August 27, 2013

What would a Camino be without getting up before the sun rises and racing to the next albergue? In our case, it was a bit different circumstances. In order to catch our 0935 train from Leon to Madrid, we had to wake up around 0630 to catch the 0750 bus to the Leon train station. Since the sun doesn’t rise until 0730 or so, Kathryn and I got to walk the streets of Mansilla de las Mulas before dawn. We got to see a few peregrinos on bicycles heading out of town.

As we took the bus westward toward Leon, we passed a good number of pilgrims walking along the path. Given their distance travelled, we figured they must have been on the road by 0630 or so. It was only a 20-25 minute ride into the city and we enjoyed a brief walk along the river between the bus station and train station.

Our train originated in Gijon on the Atlantic coast and was right on time. Soon we were blasting along at a peak speed of 250 km/hr. There only a few stops before Madrid and we arrived just after noon.

Our first mission of the day was to go back to the Qatar Airways CTO and ask for a refund of the ticket I had to buy between Jakarta and Madrid (see previous post). Luckily they were open this time and couldn’t have been more pleasant and helpful. One of the agents saw our scallop shells and asked about our camino experience.

With that burden finally resolved, we grabbed some lunch before heading over to our hotel. We stayed there last year and it’s located on one of the pedestrian only shopping streets. The people watching in Madrid is among the best in the world, and this street is a great place to take it all in.

Our plans for tonight are still open. We’ll probably wander around a bit and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and all the activity in the streets near our hotel.

Notes from today:

Left Mansilla de las Mulas at 0750 via bus
Arrived Leon at 0820
Total time 0.5 hours
Total distance 18.6 km
Average speed 37.2 km/hr

Left Leon at 0935 via train
Arrived Madrid 1222
Total time 2.75 hours
Total distance 335 km (approx.)
Average speed 121.8 km/hr

August 26, 2013

Last night we stayed in a really cool hostal in Sahagun. It was very quiet and the place had a lot of soul in the way the rooms were decorated. We had arranged to meet our friend Nancy for dinner, so we wandered down to the Plaza Major around 8 pm. We had last seen her in Burgos one week ago so we had a lot of Camino stories to catch up on.

Since we were taking the highway route versus the ancient Roman road, our day today was able to start a little later. We enjoyed a full breakfast, did a bit of grocery shopping and finally left town around 1030. The highway route features a shaded pathway for walkers and a virtually empty roadway alongside. The landscape reminded me of Montana with rolling wheat fields and mountains in the distance. It might be a little boring for walkers but it was a great cycling route.

There were only a few towns so the miles passed quickly. We stopped for a brief snack at a shaded picnic table at the turnoff to Villamarco and then a bit longer for lunch outside Reliegos. By 2 pm we were entering Mansilla de las Mulas, the final stop on this chapter of our Camino.

Since our train to Madrid left from Leon at 0930 the next day, we stopped by the Estacion de Autobuses to confirm our bus departure. our guide book had indicated that buses leave every half-hour starting at 0700, but it turned out there was only one bus that would work for us. It would be our earliest wakeup call for the entire trip.

We had previously booked a hostal for the evening so that we could coordinate the drop off of our bicycles. The price was a little higher than we been paying but the place was great and the owner Javier went out of his way to take care of our needs.

The afternoon was spent getting the bikes ready for transport, taking showers, doing laundry and relaxing. Later in the day we took a walk over to the rio Esla and strolled along the walls of the medieval city. After a beer at an albergue with a really nice garden, we went back to our hostal and enjoyed a quiet dinner on the patio with Bach playing in the background. The menu was priced like a typical menu peregrino but the food was unique to the region. We enjoyed gazpacho, tomato salad, and rabbit.

At the next table, we got to know Michaela from Germany. She had started her Camino in Logrono and planned to take about 30 days to reach Santiago. Unlike other pilgrims we had met, Michaela had pre-arranged her entire trip, including hotels, meals and daily baggage transport. She shuddered when I described sleeping on mattresses on the floor next to other pilgrims. It would be easy to dismiss her as a tourist rather than a “true pilgrim,” but it was obvious that this journey was a stretch from her usual comfort zone. I think her Camino will be just as important as all the other pilgrims I’ve met.

Tomorrow morning we start our journey back to the United States. I mentioned in a previous post that I would have some deep thoughts to share. So far, they are still wandering around in my brain. As I head home, I’ll try harder to get them out.

