Day 15: Ledigos - Bercianos De Real Camino

Easter Saturday

Via TERRADILLOS DE LOS TEMPLARIOS, MORATINOS, SAN NICOLA'S DEL REAL CAMINO, SAHAGUN, CALZADA DEL COTO

Approx 27km

Today I hit the road alone. Completely alone.
I decided it was absolutely time for my solo journey to start, and I picked a good day to do it!

It was a nice day, and despite having quite a few vinos the night before, I woke up ready and raring to get going. To start the day I walked 16.5 km to Sahagun, where I stopped at about 11.30 for a coffee, an early lunch of an amazing bacon and cheese bocadilla, and a sneaky glass of red - all for under 5 euro. What a country. What a life! I relaxed at my outdoor table for a while and then decided it was time to get going again before I got too comfortable and stayed all night.

As I was leaving the city, I was stopped by a very old man, who chatted away madly to me in Spanish. He kept pointing to me and saying 'Italian'. I kept saying 'Australian', but he had decided that I was Italian. He kept pointing in the direction of the Camino - giving me directions (in the direction I was already headed). He blessed me, crossed himself and then waved me off. Very nice!

The afternoon stretch was tougher, with my feet deciding to cease up on me about an hour in. But, with the aid of a lot of breaks, I made it to my destination, Bercianos de real Camino by about 3pm. It wasn't the most scenic of routes today - the beginning of the horrible 'mesita'. The highlight was a field of yellow flowers (which were more than likely weeds). I was so excited to see colour that I must have stayed there for an hour smiling like a special kid at them.

At one point when I was giving my poor little feet a bit of a rest, I sat down by the side of the road and was having a nice little daydream, when a car pulled up next to me and honked. The driver was pointing to the back seat and laughing. The second time I've been 'accosted' by a Spanish driver who thinks it's funny to offer Pilgrims a lift between towns!

I came across a grave with a headstone on the side of the road a bit later. It was for a Pilgrim who had died on that spot in 1998. The grave is at least the 5th that I've come across since the start of the walk, and the dates are all relatively recent. Apparently on average, 4 Pilgrims will die on the Camino each year. So far on my journey there has been one - a girl died crossing the Pyranees about the time I started the walk. 4 of my friends have had to go to the hospital so far, Makes it all seem a bit scary really - it's certainly not just a stroll in the park...

The reason I chose to walk to Bercianos is because the Albergue had a communal meal and church service, and seeing as it is Easter I thought it would be really nice to try and capture the 'family' environment. The welcome I recieved on my arrival brought tears to my eyes. The lady, Suelee, from Mexico, was so sweet and friendly and greeted me with a huge cuddle and even bought me a cup of tea! I was really looking forward to meeting some new people. The 3 singers from a few days before hand were there and they were really happy to see me!

After having a shower and rest, I decided to explore town (ok, look for a bar..). I walked into the first bar I came across, sat down and ordered a beer, before looking around and realising I was the only female in a very crowded bar, and everyone had stopped their conversations and were staring at me. Akward!! There were a lot of groups of old men sitting around and playing dominos - it was a very surreal moment! I finished my beer very quickly and found another bar, with my Amigos, Jaoquin, Fernando and JuanJose sitting in it! I was happy to see them. They are Spanish, all teachers who have been walking over the school holidays, so it was their last day on the road. They have all been so friendly to me - (I remember being in a bar one day trying to order lunch to a horrible woman who was misunderstanding me on purpose, and I was so frustrated because I couldn't get my point across, when over my shoulder a man shouted at her in Spanish and she hurried off to get my order - It was Fernando, so he's been a bit of a favourite ever since!).


After a few drinks, I headed back to the Albergue to do some sun worshipping! I had a lovely hour or so hanging out in the sun, stretching and meditating before dinner. The communal dinner was lovely, and I was so lucky that there was a really special group of people staying. The prayer session was after dinner and was very nice - no open flames this time to my relief! I've already blogged about this bit, so if you want to read the prayer from this session, go to: http://whatkindofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/04/like-prayer.html.

Songs of the Camino - Part II

Ani DiFranco.

