A popular refreshing drink on the camino is beer with lemon soda, like Fanta. A draft beer is called a "caña", so you can just ask for a caña con limon. Apparently this is also popular in other places, and is called Shandy in the UK.
It was not actually dreadful but I preferred plain lemon Fanta. Anselmo put away one or two large ones each afternoon.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
equipment for trekking
We carried some specialized equipment to survive on the Camino.
The Albergues had beds but we carried special sheets and towels. The special sheet was made of silk and very light weight. The special towel was made of some weirdo material that somehow absorbed water but the material itself was extremely thin and close to weightless, even after you used it to dry off.
In addition to the sheet and towel we carried tiny lightweight sleeping bags. Our packs were also extremely light, made of a material like parachute cloth, with a little padding at the back.
We carried small mesh bags. If you washed your socks and they did not dry, you put them in this mesh bag and tied it to your pack. The socks would presumably dry in the hot sun as you walked. A side benefit is that if you turned suddenly, the mesh bag would swing around and hit you.
Clothing for trekking:
Before this trek, I imagined that Spain would be really hot. My plan was to hike in a running bra and fast-drying shorts, using my midriff as sort of a radiator. Here is the problem with this approach: my backpack absorbed all my sweat! By late in the hike it was reeking!
A more practical approach is to wear a sleeveless mesh t-shirt that dries fast like the shorts. That way some of the sweat goes into the t-shirt instead of the pack!
Also, everyone on the camino wears the pants that zip off into shorts. It is a fashion necessity.
It is freezing in the mountain passes, so some kind of jacket is necessary. I did well with Liz's rain jacket since it was an effective wind breaker.
Footwear for Trekking:
I wore running shoes. I discovered that my feet hurt less if the shoes were laced as loose as possible.
Closed shoes make your feet very hot and sweaty and more likely to blister. Many people wear sandals.
Anselmo wore geeky sandals with socks. They worked very well for him except he had to stop every few seconds and shake the gravel out of his shoes. This gave me lots of time to stretch and get bored.
The Albergues had beds but we carried special sheets and towels. The special sheet was made of silk and very light weight. The special towel was made of some weirdo material that somehow absorbed water but the material itself was extremely thin and close to weightless, even after you used it to dry off.
In addition to the sheet and towel we carried tiny lightweight sleeping bags. Our packs were also extremely light, made of a material like parachute cloth, with a little padding at the back.
We carried small mesh bags. If you washed your socks and they did not dry, you put them in this mesh bag and tied it to your pack. The socks would presumably dry in the hot sun as you walked. A side benefit is that if you turned suddenly, the mesh bag would swing around and hit you.
Clothing for trekking:
Before this trek, I imagined that Spain would be really hot. My plan was to hike in a running bra and fast-drying shorts, using my midriff as sort of a radiator. Here is the problem with this approach: my backpack absorbed all my sweat! By late in the hike it was reeking!
A more practical approach is to wear a sleeveless mesh t-shirt that dries fast like the shorts. That way some of the sweat goes into the t-shirt instead of the pack!
Also, everyone on the camino wears the pants that zip off into shorts. It is a fashion necessity.
It is freezing in the mountain passes, so some kind of jacket is necessary. I did well with Liz's rain jacket since it was an effective wind breaker.
Footwear for Trekking:
I wore running shoes. I discovered that my feet hurt less if the shoes were laced as loose as possible.
Closed shoes make your feet very hot and sweaty and more likely to blister. Many people wear sandals.
Anselmo wore geeky sandals with socks. They worked very well for him except he had to stop every few seconds and shake the gravel out of his shoes. This gave me lots of time to stretch and get bored.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Anselmo finally reaches the End of the World
We did not have time to walk to Finisterre, as it is 4 days out of Santiago.
We decided to rent a car and drive out there. We drove to the coast and then up, seeing some incredibly spectacular beaches. The mountains come right down to the sea. They are all bare and covered with rocks.
The sea is deep turquoise!!! It is stunning. The ocean and rocks and all were just breathtaking, with little stucco villages perched on the hillsides overlooking the sea.
We went out to Finisterre for the sunset. There were lots of people out there. There were people burning their clothes. That is a very bad idea when your clothes are made of synthetic materials derived from petroleum or some kind of plastic.
It really smelled bad! What a bad idea.
Finisterre is this huge cliff sticking out into the pounding Atlantic. The blue sky and the turquoise water was just gorgeous. The scenery there is breathtaking, you can´t really explain it.
Finisterre has a long history. The ancient Greek and Phoenician geographers knew that it was the westernmost point in Europe. The ancient Druids thought that the sun died there and they had a temple to the sun like Stonehenge.
