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For those of you not familiar with the Camino do Santiago de Compostela, here is a brief description adapted from a publication of the Navarre Provincial government (Spain) provided in English.

Santiago is the Spanish name for Saint James, the brother of John, the sons of Zebedee, who was one of Jesus´12 disciples. Tradition has it that Santiago preached in Hispania before being decapitated in Jerusalem in 44 CE. It is said that his body was taken in a boat to the end of the western world where he was buried. Eight centuries later, about 812, a hermit saw miraculous shining lights (stars) and found a cemetery with the tomb of the apostle, Santiago, in Compostela. Austurion King Alfonso II the Chaste went to Compostela from Cuiedo to visit the tomb and began the tradition of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. In a few decades, this pilgrimage was as important as the pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem. The number of pilgrims peaked in the 12th century. Due to plague, religious divisions, and other factors, the number of pilgrims gradually declined into the late 20th century. A resurgence began in the 1980´s, due to the Jacobian associations, the local authorities, and Pope John Paul II.

From other sources along the Camino, we have learned that the number of pilgrims dwindled into the 200´s in the latter 20th century. Now the number is over 200,000 per year and the pilgrims are from all over the world.

In later updates, I will share more about the experience in general, but I wanted to share some historical background about the Camino. There are many websites that offer more extensive information. And the website of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela posts the count daily of pilgrims who have arrived at the Cathedral, and provides a breakdown by nationality, etc. It is very interesting. [Hilton, can you add the link?]

More on our travels.

Day 17
Saturday July 14 we walked from Castrojeriz to Fromista. This part of Spain is known as the Meseta. It is a plain dotted with mesas, due to erosion. We began the day going up, over, and down, a mesa. The incline was 100 meters in altitude and quite steep, but we did it. The end of the path was along a scenic canal with a lock system. We enjoyed seeing the restored Romanesque church in Fromista that was originally consecrated in 1066. It is apparently one of the best examples of a Romanesque church left in Spain. It´s simple beauty was a relief after the overkill of the Burgos cathedral! At dinner, my brother, Mark, ordered a salad of indeterminate ingredients due to our lack of comprehension of the menu in Spanish. It turned out to be squid and lettuce, among other things, with a dressing made from squid ink. You would think he had died and gone to heaven. He absolutely loved it. It´s a good thing, too, because it was served in a huge bowl, easily an amount that could have been served to all 5 of us, but it was just one order!

Day 18
Sunday July 15. We walked from Fromista to Carrion de los Condes. Part of the track was through the usual fields of wheat. I can see why this part of Spain was known as the bread basket of the Roman Empire. Wheat, wheat, and more wheat! The last part of the way was along a river in the shade. Very scenic. The thistles along this portion were taller than we are!

At the restaurant that evening, we ran into Edna, whom we had walked with on our first days on the Camino. It was great to see her. We all went to a free guitar concert in the church, offered for pilgrims and for the community. It was a delight. The guitarist was from the US. His name was Frank Wallace. He gave a magnificent performance which even the local Spaniards seemed to approve of. After the concert, we went out from a drink with Edna and her walking companion, Sue, from Korea. We stayed at an albergue in a monastery. Very nice. Many times this day I thought about Zoe and Olivia sharing their experience at the UCC National Youth Event in church. I was so sorry to miss that. I hope it was recorded. I look forward to hearing it when I get back.

Day 19
Monday July 16. We did not walk today, for a variety of reasons. We are trying to pay attention to the time and our physical abilities and balance walking with taking in some of the cultural treasures of the route. (Some people walk 30 or more kilometers per day. We average something like 20.) So today we took a taxi to Sahagun and then a train from Sahagun to Leon, a major city on the Camino. The cab ride was arranged for us by Paulo, a pilgrim from Italy whom we met at the bar that is at the bus stop in Carrion. We intended to take the bus, but a ticket was needed and the bus was full. So, Paulo helped us to arrange a taxi. We thought it was going to be 2 taxis, since there were 8 of us, total. But as it turned out, the driver took Paulo and his two friends and Jeff to Sahagun, and then came back for Mark, Malcolm, Sue and I. We were waiting outside the bar for the second to taxi to arrive, which we thought would happen momentarily, but 35 minutes later, the same taxi and driver appeared to make a second run. Mark found this beyond belief. Only one taxi in Carrion, evidently enough for the 2300 residents and the 200,000 + pilgrims!