This woman has been there with me for almost every situation in my life since I was 15 years old. I can relate a song to just about anything that happens to me, and every day on the Camino I had a 'DiFranco moment'.

Her lyrical abilities leave me breathless at times....

Her poetry is lyrical. Her lyrics are like poems. She is an outstanding woman with passionate views of important issues. She is my number one on my list of 3 people 'dead or alive who I would invite to a dinner party'. Love her!

Here's a few 'snippits' of her, as written in my diary on Day 15 of my Camino:

"One day you might find you are hungry, and all of those words you just said"

32 Flavours.

"You are a china shop, and I am a bull. You are really good food, and I am full"

You Had Time.

"You are a party, and I am a school night. I'm looking for my door key, but you are my porch light"

School Night.

On the Road

My book of choice for the Camino De Santiago was "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac.



I had been told about this book by someone who made a very brief, yet lingering impression on my life...who taught me many lessons about life - and how we should, or probably more appropriately, shouldn't, live our lives.....

Anyway, the passion this person had for the story of the life-altering journey of young Karouac always sparked my curiosity - and what better story to read as a young person embarking on what would be my life-altering journey?

My copy of "On The Road" was a given to me as a gift from Lucy Mann - the day before I left for Spain. I read it every day of my journey and it really spoke to me. It was written in 1951, and is a largely autobiographical tale that is based on a serious of road trips across America. The story is considered as defining work of the Beat Generation, and much of it was inspired by jazz, poetry, and drugs.

Karouac's style of writing ('spontaneous prose') is different to anything I've ever read, and I can understand why this novel is so important to so many people.

Highly recommended - especially if you're having a 'what the f@#k am I doing with my life' kind of time!

"the most beautifully executed, the clearest and most important utterance" of Kerouac's generation - New York Times.

Day 15: Carrion De Los Condes - Ledigos

Good Friday

Via CALZADILLA DE LA CUEZA

Approx 24km.

An average start to the day, but things picked up about 17.5 km in! The road from Carrion to Calzadilla was long and straight, and I passed nothing for about 4 hours! The road was muddy and rocky and really started to hurt my feet about 10km in, so I wasn't sure how far I would be able to continue today.

I stopped for coffee in Calzadilla with Hermann and Otmar, and contemplated stopping there for the night, but the coffee fortified me and I was ready to power on! I think they might have slipped something into the drink, because I took off like I had rockets attached to my feet. I had just started walking when it started to hail - Day 15 and finally some bad weather!

I loved it! I put on my poncho and kept going. The wind was insane and freezing and I have never felt more alive in my life. I left Hermann and Otmar for dead and had showered and rested by the time they arrived in the Albergue! It was absolutely freezing in Ledigos, and I found out that the town is 863m above sea level, so no wonder.

Hermann, Otmar and I went to Good Friday Mass in the evening at the town cathedral, and following the service we enjoyed a very special meal together. We had planned to spend the night with each other, as I began my solo journey the next day, leaving them behind. Unfortunately, this evening was to be the last time I ever saw Hermann. I had arranged to meet Otmar again in Santiago, but more about that later..

I really enjoyed the last few days that I spent with these men.Their lack of English and my terrible German have given us some incredibly funny times. I will definately be an awesome addition to any game of charades!

Day 14: Fromista - Carrion De Los Condes

Maundy Thursday

Via POBLACION DE CAMPOS, REVENGA, VILLARMENTERO DE CAMPOS, VILLACA'ZAR DE SIRGA

Approx 20 km

Not a very long walk today, and I got to my destination at about 1pm, which was very early!


It was not the most scenic of days, mainly walking next to a main road on a dirt path. It was dusty and windy and was a case of head down and power on! I had one little stop for coffee early on at an Albergue, which was very nice - seats out in the sunshine and Gregorian chants playing. There were 2 very cute dogs who were enjoying all the attention being paid to them!


I stayed in a Monestry (Santa Clara) in Carrion De Los Condes, which was very spooky! The bedroom door kept opening by itself, which gave me the creeps, because it was a very heavy door! I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that the place was haunted - it was built in the 1200s! For the history buffs out there, Carrion is reputed to be the place where the Moorish Underlords required the Christains to surrender 100 Virgins every year - how intense is that?!