The Romans also believed that it was the end of the world and that there were monsters and perhaps Atlantis on the horizon from Finisterre. I was struggling to read the information folders, which were written in Gallego, the local dialog of Galicia. The folders claimed that Saint James destroyed the Druid´s sun temple but I don´t believe it.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Some History of the Santiago Cathedral
Here is some history of Santiago from Wikipedia.
According to legend, the apostle Saint James the Great brought the Message of Christ to the Celts in the Iberian Peninsula. In 44 AD he was beheaded in Jerusalem. His remains were later brought back to Galicia, Spain. Following Roman persecutions of Spanish Christians, his tomb was abandoned in the 3rd century. Still according to legend, this tomb was rediscovered in 814 AD by Pelayo, a hermit, after witnessing strange lights in the night sky. Bishop Theodemir of Iria recognized this as a miracle and informed the Asturian king Alfonso II (791-842). The king ordered the construction of a chapel on the site. Legend has it that the king became the first pilgrim to this shrine. This was followed by a first church in 829 AD and again in 899 AD by a pre-Romanesque church, at the order of king Alfonso III of León, causing the gradual development of a major place of pilgrimage. In 997 this early church was reduced to ashes by Mohammed ibn-Abi Amir (938-1002), army commander of the caliph of Córdoba, Spain. The gates and the bells, carried by Christian captives to Córdoba, were added to the Aljama Mosque. When Córdoba was taken by king Ferdinand III of Castile in 1236, these same gates and bells were then transported by Muslim captives to Toledo, to be inserted in the cathedral Santa Maria.
Construction of the present cathedral began in 1075 under the reign of Alfonso VI of Castile (1040-1109) and the patronage of bishop Diego Peláez. It was built according to the same plan as the monastic brick church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse, probably the greatest Romanesque edifice in France. It was built mostly in granite. Construction was halted several times and, according to the Liber Sancti Iacobi, the last stone was laid in 1122. But by then, the construction of the cathedral was certainly not finished. The cathedral was consecrated in 1128 in the presence of king Alfonso IX of Leon.
the spiritual path to spain
We are in Santiago. We stayed in Arco de Pino last night. The walk in this morning was only about 12 miles, although Anselmo´s foot was acting up a bit. I was kind of shocked that there was trash all over the Camino and the signs pointing which way to go were all defaced and covered with graffiti. However the other pilgrims, of which there are lots now, were all in good spirits.
We went to the office to get our Compostela certificates. Compostela does not mean compost. It means "Field of Stars" (Campo de Stella), which stands for the field where the remains of Saint James were found in 1000 AD.
We looked at the Cathedral, which was quite impressive. I have not read about the history of the cathedral but it looks Baroque. They need to clean it like the Burgos cathedral.
Our hotel has free Internet. I will try to go online later. I don´t see the actual computer, just the keyboard and display, so I don´t think I can upload photos.
We went to the office to get our Compostela certificates. Compostela does not mean compost. It means "Field of Stars" (Campo de Stella), which stands for the field where the remains of Saint James were found in 1000 AD.
We looked at the Cathedral, which was quite impressive. I have not read about the history of the cathedral but it looks Baroque. They need to clean it like the Burgos cathedral.
Our hotel has free Internet. I will try to go online later. I don´t see the actual computer, just the keyboard and display, so I don´t think I can upload photos.
Friday, August 1, 2008
raindrops, "Sobrenatural"
Today we had to walk from the environmental resort back to the camino. We walked up and down hills till we reached the town of ???.
It was sprinkling during the morning. Fortunately we were near a cafe when it started bucketing rain. We sat in the cafe eating and using their computer for a while.
Eventually Anselmo called a cab. He hates walking in the rain. The cab lady was explaining that most of the people were not making money farming, and that all the new houses being built were built by people who had made money outside of Galicia.
The cab took us to the Casa Milia, a small Bed and Breakfast in the countryside. It was run by a middle aged squat loud lady. She wanted Anselmo, it was clear. She called him "usted" (thou) and she called me "La Senora" (that lady).
A few other pilgrims also showed up. One of them had a dreadful blister. Anselmo encouraged him to go to a doctor.
That night I was watching Spanish TV and was surprised to see the lovely faces of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki. It was the first season of "Supernatural", dubbed in Spanish!!! I didn't know those guys knew Spanish!!! It was awesome. I understood one phrase "Somos Investigatores Paranormales"!!!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A Play House for Big People
Sarria was really nice, modern and clean. We stayed in a nice hotel with a hair dryer.
