Update

Les dije que estariamos jartandonos de mariscos. Y no tuvimos que llevar a D al hospital. Aquí les dejo nuestro menú.

¡Sorpresa!

Bueno, no lo van a creer.  ¡N y yo estamos en Santiago de Compostela esperando a D & L frente a la Catedral!  Les dije que no lo iban a creer.  Pero aquí estamos listos para darles la sorpresita.  ¿Recuerdan cuando D me hizo lo mismo en mi Camino?  Pues decidí "vengarme" y hacerle lo mismo, paque sepa cómo se siente.

He dicho una y mil veces que me hubiera gustado estar con ellas en este Camino, sin embargo no pudo ser así.  De alguna manera pienso que es mejor así.  Son sus experiencias y sus modos de resolver las situaciones que se presentan y su auténtico caminar.  Nada de corromper su experiencia con la mía.  Ahora que ya saben por derecho propio cómo se bate el cobre podemos tirarnos la aventura juntos como iguales y no me convertiría en un mero guía turístico.

Bueno, este post lo escribí hace dos días y lo programé para que se publicara automáticamente hoy.  Probablemente estemos jartándonos de mariscos y vino o en el hospital con D con un infarto al corazón.  Cualquiera sea el resultado de nuestra visita les dejaré saber pronto.

Inevitablemente /

Me ha gustado mucho este ejercicio de cronista, que no es lo mismo que crónico.  Debo confesar que se me ha hecho difícil por dos razones.  Primero que estaba mohoso.  Tenía los dedos (y la mente) entumecidos a razón de no usarlos como debiera.  Estos retratos verbales del Camino de D & L me han obligado a escribir nuevamente.  Gracias.

Segundo (y esto es realmente lo más difícil) porque se me imposibilita separar su experiencia de la mía.  Las veces que he mencionado mi Camino he tratado de hacerlo de forma tal que no se convierta en LA historia, que ya tuvo su momento, sino que acentúe la de ellas.  No sé si me explico.

Recorro lo que escribiera D hace año y medio sobre mi Camino y les juro que he llorado.  Se me han salido las lágrimas revivir esas experiencias.  Como sé les sucederá a ellas a su regreso.  Como sé nos sucederá al reunirnos para celebrar su logro.  Como sé les pasará a ustedes si lo intentan algún día.

D reporta problemas con sus rodillas.  Las lleva vendadas por lo hinchadas que las tiene.  Le digo que lo tome con calma, que no es una carrera, pero quiere terminar pronto.  Terminar no, llegar, que es distinto.

Aquí les dejo el video con mis fotos de mi Camino.

Día tercero / Third day

English translation coming soon.

¿Y qué es el Camino sin los roncadores?  Ambos lados de la cuestión (los que roncan y los que se tienen que aguantar los ronquidos) son fuente innacabable de cuentos graciosos en el Camino.  Yo, por suerte, caigo del lado de los roncadores.  Digo por suerte, porque son los otros los que sufren, no yo.  En una ocasión un chico prefirió cargar la cama fuera de nuestro cuarto a tener que soportar mis ronquidos.  Pero bueno, es la historia de D & L, no la mía la que nos ocupa ahora.

L reporta que no pudo casi dormir en su primera noche por culpa de dos o tres roncadores y por lo menos una roncadora: D.  Así como lo leen.  Lo demás se los dejo a su imaginación ya que me puedo meter en líos con ya uds saben quién.

En cuanto a ampollas, las peregrinas reportan sus primeras.  Aquí está la de D en el dedo pequeño:

  

Y aquí las de L

Entre las cosas graciosas que les han pasado resulta que metieron su ropa a secar en la lavadora, resultado: dos horas perdidas y salida super tarde.  L se cayó de la cama en un incidente confuso por cuenta de la incompatibilidad entre una sábana de papel y su saco de dormir.  No se preocupen que yo tampoco entendí.    Y un señor a quién le pidieron direcciones les informó que ellas estaban gorditas para hacer el Camino.  Cabrón que es.  Informado queda.  