Notes from today:

Left Sahagun at 1030
Arrived Mansilla de las Mulas at 1400
Total time 3.5 hours
Total distance 36.5 km
Average speed 10.4 km/hr

August 25, 2013

“There’s got to be a morning after,
if we can hold on through the night…”

Maureen McGovern sang the title song from “The Poseidon Adventure,” one of the great disaster movies of the 70’s. The words of the song were running an endless loop through my brain when I woke up at 6 am to the throbbing beat of the mobile disco parked about 25 meters from our hotel window. Actually, this was not too bad a situation – the disco had started at 1 am and I actually slept through the first DJ’s set and the first couple hours of the second. Thank you, ear plugs and Ambien.

When we checked into the hostal, we were warned that the music would go all night long. It finally ended at 8 am, just in time for the brass band to start playing below our window. Bars in Orange County close at 2 am at the latest, bars in Chicago close at 4 am, bars in Spain never close at all. Imagine that.

Kathryn and I went out around 11 pm to catch the first set of a 12-piece show band. They seem to have a lot of bands like this in Spain – 4 singer/dancers and a full backup band including brass. Think of the most over the top wedding band you’ve ever seen, including full lighting and smoke machine, They’re a lot of fun to watch.

The photos below were taken from our hotel window between 8 and 9 am. Those people had been partying all night long. The interesting thing is that we have not seen anyone fighting or passed out drunk. Just a lot of people keeping a steady buzz on for the entire night. Did I tell you that they drink red wine mixed with Coke? Try it sometime, but only when you ready to party until the sun comes up.

We finally rolled out of the hostal around 1030 and walked our bikes around the corner to get some breakfast. The streets were littered with trash and broken glass, but the cleanup crews were hard at work. I think we had lived through day 3 of the 4 day festival.

Our bike ride continued through gently rolling countryside with few towns along the way. We met Ignacio (Nacho) from Milano, Italy who lent us a tire patch in case we needed it. We also passed Hannah from Germany who we had seen two nights earlier. She had been pounding out 35-40 km days (on foot) and was looking a bit tired. Someone had taken her socks off the clothesline a few nights earlier so Kathryn gave her a pair to use. Our Camino will pause after tomorrow but our socks may make it to Santiago this year.

Notes from today:

Left Carrion de los Condes at 1100
Arrived Sahagun at 1600
Total time 5 hours
Total distance 39.8 km
Average speed 8.0 km/hour

August 24, 2013

We got a bit earlier start for our second day of cycling. We packed our bags, paid our bill and had some cafe con leche by 0815. The road out of Castrojeriz heads toward a small river and then climbs steeply for over 1 km. There were some cyclists who were able to climb it in very low gears but Kathryn and I decided to walk and push our bikes up the hill. Luckily, the wind was already blowing against our backs at almost 20 mph so it only took us 30 minutes to get to the top.

Once on top, we cruised with the winds blowing us along. We had a couple of technical downhills but hit them cleanly albeit slowly. We arrived at Fromista a little before noon after riding 25 km. Once there, we decided to take an extended break and have lunch and visit a local church that has a multi-media presentation on the history of the Camino. It was an interesting presentation and an opportunity to test our Spanish because the English translation wasn’t working.

After 2-1/2 hours, we got back on the road and still needed to ride 20 km to our destination. We took the scenic alternative route along a river and finished in 1-1/2 hours.

When we arrived at our destination, Carrion de las Condes, we set out to find a place to stay. First stop, no answer. Second stop, all full. Next stop, one room remaining so we grabbed it. While we were checking in, the manager told us that it would be very noisy tonight due to a five-day fiesta scheduled in town. We had already noticed the portable bar set up in the street in front of the hostal. We weren’t too concerned until they started to set up the mobile disco in the street in front of our hotel.

Before dinner, we enjoyed a classical guitar concert in the church. We had a great dinner and then headed back to the room for some rest before we go out to check out the fiesta around 11 pm.

The disco is scheduled for 1 to 4 am. It may be a long night.

Notes from today:

Left Castrojeriz at 0815.
Arrived Carrion de las Condes at 1545
Total time 7.5 hours
Total distance 45.7 km
Average speed 6 km/hour

Note that this includes a 2-1/2 hour stop for lunch.

August 23, 2013

I wrote the best blog post of my life but the WordPress system crashed and I lost it. Take it from me, it was Pulitzer Prize winning stuff. Since I don’t have the patience (or memory) to recreate it, here are the highlights:

Packed up the bikes and left Burgos at 1015.

Kathryn found the place where they shot the scene in “The Way” where the gypsy father and son carry Martin Sheen’s character’s backpack to the edge of Burgos. I coined the term “Way-dar” to describe the ability to find the locations used on the movie. I may copyright it.

Leaving Burgos, we entered the meseta. The meseta is a series of high plateaus (mesas) that offer almost no shade and very few towns. Perfect place to use a bike.

