbey church and monastery from the 1300s that was being restored by a man from South Africa. He bought it from the bishop about 2-3 years ago and now lives there. He has excavated a lot of history and relics.

Remnants of an altar in the Abbey church.

The Abbey had some lovely gardens. I don’t know what type of cabbage or lettuce this is but I was intrigued by the alternating colors.

Marina from Southern England

We stopped for lunch at a delightful little pub with outdoor tables next to a stream that we had been following. Met up with a group of Irish people and our friend Marina from Southern England. It’s a party! Everyone took off their boots and packs and had a good long rest. Eventually we got moving again and hiked together for awhile.

In the middle is Ann from Derry, Northern Ireland with Marina standing behind her.

Appaloosa horses by the trail. There are a lot of horses everywhere. Many are unattended and not fenced in. They just wander.

They stopped before Pamplona and we kept going. We had a hotel reservation in Pamplona for the next two nights. We were really excited when we saw the city in the distance. Little did we know it was many miles away to reach our hotel. We walked along a river for a long way. Lots of beautiful parks and families out strolling. We were still in the suburbs. The locals would see us looking lost and would start directing us to the Camino trail. So helpful!

The Magdalena bridge leads to the city walls of Pamplona.

About 8pm we entered the city up a long stone ramp and through a medieval gate. It felt like we were entering a castle. We worked our way through the small cobblestone streets.

Entering the medieval gate to Pamplona.

There were lots of people coming out for the evening and the bars and restaurants were full.

Friday evening in the old part of Pamplona.

We found the city center which was a little more modern but didn’t know how to get to our hotel. We must have looked worn and pathetic by that point because people kept coming up to help us find out way.  My feet were killing me and I could hardly move.

The locals were very helpful and walked us to our hotel. By the end of the day my Fitbit was reading 49,937 steps. We did about 20 miles.

Day 3: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2017

SUNNY

Loved the Albuergue at Roncevalle monastery. The lights went on at 6am. A man came through strumming his guitar and singing, “Morning Has Broken”. It was a sweet way to be awakened.

We walked to the nearest village. On our way we saw a bus load of Koreans who were loading their suitcases onto a tour bus. They rushed to a restaurant for breakfast which is were we wandered. Then they rushed down the Camino with their day packs on. We wondered why they were in such a big hurry.

We hiked in the foothills so there was still a lot of ups and downs. It took about 8 hours to reach Zubiri and we were totally exhausted. It was about 6pm and we didn’t have a reservation anywhere. All of the Albuergues and Pensions were full. We ended up in the Municipal Albuergue. Only 8 euros. There were several dorms. Ours was a big room with about 25 bunks. Unfortunately you had to go outside to find the restrooms and showers.

The Japanese people next to us were doing facials and wore their masks to bed.

This is the 3rd floor accommodations at the monastery — very nice. We’ve heard the other floors were not so nice and they had bunk beds. The late comers are rewarded with the best accommodations.

A nice quiet breakfast in Buergete. The bus load of Koreans just left.

They call this a tortilla. They are severed everywhere. They cost less than $4. We had a really good one today  … it was bacon, cheese and lots of garlic

Burguete boasts that it is the witch capitol of the world. Lots of enchanted forests nearby.

Another beautiful sunny day. Too sunny, were starting to get a little too much color. Using lots of sunscreen.

We ended the day at thMuni at Zubiri. Our Japanese neighbors slept with their facial masks on. 

ORRISON, FRANCE

Day 2:  APRIL 19, 2017

Lights on at 6am. Everyone was up and moving. Beautiful sunrise over the Pyrenees. We trudged up our first hill. Had a wonderful rest at the Virgin of Orrison. There were a few families camped there. Lots of kids and the women were all wearing skirts even the little girls. The hillside was dotted with battle stations left from WWII. They were stone structures that two people could stand behind and shoot from. Very eerie to see. This was a very gruesome and bloody battle between the Spanish and the Germans. I can’t imagine fighting a war in this terrain. We crossed the Spain/France border. Rugged trail with lots of steep and gravely downhill. We were exhausted when we came to the monastery in Roncevalle. It is an Albuergue that holds over 200 people. We were ;late so we got the luxury accommodations on the third floor — no bunk beds. We had a lovely dinner at the Roncevalle hotel. Lots of paella, pork and leche cake. At the Albuergue, my cell mate was Francesca from Italy and Terry had a Korean woman.