Luego de 25.5 kms llegaron a Ribadiso da Baixo,  faltándoles así unos 40 kms para llegar a Santiago.  A estas alturas tienen tres metas:

1)  acabar con todo el pulpo gallego.

2)  empezar a caminar a las 6:30 am (muy tarde si me preguntan a mí, pero como nadie me ha preguntao, pues no digo nada).

y 3)  llegar a Santiago el 7 de septiembre 2012 llueve, truene o ventee.

No puedo dejar de decir lo orgulloso que me siento de ellas.  Sé exactamente las dificultades físicas y mentales que tienen que sobrepasar para lograr esta meta.  Y sé también la satisfacción que se siente al lograrla.  

¡Cómo quisiera poder estar con ellas!

Pensándolo bien, ¿quién dijo que no lo estaba?

Llegada y salida / Arrival and departure

English subtitles available at the bottom.

D y L llegaron a Sarria el 2 de septiembre del 2012, a las 9 y pico de la mañana.  El cómo no importa, concentrémonos en el porqué:  El Camino.  Inmediatamente buscaron su credencial de peregrino, lo que les tomó algo de tiempo ya que el albergue y varias iglesias estaban cerradas a esa hora.  Por fin la consiguieron en un convento.  El cura les dió dos rosarios bendecidos y las bendijo a ellas también.  Así que es oficial.  Ya son peregrinas.  Bueno, les falta peregrinar.

Recuerdo muy bien ese primer paso.  Mochila lista, ejercicios de estiramiento y calentamiento hechos, y frente a nos el Camino.  Me tomó varios segundos mirar a mi alrededor y convencerme de dar un paso.  Uno solo.  Es todo lo que se necesita para convertirse en peregrino.  Un paso con dirección y propósito:  Santiago de Compostela.  

Se tiraron la maroma de hacer la etapa completa de Sarria- Portomarín (22.4 kms) saliendo a eso de las 10:30 am.  Hablamos varias veces durante ese primer día y podía escuchar el entusiasmo en sus voces.  Aún al final de su jornada no perdieron esa dulce emoción de empezar algo que probablemente les cambiará la vida.  Cerca de las 8:00 pm llegaron a Portomarín.  Y entre el cansancio, lavado de ropa y un rico plato de pulpo y calamares gallegos celebraron su logro.  

¡FELICIDADES PEREGRINAS!

D and L  arrived in Sarria on the second of September 2012, around 9 am.  How they did it doesn't matter, all that matters now is El Camino de Santiago.  Getting their credential took a little time, since the albergue and a couple of churches were close at that time.  Finally they got it from a convent.  The priest gave them two blessed rosaries and also blessed them too!  So, it is official. They are now pilgrims.  All they need to do is some pilgrimage.  

I remember clearly that first step.  Backpack ready, stretch and warming up exercises done and in front of us, el Camino.  It took me a couple of seconds to look around me and to convince myself to take that first step.  Just one.  It's all you need to do to become a pilgrim.  One step with direction and purpose:  Santiago de Compostela.  

They decided to do the whole Sarria- Portomarín stage (22.4 kms) even when they were starting at around 10:30 am.  We spoke a couple of times during the day and I could hear the excitement in their enthusiastic voices.  Even at the end of the day they did not loose that sweet emotion of doing something that will probably change their lives.  They arrive in Portomarín at around 8:00.  And they celebrated doing laundry, resting and eating octopus and calamaris a la gallega.  

CONGRATULATIONS PEREGRINAS!

Mi turno / My Turn

English version down below...

Así que la curiosidad mató al gato.  Después de tanto blah blah blah y de tanto buchiplumeo D me ha dejado anonadado y se fue a hacer el Camino de Santiago.   Así de sencillo.  Empacó sus cosas,tomó el avión y al llegar empezó a caminar.  Bueno, la verdad es que lo estoy simplificando un poco.  Es una idea que se le metió entre cuero y carne a nuestra Adorada desde que me dio la agradable sorpresa de visitarme en medio de mi Camino el año pasado (si no te acuerdas puedes leer aquí).   Y desde entonces, como toda buena ingeniero, se dedicó a la investigación, planificación y ejecución del proyecto.

