friend Lucy Poling, now living in Florida, whom I adore and who for over 30 years of friendship, still makes me laugh. The extreme heat today made me think of when we lived in Baltimore, with the high humidity often giving us temperatures close to 100. It was like that today.
This has been the hottest day so far, 35 degrees. We left Los Arcos at 6 am and hiked 18.6 km. We started out under a beautiful full moon. We were in Viana by 1:30. A pretty uneventful day, except for a big conversation in Spanish with three guys who gave us some figs fresh from a fig tree, so we gave them some Canada and US pins, only to find out they were from Brazil originally and now living in the US. That was funny! Such is the Camino.
I am still hiking ahead of Nancy, especially in the morning, as I like that time for reflection, and total silence. Plus when you are walking in the dark, you need to pay attention to where you are going. Even with a headlight!
I am finding each day is getting harder, because of the crushing heat but once we have put in our day and arrive at the albergue, I am ready for anything. We met up with Sari and Katherina, and our German friend from day 1, Bärbel. We have our first really, lovely, expensive meal in a hotel dining room. 24 Euros with wine! Well worth it. My first real beef, since getting here.
Our albergue (municipally run hostel) in an old monastery again, was excrutiatingly suffocating. We had no window, no breeze, and Nancy had a totally naked Frenchmanin the bunk above her. She noticed this when she got up to go to the bathroom, and she is frankly fed up with twigs and berries, as she calls them. When she came back, someone had covered up his privates with a facecloth. I wonder who did that?
Spanish people are ever so helpful, and kind, but in the service industry, it is a different story. Service industries are understaffed and their staff overworked, especially during siesta time - between 2 and 5 each day. It is often very hard to get served. However, we aren't starving, and do appreciate when we get to eat.
We have decided that tomorrow we are splurging on a private hostel, with our own room, so no more naked men every where you look! :) Plus no symphony of snores. For a few Euros more....
Good night my Lucy! Hope Nancy is reading you my blogs.
With love and gratitude for where I am, the beautiful city of Viana, Spain.
Jour 7 - 28 août: dédicace à mon petit frérot Pierre.
Estrella to Los Arcos- hiked 21.5 km in 30 plus degree heat. By five o'clock it was 35 degrees but we were enjoying ourselves at the town plaza- eating and drinking with our fellow peregrinos as they arrived. My day is dedicated to my little brother Pierre, who is a good, tall, fit 50 year old father, who reminds me of the men I have met on the Camino - men like him. Martin from Germany, Jordan from Holland, Joel from Calgary, Richard from Ireland, Martin from France, the list goes on!
We met up again with Sari and Katherina from Day 1 in Orisson- our Swedish/Dutch cum Aruba gay couple whom we have connected with on all levels. K has the biggest dimples, laughs and smiles all the time. Sari is a smart and sassy businesswoman who has a consulting business with offices all over Europe. We have the most fun with them!
Ju ditched us for a 30 year old male named Sebastien from Geneva. She wanted to tell her hubby back in San Francisco that she had "slept" with a 30 year old. Outrageous Ju!
I walk very fast for a short person- so let me share what I have been called recently, and I quote. Powerhouse, ball of fire, Speedy Gonzales, and about my personality, cheeky and did you know I am considered a Hobbit? That comes from Sari, who is 5 ft 10, we think.
One Québécois whom I walked with a bit, said I obviously was fit, because my one calf was bigger than his two together. Was that a compliment?
I have only fallen once on the Camino. Minor scrapes and bruises. A cyclist passed me and I looked up at his "tush" , no I mean the flag on the back of his bike, to see if I could identify his country, and I hit the dirt! There are a lot of mid-life crisis 40 year old Italian/Portuguese men cycling the Camino, and they are mostly courteous. There is the odd one who likes to see how close he can come to taking out a Peregrino (Pilgrim). Poor Kevin from England was almost a victim. I told the cyclist he was an "idiota.
Buenas noches querido hermano!
Love and gratitude from where I am, Los Arcos, Spain.
We met up again with Sari and Katherina from Day 1 in Orisson- our Swedish/Dutch cum Aruba gay couple whom we have connected with on all levels. K has the biggest dimples, laughs and smiles all the time. Sari is a smart and sassy businesswoman who has a consulting business with offices all over Europe. We have the most fun with them!
Ju ditched us for a 30 year old male named Sebastien from Geneva. She wanted to tell her hubby back in San Francisco that she had "slept" with a 30 year old. Outrageous Ju!
I walk very fast for a short person- so let me share what I have been called recently, and I quote. Powerhouse, ball of fire, Speedy Gonzales, and about my personality, cheeky and did you know I am considered a Hobbit? That comes from Sari, who is 5 ft 10, we think.
One Québécois whom I walked with a bit, said I obviously was fit, because my one calf was bigger than his two together. Was that a compliment?
