The Hills are Alive.... With the Sound of BAAA-ing

In the hills above St. Jean, Pier du Port.... Almost two months ago now! This was our first day of hiking the Camino. Needless to say, the mountains weren't a breeze, but I was thankful to be surrounded by such beauty.

In Portland

I haven't written for a while. This is partly due to my attempts to find a job (ahem), and partly due to my embarrassment that I STILL don't have all the photos loaded onto my blog, from the Camino de Santiago!

Things are going really well for us. We got here a little under a month ago, and although we don't have jobs, per se, we DO have really wonderful new contacts, and we are constantly in awe of how much support we have in family and friends!

We are staying temporarily in a lovely house in NE Portland. It is a place we found throughairbnb.com (I would definitely recommend the service), and we stayed here first for our one-year anniversary, in July. These photos were taken then.

Day 30 - SANTIAGO!

We finished a day earlier than expected, and just in time! I am tired!

I feel SO lucky to be able to do this trip, physically, mentally, and (ahem) financially, and I am so very happy to have such a good sense of accomplishment.

800km! That is a lot, if I do say so myself!

We are saying goodbye to new friends, as we all go our seperate ways.
Tomorrow Sebastien and I head off to Granada, and then to Nerja, on the Costa del Sol. We are going to have some time to NOT walk 27km per day!

Day 24: the Dogs Are Barking

Well, this is not going to be our biggest climb yet, but it will be close. Today, we are hiking from Villafranca del Bierzo up to O Cebreiro, a 30.1km hike with an ascent of 1,200 meters. I am a bit nervous. Thankfully, at the top, there should be some amazing views, and some interesting buildings.

Day 20: More Gaudi

Today we will hike into Astorga, in a region known as the Maragateria. Sebastien and I are both excited to see a little more Antoni Gaudi while we are there. Pictures to come.

Day 18: Hopping a Bus?

From the sound of things in our guidebook, today’s route is not as pleasant as others. Today we are walking from Mansilla to Leon, 18.6km (11.6 mi), and much of it is along busy routes. Sèbastien and I are considering taking a bus from the outskirts into town. Would you consider this cheating a little?

Day 11: People – Past and Present

Today’s route will be unusually interesting, in a historical and cultural sense; our path will be passing the archeological site studying the oldest human remains ever found (a UNESCO heritage site). The remains found here date back over 900,000 years, with more artifacts pointing to human activity 1 million years ago!

This roughly translates to: Ever since the pilgrim came to be in the mountains of Burgos of Navarra and saw the expansive fields of Spain, he has not enjoyed a view as beautiful as this.

When we reach our final destination of the day (Burgos), it will be another experience altogether. Burgos has a population of approximately 200,000 people, and is teeming with activity. Many pilgrims, after traveling over a week through quiet, secluded hamlets, find themselves with culture shock, and get overwhelmed by activity. I am not sure that this will be my experience because I am used to life in the city, but it will be interesting to gauge our reactions to all the people I am sure we’ll encounter.

Photos, Between There and Here

Day 7: Logroño – Capital of Rioja

We are walking a relatively short distance today of 9km (5.6mi) because we want to be able to spend some time in Logroño. We should be getting into town just as the wine harvest festival of San Mateo is starting!

Editor's Note: We missed the festival by one day, but by all accounts of it, we were glad (it sounds like the city was fully of the "over-boozed.") We had a WONderful time in Logroño, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. We stayed in a pension for a night (what a treat, after staying in bunk beds in the pilgrim hostels), near the section of town that seems to be devoted to tapas. There we said goodbye to one friend (who will continue the Camino next year), and enjoyed a wonderfully downplayed city atmosphere. We explored a bit, went to the markets, enjoyed a lovely breakfast in a cafe, bought some cheese and bread, and saw as much great graffiti as we could (Spain has some GREAT graffiti) before heading out the next day.

Can I say, once again, how happy I was that we stayed in a pension, and didn't have to share a bathroom with 100 other people?

With the Sun, There Also Came Rain....

A Few Photos to Tantalize...