Month: June 2016

Today Renee and I just spent the day chillaxing in Astorga, had a nice breakfast , walked around the city, shared parts of each of our solo walks along the Camino , we each had many deep thoughts as we walked our solo journeys . We each shared the fears we faced, the joys that were revealed, the physical challenges , the mental complexities, the shared experiences with other pilgrims. Renee got to meet the Wolfpack that I had traveled so many miles with and had shared so many parts of our souls. She got to meet Ramona a young German girl and her dog Mia. The two of them have walked over 350 miles together, only camping in a tent every night, as the hostels and albergues don’t allow dogs. They are quite a pair to observe, as the mutual love for each other is very apparent. I was happy to have PJ , Lisa, and Stewart meet Renee, as I had shared so much of our life together, that now they got to meet her in person. 

Renee and I had a nice dinner and called it an evening, as we would start our walk together in the morning. We planned on walking just the two of us together, a special time to reconnect. 

Here is a photo of PJ, Lisa,Ramona and Her  dog Mia. And another pilgrim named Krista, Stewart from our Wolfpack is missing in this photo.

The Camino is an endless repetition, a universal calling, a prayer: Walk. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
The Camino is not what you think it is.
And not what you think it should be.
It is everything and it is nothing.
It forces you and moves you, teases you and slams you, questions you and fights you.
It blisters you, depletes you, weakens you and at the same time toughens you, builds you, strengthens you.
It questions you, talks to you, listens to your silence.
It is the outside of the inside of you and everything in between.
The Camino is sinner and Saint, history and legends, believers and non-believers. It is scores of nationalities all marching in the same direction, all for different reasons, but each following the same road toward the same destination.
The Camino is 500 miles of sorting out, taking in, letting go.
It is a physical, mental, and emotional reality check of what you think you are and who you are.
The Camino fills you, then empties you. It teases you and calms you.
And does it again and again with each coming day.
Walk. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
There is comfort in repetition.

A very short hike today only 18 km about ten miles, rain was in the forecast but never appeared. A nice hike back into nature, to hear the birds sing their morning songs, to listen the leaves rustle in the wind, to look up and see faces and figures in the passing clouds, the sun trying to peek thru the clouds to cast a beam of light on a field of now golden grain.

About  half way thru the hike came upon a wayside stand offering fruit, juice , cookies, coffee, herbal tea, toast jams and jellies , local honey, homemade bread, bananas,oranges, and apples. The stand is created by a wonderful woman , everything is at no cost, just donate what you can . She just places her trust that there will always be enough for everyone if we just give to each other and trust. She is living in a blissful spot in the middle of nowhere but somewhere. She keeps a fire going , she tends her gardens and her roses , she gives best wishes to everyone who passes by. She has a litter of cats sitting next to a wood stove, she has created several areas for pilgrims to rest and reflect. An amazing soul. 

Later I cam upon a local man sitting on a bench playing his guitar and singing pilgrim songs. I sat and listened and talked story for a period of time. Nice to go at a slow pace and enjoy the journey.

I arrived in Astorga dry and pleased with the day, the town sports gothic and Gaudi architecture . Lots of places to eat a very charming village of 12,000 residents .

The thought of the day;  a desire is never given to you without the power to realize it. But it could perhaps be that you have to work for it.

Here are some photos from the day

After last nights jacuzzi, steam room , sauna, and an hour long massage, I was ready to set out on the Camino again. Awoke to stormy skies, and a brisk wind. This was a long walk today 32 km most of it in a light on and off again rain. I have my son Randy to thank for his suggestions on rain gear, I stayed dry all day. For me this was a very boring day along the city streets and along  a road for mile after mile. When I got to the albergue I realized that this was the first time that I took no photos all day. It was however a good day to listen to music and continue the never ending probing into my inner self and spirit.

It came to mind that I have completed one month of my journey. A journey that has been an amazing experience, great joy, great sadness, physical pain, mental cruelty, ego distraction, new friends, some that will last a lifetime, others only enter your life for a day or two, then vanish as rapidly as they appeared. But each leaving a lasting imprint in my mind. Some will leave a lasting positive impression, some the opposite. 

The joy the heartache, the success the disappointment, the love the beauty, the frustration the resolve, deep connection , disassociation, helpfulness, selfishness are all experienced along the path.

I remind myself that I am blessed, at the end of a long day I have a shower and a bed waiting for me, I only wish the shower had hot water . Tomorrow the water will be hot. I am blessed that I have my wife and family. I am blessed with good health, I am blessed with good friends, that all add to my riches to my life.no photos taken today so here are a few from the last month.

Thought for the day; Man’s character is his destiny.

Took the day off in Leon got a nice room in a hostel/hotel. 

