Day 9: Borres - Berducedo (27 Kms)

What a day!  27kms that felt like 40!

I left Borres before 9, without breakfast (but I did have a loaf of bread with me, as well as some queso manchego and jamón serrano), headed for the hospital route, the route where in days past sick pilgrims would've been taken up and over the mountain (as a short cut), rather than down through one side of the valley and later on up the far side.  Atop the mountain, 2 hospitals were located, where the caravans would've delivered the sick.

From what I'd read, the route was a tad risky, not only because of the physical rigour required to "climb" the mountain, but also because of the weather.  The reward, however was a stunning panoramic vista in all directions.  The general advise was to decide until 10am before taking the route, in case of inclement weather.  The challenge for me, however, was that to wait until 10am in order to begin a 27km walk was too much.  So I left early, even though there was thick fog all around me.  Thank God that not too long into the walk an American couple, Brian and Jenna, caught up with me, and we decided to walk together for a little stint.

 Even though we had a great theological conversation going it soon became evident that Brian was sick (how appropriate .. he was sick, and taking the hospital route!), and assuming a long day lay ahead, they wanted to speed up the pace of our walk.  I was not in a position to up my speed any more, so we parted ways.  Sad for me, I was enjoying their company...

Nevertheless, on I continued.  Not 30 minutes after they'd gone ahead, I caught up to them.  Brian, having a sick stomach, had to go "to the bathroom", and was hiding behind a shrub somewhere not too far away while Jenna was staying with their backpacks.  "I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go."  Jenna and I both laughed.

As I climbed higher and higher, it got colder and more windy, and the fog got thicker.  A few times I got a bit frightened: What if I lose my way?  What if I can't find the waymarkers?  What if I get stuck here alone?  I continued walking, unable to really see the beautiful scenery all around me.  But I did see all kinds of animals: horses, cows, even a few bulls with mega-long horns.  I also passed the hospitals, now in ruins, before peaking at Puerto del Palo, 1146 metres above sea level.

Shortly before reaching the peak, I also met a wonderful Spaniard (pictured below), Francisco from Madrid, about 15 years older than me, but much much fitter and faster.  He graciously stooped down to my level though, and slowed down to walk at my pace.  We had a very interesting conversation, about matters that I really connect with: the mundane, the insane, and the divine - life.

One thing that stuck with me about our conversation was the following quote: "The real Europe is in the small towns.  The real Spain is in the small towns.  And the towns are disappearing."  In other words, in the dramatic push towards globalization and commercialization, the real Europe is disappearing, because people are moving away from the small towns and to the big cities.  Not 30 minutes after he said this, we walked through a ghost town, Montefurado: a lovely medieval town, nestled in the mountains that at one point probably housed 50 families or so.  Now it lay there, completely abandoned, in ruins.  The church, too, closed, doors nailed shut.  Prophetic words by (I think) a wise man.

As the day wore on and the fog cleared, I decided to slow down my pace even more, and Francisco decided to go on at his faster pace.  The few hours that I walked alone atop the mountains were inspiring and spiritually enriching.  I kept thinking about the Psalmist who exclaimed "The heavens declare the glory of God."   Indeed, they do!

Late in the afternoon my energy levels vanished, and as I arrived in Lago, still 4.6kms away from Berducedo, rain clouds made their way in and opened up their mighty gates.  A short deluge followed.  As an authentic BC resident, I didn't mind, - I even enjoyed - a few drops of rain on my head, but eventually I did put on my poncho.

I arrived in Berducedo late afternoon, probably around 5pm.  Tired and exhausted, but at the same time I felt a vigour and sense of accomplishment that I will not soon forget.  I relished the physicality of today's walk.  Today was, for me, what the Camino is all about.   This is what I came for.
 

Day 8: Tineo - Borres (19 Kms)

Tineo really is a lovely town, possibly my favourite town so far.  It's nestled among the mountains, small and quaint, and with a nice historic feel to it.  The first picture below is of Tineo.  I took it as I left town this morning, around 8:30 am (after breakfast).

I walked for 11kms, to Villaluz, before taking a break.  I should take my first break sooner, because inevitably, the second half of the day becomes more difficult for me when I start off so strong/fast.

