Becoming A Walker

Peggy's Cove NS

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 00:27:00 +0000

The grandest of them all - the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove. Everytime I turned my head I had to take another picture. There's not much more that can be said. I share a few of the images here.

I'm in Halifax tonight and leaving very early in the morning to return home.

...... It's been a great vacation.

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Paradise - aka Mahone Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Funny how much more we appreciate the good times after the bad. Tell your friends, "Go the Fisherman's Daughter B&B in Mahone Bay". I am so happy to be here. This town is amazing, the people are amazing, the view is amazing. I have not posted a bathroom picture since the Camino, but check this out. And just being in this bedroom makes me smile.

There is a Tea Brewery here where I spent an hour and I even found a chiropractor who help me because my back has been killing me from driving.

But the very best part of all is everyone's friend 'Max''.

View from the B&B. The last leg of my trip starts tomorrow when I return to Halifax, but it before visiting Peggy's Cove.

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Lunenburg NS

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:16:00 +0000

Shelbourne is the prettiest little historic town. I Really enjoyed walking along the boardwalk by the water looking at museums and craft shops. I wish I had stayed here last night, but at least spent a couple of hours this a.m.

I do believe that Lunenburg is a tourist trap. I understand that tourism is probably their main source of income, but all the prices are higher than in Halifax, which doesn't make sense. $52 for whale watching? I'll watch a YouTube video I think. There are some pretty nice ships to see here though, so would definitely recommend making a pit-stop.

And not to be a complainer, (what would a vacation be without at least a couple of complaints?) but here is what I recommend about booking a B&B online.

Check the reviews before booking
Assume that if it costs $55 per night incl. breakfast that you don't want to stay there
Make sure it is IN the town your going to and not 10k out
If a very large host answers the door in a smelly and dirty wife-beater shirt it's not a good sign

And the worst thing is when you realize that you've booked this really bad place for 2 nights. I have to give 48 hrs to cancel the 2nd night, but at $55 I'm going to be outta here tomorrow. Mr. Large Host's girlfriend just arrived. Oh geez, I'm being too judgmental. The good thing, besides the price, is the view of the little boats across the road.

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Digby to Pubnico NS

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:01:00 +0000

Yesterday was quite foggy with a steady drizzle all day. I didn't mind because it gave this fishing town a mystical quality. Joe took me to see this balancing rock and I half expected to see a ghost ship break through the fog. Joe was such great company and we talked about everything imaginable.

This morning the fog was gone and I woke up to a beautiful sunrise. I would have loved to stay in Digby and hang out with my new friend, but rooms had been booked and reality was calling, so I said a sad goodbye. I then proceeded to get lost 4 times before remembering that I have a GPS! At one point I ended up at the fishing wharf. Sometimes getting lost can be sorta fun.

Tonight when I went out for dinner I had a nice surprise when this Nova Scotia Country Band started playing some toe tapping music :)

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The Long Way To Digby

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 23:45:00 +0000

It's about 120km or so from Wolfville to Digby. So it should take about 1.5 hrs to drive right? Wrong. It took me closer to 4 hrs because I thought I should be able to find a way to drive along the ocean. After crawling along gravel, bumpy, winding roads for two hours all I had to show for it was this picture of a lighthouse (and likely a few chips of paint gone from the rental). I finally decided that the only way I was going to make it was to find the highway. Easier said than done when you're in the middle of nowhere. I did make a few interesting stops along the way; one at Annapolis Royal and the other at Bear River. I toured the oldest wooden house in Canada, built in the 1700s and had a personal tour of the Bear River Winery. My tour guide Bonnie is from the U.S. and is about the 10th person who has told me that they came here on vacation and never left.

Now here I am in Digby and no, I did not take a photo of the scallops I had for dinner to make you envious. The B&B I am staying in is called Come From Away. How is it possible that each place I stay gets better? I have the most amazing view ever and a friendly (and good looking) host. Joe has a 14 year old Airedale 'Todd' who makes me miss my Daisy. It looks like I'm going to be out of here just in time before the annual biker rally next weekend when there'll be 25,000 bikers in town!

The docks here are specially built to rise and fall with the tides. In the picture the tide is fairly low. When it gets higher those steps will rise with the dock. Since there are Whale Watching tours here, and if I can get beyond my sea sickness concerns, it might be my plan for tomorrow.

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Wolfville NS and Area

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 01:31:00 +0000

L'Acadie Blanc Grapes

I only had two things planned for today; find my next Bed & Breakfast and visit a winery. I ended up visiting two wineries, 9 towns and meeting a well known local watercolour artist. When I pulled up the lane of the B&B I started to worry. No one was there and a note was posted 'be back at 3:00'. But what worried me was that the place looked like a dive that was very old with overgrown weeds. The web site made it sound luxurious and I started preparing my speech about false advertising. About 3:30 I met the owner and hesitantly went inside. "You can't tell a book by its cover" is an understatement, because this place really is beautiful.

In my bedroom there are two watercolour paintings and I soon discovered that the whole house was full of paintings by the same artist. I asked who she was and learned that 'Linda Backhouse' lived very close by; so I set out on my mission to find her. Nine towns later we met. Linda and I talked for about an hour and she explained many of her techniques as well as tips on other things to see in the area. Since I couldn't afford one of her actual paintings I bought greeting cards and bookmarks. This is just a photo of a greeting card, but you get the idea of her work. She told me I could come back and take classes from her so now another idea is brewing in my mind :)

Is it possible to eat too much seafood? Tonight Seafood Chowder and, because I'm on vacation , I introduce you to ...... Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake! I think tomorrow is going to have to be another walking day!