Por falta de tiempo, decidió hacer los últimos 114 kms del Camino, saliendo desde el pueblo de Sarria, cumpliendo así con los mínimos 100 kms para lograr la Compostela.  Aunque suena a trampa hacer sólo los últimos 114 kms cuando otros peregrinos sudan 780 kms por lograr la misma meta debo decir que cada Camino es distinto para cada persona y el esfuerzo físico y mental para lograrlo es encomiable.  D no es persona de este tipo de actividades, así que el simple hecho de que ahora mismo esté en su segundo día de Camino merece toda mi admiración y respeto.

A pesar de que no pude acompañar a D, no va sola.  Camina con su hermanita del alma, L.  A ambas les deseo un ¡Buen Camino! y que se lo disfruten, no, mejor aún, que se lo vivan tanto como yo lo hice.  Me enorgullece llamarlas "peregrinas."

So, curiosity finally got the best of the cat.  After all that talking D finally put the money where the mouth was and walked the line, I mean, El Camino de Santiago.  Just like that, she packed her stuff, got on the plane and immediately after landing started walking.  Well I'm simplifying it a little bit.  Truth is, this has been an idea lurking in her adorable mind since she paid me a surprise visit on my Camino last year.  So, she put on her engineer hat and did the research, planned and finally executed the project.

Due to lack of time, she decided to do the lasts 114 kms of the Camino, from the town of Sarria.  That way she fulfills the minimum 100 kms to get the Compostela.  It may look like cheating, doing only the last 114 kms when others do the full 780 kms for the same prize.  But each Camino is different for everybody, and both the physical and mental ordeal is just admirable.  D is not the kind of people who likes doing stuff like this, and the fact that she is right now on her second day deserves all my admiration and respect.

Although I could not accompany her this time, it doesn't mean she is alone.  D is walking with L, her BBF.  To both I wish a ¡Buen Camino! and sincerely hope they'll enjoy it, no, I meant to say the LIVE IT to the full just like I did.  I'm proud to call them "peregrinas."

D's Camino - First pick Packing list

I'm a list maker.  So of course the very first thing I have to do is create my Camino list of items to pack, and in my case, to buy, because I have NO hiking gear whatsoever.  Most importantly, I'm going for the lightest items available, which means quick drying clothes and towel, and the lightest sleeping bag I'm able to find.  This is the list I've been working from:

LISTA PARA CAMINO	QTY
Boots	1
Backpack	1
Hydration system	Optional
Trekking poles	2
Socks	4
Hat	1
Sport bras	3
panties	3
Pants	3
Shirts	3
Light Jacket	1
Poncho	1
Light Sleeping Bag	1
Small towel	1
Flashlight/headlamp	1
Hip bag (Mariconera)	1
Guide book (Michelin)	1
Sunglasses	1
clothespins	5
twine	as needed
laundry powder	small bottle
Shampoo (small)	1
Conditioner (small)	1
Soap (small)	1
Toothbrush	1
Toothpaste (small)	1
Deodorant	1
hair brush	1
Sunscreen (small)	1
medicine	as needed
Ibuprofen	as needed
Toilet paper/wipes	1
First aid	as needed
Hearing aid batteries	4
Lens case	1
Lens solution (small)	1
Cell phone(s) + charger	1 or 2
Camera + charger	1
headphones (MP3?)	1
Fem. Hygiene	as needed
Cigarettes	as needed
DOCUMENTS
Passport
Credit Cards 1 or 2

Another Journey to El Camino!

Last time we talked, Adal completed his journey, 800 kms across Spain from Roncesvalles to Santiago.  This year, I'm making it my goal to complete my own Journey on the Camino.  I don't think I'm ready for 800 kms, and frankly don't think I have the time either.  But 100 kms is a chunk I think I can bite off.  So 100 kms it is!

100 kms (200 kms if bicycling) is the minimum amount of pilgrimage required to receive the Compostela, a document in Latin certifying the completion of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.  So I will begin my journey in Sarria and walk 100 kms to Santiago, in Spain.  That is the plan, anyway.

