Gotcha Day for Corky

I am very happy to report that Gretchen is now the happy owner of a 5 year old Pomeranian mix. His name is Corky and he is absolutely adorable! He has a sweet personality. The connection between Gretchen and Corky was instantaneous.

We picked him up yesterday in Loxahatchee at The Big (& Little) Dog Ranch, which is an awesome rescue center. Corky was brought to the Ranch after his 82 year old owner had to be moved to  a nursing home.  We think Corky must have been treated well to be so affectionate.

I heard from Gretchen this morning and so far, things are going well, albeit with a lot more energy. Corky and Gretchen's cat, Lucy, seem to be getting along nicely.

Wonderful Birthday Adventure

For my 70th Birthday, yesterday, Gretchen surprised me by setting up a visit to Ocala, Florida to the Gypsy Gold Horse Farm.  What an awesome place with some of the most beautiful, gentle, friendly horses I have ever had the pleasure to meet.  Their breed is a smaller version of the Shire or Clydesdale.  The two top pictures are of Gypsy King, a beautiful and gentle stallion.  His newest son (1 month old) is in the picture on the bottom right.  And the other picture is another stallion whose name I have forgotten.

This was such a fun trip.  I had never heard of these horses before and knew I was in for a treat the minute we turned into the entrance of this gorgeous stable and I saw one mare who looked almost like a pony with beautiful feathery fetlocks. 

The top left picture is Dennis Thompson, the owner of the stable.  He gave a wonderful talk on the history of this breed.  It was fascinating. 

I would strongly recommend visiting this stable if you are ever in the Ocala, Florida area.

https://www.facebook.com/GypsyGoldFarm/

The Right Decision Eases the Disappointment

We went to Gretchen's doctor this morning and the PA checked out Gretchen's wound. He was really a great guy. It was so nice to be able to speak the same language and know that we all understood what we needed to understand. 

It is indeed a serious infection. He took a culture and changed her medication. We are so relieved and finally feel like Gretchen is in the hands of someone who knows what he is doing.  She will go back in a week for him fo check on the progress. He will also have the culture results at that time.

So, although the decision to come home was a very hard one, we needed to be here, and we know that.  And, we are so grateful to have had five weeks of an adventure that would be hard to repeat.

Who knows what will happen next, but I suspect you have not heard the last of Fristers and Blisters.

Home, Safe and Sound

Just wanted to let you all know, we are home, safe and sound. It was a long day but, overall a smooth one, short of the fact that Gretchen's backpack is still in Madrid. Not sure what went on, but fortunately,  having it be lost on this side of the trip is easier to deal with.

By the time Keegan picked us up at the Orlando airport (Thanks so much Keegan), and we had reported the lost bag, it was very late, so we are opting for sleep tonight, and will see the doctor in the morning.

We are relieved to be home.

Watch the movie "The Way"

For those of you who have watched the movie, "The Way", there is a segment of the movie where the hikers end in an awesome hotel where special bathrobes, and other amenities are provided.  Where Gretchen and I are tonight, makes that place pale in comparison. I took this picture so you all could be assured, Gretchen is ok. Thanks to our wonderful travel agent/friend we are in Madrid in this marvelous place.

But...Madrid...that's not the Camino. The reality is, it would appear that God has another plan for what He would like Gretchen and I to accomplish on this pilgrimage.

It is with sad regret, that I inform you that Gretchen and I must return to the states. Her wound on her back continues to be a problem.  It is not healing properly and the doctor in Burgos said we needed to go back to the states so that she can get the appropriate treatment.  Traveling from one little village to another with unknown medical support is just not going to provide the  consistency of treatment that she needs.

We were blessed to be in Burgos where the voice of reason at hand made us realize we had to bite the bullet, and begin our trip home on Sunday.

We headed to Madrid by bus today after another visit to the doctors to assure everything was stabilized and we will fly back to the states on Monday.

Gretchen has been an amazing patient, and overall is feeling fine. But the wound must be cared for and the cause determined  and that needs to be done in the states.

We Are in Burgos Tonight

We are very tired tonight, but this is the view from our hotel room. Yes, not your regular albergue. 😉

Hiking Shoes/Boots Anyone?

So, standard operating procedures when you arrive at an albergue - after you check in, and get your credential stamped, you take off your hiking shoes and put them on a rack, (There are more shelves than shown in this picture) you put your walking sticks in a nearby bin. The shoes are beyond dusty and dirty with things on them you would do best not to think of. And...they might just be ever so slightly smelly, so not having these in the room you sleep in makes sense. Once shoes have been removed, you get a tour of where everything is... showers, WCs,  find outside clothes line for hand washing,  kitchen, given curfew rules, bed sheets- which you often pay for, and they are disposable , and then, your work begins.