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Tired and Stuffed - Halifax Day II

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:45:00 +0000

I'm exhausted. But in a good way :) Walked and ate so much! I started out the day with waffles with warm homemade wild blueberry sauce and coffee at the B&B. Then to Halifax and onto the Harbour Hopper; a very expensive, but fun motor/amphibian tour.

Next was the Nova Scotia Art Gallery, where I saw the Maud Lewis exhibition. In case you don't know who Maud Lewis is, please check this out; It can't help but make you smile. The rest of the exhibitions were rather confusing. I never understand when large galleries feature art that honestly looks like crap. The one thing good that came from it was that I left there feeling like I was better at painting than most of them (or maybe I just don't get it)

Then onto the Public Garden where you see the most beautiful art ever, compliments of Mother Nature. I enjoyed myself here more than at the art gallery and happened to be present during the Dahlia exhibition. Am I sounding like a senior citizen when I say that? I don't care. When I get home I am painting Dahlias!

At the park at the mouth of the harbour I did lots more walking. I was so tired that I sat down to watch the ships come into the harbour and noded off. I wasn't sure if I was more tired or hungry, but the hunger won :) Even though I had eaten lobster roll for lunch (chopped up lobster on a bun); when in Halifax.....

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Halifax

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:57:00 +0000

"Yesterday is swept away along the windy shore. No tomorrow by the sea... is like the day before" Those are the words written at the B&B that I stayed in last night. I had planned to go on a rant about the evils of airports but after reading that, I told myself to "let it go".

This morning I went to Pier 21 where I was hit with a very powerful dose of reality. Pier 21 is the harbor where every immigrant and all WW II troops passed through going in and out of Canada. The immigrants had been on ships for 2-3 weeks, often sick the whole way and leaving loved ones, whom they never saw again. I watched a very sobering movie that left me very choked up and I wish that all Canadians could have the opportunity to see it. I will never complain about airports again.

On a lighter note ..... I'm in HALIFAX! Why have I never come here before??? It really is very beautiful. People have been telling me that for years so it's nice to finally see it myself. After Pier 21 I had the most delicious organic avocado sandwich on the waterfront and then toured the Maritime Museum, another place full of history and amazing ship stuff. I also learned about the Halifax explosion, a very sad event in 1917 when two ships collided. The one carrying explosives blew up, destroying the city and killing many.

After eating an 800 cal moody gooey ice cream, this was supper :) Mussels and Oyster yummmm!

And then ... what better way to end my 1st day of vacation than a sailing tour of the harbour!

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Sometimes the Answer is to Run Away

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 16:05:00 +0000

I went to a book club gathering recently where we discussed Jane Christmas’ What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim. After walking the Camino de Santiago last year I have not read a single ‘pilgrim experience’ novel because now I have my personal story and it is sacred to me. So when a member of the book club asked me to join in on this one I was reluctant. But I loved this book! Maybe it had something to with the fact that I could relate so completely with the author, but I think that anyone, whether planning on walking the Camino or not, would enjoy it. There was one little drawback from the read though. I started reminiscing and feeling very sad because I want to return to the Camino so badly. Now before you start thinking, “What? You crazy lady you’re going to walk across Spain again?”; No, I’m not in a position to do that right now … but I wish.

Two days ago I came home from work, sat in a chair in my living room, and started to cry. I’m not a big crier and tend to stay positive about every situation, thinking each challenge is really a new opportunity. But this time I felt beat; mentally exhausted and worn down. You know the feeling I’m sure. The reports, assessments, consultations, objectives, deadlines, were swimming around in my mind and even though it was 5:00 Friday of a long weekend I wept. So what did I do? I called my mother and said, “I’m going to Nova Scotia”. That’s right; when life is getting you down sometimes the best answer is to run away for a while, gain a new perspective and have some fun.

I woke up the next morning and instead of my usual Saturday routine of market, laundry, cleaning; I sat down at my computer and booked a flight that leaves for Halifax in 3 weeks. As soon as I had done it I started to smile and then got a great deal on a car rental too. I feel renewed and a few years younger just thinking about the adventure.

For anyone who has never taken a vacation by themselves, I strongly recommend trying it one day. I learned the benefits of travelling alone while walking the Camino. When you are not constantly engaged with someone else you become engaged with the world. You see more, listen more, and meet new and interesting people. You never have to negotiate ‘what to do next’ or wait for hours for someone to browse in a shop you have no interest in. Travelling alone means doing exactly what you want to do, when you want to do it; walking, driving, sleeping, eating whenever you want. It’s paradoxically a complete hedonistic and mind opening experience all in one. That sounded a bit deep, but honestly, I know so many people who would never think of travelling alone and I personally love the experience.

I will fly into Halifax and start driving along the South Shore with no plan other than that. Spontaneity at it’s finest.

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Lesson Learned on the Camino de Santiago

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

I am a member of Toastmasters and recently gave a speech about my Camino experience. This is what I said.

As I walked 700 km across Spain and between 6 – 8 hours per day, I had a lot of time to think. I’ve been asked, “What did you learn?” My first few days home I didn’t know how to answer that question but I realize now. My #1 lesson on the Camino de Santiago – The Value of Time.