I have only fallen once on the Camino. Minor scrapes and bruises. A cyclist passed me and I looked up at his "tush" , no I mean the flag on the back of his bike, to see if I could identify his country, and I hit the dirt! There are a lot of mid-life crisis 40 year old Italian/Portuguese men cycling the Camino, and they are mostly courteous. There is the odd one who likes to see how close he can come to taking out a Peregrino (Pilgrim). Poor Kevin from England was almost a victim. I told the cyclist he was an "idiota.
Buenas noches querido hermano!
Love and gratitude from where I am, Los Arcos, Spain.
Jour 6 - 27 août: dedicated to this person because of what happened before sunrise...
We left Puente la Reina at 6;30 am. It was still dark, me in the lead. Suddenly Ju yells for me to return because someone is telling her we are going the wrong way. She doesn't understand more than that. The man, who has pulled to the side in a roundabout,now pulls his car right up onto the roundabout centre island. To make along story somewhat short, I listen and tell him we will turn around. We can't see a thing because it is pitch black. We only have our headlights. He jumps back in his car, goes back from where he came, parks, puts on his flashers, and waits for us. God bless this angel that St. Jacques has sent us. We could have stumbled around and been lost for a while, which brings me back to today's dedication - which is for my middle brother Jean-Marc. This is something he would never hesitate to do, help people, and especially those like us who didn't know we needed help. My thoughts were with this angel and Jean-Marc, during Day 6.
We hiked 22.4 km in 7.5 hours. I was alone much of the day, which was good. It tested my mettle, to be alone. Our hotel type accommodation that night was great. We three wanted our own space. No Symphony of Snores during the night. Only we found out Genghis Khan worked there and he was just a nasty, rude man. It was the first time I cried since I left Canada. He wouldn't help me so I just went back to our room and figured out a solution to our problem - getting our big backpacks to our next night's lodging - all by myself. I don't have fond memrories of Estella, but I did get my first good night's sleep. Plus we had a fan. The weather is getting hotter and hotter. We have to stop earlier each day.
Ju will be leaving us soon, as she is on a tighter schedule. Here are a few jewels from Ju and I quote without quotation marks:
Why do you have to pick the hotel at the farthest end of town, every time? Where is my bedbug magnifying detector? You should write a book, Joanne, entitled, " The EffinThings They Don't Tell You Aboout The Camino" like all the men walk around with their boys hanging out. (She used another word, not so nice!) All Spanish towns look the same. I only hang around with you guys because you speak English. (Never mind French and Spanish as well!) I had to take anger management classes cause I stabbed my boyfriend with a knife. Well, he put his hand in front of the knife! Last but not least - there are four types of people who do the Camino:
the young and the restless; the old and the useless; the fat and the hopeless; and the stupid and fearless!
There - I am done with Ju stories. We have had so much fun with her. They say the first week is the hardest? Well, she has made our hearts lighter by making us laugh. God bless her!
On a more solemn note, there are many memorials on the Camino. People have died,and their families have set up these simple crosses, as memorials. Many were in the Pyrenees- because of weather conditions and hazardous passes. One simple cross just said - Fin del Camino,the name and the year. How sad! Another had the same, but also a picture. He was a young Belgian man in his forties, and he died after climbing a long, but not steep hill out of the town of Cizur Menor. It makes me stop, think and reflect upon my own physical fitness. There are many, many people struggling on this journey. I have seen blisters that look like wounds.
We are happy, healthy and reasonably fit, Nancy and I.
Bonne nuit - my dear brother Jean-Marc, another good Samaritain on earth. Papa would be proud of the good man that you are!
Love and gratitude from where I am.
We hiked 22.4 km in 7.5 hours. I was alone much of the day, which was good. It tested my mettle, to be alone. Our hotel type accommodation that night was great. We three wanted our own space. No Symphony of Snores during the night. Only we found out Genghis Khan worked there and he was just a nasty, rude man. It was the first time I cried since I left Canada. He wouldn't help me so I just went back to our room and figured out a solution to our problem - getting our big backpacks to our next night's lodging - all by myself. I don't have fond memrories of Estella, but I did get my first good night's sleep. Plus we had a fan. The weather is getting hotter and hotter. We have to stop earlier each day.
Ju will be leaving us soon, as she is on a tighter schedule. Here are a few jewels from Ju and I quote without quotation marks:
Why do you have to pick the hotel at the farthest end of town, every time? Where is my bedbug magnifying detector? You should write a book, Joanne, entitled, " The EffinThings They Don't Tell You Aboout The Camino" like all the men walk around with their boys hanging out. (She used another word, not so nice!) All Spanish towns look the same. I only hang around with you guys because you speak English. (Never mind French and Spanish as well!) I had to take anger management classes cause I stabbed my boyfriend with a knife. Well, he put his hand in front of the knife! Last but not least - there are four types of people who do the Camino:
the young and the restless; the old and the useless; the fat and the hopeless; and the stupid and fearless!
There - I am done with Ju stories. We have had so much fun with her. They say the first week is the hardest? Well, she has made our hearts lighter by making us laugh. God bless her!