I spent the afternoon doing some washing with a lovely Korean girl called Jong Hee. At one point, she looked down at my feet and gasped in horror (I'm still not sure why she was so horrified. Sure, they were swollen and covered in rashes and had a few blisters, but otherwise they looked reasonably normal!). Anyway, she pushed me down onto a chair and squatted down to look at them, banging them with her fists and threading her fingers through my toes - she kept asking if my feet were 'sick'! Bless her. I'm not sure what the problem was but it was unreal to get a foot massage!!!

After that I sat in the last slivers of afternoon sunshine soaking my feet in freezing cold water that my friend Jon got from a spring in San Bol. The water is supposed to have healing qualities - once you dip your feet in the water you have no more problems with blisters and aches. (In case you're wondering, my feet continued to get blisters and aches for the next 20 days).

After dinner, I headed into town to watch the Maundy Thursday Parade, which was certainly different to the parades back home! It was a very sombre affair with dirge-like music and serious looking men carrying huge statues of Jesus and The Virgin Mary. Crowds of people followed the procession, and I get swept up in the frenzy of people. Little Spanish Nannas were out in droves, wearing furs and pushing me out of their way! I don't think they approved of my going out outfit (thongs and trackies), judging from a few of the looks I got!!



*In an aside, I came across two Spanish women today who were walking the Camino. They really stood out to me, because where the rest of us are filthy and smelly, and carrying 10kg+ on our backs, they had on tiny little fashionable backpacks, actual wooden walking sticks (usually used by the elderly), highly fashionable clothing - and - they had their HAIR AND MAKE UP DONE!!!! And when they walked past me ......I ....smelt....perfume!!!!!! It reminded me of when I was in Burgos. Stefi and I were sitting on the church steps in our 'best' clothes (Trackies that were in desperate need of a wash and thongs...not to forget the burnt jacket I was still sporting). All these stunning women were walking past in dresses and heels, immaculate makeup and hair etc. Stefi and I were staring at them wistfully and sniffing after them.... "Did you smell her"? "Oh my god, she smelt soooo good"..... Oh, the envy!

Anyway, I was thinking about these women for a while, and then I realised that today is the official start of the Easter celebrations in Spain, and as such, a lot of Spanish 'daytrippers' will be on the road for the next week or so. They tend to walk a few days of the Camino each year, starting where they left off the previous year. A lot of them pay to have their backpacks transported from town to town so they don't have to carry them. I guess it makes the Camino a bit more 'holiday' like for them!

Day 13: Castrojeriz - Fromista

Via HOSPITAL DE SAN NICOLAS / ITERO DEL CASTILLA, ITERO DE LA VEGA and BODILLA DEL CAMINO

Approx 25.5km

Another lovely day wandering along by myself - after I got to the top of the HUGE mountain I had to climb this morning! It was something like 400m on a steep incline and was just a bit tough. I was sweating and huffing and puffing my way to the top, but the view was amazing and worth it! It certainly woke me up!




It was an 11km walk to the first coffee shop, and I was very happy to see the cafe and my friends sitting in front of it! It was a stunning day, so having a pit stop soaking in the vitamin d was amazing. After the break, I set off again, headphones in, enjoying my music and the gorgeous day. After about an hour, I found myself a spot in the shade of a tree and waited for my Da to call me. We had a nice short chat, and then I was on my way towards Fromista!

My favourite part of the day was in the early afternoon. I came across some bales of hay and decided to sit on them and have my lunch. My shoes came off and I settled in for the afternoon, reading my book and eating cheese on crackers. It was pretty difficult to get going again after that and I shuffled the remaining 5km or so to Fromista. My feet were very happy to see the Albergue.



I spent the evening sitting in the sun in the back garden of the Albergue with a bottle of vino tinto when three French men (fellow pilgrims) sat down next to me and started singing harmonies - it was amazing!

