The End and A New Beginning

And so we reached the pilgrim's goal of making it to Santiago de Compostela. We toured the famous cathedral and hugged St. James, explored the town, listened to bagpipe music (it's very Celtic here near the coast), discovered the spot where full-on pilgrims get credentials certified and receive their compostela, poked into and out of shops, stopped in a bar for a light lunch accompanied by Galician beer, talked with some locals. It was good to have time on our hands to savor this very special place.

And then we headed to the western coast for a day to immerse ourselves in Galicia.

The rocky coast of western Spain on this misty day was a stunning sight.

Name this plant. Grows on trees in western Spain near the ocean. Anyone?

See the circles of stone? Remnants of an ancient Celtic hill fortress.

Looking down into the sea from Barona, the stone fort.

The magical, misty, moss-covered forest in which the dolmen (see below) resides.

Another beautiful winery in Galicia, where white albarino grapes are grown in latticed vines forming a canopy.

And so ends this trip to Spain. A smooth flight on Iberia Airlines back to the USA.

Back to a new beginning influenced by memories and experiences along the Camino with new Catalonian, Basque, Galician, and American friends.

And back with an open hearted mindfulness to approach life as the pilgrimage it is, staying present for that uplifting, energetic “Buen Camino!” from fellow pilgrims along the trail!

Reaching Santiago de Compostela

“Reaching Santiago” has grown into a metaphor for achieving a goal, for striving to be a better person, for doing good, for overcoming difficulties, for leaving behind the past and reaching for the future with renewed zeal.

And we DID reach Santiago today! For me it seemed surreal that this final walk felt so very ordinary yet at the same time about as extraordinary as anything I’d ever done!

For one thing, I don’t think I’ve ever walked for an hour in the pouring rain.

We walked three or so miles through the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela, at first near superhighways, and then onto the streets of a larger-than-I-thought-yet-somehow-quaint town, across intersections with modern traffic lights telling us when to cross, and then down narrow cobblestone sidewalks of streets under repair, up hills with normal-looking shops on either sides, following the yellow arrows, each of us intent on completing the walk and wrapped up in what this might mean on a personal level.

Reaching the Cathedral was amazing. It is larger than life and dripping with history and beauty. Even though I haven’t yet been inside this amazing building to see Saint James, it could be that just the fact of getting here, through the rain, is what this is all about.

The spires of the Cathedral of Santiago

Translated: You've achieved your goal! Welcome! We've been waiting for you!

500 Miles: Sights Along “The Way”

We walk and we walk. Yes we do. Today was another rigorous walk, this time from a picturesque farming village where corn was being harvested by hand, along a gloriously verdant trail with moss and ferns on slate walls leading the way past mooing cows who ushered us into another village with exactly one stone dwelling.

We’re exploring and learning from sights along the way. Such as . . .

Puente de la Reina. This fabled bridge with a peaked walkway, helps us realize that one never can quite see where one’s going until getting there. We walked over the photogenic bridge towards whatever’s coming next.

Irache Pilgrim Wine Fountain. Where wine flows freely out of a communal spigot for anyone passing by to enjoy, reminding us to share and enjoy life, but not take it for granted. And where we were treated to a tour of both the winery and the monastery.

Burgos Cathedral. Leon Cathedral. Where Gothic architecture and stained glass windows remind us of our connection to the past.

La Cruz de Ferro. This iron cross, a legendary pilgrim landmark, provides a sober moment in a joyous day by providing yet another opportunity to symbolically leave worries behind and step confidently into the future.
Samos Monastery. An impressive group of buildings nestled down in a valley suddenly offered a gorgeous view after walking miles and miles on a misty, moist forest pathway. The view offered a foretaste of the magic of reaching a goal.
O Cebreiro. Oh, my! It doesn’t get much cuter than this little "hobbit" village on the top of a mountain with just a few houses, just a few shops, just a few bar/cafes, each topped by a thatched roof.

Sorry, folks. I know the blog is getting a little philosophical lately. But hey, this time I’m on pilgrimage! Pilgrims who walk the whole way usually log between 15-20 miles each day because the Camino de Santiago is 500 miles long. And of course that’s well over twice what we’re doing each day!

And yet it’s still incredibly thrilling to be here, to be doing the Camino! Hey, maybe next time I’ll walk the whole way. Or maybe not.

Walking, Walking, Walking - Buen Camino!

Exhilarating! Now we’ve been walking on the Camino de Santiago for parts of five days. It’s different each day, and always amazing.