A few weeks ago we gained an hour and there probably is not a person who wasn’t happy about that. We all know that time is a commodity, a precious thing to have more of. It is so important that there are university courses offered in Time Management. We have calendars, organizers, watches, alarms and most importantly, smartphones that provide all of the above.

With all this focus on time and schedules you would think we all understand the value of time. But do we really? It’s not hard to imagine that a person, who has been given a couple of months to live, really understands the value of time. So how did walking the Camino help me to learn this?

Those who have walked before have said, “There are 3 stages of suffering to overcome while on the Camino. These stages are physical, mental, and spiritual suffering”

When I began walking from St. Jean Pied de Port on Sept 5th I was heading up the Pyrenee mountains. My body was in no way conditioned to be walking up a mountain and especially not for 25km. I was carrying 18 lbs on my back and was struggling with a pre-existing lung condition. I would see a very long steep hill ahead of me and, one step at a time, would focus on making it to the top. As I approached the top it was never the top at all; it would just be a curve and I kept going up and up and up for hours! My legs were hurting; my shoulders were aching and my heart and lungs were saying “are you trying to kill me?!” I was so consumed with my physical discomfort and effort that I was expending, that I missed most of the beauty of the Pyrenees. Every so often I would stop, sit and look about me, and it was only at those moments that I was blown away by the amazing site before me. Then I would start to walk again and focus on nothing but my own discomfort.

This period of overcoming my physical suffering lasted approximately 10 days. The second stage was one of overcoming mental suffering. The walking was almost effortless and I could no longer feel the weight on my back. The heat of the sun continued to drain my energy and threatened to burn through my skin as I walked for about 8 hours a day across the flat plains of the Meseta region. Boredom began to threaten my sanity, as I started to make rhythms with my walking poles. I began to count as my poles touched the ground. 12345678……. 12345678. Over and over again. At one point I became angry. Angry that these French people couldn’t speak English; angry when I couldn’t get wifi; angry that there was never any toilet paper or soap! There were moments when I could see the beauty and was in awe as I walked through the quaint little towns that had been there for 100s of years. But for so much of the time I was wrapped up in my annoyance and my judgments and the HEAT!

Then came the last phase of the Camino – overcoming spiritual suffering. I cannot say what day it was that I realized my mind had become empty. I simply didn’t have a thought left in it. I didn’t know what time it was, or where I’d even end up each day. Several times I didn’t even know what day it was. As I walked I began to see many beautiful things. In fact almost every little thing I saw was beautiful! I saw every wild flower along the dusty paths; I enjoyed the sheep and cows that I shared the roads with. As the days were getting shorter and I almost always started walking in the dark, I was amazed by every single sunrise.

It was during this time that I met a man who had been walking for 5 months. He was sitting at a café in a little village and had other pilgrims gathered around him. One person asked him, “What is one thing you’ve learned on your walk?” He answered, “I’ve learned the value of time. I am a rich man because I have time to be here and to be sitting in this village in Spain talking to you today. Most people will tell you that time is money but they are wrong; Time is Life.”

As I was approaching the end of my journey I thought about this. I thought about the ways I had spent time in my life, but even more so about how I had allowed my time….. or MY LIFE, to be taken over by the demands of others.

Now that I am home, my Camino continues and I have a new challenge; To live in the world with its demands and its schedules and its technology; while at the same time appreciating each minute and opening my mind and my eyes to the beauty around me. It is only when I do this that I truly understand the Value of Time.

Post Camino

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:13:00 +0000

I went for a walk in the rain today. After 35 rain free days in Spain it has not stopped since my return to Canada. It seems fitting somehow, so let it rain. The weather sort of fits with my mood about being back home. I love my family, my dog, my home, my life, but miss the Camino like crazy. I have Camino dreams every night where I'm just walking. I wake up and have no idea where I am and one time I thought I was in a stone room, just like the Albergue at Ribadiso. I sat up, looked around and everything in my bedroom literally looked like stone in the darkness. I've been keeping myself busy but would rather be walking and according to the local weather forecast this rain is not going to stop anytime soon. Hey now's my chance to use that expensive raincoat that I carried across Spain!

People ask me, "what did you learn on the Camino?". Walking for 33 days changed the way I viewed the world. In the beginning I was so focused on how difficult it was and my discomfort and on 'just getting there'. Unfortunately when I walked over the Pyrenees I don't feel that i really saw the beauty because I was too wrapped up in the pain. As time progressed I got into the rhythm of walking and my body became stronger. It never stopped being difficult to walk over 20 per day though. What changed the most was my outlook of the world as I walked. Spain is very, very beautiful and I saw amazing mountain views as well as quaint little medieval villages and peaceful rivers. I stopped being worried about my destination and getting somewhere in time to get a bed. I began to enjoy every moment. I'm trying to imagine how this will still be possible when I return to work in a few days and will be sitting at a desk. It will certainly be an opportunity to practice keeping myself in the present moment. (That was me being positive about returning to work).

I've already started looking at other Camino paths, then immediately told myself, "are you crazy? It's too hard". Time will tell. Right now I'm going to my daughter's school to speak to a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds about a career choice in IT. Maybe I'll tell them to get an education so they can get a great job so that they can walk across Spain one day! :)
Buen Camino

Santiago - continued

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:09:00 +0000

I've been having a fabulous time in Santiago. Last night Jutta and I shared an amazing seafood meal that made us both a bit queazy afterwards, but we had a lot of fun and it was delicious. Jutta is the most special person I have met on the Camino. She is from Germany, speaks English quite well and I think she is terrific!

