Friday, May 10, 2013

The Camino de Santiago (Part 1)

On April 2, 2013 Jane and I started our Camino voyage which would take us from Pamplona to Santiago in 33 days on foot. The following is an account of that experience with accompanying  photographs. Each part will include 10 selected photographs taken along the way.

The start of our pilgrimage occurred nearly 6 months before we even left for Spain. Jane and I knew that preparing ourselves physically would increase our chances of actually completing the trek and receiving the compostella certificate. We began to increase the distance of our daily walks from 2 miles to 6, and then started adding a couple of longer hikes each week until we reached 14 miles on occasion with backpacks. There is little doubt that we benefited from this, but as it turned out, we were still not prepared to carry a pack for 12-15 miles every day and suffered the first week with considerable foot pain, muscle cramps, and just plain exhaustion.

We also spent considerable time planning on what to wear and how much to bring. We purchased technical clothing that was light and which wicked moisture easily. Quick drying was important since we would be washing it out nightly and wearing it the next day. Because of the variable and often difficult weather conditions, our technical clothing really paid off and kept us warm, dry, and comfortable for the most part.

We arrived at Madrid airport around 0730 and easily located the train ticket counter next to the information counter. We had to wait until it opened at 0900, not really a long wait as it took time to get our bags and pass immigration control. We purchased 2 tickets to Pamplona at a 40% senior discount for train travel in Spain! We caught the yellow bus which took us from the airport to the train station and were seated on the train at 1100am for the 4 hour trip to Pamplona.

When we arrived in Pamplona we couldn't figure out how to get a bus to the center of town and we couldn't find anyone who spoke English or French to help us so we decided to walk it. This took about 45 minutes to arrive at our first Albergue, Jesus y Marie where we got our first stamp in our "credentiale" booklet. The credentiale records your nightly stays throughout the trek and is proof of sorts that you actually made the journey. In order to get the "Copostella" certificate, you must present this credentiale at the Cathedral of Santiago (at a special office for pilgrims) who will examine it and ascertain that you made the pilgrimage without resort to mechanical modes of transport, a requirement for the last 100km. We made the entire journey, as most do, without transport.

This was our first experience of hostel living. This particular hostel was housed inside a nicely renovated church complete with vaulted ceilings. The bunks were arranged in cubicles of 4 bunks along the nave of the church on two levels, so there were many bunks. Because we were early in the season, the hostel did not fill up, but our cubicle was full and we shared it with our soon to be friends from New Zealand; three ladies who were making the trek together, Joan, Elizabeth, and Robin. They had just arrived from St Jean Pied de Port in the Pyrenees and they were fairly beaten up by the strenuous 3 day hike off the mountain in very cold and poor weather. Joan's feet were a mess, and she had bandages on all her toes. But they were full of good cheer and never complained for a minute and made a great example for us to hopefully follow.

During the remaining daylight, we explored Pamplona and had coffee where Hemingway often went, though we had a hard time figuring out how to order anything and the waiter, who was in a huff with another waiter really didn't care if we got what we wanted. We were basically ignored, but it was fun just to take in the atmosphere and watch the Spanish easily get the waiters to bring exactly what pinchos they wanted.

The weather was perfect for our first day on the trail. Though it was fairly cold and breezy, the sun was shining enough to warm us a little. We headed out of town very early. The only people up were the street cleaners pushing hand carts. We walked to the lovely morning sound of birds and the tapping of our walking sticks until we eventually reached the edge of town and civilization gave way to wide open spaces where solitude replaced the bustling of town. Periodically we would pass old churches, some in good condition, and some falling into ruin. Whenever they were open, which was nearly never, we would be surprised at how fantastically ornate some of the altars were in spite of the rather humble appearance of the church from the outside. We also saw the occasional memorial erected by the friends of someone who died along the way. These served to remind us that many pilgrims suffered greatly while making the trek and it was anything but a vacation for them. In fact, during our first days we heard that 2 people had died on their first day out from St Jean because they had wandered from the fog obscured trail and died of exposure. Later we saw the memorial of a man who made it nearly all the way, but who died one day before arriving into Santiago.




A chapel dome allows light to filter in from above.

Saint Francis friend to all animals. Here he strolls with a wolf. 

Cafe Hemingway, named after Ernest who often frequented the establishment 

A pilgrim prepares to retire on her bunk for the evening.

Many splendid romanesque churches line the way

These mile markers measure the distance to Santiago and indicate that you are on the right path with the shell motif 

The Camino trail winds its way through open countryside and is often a solitary experience

Walking sticks are essential as the trail is often muddy or difficult to manage. They also provide a 10% power advantage. 

The Romanesque churches are squat and have small windows  with round arches

Memorials dot the way, erected in honor of a pilgrim who died while making the pilgrimage.

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