Day 12: Hornillos Del Camino - Castrojeriz

Via ARROYO DE SAN BOL, HONTANIS, RUINS OF THE CONVENT OF SAN ANTON

Approx 20km

I had a lovely day today. I spent most of it alone and wandered along at my own pace, daydreaming and enjoying the sunshine and wind on my face. The morning was cold and dreery, and began with an uphill struggle, so I was a very happy girl when I saw the sun poking it's head out and a bar 10km in - vitamin d and coffee to warm my cold bones!! A few of my friends were in the bar, so I settled in for a chat. An hour later I was on my merry way again. I had my music playing and trotted along lost in my thoughts.


I walked through the Ruins of the Convent of San Anton, which must have been amazing in its day. The monks here specialised in treating Pilgrims who suffered from San Antonys Fire - a form on Gangrene. Mmmmmmm.


Not far past San Anton, I was looking for a spot to sit in the sunshine when a car pulled up next to me, horn blaring madly. I looked over and saw that the driver was pointing to his back seat and laughing hysterically. He thought it was a funny joke, offering a pilgrim a lift into town! I ended up sitting in the middle of a paddock for a while, and I could see Castrojeriz from where I was. It's a stunning town - wrapped around a mountain and there is the ruin of an 11C castle sitting on the very top of the mountain. Rumor has it that Julius Caesar founded the town, and it is very strong in it's Roman influence.


I wandered into town and found somewhere to stay, and then headed to the bar, which was my favourite bar of the whole journey. As I walked in, the first thing I saw was a dog and cat sleeping on a bench:


The owner was so friendly, and I really enjoyed my afternoon there with my friends.

Day 11: Burgos - Hornillos Del Camino

Via VILLABILLA, TARDAJOS and RABE DE LAS CALZADAS.

Approx 20km

I had a very late start today, because I had to do some serious shopping and the shops didn't open until 10am. Burgos was the first town that was big enough to have clothing shops, so up until this point I had been wearing my burnt out jacket (which still smelt fetchingly like burnt plastic). A few of the others waited with me, either because they had some things to get, or because they didn't want to walk off alone.

The shop that I had my eye on to buy my new jacket from was supposed to open at 10, but didn't actually open until 10.30, much to my annoyance! Considering I would usually be 2.5 - 3 hours into my walk by this point, it was incredibly frustrating! However, open it did, and new jacket I bought...Good times!

Not much else to say about the day today. Because we started so late the day seemed never ending! I walked with Stefi from Germany and Ronnie from Rome, and we stopped every km or so to lean against a wall and complain! At least I was in good company! When we were walking through Rabe De Las Calzadas, a group of nuns stopped us and the Mother Superior started speaking to Ronnie and asked where we were from. When he told them I was Australian, another nun began translating in English, which was very kind. They told us that they would pray for us on our journey and asked that we pray for them when we arrived in Santiago. They were so pleased to see us making the journey!

At the Albergue, I met the first absolutely horrible person on the Camino, a woman who took an instant dislike to me and spent all her energy in the evening trying to befriend my friends and ostracise me. A good lesson to learn - not everyone will like you, and if they don't it is their problem, not yours. True, brother, true.

Day 10: Atapuerca - Burgos

PALM SUNDAY
Via OLMOS DE ATAPUERCA, VILLALVAL, CARDENVELA, ORBANEJA and VILLAFRIA.

Approx 19.5km

I was the last one to leave the Albergue this morning, even though I was up early and left by 7.30am, so I was destined to start my day alone!

The track this morning started out walking up a mountain for a couple of hours - I just kept walking higher and higher until I got to an altitude of 1081m above sea level. I was actually walking in the clouds, and it was very surreal and spooky! I was completely alone and couldn't even see my hand when I held it out in front of my face!

I had started the day in a pretty bad mood and really didn't want to continue on. I think I stopped every 10m or so to have a sook! Everything was hurting by this point and I just had no energy. I stopped in the first small village I came across to try and find breakfast, but being a Sunday, everything was closed. I spent some time sitting on a bench talking to the town cat, when I looked up and saw some people in the distance. I could have cried, I was so happy to see someone! I was even happier to see it was my old friends Hermann and Otmar. I waited for them and my day improved by miles! We found a shop that was open and had some coffee and bocadillas. Fueled up, we headed into Burgos.