Today started out quite amazing because I slept until 9:00 a.m.! Then I got ready to meet Jutta at the cathedral. This cathedral production is incredible and hard to fathom. We got there at 10:30 for the noon mass. There was already a mass in progress that had started at 10:00 and we walked into the church, prepared to grab the first available pew. It sounds crazy, but most people have to stand during the mass and seats are at a premium. Jutta and I got a seat very close to the front and were prepared to sit through yet another Spanish mass to see the incense chalice. I am not a religious person, but as part of the pilgrim tradition had to see this. And it happened..... a special moment.

After the mass our little Camino group met outside the cathedral for hugs and pictures and then we all went for lunch. Jutta and I decided that since we had come to the end of our high calorie lifestyle we should have one last hooray! We went to a special cafe and ordered more than the average person's intake of sweets for some sugar closure.

We then decided that we should have a picnic for supper and arranged to meet at 7:00 for a feast in the park of sausage, cheese, bread, and fruit. We ate and talked for a long time and ended up back at the cathedral where we sat and listened to a Celtic band. It has been a beautiful end to an amazing experience as I will leave Santiago tomorrow.

Santiago de Compostela

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:03:00 +0000

The emotional time at the cathedral square turned into overwhelming exhaustion. I needed to go to the pilgrims office to receive the Compostela so that I could then find a place to rest. It wasn't hard to find and there was hardly any wait. This document is all in Latin, including my name, Catharinan Junian McCoy. As I left the pilgrim office a women was standing in the street recruiting people to stay in a hotel nearby. It would be 30€ but at least I had my own room, even if the bathroom was down the hall. It's not so bad here really, very clean and I have a few out onto the street.

The next thing on the agenda was to go to the cathedral to touch the figure of the apostle St. James. this is all part of the pilgrim tradition and not to be missed. The cathedral is elaborate and one might say, "over the top". The pilgrims line up behind the apostle figure and then climb the marble stairs that lead behind him, where it it tradition to hug him or touch his cloak. If you look closely at the picture below you can see there is a man behind St James and touching him. I sat in the cathedral for some time after this, just soaking in the whole experience. And then it was time to go for a walk!

I'll be moving into a nicer room in this place for Saturday and Sunday. This old part of Santiago is very beautiful. I like to just sit in the little plaza by my new hotel, watch people go by and feed the pigeons. Every so often I see fellow pilgrims that I've met on the way and we have a chat about our experience. There are a lot of shops with loads of stuff to buy, but so far I've only purchased a pashmina for 5€ since it's turned quite cold!

Saturday noon:
I went to the pilgrims mass today at the cathedral. Sometimes they light a large incense chalice that you can see hanging in this picture, but today they didn't and now I will need to go back tomorrow because everyone says they will on Sunday. Church twice in one weekend? Amazing I know! I was sitting close to the incredible pipes of the organ that you see in the picture below.

Day 33 - Santa Irene to Santiago - 24 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:27:00 +0000

I knew as soon as my feet hit the floor this morning that I would be going to Santiago. They were not feeling sore anymore and I was full of excitement to reach my destination. After a great breakfast of toast with jam, Melba toast with cheese, orange juice and cafe con leche, I set out in the dark. I hadn't taken out my headlamp so it was a bit tricky going through the woods. I've tried to capture the darkness in the picture, therefore it's pretty much just a picture of nothing :) As I walked along I just about jumped out of my skin when a booming voice came at me from the right side of the path. It was a stupid motion detected billboard from an Albergue up ahead, welcoming me to the Camino. This thing is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

I felt so full of energy that I was walking much faster than my usual pace. I was even passing the tourist pilgrims, who now had blisters and tendinitis from going too fast. In my excitement I neglected to stop after a couple of hours and to take off my boots. After about 12 km my left calf started to cramp up so I slowed down. But the cramping only got worse the more I walked so I finally took off my boots for a rest and a stretch. By now the pain was not going away and I'd acquired a bit of a limp. It was nothing too major though and the limp made me more authentic walking into Santiago with dozens of other pilgrims who all had limps too! In this picture is Capilla San Rogue at Lavacolla, about 10 km from Santiago.

Just before the walk into the city many pilgrims were gathered outside this quaint little church, Capilla San Marcos, for a final rest. I found it amusing that right outside the church there was a concession stand selling beer and pop and playing Adele 'Rolling in the Deep'.

It took about an hour and a half to walk into and through the city from San Marcos. These golden scallop shells in the sidewalk marked the way. It was one of the weirdest experiences and I don't think I'll ever forget it. Walking through the streets of the busy city with my backpack and poles, dodging traffic, moving off the walkways before groups of school children pushed me onto the street. No old men waiting in the streets to point the direction with their canes. No old women blowing kisses and saying Buen Camino. Everyone rushing and nobody paying any attention at all to those darn pilgrims who don't pay attention to the street signs. These people must get so sick of pilgrims getting in their way. For a minute I was thinking, "hey, I just walked across this whole country to be here", and there I was, just another person in the way. Very humbling experience really.

Eventually the busy city became the old city and a sense that I was getting closer to the church. As I turned down a street I could hear bagpipes. They were being played by this fellow for change and I stopped to give him some because the beautiful sound sure intensified the amazing experience of walking into the cathedral square.

