Bar Lorenzo

Lauren this is for you...your name pops up a few times in Spain :) xxx

No Primavera in Spain

Here we are huddled around a fire in http://www.alberguesanmiguel.com/

These photos are taken when we left Leon yesterday. Tonight we look a little different..we probably have chillblains on our noses!!!! IT WAS FRICKEN FREEZING and..very windy.

We walked about 26kms and every step of the way it was blowing in our faces..they are the 2 photos on the side with our faces in disguise!!

This is a wonderful place to stay..we cooked dinner chris made a salad and we washed that down with a 3 euro bottle of vino tinto!!!

Now just to set the record straight..we know we always talk about our vino tintos at night , but when we go out the glasses are not even half of one of ours back home..only about 30-40mls per glass!! and we have not had any hangovers at all..must be low alcohol wine or something over here!!!

Expecting more of the same weather tomorrow..then 4 days of sun!!! yahoooooooo!!!!!

Check out the Pilgrims

Ok we have finally done some photos for you. As we can´t look close enough at the photos to screen them before we put them on..we have no idea how glamorous we look...we can only imagine!! So please no harsh comments about us...remember we have snow burn, wind burn, sunburn, lack of sleep, lack of food and there is only so much you can do with, soap, moisturiser and deoderant!!!!!!

We have got photos on from our first blog..so look back from the beginning.

enjoy....we are off to do a bit of sight seeing in Leon...

xx

Burgos to Leon...Flat Flat Flat!!!!

Here we are with our nice fluffy towels again :) Yes we have passed the half way mark and need a treat. In Leon today, in the beautiful old part of town..staying in hotel just outside the Cathedral ..which is the most amazing thing we have ever seen...(have we said that about anything else yet???)

It is beautiful and sunny but very windy and cold for us little Aussies.

ok..we have covered many many kms over the last few days and did we say they were flat, except for the odd mountain that pops up everynow and then!

We spent one night in Carrion de los Condes next to a Church and the nuns looked after us ...well they locked us in at 9.30 and gave us a number to ring if we needed them!!!!! That night they invited us to mass and then back at the Albergue they sang for us and gave us a blessing and a star..beautiful.

Next day was a long straight walk..ah yes flat walk..where Michele managed to purge the devil from within by throwing up every so often!!!! must have been all that darn bread!!!!!!!

You know who your true friend is when she sits by your side on the path, nest to the road,

Burgos and Burgers

sunday 19 April walked to Burgos one of the few large cities we go thru on our walk. Very large city , walked more than 12k´s thru the outskirts and were feeling a little frustrated that we could not see the cathedral. Old eagle eye Michele spoted something better - a burger king logo. Made a beeline for it and enjoyed a whopper meal far more than one should. We then eventually found the Cathedral which was stunning. for once we arrived when it was open and enjoyed a tour of the Cathedral and the city via little chu chu train oh so much better than walking. El Cid is the main man here - need to check my history before i say to much more. the Albergue was very new and modern practically luxury for 3e a night. Had an excellent night out with our own little gang of pilgrims at a great tapas bar. x

Atapuerta- first European man

Walked to Atapuerta on Saturday 18 April the last 12k´s thru thick mud. Have we mentioned that spain is all clay - no wonder they are such good clay tennis players. this town is famous for being the sight of the earliest european man and other archeological finds. Unfortuneately the tour was booked out so can´t really add any more facts.
Met an interesting man from switzerland whose heart was to weak to walk with a backpack so he is pushing a cart. He is doing the walk starting from the finish and walking to where we started if that makes sense. we shared a room with him - he slept so still i was glad he was alive in the morning. went to the bar for a few tapas before going on to dinner. Opted for the pilgrims meal again which is kinda cheating but saves having to work out what you may or may not be ordering. Remind me to write to the Lonely Planet peolpe when i get home as nothing I´ve looked up has been in phrase book yet!!

Tostantos, patats fritatas and prayer.