This picture was from the night we stayed at the 217 person albergue. But I thought it might give you a little better understanding of an albergue.

Tonight we are in a small hostal in Villafranca. We like smaller places.

p.s.  Gretchen's and my shoes are on the far left shelf, third row down from the top, and, I think, 2nd and 3rd in...if you are curious. It's so dusty now, all shoes look about the same.

Our Kind of Trail

Now that we are finally connected with the French Way, so much has changed. We have bunches of other Pilgrims ahead and behind us. There are plenty of markers that are getting fancier the further we go. The trails might be a little rocky here and there, but overall, seem like walking on a nice road. The Camino trail seems heavily focused on the Perrigrinos' safety. That was definitely not the case when we started. It was downright dangerous in places. We will NEVER take the Camino for granted

When we were in the Lourdes Confusion Way,, we saw maybe five Perrigrinos the whole way.

It is really cool in the section of Spain we are in now...farmland, rolling hills of patchwork greens, browns, and yellows. It has gone from vineyards and olive trees, to potatoes, onions, sunflowers , and fields prepared for winter. In amongst all that are the Santiago trails which you can see from far off with little tiny pilgrims that look like ants.

We made good progress today and are actually in
Belorado.  Tomorrow will be a shorter day. Our plan is for Villafranco.

St. James & the Purple Hat Ladies

Our purple hats are being recognized by other pilgrims. We have had perfect strangers ask if they could take our picture. Many need to know where we got them so they can buy one. Even a bicyclist stopped going up a hill to take our picture. People we have gotten to know look for our hats in order find us.

For us, the hats have gone from being a total annoyance to a source of warmth, fly detractor, and sun shield.

Today, as we were walking along the trail, I noticed that our shadows, with purple hats, have taken on a type of St. James silhouette,  which is kind of cool. His silhouette is depicted in many places along the way. Next time I see one, I will take a picture and post it.

Our day was good. 13 miles to Santo Domingo de la Calzada. And we had a busy but enjoyable afternoon. We are in an albergue with 217 others. Our room only has 16.  I believe I am the oldest in the room.

Tomorrow, Villa Mayor del Rio.

Chilly Walk to Nájera

Today was our first truly chilly day, for us. The highs were in the mid 60's, and it was windy.  Fortunately, we had on the wonderful  Buffs, which Keegan gave us before we left.  They are pulled over are heads. That, with our hats made a world of difference. There are a ton of Buffs on the Camino.  They are used for all weather.

We are standing in front of another vineyard. The grapes are hanging heavily behind us. Our destination, Nájera, is behind us.

Another good day.

Spanish Squirrel

On our walk today, we saw a black, and then, this red squirrel.  They were really big with pointy feathery ears. We also saw a whole bunch of swans!

Albergue in Navarrete

We are staying in this 12 person room at Navarrete tonight. 6 bunkbeds. And there are 3 other rooms like this, and maybe a couple of doubles.  It costs 10€ a piece. I am on the top bunk. Men and women are in the same room. They are sold out tonight.

The place is actually quite nice. Lots of light from lots of windows. Very clean. Nice proprietor.  So, we are good to go.

We walked 14 miles today .  That's pretty good given all that has gone on. But we did it and felt good.  We are a little weary today, but for me, it was probably the result of a snore filled night last night. I didn't have my ear plugs, and couldn't easily get to  them. That wont happen tonight.

So, we are doing good!!!

More Wonderful Friends

Finding food on a Sunday night in Spain is not always easy. Most restaurants are closed. We met up with these ladies during our search, and between the 5 of us, plus some assistance from our Ohio roommates, finally found food. We have run into these three ladies several times on our walk. The two on the left are from Israel, and of those two, the one in the back is a rabbi.  She sang two beautiful Jewish prayers while we were together. The sweet girl, her friend, in front is headed back to Israel tomorrow,  so we were fortunate to get to meet her. The girl beside Gretchen is a lovely woman from Idaho. A special night.

Pilgrim Mass in Ázqueta Last Night

I had a bad internet connection last night and couldn't download these pictures. This church is a Parish church. Gretchen and I attended the 8 p.m. mass. After the mass, the priest asked all pilgrims to come forward and stand together before this very ornate altar area. He gave each of us a St. James prayer card, said a bunch of really nice stuff in Spanish which most of us couldn't understand,  but appreciated, and then he gave all of us a blessing.  It was really special.  