Bicycling, even at our slow pace, is a lot faster than walking. It compresses the camino experience and changes everything. The towns, churches and landmarks approach at the speed of light compared to walking. For the reason, I feel I am not continuing my Camino after walking to Burgos, I am starting a new one on a bicycle.

We decided to stay in a hostal tonight. Hostals in Spain are like B&B’s without the second B. Very nice room with great view and private bath.

Did you know that parcheesi is a popular game in Spain? Check the photo in my post from the beach in Santander. Those four ladies crowded around something were playing parcheesi. Tonight in the bar downstairs, there was a big group playing.

We had a great dinner tonight. Turns out that the town where we’re staying, Castrojeriz, is the garlic capital of this area. The food was great but the hospitality was even better. The owner of the restaurant Eduardo and his wife Dolores gave a tour of the caves underneath their house. They believe they date back to Roman times due to the size of the stones used to form the walls. It was really nice of them to take the time to show us.

Notes from today:

Left Burgos at 1015
Arrived Castrojeriz at 1515+
Total time 5 hours+
Total distance 41.2 km
Average speed 8.2 km/hr

August 22, 2013

Today we woke to overcast skies, similar to the typical weather at home in Southern California. When I went out earlier for Kath’s morning coffee, I noticed a desayuno especial at the local restaurant so we decided to eat a big breakfast while we were waiting for the weather to figure itself out. The food was really good – fried eggs, sausage, bacon, juice and coffee. A lot more food than the locals normally eat.

By the time we ate and packed our bags to leave, the clouds started to burn off so we headed back to the beach until our bus left for Burgos. The tide was really low and the crowds were much less than yesterday so the beach had a whole different vibe. We were able to walk out to some tide pools and around the rocks to the adjoining beaches – Playa de La Concha and Playa del Camello. It reminded me of Laguna Beach.

We continued our walk to the larger peninsula that protects the mouth of the Santander harbor. It features a well-developed City park with lots of facilities to enjoy the now beautiful weather. I’m constantly struck by the number of people walking the streets, sitting on the park benches and taking full advantage of public gathering places.

As an architect and land planner, I often try to recreate these type of places in new communities but the result often seems contrived and under-utilized. I’m convinced this is a cultural problem primarily caused by our dependence on the automobile rather than public transport. Spain is supposed to be in severe economic crisis but their public transport system is excellent. City buses take you anywhere for less than $2. Our 2-1/2 hour ride from Burgos to Santander cost about $16 on a deluxe touring bus. Right now I’m writing on a upscale Supra bus with leather seats, wifi and bottled water. This ride cost us a whopping $25 each.

I’m a little apprehensive as the bus nears Burgos. After four days of rest, our Camino continues tomorrow with a bicycle ride westward. Our bikes should be waiting for us at the hotel so we should have time to take a test ride tonight. After several days in the 90’s, the weather is supposed to be cooling to the 70’s, which should be perfect for riding.

What does the Camino have in store for us?

August 20, 2013

Since we now have the opportunity to relax for a few days, we need to decide how best to use the time and then how to continue the Camino. I tried to answer the second question first. I haven’t mentioned it before but one thing that you notice when walking the Camino is how many people are following the trail by bicycle. For the most part, the trail is ideal for a mountain bike. When I was crawling along with my swollen legs, I thought more than once how it would be fun to do a section of the Camino with a bike.

Now I have a chance to do so. I investigated a few companies that provide bikes in Spain and eventually arranged for two mountain bikes to be delivered to our hotel in Burgos on Thursday. If we ride 25 miles a day, we can make it Mansilla de las Mulas (just short of Leon) in four days. We’ll leave the bikes there and take a train to Madrid the next day.

I tested my legs while riding a bike in Burgos and it seems to be more comfortable than walking. Even with a leisurely pace, we shouldn’t have to ride more than 3 hours a day. The weather is cooperating as well. Yesterday, today and tomorrow has been very hot (around 90) but it’s cooling off starting on Friday when we start our ride.

The other question above is what to do while I rest for a few days. Since it was going to be very hot in Burgos, we decided to take a bus to Santander, a resort town on the Atlantic coast. I had no idea what to expect but it has turned out pretty great so far.

The bus ride was incredible. Rather than follow the freeway, the route crosses a spectacular canyon with narrow roads, switchbacks and gorgeous scenery. It reminded me of the high country in Utah, except there’s 400-year old villages scattered around the countryside. Eventually, we reached the coastal plain of Cantabria which features beautiful beaches and dramatic cliffs that drop into the Atlantic Ocean.

Since it was our anniversary, we splurged on a fancy hotel downtown with a spectacular view of the harbor. Honoring my policy to ignore the actual cost of non-Camino expenses, I’ll just say that it cost 16 nights in a private albergue. After we checked in we enjoyed a bottle of local red wine and a few snacks that we had collected from the grocery store. The sunset on the mountains across the harbor was magnificent.

