C.A.M.I.N.O

10 years??? 5 years :)

2009-11-30T22:07:00.002+11:00

After doing the the Camino for our 50th we somewhere along our journey decided to return for another on our 60th.

Since returning home, have realised that we just won't be able to wait that long!!! At 55 we will be doing another..yay!! Bit early to start training yet..but gives us a little goal..

how does one stop at one camino????

Where to next???

2009-06-14T18:07:00.004+10:00

This is the question we keep asking..

Have been home now for 4 weeks, have just slotted back in where we were 6 weeks ago..but feeling a little different.

We are reading blogs of those on the Camino at the moment..mmmm 2 of them are kiwis..bet they have not heard the Rugby score from last night yet, best we not tell!!!

Living our journey again whilst reading....laughing at the snoring tales.. ah the memories of those nights!!

We are meeting in the morning at 5.30 for a run..maybe we could just put our packs on and walk!!!

End of the World

2009-05-23T16:10:00.019+10:00

Now most people would like to put their feet up and rest after walking 765kms, but for some reason pilgrims feel this is not for them. No..they feel compelled to go the extra 90kms to get to "The End of the World". We had come this far..what is an extra 90kms!!!

After 2 nights in Santiago de Compostela our smelly boots were calling out to us....we did have a little problem to fix first..Chris was NOT going to walk the extra 90kms with a backpack!!! Thats her, about to throw the backpack over the balcony!!

Chris had grown to love her boots, Michele had grown to love the backpack..so we packed just basics..(actually we thought that 2 sets of clothes, toothbrush, face cream and deodorant was basic!!!) but we narrowed it down again to fit in one pack and stored the other one for 4 days.

It seemed like the rain might be with us for the next few days.....

but somehow we were still smiling..could hardly see 2 feet in front of us in some spots. The young German boy who took this picture said "I thought Spain was a sunny country!" Didn't we all!! This particular stretch was a 15km walk between bars .... I mean towns. We survived on a chorizo tortilla on pan and a few chocolate bars. May have mentioned already that kit-kat is our chocolate of choice as it is the same spelling in Spain therefore easy for us linguistically challenged pilgrims to purchase. (Lucky we also think they are yummy!!!)
It was 3 days walk to the coast, we forged onwards through the drizzly rain and fog to our first overnight stop - Negreira . We were ahead of the main bulk of pilgrims doing this stage as we were aware there was only 20 beds in this Albergue and we timed it well being pilgrims 9 & 10 to arrive and secure our beds for the night. Chris being the one who had the smart idea to leave her sleeping bag behind in Santiago de Compostela,was desperately searching for a blanket - was able to beg one off the host who took one from the sick bay for her. All set - this left the afternoon free for eating/drinking/socializing. The walk had taken on a party mode now as the main objective was to reach Santiago de Compostela, this extra 90km was for fun! We shopped for some picnic foods and yes vino tinto as that would be our dinner. Settled into the Albergue for the evening, it was quite painful to watch all the pilgrims being told the Albergue was 'complete'. It was located out of the main town and up a hill. Some grimly trudged back into town, others called taxis. Enjoyed our shared party/picnic before retiring to bed. Why does the snorer from hell always end up in our room?? This was to be our last night in an Albergue although always fun and highly entertaining, communal living does have a few drawbacks.
Our next days walk started out in very heavy rain. This was a first for us, we were a little damp and slightly somber, mostly because we knew our incredible journey was nearing its end. We walked to Olveiroa and checked into a really cute hotel/bar. It had been very thoughtfully restored from the old ruins of something a rather. Had a great meal and cheery company of other fellow pilgrims who had all come to eat at our hotel. After dinner we retired to the bar for a night cap. We had a shout, our friend Kate had a shout, we tipped the barman, then he had a shout. Chris was drinking contreau on ice and Michele was still going strong on the vino tinto. It was no surprise we had an excellent nights sleep in our lovely room.
Our last days walk was again in damp foggy weather but we ambled along and before long had some distant ocean views. The seaside villages we walked through were colorful and quaint and we are sure they would be very beautiful on bright sunny day.
We arrived in Finistere around 5pm, conveniently happy hour. The weather had really set in, the wind and rain had really whipped up. We popped into a bar to regroup, dry off and work out our next move. Negotiated a room with the barman, at least we didn't have to go back outside just yet. We needed to get the bus back to Santiago de Compostela at about 8am the next morning so that only left the next few hours to make the final assualt to the cape and lighthouse which was a mere 3.2km away. Fortified ourselves with a couple of vinos (a standard vino is around 20ml so don't be too worried about our livers) and headed back out into the horrendous weather. James our English friend we met on day 2 of our camino appeared and decided to walk to the lighthouse as well, he borrowed a couple of brollys from the barman. and away we went. Grabbed a bottle of bubbles (carva in Spain) armed with plastic cups and away we went. Wind, rain, fog made the going interesting and the brollys were soon turned inside out. We were absolutely soaked but very happy for reaching the Okm marker. We could certainly hear the fog horns but there was no light to be seen. It was easy to see why it has been such a dangerous coastline for ships.
Our happiness turned to hysterical laughter as we walked to the monument in front of the fog horns. They were unbelievbly loud, designed to be heard many miles out to sea - it really rattled us to the core and almost made Michele drop her beloved camera! Popped the bubbles, more hysteria as it was blown sideways before it reached the cups and all the froth and bubbles were blown away.