As an extreme planner and payer-attention-to-detail, I've made lists.  They make me feel like I have everything on paper, making it difficult to forget something important.  As an added twist to the plot, I'm going on this journey with my best friend from PR, L.  L has visited me every place I've ever lived, was there at my wedding and at my daughter's birth, and it's only appropriate that we should journey together on this challenge.  You are also less prone to fail if you have someone helping you through it, and we plan to finish this kicking, screaming, and crawling if necessary.  So the lists help me, yes, but they help us stay on the same sheet of music; we compare hiking products, itineraries, predicted carrying weight, etc.

My goal is to walk at least 15 km a day, 20 km if and when we can.  With backpack and water, we plan on carrying no more than 20 lbs.  This is harder than it sounds.  It's amazing how that weight adds up when you're not looking!  An extra pair of pants here, another bottle of moisturizer or sunscreen there; before you know it you're carrying way too much.  So it's a philosophical preparation as well, the leaving of material things except what you absolutely THINK you need.  I'm sure if I compare this "before" list to a list of items I actually used or needed I'll find tons of discrepancies.  So I'm on a quest to shave weight wherever I can.  I actually found an ultralight sleeping sack that only weighs 310 grams!!

There will be no need to bring our food or tents, as there will be plenty of opportunity to eat on the road and sleep in hostels.  Probably THE most important thing on this walk are the boots.  Comfortable, broken in, sturdy boots that will give you the least amount of blisters (I expect some) and don't hinder you from reaching your goal.

So, now you can follow me on this journey which starts and ends way beyond the Camino de Santiago, in more metaphorical ways than I can imagine.  Buen Camino!

Journey to Santiago - Day 33, Thirty-first Stage

Day 33 - Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

Distance walked today: 20 km (12.5 miles)

Total distance walked: 526.3 km (328.9 miles)

Total distance left: 0 km

Information on the stage traveled here.

He made it!  He made it to Santiago after 33 days of journey and walking!  He walked a total of 526 km, almost 329 miles, of a total 744 km (465 miles). 

He walked the last leg slowly, no pain, but slowly.  And as he was arriving in town, an old lady seated at a bench laughed at him, and told him "there's another hill left."  He laughed too, but you know inside his head he called her a bad name!  The hill was not that big of a deal, especially after all he's been through.

So he walked right to the Cathedral of Santiago, got his compostela, saw the cathedral, visited the tomb of Santiago (actually nobody knows who's bones are buried there, but they are supposed to be St. James the Apostle's), and checked into the hotel. 

He sounded exhausted but happy to finish!  His small lesions had grown a bit, but he never lost any more toenails, so he's still up to 9 toenails.  His plans?  A nice long hot bath and a looong nap!

So any final words from Adal about the completion of the journey?  Yes.  He said "This long journey has been completed.  Now to start the next journey."

How true.  No sooner we complete one journey, we embark on the next one.  Immediately.  We are constantly "walking," always on a "journey," through life or whatever else.  May you continue to have good journeys Adal, buen camino always.

N was so happy her daddy finished!  You should have heard her gasp on the phone and say "you found all the shells!"  She misses him terribly and is counting down the days till his return.

For more information on what happens once you reach Santiago, read this:

"On arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago, pilgrims take their credencial or Pilgrim Record, duly stamped along the way, to the nearby Pilgrim Office and a Compostela certificate (still written in Latin, and confirming the completion of the pilgrimage) is generally issued. Walkers and pilgrims on horseback must have completed at least  the last 100km and  cyclists the last 200 km,  in one stretch, to qualify. You will be asked your motivation: those who do not count 'spiritual' as part of their reason for making the pilgrimage can obtain another document, a certificado, to attest to their having completed it. 

For a translation of the Latin text, click here. (Another translation, by Mario Pozzati Tiepolo, appeared in the Confraternity of Saint James Bulletin, vol 113, March 2011,, pp 31-32.)

Shops nearby will laminate your Compostela in plastic for a small fee - an excellent idea, protecting what is likely to be a precious souvenir from damage in your rucksack. 

