May 4, 2015 Day 9 - Najera --> Santo Domingo. 21 K

May 4, 2015  Day 9 - Najera --> Santo Domingo  21K

Had a wonderful stay in Najera. Beautiful little hotel and awesome dinner with Steve and Leon at a restaurant that was close by. Pilgrim's menu of salad, steak and ice cream. Our waitress was especially friendly - a bright face and joyful smile. 

We left a little later since this was a shorter day. It was fairly overcast to start. Despite two consecutive good nights of rest, I felt a little tired still. My feet felt surprisingly good to start, and my legs are feeling stronger and stronger. It always amazes me how you can barely walk at the end of the day, but revive rather quickly by the time you start again the next day.

Lots of fields, and an especially good view of mountains with snow in the distance. Leon and I walked together the first part of the day and had a good talk. Donna and Steve walked behind and ended up with a young man named Patrick from Australia. Patrick is on a three month tour of Europe. Since we had the opportunity, we asked Patrick to take a picture of the four of us.

On and on we walked. We went through one fairly modern looking town that had the feel of a ghost town. Then, back out into the countryside. Steve and I met a man and his wife from San Francisco that have hiked the Pacific Coast Trail and Appalachian Trail. When I asked how the Camino compared, he told me that the AT was 10 times harder than the Camino - severe ups and downs. He acted like the Camino was a walk through the park. Steve and I just looked at each other.

The descent into Santo Domingo was absolutely stunning, and literally took my breath away. The vastness of the green fields, and the city against the horizon. I cannot describe it in a way that gives it justice, and a picture can't convey the magnitude of the vastness. 

We arrived at the monastery  / hotel run by nuns, where we were staying for the night. A beautiful clean and comfortable place. The nun that checked us in had such a beautiful smile, that I asked to take her picture. 

Since it was around 4:00 pm, of course there were no restaurants open. I went on reconnaissance to find a place to eat, and found a couple of pilgrim's menus that would be available around 7:00 pm. We didn't eat with Steve and Leon at the monetary because dinner didn't even start until 9:00 pm. Donna and I were both absolutely exhausted, and our feet hurt like crazy. Donna developed some more blisters. I began worrying whether I would be able to make the walk all the way to Belorado tomorrow. We were in bed by 9:00 pm.  

Donna - May 4, 2015 Najera --> Santo Domingo. 21 K

Kim has chided me for not holding up my part of the blog so here goes.  As you are aware from Kim's timely entries, I have gone through the trials and tribulations of blisters.  You may think you know what it is like but let me enlighten you...after nightly surgeries to drain each new bubble and then putting moleskin and tape on the next morning to prepare for the 15 to 18 mile walk for the day only to develops more blisters under the wrap, it is akin at the end of the day of having the bottom of your feet paddled until you can't walk anymore.  But of course I can't miss the opportunity of a lifetime so I take some Advil and go again.

Luckily for me I have some guardian angels helping me along the way.  Steve carried my pack in order to take some of the pounding off my feet today and Leon carried the day pack he and Steve carry (they have a service to transport their packs to their next hotel).  My darling sister has massaged my feet at some rest stops to keep me going and that is my current camino experience. 

I do manage to appreciate the magnificent fields with grapes, asparagus and other plants I don't recognize as well as an over abundance of wild flowers.  The red poppies are my favorite.

Today's trek had mountains all around with snow on top which fortunately we didn't have to go over.

Our lodging for the night in Santo Domingo is a monestary (hostel) run by nuns.  The accommodations are immaculate and once again we lucked out and got a tub - heaven.

Since dinner isn't served until 9 pm here, Kim and I went to a local bar/ restaurant to eat an early (7 pm) Pilgrim meal.

We are now ready to crash for the night in preparation of another 15 mile (short distance) leg tomorrow to Belerado.

Since I have used up all my sympathy points over the last two days, I guess it is time to heave that pack and soldier on.

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May 3, 2015 Day 8 - Logrono --> Najera 29.1 K

May 3, 2015  Day 8 - Logono --> Nejera  29.1 K

Had a somewhat sleepless night worrying about the status of Donna's feet, given that today's scheduled hike is the longest to date - 18.5 miles. Thankfully, Donna's blisters looked better, and I taped them up to give it a go. We had an outstanding breakfast - the best scrambled eggs (only second time they have been served at breakfast), and that wonderful coffee. We walked several blocks to pick up the Camino and meet Steve and Leon. 

