Camino de Santiago 2009

39000 feet over Oceano Atlantico

cjlester — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:01:02 +0000

Our last morning in Madrid starts as usual with cafe con leche at the bar. Some last minute packing and we are off to the Metro around 0945. My plane leaves 20 minutes before Susan and Luann’s. I leave them at the Metro stop for Terminal 1 as I continue to Terminal 4. When I got to check- in they were calling those in line to go to the front for the Miami flight. No time to spare. It is quite a distance to the gate and I get there with some time to spare. Good thing I didn’t go with Susan to their check- in as I would have been late! They have been in Europe 3 weeks now and know what to do. The plane is full and I am squeezed in the middle of a row of five. How did that happen? I picked my own seat when I bought the tickets. Always a surprise. We are served food shortly after take off. It is ok. International flight food used to be so good , Ha Ha! The flight is very smooth and we are half way to Miami as I write this. The iPhone is great for flights. I downloaded the USA Today newspaper this AM and have been able to read the whole thing. Arrival in Miami is around 1415 and the connection to Orlando leaves around 1600. Glenn will meet me in Orlando and we will drive to Melbourne to get Susan. Luann is going to Nashville. I am sure I speak for everyone when I say it has been a wonderful trip! We have had a lot of different experiences, ate a lot of different food, drank a lot of cafe con leches, and talked with many different people. We hiked, attended a wedding, drove half way across the country, went to church, drank sangria. Met with old friends, made new friends. We got lost, found our way. We ate good food in reasonable places, had bad food in expensive places. We slept in Albergues on the Camino with 80 other Pilgrims, we had our own rooms. We survived temps near 105 in Pamplona and the sweet temps of Santiago, 70. We submerged ourselves for three weeks in a culture different from our own and enjoyed the difference. We learned, we laughed, at times we were perplexed. We were out of our comfort zone, we grew. Vacation is always nice and so is going home. It will be great to be on our own houses tonight. Thanks to all of you for reading about our adventure! I hope to add photos in the next few days. Buen Camino! Chuck

Take me to the Palace

cjlester — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:00:49 +0000

This morning we do some laundry as we are having our cafe and then head to the Royal Palace. On our way we stop at Las Carboneras, a group of cloisteted nuns that sell cookies and sweets they make. You never see the nuns, they hide behind a sort of lazy Susan and exchange € for sweets. They did not have what we were looking for today so we did not get anything. The line is long and the sun hot once we get to the Palace. It goes quickly and we are inside. The rooms are beautiful, unlike anything you have seen before. This Palace still functions as a Royal residence for King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia but is used only for official functions, state dinners, and when the youth hostels are full. The King and Queen spend most of their time at another residence. We spend a few hours going thru the Palace and exit thru the old Royal Pharmacy. We stopped at the Cathedral of Madrid prior to the Palace. This church was finished in 1993 after 100 years of construction. It is very nice but all agree the Cathedral in Santiago holds a special place in our hearts. From the outside you can look to the roof of the church and see a statue of Santiago Perigrino still watching over us. We walk back to the room and get something to eat at a restaurant near the Hostal Jaen. It was pizza and a salad, quite expensive for what we got but we were full when we left. Siesta. Our last walk around Madrid takes us to El Corte Inglese, a large department store for some last minute purchases. I get a gift for the señora at the hotel as she has been so nice to us, keeping our luggage while we were gone for 17 days. We get an ice cream and slowly walk home. It is still about 95 degrees and we are thirsty. We stop at a store, get a 1.5 liter water and down it immediately. It felt so good! At the Hostal we pack for the plane and retire for the night. Thank God for A/C!

El Toros

cjlester — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:01:09 +0000

After breakfast we take the bus to the train station for our 1 hour ride back to Madrid. It is very hot when we arrive, approximately 95- in the shade! We get to the Hostal Jaen and are greeted by the señora. She is very nice and wants to know how we have been. After a nice siesta we head to the Prado Museum. We have a nice tour then head over to see the bulls. I have been to see the bullfights before but Luann had not so we decided to go. It is novice night and the seats are cheap. For 5€ we got very good places to watch the action. I think there was more excitement from these beginners than the more experienced matadors I had seen in the past. One matador got thrown by a bull but was not hurt, can’t say that for the bulls. Regardless of what you think about bullfighting, it is a part of Spanish culture that survives in our modern world. We end the day with a walk back to our room from Puerta del Sol. It had cooled off nicely and is a lovely night for a stroll.