It was a hike, with the final 2 hours spent walking along a highway, which wasn't very picturesque and my feet and achilles were killing me! I was proud of myself for walking though, as many pilgrims decided to catch a bus for this part of the Camino (because it is so ugly and long).

Once we arrived into Burgos, we were stopped by the Palm Sunday procession which everyone had stopped to watch.



The rest of the gang were at the Albergue, and I was so happy to see them all. We had a great afternoon sitting in a cafe in the sunshine and enjoying our afternoon off.



We all arranged to meet at the Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral that evening, which was quite special and soothing even if I couldn't understand a word of it! I just stood and sat when everyone else did! After the Mass, Otmar pulled me aside and gave me a crucifix that had been blessed by the Pope. I was shocked as it was a very special gift to be given and obviously the token has a lot of meaning to Otmar. I was very touched that he chose to bestow this gift upon me. He is such a kind and special man.

After Mass the group headed out for dinner together - our last meal together until we arrived in Santiago, as a few wanted to walk faster and some needed to slow down. We ended up at an all you can eat buffet - hardly the special meal I had expected, but the men were stoked as I'm sure you could imagine!

Hermann and Otmar were fabulous company today and I really enjoyed walking with them. Hermann doesn't speak english, so he asked someone to translate to me that he thinks I'm the best lady he's met on the Camino - bless!! He is 69 years old and walking the Camino to give thanks that he worked for 50 years without ever chucking a sickie! Otmar gave me a cap with a bottle opener on the brim - he had written Camino De Santiago 2009 on it! Funny, but I don't understand why they think I'm such an alcoholic!!

Day 9: Villambista - Atapuerca

Via ESPINOSA DEL CAMINO, VILLAFRANCA MONTES DE OCA, SAN JUAN DE ORTEGA and AGE'S
Approx 24km

Today started out nicely, having breakfast with the rest of the gang from last night - feasting on freshly baked croissants, juice and coffee. I set off alone after breakfast and spent most of the day by myself. Most of the path today was through a forest with a very long and steep incline, which wasn't very fun first thing in the morning! However, I made it, every painful step of the way. At this stage, blisters are appearing on top of blisters!




It was a nice enough wander I suppose, although for much of the day I felt like I could really throw the towel in and head for civilisation with a hot bath, clean clothes, moisturiser and a cuddle!!

I stopped for my lunch in the middle of the forest on a nice elevated bit of moss. It was so quite and eerie, I went from being relaxed to being petrified and back again in a matter of minutes!! Apparently the forest was once a haven for theives, and I can completely understand why! Plenty of places to hide and no one around for miles!

When I made it through the forest, the next town was full of my 'amigos' sitting in the sun outside a bar. I was happy to join them for a much needed cold drink and soaked in the sunshine for an hour or so before heading off again.

The rest of the gang were headed to Age's tonight, and I decided to walked a further 2.5km to the next town on, Atapuerca. I felt that I needed to seperate myself from the group and have some time concentrating on my thoughts - although once I got there I felt pretty lonely!



I was a bit cranky and out of sorts today, with silly things getting my nose bent out of shape - like, someone was in the shower when I wanted one. Dumb! I was very much cheered up later on when I went outside to sit in the last of the evening sunshine and saw a tiny little puppy chained up in the yard. He belonged to the girl running the Albergue and she told me he was a baby - only 4 months old! I sat down and played with him for at least half an hour. He cuddled up to me in my lap and it was just what I needed to put the smile back on my dial. So, so cute, and the absolute highlight of my day.

Atapuerca's claim to fame is a site not far from town where the oldest human remains in Europe have been found - from what I could understand they are from the Neolythic period. A group of people from the Albergue were going on a tour bus to see it and invited me along. I was all set to go when I discovered that the tour was only in Spanish and I wouldn't be able to understand anything, so I gave it a miss, and regretted it later when I saw the photos!