On a more solemn note, there are many memorials on the Camino. People have died,and their families have set up these simple crosses, as memorials. Many were in the Pyrenees- because of weather conditions and hazardous passes. One simple cross just said - Fin del Camino,the name and the year. How sad! Another had the same, but also a picture. He was a young Belgian man in his forties, and he died after climbing a long, but not steep hill out of the town of Cizur Menor. It makes me stop, think and reflect upon my own physical fitness. There are many, many people struggling on this journey. I have seen blisters that look like wounds.
We are happy, healthy and reasonably fit, Nancy and I.
Bonne nuit - my dear brother Jean-Marc, another good Samaritain on earth. Papa would be proud of the good man that you are!
Love and gratitude from where I am.
Jour 5 - August 26: dedicated to my brother André.
Day 5 - We left Cizur Menor for Puente la Reina. My brother of the generous heart is the first person I thought of when we headed out in the dark for the first time- using the wonderful headlights he gave us both.
We did 20.7 in 9 hours. I put one foot in front of the other and the heatwave continues. Of course our hostel is clear at the other end of Puente la Reina AND up a steep one km climb. Well worth it cause we have a POOL! The place looks like a former prison, but our little cottage for three is wonderful and the staff friendly.
It has been a wonderful day. I head the pack, Nancy is in the middle and Ju, our Taiwanese American new friend, brings up the rear. I am like the rabbit, Nancy the, and Ju the slow but steady turtle. We catch up to each other at rest places. At our first we eat breakfast at one cafe and then go to the next right beside, cause it has bathrooms and Wifi. We order lunch to go. Ju disappears, and when she returns we tell her - there is the lunch you ordered. I don't want that she says. I just wanted a $&))!
She gives her food away to two young Koreans named Yoon and Jun, who were at the same hostel as us the night and whom she befriended, finding out they are eating on 5 £ a day. They were starving. She told them she would buy them dinner that night.
So they walk up that long hill to eat with us. I think they are kind of sticking to her so she takes off to the bungalow. We bring them to say goodbye to her. They leave, she comes back in and says. "I gave them 50$ and told them to stop following me! God I laughed!
Trop d'histoires, si peu de temps.
Bonne nuit frérot Andre.
With love and gratitude from where I am.
Trop d'histoires, si peu de temps.
Bonne nuit frérot Andre.
With love and gratitude from where I am.
Day 4 - August 25th I think - dédiée à tous mes cousins Morais...
57 en tout et tous mes cousins Duguay- 37 en tout. Je suis la première à faire El Camino, mais je ne serai pas la dernière de tous mes cousins et cousines, sûrement?
I made a mistake in my previous blog. August 23rd was August 24th!
I put one foot in front of the other and hiked 27.3 km. We left Zubiri at 8:00 am and arrived at our hostel north of Pamplona at 6:00 pm. We hiked in 30 plus weather. It has been our longest hike so at. We hiked from one end of Pamplona to the other- from the suburbs, to the newer downtown, to the upper, beautiful walled city of Pamplona where the "Corrida de Toros" takes place every July. Pamplona is gorgeous - beautiful parks, clean, modern yet old, historic area. I was truly surprised!
When we finally got to our hostel Attila the Hun, the woman at reception, was not in a good mood. She had been fine with me over the phone when speaking Spanish, but with the other two she had to switch to English , and she wasn't a happy camper. When Ju hit her head on the top bunk, she said "Be quiet! People are trying to sleep!"
It is getting hotter in Spain. You get into a routine quickly- up early, start hiking, rest, drink water, eat, walk, think, reflect, chat with fellow pilgrims and say Buen Camino every time you meet or pass someone. I have taken to saying "igualmente" just to change it up, and just keep doing that over and over until you get to your hostel. Then you take the most awesome shower you have ever had in your life, hang out your clothes to dry, eat a "Peregrino" supper for 10€ and hit the sack. Next day same thing all over. I am LIVING it and LOVING it. Every single minute of it. A German woman named Elke hugs me every time we meet up. She loves how I am always smiling. Who wouldn't be smiling?
Nancy and I had a FA moment (A EQUALS AWESOME-you can figure out the F) when we had an encounter with a humongous turkey in this courtyard in the middle of nowhere. I have a video I can't download, but let's just say Nancy has a very unique talent. You can't tell her call from the turkey's, I swear! I laughed for half an hour on this trail high up another Godforsaken mountain until...
I saw a lone man up ahead, who wasn't a Peregrino and was acting furtively. Nancy was a bit behind, and I thought "Great... a flasher!" I saw him move what looked like a jacket, from in front of him. I lift "Fidèle" (my walking stick), just in case I need to whack him. He greets me and points to his jacket on which he had arrayed fresh fruit and drinks. Did I feel like a schmuck? Oh yeah! I ate a delicious orange from the Canary Islands.
I must tell you that we are climbing ALL the time. I ask Spaniards about the next day's trek and they all assure me that there is very little climbing: it levels out. It doesn't! Their idea of flat is DEFINITELY not the same as mine.
No blisters yet. I really am in good shape and feel great- not so much Nancy and Ju, who have had
stomach and other problems.
I know this post is disjointed, and I apologize. I am exhausted but happy.