Had some hugs and some pics., we were at worlds end and the end of our own journey. A mixture of elation and sadness as surely

such an amazing 6 weeks could not be repeated?

Pulpo Central

2009-05-11T04:32:00.006+10:00

Pulpo is the dish of choice in this region..yes of course we have tried it....that is ours on the right.

Suckers tenticals and all .....yuck..we mean ..yum!!!

Vino Blanco is also the go here so we have switched from vino Tinto!

Sauntered into Santiago de Compostela

2009-05-11T03:47:00.009+10:00

Since Samos we have covered more than 130kms to reach the end of our Pilgrimage. We have been up many hills, over more medieval bridges, through cobbled streets in old villages, down shady lanes and old oak forests.

At the 65km marker we got our photo taken as this meant we had walked 700kms..Shared this with the 2 Carol´s from Hobart. Finished this evening by watching Barcelona draw/win the soccer.

For all the in depth info you will need to attend our slide night....serving vinto of course.

We just want to let you all know that we have finished but will spare you all the ins and outs of every day.......of our most incredible, amazing, awesome, beautiful, stunning, wonderful journey/ adventure of a lifetime!!!!! Hope you are getting the picture!

We are now heading to "The End of the World" so stay tuned...we plan to have a dip in the Atlantic!

Thursday night we will be slumbing it at the Parador de Santiago - Hostal Reis Catolicos.

Reflections..a pictorial overview of where we have slept and what we have eaten

2009-05-09T00:15:00.031+10:00

More to follow soon.

A day in the life of a modern day Pilgrim

2009-05-05T04:38:00.004+10:00

We are not really sure that you have the picture of just what is involved in our daily life...so here is a little insight just to set you straight.
Awake at 6.00am when the first eager pilgrim wants to take off, usually to plastic bags rustling.
We are amongst the last to get up. Most places you have to be our by 7.30 or 8.00am.
We stay in our sleeping bags and put on our undergarments(!) if they have been removed at night due to sweating. Could be hot , could be cold , you never know. Should have left the PJ´s at home!!
Then we can get out of our bags, still lying down, put on another layer of clothing, all the while trying to forget that there are about 20 other blokes in the room in various states of undress!!! Lets just say they are not as modest as us, don´t use your imagination here!
Michele then puts on deoderant and reminds Chris to do the same. Reluctantly she does, most times! We then go to do teeth next to some man doing morning abulutions!!!
Next, pack sleeping bag and stuff everything you are not wearing in to the pack. Then unpack again as you have forgotton to fill the water bladder up!

Then to the boot room to pick out your smelly pair,usually the last 2 pairs sitting there! Hang sandals on the outside of your pack along with any wet undies and socks that have not dried overnight, that is if we could have been bothered to wash them the night before.
Now to feed ourselves..we would kill for a pot of tea ...find the nearest bar/cafe that is open.. yes they are all smokey at this hour of the morning!
Cafe con Leche Grande and Tostados with jam and something they call butter.
Choke it all down and then we are on the way. walk about 2kms and find out it is either too hot, too cold, too wet for what you are wearing and you need to strip off/add something, whatever.So of course then we stop and have to take off the back packs and start again.
Then we need the maps because we dont know where we are going..and try to guess where the next coffee stop will be. Then we might want a tissue, try to remember who has them and on what side of whos pack.