It also had a really unique organ with blue pipes. Gretchen took a picture of it for Betsy and Claire to see.

Today, we are staying in an Albergue in Viana which is a pretty good sized village. We are in a room was with two other couples. One is from the Cleveland area. Diane and her husband have done the Camino twice and the Portuguese Camino once. Diane has been a wealth of knowledge on places to stay which we gratefully listened to.

We must be getting stronger and healthier, because the walks go quickly, even though hilly. The trails are wonderful.  We have learned under fire and certainly appreciate the Camino system. That, and walking without backpacks has made all the difference. Sending our backpacks ahead is a very efficient system and works beautifully. 

Tomorrow we go to Navarrete.

Spanish Vineyards

The trails have taken us past many big vineyards, but they are usually too far away for us to be able to see if there are grapes on them, or not yet. This vineyard was right next to the trail. So, I believe you should be able to see the clumps of grapes. They were beautiful and looked yummy, but we were well-behaved Perregrinas and didn't help ourselves.

We also get to see olive trees, which I have never been exposed to before. They are really interesting.

We are in Los Arcos tonight. We had a really strong walk today and made great time. Tomorrow we are going to try a little bit further and see how it goes.

We are so surrounded by beauty...it is hard to conceive.

Cool Place with a Bunch of Americans

It might be a very rare occurrence...all Perrigrinos tonight are Amercans sitting at this table with the wonderful proprieter, Elena, who is Spanish, standing behind me. Her boyfriend, Peter, who checked us in, is from California.  It was the easiest check-in ever. And, one of the best meals ever. Elena is an awesome cook! And, she is a gifted artist whose works are hung throughout the albergue. Peter grows the majority of veggies and herbs that are used for the meal. They are a perfect team.

We had a good day. I took so many awesome pictures today that it was difficult to pick which one to highlight, but, as so often happens, it all boils down to the people we are meeting. 

Gretchen continues to improve. We are now on great trails, with great markers. We saw a really awesome Cathedral today. We had lunch at a sweet cafe by the river, and watched these weird ducks and more get fed by two wonderful Spanish ladies.

It was a good day!

She's a Trooper!!

She will probably not like me saying that, but she is taking a little siesta right now, and I speak only the truth. And she hung in there today beautifully.

I took this picture as we entered the village of Lorca, where we are staying tonight.  The picture doesn't do justice to the panoramic view behind Gretchen.

Gretchen said she felt more like herself than she has in several days. We finished our walk around 12:30, which was the plan so as not to push Gretchen too much.  It worked beautifully.

There is such a difference in the trails now that we are officially on the French Way. Bunches of markers, the trail goes through each town, so it is easier to pick up where you left off, there are Camino directed points of interest, relief stations, and Pilgrims! There were always some in sight today, whereas, before they were few and far between.

And, having our backpacks sent ahead is awesome. So much easier to trek without an extra 17+ pounds of weight on your back. Our day packs worked perfectly. We  can see a system developing...arrive at albergue, credential stamped, check in, shower, wash clothes and hang to dry, eat lunch, figure out next destination,  reserve beds, fill out backpack transport form, show to proprietor and she/he calls taxi to pick up in morning and delivers it our next albergue.

So, tomorrow we are staying in Ázqueta at La Perla Negra Country Lodge. It only has 5 beds! Should be interesting. I talked to the proprietor and she is excited about us coming. Ázqueta is an interim point so she may not get a lot of Pilgrims.

A Day of Improvement

I am pleased to say that Gretchen is feeling better today.  Her wound still has a long way to go before healing, but the penicillin seems to be doing the trick. She still has no fever which is a good sign.

She rested in the morning and then we made plans on where to go tomorrow.  We don't want to push it too much as she still needs to be very careful. So, we are going to Lorca,  which shouldn't be too bad.

We have it set for our bags to be picked up here in the morning before we leave and they will be waiting for us at our Albergue.  My day backpack will fit our water and snacks and we will stop along the way whenever necessary. The hot weather has finally eased a bit.

Gretchen and I went for a walk into town this afternoon which she thouroughly enjoyed after being cooped up in the albergue for three days. She felt strong and good.

This picture was taken on the way back. I just thought it looked pretty with the beautiful begonias and drying red chili peppers (I think that's what they are).

Look Who Found Us!

Isobel and Marc arrived in Puenta la Reina this afternoon. Isobel saw where we were staying, so they opted to stay here too. It was such a nice surprise to get a text from Isobel saying they were here. After a nice afternoon, we had our Pilgrim Dinner together tonight. It was so nice to get to see them one last time.