Bonne nuit chers cousins et cousines- all 94 of you!
With LOVE and GRATITUDE for where I am, Cizur Menor, Spain.
I made a mistake in my previous blog. August 23rd was August 24th!
When we finally got to our hostel Attila the Hun, the woman at reception, was not in a good mood. She had been fine with me over the phone when speaking Spanish, but with the other two she had to switch to English , and she wasn't a happy camper. When Ju hit her head on the top bunk, she said "Be quiet! People are trying to sleep!"
It is getting hotter in Spain. You get into a routine quickly- up early, start hiking, rest, drink water, eat, walk, think, reflect, chat with fellow pilgrims and say Buen Camino every time you meet or pass someone. I have taken to saying "igualmente" just to change it up, and just keep doing that over and over until you get to your hostel. Then you take the most awesome shower you have ever had in your life, hang out your clothes to dry, eat a "Peregrino" supper for 10€ and hit the sack. Next day same thing all over. I am LIVING it and LOVING it. Every single minute of it. A German woman named Elke hugs me every time we meet up. She loves how I am always smiling. Who wouldn't be smiling?
Nancy and I had a FA moment (A EQUALS AWESOME-you can figure out the F) when we had an encounter with a humongous turkey in this courtyard in the middle of nowhere. I have a video I can't download, but let's just say Nancy has a very unique talent. You can't tell her call from the turkey's, I swear! I laughed for half an hour on this trail high up another Godforsaken mountain until...
I saw a lone man up ahead, who wasn't a Peregrino and was acting furtively. Nancy was a bit behind, and I thought "Great... a flasher!" I saw him move what looked like a jacket, from in front of him. I lift "Fidèle" (my walking stick), just in case I need to whack him. He greets me and points to his jacket on which he had arrayed fresh fruit and drinks. Did I feel like a schmuck? Oh yeah! I ate a delicious orange from the Canary Islands.
I must tell you that we are climbing ALL the time. I ask Spaniards about the next day's trek and they all assure me that there is very little climbing: it levels out. It doesn't! Their idea of flat is DEFINITELY not the same as mine.
No blisters yet. I really am in good shape and feel great- not so much Nancy and Ju, who have had
stomach and other problems.
I know this post is disjointed, and I apologize. I am exhausted but happy.
Bonne nuit chers cousins et cousines- all 94 of you!
With LOVE and GRATITUDE for where I am, Cizur Menor, Spain.
Day 3 - August 24 - PART 2
Day 3 - part B
"Ju" is a Taiwanese- American woman my age, my size and who has my spirit! She also has this real deadpan sense of humour. We met her in the middle of a forest path trying to shove thirty pounds of "stuff" back into her pack pack. We advised her to purge at the next hostal that night. We stop for a snack, climb a hill to cross a major hwy and who is on the other side dumping stuff into a big garbage bin? Ju! We cross
over and find out that her hubby paid for her trip and packed for her- 30 days supply of Starbucks coffee, blister packs, Mole skins, Metamucil, you name it. You name it, she had it. She threw clothes out- she was a walking department store. Jesting we said "We could have used some of that stuff!" She tips the bin and dives in to haul out stuff to give to us. Honest to God! I have the picture.
She took a liking to Nancy and me and we ended up shadowing each other all day. We arrived at the Municipal Hostel, a real dump run by Godzilla, but there was no place else to go, we thought. Ju walks in, throws her backpack on an upper bunk and declares "I have high blood pressure. I can't sleep in a top bunk. Watch my stuff. I will be back". She was back in 10 minutes and declared" I found us three bottom bunks in a private hostel close by, and I paid for breakfast too. Come on, we are out of here!" Nancy and I were speechless. She wouldn't let us pay, told Nancy in an aside after "not to worry , she was loaded"; that we had helped her, end of story! We accepted with graciousness and gratitude, so happy to not have to stay at that awful municipal hiatal. We told others we knew there that we were leaving behind three bunks already paid for, and to pass that message on to new arrivals. Such is The Camino! The Avellano hostel was wonderful. We paid for Ju's supper but it was not in repayment. It was just The Camino Way"!
I have two days blogging to catch up up. J'espère que Louise pourra afficher mes photos de Ju!
I have two days blogging to catch up up. J'espère que Louise pourra afficher mes photos de Ju!
Day 3- August 24 - dédié à mon petit grand-neveu Antoine, fils de Michelle et Brad
Left Roncesvalles at 8:00 to arrive at Zubiri almost 9 hours later. A long day, 21.8 km and a hike of another 850 mètres in altitude. I was tired and
every muscle below my waist hurts!
Si je ne parle pas du temps c'est qu'il fait beau. On ne crève pas, comme en arrivant à SJPP dans une canicule de 35 degrés Celsius. Et nous n'avons jamais eu de pluie battante! We are blessed!
Let me tell you about the real gems on the Camino! Not the scenery, not the food, not the ... whatever.