Then we need the lip gloss ..same senario again, turtles turning in circles comedy act!

All we have to do is follow the yellow arrows and we are right. When fellow pilgrims ask where we are headed for that night we just say "the town that starts with...." What ever we say is never pronounced right..Chris sometimes gets it..Michele hasn´t a hope..but says she will learn French or German when she is home instead!

Ok have worked up a thirst/sweat need to find a bar pronto. Great one nearby where we meet up with fellow pilgrims exchange horror stories about where we spent the night/enjoyed(?) dinner etc. Only joking it is all the most amazing adventure. Check the time, is it really 11am already - have we only walked 6km with 24k´s to go??

Sun is over the yard arm and Michele is already discussing possible vino tinto venues up ahead. Many pilgrims have shots in their coffees and beers all before 10am (outrageous!!) Must add here all the truck/taxi drivers have a slug of something as well.

Lunch is generally around 2pm, timing is the key as you need not to be in the middle of a forest/meadow/meseta/industrial estate or mountain top. also it needs to be someplace mentioned on a map otherwise they are all very busy having their siesta´s.

Have progressed past ordering a ham cheese bocadilla and moved onto tortilla patata with ensalada which is a perfect compliment to the vino tinto. Can even order sin or con onion - how clever we have become!! Sometimes we have had wonderful picnics in amazing locations. That requires prior planning, a visit to the supermarkado and actually carrying it all with you. Its a struggle, day half over still a long way to the nights destination. Divide the number of k´s left to travel by 4 (our average k´s per hour) then guesstimate our arrival time. This system accurate to the nearest 3hours. It doesn´t take into account the number of chats/vinos/loo´s you stop for.

Now the important part of the day, finding a bed and feeding ourselves (again) and showering. You will have to check back for the next installment on this. (Will talk you thru a communal shower!!)

Chanting in Samos

2009-05-05T04:16:00.011+10:00

Last night we stayed in the Monastry of the Blackfrairs. A wonderful sight to see as we came over the hill after walking 30kms. We arrived at 7pm, just in time to go on a tour and see the monks chanting in the monastry (as they do.)
Found out the showers were cold, so put if off for the moment. This is where travelling with a Spainish person comes in handy. for important intel. Elig was a font of information (more than Chris and he could speak better spanish!!!!) headed for the nearest bar and tonight no real effort needed to get vino tinto and pasta. 10.o0pm lockdown tonight..makes it very hard as eating doesnt start till 8.30 or 9pm!! just got back in time, managed to guzzle and gobble it all down. no time for a shower though, oh well always tomorrow..but it is official we are both on the nose!!!
here are some photos of different things, we are off for ...yes you guessed it VINO TINTO! and we in staying in our hotel tonight so no curfew! It is amazing just how many pilgrims you see in the hotels..not just us!

Leaving Leon...entering Glacia our last provence

2009-05-05T04:02:00.004+10:00

We had a huge day, we were told this was our next big challange after the first day. AND it was..started the big climb at 4pm and arrived at 7pm in O Cebreiro a delightful little village high in the mountain range 1400mts. Stunning panoramic views..lost for words..needs showering but just had to go and drink first..opps we mean eat first. found a bar, patted ourselves on the back for not ordering the pilgrims meal. Sucessfully got Tapas and a local bottle of vino tinto..ahhh.
Wondered why the queso was a bit light on till a dish arrived after which was a cheesy desert..opps! oh well hoe in..its all food! we were joined during the night by 3 fellow pilgrims, 2 from Spain and one from Germany.

Sunny one day..Blizzard the next!

2009-05-05T03:28:00.011+10:00

Remember yesterday here in Astrorga we saw the Gaudi building? Take note of the blue sky, beautiful day.
well the next morning we woke to rainy, cold weather. so we rugged up with all our stuff on except Chris just had to show off her BULGING calf muscles today, so she wore her shorts!
So off we went, we had a long climb up the mountain. We stopped for a coffee at Foncebadon and not far past that we saw the Iron Cross. . Here it is a pilgrim tradition to leave a pebble from home and say some prayers for your hopes troubles to lighten your spritual being.Chris had her pebble from home and Michele had hers from Brisbane airport (last minute!) lets see which one works.
Near the top of the mountain Michele was getting very concerned as Chris's legs were turning PINK! She did agree that fher flesh was frozen so agreed to put long pants on. So off with the backpack, boots, shorts, now semi naked in the middle of nowhere, she had to put long johns on then pants! Carried out with military precison with the help of Michele.
Arriving in Ponferrada for the evening, coming in to town saw the amazing sight of the Knights Templar Castle.. checked into our 2 star hotel to recover, refuel after another 30km plus day.
We both felt that this was our most challenging day of walking to date. We are machines!! amazing ourselves :)