The Compostela (take a photocopy, which the hotel staff will retain) may be presented at the Hotel de los Reyes Católicos who provide 10 free pilgrim meals three times a day. Pilgrims may take such meals for up to 3 days. Don't apply at the main entrance however: pilgrims queue at the garage door, down the ramp to the left, collect their meals on trays from the kitchen, and sit in a small comedor or dining room set aside for them.
It also gives you reduced-price access to the Cathedral museum, and is supposed to give access to the refugios for those making the return journey the way they came. 

Don Jaime García Rodríguez, the canon in charge of the Pilgrims' Office at Santiago wrote to all Diocesan Officials, Priests of the Camino, Refugio Wardens and Friends of the Camino at the beginning of July 1999 reminding them of the conditions governing the granting of the Compostela and the Jubilee Indulgence.  To read his letter, click here.
 
Don Jenaro Cebrián, now canon in charge of pilgrims, in 2008 also issued reminders that only credencials recognised by the Cathedral authority would be acceptable to qualify for the 'compostela' from 2010."

Don't worry, I didn't know what a plenary indulgence was either.  I had to google it.  More information about what an indulgence is, here.  We are not religious, and that's not why he chose to walk, but what the heck, it's a cool piece of paper!  The Camino is fraught with history and culture and interesting people.

I find it hard to believe yet that it's over.  Adal's first completion of the Camino de Santiago.  It's inspired me to try something similar, and we've shared it as a family.  And through these means we've shared it with our friends.  I hope it has brought something positive to all of you.  Maybe it's just proof that when you try hard enough you can achieve that which seems impossible, as long as you take it in small steps.  That life is beautiful, and can be simple and lovely.  Or that family and love can take you very far.  I hope every one of you embark upon a similar journey, to bring perspective and beauty to your life.  There's so many lessons here I just can't sum it up.  It leaves a lot of food for thought for all involved, myself included.

Somehow I don't think this will be the only time he will do this. 

It has been a Buen Camino, my friends.  A Buen Camino indeed.

Journey to Santiago - Day 32, Thirtieth Stage

Day 32 - Ribadiso da Baixo to Pedrouzo

Distance walked today: 22.1 km (13.8 miles)

Total distance walked: 506.3 km (316.4 miles)

Total distance left: 20 km (12.5 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

Another important milestone: Adal has walked over 500 km!  And he only has 20 km left, only one more day of walking.  I know we all had our doubts, although we all thought he could do it, but he's PROVEN it.  Amazing.

So how is it that the journey from Roncesvalles which is 749 km away has only added up to 500 km so far?  Well Adal skipped a stage to Estella, then about 7 stages when his feet were really bad, so that adds up to about 200 km of unwalked path.  Not that this takes away from this incredible journey, but I like my numbers to add up and wanted to explain why the distance was not equal to the distance to Santiago.


He found today's walk very easy, very pleasant, and made it all the way to Pedrouza, only 20 km from Santiago.  His feet felt great, no discomfort whatsoever.  When he checked his feet today he found two small lesions.  He's not worried about them at all because they cause no discomfort and he only has one more day of walking.  So I suggested he wrap the lesions in Betatul, a Betadyne-soaked gauze they recommended at one of the hospitals he went, and a bit of tape, to avoid infection.


So close to the goal, he is desperate already to finish.  I asked him about the other walkers he knows and their state of being.  He says everyone wants to finish this sh*t already!  He ran into the girl from Cali, Colombia and her boyfriend from Rome.  He had tendonitis most of the way and pushed through it to keep walking.  I've heard this is one of the most painful injuries to walk through.  But he cried and walked through it.  They've invited him to dinner, they're cooking something at the albergue.  I'm glad, they were a real nice, pleasant couple.  


So why did I decide to blog about this anyway?  I knew Adal would be so focused on the journey that he wouldn't have the energy to write down the every day minutiae.  The stages and towns stayed in, the km walked, the little conversations we had along the way.  So I wanted to document.  For him.  For us.  For N.  For the memory of the Journey to Santiago, the Way.  For love.