While we waited for the train (2 and a half hours), we walked around Sahagun. Nothing particularly remarkable. Rather down on its luck. All the churches we walked by were closed. There seemed to be more activity at the train station than anywhere else in town. Julio came by, a local resident, walking his dog. He stopped at the station and had a beer and checked out the pilgrims for the day. He struck up a long conversation with Jeff. He has 8 kids, 4 boys and 4 girls, and a passel of grandchildren. Very friendly. Nice to hear about the lives of the locals.

When we got to Leon, a major city of 130,000, we found an albergue in a convent, and then went out to see the sights. The cathedral is gorgeous with stained glass windows like Chartres in France. Absolutely a gem! And there was even an audio guide in English. The cathedral included a statue of the Virgin Blanco, the white virgin, and a statue of a pregnant Mary. Very interesting. But the windows stole the show.

In Leon, we ran into Sarah, from Ireland, whom we met our very first day and we heard about her adventures on the Camino.

Day 20
Tuesday July 17. Today we walked from Leon to Villar de Mazarife. The first part of the walk was though Leon, city streets and urban life. Then, it was out onto the dirt track o`er hill and dale, through the fields and the scrub, wheat and some sunflowers. We saw an array of solar panels that were out in a field.

I found the walking today a delight in part because I had my backpack transported by a baggage service and did not carry it. My right leg has been bothering me from the hip down. The last day we walked, even with ibuprofen, I was ready to have it amputated, it hurt so much. So, today I decided to travel without my bag to give my leg a rest. It was wonderful. My leg did not hurt at all today. Now I am spoiled and may not want to carry my bag again! The transport service costs 6 € and is well worth it. Sue has used this service and so has Mark for a few days, to give his leg a break, and we had Malcolm´s bag transported when the belt of the pack bothered his infected belly button. The service is great. You call and then leave your bag in the morning with a tag on it with the relevant information, you walk all day, and when you arrive at the appointed destination, your bag is waiting for you. Definitely a bonus!

We are staying at the Albergue de Jesus. Quite a place. It seems like Mexico. The property is walled in. There is a large lawn/courtyard in the front with tables and chairs with umbrellas, facilities for hand washing of laundry (which we do every day), laundry lines, and even a small swimming pool. There are three bunk beds in our room, so the five of us and one other pilgrim will be staying there. There are many other rooms and pilgrims here. The place is very friendly and there is graffiti all over the walls left by pilgrims past. Very interesting to read! When we went to the store in town, we passed the church which has what appears to be a silo attached. We wonder what that is all about. Who knows? We continuously find Spain to be enigmatic and mysterious!

Tomorrow it is over 30 kilometers to Astorga, our targeted destination. That will be our longest walking day so far.

We will send more news when we can. Blessings to all!

Day 11

We walked from Santo Domingo de Calzada to Belorado. “We” is Sue, Mark and Jeff. Kim and Malcolm took the bus since Malcolm was still not up to walking with his abscess and infection in his belly button. It took about 20 minutes on the bus to go the distance that the walkers covered in about 6 + hours!

As Malcolm and I waited 2 hours for the bus, we saw Michelle from St. Pete again at the bus depot. Crazy to run into someone from home, again. We took a short walk around the town only to realize that we left our walking poles at the albergue that we had stayed at the night before. They close and lock the albergues usually at 8 am to clean for the group arriving in the afternoon. We went back and knocked and knocked on the door. Finally someone came who had been mopping the floors and he let us in and let us get our poles. Whew!
The albergue that we stayed in at Belorado had a swimming pool. A great relief after all the walking.

