Monday morning in Burgos...rest days

We are now in Burgos for a few days of rest. Several days ago I began to have significant pain in my shins and my left knee which led to some swelling. On Sat. Rich and Mei Mei walked to Belorado and Richard and I took a bus and went off to a clinic to have my knee looked at. I was advised by the Dr. to stay off of it for a few days which I am doing. Yesterday (Sun) we all took a bus to Burgos and are staying in a lovely hotel which is so luxurious after days on the camino. I am taking Ibuprofeno, anti imflammatory creme on the knee and a brace (elastic) when I walk which I am doing very little of. Yesterday I stayed in while the rest went to a museum about Darwin, history of man, etc. Nearby Burgos a human was discovered of over  800,000 years old. You will have to get more details from them about this museum.

In Belorado....a cold and rainy Sunday

Typical Camino sign

snail on flower

 


Today I am feeling a bit better and I have readjusted my thinking greatly about this Camino in the last few days. I will honor my body and do what I have to do, not what I necessarily want to do. They say that the Camino gives you much to think about and this is a good lesson for me. I am learning  to lower my demands upon myself and with the help of others (especially Richard who is so supportive, caring and a caretaker) we will plan accordingly to do what we need to do. It might mean taking buses when necessary and/or having someone carry my pack once in a while, and/or walking less kilometers each day......more will be revealed!

We have already walked over 200k so feel good about our accomplishments and the lifestyle seems to suit us as we look forward each day to the new little village, albergues, friends that come and go, the little shops for food.

I will post a few more pictures to explain the last week with Rich and Mei Mei...we have seen great scenery and spent time in some very interesting places.

Always a yellow marker or a scallop shell
to mark the way.

Richard having his blisters worked on.
The spanish way of treating is to enter
a thread with a needle, through the blister
keeping the thread in for a few days to drain
the blister. At this time, they are both healed!

Yea....vegetarian Paella in Logrono

The famous street in Logrono with
all the ¨tapas¨or ¨Pincho¨ bars

another scallop to mark our route

a long fence with many crosses
placed by pilgrims into the fence

always beautiful scenery

Coming into a small village

When arriving early we all
have to place our packs in a line
and wait for the albergues to
open.

shoes always kept outside
till morning.

a mirrored window with
scenery

fields of grain and poppies

crossing the river...interesting
plant formations

2wo  Happy Ricardos

Passing a potato factory along an industrial
section of the camino....see the potatoes
coming down the chute.

Our accomodations a few days
ago...on the floor in a chapel. At
least we were early enough to
get a mat. Later folks were right
on the floor

The makings of an outdoor meal...all bought
from the simple grocery store...asparagus, beans, cheese,
tomato, apple, bread, nuts, chips, sardines

Happy Birtday breakfast for
a peregrina at the church albergue

Tonight is our last night with Rich and Mei Mei. We ate lunch at a great VEGAN restaurant here in Burgos and have found a few more places to go tomorrow. We will rest till Wed and see how things go. So, we wish Rich and MM bien viaje for Barcelona and we will stay in touch with all of you as the weeks move on. Love to all from Ricardo y Susanita

End of first week and days off in Bilbao

Our "gear"...2 backpacks, 4 poles

Fields of rape seed

We've survived our first week and have already walked 165K to Logrono where we will meet my brother Richard and Mei Mei who will walk with us for a week. It has been the most different week of our lives and so far we are enjoying it, though I will have to admit that it is not easy. The difference of walking with a backpack that weighs about 20 lbs with water and snacks makes it much different.

typical view...see windmills in the distance

We have experienced many different kinds of terrain and weather. We had rain, mud and heat....on different days. Each makes for a little slower going. I will let the pictures and captions tell the story. There are many, but I have heard from so many of you that you like the pictures best and I love them all so enjoy. The scenery is absolutely magnificent which makes walking much more fun. We have heard that this will not always be true.

at the top of a hill....sculptures mae of metal
of peregrinos or pilgrims

We take each day as it comes and I am learning to plan less and to trust that everything will always work out OK. The saying goes...."the Camino will provide" and this seems to be true everyday.

Richard has had two blisters on the back of his feet due to poorly fitting socks and I had a few days of sore shins...I guess from backpack and long walking. I had a very wierd accident one night...probably the first on the camino. I was reaching for my light which I had in my shoe in a room of just the two of us and the next thing I knew I was head first hitting my head on the tiled floor. I scraped both of my hands and have a big bump on my head and had one day of very sore neck but am fine to tell the story. I was so scared when it happened realizing how bad the story could have been so I thanked the powers that are for my luck. I was knotted up in my silk sleep sheet and sleeping bag. My lesson is to use either one or the other. They are both so slippery and I guess I just slide out of bed. Thankfully I was on the bottom bunk. I have a pretty strong rule and this is that I will stay anywhere as long as I am in the bottom bunk. No top for me. The other day we were in a hostal with 3 tiers!