I stood for some time, just looking at the cathedral more in awe that I'd made it there than in the church itself. I became quite choked up and did not try to hold back the tears. After subtracting bus distance I have walked 700 km across Spain. Now that is something.

Day 32 - Ribadiso to Santa Irene - 20 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:06:00 +0000

I really must be ready to go home because last night I laid awake thinking about cleaning my laundry room. I've had a mental block about cleaning the laundry room for a long time. So maybe that is one of the reasons that I'm here? One thing for sure, there won't be anymore yellow arrows to tell me which way to go so I'll need to start making grownup decisions again. And here's something I've learned on the Camino; Roosters do not just cocka doodle doo in the morning!

For the past 3 days I have been walking the Camino with 48 seventeen year olds and 4 teachers on a high school trip. They're healthy great kids; in other words very loud and boisterous with raging hormones. I've made several attempts to get on a different time schedule, but have not been able to shake them. Today I had the opportunity to speak with the English teacher (who doesn't know much English because he asked me how to translate the words 'Buen Camino') and he told me where their destination was for tonight. My feet have been pretty sore after my long walks the past couple of days so I decided to change my schedule and stopped at the town 3 km before my Spanish teenage friends. Whatever it takes for a little serenity :)

I'm pretty happy about my new plan because this means I'll only walk 14 km tomorrow and then 10 km on Saturday morning into Santiago. This will be a great wind down from the long days of walking. I'm staying at a very nice little Albergue tonight that only holds 15 people. They're making me fish for dinner while I sit there in a cafe doing my little update. Mmmmm, guess I'll have to start cooking again soon won't I?

Day 31 - Palas de Rei to Ribadiso - 27 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:02:00 +0000

It was another long day of walking (yes I know I don't have a lot of new material, but that's what I do, I just walk). I'm not sure if I'm getting better at this, or if I'm on the home stretch now and motivated to get to Santiago. I never thought I'd say I'm tired of walking, but I'm saying it now. "I'm tired of walking." I'm really ready to go home now. I miss my bed. I miss not wondering if I'll have soap and toilet paper. I miss not having to wear ear plugs. I miss my washer and dryer. Call me shallow, but I miss assuming that everyone I meet will likely speak English. And of course I miss my family and my dog, Daisy. Ok enough of this boo hooing. I'll be in Santiago in two days! I'm sure the arrival there will be amazing.

I left Palas de Rei at 7:30 a.m. and in the dark of course. Had loads of fun searching for those yellow arrows with the help of a few others. Old men on the streets LOVE it when you ask them where the Camino is. They will give directions for every turn within 5 km and I don't understand a thing, I just need the 1st point to get headed the right way. But there's usually not an old man to be found at 7:30 a.m. The really nice thing about today was the cool autumn-like weather that lasted at least until noon and then the temp shot up to 29 C.

I had been told that one of the towns I passed through today named Melide is famous for its octopus. Sure enough as soon as I turned onto the main street there was this guy, standing in the window of a restaurant, handing out chunks of the eight-legged creature to whomever would take it. It was a great marketing strategy because once you tried it you had to have more! I've had octopus before and always known it to be tough, but this was delicious.

Today we passed several rivers and twice I removed my boots and soaked my feet in the freezing cold water. This is one of best tricks I've found that gives extra, blister-free milage. With all this eating and soaking of the feet, I didn't arrive to Ribadiso until 5:00 p.m. This is a pretty cool looking place as it's a replica of the original refugee for pilgrims 100s of years ago, but with updated facilities of course. NOT so updated that I don't have to go outside to the toilets though! My bed for tonight is the top bunk in the loft. So when nature calls in the middle of the night I'll have to climb down from the bed, put my shoes and sweater on, climb down the stairs from the loft, go outside, walk to the toilets and hope there's still toilet paper. Now do you understand why I miss my bed so much?

Day 30 - Portomarin to Palas de Rei - 28 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:05:00 +0000

This is the furthest I've walked in one day and it took me 10 hours to get here. You would wonder how it could take so long to walk 28 km but, besides being on the turtle express up-hill all the way, I take a lot of breaks for boot removal and for eating high carb food. I left the Municipal Albergue at 7:00 after a so-so night's sleep in a small room with 39 other people. Soon I was entering a steep uphill path in a forest and it was very dark. For your amusement here is a picture of what a pilgrim (me) walking in the dark looks like.

Part of the reason it took me so long was that I had stopped for the day about 10 km earlier. I had paid 5€, had some lunch and a shower and then felt great again. I thought, "why stop now?" and left that Albergue for a new destination.

I had a real internal struggle with this latest group of touristpilgrims today. I was getting so annoyed with them being there, messing up my peaceful pilgrimage as they walked on their little 'holiday'. Many of them are with a tour group so don't carry backpacks, wear bermuda shorts and carry binoculars. There are school groups and others that have picnics delivered by vans that are following them. This woman's husband carries the stuff because she needs to work on her tan. And my personal favorite, this 'pilgrim' below.

Then to make matters worse, I began feeling very guilty about being such a judgmental grump and wondering what kind a 'spiritual' pilgrim would I had become. Turns out most of them who had been walking since St. Jean felt the same way as I overheard quite a few discussing it. As I walked on I finally figured out why i disliked these people being around. It's not 'them' that disturb me, it's what they represent. The Camino is almost over. Soon I will be back to the usual daily race and commercialism that can't seem to be avoided. I don't want it to be over, but on the other hand, I'm getting tired of walking.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to have a new outlook on these touristpilgrims. There's nothing wrong with having a week away from the office, lose an inch or two and maybe get atonement for your sins at the same time! Here's me embracing a little bit if Camino commercialism.

