Day 1: Irún - San Sebastián (25 Kms)

Breathtaking!  That sums up my experience today.  And that word - breathtaking - can be used in 2 ways: 1- the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful; and 2- today's stretch was breathtakingly difficult!

The setting is the northeast coast of Spain, right at the border with France. After leaving the small town of Irún, I climbed up a mountain, offering wonderful views in all directions.  To the east was Irún, and France behind it, to the south the Pyrenees (in the distance), to the west Pasai Donibane and way in the distance San Sebastián, my final destination point of today's walk, and to the north, the Atlantic Ocean.

The first 12 kms or so where up a mountain, then I walked along the top of the mountain ridge for about 3 kms, before descending through a forest to a small town of Pasai Donibane, where I, quite happy with myself, took the liberty to stop for some bocadillos and a beer.

But whereas the first 15 kms or so took me 2 hours, the next 10 kms took me about 4 hours, eclipsing any good feelings I'd developed to that point.  In fact, at one point I wondered if I was up to the challenge of walking the Camino.  In the end, however, I made it to the youth hostel in San Sebastián, where I currently sit and lick my wounds!  Tomorrow I have to do this all over again???

The weather was cool and cloudy in the morning, and hot and sunny in the afternoon.

In the evening, around 8, I took a bus downtown where I ate dinner at a restaurant called Iturioz: I ate an ensalada mixta, spaghetti bolognese, and drank a nice rosé wine with it.

I also visited the cathedral, Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd).

The language they speak here in the Basque country is quite unique.  Written, it doesn't look like Spanish, and the sound also certainly isn't Spanish.

Athletic de Bilbao

As I mentioned yesterday, one of my aims for today was to visit the stadium of Athletic Bilbao.  Mission accomplished.  I took a tour of the club's facilities downtown, including the stadium, trophee room, change rooms, and media room.  Very cool.

Late afternoon I took a bus to Irún.  Tomorrow I begin the Camino.

Bilbao

I arrived in Bilbao this afternoon.  The atmosphere - weather, people, buildings, food, even the smells - reminded me of Paraguay.

I took public transit from the airport to a downtown stop, and then took the metro to the old part of town where my pension (hostel) is located.  Upon arrival, I was exhausted.  I threw myself on the bed and took a 2 hour nap.  Then I showered and ventured out to get a quick glimpse of what many people had suggested is a wonderful city.

For dinner I found a place with not too many people, and ordered some bocadillos and a beer.  The interesting thing for me was that I ate dinner at around 7pm, a normal time for a meal for me, but for the Spaniards this was extremely early.  Many of the other customers in the restaurant (well, technically it was a bar) were getting a light snack on their way home from work.

Below are a few pictures I took.  It's a nice and tranquil city, at least that's what it seems like to me.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.  In the morning I want to go to the post office and send some luggage ahead of me to Santiago.  This luggage I will need after my walk is completed, and when I  visit Juan in Pamplona.  After the trip to the post office I want to go see the stadium of Athletic Club Bilbao, one of the historical fútbol teams in Spain.  I think that along with Barcelona and Real Madrid, they're the only team that has never descended to the 2nd division; and this, using only local players from the Basque country.  Impressive!  Towards the end of the day I need to go to the bus station and catch a bus to Irún, my starting point for the Camino.

Camino Itinerary

Tomorrow my journey to Santiago begins.  Roughly, this is my itinerary:

September 16: Vancouver - Bilbao, via Frankfurt

" 17: arrive in Bilbao
" 18: sightseeing in Bilbao

" 19: Bilbao - Irún by bus

" 20: Irún - San Sebastián (day 1 of Camino del Norte), 25 kms

" 21: San Sebastián - Zarautz, 23 kms

" 22: Zarautz - Deba, 21 kms

" 23: Deba - Ziortza, 30 kms

" 24: Rest in Ziortza at the Monasterio de Zenarruza

" 25: Ziortza - Oviedo by bus, via Bilbao

" 26: Oviedo - San Juan Villapañada, (day 1 of Camino Primitivo), 30 kms

" 27: San Juan - Salas, 20 kms

" 28: Salas - Tineo, 19 kms

" 29: Tineo - Borres, 19 kms

" 30: Borres - Berducedo (via Ruta de los Hospitales), 27 kms

October 1: Berducedo - Grandas de Salime, 21 kms

" 21: Grandas - A Fonsagrada, 27 kms

" 3: A Fonsagrada - O Cádavo, 25 kms

" 4: O Cádavo - Lugo, 331 kms*

" 5: Lugo - Friol, 25 kms

" 6: Friol - Sobrado dos Monxes, 27 kms

" 7: Rest in Sobrado at the Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Sobrado