In one of the many small villages

Puenta la Reina - early in the morning

fields of poppies dot the landscape

View of a village ahead. Typical scene

Snails walking the same pace as this pilgrim

Little alters everywhere. Not sure why the
shoe was left. Probably a tired pilgrim

Now we are in wine country

A bit about the food....Spain is no place for vegans or vegetarians. I am keeping note of what we are eating so that I can write about it for the veg world....so far so good as long as we find albergues with kitchens. I have cooked quite a few nights and I take a few leftovers for lunch or eat nuts and loads of fruit. It is easy to buy fresh fruit and vegetables in each of the small villages but the restaurants do not seem to like to cook them!

me eating a baggie of lentils from the night before

Sandwich made by pilgrims we passed on the  way

my feet and the mud

A fountain with wine for all pilgrims

Our room of 5 one night

Early morning leaving Villamajor de Monjardin

the moon in the morning

I am always by my side

I  was who you are, you will be what I am...
a sign outside a cemetery

Friends relaxing in Viana

Mary Magdalene in Viana

old marker for the Camino

Casco Viejo - old part of Bilbao

We traveled on Saturday from Logrono to Bilbao after walking 10k early in the morning. This is an incredibly beautiful city which has become very well known for the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank O.Gehry. It is very hard to capture the city in pictures but you will see some of the many that I have taken.
We also visited a Basque history museum and the Bellas Artes Art Museum. Many for one day but since we are only here for a short time we do not want to miss these great museums.

The city is very lively this Sunday as everyday in Spain. All the big and small places, however, close up for siesta everyday from 2 to 4 or 5 and then reopen again in the evening.

Sunday morning in Bilbao

Walking bridge in Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum

Outside the Guggenheim

So friends, I look forward to telling you more as we travel together with Rich and Mei Mei. Hope all are well and we love hearing from you and will carry you with us on our travels. Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers and children. We miss our mothers on this special day and every day.

Buen Camino

In Boston ready to leave for the airport

Our Camino has begun. We arrived in Spain on Wednesday and took a train to Pamplona for the first night. So far Spain is beautiful and the people are very friendly. It is a little hard to understand their spanish when they speak quickly but we are getting more used to it each day. Then we took a cab to Roncesvalles on Thursday and began walking a short way that day to get the ¨feel¨of the Camino.

At the beginning...from Roncesvalles only 790 K (a little under 500 miles)

I will write a few thoughts of travels along the way. Mostly I am writing so that I remember what we have done as each place becomes a memory as we enter the new town, alberque, day. The pictures will give you all a feel of what we are doing and more will come for sure.

Before I go too far...I want to thank a few very important people who have helped to get us to this spot. First there is Carolyn Patten who came up, along with me, of this idea to do the Camino several years ago. Then our friends in SMA; Meredith and Jerry helped us plan as they did it 2 years ago. They were instrumental in our training and packing as well as purchasing items. As far as physical strength and stamina...thanks go to Jill Gottlieb who helped both of us to train while we were in SMA and Mari Osa who gave me private pilates classes. (I am trying to power from my core). I am sure this training helped but I must admit after 3 days we do have some sore spots!  Rosey and Allan lent us their walking poles which seem to be very important as well to save our knees and our strength. Andrea spent several days walking with us in SMA.  Lastly...thanks go to ALL of you for being so supportive of our plans and to listening to us endlessly as we planned this trip. We are carrying all of you with us along the trip in our hearts.

One of the many beautiful scenes along the way

Pamplona...where we arrived and then where
we are now, Satuday after walking here

Hostal Hemingway - in Pamplona

Little village along the way

Hostal for our first night

• Planning was important but living in the moment is even more important. We are never really sure what the day will bring and are staying open to the Camino providing whatever we need.
• Got our credentials (like a National Park passport book) and we get a stamp at every hostal or alberque that we stay at. If you know me well, you know that this is a very important moment each day.
• Trying to learn the Lord´s prayer in Spanish as well as the new version of this prayer sent to me by my sister, Nancy.
• Beautiful lilacs along the camino make me happy.
• Fun to talk on skype....we have wifi in most places. Our iTouch is very important to us.
• A new German lady that we met  calls me ¨Frau Vogel¨
• Met a woman who has already walked 9 weeks from Holland and will go to Santiago. Her husband died in 2010 and she is carrying him with her.
• An angel peregrino Derek seems to appear and give us advice when we need it. We did not see him today, though. People go at their own pace so sometimes are behind and sometimes ahead.
• Sleeping with others has ups and downs....great camraderie but also a concert of snoring and other rustling at night. The older ones (us) get us early and the young ones like to sleep a bit later, but also come in later at night. We have not stayed at any big alberques yet. We will, but not sure when or where.

amazing scenery every almost every step

muddy shoes at Alberque in Zubiri

today along the river

The Scallop shell denotes that we
are pilgrims (peregrinos)

Pizza after walking many kilometers.
I will talk about the food at another date

So, that is enough for our first few days. We will keep you posted. If you have any particular questions, please email me. Thanks for ¨walking¨ with us in spirit. Love from the two of us.

The sign for the camino - always
appears when a choice for walking
needs to be made.

Sometimes the villages are visible from afar