FIESTA

cjlester — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:47:14 +0000

Today is Fernando’s wedding. It starts as usual with cafe con leche. I walk Susan and Luann to the shopping center of Guadalajara so they can browse and I join Fernando to help with some cases of wine for the wedding. The place where the reception will be is beautiful! I do not tell the others, a surprise is always nice. The restaurant is on a hilltop overlooking the city. In the distance you can see the plains of La Mancha and the mountains. Fernando talks over some last minute details as the florist arranges the flowers on the tables. Almost 300 people will be attending this event. The tables are decorated in red and white and the chairs are covered with white cloths and decorated with red ribbons. We leave and join some friends of Fernando’s for a drink and a bite to eat and back to the hotel. Susan and Luann have returned from their excursion early. A bird shit on Luann’s foot and she came back to wash it off. This is the first time in 2.5 weeks in Spain we have been seperated. All survived the 3 hour seperation! Siesta. At 1800 Ricardo and a co- worker, Roberto, meet us at the hotel to take us to
Fontenar for the wedding service. It is tradition in Spain for the marriage service to be held in the bride’s church. The church is beautifully decorated with flowers. Guests and townsfolk are milling about waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom. It is interesting to see the locals from the village anxiously waiting to see what is about to happen. Fernando is driven to the church and greets all present. Marian soon arrives and is absolutely beautiful. We go inside for the service. Several girls sing and play guitar during parts of the service. Their voices are great. It is hot inside the church but many Spanish ladies have fans to cool themselves down. The service ends, Fernando and Marian are pronounced man and wife and we exit the church. An uncle of Fernando is a priest and assists at the service. Outside we are given rice, confetti, and rose petals to throw at the newly married couple as they exit the church. Some boys have fireworks to put of as the couple exits the church. They and the crowd are covered in the confetti/rice mixture soon. After some photos we are off to the hotel to meet the bus. Fernando has chartered some busses to take the people to the reception. He jokes that the people from Marian’s small village of Fontenar will be drunk very quickly and need a safe ride home. The bus idea is very nice! The restaurant is only 3km from the hotel and we are there very quickly. It is now about 2100 and is starting to cool down nicely. The reception is being held outside in a huge permanent tent sitting on a hill overlooking Guadalajara. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. A staff of approximately 30 is serving drinks and appetizers as we wait for the bride and groom to arrive. They are having pictures taken. The appetizers are wonderful and in abundance. Around 2200 after the wedding party arrives, we get seated to begin the meal. Our table is number 25 and looks out over the beautiful Spanish sunset. Everyone at our table speaks English. Ricardo is there and my friend Lucas and his wife Christina. I also attended Lucas’ wedding in 2005 in Valencia. We have a great time chatting about old times. The first course served is lobster followed by another fish. Then we have a berry sorbet to cleanse the palate and a meat dish is served. By this time I am full and can eat no more. Each course is accompanied by white or red wine. Next comes champagne and then the desert and coffee. We were stuffed, the food was very good! It is now well after midnight and the music and more drinking begins. We take the 0200 bus back to the hotel as we are exhausted. Before leaving we pose for pictures with the bride and groom. It has been a magical night for all !

Guadalajara Friday night

cjlester — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:37:26 +0000

After siesta ( it lasted 2 hours today, we were tired!),Fernando arrives at the hotel and we proceed to the village of Fontenar. Marian has her house here and this is where the church where the wedding will be held. The house is beautifully furnished. Marian arrives and Susan and Luann get to meet her. We travel back to Guadalajara so they can view Fernando’s house. We then head to a cafe/ bar with am outside terrace. Ten of Marian’s friends were there waiting for us. We had an enjoyable evening and left around 2400.

To Guadalajara

cjlester — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:21:53 +0000

After cafe con leche we depart Madrid for two nights in Guadalajara and the wedding of Fernando. We proceed to the H. Jaen to exchange our backpacks for the suitcases we left there two weeks ago. The señora is very nice and appreciated the Torte de Santiago we gave her as a small gift for keeping our luggage. On the way to the train we stop at the Farmacia on Calle de Leon. This is the oldest continuously operating Pharmacy in Madrid. It opened in 1700! Susan has been having trouble with her Novolog insulin pens and we bought some replacements. The folks were very nice and after some conversation we were on our way to Atocha station. We got the local train to Guadalajara. Fernando met us at the station. It was nice to see him again! We drove with him a while. He left us at the hotel so he could continue with some chores. We checked in, got some food, and headed for siesta.

