More pics

small parade 

where we stayed

church of San Saturino

No Room at the Inn...Again. 4-29-17

As it turned out we had another short day today! We left earlier this morning because the albergue had RULES. We stopped to look at some peacocks behind a fence and I leaned against the fence and got black stuff all over my coat:(  The walk got urban and busy. We stopped at a car dealership to use the bathroom in Villava. It's  hard to keep drinking when there are no bathrooms or woods and when it is cold!  Hola Pamplona! We crossed another pretty bridge and entered the old walled city via a drawbridge. We had planned to do a little shopping -new shoes for Mona because her toes were being crushed. We ran into some pilgrims I had talked to a couple of days ago and they directed Mona to a store that catered to pilgrim needs. Before we left the store I was sporting a knee brace. We visited another ancient church called San Saturnin. We noticed the floor which had big wooden panels in the floorboards that were numbered. They are tombs for parishioners who were buried there until 1813 ( just like in the book The Miniaturist). 

We tried to call for a reservation in a town about 5 miles ahead but we couldn't get through to the albergue .  The tourist office couldn't either so we decided we would just stay in Pamplona. The tourist office gentleman spoke great English and we asked him to help us find beds after we had just been turned away from another place. Every single albergue was full!! (Right now the tourist office is packed.) We are so lucky that we arrived here early. We are staying in a pension (think rooming house). From our balcony (it's just a tiny one!!) we have a great street view. While exploring today we saw a small parade, lots of tour groups and a busy city. We had a late lunch with delicious sangria (3.50 Euros)and listened to the two young couples beside us try to figure us out. I heard them say " Camino"  but one didn't think so because we didn't have our mochilas (backpacks). As we were leaving they asked where we were from. When I told them one guy cheered and said he guessed correctly. They were very kind and wished us well.

A couple of other things-

    Emily has learned how to pour wine from an Italian friend named Germano, and she learned how to wrap a teabag string around a cup handle from Maria Stella in France .

      Yes we do wash our clothes and I will try to send a picture to prove it.

I will send this post as soon as we have wifi. I will try to include pictures if I have time. We are going to Saturday night mass in the Cathedral of Santa Maria. Love from the Camino.

Two More Days and a New Best Friend

On Thursday we left Roncesvalles and walked 22 km to Zuberi. The walk was pretty flat at first and we loved the farms we passed. We walked through woodlands with so many birds and wildflowers. But there was a creepy, black snake too! We enjoyed the walk, the church we visited, the little cafes where we stopped for refreshments and the whole experience...until about 5 PM. We were terribly exhausted and hurting and we had miles to go. Finally we arrived in Zuberi. It was so good to finally stop walking. It was already after 6 PM. The last hour or more had been rocky ( loose rocks, big and small, and all kinds of rocks protruding from the ground) and it was steep and all down hill. The typical pilgrim probably stops for the day between two and four. We aren't walking really fast, but we're not super slow either. A young man named Daniel, a fitness trainer from Moscow, followed us for a while and said we were moving at a good speed. He said we were the US special forces of the camino! But...we were probably the last pilgrims into town last night. Hmmm, we stop to look and listen and take pictures all the time.

When we went out for dinner we were pleased to see so many people we knew from the previous days! We had a great dinner. NOTE: If you go to a restaurant you can eat the pilgrim meal of the day. It costs 10-13 euros for the meal and you eat whatever they are serving, usually a delicious soup, meat and potatoes and  dessert along with crusty bread, water and wine. And last night it was a treat to have salad. We sat at a long table with other pilgrims and enjoyed sharing stories.

After the long day yesterday we decided to take it easy today. It was a beautiful day and we walked and explored as far as Zalbadika. A runaway horse ran down the path past us, a couple of fancy bluish greenish lizards made an appearance and there were more birds to entertain us. Yesterday Emily quieted us and we thought we heard a cuckoo clock! It was a bird. We always find something to marvel at. Tonight we are staying in a restored building attached to the church of St. Stephen in Zalbadika, population 30, including four religious sisters (Society of the Sacred Heart). The church was built in the early 13th century and has not had any major renovations.  One of the church bells is the oldest in the province. They let us climb to the bell tower, at least 100 circular stone steps. Mona rang the bells, you probably heard it!!

At 8:30 pm we attended a prayer service in the church choir loft.  One of the sisters led the service for us pilgrims and this is just one sentence of her prayer, "Lord God, you who have mercy on those who love you and are never far from those who seek you, help these pilgrims on their way to Compostela."

There's so much more but we just had a knock on our door to sat that it's "lights out". Tomorrow I will have to remember to tell you about the new skills that Emily has learned...oh yes, our new best friend is...IBUPROFEN!