Today I reflect on the first half of this amazing journey. I am now over 300 miles afoot in this beautiful country of Spain. The travel so far is about equal to walking from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles along the coastal range and valleys. I am now about 175 miles from the destination of Santiago.the first third of the walk was to get in touch with the physical challenge and the mental that goes with those challenges. The body can’t be ignored, mind over matter does not work. The body screams out for what it needs or it just stops working due to injury or intense pain. Many pilgrims have to end their walk in the first week or two. You place ego aside and get in tune with the body or you fail. You listen and feel the requests of the body, you rapidly learn mostly thru pain what the body wants. It wants moderation, it wants good nutrition, it wants hydration, it demands rest stops and good nighttime sleep. You learn to pace, the muscles ache for more blood and oxygen, the heart responds with increased tempo, to outright pounding, the heart screams for more oxygen from the lungs, the lungs gasp faster and faster to supply the demand of the heart. You learn to control the pace and length of stride to keep all the demands of the body at a comfortable level with no part out of sync. Harmony is the key. Trek poles are a Benifits as you can help propell yourself forward using arms and back muscles to ease the legs , a great aid going up hill. Takes about 20% of the load off of the legs. Going down hill the poles ease the impact on the ankles, knees and hips, downhill I much tougher on the joints, unlike the crying of the lungs and muscles the joints don’t cry out they just get pounded and let you know at the end of the day.

My feet are my horses. They must be treated with love and respect, you break them in slowly, you treat them with a gentile touch, just the right pressure on the laces just as you use light hands on the reins. You use just the right pressure to guide the commands. You walk lightly just as you ride light in the saddle. You pay attention to your feet just as you listen to your steed feeling pulse rate, breath, and lathering. At the stops you offer the horse water and grain, you ease the the tension of the saddle straps or remove the saddle to let the back dry and relieve the stress on the withers, you tend to your horse. Your remove the shoes dry the socks add lotion if needed, tend to hot spots change blister protection.  You establish a relationship with your feet, just as you develope and relationship with your horse . You are partners on the Camino. 

The second third of the Camino is an inner journey, reviewing and exposing your most inner thoughts and desires . You delve deeply into your core beliefs, your shortcomings your strengths. This is the point on the Camino where the interpersonal communication with others along the Camino becomes deeper and deeper, it is also when personal differences become apparent . Social issues arise, egos begin to surface . Patience is tested , tolerance tested, acceptance tested, compassion experienced, how one deals with these inputs help to define your core values and thoughts. Very easy to dwell in the ego. The need to be right ,the need to lead, the need to follow the ego is a complex bedfellow. The need to voice is tested the need to stay in the shadows is tested and exposed. You have a great opertunity to examine the relationship with self. Everyone’s journey is unique unto them self. We all walk for different reasons and for different desired outcomes. Some walk for physical training, some walk to enjoy nature, some are battling cancer some are terminal . Some are in troubled relationships , some have lost family members or a spouse. Some walk for religion or spirituality, for some the walk is social , to meet new people every day to remember names and country of origins. To engage in chats all day along the Camino. For others it is the solitude of the quiet wordless walk of self discovery. For some they spend the time deep in prayer and devotion, for others it might be a blend of all of the above and more. The Camino is a special, unique, highly personal journey , different for every pilgrim, although we walk the same path , our journey’s are as varied as the people walking the path, each of us taking in what the Camino offers. 

Two days ago I spent 5+ hours deep in thought over the word “relationship” what it means to be in relationship , what defines relationship, what are the core values of a relationship. What are needs of a relationship, what are the responsibilities . I took the word relationship  and took each letter starting with the letter R and recorded the first three “R” words that related to the concept of relationship. I.E. Respect , responsibility, romance. I pondered each r word as to how it affects relationship and how it contributes to the relationship. I did this for every letter in the word “relationship” always the first three words that come to mind. The results blew my mind how they all worked to form my understanding of the meaning and feeling of a relationship. For we are in relationship will all that we come in contact with, human, animal, spiritual, physical, cosmic, we are in relationship with all that is , our awareness is the only filter or block. I look forward to the last 174 miles with an openess to receive the true spiritual purpose of the Camino. How many have made this very same walk since the 8 th century, what have they gained? What have they Learned? What have they given others from this experience?

Last night was a great sharing time , met and stayed with 4 other pilgrams, a nice lady from England, who had walked 46km that day, also a woman from Japan that also walked 46km, animals of the Camino.

Farm land turned to industrial areas industrial became suburbia, suburbia gave way to the old city of Leon, with its rich history and a grand cathedral, sporting amazing stained glass windows. I found a hostel near the cathedral, it has a bath tub, real towels, real linens , and pillows. I’m in heaven.

Toured the old city and took some photos.

I will take tomorrow off to reflect on the first half of my journey and prepare for the second half. 

Thought for the day; Problems are challenges that you created, in order to learn from them. Richard Bach.