It is people like the Oscar and Felix of The Camino- two portly German gentleman in their mid seventies who didn't look like they would survive the first 7.5 km, let alone the entire 28 km up to Roncevalles. They sent their backpacks ahead the second day and walked - a site to behold with their straw hats and a shopping bag in hand. They are only doing one third of the Camino. As one said " Our friends zey zink vee are crazy". Now THEY are showing true courage and determination One was always singing, a retired opera singer apparently. They are in a pic that my wunderbar sister will post for me from my email.
Then there are Claudio and Loris, two Italians whom Nancy and I met hiking down from that 1500 metres, which seemed to take forever. They were enjoying a break and offered us oranges. With their Italian and wee bit of French, plus my French and wee Italian, we ran out of conversation. I gave them a little souvenir of a bird and for lack of a better word, broke out into the song "Volare" which is the only song I know in Italian. Watch the video (if it works and I can post it in my email) to see the incredible, awesome moment that transpires. One I will never forget! (I never was able to post it, darn it!)
I want to tell you about our third gem, "Ju" from San Francisco, but that will have to wait until the next day.
Tout mon amour et reconnaissance et gros bisous au nouveau de la famille, cher petit Antoine.
Signing off with much appreciation from Zubiri, Spain.
Signing off with much appreciation from Zubiri, Spain.
JOUR 2 - 23 août: dedicated to my good friend Donna.
No one gave more generously of their time, energy, and generosity of spirit and pocketbook to help me get ready for this Camino Frances hike than Donna, so I thank her from the bottom of my heart.
We started out from Orisson and hiked almost eight hours to a max altitude of 1500 metres, through those incredible Pyrenees and their passes. We crossed the border into Spain and descended 300 metres to arrive in Roncesvalles at 3:30, for a total of 21 km. Our hostel was a converted Abbey- newly renovated. Lovely place. Time to wash some clothes (I just throw mine on the floor of my shower stall, squirt whatever soap I have - today it was shampoo, stomp on the pile, wring out after my shower) and put them on line outside. Supper, socialize with other peregrinos from Orisson and new ones we met today - try to blog while the Wifi works and before they turn the lights out! That is pretty much the daily routine.
We started out from Orisson and hiked almost eight hours to a max altitude of 1500 metres, through those incredible Pyrenees and their passes. We crossed the border into Spain and descended 300 metres to arrive in Roncesvalles at 3:30, for a total of 21 km. Our hostel was a converted Abbey- newly renovated. Lovely place. Time to wash some clothes (I just throw mine on the floor of my shower stall, squirt whatever soap I have - today it was shampoo, stomp on the pile, wring out after my shower) and put them on line outside. Supper, socialize with other peregrinos from Orisson and new ones we met today - try to blog while the Wifi works and before they turn the lights out! That is pretty much the daily routine.
What makes the Camino extraordinary is the people you meet. Like Mark (can't get away from that name) who was my upper bunk mate in Orisson. He tells me upon seeing me at the next hostel that night that I snored the least of the 5 ladies and since I was under his bunk , he would have no problem me being on top that night! He's an Ohian who sounds like a hillbilly from Kentucky who had to take a cab back to Orisson to pick up a shirt he left there-a very special one made by his son. Mark will reappear farther on The Camino with a different story, I am sure!
Supper was with a French couple who loved our accent and whom I kept amused with antics like hanging a spoon off my nose, or swatting flies with my guide book. All the other pilgrims ate at the Abbey. We had to be different (unintentionally) and eat at another restaurant.
If I had a Euro for every time someone said I had a cute French accent, by the end of the Camino I would have enough money to return.
Our bunk mates at the hostel? You guessed it! more Canadians; a young couple, he from BC and his girlfriend a cute little Quebecoise who was three months pregnant.
Too many stories and not enough time. Hasta la proxima.
Buenas noches a mi amiga Donna.
With love and gratitude for Roncesvalles, Spain and my second day on The Camino.
Supper was with a French couple who loved our accent and whom I kept amused with antics like hanging a spoon off my nose, or swatting flies with my guide book. All the other pilgrims ate at the Abbey. We had to be different (unintentionally) and eat at another restaurant.
If I had a Euro for every time someone said I had a cute French accent, by the end of the Camino I would have enough money to return.
Our bunk mates at the hostel? You guessed it! more Canadians; a young couple, he from BC and his girlfriend a cute little Quebecoise who was three months pregnant.
Too many stories and not enough time. Hasta la proxima.
Buenas noches a mi amiga Donna.
With love and gratitude for Roncesvalles, Spain and my second day on The Camino.
JOUR 1- 22 août: Départ de Saint Jean Pied de Port, France
Cette journée est dédié à mon cher défunt Papa, Thaddée (Ted) Duguay. Il aurait tant voulu faire ce pèlerinage, et je sais qu'il est très fier de moi, son aînée, d'autant plus que Papa était fier de tous ses enfants. I carry him in my heart, with me, on this important journey of self-reflection, discovery and renewal.