The first major walk was three and a half miles on a Roman road with loose stones, steep inclines and declines, and beautiful scenery, rolling hills, grape arbors and fig trees lining the road. I broke out my brand new high tech hiking poles and traversed with glee. How breathtaking to look back from on high at the little village from which we started!

The next day’s hike was a long five-mile stretch through a flat, grassy, wooded area. I started to feel like part of history this day while talking with pilgrims who were doing the whole thing. Even though we're walking mere portions of this ancient path, an endearing “Buen Camino!” feels wonderful to both give and to receive.




On the next day's seven-mile hike (okay, maybe not so gleeful by the end of this long walk!), we moved along a river, viewing huge fields of sunflowers being harvested, reeds in the riverbank, and ending at a Templar church from the 1300s. Oh, my!

And another three-mile hike today, beginning and ending in picturesque mountainous villages with albuerges (pilgrim hostels) and stone houses. We climbed to the peak of a mountain to visit and reflect while laying our own stones at the foot of the iconic La Cruz de Ferro.

Mountains, monasteries, mountain villages, monuments. It's all just marvelous!

A Gentle Camino Beginning

How thrilled we are to see these iconic signs as we walk along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, following in the footsteps of thousands through the centuries who have trekked this way before! Everyone's Camino experience is unique.

We haven't yet gotten a sense of the physical ruggedness of this walk, yet ours is nonetheless unique as we set the stage for aspects of pilgrimage by exploring meaningful sites in side trips off the path.

We visited the octagonal church of Eunate near Murazabel, built together by Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the mid 1100s, before Spain's religions became viciously divided. And later we were privileged to personally meet and learn from monks who currently live and labor and sing and pray in the ancient Cisterican Monasterio de Oliva. 

These special experiences, along with walking sections of the Camino will lead us individually towards whatever this is all about. Some of us will figure it out as we go.

Tonight, however, we are what might be called "pampered pilgrims" because we're staying in a rather nice, comfortable, gentle hotel after a day of getting to know each other and being transported to these amazing places. Tomorrow - ready to walk!

San Sebastian - Donostio

I think I’ve found a new favorite city! It’s not about architecture and it’s not about bulls. It’s about the breath-taking beauty of the crescent-shaped beach on the Bay of Biscay off the Atlantic Ocean. Such a panoramic treat right outside our hotel window at sunset last night!

And it's about the small mountain (I think we'd best call this a hill since Kellun's from Colorado!) we climbed this morning to see remnants of battlements from the 12th century. And also to gaze down upon this beach.

Well, okay, and it might also be a little bit about the txikiteo [chih-kee-TAY-oh] that we pulled off last night here in Basque country where even Kellun's proficient Spanish doesn't work in all situations.

Our personal txikiteo {it’s great fun to say!} consisted of going from spot to spot [pronounced bar in any language!], ordering just one little bite of who-knows-what since it's all written in Basque (these bites are called tapas in other parts of Spain and most of the world, but called pintxos [PEEN-chohs] here in San Sebastian, being thrilled that it turns out to be something very yummy,  eating it there while standing up, washing it down with a small bit of wine or txakoli {yum!}, and then moving on to the next place. We found two fabulous spots that we'd heard locals recommend and enjoyed the most delicious shrimp (for me) and mushrooms (for Kellun) ever, ever! Such fun!

As much as we don't want to leave this fascinating place, we begin our Camino tomorrow, continuing to push outside of comfort zones.

A Fan in Pamplona

Cafe Iruna, a favorite hangout

Would you like to see a photo of me with every statue/bronze bust of Ernest Hemingway in Pamplona? Oh. Well, here goes anyway! Ha!

Hemingway's room, just above ours overlooking Estafeta Street

Pamplona, a larger-than-we-envisioned city in the Navarre region of northeastern Spain, burst onto the international scene in about 1926 because of an American author who wrote a novel based on characters and experiences that took place here in this town during the Running of the Bulls. The Festival of San Fermin had been taking place for hundreds of years, but after Ernest Hemingway published The Sun Also Rises (aka Fiesta! in Espanol), the world tuned in.

At the bullring

I’m fascinated by Mr. Hemingway’s work, and never tire of  information that makes him come alive. To be able to walk the route that the bulls run, to be able to stay in the same hotel, eat in the same bar in this Spanish city, was pretty special for me. My sister indulged me. And, blessedly, through all the excitement of being here, and with a sensitivity and respect for cultural tradition, we were ever mindful of the senseless cruelty and brutality of bullfighting.