Stayed in a relgious Albergue in Tostanos the two of us plus Gon a young Korean priest.( Days later he is next to me at the computer) dinner was a communal effort as Michele and I were instructed how to prepare the patatas fritata and gon struggled on with such tasks as grating carrot and washing lettuce. The cook/host only spoke spanish the other host only spoke german Gon spoke Latin French and spanish and Michele and I have yet to progress past english. Monk like hymms were hummed all thru meal prep. in spanish (I think) These pics really capture the moment so stay tuned. After the fritata was deemed cooked it really took a while as it was very Grande!!. We sat down, Gon said grace in English (phew) then it was time to eat the fritata, it was deemed too hot and needed to cool down. so of course you open the window and put it on the ledge for 20 min to cool down. we all took turns of keeping our eye on it as there seem to be plenty of cats and other things out ther who would have enjoyed it. A theological discussion ensued after dinner I was able to contribute such gems as ´´Si¨evey so often which no doubt contributed to the lively debate. time for prayers which was up in the attic, freezing and very holy. I read the prayer in english and the others followed in the 3 other languages. we then read pilgrims problems and prayed some more. Ok back down stairs to the dishes then off to bed. well not bed, matt on floor which was suprisingly comforable. the building was well over one hundred years old and very cold. Had breakfast in the morning in the nice warm kitchen then escaped - I mean left for our days walking. a crisp and clear day ahead. xx

From Hugo´s Hacienda

Hello everyone..check this out
http://www.boadilladelcamino.com/
this is where we are for the night. We were supposed to get to Fromista tonight..but we stumbled across this place while looking for a vino tino to get us thru the afternoon..another 6kms. We thought the vino might get our minds off our feet....BUT.... we walked in thru the gate and found paradise :)
Lawns, gardens..tulips ...sally and gerard lying on the lawn with a beer..ahhhh.
we went and got our vino and patatas fritas and fell to the ground on the lawn....our fellow travellers then convinced us that it was a bad move to continue on..we flipped a coin...ahh we had to stay!!!
Will try to put photos on next main town, probably Leon..that is if we ever check out of paradise!!!
All is good.we are very happy and meeting lots of people and are now not wearing all our clothes at once as the sun is now shining ...sometimes..but it is still about 3 degrees when we atart in the mornings..
The last few days have been long straight roads..we are now on the meseta / plateau...and have quite a few days of this...could do our heads in....
We are attracting much attention with our Aussie style ...you know long johns under shorts!!! it is not easy being a pilgrim and glamorous at the same time..but we manage...
Don´t know why we worrried about PJ´s ..you just sleep in the clothes you are going to wear the next day ...they could also be the ones we wore that day..and the day before that...
This is just a quick update to let you know we are still alive..and on track. we are walking about 25kms tomorrow..
will be back with more details soon
Adios xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Pilgrim and the Chicken

Hello everyone..well here we are again just...
Ok we are getting a little comfused with all our computer interaction..email facebook and blog....
suffice to say ..we are still in Spain, tonight in Santo Domingo de la Calzada...google this and check out the Pilgrim and the chicken...
This Albergue is just divine..hot showers, clean beds, new, big, warm rooms, washing machines across the road..not that you have to wash icebreaker clothes (mark!) but they just feel nicer if they are washed..
We had our night of luxury in Logroño, beautiful..but we got so excited with the buffet breakfast and free internet we did not hit the pilgrim trail till about 11.00am..way way too late for our27km day
...needless to say we did not arrive at out destination Najera, until 8.00pm!!!! still light in Spain..but...
Michele had a shower and changed , but Chris opted to stay warm.. (and stinky!!) we staggered, no not from wine..just from very sore feet..our socks appear to be giving us rashes..think it is the elastic?? not good from $50 socks..maybe it is when we do over 25kms a day!!!
Ordered our pilgrim meal..you know spaghetti, chips and pork, blah blah..anyway, chris was eating and drinking...red of course..michele tried but alas, could not.... she just wanted to lie on the floor but could not as there were too many cigarette butts there!!!
Eventually got back to the room arm in arm ..walking like shivering crabs!!! just got straight in to bed, no cleaning teeth or anything.
Got a good nights sleep and felt much better in the morning.. just had to head to the nearest bar for cafe, crossiant and our daily dose of passive smoking!!! ahhhhhh!!!
Only had 21 kms today..had a beautiful lunch...picture this..if you can..
2 pilgrims, tired but happy..stopping for lunch at a little hut, looking somewhat like a bee hive..
made from stones as shelters for Sheperds.
we took our packs off and chris played mummie (as she had the night before!) and made the lunch which was ...yes you guessed, a baugette, ham &chese! we lay down on the bench and put our feet on the table, oh yes, we took our boots off..it was just heaven..
Tonight we actually cooked out dinner.. we know kids..dont faint..but we did, went to the supermarcado to buy vino tino, pan, corguette, and pasta. We can´t tell you ghow excited we were!!! We also shared out meal with a swiss man who made himself a cup of chicken soup..