Day 29 - Barbadelo to Portomarin - 20 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:21:00 +0000

I've never set an alarm in an Albergue. I've never had to because eventually someone either makes enough noise or the light goes on. This morning I woke up at 8:00 and the room was empty, with probably the last person gone about an hour earlier. That was some kind of deep sleep combined with great earplugs! Sleep is great, but setting out so late in the morning means a more difficult walk in the heat later on. As I had my morning coffee 'hoards' of pilgrims began passing by.

The solitude of the past couple of weeks is over. Dozens of new pilgrims who want to walk the last 100 km to achieve the Compostela start everyday from Sarria. It is quite a different experience to be walking with them. They are all clean and fresh looking and full of energy to reach their destination (at least for their 1st couple of days!). I walk my usual turtle pace as groups pass by me; no actually I think I might even be slower now. I see them and think about how my mind has changed from that 1st week until now. I'm not saying that I'm the great wise one now, although I know it must sound like it, but I do know that I'm much more aware of the beauty that surrounds me as I saunter down the path. Here is a cafe that I stopped at this morning with a few of the new peligrinos.

I arrived at Portomarin at about 2:00 p.m. It was VERY hot and the town seemed so crowded with pilgrims everywhere. I finally entered a municipal Albergue that is really sort of horrible, but in the 'heat' of the moment one doesn't think about how nice a place is. It was only after I had laid out my sleeping bag in the sort of smelly, crowded room and taken my shower, that I thought, "I shouldn't have stayed here". I went out into the town as soon as I could and found Paddy, George and Jutta. They had found a slightly better place but we were just happy to be among friends and went for a great dinner and many laughs. I will reach Santiago in 5 more days.

Day 28 - Samos to Barbadelo - 20 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:25:00 +0000

I had a very peaceful sleep last night considering I was sharing a room with about 50 other people. My expectations of what I would consider necessities of life are getting lower all the time. I walked passed the immense monastery in the dark this morning, which I'm told was built between the 9th and 15th centuries, and searched for the familiar yellow arrows to get myself headed out of town in the right direction.

The 1st half of today's walk was along a peaceful river path up and down hills and past one ancient farm house after another. George from Rhode Island took this picture of me beside the old farm equipment. I can count the Americans I've met on one hand and I feel privileged to have met George. He will be joined by his wife in the next couple of days and they will finish the Camino together.

In the village of Aguiada I stopped at a cafe where several Peligrinos were gathered. They were talking to one particular Dutch fellow who I had seen before and for whom I had formed an opinion that he was a bit of a kook. He was sort of wild looking and usually had a silly grin on his face. Today I discovered that he has been walking for 5 months from Amsterdam. Someone asked him, "what is one thing you have learned". He said, "that I must live for this day and can't predict what will happen tomorrow. I am a rich man because I have time to walk and can sit here now in this village in Spain. Others say that time is money but they are wrong. Time is life". I thought about what he said as I walked.

I don't know what time it was when I reached Sarria because I have stopped caring about the time as I walk. Sarria is the starting point for many Pilgrims who would like to receive the Compostela. It is a touch commercial and one can buy Camino stuff everywhere. Every major city has their own unique way of marking the Camino path. In the picture above you see the path marker for Sarria. The symbolism of the scallop shell is that all roads lead to Santiago. When I reached the centre of Sarria I was not too impressed with these 65 steps. (yes I counted them).

I walked on from Sarria to Barbadelo where I met up with new and old Camino friends at this very beautiful Albergue. I share a room with only 7 others and it is extremely clean and comfy. During dinner with George, Paddy and Jutta I was sharing with them the Dutch walker's words of wisdom when George said, "Catherine, I'll tell you what I've learned on the Camino. The longer I'm here, the better women's calf muscles get." We all had a laugh about George's Camino philosophy and proceeded to discuss other inappropriate topics such as men walking around in their underwear in the Albergues. Not one of my favorite sights!

Day 27 - Fonfria to Samos - 25 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:35:00 +0000

It's not light enough to walk in the mornings now until about 8:00 a.m. I woke up with the usual lights flashing and kerfuffle of people speaking in other languages. Some mornings I take this all in with a positive peligrino spirit. This was not one of those mornings. I am failing to understand why people want to wake up so early when they either have to wait for daylight or walk in the dark. I got up with the rest of them and walked out the door light a crazy person in the dark. I mean it was REALLY dark! I was wearing my headlamp and I'm sure quite a sight as I headed down the road. I had decided to take the main road instead of the Camino path because I knew that this morning involved a very steep decline which is hard on the knees. Almost an hour went by before I removed the headlamp and sat down at the side of the mountain road. It was incredibly quiet except for the birds and I felt quite in awe that I was sitting by the side of a mountain road in Galacia, Spain watching the sunrise.

I hadn't had breakfast and was hungry when I reached Triacastela 3 hours later where I was able to get cafe con leche and a croissant. After spending my last 3 € I found a bank machine in the town. The walk today was extremely beautiful and more enjoyable physically than the extreme mountain trails of yesterday.

I walked all day along the Oribio River and through very very old little villages where everything is made of stone. I believe most of the pilgrims took an alternate shorter route to Sarria today because I rarely saw anyone else on the Camino. I walked by many cows and had to be continually on guard about where I stepped! Cow pies in the road appear to be a normal and socially acceptable thing here.