The Running of the Bulls monument in Pamplona

Adios, Pamplona!

Oops! Barcelona in a Half-Day

Here's how to make the most out of accidentally sleeping in REAALLYY late on your ONLY full day in Barcelona, which you love so much you stayed out til all hours on the first night you got there: Jump out of bed at the crack of 11:15 a.m., wake up your sister to confirm that the time is truly correct and not an optical illusion, oops!, dress quickly, grab a cappuccino at neighborhood cafe that we love already, find the taxi stand at Placa de Catalunya, and converse in Spanish to the driver all the way to La Sagrada Familia.

Interior La Sagrada Familia

As soon as we laid eyes on that totally amazing, mystical place we slowed down and decided we'd spend as long as we wanted there, and what ever else happened, happened - or not. So much for our "travel agenda!" But seriously, we squeezed in another taxi driver conversation, this time with a staunch Catalan separatist, a shared chocolate croissant for lunch at 4 p.m., the Picasso Museum in full, tapas and cava at Tapadu, a walk in the rain at night through the intriguing winding streets of El Born, and dinner at Els Quatre Gats where we looked up from our menu and realized it was 11:15 p.m.!

Here are a few photos to capture some more of this city's specialness.

Me on La Rambla

Columbus statue at shore

Ending again with a selfie, this one with some awfully fun instant friends at La Sagrada Familia!

Dazzling Barcelona!

They weren't wrong! Every single person who told us about Barcelona in the days and months preceding our trip, said something to the effect of, "It's so beautiful! It's one of my favorite cities in the whole world!" We are fortunate to be seeing this gorgeous place for ourselves, and now we get it!

In front of the Nativity facade at La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. We enveloped ourselves in its magnificence!

 Let's see if I can put together some reasons Barcelona is so special to us:

• It's clean and organized. For a big city, it has a bright, uncluttered look, and somehow feels fresh. Bus routes make sense, garbage cans are color-coded and lined up neatly, traffic lights work and people obey them, motorcycles park where they should - and that would be everywhere!
• People are friendly in multiple languages - we've got English, Spanish, and Catalan going at all times. My best time so far was having a conversation with a store clerk who knew about as much English as I did Spanish, and together we figured it out! Kellun says the fun part is getting to speak Spanish all day long. She's pretty amazing. I'm hoping it rubs off.
• The architecture is creative and wonderful. It's breathtaking, stunning, intriguing. Everywhere we look are buildings, large and small, designed in captivating ways that appear to defy nature. We continue to marvel. 

Chimneys of Casa Batllo. We took this photo from the rooftop, at night where we also took the below selfie in the wind.

• And what's really fun is that we can have tapas and sangria at 9:30 p.m. at Edelman's and then ramble on over to Els Quatre Gats (a famous Picasso hangout) for more wine and more tapas. And this is AFTER traveling overnight on the plane, followed by finding our respective ways from the airport to the hotel, enjoying a complete city tour by bus, touring Antonio Gaudi's Casa Batillo (the form, the color, the light are elements beyond description and totally delightful!), and a walk down to the Gothic Quarter before walking back to our hotel near Placa de Catalunya.

Yes indeed, the energy is flowing here. We can't wait to see what tomorrow holds in store.

Spain - Fall 2013

Tomorrow! I'll be heading off with Kellun on a sisters' trip to explore parts of the Iberian peninsula. She's leaving from Denver and I'm leaving from Chicago, and we're planning - hoping! - to meet up at the airport in Barcelona. Seems a simple endeavor in today's world of cellular connectivity, but not so simple when we're not sure our US cell phones will work once we land. Ah, maybe I'll just see her at the hotel . . . Courage and confidence, stick around please.

Assuming we find each other, here's our itinerary:

October 3-5 - Barcelona
October 5-6 - Pamplona
October 6-8 - San Sebastian
October 8-18 - Camino de Santiago, ending in Santiago de Compostela (more on this later, but as you can see, modern pilgrims seem to have websites and blogs)

Yes, that's right. AFTER we spend six or seven days sightseeing, THEN we will walk/ride for ten days on an ancient pilgrimage route! Of course we will.

Okay, so besides courage and confidence, I'm also asking for fortitude and well, energy! I hear we just need to "follow the arrows" - all one ever needs to do, really. Off we go!

Scallop shells pointing the way along the Camino. Photo borrowed from Regina Winkle-Bryan.