April 14th
The Camino to Santiago was originally done on foot. Over the years pilgrims have added bicycles and horses as means of transportation. As you can imagine most of the paths are stone paths. Only possible with a mountain bike and then there is a lot of pushing involved on steep uphill paths or on the stone steps that dot the route. Over the years some of the Pilgrim stages (stations of rest) became villages and some even cities. This development meant some of the paths became main transport routes and thus were paved.
Now you are thinking where is this all heading. In essence the paved roads are a joy to bikers especially up and down the mountainous portions of the pilgrimage. Yesterday was mainly a stone path day. Relatively flat in comparison to the "Everest like " climb of the first day, however stones are tiring on the bike and the "butt". After 70km on stone paths, I took to the roads for the last 20km, I was tired and needed a bed fast!
The joy of stone paths is that one meets many more foot pilgrims en route. Yesterday I met pilgrims from Dusseldorf and Vienna and saw many more along the route. I had a strong sense of communion with my fellow pilgrims. We all had one thing in common - "the Camino". "Buen Camino" was exchanged many times with my fellow pilrims and I enjoyed an all pervading aura of good will. This you do not get on the roads.
On the stone path between Cizur Menor and Estella, there was a really steep stoney portion. As soon as I reached this energy sapping section, I got off my bike and began pushing it up the hill. There were three male mountain bikers behind me. Of course they caught up with me, I could sense they were "men"and would not opt for the sensible but "girly" action to push their bikes up. So the first biker continued for 30 meters then he got off. His colleagues were die hards, as the second biked past me, his breathing sounded like a juggernaught about to expire. I watched in amusement, again 30 meters past me the second biker gave up and opted for the "girly" option to push. The third bike stopped exactly where I was standing and pushed his bike up. At this point I had to smile but then felt imediately gilty for gloating.
Lesson for me: Not to gloat!
Lesson for me: By opting for the girly option, I probably made it easier for the male bikers to do the same.
Something happens to you on this pilgrimage, you feel guilty if you have any negative thoughts about people or situations.
I arrived in Logrono at 7pm dead tired after 10 hours of cycling. I will be skinny by the end of this trip. Each hour of biking is atleast 500 calories and I'm eating max 2000 a day giving a negative balance of 3000 calories. I shall be welcoming my body back to bikinis from which I had given up following excessive sideways growth.
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April 20th
I have now been on the Camino for 8 days. 8 days with at least 8 hours cycling per day. My upperthighs are begining to bulge out of my cycling shorts and are looking like they could crush beer bottles. Each day I meet looooaaaadddds of fellow pilgrims.....mainly foot pilgrims bikers are few and far between. Every time I pass a pilgrim a greeting is exchanged "Buen Camino" or "ola" . This greeting is always said from the heart and is always returned with warmth. When I am serenaded with "buen camino" from a lone pilgrim, I usually stop and say "buen camino" back. Then our conversation begins. How are your feet, your thighs, knees, do you have far to go etc. Pleasantries are exchanged, no pleasantries is the wrong word. Warmth is exchanged and somehow one gets connected. The really amazing thing happens if you meet the same person again. You are greeted as a long lost friend. I have been hugged by a fellow pilgrim I met Estella and then met again on my way out of Burgos 2 days later.
I was just thinking today, how wonderful it would be if such a civilised custom were adopted at home. I dare anyone to walk down their High street greeting everyone and asking their fellow citizens how things are going. It is sad to admit that the brave person who takes on this challenge would be talking to men in white coats before long. May be the Pilgrims on the Camino have a "few slices short for a loaf" afterall who would choose to walk or bike 800km when there are bullet trains and Easy Jet.
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Stories from some of the pilgrims I've met along the way.
I have met so many people and I am sorry to say that I do not know or indeed remember all their names. Shame on me. Sometimes, names are not exchaged but distinct details are so that you will remember the person for ever. Here are stories from some of them
Pierre from Toulousse: This is my third pilgrimage. I just locked up the house and left. I needed to find my soul again. I've done the Camino Norte also.
Retired couple from the Netherlands: We have been training for this for a long time. We started in England in December 2009 and will reach Santiago in August 2010. I nearly fell off my bike when I heard this. ENGLAND (just incase anyone is in any doubt, they started walking in England). The wife added, we walk just 10-15km a day, we plan to soak up the Camino. So far we have no pain or blisters. At this pace, the Camino is a joy and not a torture. The man had a cart strapped to his hips, quite a contraption. I enquired after his "designer walking trolley". It is a walking trolley designed by Radical design, much easier than carrying a ruchsack. The device looked cool (check it out on www. radical design).
Man from Austria: Started walking in St. Jean. The Camino can take as long as it likes. I have no time limit.
French blokes from Lyon alias Starsky and Hutch: these guys were seriously fit in the visual sense. They greeted me and were suprised that a "girl" would undertake the Camino on her own. They started in Lyon and cycled 60km a day and asked how many km I do a day. I replied between 70km and 80km. They looked at me differently glancing down at my thighs. I told them I take the Camino real slow and when the hills become mountains any my upper thighs start screaming, I get off my bike and walk. They laughed and said, we tend to just ride it out......and there in lies the problem........if the upper thighs are screaming all day, they stop playing ball. If however, they are carefully exerted, they can go a long long way. I kept this little bit of insider knowledge to myself. I did not want to appear a know it all.