I arrived at Somas at 2:00, but the monastery where I am staying tonight did not open until 3:00. A friend had told me this morning that he'd seen Benji leaving with a couple of French girls at 6:30 and there he was, across the road from the monastery here in Samos. We had a little visit and I'll have to see about getting him some food later.

News flash! I went to vespers and mass tonight for the first time since on the Camino. Since I'm staying at the monastery there's a bit of peer pressure. I liked the chanting and the organ music. Only 19 monks live in this huge monastery. I'll be in Santiago by this time next week. My plan is to spend a couple of days there and to attend the spectacular pilgrim mass on Sunday, before flying from Santiago to Paris on the 10th.

Day 26 - Herrerias to Fonfria - 22 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Today was the day to climb the mountain to O'Cebreiro. Since walking uphill for several hours is never easy, I sent my bag ahead to an Albergue of a reasonable distance and started my walk. When I stopped for breakfast I realized that I only had 10€ left! I asked the owner of the cafe when I would reach the next bank and he told there would not be one until Triacastela which was 32 km away. This would be a difficult day, particularly since I was walking primarily on mountain paths. I resigned myself to the fact that I would need to walk 32 km and continued on.

The start of my assent was not as difficult as I had anticipated and I found out later this was because I had missed the mountain path and had taken the road. The road was further but with less incline and very enjoyable. After a few km I met a dog in the middle of nowhere. This dog was clearly not a stray but a well cared for hound that wore a bell and a large identification tag. He was very happy to see me and began walking beside me. I'm sorry that I don't have a picture of him but I knew this dog had a home and I was really trying to ignore him. He walked with me for several km until finally a taxi drove by and I flagged him down, pointing to the dog. The taxi driver was great and was able to return the dog to his owner. At the farming village of Laguna de Castilla I found this particular house interesting. The bottom floor is the barn and the home is above the barn. This is what I call being one with nature. It was at this town that I got onto the pilgrim mountain path and the really hard work began.

I reached O'Cebreiro by noon after much huffing and puffing and thought, "this is it, I've reached the top of the mountain and will start going down now". I, along with about 50 other pilgrims, would like to file a complaint because we did not know that we were only about half way up the mountain. We kept anticipating a decline but only went up and up and up. Here is a picture of a cool bathroom in O'Cebreiro because I am very much into bathrooms, in case you hadn't noticed by now.

Earlier in the day I had been talking with a group of pilgrims about out destination for the day. I mentioned my money dilemma and that I would be traveling to Triacastela for the bank machine. A couple of hours out of O'Cebreiro I stopped under a tree to cool off. One of the pilgrims I had spoken with earlier was sitting across the road. We said, "Hola" and then he said, "an amazing thing happened today". I laughed and said, "I have seen many amazing things, tell me about yours". He walked across the road and pulled a 20€ bill out of the wall. He said, "I found this money and now you'll be able to stop at Fonfria". I suggested that he was a very good lier and thanked him, offering to pay him back when I reached Triacastela. He would not hear of it and walked away. Thank you Paddy, because by the time I reached Fonfria I was very ready to stop!

And now for the absolute best part of today! I reached the Albergue at Fonfria and had my shower, did my laundry, same old, same old. Then, took the laundry out to dry and who was there? Benji! He'd been on the Camino with other pilgrims for the past 2 days and I got to see him again. :)

Day 25 - Villafranca to Herrerias - 21 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:44:00 +0000

There were many on the path today walking 31 km from Villafranca to the top of the mountain at O'Cebreiro. When you factor in the difference in altitude, since it's a 1200 meter climb, it works out to be more like 37 km. I decided that it would be a great idea for me to walk only 21 km to the base of the mountain and have a beautiful, fresh walk up that baby tomorrow! There are less than 200 km to get to Santiago now.

The weather was very brisk this morning which made for fast traveling over the hills and through the valleys. Today we were walking in a group of 5 people representing Canada, USA, Ireland and Holland. The 3 in the group who were heading for the top of the mountain weren't carrying their backpacks. The had had them transported in order to lighten the load on the incline. I was carrying my pack and as usual started to stiffen up and slow down after about 10 km. The wonderful, fabulous, and very handsome Eugene carried my pack for me until I reached my destination. I felt quite light and bouncy without that load on my back! Here the five of us have stopped for a picnic lunch.

I am now at a pretty chalet style hotel at the base of the mountain and relaxing with my feet up. It's a beautiful sunny afternoon and I'm enjoying the sound of the cow bells from the pasture across the way. This is the scene from my bedroom and if you look closely you can see the cows.

Day 24 - Ponferrada to Villafranca - 25 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Le Peligrino Perro or The Camino Dog

Sonja and I stayed in a hostel last night and headed out at 8:00 a.m. We'd walked about 1 km when we realized that we had company. "Don't look at him", Sonja said, "he seems to like us". I've seen many stray dogs on the streets and none of them are very sociable creatures so I assured her he wouldn't stick around for long. But it soon became evident that this was no ordinary stray. He was definitely walking with us. We ignored him for awhile, although I did think he was very cute and Sonja insisted frequently that we had to seriously work on getting rid of him. I wondered how she was going to do that since I was fairly certain he did not understand English. She tried shooing him away with her poles, but with no affect. What we did not understand was that we really had no choice in the matter because it was he who had chosen us as his pilgrims for the day.