A Liz from Seattle, Sari from Aruba and Katherine from Sweden are all in our room of six beds, and Mark from Ohio. Poor man. Stuck with six women. Weather was overcast and it rained
during the climb but nothing major. It had stopped by time we got to the Albergue. Ours bags we had sent on ahead for 8 €, were here when we got here. It is so much easier to hike with a smaller backpack. The scenery is out of this world. We had a nap, and supper with 40 other "peregrinos" from 15 different countries!
It is interesting that although Canadians represent only 3% of "peregrinos", that 3% is all here now. A group of nine from Edmonton, (there is a Bishop in that bunch!), Normand from Montreal, and Cam and Marie from Calgary with whom we hiked. There is an an awesome sense of "bonhomie", and camaraderie on The Camino. We sang Happy Birthday in Basque to the owner of the hostel, over our Basque cake for dessert.
I have had my adventures, but I will have to stick to facts for now and save the stories for when I have more time and better WiFi.
Signing off of Day 1 with love and gratitude for being where I am, in Orisson, France.
Bonne nuit mon Cher Papa au ciel.
Our first two nights in France. I love AIRBNB!
Our first night in Toulouse, in an apartment in this complex.
Where we are staying tonight in the Basque Region of France the night before we start El Camino.
About to board our flight to Toulouse via Munich
First of all, I want to wish a VERY HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY to a very special lady and world traveller - my good friend Rosie. It is fitting that I should be wishing her a very special day, as we spent many a time sitting in airports together. We even got stuck in Paris overnight, on one trip, thanks to Air Canada shutting the gate in our face. Hope today spent with your loved ones, was truly wonderful Rosie!
Nancy and I spent the day in a VIP LOUNGE at the airport in Montreal, going through all the stuff in our backpacks. Nancy is a gadget queen. You would NOT believe what that woman has in her backpack.
On a more serious and reflective note, I want to share the following thoughts ...
I must admit that it is with much trepidation that I will foot on French soil again after 11 years. You see, the first time I went to France, in 1989, Maman knew she had "something", but chose not to tell me. She and Papa were minding Sean and Joëlle, who were 3 and 5 at the time. Isn't a mother's love so TOTALLY unselfish, no matter how old her child is? She wanted me to have a wonderful first trip to Europe and not worry about her. Six weeks after I returned, Maman had almost half of a lung removed, because she had lung cancer. We are so fortunate to have her with us still. She is a survivor!
I returned to France in 2004 for a wonderful barge vacation on the Hivernais Canal in the "Bourgogne " region of France, followed by a week in Normandy, visiting WW2 Canadian battlefields, monuments and cemeteries. I knew Papa wasn't well, but it was in a tiny phone booth in a quaint little village in Bourgogne that I learned from my sister-in-law Pam, how really ill with cancer, my father had become. I will always remember that moment in time; it is frozen in my mind. My cher Papa died less than 10 months later.
Alors, je vais demander à St.Jacques de Compostelle de bien protéger et veiller sur les miens, ma famille et mes amis, surtout lors de mon petit séjour en pays Basque de la France, tout au point de départ pour mon pèlerinage. Qu'il vous protège tous. May God bless and keep you all, safe and well , especially as I am far away from you.
Nancy and I spent the day in a VIP LOUNGE at the airport in Montreal, going through all the stuff in our backpacks. Nancy is a gadget queen. You would NOT believe what that woman has in her backpack.
On a more serious and reflective note, I want to share the following thoughts ...
I must admit that it is with much trepidation that I will foot on French soil again after 11 years. You see, the first time I went to France, in 1989, Maman knew she had "something", but chose not to tell me. She and Papa were minding Sean and Joëlle, who were 3 and 5 at the time. Isn't a mother's love so TOTALLY unselfish, no matter how old her child is? She wanted me to have a wonderful first trip to Europe and not worry about her. Six weeks after I returned, Maman had almost half of a lung removed, because she had lung cancer. We are so fortunate to have her with us still. She is a survivor!
I returned to France in 2004 for a wonderful barge vacation on the Hivernais Canal in the "Bourgogne " region of France, followed by a week in Normandy, visiting WW2 Canadian battlefields, monuments and cemeteries. I knew Papa wasn't well, but it was in a tiny phone booth in a quaint little village in Bourgogne that I learned from my sister-in-law Pam, how really ill with cancer, my father had become. I will always remember that moment in time; it is frozen in my mind. My cher Papa died less than 10 months later.
Alors, je vais demander à St.Jacques de Compostelle de bien protéger et veiller sur les miens, ma famille et mes amis, surtout lors de mon petit séjour en pays Basque de la France, tout au point de départ pour mon pèlerinage. Qu'il vous protège tous. May God bless and keep you all, safe and well , especially as I am far away from you.
You CAN be too well prepared... so buy duct tape!
Two days before departure, I realize I have worn out the heels of my hiking boots! Can you imagine? I have hiked less than 40% of my upcoming 820 km trek, and I have just been told by my shoemaker that my boots will not last this hike. Furthermore, it is too late (timewise), for him to try to fix them. OMG, I press the panic button. I do that instinctively and then calm down later. It happens every time.