" 8: Rest in Sobrado

" 9: Rest in Sobrado

" 10: Sobrado do Monxes - Arzúa, 23 kms

" 11: Arzúa - O Pedrouzo, 17 kms

" 12: O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostella, 17 kms

* I may meet Jennifer here for a day or two, which would affect the schedule. 

Once in Santiago, I want to take a few days and recover, and then off to Pamplona to visit Juan for a few days.

In total I hope to cover 400+ kms.  My emphasis during the journey will be on prayer - I sent out an email to my loved ones inviting them to send me their requests.  I'm delighted that I received requests from more than 20 people.  What an honour, to carry their requests and praises with me!

I arrive back in Vancouver exactly a month after departing for Spain, October 18th.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a Sinner!

Camino: Discerning, Costly

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I hope to go on the Camino de Santiago very soon.  In fact, my departure date is September 16th.

As I've been preparing to go on this journey, I've noticed how particular others are in preparing for the journey.  I've done research on a number of websites, and it seems that people meticulously calculate what to bring along and what to leave behind.  The theory is that the more you bring along, the heavier your backpack, and the heavier your backpack, the more difficult, painful, and frustrating the journey becomes.  Doesn't Jesus say something along these lines?  Travel with only the tunic on your backs..., don't build up for yourselves earthly treasures...

Here's an example of how meticulous some pilgrims are: in a bid to save weight, they cut off most of the handle on their toothbrush!  And here I am, wondering whether I should bring an eReader or a book.  So whereas I am calculating weight in kilos, others are measuring what to take along in grams!  The general rule I've learned people try to adhere to is that they take no more than 10% of their body weight in their backpack.  So far I'm at 13%.  I'd like to cut out another 4 points and get down to 9%.  This means that my backpack will weigh about 7 kgs, when all is said and done.

Another thing I've noticed is that while walking the Camino is certainly cheaper than going to a beach resort for a week, it's still a costly endeavour.  So far I've spent in excess of $500 in preparatory purchases: a Deuter backpack, 2 short-sleeved wool t's, 1 long-sleeved hooded wool t, wool socks, wool underwear (wool is the theme, here, as may be evident), a headlamp, and an all-purpose cleaning soap, to name the major ones.  And in all likelihood more expenses are still to come.

I can't help but feel like a bit of a wimp, when I think of how difficult the real pilgrims of generations past had it, and how easy it is for me.  They didn't have the privilege of shopping at MEC as they prepared to walk.  Rather, they uprooted their entire families, sometimes spent their entire life savings, in order to walk the Camino.  This, in addition to facing the danger of robbers, and battling the elements - weather and wild beasts - along the way.

Still, I hope there's at least some kind of a spiritual benefit to embarking on this journey!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a Sinner!

Penticton With Family

Just came back from Penticton.  Had a great weekend there with family.  The best part was that Ralph came along too.  Praise God!

Jen Gone

After about 4 years of being in touch with her virtually everyday, things may change now: Jennifer stepped on a plane this morning, heading on a 6-month world tour.  On this trip she will touch foot on no less than 4 continents: Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America; and along the way, she will see somewhere in the neighbourhood of 10 countries.

Over the past few weeks I've begun lamenting her absence in my life.  As short as 3 or 4 months ago we were still quite close, perhaps too close, too emotionally tied, but in recent weeks I've noticed that she's become increasingly distant.  This hurts, because I haven't moved on yet, and I fear that she has.

I went to the airport with her this morning to see her off.

Safe travels, Jennifer, and may the wind be always at your back.