Left the albergue at 6am looking for a cup of cafe  Americano from our favorite cafe that that has the best pastries in Spain . Bummer it was closed, so I sat on the wall waiting for it to open , Stewart showed up and said lets press on and find another cafe, then I smelled the pastries being baked in the basement of the cafe, the odor of fresh baking wafting from a vent at the sidewalk level, I was salivating a s the owner makes the best pastries, I was bummed that it was closed, when all of a sudden the owner opened her apartment door next to the cafe, do we hold her hostage ? for coffee and pastries ran thru my mind, alas she recognized us from our frequent trips to engourge ourselves with her tasty treats. She opened the cafe and rapidly closed the door behind us, don’t let others see that I am open, she said. She made us personal coffee and offered today’s freshest pastries. She said she only got to bed at 4 am after partying all night, and she would have to open the cafe later , she wished us buen Camino and we were on our way. As we walked thru town the partying was still in full swing, loud music and young people in the streets cocktails in hand viewing the dawn with bloodshot eyes. I walked today 30+ km to Mansilla. 

Here are some photos.

Took two days off to explore this historical small city. It was very important during the early pilgrim times, there were many albergues to aid the pilgrims. Today it is largely agricultural , but now the town is in total fiesta mode, that means , lots of drinking 24/7 lots of loud music. There will be little sleep to be had. It is the festival of the Bulls , running of the Bulls thru the city streets, many very drunk young men running with the Bulls. Most everyone has been drinking all day. The towns people are divided into groups, each sporting different colored shirts, each group has a marching band, they seem to make numerous loops around the city stopping at each bar along the route, the band and the runners are accompanied by wives and girlfriends, and ,oh yes ,the babies. On Saturday we positioned ourselves safely behind a fence along the route, to view the running of the Bulls. The running was to start at 7 pm at 8 pm we heard a cannon boom, oh boy here they come at last!!! All 6 Bulls ran past us with the drunk men running along side, total time for the Bulls to run past us? 6 seconds and the running of the Bulls was history, time for the colorful groups to go back to drinking. The partying continued all night, at 6am I went outside and the they were still in the bars, drinking and partying. Later in the day around 11 am I toured the city, no one in site the town was empty, most shops closed . Saturday late afternoon the groups with their bands started up again for the second running of the Bulls . This time 5 Bulls in 5 seconds. Let the drinking begin again. Another all night party . ​

Here are some photos.

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Got up very early to avoid the heat, left the albergue before dawn, was greeted to a beautiful sunrise, had coffee and a chocolate pastry. Walked thru the town of Terrradillos de Templarios, this was a stronghold of the Knights Templar. About 20km of walking in very flat terrain. Walked alone on the path again today, it is a journey of deep personal reflection, where you ponder and clarify your innermost thoughts and perceptions of life and relationships, and the things that bring harmony. Entered the town of Sahagun, to find a 4 day festival just starting. It is a big gala for the whole town, the festival of the Bulls. The town was abuzz with the preparations for the running of the Bulls , and the bullfights on Sunday in the Corrida. Made the decision to stay a couple of nights to experience local fiesta vibe. The real party will start on Friday . passed by the pillars that are the mid point on theSpanish portion of the Camino.

Thought for the day; Who only sees what life hasn’t  given to him, will never see what it gives to him.

Had a fantastic and spiritual afternoon and evening. I attended the vespers prayer hour, hosted by one of the nuns from the albergue, 8 of us attended, they were the Catholics , I was the heathen. We all shared our spiritual reasons for walking the Camino, very emotional for all of us. We all shared from our innermost spirit. The sharing was followed by prayers and song. Very special to have had a priest from Georgia in the group, he and the nun both said prayers for each of us, and we all prayed together. At 8pm I went to the town church to observe  evening  mass. Mass was all in Spanish , the father gave blessings , drank wine, gave more blessings, drank more wine, said a prayer, drank more wine , asked us to all greet each other, we all shook hands , and exchanged hugs and smiles, a very nice connection , the father drank more wine. The father then gave a short sermon, and had more wine. Communion was given to all the Catholics. More wine. The father then asked all the pilgrims to come to the altar to receive prayer from the father, he placed his hands on the head and made the sign of the cross on our foreheads. He asked for a show of hands what our home country was, he called every country on the planet, very impressive. The whole mass was amazing and spiritually special to me. Today we had a short 18 km walk that started at 6:30 am due to the heat forecast. By the time we arrived in Calzadilla the temp had risen to 88 degrees. The walk in the meseta, is much like walking in Nebraska, Kansas , Texas, Oklahoma. Toto we are still in Kansas. Just miles and miles of rolling plains with no shade along the way. Done walking by noon and having a beer, will be up early for a cool morning walk tomorrow. Here are a couple of photos.

The thought for the day; No event has any power over you but only who’ve you give to it.