I had lunch in a small town called Campiello, at a place called La Hermienta.  The food was very average, except the café con leche, and the flan, they were both excellent.  I met some French ladies just before arriving here, and they invited me to eat with them (I think mostly because I know Spanish and they don't know a word).  They were not good company by any stretch of the imagination.  I'll leave it at that.

I arrived at Borres around 3:30pm, the earliest time I've arrived at my day's destination yet on the Camino.   Borres is sort of like San Juan, in that it has no grocery stores, no supermarkets, nothing.  But it's not like San Juan in terms of lodging facilities.  The albergue was horrible, the worst I've encountered.  Dirty, no hot water, and no electricity.

Borres, like any other town in Spain, has a small church, but sadly, when I tried to go inside to pray, it was locked.  I've noticed that about many places on the Camino.  Churches are closed.  I wish they'd open them up, even if at the risk of vandalism or theft, but maybe they've already tried that and found it too costly.  It would add so much meaning to the Camino for a person of faith.  To date, I can count the number of churches that are open for pilgrims on one hand.

Today's stage was the easiest of all. But things are about to get hard, very hard.  Tomorrow I'm going to try to do the Ruta de los Hospitales, a shortcut that was used historically for the sick.

The weather's cloudy, with frequent threats of rain, but thankfully, not much rain has fallen.  The temperature fluctuates between 8-16C each day.

Day 7: Salas - Tineo (19 Kms)

So far, I will remember each place for distinct reasons:

Irún: the wonderful view from atop the mountain ridge, heading towards San Sebastián

San Sebastián: beautiful seaside city

Zarautz: vineyards!

Ziortza: peaceful monastery

Oviedo: starting point of the Primitivo

San Juan: camaradarie amongst pilgrims

I will remember Salas for my host, Miguel, the owner of the restaurant and albergue La Campa de Miguel.  But really, it's the restaurant that I will remember most.  This morning before leaving Miguel treated me to the typical café con leche, but instead of drinking it with a bocadillo, I ate one of Miguel's delicious biscochos (see picture below), home made and everything!  A highlight of the trip.  He gave me 1 slice, on the house, and it was so good I decided to buy 2 more: one to have right there and then, and the other one for the road.  Here's to Miguel, master host, master cook/baker.  A good man!

I started rather late today, 8:30 (blame it on the biscocho).  The first 2 hours or so, all the way to Bodenaya, were uphill.  I took a "feet break" there.

Then I continued walking for 2 more hours, until I got to El Pedregal.  That's where I stopped for lunch.

The last 5kms took me a long time, probably around 2 hours, even though the stretch was mostly flat and shaded, as there were trees all around.

I keep having to remind myself that it's not a race anyways.  I find that I'm growing increasingly restless.  I'm always in a hurry, often times one of the first to leave the albergue, and wanting to be among the first to arrive at the day's destination.  What is it?  Why?

In reflecting on my walk over the past few days, I'm coming to the conclusion that I have a deep discomfort, even dislike, with who I am.  In the eyes of the world I must be a nobody: no career, no family, no property, no car.  Nothing.  What do I have to show for my 42 years of living?  Seemingly nothing.

I know that God is not looking for any accomplishments.  In his eyes I'm a deeply valued person, created in his image, but I still feel massively disappointed with who I am.  I don't meet my own standards (nevermind the world's).  I feel like a failure quite often.

I guess this is what walking alone for long periods of time can do: it's like facing a mirror for a long time.  As you keep looking at it, you begin to see yourself without a mask on, as you really are.  You see the warts, the freckles, the imperfections, signs of age, etc...  I'm not as bad as I make it out to be here, but I'm certainly not as good and happy as I pretend to be.

I talked to Jennifer on the phone today, for the first time.  I miss her like crazy.  Her voice sounded like an angel on the phone.  Sadly, I don't think she misses me at all.  It looks like we will meet up in Lugo on October 3rd.