we have a curfew here in the alburges, it is 10pm so we have to skidaddle off to bed..
tonight we are sleeping with a german man, a swiss man, german woman and 2 french women..
kiss kiss to you all xx

Since leaving Cizur Mayor....

well that day ..what can we say except MUD, MUD , MUD ..it is very hard and slow going with an extra 2kgs of mud per boot attached!!!!! there will be some good photos of that coming..
Very windy at the top of mountain where for some reason they had cleverly located a wind farm!! wind Turbines as far as the eye could see in both directions..we could still see them days later. Beautiful metal statues of pilgrims at the top here..just managed a photo before freezing to death and blown down the other side!!
Arrived that nite in Puente la Reina ..yet another beautiful old town with another beautiful church and another beautiful medieval bridge...we jest here..but it is almost like a dream..beauty everywhere we go...we just ohh and ahhh when we arrive in each town.
Sunday Morning we left via the bakery..smoking bakery that is..did you know that they smoke EVERYWHERE in Spain??? we feel we are now smokers!! anyway, got our breakfast and walked out of town over the medieval bridge.. 7c when we left and very windy..chris´´s snow burn became wind burn today.
Passed thru Maneru and Cirauqui...old quaint villages..all quiet as it was Easter, no-one around..just church bells tolling. Leaving Cirauqui we walked on a Roman road..quite amazing.
Passed the San Miguel factory then went up to the Monastry c1063!!!!!!
that night we went to Ayegui just out of Estella, stayed in a YMCA it was Frezzing!!!!! Stuffed by the time we got there, just dragging one foot in front of the other and that town was of course at the top of a hill...have we told you there are a lot of hills out here????? For all our Swain Train gang...parts of it are just like the bloody hills we trained on out in the hinterland !!! no kidding..but harder of course with a 10kg pack!!
Next morning we woke up to ¨¨Bolero¨¨ playing upstairs ...a gentle way to wake the snoring pilgrims.. ready to go for another day!!
table service for breakfast, served by the smoking kitchen hand..no kidding!!!
Walked to a place called Villamay de Monjardin where we were greeted by a cute ..yes cute, Spanish man..Amy ..he was a cute spanish man..thought of you.. he offered us a coffee, how could we say no.. ¨¨) this was one of the Albergues that you just make a donation at..we could have stayed there, but alas , we had only walked for 2hours..would never make it across spain if we stopped that often!!
Passed lots of Olive trees and vineyards this day..spectacular mountain views, we took photos but they wont do them justice, will just have to remember them..
Could have stopped at Los Arcos this night, but it was only 2pm, siesta time, so we kept going another 2hrs to Torres del Rio ...a 12 Century hillside village with historical octoganal church (closed). Will post about this night later , it deserves its own post....
We have to go now as we have to get to Najera before night..27kms away..did we tell you that..so think of us when you are having your breakfast lunch or dinner, or sitting down watching the tellie, or hard at work or whatever normal people do..we will be thinking of you all with each step we take..sob sob....
keep the comments coming..that inspires us to blog on.... xxx

watch this space

sober post to follow...our bed is waiting...remember nice white sheets...and real pillows (even though they are a funny shape) nice fluffy towels....will be back in the morning..too tired and emotional at this momento...and those nice white sheets................xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