I am happy to say, that Gretchen is showing signs of improvement.  She has been a very well behaved patient, laying low and sleeping a great deal which shows how hard her body has been working to fight the infection. Her wound is still... impressive ... but changing in the right way. I think one last day should get her over the hump of this problem. She even felt good enough to join us for dinner.

I did manage to find some backpacks which will  be just right for daypacks. They will easily hold our water containers,  food, and other small necessities.  We will have to be a little more aware of where we are going next, so that we can send our big packs ahead, but maps and trails are easier to follow now.

A Challenge that We Shall Meet

This is a Camino footbridge that we will be walking over when we leave this town. I took this picture while walking around checking things out this after noon.

Our adventure, complete with a new angel is a bit of a hiccup, but we will work it out. Gretchen has managed to get a significant wound on her back that required medical treatment.  She will be taking penicillin pills in order to get better. It was probably caused by an initial blister. or bug bite that was then exacerbated by her backpack rubbing against the wound. Ultimately,  we  realized that the wound required medical intervention.  With the help of our lovely hotel proprietor,  she drove us to urgent care. took me to the bank to pay for Gretchen's portion of the bill (standard procedure here) took me back to Urgent care, and then came back to pick us up and bring us back here when we were finished. She then switched us from the 74 bed pilgrim room to a private room with our own shower, and beds with sheets and blankets!

The doctor was great. With the help of Google translate, he and Gretchen were able to be on the same page. He wants no hiking for 4 days, and then....no backpack for Gretchen.

Although not the best news, we are blessed to be in a bigger town, with support while Gretchen recovers, and within walking distance of most anything we need.

We are discussing several solutions...the main one being locating day  backpacks to put our staples in, and sending our main backpacks on to our next destinations.  It doesn't cost that much, and, would make our hiking easier. And leave Gretchen's back the ability to recover. I see many people wear their smaller backpacks carried in front or one shoulder which might work for Gretchen. We will come up with a solution.

It is now Wednesday morning, I thought I posted this last night, but evidently not. So, I can give you an update of a peaceful night's sleep for both of us  and no noisy departure of the many pilgrims.   This is a perfect place for recovery.

Farewell to some Wonderful Friends

Here we are sitting on a street lined with restaurants and bars for our farewell dinner with Isobel and Marc. We had Sangria with our meal which was really yummy.

This morning we said goodbye to our Aussie Angels which was sad. They have a tough road ahead of them, but I am glad they don't have their packs, and they don't t have to worry about a couple of slower moving American companions.

We are now in our albergue in Puenta la Reina.  Each one is different.  This one has rooms divided by participants and an open wall for the entrance. Two sets of bunk beds in each section. It is quite n it ce and good outside atmosphere. Happily, we have a sweet young New Zealand girl who is doing the Camino by herself. Pretty funny, as Marc was originally from New Zealand. It is so nice to continue to hear English.  Ahh... our 4th roomate just arrived. These girls really make Gretchen and me feel old. We will learn more after she unpacks and has a chance for a shower.

As expected, there are a ton more pilgrims here and way more markers. We are pleased to be where we can now use our Camino book maps and info. What a difference!

Oh...one more thing. The taxi cab trip here was beyond scary. It was supposed to be a 45 min drive, it barely took us a half hour. And that was with a big bike race that was occurring on the same road. Our driver simply drove around the cyclists on the wrong side of the road, regardless of hill, curves, or ambulances. So, we are here and happy with our decision to take the cab albeit, terrifying.

We have left Aragon, Now in Navarro

This is kind of a county line marker with the Camino Shell above it. We are making progress. Today we arrived in Sangüesa. It is the first bigger city we have come to in a while. We have been able to stock up on some much needed hiking food, found an albergue,  and we came up with a solution to our next situatiin.

The next town, Monreal, is close to 30 kilometers away. The albergue in the middle is closed, so that means you have to do the whole trek on your own. All food, water, must be with you. So, Isobel and Marc are going to brave the trek, being more seasoned than us. They are going to have their backpacks sent ahead to Monreal. They will use their day pack to carry their supplies. It will be sad to say goodbye to them. We have really enjoyed their company, and have learned a great deal about hiking that will be a great help to us.

We...are going to take a taxi to Puente la Reina which is where our current trail meets with the French Way, the path we have been trying to get to all the way along. Once we are on that Way, we no longer have to contend with lack of markers, albergues, food for hiking, and more. At this point we have walked about 170 miles which  is more than we would have had to walk had we not gotten distracted by shiny friends.  It is just that our true destination is Santiago, and the taxi will give us a better time frame to work with.