There were only 6 of us staying in the Albergue tonight, and I was at a bit of a loose end about what to do for dinner, when the rest of them invited me out with them to the local restaurant. The group consisted of me - the only girl and an Italian man, a Spanish man, a French man, a German man and a Spanish man who lives in Germany. It was a joyous meal with so many languages flying around and lots of smiles and kindness. I was especially taken with Jose, the Spanish/German. He sat next to me and we spoke in a variety of broken german, broken english and some help from translators! He seemed like a very special man, who made sure I had enough wine and food and was involved in the conversation the whole time. He blew me a kiss on my way to bed, which was just so sweet. He finished his journey the following day, so I wasn't to see him again much to my dismay.

Songs of the Camino - Part I

On the Camino, my headphones were never far away and I spent a lot of time reflecting on the music and artists who inspire and speak to me - Dylan, Cohen, DiFranco.

A fews songs were incredibly relevant to where I was and the journey that I was undertaking, so I'll throw them in as they came up on the journey. Song number one belongs to Western Australian folk rockers, The Waifs....

Take It In

- The Waifs

Take it in,

Take it all in.

'Cause now is a time that will not come again

Take it in,

Take it all in.

'Cause there are the days and they're here for the living.....

Day 8: Granon - Villambista

Via REDECILLA DEL CAMINO, CASTILDELGADO, VILORIA DE LA RIOLO, VILLAMAYOR DEL RIO, BELORADO and TOSANTOS

Approx 24km

After the excitement of last night, today was supposed to be a day for reflection and contemplation, so I left Cathy in Castildelgado and sat off on my merry little way alone. I put in my headphones, and that was the end of any serious contemplation! I spent the next few hours powering along, singing at the top of my lungs, and being a happy little vegemite!


I had my lunch on a park bench next to a path where a lot of elderly couple were walking. It was really sweet watching them all walk along, little and bent, hand in hand. Every single one of them stopped to chat to me, which was lovely and hard because I still can't speak much Spanish!

It was a very long day, as I was planning on stopping in Tosantos, but when I got to the Albergue, I was met at the door by a man who couldn't speak english and had to take me inside to show me that there was no bathroom, kitchen, or running water!

With my feet about to fall off, I trudged the 2km to Villambista, hoping that the Albergue there would be open. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a bar/Albergue run by a kind, lovely man with a gorgeous dog who poured me a much needed, gigantic beer! A little old man was sitting in the bar and he laughed and told me that he didn't believe that I could drink the whole thing! I told him "I'm Australian, Easy!". He laughed, but didn't stick around long enough for me to prove him wrong!

Eventually, a group of my friends turned up, and we had a really lovely night together, having a few beers in the evening sunshine, followed by a group dinner. The town had a population of about 20, all of whom were in the bar, because it was Friday night, so it was good times for us! I had an especially pleasing moment before dinner when we were all sitting out on a verandah in the beautiful sunshine, stretching out the days aches and having a bit of meditation time/sun worship while I listened to my fellow peregrinos chatting. It was so soothing and relaxing after the long day. Bliss.

Day 7: Azofra - Granon

Via CIRUENA, SANTO DOMINGO DE LA CALZADA

Approx 20.5km

Today was a complete mixed bag of emotions.

I woke up feeling better than I have in days and spent the day walking at a good steady pace, however, in the evening things got on top of me and I was an absolute wreck!

I had heard that the Camino can release all kinds of emotions, but I didn't really think it would apply to me, because there was nothing wrong with my life in the first place! But I guess the first week of walking and being sick just took it all out of me, and I really lost it spectacularly tonight!!

Where to start, where to start...

Well, it was a lovely day and as usual, I set out with Cathy. We were really looking forward to getting to Santo Domingo to see the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which houses the 12C tomb of Santo Domingo. The church also houses a Gothic-style cage containing a cock and a hen. This commemorates a remarkable miracle attributed to the saint:.

A young man traveling to Santiago with his parents was wrongly accused of theft
and was hanged; but when his sorrowing parents returned from their pilgrimage
they found him still alive on the gallows. They hastened to the local judge, who
was at dinner, with a roast cock and hen on the table before him. He refused to
believe that the boy was still alive, declaring that he would as soon believe
that the cock and hen were alive: whereupon the birds jumped up from the dish
and crowed. The boy was returned to his parents, and since then a cock and hen
have been kept in the Cathedral to commemorate the miracle.