It was quite warm and very overcast and cloudy. However, no real rain in sight. It remained this way most of the day. We walked through some lovely parks, then started a gradual incline outside the city. Steve and I spent a good part of the first hour having the best conversation about the current state of our spiritual journeys, and agreed that God engineered our meeting on the Camino as a means of confirming some of the lessons and "themes" we are going through. While I have no doubt we differ in our opinions on many issues, we are nonetheless kindred spirits of a sort. 

We took our time, stopping frequently to drink water and rest. A highlight of the day was going through the town of Navarre, with its fascinating architecture and beautiful cathedral. Steve pointed out the statue of St. Francis, since he knows I am a fan of both the real St. Francis as well as Pope Francis even though I am not Catholic.

After leaving Navarre, we headed towards Ventosa, where we stopped for lunch. Donna called and got us a room at the same hotel where Steve and Leon are staying. We were still 10 K from Najera, and Steve took over carrying Donna's backpack to give her feet a break and get us to Najera. Donna noted a big difference in her ability to walk and speeded up appreciably. We encountered a variety of terrains along the way, hiking up and down gullets filled with rocks, along highways, and out in the fields again. Became increasingly cloudy, but never rained.  True to form, my Pamplona feet started kicking in and aching about 5 K from Najera, although I will say my legs feel stronger and stronger each day. 

Everyone was getting tired at this point, and a little punchy. so, we stopped and took a selfie. 

Finally, we reached Najera. However, we still had another 15-20 minutes through town to cross the river to the section where the hotel is located. It is a really cute, very clean and comfortable hotel. We were exhausted and struggling to walk at that point. Got checked in, took a long soak in the lovely tub, and washed out some clothes for tomorrow. After a brief rest, we met Steve and Leon for dinner at the restaurant included in their package. For 9 euros we had a fabulous dinner of mixed salad, delicious grilled steak with the ever present fries, and ice cream for dessert. The meal also included choice of wine or water and bread. Our waitress was such a joyful soul, and the conversation was lighthearted and fun. A far cry from last night's "dinner."

We are all thrilled that tomorrow is a short day of only 21 K ( 13 miles). So we plan to take our time in the morning and get a little later start. Donna informed me that she has a couple of new blisters on her heels, but I think we have probably caught them early on and she will be good to go in the morning. 

Buen Camino!

May 2, 2015. Day 7 Los Arcos --> Logrono 25k

Day 7  Los Arcos --> Logrono 28.6 K

We were fortunate to get off to an earlier start because there was a restaurant that opened at 6:30 am. This was the longest distance to date - 17.8 miles - with one pretty good incline coming about 7 K into the walk. It was still dark as we walked by the beautiful cathedral. 

The first part of the walk was on a broad gravel road bordered with beautiful wildflowers and those lush green fields. I am an early morning person, and the cool calm air was wonderful. We plodded on to Sansol and climbed to Torres del Rio, small old towns with pretty ancient looking architecture. Then came a series of hills covered with grape vines, and paths along the hills. The weather was perfect. 

By the time we got to Viana, we were starting to wear down, and Donna had that "I need something to eat" look. We climbed to the main part of town and started looking for a restaurant. Found a cute bar with the Pilgrim's menu of the day. Donna had that vegetable soup/stew she is becoming addicted to, with pork loin and French fries. I had spaghetti bolognese with the pork loin. For dessert, orange gelato.  

Thus enforced, we started down the steep hill out of town and the last 10 K to Logrono.  It was quite warm, and we started hitting the wall about 5 K from Logrono. Logrono is a sizeable city, and we had booked a room ahead of time, hoping the person on the phone was telling the truth when he assured us it was not too far from the Camino.  We trudged along on our very tired legs, winding down a long hill that ended up across the street from a pretty park that indicated we had arrived in Logrono. I was taking a picture of the Logrono trail marker and getting ready to cross the street when I hear what sounds like a loud "YIP" behind Donna, who was 20 yards or so behind me at the base of the hill. When I turned around, there were Leon and Steve waving and laughing. We had not seen them since Estella, and I was right in my recollection that they had stayed at a hotel outside of Los Arcos the night before. At any rate, even though they left Los Arcos a good hour or so later than us, they had hoofed it all day to try and catch up with us in Logrono, not even stopping for lunch. Just snacked along the way. We just laughed at how surreal it was that we just happen to keep running into each other - Steve says it is divine providence. He fairly skipped the last few yards down the hill shouting, "I am now passing the baton back to you." I had loaned him one of my trekking poles a few days earlier when he was struggling with his feet. 

We crossed over the bridge into Logrono, then went to our separate hotels with the intent to meet up later for dinner. Donna and I had several blocks to negotiate to find our hotel, and at one point a young woman with what appeared to be her husband and baby out for a stroll offered to assist us - she actually spoke some English, which was like a real gift. After Donna attempted to explain we were looking for the Hotel Carlton Rioja, she smiled and said, "Just come with us - we will take you there."  More kind strangers just when you need them. 