The Rest of the Story...

Here is part 2 of the last post..
We made it over the Pyrenees only to arrive in town and find that there was no room in the only albergue. The guidebook said it had 183 beds and now they were all full. The book also said that Roncesvalles has a population of 30. We know three of them are priests and that the beautiful  site was once a monastery.  They did have two hotels in the old buildings. We went to the closest one and while waiting in line watched people being turned away. What to do? I think we all felt a little panicky. There was a man from Torino, Italy in front of us and a couple from Milan. They talked to the woman who was doing check-ins and found that there was an apartment for 6. Our new friend, Bruno from Italy, asked if we would like to share the space. We agreed. So we got to the nicely appointed, two story apartment. There were three bedrooms, each with two beds. The couple took one downstairs. The loft had two rooms. Bruno took one room and asked who was going to sleep in the other bed. We just fell apart laughing ...but you really had to be there. Emily and I couldn't convince Mona to share the room with Bruno;) We did the only thing we could -the three of us carried, pushed and pulled the bed into the girls room!

A side altar with a statue of St. James the Pilgrim

Before dinner we went to mass in  the gorgeous old church Real Collegiata de Santa Maria which was constructed at the behest of King Sancho the Strong and consecrated in 1219. The three priests came out of the sacristy singing . It was very touching-we're in Spain, we're in an ancient church with Pilgrims from all over the world and we're attending a Spanish mass just for us! At the end of the service the oldest of the priests called all the pilgrims to the front for a special blessing, which he gave in many languages. Truly amazing!

What a day!

We had planned a short day of walking but when we arrived at our destination at Orisson before 10 AM we decided to continue on. We stayed at the cafe in Orisson long enough to eat a tortilla (a slice of a potato and ham pie) and have a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. We recognized people we had met before and had a great time meeting new people.  We headed out knowing the next town was Roncesvaux (Fr.)/Roncesvalles (Sp)/Orreaga (Basque) and it would be a 20 km hike over the French Pyrenees.  We understood that the terrain would be challenging, arguably the most difficult of the whole Camino,  but we underestimated the amount of time it would take to walk it. We hiked through light rain and light snow and thunder and more rain and cold wind. We wore many layers to stay warm. We shared a pair of gloves for a while until socks were put into use as mittens! We talked with folks from WA, MT, SD, Toronto, Ireland and had a wonderful day, despite the mountain weather and the fog that moved in and out. We took lots of pictures because the views were astounding,  and because we needed to stop and rest sometimes  (and taking pictures was our excuse). There was so much to see including wildflowers, birds and icy trees. HOWEVER,  the day wore on and we got tired. There was only one thing to do- keep walking! If we thought going up was bad, going down (while exhausted ) was treacherous.  There were amazing sights, like the beech tree forest, but we were calculating how much longer we had to walk! We left France and entered Spain.

An interesting thing- in the middle of all of this mountain trekking a man appeared selling snacks. For days I felt like the French had an aversion to fruit. I desperately wanted a banana. Think potassium. ..and leg cramps.  Avez vous bananas? No was the answer I  kept getting. And there, in the middle of the Pyrenees, was a man selling bananas. I bought two and ate them immediately. I could hardly believe it.

We finally finished the hike, but that's not the end of the story. But now  it's 11:30 PM and we have to put on our packs again tomorrow for more walking, so we need to sleep.

We Are Pilgrims

We started walking today!We were anxious to get started so we did a short, but steep, hike. We will do another short day tomorrow. We started with breakfast at the albergue. Pilgrim Chris, on the left in the photo, started hiking 24 days ago and had just arrived in St. Jean from somewhere in the Mediterranean. Stephen, from Australia, is starting tomorrow. Today we met people from Holland and another couple from Australia. We really enjoyed chatting with Mara, from Italy, at dinner last night and a woman from from Montana who gave us some packing tips since we seem (a bit) disorganized. We said goodbye to St.Jean after taking some photos and started our trek.We saw lots of curious farm animals and they didn't mind being photographed . We saw views that defy description.It rained off and on but we stayed dry and comfortable. We are spending the night at an albergue called Ferme Ithurbia, where we have our own room with French doors to a patio, an ensuite bathroom with a heated towel bar and a view that goes on and on.Roughing it, I know!Enjoy our photos.

First days

We arrived in Madrid this morning, took a train to Pamplona and a taxi to St. Jean Pied-de-Port. The taxi was one hour of nonstop, hairy hairpin turns, unlike any we have ever experienced.  The view was spectacular, but Emily and I were feeling so queasy that we missed some of it! Originally we planned to stay in Pamplona but we were excited to move on. Tomorrow will be a rest day-before we even start, but there is plenty to see here.