Once others heard of our decision, they decided to do the same thing. So tomorrow,  around 9:30 a. m., a taxi will pick us up here at the albergue,  along with 3 German ladies, and will take us to Puente la Reina. It will take about an hour.

We are happy with our decision and so are our bodies.

We are Pleased with Ourselves

This is a picture of the village where we are staying tonight. It is Undués de Lerda. I took this pucture from the trail.

This was a challenging day because we knew our hike was going to take us up a very long and aruous, rocky hill, and then, back down to Undués. We did have an interim stop, and many of our fellow pilgrims chose to stay there. But, it was early in the morning and we all felt pretty good, so we went on.

It was tough, but now that we are here, we are all very pleased with ourselves.

We are in a four bunk room again, with only our pretty girl from the Congo that we know, including Isobel and Marc. The rest are a new group of German ladies.

We are planning on going a little easier tomorrow. 

But, we are happy.

A Pilgrim Meal

Here's an example of a pilgrim meal. Isobel and Marc are sitting across from us. Other than two additions, these are all people we now know. Of special note: I am eating BEAN soup!!! An historical event. Funny what happens when you have limited gluten free choices. This is the first couse... I also had sausage and vegetables, and watermelon with chocolate drizzled over it. And, of course , wine.

Church of St. Martin de tour's Key Holder

Sweet sweet man 

We made it to Artieda

Our backpacks were packed, and delivered to the Albergue where we are staying tonight. Gretchen is looking towards the village in Artienda. The whole village is like a stone fort, which we are quickly learning is standard. They built their homes high and sturdy to protect them in battles.

Our day started early, but it was well worth it. Indeed the day was very hot, and limited shade. We had plenty of water, and the trail was mostly dirt road which is much easier than we have been experiencing. 

We walked with our Aussie friends, and a German friend, Peter.

Many of our new friends from last night are hear tonight.

We are in a two bunk bed room with Isobel and Marc, which is much better. We are all waiting for dinner, and catching up on emails, etc. G and I are in hopes of getting a wash done tonight, but there is a long line, so, who knows.

We had a super cool tour of the St.  Martin's Church, which is the tallest structure you see  in the above picture. The sweetest old man saw us and brought out this giant old key, and opened the church up for us. it was so beautiful.  Some of it has been rebuilt, but some of the original structure remains. Gretchen got a picture of him with the key that I will send as soon as she is able. You have to love this man, his whole purpose in life, now, is showing Pilgrims the church.

Where There is a Will, There is a Way

Here we are, on a break this morning, at a neat little bar serving wonderful omelettes and Coke Zero.

We are in Aares with our latest set of Angel's, Isabella and Mark from Melbourne, Australia.  The trail today had lots of hills, and it was very sunny, but we made it to this neat albergue  with breathtaking scenery. The Albergue is run by a super nice husband and wife team who have already figured out my meal for tonight.

There are several other pilgrims here. We are in a 4-bunk room, and there will will be three women, and three men...so far, evidently a bunch of Germans just arrived. We are established in our bottom bunks, so all is well.

So today's dilemma was when we all learned that we have an 18 kilometer walk ahead of us tomorrow, on a relatively flat terrain but no shade, and no town between here and Artieda, our next destination.  There are no fountain break either. The temperature is supposed to be in the mid 80s.

But, our Australian friends came up with a solution. We will borrow their day pack for tomorrow for our water and food, and send our backpacks on to our next destination via taxi
 Isabella will be sending hers as well.

We will get up early, pack our stuff, have a breakfast here, and take off at sunlight while it is still cool.

We now have a full room. No free beds.

Our First True Albergue Experience

Four sets of bunkbeds, four countries in our room...Us, Canada, Australia, and the Congo. We are all sitting in the dark because a thunderstorm just knocked out lights off.

It is a little after 8:30pm, and we are waiting for our pilgrim meal to begin.

We are in Staint Cilia which was actually our destination for today. We were able to shower, wash some clothes...by hand, hang them on a clothesline off our balcony (until the thunderstorm began) and go to a bar with the 7 other men and women here. Totally enjoyable evening and we haven't eaten yet.

We did pretty good today. Started later than usual, took our time, enjoyed the views.

Recovery Mode

After a good 3-hour rest,  we had dinner at 8:30 tonight at this gorgeous restaurant at the albergue where we are staying.  We had a bottle of wine which cost less than one glass in the states and tasted better than anything ever.