Checked in to a beautiful hotel with a large tub for soaking. On our last legs - again. And one more complication - Donna had developed additional blisters and was in pain. We re-grouped a little and met Steve and Leon downstairs at 6:30 pm to try and find a place to eat. Somewhere that did not require much walking. No such luck. We ended eating ice cream, and Steve and Leon headed off for mass. Donna and I stopped at a local market, where she could get some of that soup/stew at the deli, and I found fresh blueberries! That was a big deal. We returned to the room with our "dinner." Donna worked on her feet and got them elevated for the night. Steve had shared some of his blister-treating techniques. We discussed the possible options for tomorrow depending on the status of her blisters. Because we have a limited amount of time, we have to get to Santiago by May 29 for the Pilgrim's mass. And we really want to walk the entire Camino, and not have to bus any sections. That essentially means we have maybe 1 rest day, which we are trying to save depending on circumstances. Which means we want to walk tomorrow. 

We turned in early again. Exhausted again. A little concerned about tomorrow. 

Donna - May 1, 2015 Estella --> Los Arcos

Donna - May 1, 2015

After a fairly restful night, our B&B hosts Pablo and Theresa provided a wonderful breakfast and predicted that it would probably rain today.  Unfortunately, they were right so we walked the majority of our way through rolling hills and fields to Los Arcos in the rain. 

We stopped for some cafe con leche halfway but never ran into the  boys on this leg.  Both of us had paploma legs coming into Los Arcos but Kim decided to check on other options beside the albergue ( most places had booked up due to May first holiday).  Kim luckily found a little pension with a private room for us and a tub.  It was a nice little treasure,

The other fortunate thing was we were able to eat after arriving which was a real blessing.  Our pilgrim menu was a mixed salad for me and spaghetti for Kim.   We both had the ham steak and the French fries that accompanies every meal.   We topped this off with an ice cream.  As if this wasn't enough we had the company of another pilgrim Marlene who is from San Francisco, 71 years old and doing the camino for the second time.  She is a therapist and gave us some of her advice for free. I hope we run into her again but she didn't plan on going as far in the morning as Kim and I were planning which is Logrona (23 km).

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May 1, 2015 - Day 6 Estella --> Los Arcos

May 1, 2015 - Day 6  Estella --> Los Arcos  21.4 K

Our host from Hotel Zadul drove us down the hill back to the Camino, where the day started with a long slow climb out of town. Cloudy skies soon gave way to intermittent rain, and the temps were on the cool side. Probably low 50's. The body felt a bit creaky, although I am still amazed at how much better I feel each morning after going to bed wondering if I will be able to walk the next day.

The road gave way to dirt/gravel paths, still ascending. Within 30 minutes or so, we reached Bodegras Irach, known for its famous wine fountain where pilgrims could fortify themselves for the day ahead. Unfortunately, the wine fountain was not functioning today, presumably because of vandals. However, we were able to fill water bottles. 

On and I we climbed, eventually entering onto paths through a forest. After a series of ups, downs and straights, we arrived at various points along the top of the mountains, which gave way to some beautiful vistas. As we continued on, the rain steadily picked up and we were getting quite wet.

We did not see or hear from Steve and Leon, so assume they were behind us since we were out a little earlier than usual. My recollection is that they were staying somewhere off Camino tonight where someone was picking them up and driving them. 

Donna indicated that she was struggling to start the day - just lacked energy in general. Her feet (blisters) seemed to be doing ok, although she was moving a little more slowly than yesterday. We stopped frequently for water. At about 11:00 am, we descended into the town of Luquin, and stopped at a nice little bar to dry out and have a cafe con leche. Also ate a few snacks for the next leg. 

We continued on, and the terrain changed again to wide walking paths bordered by huge lush green fields. There was a stunning array of wildflowers, and for several hours we walked along fairly level paths. About an hour or so after Luquin, we came around a bend in the path upon a vendor with several tents. Stopped for a break of orange juice, fresh squeezed as we watched. A real treat. 

On and on we trudged. Started thinking about "Pamplona legs" starting to set in, but, fortunately it did not get so severe before we entered Los Arcos about 2:30 pm - early by our standards. We headed for the town square, where a number of restaurants and bars were located. To our surprise and delight, there were restaurants serving Pilgrim's menus that were open throughout the afternoon - so we could get a good meal early, leaving more rest time. Although we had called ahead and confirmed there were beds at a local abergue, I parked Donna in the town square and checked for other options that might provide a private room at a reasonable rate. Found a double room in a nice little side street near the town square for a reasonable rate. We checked in and happily headed back for early dinner.