Of course, when we got to the Cathedral, it was closed for renovations (that day only!) We were told 'manana manana' - come back tomrrow - A bit hard when you're walking away from the place!

On we trecked to Granon. I was very excited to stay in this articular Albergue, because it was in the bell tower of a church - how cool is that! I snuck up into the actual tower with Ronnie, a fellow pilgrim and we rang the bell - and then got yelled at by an old local man on the street! We scampered back down like naughty children.


There was a lovely open fireplace, and a communal dinner for all 21 pilgrims staying there.



After dinner, everyone stayed in the room and chatted, while a monk with dreadlocks played songs by The Doors on the guitar - only on the camino!!!


A little later in the evening, the lady who ran the Albergue announced that there would be a prayer session in the chapel. As I was getting more and more emotional as the evening progressed, I decided that a prayer session was just what the doctor ordered, so off I went. We were sitting in pews around the wall which had arm rests with tea candles on them. The session was incredibly touching and I quietly sobbed my way through it - I just couldn't stop crying! After the session was over, the lady asked that we all stand up and hold hands, and say something nice to the person next to us. I stumbled and backed into a candle, and my jacket went up in flames! Thank God for the quick thinking people around me who pulled it off me. Everything I was wearing was quick dry and made from synthetic materials, so I could have been in a lot of trouble! Needless to say, I got more upset, and scampered down the stair as quickly as I could!


I woke up the following morning and went down to breakfast to find that my fellow peregrinos had taken up a collection so that I could buy a new jacket. So touching. Another example of how special and amazing the people I met on my journey were.

Day 6: Navarette - Azofra

Via VENTOSA and NAJERA
Approx 21.5 km (into the wind alllll day long)

I was still feeling horribly sick today, so it was another day full of struggles! Thank goodness for a great night's sleep last night and good people to walk with!

Cathy, Harry, Stefan and I set out together again and slogged it out for the first 7km to Ventosa, where we had our first coffee pit stop - I really enjoyed the coffee breaks at the first town of the day - really made it more bearable to get going!




When we got to Najera, I was dying for the loo, so I went into a bar and asked the lady in my very bad, minimal Spanish if I could please use the Banos (toilet). Well, apparently this was a problem, judging from her rapid shouting and 'bugger off' hand gestures! I got out of there in a hurry, still busting and by now, a bit upset! I think Najera must be a place where cranky people decide to live, because my encounters with other people in this town was on par - was happy to see it getting smaller and smaller behind me!!

Cathy and I finally had a nice experience at lunch time when we had our picnic spread out and were joined by a whole gang of local dogs - they were adorable, timid 'lil things!

Apart from that, it was an uneventful day walking through vineyards, laced with the random Billy Joel songs that were stuck in my head. The afternoon was looooong and I was very happy to see Azofra and the Albergue (which had double rooms - the only one on the Camino, so Cathy and I were lucky to have a room to ourselves tonight).

Oh, the horror.....

It was something that concerned me.

I lay awake at night time trying to figure it out.

I talked to other people about it, but they could cast no light on it.

What am I talking about?

The Mullet.

That's right...Those wacky Spanish men loooove their mullets.

Yep, the good old 'business in the front, party at the back', made popular in the 80's by cringe worthy musos and sports stars.

Someone described the style as a combination of Guido and the Redneck..... quite the fitting description, no?

Apparently, it's cool to wear this tragic haircut in Spain - the Spanish men think it makes them look 'hip' and judging from the varieties I saw, noone is telling them otherwise - braided rats tails, dreadlocks, flattops, urgh......

Obviously Spain hasn't heard the news.....mullets just aren't awesome...

Oh, fashion forward Spanish men, please, please, please - it's time to ditch the mullets chickos!!!

Or God help us, this is what we may be in for......

Or even worse!