Garibaldi Lake

My God, what a wonderful province I live in!  A few friends and I hiked to Garibaldi Lake today, and what a feast for the eyes (and pain for the body) it was!

On a sunny day, BC is quite possibly the most beautiful place on earth.  The problem is, it's not often sunny!

Dinner With Missla

Tonight I went for dinner with Missla at the Afghan Horseman.  Mmmmmmmm!

After having been away in Tokyo for 10 years, and then NYC for 3 more, it was great not only to see her again but to know that she's moving back "home" (even though she doesn't see this city as her home).  Regardless, welcome back Missla!  I look forward to spending some more time with you in the coming weeks and months.

Going On The Camino

Having finished my CPE studies a few weeks ago, and having no immediate prospects of full time employment in clinical pastoral care in the immediate future, I've decided to embark on a physical journey that I've been wanting to do for a while already: the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James).  I heard about this pilgrimage while still at Regent, and have wanted to go on it ever since.

The history is more or less as follows: in about the 9th century (?), king of Alfonso of Spain heard that the bones of St. James (Santiago) were buried in a small church in a city now called Santiago (Spanish for St. James).  Upon hearing this, he felt compelled to go and pay tribute to the man who evangelized Spain.  Indeed, St. James is today the patron saint of Spain.  King Alfonso did the journey, beginning in the city of Oviedo, walking approximately 320kms to Santiago.  When other Spaniards heard of this, they too began making the pilgrimage.  Before too long, hundreds of pilgrims followed suit, not only from Spain, but from the rest of Europe also.  Over the years, thousands have walked the path, and today, upwards of 100,000 pilgrims make the journey to Santiago each year.

Various routes have emerged, depending on where one walks from.  The most popular route is the Camino Frances, which is the path the bulk of Europeans followed.  There are also the Norte, Portugues, Ingles, and the Via de la Plata, to name a few.  I plan to walk the original route, now called the Camino Primitivo.

What intrigues me about the Camino is its relevancy to the life of a Christian.  The Camino forces us to incarnate the values that Jesus taught us to pursue: traveling light (discerning between the "necessaries" and the "nice to haves"), and trusting in God to take care of us.  Pilgrimage is a significant motif in the Bible, one that we ignore at our own peril.  Of course, walking 20+ kms each day provides for great opportunities of reflection and life discernment, and sharing meals and rooms with other pilgrims provides the opportunity to meet and get to know other pilgrims from around the world.

The date I aim to start my journey is sometime in mid-September.  Jennifer too is walking on the Camino, but she's doing the Camino Frances.

Party At Claudia's

This evening Claudia hosted us at her place.  It was a party more or less in honour of Ruben and Tati, who've been visiting with us from Mexico for the past few weeks.

Penticton With Friends

This past weekend Benja, Juanjo, Ruben and Tati (welcome home, both of you!), Jennifer, Sonia and I went to Penticton.

Highlights: food, swimming, raspberry shakes, and hiking!

No Buying .. For Now

I put in an offer for the place I wrote about here, and after a few back-and-forths, we came to a price agreement.

I put in a number of "subjects to to be removed".  The deadline to remove these conditions was last night.  To everyone's suprise, I didn't remove the subjects.

I just had no peace about purchasing the apartment.  I think I'm happier where I'm now than I'd be if I bought that apartment and moved into it.  The biggest drawback, as I see it, is that the south west corner of the house is so blocked by trees that the sun never gets access to it.  With all the rain we get, I'd likely lock myself into my apartment rather than going out into my backyard.

It was a difficult decision, yet, I think the right one.

Olimpia Gana El Superclásico!

After two very disappointing weeks, losing first to Lanús (Arg) and then to Emelec (Ecu) in the Copa Libertadores de América, Olimpia today reacted the best possible way by beating its arch-rival Cerro Porteño in the clásico paraguayo.

Que golazo de Sebastián Ariosa! Here's the only goal in the 1-0 win:

 Para mi querido cuñado Heinz: GH1S (Grande Hay 1 Solo).