Sunrise at Orrison.

The Virgin of Orrison watches over the mountains.

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Battle stations from WWII dot the hillside. We passed at least two dozen and more on the next hill. 

Behind the WWII battle station. There are two more stations that can be seen off in the distance.

This photo doesn’t do justice to the steep terrain. This was a very challenging pass to cross.

The border of France and Spain. Lots of steep and lots of downhill.

Roncevalle finally! Didn’t think we’d ever get there.


This the monastery we stayed at in Roncevalle. We never saw the monks but there is group of volunteers from the Netherlands that run the place.

This is my bed and Terry is in the next cell.

ST. JEAN PdP, FRANCE

DAY 1: TUESDAY, APRIL 18

It was a quiet night, especially because I had two sets of earplugs in my ears. Lights were flashing all over the room. The rowdy fans had their headlamps on and were packing up at 6am. We were tired and didn’t start rolling out until about 7:30. Everyone had to be out by 8am. We walked through the town to find the start of the Camino. Very exciting. We were definitely going uphill. We were about a mile out when the really steep climb started. It was brutal but there were lots of pleasant distractions … horses, sheep, flowers, mountains. After three hours of climbing we were exhausted and that’s when the really steep part began. There was a shortcut through a field — too daunting.  We sat down for awhile to rest. Saw another pilgrim go by and he took the paved path which was a little longer but less treacherous. We took a deep breath and got our courage up. We had to set goals … let’s just make it to the next post, make it to the next clump of trees, make it to the next cowpie, etc. It took a long time. We had planned to go further to Roncevalle, but when we made it to the Alburgue at Orisson, we knew it was time to stop. It was about 1pm and the thought of having an afternoon to rest was too appealing. The only thing in Orisson is the Albuergue and a magnificent view of the Pyrenees mountain range Fortunately they two beds. We checked in.

We had a nice lunch. Took a hot shower and washed clothes. We soon discovered that clothes don’t  dry very well in the mountains. Our room had six bunks and the beds were very comfortable. A long afternoon nap was much needed. There were 55 hikers who enjoyed an authentic Basque dinner served with wine. They went around the room and everyone said where they were from. Only 3 Americans. Several Irish and Swedish, some Koreans, a few Canadians, Australians, British, French, Spanish, Italians and a South African. The day ended happy.

A river flows through St. Jean Pied-de-Port.

The lobby of our first Albuergue.

First steps on the Camino. Look how happy we were. We didn’t have a clue of the torture that awaited us.

Starting to get STEEP.

The Albuergue at Orisson.

Love the Basque beer.

A lovely Basque dinner was served to 55 pilgrims.

Horses wander by the Albuergue.

My clothes hung outside in the wind for hours and never dried. I hung them from my bunk and they never quite got dry. Packed them damp.

PARIS, FRANCE

MONDAY, APRIL 17

Our plane landed early around 7am and we easily found the train station at terminal 2. What was not so easy to find was an ATM that would accept my travel card. I felt like I was in Vegas doing the slot machines. After a lot of frustration and many attempts I was able to obtain a minimal amount of Euros. Then I received a text message from Wells Fargo Fraud Control stating there was suspicious activity and someone was attempting to use my card. Yes, that would be me! The card was set up through a banker who knew I was going to France and Spain for two months. And, I called the bank again before I left to be sure my cards were set up for use in France and Spain. Oh well. It did take a phone call to the bank to get it all straightened out and now I’m cash happy.