just a little info on pilgrim fuel and food

The life of a Pilgrim revolves around food and shelter.
Given that we stay in Albergues, shelter solved.....food is the next tricky thing.
We are not fussy eaters as you all know..just like our 3 meals a day.. so far we have had one piece of fruit and NOT ONE VEGETABLE for 7 days!!!!! Yes, we have had plenty of bread and bread and bread oh and yes ham with that bread..and bread and cheese..and some bread with that too!!! are you getting the idea?????????
now we also like our cup of tea in the morning as our darling husbands know...we can hardly remember what a cup of tea looks like ...let alone in the morning!!! We are not complaining but we just have to get used to timing..like arriving before things close or are about to close or thinking about opening!!!!
Has been a bit difficult as we did pick the Easter break to start our journey..so 5 days of holidays have not helped..
When we left Cizur Menor we had a little bit of tea before we left at 7 something and then we did not have anything else until Ulterga (about 5hours as we had to walk in mud mud mud!)
and then we had..guess???? yep your right if you are guessing a baugette and ham!!!
Our bed for the night was Puenta la Reina. we arrived at siesta time, and not hot water in the shower time as well :(. so the only thing left to do was go to the bar..as everything else was closed.
3 vino tintos and 2 pkts crisps later we went back to the room to kill an hour before dinner (not wanting to get a name at the bar!) But we had decided while drinking our 3 vino tintos and eating 2 pkts of crisps that we would return to same bar and have the pizza for tea instead of the pilgrims dinner.. well it seemed like a good idea at the time!!!
mmmm ham and cheese pizza ..how can that go wrong??? don´t ask us , but we are not having another one!!!! we are sticking to the pilgrims dinner..
for those of you who do not know what this is..it consists of:
salad or soup or macaroni..(really spaghetti)
the salad is iceberg (none of that fancy stuff) lettuce, olives, tomatoes and anchovies.
main meal is: chicken and chips, fish and chips or pork and chips (have not had the pork yet!!)
no salt and pepper available..for some reason???
desert varies, but it could be a banana, chocolate mousse or icecream.
this is all at a reasonable $$$
We are going back to Pilgrims meals...takes the stress out of trawling bars and streets for food!!!!
but we are hungry!!!! walking 20kms plus a day is hard work so we have to get organised and have food with us, which should now be easy as shops are open.
Bet none of you have had this breakfast (this took a bit of planning BEFORE we went to the bar for our vino tinos at 4pm in Torres de Rio)
... .we had sitting on a rock... as the sun was rising, strawberries cream and chocolate!!!! how good is life :)
we stopped for morning tea in Viana and had coffee and a baugette with an omlette in it! Then we walked down the road and stopped at the bakery and got a few treats (of the pastry kind) to eat on the way.
Then we had nothing till we arrived at our hotel 2pm xx and we roamed the streets..avoiding the bars!!!! and had fritatta and a cup of tea..
At least we had 3 meals today!!!!
Note: tonight as we are staying in our wonderful hotel..we went bar hoping again..had red wine and Tapas and watched the Football....Barcelona scored just as we left the bar!
having a buffet breakfast in the morning so that should keep us going tomorrow.

quick morning update from Cizur Minor

7.00am pitch black..misty..more rain coming..and ah maybe snow..

we sat last night having dinner..ah pilgrims dinner that is ..you know ...salad then fish and chips, chicken wings and chips...blah blah blah..will do more on that later just for you Anna...back to last night ..we were watching the news..it appears that snow is around..yes it is bloody FREEZING and yes Mark i should have packed your waterproof pants!!!! but i was thinking of the weight..our gloves are useless too ..
There were about 15`people in our room last night, we were last on the fold out beds..Church Bells ringing every hour and half hour..yes and on the hour 2 lots of bells ring..we saw the church last night as we staggered back up the road (remember the bottle of red with evry pilgrim meal)to the Alburgue.
So we will see what state we arrive in tonight, we have a mountain to climb today but only one we think.
Adios

Back to our first day

DISCLAIMER: information contained in this blog are the rambling thoughts of two exceptional people who decide to undertake this journey for reasons most people would not understand. It has been written to entertain those left behind who could not would not ever make the same journey. It is definitely not correct in detail so please do not take it as fact, nor is it intended as advice in anyway. Should you intend to undertake a similar journey get yourself a good guidebook, a sense of humor and enjoy!