I had an awesome salad and Gretchen a creamy vegetable soup,  main course - pork, potatoes and "broken eggs", which were unbelievably comforting and delicious. For dessert, Gretchen had a custard pie (not very pie like, more like a pudding, but super yummy) and me, flan.  Yummy again.

We are going to go easy tomorrow so as to not push our envelopes any further. So we will sleep until we wake up, figure out our next destination, have breakfast and move on.

We feel much much better tonight.

p.s. This is not the typical albergue, although, again, it cost only 2 euros more than the more rustic,  typical ones.

Women Obsessed

This picture was at the monastery where we stayed a few days ago. Evidently, obsessed women don't take pictures.  But this such a cool place, I figured you wouldn't mind.

We were so pleased that we had finally gotten the hang of finding markers, preparing properly before we leave, plenty of food, plenty if water, knowing our next destination,  and having more maps to help us move through the remaining sections before we are able to join the French Way.  We got up early, had breakfast, and departed Canfrance around 8:15 this morning. Our ultimate goal for today was Jaca.

There are markers galore now, except for a couple of areas that changed due to rockslides and the rerouting signs left a lot to be desired. But we persevered and did very well. The trail, although rocky, is a major improvement from what we have experienced so far.  We got to Castille de Jaca around 3 and both felt good, albeit tired. So we decided to continue to Jaca which was 4 kilometers away. 

It was hot, and we were tired, so when we came out on a major road we missed the marker. The more we looked, the more tired we got. After resting at a pull off, and looking at maps, we knew we weren't lost, we just couldn't find the markers. We knew where Jaca was, another 4 kilometers, and opted to walk on the busy highway, until we found an open albergue. Turns out it was less than a quarter mile away. We walked in, and found our markers painted on the  side of the albergue. 

We checked in, got into our room, which is our own, with our own shower. and more. After showers and rest we are rejuvenated. 

In Spain, most places don't serve dinner until 8:30, so we will continue to rest, and then go down for dinner and then, to bed.

Additional lessons learned, no matter how much you think you can make it just a little further, if it is between 3 and 4, and you are tired, STOP! If you don't you will make stupid mistakes. 

We did walk 15 miles today, and are outside Jaca, so we still did good. I think. 

Too obsessed to take a picture. That will change 

Bottom line, we are fine and we are trainable, so we are still happy.

We will plan our next destination after a little more rest.

We are in Spain!

In talking with some English speaking Germans at our Albergue this morning regarding the very scary trek we were about to undertake, we learned that, indeed it was dangerous.  To the point that these clearly seasoned hikers were going to take a bus to get beyond the most treacherous part. This day we were to cross over the Pyrenees.  They also said that this day's hike would be much harder than the last two days, which were a definite challenge for both of us.

Oh, and did I mention that our German friend talked about the bears, and hunters that were in the area? G and I had already heard gunshots.

So after some soul searching, we decided to take the bus to Canfranc, our next destination.   After a somewhat terrifying, but unbelievably beautiful bus trip, we arrived at Canfranc around 10:45 this morning.  What a beautiful town!

We checked in to our albergue,  got some much needed maps from the tourist central place, showered and went to Mass. I received my first communion since our trip began. I have a card explaining what I need, our Spanish tutor translated an explanation about the gluten free host. and it worked beautifully.  The priest made us think of Fr. Ben.

We have had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.  The weather is beautiful. We even, as you can see, had a wine and Gretchen had a beer and Lays potato chips  around 3:30 . This was after we went for a walk to locate our next set of markers,  which we found all by ourselves, so we are good to go tomorrow. Supposedly we will going back into the foothills  of the Pyrenees.  I suspect there will still be some tough terrain, but it will be improving by the day.

We are in true Camino country now where true Perrigrinos abound.

A Different Sleeping Experience Each Night.

This is where Gretchen and I are sleeping tonight. We are in Borce. This is a six bed hostel. A 2 bed room, and a 4 bed room. We arrived and essentially opened the door, took the 2 bed room, and settled in. The proprietor checked us in a couple of hours later.  A true open door policy.

I just heard a donkey braying. Cool!

Oh...our reception is getting worse and worse, and tomorrow we should be at our highest point,  so no guarantees on a post tomorrow.

We really appreciate all your support and prayers. I am going to change some settings in the blog in hopes of making it less frustrating for many of you, and so we can hear from all of you.

Grown up Hikers ....Sort of

Today we managed to do our whole trek all by ourselves! We stopped at the fountains and got plenty of water, we kept watch of all markers, we didn't get lost and we didn't need our friends to get us to this point.