Day 12

We walked from Belorado to Villafranca Montes de Oca. Malcolm was still not up to walking so he and Jeff took the bus. We walked through one small, sad town, only to come to another, that was worse, and the third that was really bad. Many villages seem virtually deserted. One Irish girl that we talked to who is walking the Camino suggested that you would have to be born into that small village environment to be able to adapt to it. If you came from anywhere else, you would not be able to adapt to the remote, isolated lifestyle. Malcolm has suggested that you would have to have a LOT of hobbies!

We stayed at an albergue owned by a man who has walked the Camino, and actually also walked to Rome, and Jerusalem, and over 60,000 kilometers as a pilgrim. He was busy working on his hotel and albergue and he gave us a notebook of newspaper articles in a host of languages about his many kilometers of pilgrimage. Amazing!

Day 13

We walked from Villefranca (these Villafranca towns are places where French people who walked the Camino decided to settle on their way back) to Atapuerca. At this albergue, we all stayed in one small room.

Atapuerca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because in caves nearby, the oldest human remains in Europe have been found. They date back over 900,000 years. There is an active archeological site, and a visitors center, as well as tours of the site.

We booked a tour for the next morning.

Day 14

We got up and prepared to leave the albergue with plans to head to the archeological visitors center for the tour of the actual archeological site where the oldest human remains in Europe have been found. We planned to take the bus to Burgos following the tour, but there is only one bus a day at 8:30 a.m. Then we met Fernando, who was also staying at the same albergue, going on the archeological tour, and heading to Burgos. He told us that we could take a bus from the archeological center into Burgos. When we got to the center, sure enough, we were told that after the tour to the site, we could stay on the bus and it would take us to Burgos. The archeological bus goes to the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos that is associated with the site in Atapuerca. So, with the help of Fernando, an art teacher in Avilla, Spain, we were able to see the archeological site and proceed to Burgos.

The site was great. The tour was led by an archeology professor. Unfortunately for us, it was all in Spanish. There was an audio visual presentation, and we saw the archeologists digging through the dirt, and there were interpretive exhibits about the life style of the early humans, as well as information about the find and the exploration process. It was very interesting.

Then, the bus took us to Burgos, less than half an hour away, a major city in the region. When we got off the bus, we made our way to a small albergue, then headed to the cathedral, a must see in Burgos. We spent about 2 hours there and were grateful for the audioguides in English. It is an amazing church. One unbelievable chapel after another. Varying styles of art and architecture. My favorite part of the cathedral was the amazing clear glass star in the ceiling in the middle of the nave. Spectacular!

While I was saturated with Atapuerca and the cathedral, Jeff had the energy to go to the Museum of Human Evolution. He said it was amazing, tracing biological evolution as well as immigration and more.

Day 15

We all walked today. Malcolm finally back up to speed. His abscess has drained and is healing, the pain gone, and his strength returning. He had been hoping that the infection would lead to his being sent home, but no such luck. (He misses his friends, the beach, his friends, St. Pete, his friends, his home, his friends, and all things American. . .) We walked from Burgos to Hornillos del Camino, about 21 kilometers. We went through several towns and wheat fields, wheat fields, wheat fields! The walking was exposed with no shade. When we got to Hornillos, we headed to the albergue and got signed in. Jeff and I arrived later than Sue and Mark and Malcolm, and they worked on first come, first served, so Jeff and I were assigned to a different room. No problem. We went out to eat, and then back to the albergue to play spades, which Malcolm is teaching us.

The albergue faced a small town square, where there were benches. About 6 older people from the town sat on the benches and watched the pilgrims. These crazy people from all over the world who are walking hundreds of miles to Santiago, right through their village of some 70 residents, if that! The world comes to them, and they are taking it in!

Day 16

Today we walked about 20 k again, from Hornillos to Castrojewiz. Wheat fields and wind farms all day. It is a beautiful testimony to the harmony of humanity and nature. It was sunny and windy, so the temperature was pleasant. In fact, it was so windy our laundry blew off the line and we had to go chasing it on the terrace and the sidewalk below! Our guide books tells us that we are 460k from Santiago, or 285 miles. We might actually make it!