We came across a lady we briefly met yesterday on the Camino as she was saying goodbye to some Irish friends and I offered to take their pictures. Marlene was just starting her salad and invited us to join her. We spent the next hour or so with this delightful woman, who is from San Francisco. She is a 71 year old therapist, who clearly loves her work and enjoys hearing peoples' stories. And loves to laugh. Her husband is a biker, and will be meeting some biker friends in Barcelona to ride in a few weeks. Marlene plans to meet up with him in late May before they fly home together. Marlene primarily stays in the albergues along the Camino, and has had some wonderful experiences. We felt an immediate connection with Marlene, and hope to see her again at some point on the Camino.

Despite her brief mini-"relapse" , Donna seems more and more relaxed and engaged in the Camino experience. It is fun to see her smile and laugh, and enjoy meeting new friends. We seem to be settling more into a daily rhythm and Camino routine - if there is such a thing. Each day brings a new adventure or two. We can only share a bit with you. 

I am still quite tired, but hope for good nights sleep - for tomorrow we head on a longer than usual trek to Logrono. Looks like some steep inclines along the way, but at least they occur early on.

Buen Camino!

Kim

April 30, 2015 - Day 5 Puente la Reina --> Estella 22 K

April 30, 2015 - Day 5  Puente la Reina --> Estella 22 K

Slept very soundly in my loft bed, but it was quite cold when I woke. In the 40's. Got dressed and headed over to yet another wonderful meal at Hotel Jakue. We checked out and were on the road by 8:15 am, planning to meet up with Steve and Leon around 8:30 am near their hotel. However, we never saw their hotel, and crossed the ancient bridge out of town over the Argo River at about 8:30 am. So, I texted Leon to let him know, and hoped we would run across them sometime later. 

This was one of the best days. Perfect weather - sunny, blue skies with the temp reaching the low 70's. Stunning views of the lush, green fields along well-maintained paths, then interspersed with some rather steep inclines. However, what I noticed was that we seem to be turning another corner somewhat. Even though our legs are still tired, we are getting stronger on the climbs. And Donna is making the most noticeable improvement. Getting stronger and stronger. She is almost right with me most of the times on the straight and narrow paths, and getting up the hills and inclines much faster. 

We hiked through several beautiful little towns - all with very steep, narrow roads. Donna and I stopped in Cirauqui for a late morning Cafe con Leche and omelet sandwich. As we headed out of town, this Spanish gentleman kept trying to tell us something about taking a picture. He was very insistent that we not miss it, although I had no idea what he was saying. Then, there it was! Out in the distance spread across a hill was the map of the world made of tires and some sort of plants. Again, a scene from the movie as I recall - or from some other documentary I have seen. It took my breath away.

We continued on. Congratulating ourselves on how much we are improving. Not perfect, and certainly having to work hard, but staying with it and not whining too much. Up and down hills and valleys and gulches. Up and down. Another turning point - we stripped to shorts and T-shirts. Finally, around noon, we were walking through another small, ancient town, when I noticed a vending machine inside a garage and peered in - to my surprise, Steve and Leon were sitting at this little table drinking a coke. Apparently, they had passed us when we stopped to eat earlier, and we were now catching up to them again. We visited a bit about our adventures the night before, then hit the road together again for the final 10-12 K to Estella. Met a nice lady from Australia. We have also started seeing some of the same folks over and over again. In particular, there is this group of about 10 women from a South African hiking club that I have started to get to know. Neat ladies. 

Alas, at about the magic 5 mile mark from Estella, we were all struck again with a case of "Pamplona legs." Everyone gets quiet and starts shuffling. When we finally reached Estella, Donna and I had another 10-15 minutes to our B&B. And Donna started realizing that she was getting some blisters to compliment her "Pamplona legs." Add to that, we just hit the wall and were exhausted. Our B&B hosts were extremely friendly and helpful, and tried to recommend some places for dinner, all of which required "only 10 minutes or so" to walk. We retreated to our room...I started looking for places to stay the next few days, having learned that tomorrow begins a holiday weekend and there are "few rooms available in the inns.." Which might mean pilgrim albergues..which means sleeping in my clothes since I sent my sleeping bag home. It was at this point that Mom & George skyped us. We relayed how exhausted we were and how hard the Camino really is - much more difficult than the movie would lead you to believe. And Donna got some sympathy miles out of her newly forming blisters. I think Mom was a little in shock at the sight of us. She said she got a big kick out of one of my earlier comments about not feeling particularly "spiritual" - it has mostly been survival mode to this point, with some gradual improvements along the way. 