This picture of the Pyrenees is from our hotel.  We are in Accous. We walked about 11 miles.  The first part of our walk was a real doozey. We were climbing a lot of the way. The trail even had metal rope guides for one stretch of the walk. We were very glad for them. Fortunately that tough part ended, and although very hilly, not quite as tough for the rest of our walk.

We wore ourselves out, so we opted to stay at this beautiful hotel in the foothills of the Pyrenees.  It only cost 2 euros more than last night and the luxuries are amazing...bed with sheets, our own bathroom and shower, hand soap, towels,  and more. There us a supermarket across the street so we stocked up on staples for the weekend as things really close down on the weekend.

And best of all...there was a three machine outdoor  laundromat by the market and we were able to do our laundry and DRY it. We have been washing things by hand, but France is really wet, and it takes forever for things to dry.

Although we are going a different route than originally planned, we believe it is going to work out quite well.

God Works in Mysterious Ways

So, here we are with our new Italian friends, Adriano and Vera. They speak very little English, so it has been an interesting day. They were headed in the same direction as we were, and really knew what they were doing. Given our history, we decided to joim them and headed to Surrance. Which where everyone thought was our final destination for the day.

We got a little nervous when they went away from our now much beloved markers and on to a busy road, only to find out the path we were to take was impassable due to something they knew through their prep work, but the language barrier kicked in so we just followed obediently.

We arrived in Surrance around 3:30 which pleased us as there is really a lot to accomplish once you arrive at the hostel  and we have limited free time We are all at a monastery hostel tonight and we had our first pilgrim meal. It was delicious!

The one hiccup...our friends were not going to the  same destination that we needed to go. We found that out after we settled in and looked the map another Perrigrino gave us this morning.  We are very off course now.

But it seems that God has a plan. Some of the things we have experienced here are amazing!

We can still get to Santiago by a slightly different route, and neither of us would give up this day for anything.

Happiness is our First Compestela Marker

We were so happy to see this marker! And the red and white markers have increased as well. No getting lost today. Still need to work on the finding the hostel when we arrive at our destination.  Tonight we are at our first Compestela hostel in Orloron. It is very nice in its simplicity. It costs 12.50 euros per person. 8:00pm curfew.  I am fine with that. Nice tired. Walked about 12 miles today.

Oh, and we made our first Pilgrim friend a few miles in to our walk. Luke from Munic. He walked with us for at least 5 miles before moving on. Our conversations made the go really fast.

Desparately Lost but Thouroughly Happy

We started out on time and raring to go after a nice breakfast with Fr. Pierre. the proprietor of the hostel where we stayed for the last two days. He shared his love of Joan Baez with us.

No markers anywhere, but we finally found the trail and walked about 5 miles to Buzy.  About 2 1/2 miles after Buzy, the markers and signs said we had to go back the way we came. Ultimately, after trying every possible path, we decided to follow the one which took us back to Buzy.

We found this lovely B&B with the sweetest proprietor, Lucy, 😁, and sat in her beautiful back garden with her and her chicken. We walked into town and bought goat cheese, vegetable soup, and Gretchen bought some croissants.  We are in our room, lounging on our beds, and will soon eat , hopefully with Lucy.

We have maps, and Waze, and Google maps, but none of these deal with trails except the one we bought for this portion of the trip. We thought that was sufficient. Evidently not. We will soon be joining up with the Compestella markets, then all will be fine.

There is another pilgrim arriving soon, he may be able to help us.

Angel's Abound

Hi Everyone!


Picture a beautiful picture of the Pyrenees  that we walked  beside for our entire 26.4 kilometers or 16.5 miles. When I figure out how to make my pictures smaller in megs, I will include that. We walked from Bétharram to Arudy yesterday.

To say it was challenging is an understatement.  But, we've learned what to do and what not to do from here on. We ran out of water,  climbed through very rocky paths, planned on stopping before Arudy, but there were no clear stopping places so we ended up in n Arudy around 6 or 7.

We met a wonderful French couple who walked us to the water fountain where we gratefully filled our water containers. The guy called a friend regarding the hostel in Arudy  told us we only had 2.5 K to go. He also called us crazy when he heard we had walked from Bétharram...in a good natured way. He might have been right.

Then there was a lovely young French woman in Arudy who realized we were hopelessly lost...darn guide book and Google Maps...drove us to the hostel where there were two men outside waiting for us as the person Gretchen had talked to  had gone in search of us. Oh and French woman used our guide book to get us to the hostel, and accidentally drove off with it. She brought it back at 10pm last night.