To Buy Or Not To Buy

About 3 weeks ago I was giving my parents an update on the things that are going on in my life, and as often is the case, we ended up about housing.  The question they often ask me is why I continue to rent an apartment, rather than looking for possibilities to invest in a townhouse or apartment.  My answer then was the same as it's been for awhile: I like living centrally in the city, and buying a place would be quite difficult under the current financial situations (unless I'm willing to move further out).

Since that conversation, I have spent lots and lots of hours in front of the laptop, looking at the real estate website to see what sort of properties are available.  My criteria for a place to live are as follows:

* 2 bed, 2 bath

* > 750 square feet

* ground floor

* bright, lots of light coming in

* southwest exposure ideal; southeast exposure possible; north exposure not at all desirable

* must have access to either a patio and/or yard/garden area

* situated <10 minutes' walk from skytrain or bus

* budget: around $330K, +/- 10%

* overal: looking for modesty and simplicity, not luxury

Based on these crieria, and the helpful suggestions of my dad, brother, my friends Jennifer and Marty, not to mention the very helpful guidance of my real estate Elmar, I have come up with a property that has great potential for suitability.  I may put in an offer within the next day or two.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!

I have posted a two pictures that I took of the townhouse complex.

Hiking!

In the past 2 weeks I've hiked the BCMC trail 3 times, a definite improvement in frequency compared to the previous 4 or 5 months!

On Saturday I hiked it in 1 hour and 8 minutes, which I thought was a good time (my best time in a long time).

Today I hiked it in 1 hour and 6 minutes!  I think that's close to my best ever.

The weather's warming up, the snow's melting, and the days are getting longer, so it's easier to get out and hike.  Plus, my next class at the hospital doesn't start until mid-May, so there are really no excuses for me not to get out there and get fit.

Angelus Autem Domini

The Angel of the Lord came down from heaven,

and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it;

and said to the women: "Do not be afraid;

you seek him who was crucified: he is risen,

come and see the place where the Lord's body was."

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

-----

Words by Felice Anerio

Alleluia!

O sons and daughters, let us sing!
The King of heaven, the glorious King,
Over death today rose triumphing.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

An angel clad in white they see,
Who sat, and spake unto the three,
“Your Lord doth go to Galilee.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!

That night th’apostles met in fear;
Amidst them came their Lord most dear,
And said, “My peace be on all here.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!

When Thomas first the tidings heard,
How they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples’ word.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

“My pierced side, O Thomas, see;
My hands, My feet, I show to thee;
Not faithless but believing be.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!

No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“Thou art my Lord and God,” he cried.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

How blessed are they who have not seen,
And yet whose faith has constant been;
For they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

On this most holy day of days
Our hearts and voices, Lord, we raise
To Thee, in jubilee and praise.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

-----

Words by Jean Tisserand

Nolo Mortem Pecatoris

Nolo mortem peccatoris; Haec sunt verba Salvatoris.

(I do not wish the death of a sinner: these are the words of the saviour).

Father, I am thine only Son, sent down from heav'n mankind to save.

Father, all things fulfill'd and done according to thy will, I have.

Father, my will now all is this: Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Father, behold my painful smart, taken for man on every side;

Ev'n from my birth to death most tart, no kind of pain I have denied,

but suffer'd all, and all for this; Nolo peccatoris

-----

 Words: Medieval Carol

My God, And Is Thy Table Spread?

My God, and is they table spread?

And does thy cup with love o'er flow?

Thither be all thy children led,

and let them all its sweetness know.

Hail, sacred feast, which Jesus makes,

rich banquet of his flesh and blood!

Thrice happy he who here partakes

that sacred stream, that heavenly food!

O let thy table honoured by,

and furnished well with joyful guests;

and may each soul salvatoin see,

that here its sacred pledges tastes.

-----

Words by Philip Doddridge

Spring In The Air

Today's Palm Sunday, the beginning of Passion week which ends next Sunday with the glorious resurrection of Christ.  As usual I went to the early service at church.  I was the reader, and I also served Holy Communion.  What a privilege it is to serve God's children in this way!

It was a beautiful day, sunny, crispy, and chilly.  Spring is in the air, but the moment you step outside reach of the sun's rays you're reminded that winter hasn't signed off yet.  I got home wishing I'd dressed a little warmer.

Still, I managed to take a few pictures worth sharing.