After a couple of hours we entered Fuentes Nuevas for some coffee and toast. By the time we left our guest had been given a name ('Benji') and had also enjoyed some toast. Sonja was still quite concerned that we needed to get rid of Benji somehow, but I insisted that he was a Camino dog and we couldn't send him 'back' because there is no 'back' on the Camino. I said "don't worry Sonja, he'll walk with us for awhile and then he'll be gone". Here is Benji waiting for me to catch up when I got too slow.

We stopped at Cacabelos for a beautiful lunch of smoked meat, olives, salad and bread. I'd say we were in that restaurant for about an hour and were sure that when we got back to the road Benji would be gone. But he was not. He was lying under a table about a block away. As we continued to walk I got thinking "Benji is going to need some food, maybe I should buy him something if he is still with us in Villafranca". Just then we were passing a butcher shop and Sonja said, "we need to buy the dog some food". I started to laugh and questioned her intentions to get rid of him. She said, "I wanted to get rid of him because I knew I would start to love him". As I was teasing her about being a big softy, we went to the butchers and Sonja bought a good size piece of pork ribs. Benji was a lucky and happy Camino dog today! Here he is having a drink at a fountain after his delicious lunch.

We had gone about 20 km when were met this pilgrim on the path carving shells out of different types of wood. He did beautiful work and of course I was a great customer! The last 5 km into Villafranca were slow going for me. There were many hills and I was very tired. When I arrived at the Albergue Ave Fenix with Benji I explained to the host that he was a pilgrim and had walked the 25 km from Ponferrada, but I'm afraid he did not get a lot of sympathy. He had a rest on the side of the street and then later followed us down to the plaza where a waiter at a restaurant brought him a bowl of water. Sonja and I are both hoping that he will be gone with other pilgrims in the morning because we like him way too much now and feel completely responsible for him!

Later......
We just finished our peligrino dinner and I sat beside Patrick. At the end of the meal he said, "the weirdest thing happened. Yesterday I walked with a dog for 20 km and today I saw him in this town". I showed him the picture of Benji and he said "that's him!". I don't think I have to worry about Benji. He really is a Camino Dog.

Day 23 - Villares de Orbigo to Astoria - 16 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:23:00 +0000

Just an everyday morning on the Camino.

We walked 8 km and came across this this pilgrim lemonade stand, so the speak. All organic and run my pilgrim volunteers. That is Sonja in the sexy black and white pants.

Both Sonja and I sat down last night and did a bit of figuring out of how many days we had left, how far we still needed to walk, and some of the things we really wanted to do before we left the Camino. On the current schedule none of it added up, so we decided on a plan to walk 16 km today, then take a bus from Astorga to Ponferrada. This is a distance of 60 km and gives us 3 extra days, which makes the remainder of the Camino both more enjoyable and doable. Many will say, "but your missing some of the best part!", but but we have heard that about every part, so we just have to do what is within our means right now. This decision means that we will miss the highest point and the cross where the stones of sorrow are left. We found another spot today many pilgrims had left prayers and a piece of their own past sorrows. It was here that I left my own memories and those of a couple of friends from Canada.

My pilgrim boyfriend. This is a funny little guy that is dressed and adorned by the 100's of pilgrims who have passed.

This has been a day of castles! The 1st one is the Gaudi Castle in Astoria, the 2nd the Castle of the Knights of the Templar in Ponferrada.

This has been a very busy day! Besides walking the 16km this morning we have walked many more touring two cities, castles and pastry shops! Back on the trail tomorrow :)

Day 22 - Mazarife to Villares de Orbigo - 16 km

noreply@blogger.com (Catherine McCoy) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:38:00 +0000

Last night I had a Camino dream. I was walking all night and didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. I got to this French town and couldn't go any further until I learned to speak French. Somehow I got out of there and went to a German town. When I got up to go to the bathroom I told myself to stop dreaming this because I was still in Mazarife! But I went right back to walking and this morning I was mentally exhausted! The 1st part of the walk today was a long one with no place break in between. It was 10 km to Villavante and by the time I got there my Camino spirit must have taken a detour because it had left me.

I stopped for lunch 4 km up the path at Hospital de Orbigo. There were several people stopping for the day due to injuring. I figured I'd better keep on the path since I didn't have any good excuse not to, other than feeling a bit sick and tired of walking. Then in 2 km more I saw it. The Albergue at Villares de Orbigo. Now tell me, if you had just walked 16 km in the hot sun would the site of this place not make you feel happy? But wait! This is not the best part :) My spirits lifted with every room I walked into, but when I saw the bathroom I thought, "I'm in heaven". Never mind me in the mirror.... Do you see on the wall? There is soap! And paper towels too! I kid you not, this is the 1st time. A 5 star Albergue!

This Albergue seems to be off the grid a bit and there are only 6 people staying here. I met Sonja from Amsterdam during my second week of the Camino. We went to the tienta and bought some food to cook since there are no restaurants open here today. Pasta was quick and easy and also delicious!

I have figured out that based on my physical abilities I don't have enough days to walk all of the Camino. The most I am able to walk per day is about 25 km (and that's pushing it). There are many more hot days forecasted for the next week, so I might not even be able to do that. It's a Camino rule that one has to walk the last 100 km in order to receive the Compostela. I know that at some point in the next week I'll have to take a bus for a section in order to make it to Sarria by October 4th. I'm not too concerned about it and plan on having a beautiful last two weeks!