Big day out 37kms

2009-05-05T02:58:00.006+10:00

Waking up in our lovely albergue in Hospital de Orbigo we made a special note to selves...avoid when ever possible sharing a dorm with aging balding coughing burping stinky MEN!!!!! (who wear loose underwear!!!!!!!!!!!) It is enough to put you off your cafe con leche!!!!!!!!! Next morning, we met the "other" 2 Aussie girls we had heard so much about. Carol and Carol and also James we met on day 2. Here we are before leaving for our 37km day!!!
Its not all walking, eating , talking, meeting we have cultural imput as well. We can now spot a Gaudi building from 100 mts and also pastleire wont say which excites us most!!! except to say that the cake shop was open and the Gaudi building was not!
That afternoon we tried a new plan. at 25kms we stopped for a afternoon Vino Tinto.very pleasant. In fact so pleasant, we did it again at the next bar which was "CowboyBar" about 1hr later!
This plan worked very well as we still kept walking leaving fellow pilgrims behind us. We eventually arrived at Rabanal del camino at 8pm!
ONLY to find that we got the last 2 beds and therefore it was full .. So it was very necessary to get out earplugs and blindfolds! (see top of post!)

Bar Lorenzo

2009-04-29T05:37:00.005+10:00

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

No Primavera in Spain

2009-04-29T05:10:00.005+10:00

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

2009-04-27T18:57:00.003+10:00

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...

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

2009-04-27T04:33:00.005+10:00

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

2009-04-24T04:54:00.003+10:00

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

2009-04-24T04:43:00.003+10:00

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.

2009-04-24T04:23:00.003+10:00

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

2009-04-22T04:54:00.003+10:00

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

2009-04-17T05:23:00.002+10:00

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....

2009-04-15T17:34:00.004+10:00

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

2009-04-15T07:25:00.002+10:00

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

2009-04-15T06:35:00.002+10:00

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

2009-04-11T15:03:00.005+10:00

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

2009-04-11T00:18:00.006+10:00

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

2009-04-10T21:22:00.004+10:00

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

2009-04-06T18:32:00.004+10:00

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 !!

2009-04-04T18:14:00.006+11:00

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

Farewell Party

2009-03-31T18:07:00.005+11:00

Sunday afternoon we had a little get together with friends to have a little Sangria (which was mighty fine I must say!) and show everyone what we are doing, taking etc. Of course, because we were not walking it looked like rain!!!! Lovely afternoon with good friends....we had a few tips on what we should be wearing from some of them...check out the photos!! Amy and Daniel made us a beautiful cake.. Amy noted that the colours were the wrong way round..but it did not matter :)

We both really had a wonderful afternoon and feel very lucky to have such supportive family and friends :)

Now we are just both working this week..Chris finishes 5.30pm Saturday!!! Then we leave Sunday Morning..Have just found out that where we are staying in London is apparently a "Doll's House"!!!! and not a good one at that!!! oh well...all part of the adventure we say...

Last weekend in Australia :)

2009-03-28T19:58:00.002+11:00

Just thought we would have a little update on what is happening with us :)

No walking this weekend..and of course it RAINED!!!! Busy buying Spainish flags and ingredients for Sangria for our farewell party tomorrow :)

We are very lucky to have lots of friends and family who are very happy for us and our upcoming adventures..so we are all getting together tomorrow for a little celebration. Watch here for the photos :)

We are going to have our packs and everything we are taking so all can have a look...

Last minute anxious thoughts..leaving family, will all be ok? hope everyone is safe while we are gone...what are we doing!!!! but we know all will be ok..we hope :)

Adios

Last big walk before we leave :)

2009-03-22T16:19:00.007+11:00

Sunday morning 7.00 we arrive at Mt Warning. Had rained the night and day before so thought we might get lucky and be able to try our wet weather gear...but no..sun out and clouds gone. We have decided that this is sign it will not rain in Spain!!!

Thought we would just go slow today and we did....very easy. Our packs had almost everything in, felt fine.

