Camino, Day 8: June 21, Friday. First day of summer and the pointy hill

Happy summer to all.

We started our day at 5:00 am, and walked in a rather heavy and steady rain for a few hours. My poncho died a few days ago, just seemed to fall apart without notice, so I only had a short LL BEAN waterproof fishing jacket. I got pretty wet, but it was warm. And once you make up your mind you'll be wet, and your boots in mud, you just put your head down and get on with it and walk.

It was an enjoyable walk through beautiful fields of grain or pines, realitively flat with a few steep, but short, hills.

Almost from the time we left, we saw this pointed mountain. From our maps, we were pretty sure that we'd be going up it.

We didn't climb it, but we walked all day to now be resting in it's shadow. It is calling us to climb as there is a 9th century monastic ruins, and a castle up there.

But, it is steep as you can see.

I did make 1-1/2 ink drawings of this. I didn't finish the second one as it's cold and windy, and the humid atmosphere made the drawing dry too slowly. I can easily finish it from the one in my book.

Camino, Day 7: Puenta la Reina

Here's the bridge that the town was renamed for. It was built by the wife of Sancho III so pilgrim's wouldn't have to put their lives in even more danger trying to cross the river.

First one side, then the other, and finally a very upscale stone hen house that I saw looking down from the bridge!

Camino, Day 7: views of 'The Way' June 20, 2013

I wasn't sure that much could surpass the views of the Pyrenees mountains, but today's walk was particularly beautiful, jam packed with wildflowers, snails (as always), and the surprise of the day, tiny walking frogs, the largest not quite an inch, crossing the road to get to the other side.

Here are some lovely roads we walked today from Puenta la Reina to Lorca. Just follow the yellow arrow. Road with pines, and a singing pilgrim; very steep climb on a red dirt road; a road beside a stone wall holding the dirt for vineyards and an olive grove; a winding road up to a gorgeous village, a long downward hike on a white road; two stretches of Roman road from about 3rd century - it breaks your feet; me on a Roman bridge; two more roads; and finally the very steep climb, or bike ride, into Lorca where we are stopped for the night.

More graffiti

Forgot to attach these.

Camino graffiti

Our walk today was beautiful but we stopped short of our goal. Along the way we went through a tunnel and there was quite a bit of graffiti by pilgrims. Monica thought I should add us. I used the permanent ink from Sennelier and a stalk of wheat.

Camino: June 20, 1:05 pm

We're taking a break for a pee stop and for me, a Coke.

We walked 24 km yesterday and were shattered last evening when we got to Puente de Reina. This morning we were rested, but me with a hangover.

Here's my last photo with our friend, Vicente. It was very hard to say goodbye this morning. He started to cry looking at the Camino map, and we joined him. We love you Vicente!

Camino: yesterday's mudhole

What a walk yesterday. We started with a walk out of Pamplona in the rain. We stopped in the next town for the best bocadillo, egg and the local caistorra, which tasted like the Polish sausage that my Dad made for breakfast.

We walked through wildflowers, woodlands along rushing streams and the uphill to 780 m (?) In the mud. And I do mean mud. At some point you just had to laugh.

We are leaving the hostel now. And Vicente walks with us only a little. He takes a bus to Pamplona. We will really miss him.

Camino Day 6: A very long day

I walked backwards justs to see the babies of Antonia Lopez Garcia and see them one more time. So powerful! And they remind me of my daughter as an infant.

My daughter had big probkems with feet. At some pont she decided to have a new blister and get over it. Were't we all hurting equally in our own way? Yes.

Later, the smell of elderberry flowers reinforced us. The Camino demands much, but gives us what we need when we need it.

After an amazing 2-hour climb through thick mud, we had a steep decent. This took us the beyter part of 4 hours. But when we reached the top, here were the famous statues where we rested and took photos before the long, but relatively mudless steep decent. I thank my trainer, Trey every day.

The country side had started to level out, and the reward for the worldly pain us replaced with Mother Nature's beauty. Poppies standing proud amount a field if cultivated wheat, priceless, unforgettable, and a source is strength.

Yellow shelled snails revelling in the mud, a souce or strength.

Wildflowers, every changing, a source of strength.

My companions, thr bird song, the sound of rushing water, the source of the strength.

A distant landscape with medieval church or bridge. The record of mankind, my race. I walk in their footsteps, tired and sore.

The mud: barro. Sucks my shoes into the ground. REALLY HARD.

Vicente, source of strength. Superman today!

CAMINO Day 5: Art

We went to the art museo in Pamplona yesterday. WOW!

Long uphill today

I hate trying to pack in the dark. I have a head lamp, yes.

Speaking of heads, I got a pleasant surprise last evening on the way to the cathedral, two actually: 2 sculptures by Antonio Lopez Garcia; and a very dressed up clergyman leading a procession around the aisles of the eglise. Vincente and I followed the procession with me drawing it.

We leave here in a little while, not sure when we get wifi again.

Camino Day 5: a bed

We found our albergue not long after entering the city. We are at the very end of that long row.

There is great wi-fi here. Everyone is sleeping but me, and we have a long uphill climb tomorrow, and a steep downhill, about 24 km, I think. So, I have to check laundry and go to sleep. So much to share, so little time.

CAMINO Day 5: Pamplona

This city was where we aimed for yesterday, but Monica stopped to stick her feet in the river, I stopped to make a drawing, and Vicente went in search of an albergue. We wound up staying shy of 5 km from Pamplona in a 1000 year old monastary.

This was our rest day today, but we walked around all day and finally had a taste of some typical Spanish food. Pinchos is how I always pictured the spelling of this word when I first heard it many years ago in Puerto Rico, but it's not correct.