Frankie the American cuban from Florida. Frankie was taking a year off. His company was downsizing so he took the cheque which was quite fat and decided time to Chill. So he has been chillling for a while, is unsure of what he wants to do next so he decided to do the Camino. Maybe the camino will help him find his way. Frankie had an axe to grind, was still hurting from his experience of downsizing. He hated company politics and was glad to be out. He has been walking a while but is taking it very easy; no more than 20km to 25km a day. He is dreading the Cebreiro pass which comes up for him in a week or so. Frankie has connected with the camino and many pilgrims. He recounted a story of a lady who was struggling to walk so he offered to help her with her rucksac but she pushed him away. He later saw the lady at mass in a convent. They both started crying.....he did not know why he was crying, the woman who earlier pushed him away then hugged him. He is still trying to understand why he cried. I told him about my guilty feelings. He laughed and said that he was glad he did not have such an affliction. I guess the Camino touches everyone in a different way.
I met Allessandro from Rome in San Juan de Ortega. He saw me fixing my bike. I guess no one expects a girl to carry a tool kit to fix her bike. He strolled up and asked, can I help? what is wrong with your bike? I said nothing, just need to tighten some screws. He said unfortunatly he doesnot have any equipment (he was also on a bike). I said no worry I have all the spanners required. He watched me with raised eyebrows as I tighted the loose screws on my handle bar. (After a long ride on a stoney road some screws come loose - par for the course)
Jan and Theresa from San Jose started walking in Pamplona. They need to walk 30km a day but are just managing 25km. They enquired how far I go each day, I said on average 80km with some rest days in between. I said rest was important as my upperthigh muscles had had serious words with my brain. Theresa replied yes my feet are arguing with my brain at the moment. I interjected and who has the upper hand. She answered always the brain, but my feet are hurting real bad. I felt sorry.
I met some German ladies who were having a picnic along the way. They took one look at my muddy clothes and said " what happened to you" I replied "the camino". They laughed, I commented that they were in such high spirits that clearly their feet have not started making demands to their brains. They laughed some more, I intimated that the fun and games between brain and feet were to come. They continued laughing and said "yeh we know". If only we could all face our challenges with laughter and not fear!
The Camino is a magical place. Starsky and Hutch (Sebastian and Philip) told their parents about me. Apparently they were so amazed that a girl would undertake the Camino on her own and further amazed that she was cycling more than they were that they reported the affront to their parents. I was cycling along and was serenaded with "buen camino" by a group of 5 pilgrims. I stopped and one asked, where are you heading? What a question, I said to Santiago with a smile. He smiled then said, tonight, I answered Palas del Rei. Then a woman from the group asked me if I had met some bikers from France. I laughed and said I have met many bikers, she then continued more specifically, no two together and I immediately remembered Starsky and Hutch. I said yes, two bikers from Lyon. She said one of them is my son, here is his father, and here is the other bikers mother and father. I was totally blown away. I said why did you ask me if I knew your sons, she then told me that I was a camino legend. The boys were so taken aback by me that they called home and told everyone about me. They said quote " I had a smile to die for". I smiled! Since meeting me, the boys had upped their tempo and were doing 80km a day come what may and were already in Santiago. I laughed hard and said, although I do a lot of km, I have had some rest days inbetween. The mother replied, well the boys are totally kaputt and are now resting in Santiago. This story touched me immensly.
Lesson to me: I cannot believe how I touched these boys. The connection with my fellow pilgrims and the camino continue to amaze me day by day.
Three german students from Ludwigshafen. These 3 jolly pilgrims had just finished their Arbitur (German equivalent to A levels). I said what are you subjecting yourselve to more torture. They smiled. I was so suprised that such youngsters would undertake a pilgrimage. At 18 I thought I was enlightened going Interrailing! I told them I was impressed. We talked some more about Mannheim and Ludwigshafen. We said our good byes and hoped to see each other again. I would meet them again a day later. We greeted eachother as old friends. On our second good bye, I wished them much success and lots of fun at University. Somehow, I know these three have already passed with flying colours.
Michael is a doctor from Achen. We had seen eachother at the Monastery in Samos but had not connected. Now here we were in the middle of the no where so we stopped to have a chat. He said, It was such a shame, I wanted to talk to you yesterday and I replied, well here I am. We talked for a long time. He said he started in Pamplona, I told him about the MONSTER climb over the Pyrenees. We talked about the magic of the camino. He totally understood the trance like state into which one falls once one begins to bike or walk the camino. He had read all the same books as I had and was reading HP kerkelings book at the moment. I asked where he stays, he replied always at an albergue, he loves the connection with fellow pilgrims. I told him, I mainly stay at hotels but had also experienced the albergue. We exchanged more camino stories and realised that we had met the same people along the way. He had met Starsky and Hutch and had met the couple from the Netherlands, he had also met Starsky and Hutch's parents.
Gabriel from Santa Domingo greeted me with a killer smile. I had to stop and say hello. he asked where I was heading, I told him Palas de Rei. He was walking with Santo from Spain and Carlos from Romania. I wished them well and they called after me saying "hope to see you in Palas". I said OK C U later.
Man from Mexico walking with his mum. He had stopped and his mother was walking ahead. I greeted him and asked if all was well He replied my feet are hurting so I have to stop for a while. I wished him well and said hope the pain stops soon.
Stefan from Dresden was completely drenched. It had been raining hard and I was hiding from the lightening and thunder in the bar of an Albergue. As he approached, he joked, as you can see I've been sweating. I laughed and replied, my feet are currently doing breast stroke in my shoes. He asked where I was heading, I said Palas....he said me too but I am just too wet to carry on. So he decided to stop exactly here.
I met Henning from Denmark at the top of the Rabanal del camino pass where there is a huge cross. The pillar of the cross was completed surrounded by a mound of stones. Camino legend has it that if one stands with the back to the cross and throws a stone back to meet the pile, ones prayers are answered. As you can imagine I stood there for at least 30minutes, throwing stones to answer all the prayers my family, friends and I. Henning approached and asked, is this the place where one needs to throw a stone for a prayer to be answered. I answered yes. He calmly produced a stone brought all the way from Denmark to throw at the mound.