Our train arrived in Bayonne, France around 5:30 pm. Being Easter Monday, a holiday in France, there was no evening bus service to St. Jean Pied-de-Port. An employee at the Bayonne terminal helped us find a cab. She arranged for the driver to take 5 of us to St. Jean for $20 euros each. We loaded our backpacks and jumped in the cab for the 1-1/2 hour ride. I gathered the money from everyone and offered it to the cab driver but he said no. So I held on to it.  Here’s where the fun began. It reminded me of the drivers in Honduras — good drivers but very fast and scary. We were entering the mountains and there were several times it felt like a head-on collision was coming. The German guy sitting behind me kept squealing and it wasn’t with delight. The poor woman from Arizona in the far back seat kept pleading, “slow down, you’re making me sick.” The cab driver didn’t speak English so away we went. When we arrived, I handed him the 100 euros. He counted it and a few minutes later came back at us and was apparently unhappy. I don’t speak much Spanish but from what I could understand, his meter read 136 euros. The others responded that it was a pre-arranged price and that is all we are paying. He was angry and began harassing each of us as we walked away. To appease him, Terry and I offered him another $15 euro. He wouldn’t take it — he wanted 36. We just kept walking. He followed us. I did hear the word Gendarme, so I think he was threatening to call the police.  He was in my face barking out Spanish. I just shook my head and said I don’t understand. He followed us to the Camino Pilgrim’s office stated his case to them. Not sure what they said to him, but he left, never to be seen again,. Whew!

So now we were very tired from the 7 hour flight, the 7 hour train ride and the cab driver from hell. Terry and I set out to find a nice quiet Albergue where we could relax and unwind. After much walking around we were frazzled by the time we found, “Le Chemin vers l’Etoile”. The hospitalier stamped out Camino passports and invited us to the dinner which was already in progress. We rushed to get rid of our backpacks and returned to the dining room which was anything but quiet. French fans from two opposing soccer teams were shouting our their team songs and calls back and forth. I’ve been to a lot of Packer games but have never seen anything like this (see video). We filled our wine glasses and sat back and watched. Then we all sang, Allouetta and Frere Jacques. My bed was calling me. It was a bit horrifying to discover that the rowdy soccer fans were our dorm mates. Fortunately the rules are strict at the Albuergues — lights out at 10pm, lights on at 6am. It had been a long day.

Our flight left Minneapolis at 4pm and we arrived in Paris around 7am.

The cell phone charging stations at the CDG airport were pedal powered. What a good idea to stretch your legs while charging your phone or laptop.

Angry cab driver from hell. We just couldn’t get away from him.

Our first Albuergue experience.

Rambunctious soccer fans at dinner time. Dinner consisted of a hearty pork stew, rice and couscous.

The joy of bunk beds! Our dorm room had about 8 bunks. It was weird having that person so close to my bunk. We’ve been calling him “The Corpse”. He was laying in bed when we arrived and still laying in bed when we left. He talks French in his sleep and in English on the trail.

It’s been a fun week connecting with friends and family — no good byes just see you later. Two months will go by fast. 

We do know the way to Santiago. On the Camino, you follow yellow arrows for 500 miles. Even though we can’t take our guidebooks with because they’re too heavy, I do have a lightweight Michelin Camino map that we will be using. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find our way.

We do know the way to get a good airfare. It takes lots of patience and persistence. On the Monday evening before Thanksgiving I was running errands and grocery shopping. Terry was frantically texting me to hurry up and get home, the airline prices dropped. It was $400 round trip to Madrid. It was well after 10pm when we started looking at possibilities. We ended up booking Delta from Minneapolis to Paris, round trip, direct flights for $600. The only better price would have been to use frequent flier miles, which I did.

Several people have asked if we were going with a group, is someone arranging this for you? Do you have your hotels all lined up? No, no and no.  It’s taken two years of careful planning and research. There are many guidebooks, blogs and apps that provide a vision of what to expect. You have to rely on your experience, common sense and personal preferences to make decisions. Many years ago, my husband David and I quit our jobs and traveled around Europe, Turkey and Morroco in an old Volkswagen Van for a year. At that time, personal computers, internet, google maps and cell phones didn’t exist. The guidebook we used was, “Europe on $5 a Day”.  (So thankful we went when it was still $5 a day). We navigated over 20 countries the old fashioned way and had an amazing experience. The best advice we received came from a Kiwi (New Zealander) who successfully encouraged us to go to Istanbul. He said to let your guard down. Try not to view things through American eyes. Good advice!