Leaving Santiago

cjlester — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:38:13 +0000

We awaken to a beautiful morning! The air is crisp and cool, the skies are blue, and the birds are singing. Too bad our plans are to leave Santiago. After cafe con leche we finish loading the packs and check out of our hotel. The La Salle is a very nice place, the staff is very friendly. On our way to the Cathedral, we stop and buy some Tarta de Santiago to take home. This is a special cake made of almonds and a speciality of the region. The secret recipe had been handed down from the Apostle and is known only to the Pope and a few bakers in Santiago. We head to the Cathedral to catch the buotofumerio if it is swinging today. Yesterday we saw it from outside the Cathedral doors. We are in luck ! Susan got some good photos I will post to this site once I get home and get WordPress working properly again. You can check out buotofumerio on You Tube to see it in action. It is now almost 1325 and our train for Madrid leaves at 1357. We run for the train and arrive with only 5 min to spare. The ride is 7 hours back to Madrid. The train is very comfortable. I am seated next to an elderly Spanish lady who proceeds to teach me the correct pronunciation of the different words on the train ticket! I already knew them but played along anyway. The train ride is relaxing. We travel through some beautiful scenery on our way to Madrid. Memorable are the fields of sunflowers we pass along the way. They seem to stretch forever. There are many Perigrinos on this train. They have also finished their journeys and are headed home. We have one night at the Hostal Numancia and mañana we are headed to Guadalajara for mi amigo Fernando’s wedding. The “boda” is Saturday night so we have time to visit and relax. Tonight it will be late when we arive at our room- about 2200, so we will pick up something quick to eat on our way there. Thanks for the comments, we enjoy reading them.

Wednesday July 8

cjlester — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:41:18 +0000

Today we head to the Pilgrim Museum around 1000. It is interesting and has descriptions in English. On our way to the Cathedral, we find a smaller church and duck inside for a quick look. As we are about to leave, a Spanish lady sitting there asks us if we wish to hear a little about the church. Of course we do so she gives us a very interesting tour. As I have told Susan and Luann before, there is always a surprise. We head to the Cathedral for the end of the Pilgrim mass at 1200 in hopes of seeing the boutofumerio. It was not operating yesterday. This is a giant ” smoke belcher” that is hoisted from the rafters of the church and belches incense smoke. It is a tradition dating back to earlier days when Pilgrims had walked great distances without bathing and smelled horrible. The church would be filled with the sweet smell of incense rather than unbathed Pilgrim. The boutofumerio only operates on certain Holy days or when Japanese tour groups pay the 240€ to see it. It really is a sight not to be missed!
We were able to see it in action at the end of today’s service. We then walked around the Cathedral and visited the remains of Saint James-Santiago- and went for lunch. Siesta time.

Santiago Arrival

cjlester — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:29:05 +0000

The final stretch into Santiago comes with much anticipation. After the first 10km of the day, you get to a point in the trail where there is a sign that says Santiago and the highway is on the other side of you. This leads you to believe you are not far from the cathedral. In reality, there is still another 15 km to go! I tell the group that we are almost there but we are not. By this time everyone is tired and wants to be at the destination. The weather was excellent for hiking today. The skies were overcast and the temps in the upper sixties. Today we are walking with Vera, a lady from Denmark that we met last Tuesday in Sarria. She is very nice and has walked for three weeks, around 460 km. We stop a few times during the day at cafes along the way. We want to get to our destination and we do not. We know the comradarie of the trail will end. We know the routine we have adapted to will end. We know we will have to go back to work! As we approach the end of our journey, we come to Monte de Gozo- Mount of Joy. This is the place where Pilgrims could first see the spires of the Cathedral in Santiago and so it was a place of great joy. Some had walked from their homes in France,Germany, Italy. Their journey was only half over. They had to walk back home again! ( We are taking the train back to Madrid.) We stop at Monte de Gozo to view the statue erected for John Paul II to commemorate his visit in 1993. It is 7 more km to our destination, most of it city walking. We arrive around 1700 and admire the Cathedral. Fellow walkers like us stare in disbelief. We have made it! After many photos we check in at the hotel. Before supper we go to the Pilgrim office to get our Compostella, the certificate of completion. To earn this, you must prove you have walked the last 100 km. This is done by getting stamps on a “Credencial” we obtained in Pamplona. Our Camino is now complete.

Tuesday July 7

cjlester — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:28:53 +0000

We sleep in this morning as we are exhausted. We have been going non-stop for the last 2 weeks since our arrival in Spain. It is our day off from vacation! We get train reservations for the trip back to Madrid and take care of other housekeeping chores. I write this as I watch the memorial for Michael Jackson on TV. You cannot underestimate his influence worlwide. Of the 12 channels on the TV here in Santiago, 3 are carrying the funeral. We are going to eat at the hotel tonight and take a walk around the city. Sunset isn’t until 2215 tonight. Our Camino de Santiago is over but we must remember it was about the journey and not the destination.