As we got nearer the top, the wind picked up and clouds came swirling around..but no rain..only drops off the trees from night before!!

Decided to go all the way and climb up the chain to the summit. Not many people there this week. We did pass quite a few people coming down who had been up there for sunrise..one group very happy, carrying table and chairs??!!!! There had been a marriage proposal in that group :).

Had drink and rest up the top then came slowly down again. Passed a few people and they said "you look fresh" "you look happy"!! Felt like we had not even walked when we finished, just a bit tired from getting up so early!

Only had a few leeches today and saw a worm??? photo here, striped one.

Drove into Murwillumbah to get a coffee and guess what.... It poured!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not for long though.

Now we are just getting organised for our farewell drinks next Sunday..yipeeee

17sleeps to go!!

2009-03-19T23:19:00.002+11:00

Not long till we go now..just checking that we have everything..mmm1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of pants, 2 tee shirts, 2 long sleeve tops, 2 pairs of undies, 2 bras, jacket,beanie..set for 6 weeks..how easy is that!!!!

One more walk this weekend, thought we might do Mt Warning again. Hope we don't get leeches like we did at Mt Nimmel!!

Mt Nimmel to Polly's Kitchen walk

2009-03-18T07:23:00.005+11:00

Sunday 15th March

Setting out to do one of the tracks we did in 2006 when training for Kokoda Challenge in Gold Coast Hinterland. Have a look on google earth to see the track.. It is about 24 kms..up hill and down..and yes we had forgotten just how long and

steep those hills were ( I just did not look up!!!) We started at 6.00 am not too hot but expected to get to 30 degrees today. There were 12 of us..lots of fun!! Chris and I did not wear our packs as we knew we would be walking faster than we will be in Spain. We had our smaller camelbaks with a bit of food as well as water. In the photo that is Chris and I at the back!! We did not want to go too fast so the others waited for us, usually at the top of a hill! BUT...I have to add...we both found out that we could get up Monday morning and do it all again and a lot of the others had sore quads,feet etc..so we were very happy with that.. :) ..(not that they were sore..but that we could back up the next day!!!!!)

It took us 6 1/2 hours..24 kms......

We both had a clothing issue..we have icebreaker tee shirts and they were DRIPPING!!! did not feel uncomfortable ..looked ..WET!!! but they did dry and we could have worn them the next day..but as they are red and crimson the moisture shows up straight away!!! Chris's shorts looked like she had first of all wet her pants!!...then jumped in the pool!!! I think the shorts are staying home but the shirts will be ok!!!!

No problems with our feet,,very happy to say..sore toes when i took my boots off, but fine the next day.

So another walk done...2 1/2 weeks till we leave..a few more walks to go :)

Past this property on the way..mmmm were we in Spain already???

Mt Warning

2009-03-07T17:32:00.006+11:00

This morning Chris did the Triathlon. I slept in and opted to climb Mt Warning with Annie and Pete, who are training for Kokoda in April. Now I have done this walk quite a few times over the years, it is 4.4kms up, in the rainforest, easy path for a lot of the way, then rocks etc on the path nearer the top.This means your looking down most of the time. The end is a steep climb with a chain to hang on to till you reach the top. My pack at the moment is about 7kgs i think.

It was ok going up, but have to say coming down was not quite as comfortable. I picked up a stick after a while so i could steady myself a bit!! I was stuffed by the time I finished, which i have to say surprised me!!! Just have to keep doing some more!! Maybe I should have done the Tri instead!!

mid week walk

2009-03-06T22:02:00.003+11:00

Tuesday afternoon leaving work..raining yay!! We can get to try out our gear and see what happens in the rain..... no such luck..1/2 hour later, boots and backpacks on, walking down Bilambil hill in the sunshine, we were attacked by mozzies!!!!!!! And I do mean attacked!!! They just swarmed on us..warm and steamy getting bitten on every bit of flesh that was not covered!! we turned around and went along another road instead of going along the water (where MORE mozzie live!!) But the little blighters stayed with us!!! We got to the top of the hill, bites all up our arms, then thought we would just go home. But then decided to just do a bit more. Ended up doing 1 and 1/2 hours.

SO.. we are never walking in Bilambil again after rain!! Did other training this morning, boxing, stairs etc to strengthen up the body. Not sure what long walk we are doing next.

Hoping for more rain to test things out. Trying to decide whether or not to get a poncho??