We did eventually venture out and found a neat Diner where we could get some real food. That has improved our outlook immensely. Plus, our B&B hostess is a nurse and offered to treat Donna's blisters. The kindness of strangers. This Camino experience has been a little on the ups and downs. It is weird how you will be feeling pretty good, then all of sudden you will get hit with "Pamplona legs" and exhaustion, only to be followed by a revival of sorts. Something like real life.

Tomorrow, we head over some more inclines to Los Arcos.  We plan to stay at a little albergue there. 

Before I sign off, I have to tell you the highlight of the day. About mid-afternoon, my sister beamed at me and said very sincerely, "I am so glad you got me to do this,"  

April 29, 2015 - Day 4 Pamplona --> Puente la Reina

April 29, 2015 - Day 4

Pamplona --> Puente la Reina - 23K

My body felt surprisingly good after a restful night (thanks Advil pm). Advil is the friend of all of us on this journey, with our various aches and pains. Miracle drug. 

We wandered through the streets of Pamplona, past beautiful parks and Navarre University, and headed toward Cizur Menor. A very clean and quaint looking town. From there, we started the gradual climb that would take a few hours up to the top of a ridge, Alto del Perdon, where bronze cut-out statues  are perched along the side, framed by hills of large wind turbines on either side. These statues are prominent in the movie, "The Way," and it was a high point of the Camino walk to reach this point. The long winding climb up was mostly on a dirt path, with massive fields of dense bright yellow flowers. Leon said he thought they were mustard fields. 

We all started fairly strong, except for Steve, who is struggling with his sore feet. He has a bad bunion on his right foot, and blisters that are very painful. While it helped that he sent his pack ahead to the next hotel to take off some of the weight while hiking, he started contemplating a day or two off to rest his feet. Take a taxi to the next goal town and rest. No final decision yet, will evaluate at the end of the day. 

Donna is looking stronger and stronger as she walks. I am very proud of her tenacity, and the way she has fought through the pain to a place where I can see she is starting to turn the corner physically. She has remained quite cheerful, even during the hardest challenges. I think we all are turning the corner physically, with the exception of Steve's feet. We also feel as though we are starting to trim down a bit, although I am eating a lot. Donna and I both looked at Steve the other day and commented that he looked as though he was trimming down a bit, which brought a big smile to his face. 

After leaving Alto del Perdon, we descended for what seemed like miles down steep rocky paths. After finally leveling out, we continued on and on and on..."Pamplona legs" were starting to set in again - the name we have started assigning to our feet and legs during the final 5 miles or so at the end of the day. It isn't pretty. We all start getting real quiet and shuffle a lot. At least the view was pretty. Large, lush rolling green grass fields on either side of the path. 

The Hotel Jakue was the first place we saw when we left the trail at Puente la Reina. It has one of the nicer pilgrim's albergue as well as traditional hotel rooms. I had called and booked the last hotel room available from Pamplona. The receptionist gave me this mischievous smile when I told her my name and said, "You realize that you booked the 'treehouse' don't you?" I told her all I knew was that I had booked the last room. Well, in fact, we did stay in a treehouse. Fantastic room with a rather unique bathroom, including a futuristic shower that took 10 minutes to figure out how to operate. But, very cool. A full size bed with a beautiful comforter, and a loft to climb up into - I called dibs on it. Had our own little balcony overlooking the trees and fields, and a coffee maker with half and half. I sat on the deck and sipped my first Via of the trip. Staying in the treehouse was one of those sort of surreal experiences. Randy Garmon and I have had several of those during our various bike trips. 

Before dinner, Donna and I had a foot/leg massage at the albergue. A big disappointment. Felt more like a gentle rub - like I might pet my cat - than a massage for tired, sore, aching muscles. I asked the guy several times to please use more pressure, without success. 

Hotel Jakue is also known, for good reason, for their outstanding dinner buffet. A beautiful spread of veggies, breads and desserts, with the choice of  pork or fish as the entre. Wine and coffee were included in the dinner, which cost approximately 12 euros. 

I spent an hour or so after dinner trying to work on the blog, and experiencing technical difficulties with photos. We also unsuccessfully tried to skype home. I was so frustrated that I waisted valuable rest time messing with technical stuff. I resolved that next time it appeared that wi-fi might be weak, I would immediately stop and leave it to the next day. We finally went to bed exhausted, but mostly very, very happy.

Tomorrow, it is on to Estella, another 23 K or so. I found the B&B Zakul - a little off the Camino, but hopefully not too far. Got a text from Leon & Steve - we will try to hook up on the Camino in the morning.