Day 6: San Juan - Salas (20 Kms)

I started today's journey quite early again, around 8am.  I think I was the 2nd or 3rd person out the door.  The albergue experience at San Juan turned out to be quite positive.  We cooked dinner together, talked about the Camino, and just generally spent time getting to know each other.  It seemed genuine.  Maybe it was because the albergue's a bit out of town and there's nothing else really to do, maybe it's because the sleeping quarters are so tight (see first 3 pictures below), I don't know, but whatever it was, it was very positive.  Oh I know .. it was the wine!

By 10:30am or so I'd reached Cornellana, having completed close to 9kms.  Cornellana is a lovely town with a massive monastery.  The monastery was condemned and could not be accessed, but still, it's so imposing in the town, it can hardly be ignored.

In Cornellana I stopped to eat breakfast, and tend to my blisters.  I've got 3-4 blisters on my left foot, and my right foot which has until now been ok, is starting to develop a blister on my big toe also.  I wonder whether I made a mistake in terms of footwear for the Camino.  I get so tired, even 20kms seems daunting, and this distance is one of the shorter daily distances on the itinerary.  Maybe I should've bought boots instead of these trekking shoes?  Or better yet, maybe I should've brought shoes that were in better condition: these are quite worn out already.

I arrived in Salas early, around 3pm, and checked into a private albergue.  It was the first one that I saw, and it was near the end of town, which means that I probably walked right by the municipal lodging house, and I didn't feel like turning back and looking for it.  I'm paying 10 Euros, and the owner seems nice enough.  It's called Albergue La Campa, and it has a restaurant attached to it.

The restaurant, actually, has fantastic food.  I ate dinner there, and had my best meal here in Spain so far.  The soup, lentejos (lentils) was phenomenal.  So yummy.  I met a German fellow there, Martin, who I talked to for a bit.  I also met two more Germans (they're everywhere!), Carsten and Mariola.  Carsten, quite an outgoing guy, was trying to learn how to pour sidra the Asturian way.

At night it's cold here.  Probably around 8C.  Little heating in the albergue.  Mountain country.  Tomorrow awaits another short journey: only 19kms.

 

Day 5: Oviedo - San Juan Villapañada (30 Kms)

I began walking at 7:30am today, my earliest start yet.  I walked for an entire hour through the city of Oviedo, and by around 8:30 I'd reached the west end.  In the distance I saw a hill - which I correctly assumed I'd have to climb - farmland, cows grazing, and lots of trees also.  But before climbing the hill I stopped at a local coffee shop for what's becoming a stable breakfast for me: café con leche, and a slice of tortilla española.

Since I started earlier than most people, I walked alone for much of the day, passing a little chapel (Capilla de el Carmen) in Lampajúa, where I self-stamped my passport.  Then as I continued onward and through various small towns, it became evident to me that I'd definitely left the Basque country behind.  I was now in Asturias, a province that seemed much less well-to-do and more agrarian.

The weather was different too.  In the morning it was a little crisp and fresh, with a few raindrops here and there, but in the afternoon, the heavens opened up well before Peñaflor, with around 10kms of walking still in front.

I put on my poncho, which was an exercise in engineering in itself, but once on, it was pleasant enough to walk in.  I'd read some reviews prior to purchasing it that they get hot and sweaty if worn for an hour or longer, and I found that to be true.  But given the option, with the amount of water that was coming down, I chose to be sweaty-wet instead of rainy-wet.  A decision that I will rarely favour.

By the time I got to Grado, about 3kms before San Juan, I was fed up with walking and was ready to pack it in for the day.  The blister on my left foot was flaring up again, although not as badly as on the previous 2 walking days.  I walked through the town, looking for lodging options, but the cheapest one I could find was 24 Euros.  No chance I was going to spend that much money today.  So on I went.

The rain had in the meantime stopped, but ahead of me lay 3kms of uphill grinding.  On most days I'd have welcomed an uphill climb, but I was near the end of my energy levels and in a horrible mood.

But a Czech pilgrim had by this time caught up to me and passed me, and that spurred me on.  Also, I met up with a woman, probably about my age, perhaps a little older, who was on her way up to San Juan.  She mentioned that about a year ago a loved one had passed away (I think her mother), and that she was walking to the church in San Juan every day this week, to pray, a sort of mini-pilgrimage, if you will.  I thought that was quite meaningful.  Life is a pilgrimage.  Everyday we're on a pilgrimage, everyday we are a little closer to seeing the face of God.