30 sleeps till we leave, getting excited now.

another walk with no rain

2009-02-25T19:53:00.003+11:00

Sunday 22nd ..6 weeks till we fly out. Trying to walk in the rain...everytime we put our boots on it stops!!! Started at 7.00 this time..was supposed to be a bit earlier, but I slept in :) Started at Chris's place again. Walked further this time, went for 3 hours. Feet fine. This time I tightened the strap around my hips. This got some of the weight off my shoulders, which was great. They felt a lot better than the last time.

We were wearing sock liners today as well. They were not as thin as we thought. felt fine while we were walking..seemed to have a red mark on the ankle when we took them off..

While walking up the road we heard a few " grunting noises".. sounded like a pig..but could not see one!!! was not until we came back that we found him! He looked like he wanted to follow us down the road..glad he stayed put!!

Walking up at Carool is just beautiful. Views of the coast through the bananna plantations are really something..even with the odd pig popping up!!!!

The rain just did not come...lots of black

clouds ..but no rain. So we have not found out if our boots are waterproof yet or our backpacks!!!. We are hoping that they are...but we are also hoping that the weather is getting better over in Spain :)

After our walk we started to weigh some of our clothes.. my sandals are quite a bit heavier than Chris's, so might have to go and change them. Have decided that our beautiful icebreaker scarves that belong

to our daughters' are just too heavy to take. Will have to look at getting smaller ones. we know that it will be cold in London when we get there, but don't know what to wear on our feet in the plane??? We are only taking our boots and sandals????? Any suggestions??? Koo????

2009-02-17T20:50:00.003+11:00

Report on Walk of 15/02/09
We wanted to walk in the rain this weekend to try out our wet weather gear. So the day was of course very hot, humid and practically rainless! We parked the car at Kingscliff beach and decided to walk 2 hours then turn around.Started out very chipper, congratulated ourselves on the lightness of our packs the comfort of our boots and our general all round cleverness.
Ambled along at a casual pace, worked up a thirst so reached for the drink bottle. Problem, that handy little side pocket on our pack that holds a water bottle is impossible to reach when the pack is on. Kinda like a dog chasing its tail! Some team work required to access each others bottles.Not to worry - they were soon empty and we were looking for a shop!
Very sticky day - decided that walking in Spain in the summer would be a real slog. Our cleverness has us walking in the early Spring which should be glorious (or not!)
Ok, 2 hours past time to turn around and head back to the car. You know how return journeys always seem shorter? Well not today, kept imagining a mirage of the car up ahead. Kingscliff is such a long beach - who knew?
The closer we got to the end of our walk the heavier our packs felt. Did a mental inventory and really couldn't think of a non essential item that I could ditch. Michele could do without the 4 tins of dogfood in her pack. (thanks Noel!)
A learning experience to be sure. Was quietly horrified to find my expensive socks with silver and enough high tech features to fly the space shuttle have given me a nasty rash. Great - I get to do the rounds of Katmandu, Anaconda etc. again!!!!!!!!!

Back a few weeks!!

2009-02-16T07:28:00.006+11:00

Just going to be a bit out of order here at the start..want to go back to where we started getting ready but first, just last week.

Went on our first walk with pack and boots. We packed what items we had, still had to put in toiletries and odd bits of clothing. But at this stage packs only weigh about 6kg so we are very happy with that.

Still very hot here in Northern NSW so we started about 4.00pm from Chris's place up at Carool.

Only walked on the road to start did 2hours very managable no problems at all. Good sign..very happy!! :)

2nd weekend training walk 4hrs

2009-02-15T19:38:00.004+11:00

7 weeks today(we thought it was 6!!) and we will be on our way. Did a 4 hour walk this afternoon with pack and boots.

Hot aussie summer afternoon!!!! we are sure Spain will be cooler!

Michele has sore shoulders..bad sign..pack must not be sitting right.

Adjusted Chris's pack half to sit lower...

Chris a bit sore in hips??

All ok though probably walking a bit faster than we would in Spain.

mmm having a red wine now..shoulders feeling better:)

Chris practicing Spanish greetings to Aussies passing by!!!

certainly wont take any extra "anything" to make the packs heavier.

Note: tins of food noel put in pack certainly made it heavier than it needed to be.!!!!!

53 days to go

2009-02-10T16:55:00.002+11:00

53 Days till we start our journey. Time to start our blog to put all our planning in.