Once it got dark, we went out prowling the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood surrounding the hotel. Given the warm nighttime temp’s, the bars were packed with locals and tourists. We finally found a table at a popular place and enjoyed our official anniversary dinner.

Tomorrow we’ll move to a different (cheaper) hotel and enjoy another rest day before heading back to Burgos on Thursday.

August 19, 2013

Before I forget, I want to thank all of my friends and family who are following this blog and making comments. Thanks also to the people I haven’t met in person but made contact through the Backpack Club (my name for fellow peregrinos).

My wife Kathryn arrived safely last night around 5 pm after making her connection to the train in Madrid. It was a good thing that she made it because the next train was sold out. I was already cleaned up by the time she got to the hotel so she didn’t have to see the grimy peregrino (yet).

Our hotel is the Meson El Cid and it features a drop-dead stunning view of the cathedral from our room’s window. I’d love to tell you how I managed to get such a choice room but it was just luck. We are directly across the entry plaza so our entire view is filled by the church’s facade.

After we got settled we went out for a stroll around the area. It stays light until after 9 pm so dinner starts late. We met my friend Nancy for dinner to celebrate our safe arrivals into Burgos. It was a pretty fancy place and I won’t say exactly how much it cost but it added up to five menus de peregrino.

Today was a day of rest. We slept in until 9 am or so and barely managed to make the breakfast that ended at 1030. After that, I decided to see if I could find a doctor to look at my legs. Since I bought a travel insurance policy and it wasn’t an emergency, it took me the rest of the morning to call the insurance company, coordinate with their European service provider and find a doctor nearby. Around 1 pm I walked a few short blocks to a local hospital and was greeted personally by the medico at the reception area. After a discussion of my symptoms, he decided to take some x-rays. Although the x-rays showed an interesting growth on my left heel (which has been there a long time), there was no indication of anything that would cause the pain I’ve been having.

When the doctor returned to the examination room, he gave me his opinion that I should rest for a week and not walk any more of the Camino. Some of you may see this as a horrible news, but I see it a bit differently. First, I’m not necessarily going to follow the doctor’s advice. My legs are definitely beat up because that’s what the Camino does. Second, taking a few days off is a great chance to celebrate our 30th anniversary in a little more style than a 5 euro a night municipal albergue.

So here’s the new camino plan: relax until the end of the week and see how my legs feel. If I’m doing better, we’ll continue for the days remaining. If not, we’ll have a relaxing vacation in a gorgeous country.

August 18, 2013

I’ve only walked for ten days but the Camino has taken a toll. My pace has slowed from about 3.6 km/hr to 2.8 km/hr. The walking is slower, especially on the downhills, and the rest breaks are longer and more frequent. I’ll have some deep thoughts tomorrow but today is all about getting into Burgos to meet my wife Kathryn. Her flight to Madrid lands at 10 am and she’ll take a train to Burgos that arrives at 4:30 pm.

So the march begins.

The first part of the walk today leaves Ages and quickly reaches Atapuerca where human remains over 900,000 years old were found. It reminds me of the Mel Brooks routine about the world’s oldest man. Google it.

The route continues over a large hill and finally the city of Burgos comes into view. There’s another prayer circle at the summit of the hill before descending into rolling wheat fields where hunters are using their dogs to flush birds from the rows of cut grain. I’m used to hunting in the USA where you have to stay away from roadways and buildings. It’s a lot looser in Spain and the hunters are hunting within 100 yards as you walk by.

The Camino eventually crosses the freeway and follows the length of the Burgos aeropuerto to a road intersection. This is a critical option to your experience entering Burgos. If you turn right, you’ll walk along the sidewalk along a busy roadway for the next few hours. If you cross the road and walk about ten minutes, you’ll follow the river all the way to the cathedral.

Luckily, my friend Nancy had alerted me of this option and I found the river easily. If I hadn’t, I would still be out on the road mumbling to myself and scaring passersby. The path started out pretty simply but got nicer and nicer as you got close to downtown. Since it was Sunday, a lot of people were enjoying the walks alone, with family or with friends. Those of you who have spent time in Europe know how the people love to walk. By the time I got to the bridge that would take me to the cathedral the walkway was packed with people. I passed through one of the arched entrances into the plaza in front of the cathedral. Our hotel was situated on the plaza as well so I checked in and waited for Kathryn to arrive.

Notes from today:

Left Ages at 0815, arrived Burgos at 1600
Total time 7.75 hours
Total distance 22.0 km
Average speed 2.8 km/hr