I finally arrived at the albergue at around 5:30pm, after being on the road for 10 hours.  I was pleased to find out that I was the 2nd person to arrive (I'd passed the Czech fellow with about 500 metres to go).  My reward was that I could choose pretty much any of the bunk beds in the common sleeping room.  I picked one in a corner, near a window.

By 7pm the albergue was full, with about 20 pilgrims in total.  San Juan is kinda in the middle of nowhere, with no grocery stores nearby, but the great thing about this albergue was that it was fully stocked: pasta, potatoes, onions, eggs, red peppers, the fridge was fully stocked.  There were even bottles of beer and wine on offer, for the amazingly cheap price of 1E!

A group of us cooked dinner together, shared Camino stories, and planned our journey for tomorrow, before turning in for another night of rest.  I haven't had a night of bad sleep yet on the Camino.  I guess walking 20+ kms per day takes care of that...

Tomorrow, from what I understand, we go to a still more remote town, Salas.  Well, remote in the sense that it's away from major cities.  I think most towns I stay at will at least have a grocery store, so from that perspective, San Juan is an anomaly.

Zenarruza-Bilbao-Oviedo

I didn't walk today, but the day was certainly anything but restful.

I got up relatively early, around 7am, and cleaned up my room at the monastery.  At 8 I ate breakfast again with my newfound lady-friends, and then at 9 the abbot drove us to the bus station, where at 10 the bus came by and picked us up heading for Bilbao.

Around 1 1 I arrived in Bilbao, and said my adieus to the ladies.  I bought my bus tickets to Oviedo and was super hungry, but I had to take the metro downtown to a sports store so that I could buy a new headlamp for the rest of the Camino.

By 1:30pm I was back near the bus station, and had just enough time - 20 minutes - to wolf down a lunch, before boarding the bus for Oviedo.

Around 5:30 I arrived in Oviedo.  On the bus I met a Russian pilgrim, Alexei, who'd walked 100 kms from Roncesvalles to Pamplona (or thereabouts), and who now wanted to walk another 100kms, ending in Santiago.  I told him that Oviedo is over 300kms away, and then proceeded to give him suggestions as to how he could complete the 100kms.

He ended up accompanying me to my albergue, and afterwards we went for dinner.  Below is a picture from our dinner together.

Tomorrow bright and early I will start the Camino Primitivo.  I'm so excited.

Rest at Zenarruza

I attended 4 of the (I think) possible 7 services today: Lauds, Eucharist, visperas (Vespers), and completas (Compline).  Just what I needed.

While the atmosphere here at the monastery is peaceful, it's not necessarily friendly.  Most of the monks are cordial, but they more or less keep to themselves.  For someone who is unawares of the monastic way of life this might seem cold, but having read a number of books on this topic, I know that their task is to fulfill their daily duties, and that they are not to get distracted, looking for "things to do" or "people to talk to".  

Still, I'd have liked it if one of them approached me to ask how I was doing or how my Camino was going.  To be fair, when I went inside the tienda where they sell religous art, books, and some of the stuff they make at the monastery, I did have a nice conversation with the attendant there.  He was surprised that someone from Canada wanted to stay in a monastery (they'd never had a pilgrim stay in the residence, only in the albergue), and he was even more surprised that I could converse with him in Spanish.

I also met 3 elderly ladies who are staying at the monastery.  We ate all meals together.  They told me they do this as a yearly "girls week away" from their busy lives.  I thought that's pretty cool, elderly women getting away for a spiritual retreat.

I've been reading through the gospel of Matthew since I began the Camino.  I read about 3 chapters a day.

I explored the grounds of the monastery today, and I'm coning to the conclusion that while I really enjoy the serenity of this place, I'm restless inside, and one or two days isn't enough time to work on myself.  What's ailing me?

Tomorrow I will continue on my journey towards Santiago.  I will take two buses, the first one to Bilbao, and the second one to Oviedo.  There I want to continue the Camino, and walk the entirety of the Camino Primitivo.