We met our first fellow pilgrim, from Maine, when we were checking in at Logan airport. She is starting her second camino and calls herself the Purple Princess. We collected other pilgrims as the day went on. People who speak Spanish and were so helpful! In Pamplona we talked with a brother and sister team from FL and KY. The young woman named Janice asked where we lived. She was excited when she heard NH. She graduated from KSC, just like me!

We are staying in an ancient, quaint, wonderful albergue called Gite Buen Camino. There are two other women in our room. There are lots of private bathrooms and a lovely terrace. We are blessed. Francine

Planning

Working out the details of the trip!

Meet the Peregrinas

Emily
March 31, 2017
Hi, I’m Emily, getting ready for el Camino de Santiago. I’m making a map for my 3 wonderful and so much loved grandchildren to follow my adventure. Also I have 3 grown children and a daughter-in-law. My husband and I adore our family, and I will greatly miss all of them. 

Jazzercise, walking and biking are my 3 physical activities. Wow I guess I’ll reach my walking goal this year!!! I’ve been walking with my hiking SHOES and blister free socks and am up to 10 pounds in a school backpack. Walked 4 miles today and will now use my new backpack and put all my items in it.

Life has been rearranged to get kids to and from school; I hope everyone will miss me. HAHA The pool should be open when I get back. Oh the concerns—being homesick, banos, sun, blisters. But I am ready to cast my fate to the wind and concentrate on the beauty of the flora and fauna, working my body, making friends (even if brief), and enjoying my new hiking friends. Up, up and away—soon.

Mona
     Hi, I'm Mona from San Antonio, Texas.  It's been quite a rough year--divorce, death of my Mom, extensive repairs on our house.  My beloved kids--3 sons, 2 daughters, 2 daughters-in-law- are strongly encouraging me to go on the Camino, to help discern what to do with the rest of my life. They've helped with the funding of the trip, supplied me with gear, and even found two wonderful "peregrinas" from New Hampshire, Francine & Emily, to travel with.  I am very, very blessed!! (Although the offer to stay with my 2 little grand-babies, Emma & Claire, and let their Mama go in my place, is very tempting!)

     I first discovered the Camino in 2007, shopping at the Franciscan University of Steubenville bookstore, when I came across Father Dave Pivonka's book "Hiking the Camino".  As I've always  loved hiking, beach-walking, any kind of walking (my sister calls me the "walkingest" person she knows), Father Dave's book kind of jumped into my hands.

      Fast forward ten years and now I'm actually going to do it, hike the Camino!  It's unbelievable--scary--and I'm totally unprepared--but trying really, really hard to listen to my daughter, Erin, and truly believe "It'll be fine!"

               Santiago, please be our protector and guide


 Francine
I am Francine-wife, mother, granny, daughter, sister....I live a pretty busy life right now with all kinds of projects and responsibilities. My two grown children and wonderful grandchildren live too far away so I spend my time being busy doing all kinds of other things like taking care of my chickens, reading to my storytime friends at the library, helping out at church and in town, spending time with my husband Tony and working out at KDR fitness in preparation for the CAMINO!

Camino de Santiago-what could I possibly be thinking?!  I have lived an amazing, safe, sheltered life but I guess it’s time to step out of my comfort zone. I am excited and terrified. I hope I can do it, I hope I won’t drive my walking friends crazy, I hope I won’t be too homesick. Ultreia!

Training in California

Sunday, April 2, 2017

I avoided the April Fool's Day snowstorm, which dropped about 8 inches on Enfield, with a trip to sunny CA. Today Celia drove the boys and me to the Wildlands Conservancy Wind Wolves Preserve in Bakersfield, CA. We hiked, saw some wildlife, had a picnic lunch and then hiked back to the parking area. It was a great day! The temperature was in the 70's and the sky was blue. We hiked 8 miles today, which was great training for the Camino. I walked with my backpack, but it only held water, a book and our lunch. I could have used the trekking poles but they are back in NH. See photos for all the details!

I thought it all looked very Camino-ish...and then I saw this sign:

Here's Gavin enjoying his bocadillo (from Subway) for lunch!

And Cole relaxes on a rock...











Check out the lizard and...a California rattlesnake! We saw two rattlesnakes. The guy in the photo picked up the first one. Then, as we hiked back to the car we saw a second, much larger one, sitting on a rock on the edge of the trail-just inches away from Celia, who walked past it first. When the snake rattled she turned around and  saw it, as did the rest of us. It was scary!

I have lots more pictures of beautiful wildflowers, and grandkids, and a rabbit and beetles, but this is enough for today.