Day 5: Viana - Navarette

Via LONGRONO

Approx 22km

Today was a real struggle. I had come down with the symptoms of a cold the night before and after feeling generally ok throughout the morning, I was hit fairly hard at about 1pm with a killer sore throat and heavy chest. Every breath felt like razors were being dragged down my neck. Thank God for small mercies, it was an easy, flat walk!

I spent the day walking with Cathy, Stefan and Harry. It was 9km to Logrono and once there, we found a lovely coffee shop where we proceeded to sit for over an hour drinking coffee and eating pasteries, all the while trying to summon up the energy to keep going!



Coming into Longrono, there is a famous 'stamp point' where an old lady used to sit all day, waiting for Pilgrims to walk past so that she could stamp their credencials. She did this until she died in 2002, aged 92. Legend has it that her daughter now does it in her memory, but when we walked past there was only a table with a stamp on it for us to do ourselves, which was a bit disappointing! There were so many cute, yet mangy dogs there who were chained up and desperate for a cuddle, but I just couldn't bring myself to touch the poor things!!

While we were in Logrono I went to the chemist to get something for my worsening cold...well, what an experience! I don't speak ANY Spanish! I had looked up in my phrase book how to say I had a cold ('constipada' for those playing at home), but that was it! The lady in the farmacia showed me some tablets that looked like the go, but when I went to pay her, she slipped the packet under the counter and proceeded to serve the next 6 people who walked in. I couldn't understand why, and when I tried to ask her, I realised that she had been waiting for someone who spoke English to come in and translate how many times a day I needed to take the tablets! She finally got her point across after some quality charades, and I left, tablets in hand and head completely fuddled!


The afternoon was a HUGE effort and just got harder as my throat hurt more and more. For the first time (but not the last) I felt like this was all too hard. I spent the afternoon walking in silence, praying to see the town of Navarette, and when we finally got there we were greeted by the news that the Albergue wasn't open. Argh! Luckily, my friends from the night before had charged on ahead and had booked us beds at a private Albergue. It was a bit more expensive but completely worth it for the hot shower and comfortable bed!

Cathy made me chicken noodle soup for dinner while I had a nanna nap. She's completely wonderful and I love her!

* Another strange thing I have noticed is that every single town we have walked through over the past couple of days looks like there has been a 'gas attack' (thanks to Cathy for the fitting description) - they are complete ghost towns and there is never a soul to be seen, whether or not it is siesta time....Very eerie!

* During the afternoon we walked alongside a fence that had a memorial to all the Pilgrims who had lost their lives on the Camino. For the next km or so, other Pilgrims had added their own crosses in tribute. It was a nice touch, but actually reminded me of the Blair Witch Project, and gave me the heebie jeebies a bit.

Quote of the Day

This was written in the visitors book at the Albergue in Viana:

"What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what
lie within us"

Day 4: Los Arcos - Viana

Via SANSOL and TORRES DEL RIO
Approx 18km

Another fabulous day, starting with a scrumptious breakfast of fresh grainy bread and jam with lots of coffee. I headed off with Cathy again and we had another day full of funny conversations. We had some company for the morningwith Harry from Germany and Stefan from Austria joining us.


We had a hilarious coffee stop at Torres Del Rio - Cathy and I discovered a packet of chips called Nakas...yes we are childish, but I don't think we stopped laughing for almost half an hour. What made it even funnier was that Stefan and Harry had no idea what was so funny.


After that, Cathy and I were on our own again and we walked until came across a sweet little house and decided to have our picnic in the sunshine. Before too long we were joined by Renato (Ronnie) from Rome, and we sat there in the sunshine for about an hour and a half playing eye spy and just being very happy little chappies. The three of us walked the rest of the way to Viana together, where we stayed at a lovely Albergue, which was a converted monestry.







I think I saw the best sunset of the Camino at Viana:



We had a lovely meal, cooked by Ronnie and after dinner we had a fantastic little session with the others staying at the Albergue - people who would become very special to me on my journey: Otmar from Germany, Hermann from Italy, Harry and Stefan and Steffi from Germany.

* We noticed something strange going on with the hedges in Spain today.....they just didn't look right....What do you think?


We named them 'instahedge'! Where Christmas trees go to die......