Many frantic messages, emails and calls back and forth to my wonderful daughter and son-in-law, have resulted in their obtaining a refund on my boots for me from a well-known outdoor store in Edmonton (MEC). That is wonderful! It means that on my way to the airport tomorrow morning, I have to stop and buy a roll of the most expensive duct tape I can find. When my boots really start to fall apart, I will duct tape them, find the nearest outdoor sporting goods store in whichever Spanish city I am closest to, and buy myself another pair of hiking boots. I am already overloaded in my backpack. Il n'en est pas question de charroyer une autre paire de bottines dans mon sac avant d'en avoir besoin.
ALL of which means that I will end up doing what I tried to avoid by breaking in my new boots and hiking all over the North Shore IN THE FIRST PLACE; I WILL be breaking in a new pair of hiking boots somewhere on The Camino. Which is a no-no! So, I may be looking at blisters and aching feet after all, I guess. Oh w-e-l-l, as we say in French; L'homme propose et Dieu dispose. In other words, the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men... are all for naught. Hey, in the grand scheme of things... this is just the beginning of my adventures.
Un gros merci pour vos souhaits si nombreux, de "Buen Camino", "Bonne Route", "Safe Travels".
Many frantic messages, emails and calls back and forth to my wonderful daughter and son-in-law, have resulted in their obtaining a refund on my boots for me from a well-known outdoor store in Edmonton (MEC). That is wonderful! It means that on my way to the airport tomorrow morning, I have to stop and buy a roll of the most expensive duct tape I can find. When my boots really start to fall apart, I will duct tape them, find the nearest outdoor sporting goods store in whichever Spanish city I am closest to, and buy myself another pair of hiking boots. I am already overloaded in my backpack. Il n'en est pas question de charroyer une autre paire de bottines dans mon sac avant d'en avoir besoin.
ALL of which means that I will end up doing what I tried to avoid by breaking in my new boots and hiking all over the North Shore IN THE FIRST PLACE; I WILL be breaking in a new pair of hiking boots somewhere on The Camino. Which is a no-no! So, I may be looking at blisters and aching feet after all, I guess. Oh w-e-l-l, as we say in French; L'homme propose et Dieu dispose. In other words, the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men... are all for naught. Hey, in the grand scheme of things... this is just the beginning of my adventures.
Un gros merci pour vos souhaits si nombreux, de "Buen Camino", "Bonne Route", "Safe Travels".
336 kilometres later - 336 kilomètres plus tard....
PLEASE NOTE/VEUILLEZ NOTER
I have temporarily changed the heading of my blog to My Camino, for the duration of my trek. :)
W--e--l--l--, I wrapped up my last training hike with a bang this morning. I hiked up the JR hill ten times (461 total metre elevation), in 20 degree heat at 8:00 in the morning, at 71% humidity. I didn't realize I had so much determination.
Did I say with a BANG? S-H-A-B-A-M!!!! They blew up one of the smokestakes in Darlington (the former Power Plant) just as I was beginning my second climb. Let's just say it shook my world, and was a fitting end to my training, don't you think?
I must say that I kind of feel like a bride, on her big day! When I actually set out on this adventure of hiking El Camino de Santiago, I will have something old (my clothing) something new (expensive wool socks from my mother), something borrowed (backpack, sleeping bag), and something blue (a beautiful blue ring (BLING!) given to me for good luck, by a woman at a garage sale, when she heard about my upcoming trip). So sweet of her. No groom in sight, and that's alright!
For my last week of my training, I started packing THE backpack for my trip, so I took only my little one on my treks. What did I put in it, to give me 15 lbs on my back? A bag of flour and a bag of sugar, to start. You know, they travel well!
J'avoue que je ne me suis jamais promenée dans une pluie battante. Pourquoi faire ça au moins d'être obligé de le faire? Je me dis que je ferai face à ça sur El Camino même, si l'occasion se présente. Je n'aurai pas de choix, n'est-ce pas?
Pendant ma mise en forme, moi et Vimy, on a parcouru plus de 335 kilomètres de routes, de chemins de travers, de ruelles, de chemin de fer, et d'allées de la Côte Nord du Nouveau Brunswick. J'ai eu mes petites aventures, bien sûr!
Un matin, à Pointe Verte, un vieux bonhomme à velo m'a saluée avec un "Bonjour Monsieur!" Quoi? Je portais un pantalon de yoga Lululemon, avec un frison sur chaque jambe! Sans doute, quelqu'un qui a besoin de meilleures lunettes.
While out trekking these six weeks, I have been stared at, smiled at, tooted at, waved at, barked at, yelled at, and given the "THUMBS UP" sign by a group of bikers. Turns out the biker gang was my brother Pierre and my sister-in-law, out on an excursion with their friends. It is always wonderful to be encouraged by family, over randoms, don't you think? :)
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, I was even catcalled! This happened back in "the colonies", so to speak. That might explain it. I don't think they see too many women on those back roads. Maybe someone in that group of men forgot to put their glasses on that day! Or, obviously someone was as blind as the gent who mistook ME for a man.