Now we have secured a bed for the night..very important as it is raining quite steadly!!!...we have time to sit and tell you about our first day.

We were picked up by Ivan driving in van....we had a very hair raising drive to St Jean Pied de Port!! given a Basque history lesson on the way and listening to french music..ahhh.

SJPP is just beautiful, a walled medieval village...We said Bonjour to locals carrrying baguettes just like a Yoplait ad!!!!! We stayed at a small Albergue with about 15 other people from everywhere. We shared our room with a married German couple..opps best to knock before you enter...I now know what a male German arse looks like!!

Got our pilgrims passport and our first stamp (we get these at each place we stop) and we were advised not to go over the Pyreenes as there had been snow. NOW.. we had just flown half way around the world to be told we had to walk the first part next to the motor way to Spain...yes we understood this advice...but we were fit, prepared, provisioned and ready ..no stopping us.

Our backup plan was to always retrace our steps if we could not go on..we were not going to risk our lives ..sounds dramatic but the people we met later told us that they were shown photos of the people who died last month!!

So off we set. We walked 8 kms to Orrison. Very steep, but on the road. Passed flocks of sheep and the shepherd. Stopped for a coffee here and looked out at the mountains covered in snow.

Kept going as the weather was still fine and seemed clear up ahead. No other people in sight..though some had gone over earlier in the day we heard.

Here we left the road, crossed the hillside and yes Dave, we passed wild horses, but they were too busy eating. The snow was appearing now, but the path was still clear. Hard to believe that there we were, on top of the Pyrenees..snow all around now and not a soul to be seen..it was beautiful..something we will never forget.

Once we crossed the pass and michele face planted straight into the snow (very hard to stand up when you can´t stop laughing and with a back pack on) plain sailing downhill through the Blair Witch Forest..brought us to our destination the Roncesvalles Monestry.

Once we had finished, we went straight to the bar !!

3rd day still alive

In Pamplona now..have had the most AMAZING 3 days.. we have walked over the Pyrenees in snow!!! slept in the monastery, went to the spanish mass for pilgrims..all very moving . We are so lucky..loving every moment of it.

walked through the woods..forests beautiful villages..has great coffee..but if we keep eating chocolate croissants we might have to walk more than 800 kms!!! but they are so yummy.

Will try to add some photos next time.

Chris has thrown her back pack off once..and i have a photo to prove it..hopefully it will be the only time..but we are only at day 3!!!!!

pilgrim meals vary a great deal...beautiful trout the 2nd night and slop last night..who knows what tonight will bring..that is if we get a bed!!!

We are having a better time than we could ever have imagined.xxx

Stage ! -getting there

Well first mission is progressing nicely. Got off from Brisbane Airport without too many tears or tantys. Only had one small moment at the check in when staff wanted our itinery - several blank looks and Michele found her scap notes which were also the itinery.(phew!!)
Had a letter of introduction for the cabin crew - being the shy retiring types we were too embarassed to use it. 'they' knew we were on board and the first class bubbles started arriving to us (sitting 3 rows from the end of the plane) In very large tumlbers!! The people in first class were scoffing it like water so we had to move onto the chardy which came with strawberries, figs cheese. Got the first class refreshment pack and quite a few bottles of red to pass to Micheles Dad. We met him and Brenda in Singapore for dinner - lovely chinese - best enjoyed with more alcohol. Riesling this time. Yes it is good to have friends in high places (38,000ft)thanks JB best you remain anon!!
Needless to say don't remember much about the flight onto London - hope we didn't snore too loudly:) It was very crowded. we watched a few movies and the time somehow passes. The real adventure begins in 2 days so stay tuned. Love to all our families & fans out there!

Leaving Tomorrow !!

Thought we would put a few more photos of last weekend:) 

Loved this tee shirt John!!

we leave in the morning..just packing our things for the last time..got the passport and boots (main things!!) 

It has been raining ALL week here on the Gold Coast and we have not walked once!!

So... a big farewell to all our friends and family..see you in 6 weeks...don't for get to keep checking our blog to follow us...

We are sure our husbands will be fine without us..big kisses to them for all their support and helping us to go on our big adventure x

xxxxx