With all that said, we were a little weary, and I was a little under the weather, and rather than push the envelope, we stayed in the hostel today. It has been well worth it and we are excited to get back on the trail tomorrow.

We are truly having a wonderful experience.

One last thing...many of you are having trouble adding comments. We love comments, it makes us feel connected.  So if any you much smarter bloggers out there know why that is happening, let me know.  In the meantime you can email us at msmusic56@gmail.com  and/or
flpenguin48@gmail.com

We have Officially Started!

We made it to our first destination.  This is the hostel where we are staying. It is a very old church. After we arrived, we attended the Stations of the Cross, where we walked up the side of a really big hill...elevation 1,300' with other parisioners. There were big grottos with statues or paintings. At the top there was another beautiful church where we attended 5pm mass.

Our walk went fine. We had trouble finding the markers and used Google Maps. Probably a mile from our destination,  we found them. They were way smaller than we thought. We are good to go from here on. Yesterday we only walked 9 miles, which was the plan.

The signals is very weak. It has taken me 30 min to do this post. So don't worry if you don't hear from us.

Morning Mass at Lourdes

We attended the English morning Mass at Lordes today. It was beautiful! We plan on going again tomorrow morning before beginning our actual walk.

There are so many nuns here! Many of you know that I am fascinated by nuns. As a 10 year Catholic, nuns are harder to find now, particularly as there are few in the states that wear habits. I would love to talk to one.  There are many orders of nuns here at Lourdes.  I love that! Most of them don't speak English. Even if they did,  I probably would be too shy to intrude on their Lourdes experience.

We are at Lourdes

We arrived at our  totally cool hotel. We have a great view. We are on a river. I also got an awesome video of us going in train from Paris to Lourdes, but it is too big to upload. The train travels 180 miles per hour period it was amazing!

Sainte-Chapelle

This is an amazing chapel very near Notre Dame. Over 1,100 stained glass windows. If you are there at the right time of day,  the room is awash with color.

Time for bed

More tomorrow. It's late. Will post more while on the train to Lourdes tomorrow.

Fun Day!!

We walked to Notre Dame Cathedral this morning. We went to Mass there which was very cool. We also got our first stamp on our Camino credential. It becomes like a passport. We get stamps at each stop/hostel and then show it at the end of our walk and will receive a completion certificate.

Oops!

I need to improve on the order thing. I should have let you all know that we arrived safe and sound, on time @ around 6am this morning. A super smooth flight even with thunderstorms all around us. We will be going to sleep soon, as we are a little weary tonight. We will be in the same time zone for the next 2 months....6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Sacre Coeur Cathedral

Finally! A Hill!! With Stairs!

I guess we had to go to France to find a hill. Two days in training and we should be good .

These stairs lead to Sacre Coeur Cathedral. We attended the noon mass. There were Benidictine nuns singing accompanied by a nun playing  a type of autoharp.

On the plane to Paris

On time, all is well.

Our Bags are Packed, We Are Ready to Go . . .

Our boarding passes are in hand.  Our backpacks have been packed and repacked and packed again.  Everything is ready, so  . . . I guess we will go! Thank-you everyone for your wonderful support!!!

Graduation Night

So, we had our final Spanish Tutoring class last week.  This is a picture of us with our Tutor, Monsie.  She and her husband, Darrell had a Graduation Ceremony for us.  In our hands are cool little diplomas, in Spanish.  The little red speaker in the middle played "Pomp and Circumstance", and Monsie  crocheted cross bookmarks for both of us.  We may not be fluent in Spanish, but thanks to Monsie, we will have a much better handle on the Spanish we hear.

Let the Happy Dance Begin!!!

So, as many of you know, I had a bit of a scare starting on June 9th when I was diagnosed with a detached retina, which required emergency surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.  For the last month + I have been going around with a gas bubble in my eye, a medic alert florescent green bracelet, and a patch over my eye.  My kids have dubbed me the Pirate Mom. There is a 2 month no flying stipulation with this.  We squeaked by . . . .As of today, the bubble is almost completely gone, the patch is gone, and my eye doctor has given me the go ahead for the Camino.  God is good!

Retirement Day - July 15, 2018

Gretchen's "last" day of work, and her birthday!  The church, the Women's Guild, the Choirs, and Fr. Ben gave Gretchen an awesome farewell.  All this Camino stuff is coming to a believable point.  As of the day of this post, we have 40 days left to prepare.