In all my travels, I only found 37 cents on the roads! No jewellery, no money, no nothing of any importance or significance, other than garbage. So I won't have a treasure in my pocket, that I can say I found while I was out hiking the North Shore of our beautiful province. Dommage!
However, memories of incredible vistas, beautiful sunshine, big fluffy cumulous clouds, winds that caressed my face, showers that cooled me off, the soothing, ever changing waters of my Belle Baie, the marvelous sights and sounds all around me of another a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y perfect summer day, day after day... THOSE are the real treasures that I found while hiking.
PRICELESS!
PS: Thank you for sharing my journey as I prepared for my big adventure.
NB: Merci d'avoir partagé ma préparation vers ma grande aventure.
Joanne
HAVING HIKED 290 kilomètres - Ce que j'ai appris/what I learned.
Don't hike up a mountain wearing shorts and no belt! The incline, plus the weight of your backpack, makes your shorts slip constantly. I felt like a skateboarder, with my shorts constantly half way down my backside! Thank goodness my undies matched my shorts.
My left shoulder is lower and smaller than my right. No matter how much I tug at the straps of my backpack, the right won't hitch up any higher. So give it up!
Don't take off your 16-21 pound backpack when you stop for a snack, water or rest. You won't want to put it back on, because it will feel that much heavier all over again. Enlève-le juste si tu es au repos quelques heures! De plus, si tu es seul, tu peux t'éreinter en essayant de le remettre.
Bois de l'eau, bois de l'eau, bois de l'eau!
Sacre ton déodorisant à la poubelle! Tu vas puer, et ton sac à dos va puer. Rien ne peut empêcher ça. Moins de poids sur le dos. :)
I learned that the marvelous app "Runkeeper" couldn't register my steps when I was climbing Mount Sugarloaf, because my pace was way too slow. The app kept pausing me! I gave up and turned it off. I knew it took me an hour to go up a 25 degree incline with 16 pounds on my back, for 281 metres. Whew! Rough slogging.
I met a woman on my way down from Mount Sugarloaf who was obviously having a very hard time. I heard her exclaim loudly, in total frustration ..."I am NEVER, EVER doing this again!" As I was passing by, I patted her arm and offered words of encouragement. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you push yourself to your limits, physically and mentally. The reward was a stupendous view at the top of Sugarloaf. I hope she made it and DIDN'T give up. The view takes your breath away.
My left shoulder is lower and smaller than my right. No matter how much I tug at the straps of my backpack, the right won't hitch up any higher. So give it up!
Don't take off your 16-21 pound backpack when you stop for a snack, water or rest. You won't want to put it back on, because it will feel that much heavier all over again. Enlève-le juste si tu es au repos quelques heures! De plus, si tu es seul, tu peux t'éreinter en essayant de le remettre.
Bois de l'eau, bois de l'eau, bois de l'eau!
Sacre ton déodorisant à la poubelle! Tu vas puer, et ton sac à dos va puer. Rien ne peut empêcher ça. Moins de poids sur le dos. :)
I learned that the marvelous app "Runkeeper" couldn't register my steps when I was climbing Mount Sugarloaf, because my pace was way too slow. The app kept pausing me! I gave up and turned it off. I knew it took me an hour to go up a 25 degree incline with 16 pounds on my back, for 281 metres. Whew! Rough slogging.
I met a woman on my way down from Mount Sugarloaf who was obviously having a very hard time. I heard her exclaim loudly, in total frustration ..."I am NEVER, EVER doing this again!" As I was passing by, I patted her arm and offered words of encouragement. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you push yourself to your limits, physically and mentally. The reward was a stupendous view at the top of Sugarloaf. I hope she made it and DIDN'T give up. The view takes your breath away.
COUNTDOWN - COMPTE À REBOURS - 17 days-17 jours-17 días
Quelle est une journée parfaite? Une randonnée de 13 kilomètres, tôt le matin avant que le soleil ne sorte de pleine force. Un après-midi à faire des choses sur la liste interminable de "choses à faire". Tondre le gazon pendant que le soleil se cache, et trempe en nage, aller se mettre les fesses à l'eau sur une grosse pierre dans la belle Baie, déguster une bonne bière, et regarder et écouter tout ce qui se passe autour de toi. I am blessed!
I have been brushing up on my Spanish an hour a day; fed up with Duolingo though. Too much repetition. Oh wait! Isn't that how you learn a language? Boring cognates as well, words that you already know what they mean, because they are so close to the French or English language. Hello? Realidad, situación, biblioteca,
piscina, comprender... Did you know you already know 50% of another latin based language because of the one language you have?
Speaking of languages, unfortunately, I will not be translating everything I write in English, into French, or vice versa. I would love to have a bilingual blog but economies of time just do not allow it. Writing my blog on my Iphone is excrutiatingly painful compared to doing it on my laptop. I may translate the odd headline but "c'est tout". So don't skip paragraphs if you are bilingual. Continuez à lire. Ça sera du neuf. Merci à tous de votre compréhension.
My impetus for doing The Camino?
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time she is a flying.
That same flower which blooms today,
Tomorrow will be dying".
Robert Herrick.
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