After Sarria we walked to Portomarin. It was a lovely forest walk. Portomarin is a town on a reservoir. It was the first lake that I have seen. It was really pretty. The Camino crossed the lake on a bridge.
We were staying at an environmentally conscious resort.
They had a giant photo voltaic panel that they use to run electricity to the resort. I should mention that Spain is very into alternative energy. All the mountaintops and ridgelines are lined with windmills for generating electricity. We also saw solar farms for electricity and solar hot water panels on rooftops.
Anyway, this resort had camping, but we stayed in one of the tiny cabins by the lakeside. The owner called it a "Play House for Big People".
Would you like some flies with that shit
After we visited Toad Hall we visited Samos, a medieval monastery. It is a huge building in a beautiful green valley. There are still monks there, in fact there are like 14 or 17 monks there. The monastery walls are covered with murals both ancient and modern. Hmm, someone was playing the flute there, it was really pretty. We went on a tour. Inside the church were some paintings of some wise monks from the past. One of them was¨"Anselmus". He was the funniest wise man because he had on some weird goggles! We have a picture of him that we will post when we get better internet.
After that we continued walking to Sarria. Anselmo was hungry. We walked through some tiny cow farming villages. The streets were covered with cow shit! That is one of the features of Galicia. Anyway, Anselmo decided to stop and have lunch in a little cowshit village. The cafe really smelled like cow shit! The cafe was full of flies!!! Flies were getting fried in one of those electric bug-zappers. There was a TV screen which was covered with flies! I don´t know how he could eat in there. I could only imagine flies walking on cow shit and then walking on the food. I could not imagine eating with that strong smell of cow shit in the air. Anselmo happily chowed down. Maybe I was not cut out to travel the world with him, LOL.
After that we continued walking to Sarria. Anselmo was hungry. We walked through some tiny cow farming villages. The streets were covered with cow shit! That is one of the features of Galicia. Anyway, Anselmo decided to stop and have lunch in a little cowshit village. The cafe really smelled like cow shit! The cafe was full of flies!!! Flies were getting fried in one of those electric bug-zappers. There was a TV screen which was covered with flies! I don´t know how he could eat in there. I could only imagine flies walking on cow shit and then walking on the food. I could not imagine eating with that strong smell of cow shit in the air. Anselmo happily chowed down. Maybe I was not cut out to travel the world with him, LOL.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Mr. Toad of Toad Hall
After we came down from O Cebreira we were talking to Albert, the Canadian guy. He had acquired two young beautiful women as companions. (He is 61) He explained that they had a stalker and he was keeping the stalker at bay. Hmm, everyone on the Camino has been so nice it´s hard to imagine. We have met lots of women walking the Camino alone and they feel perfectly safe. But it takes all kinds. At any rate, Albert told us that the yellow bush I admired so much was called "Broom" and it was an invasive species in Canada, considered a pest.
The first town in Galicia was called Tria Castele. The name implies three castles but there were none. We stayed in a little place called Casa David. The David guy who owned it was very nice.
The next day we walked to Sarraya. The walk was through river valleys and right by a pretty river.
Anselmo was looking for his roots again. There was a small village called "Lastres". We have already established that Anselmo is descended from royalty on his mother´s side. The name "Sanchez" comes from the 10th century king Sancho of Navarre.
But the name "Lastra" is more mysterious. The name means "Stone Slab", so it´s possible that the original Lastras were stone cutters. Anselmo thinks that the Lastra family might have come from Galicia because many Galicians immigrated to Cuba. Also the "La Lastra" village we discovered 25 years ago in the Cantabria region of spain was really a dump!
So we decided maybe this "Lastres" place was Anselmo´s family home. The village was in a narrow green mossy river valley, so narrow that the sun barely came in. It reminded me of Wind in the Willows. There was an old stone home along the river with outbuildings and a boat house, all overhung with willow and oak trees and stone walls. I told him it was like Toad Hall and I expected Mr. Toad to come driving up in an ancient car.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The End of the Rainbow lies in Galicia
The next day we climbed the O Cebreira Pass into Galicia. The climb is supposed to be the most beautiful and spectacular of the whole trek.
We spent a long time walking into a valley, which had a very gentle ascent. After lunch, we went into the woods for a steep climb. It ended at a "Delightful Hillside Village". I got there first and started looking for a fountain to fill up my water bottle. I could not find one, an a girl offered me some of her water. When Anselmo got there, I was standing in front of a fountain that said "Water not potable" and offered him a drink out of my water bottle. He got a horrified look on his face and said "You can´t drink that water". Ha ha he is so predictable.
The final walk to the O Cebreira village, on the mountain ridge was breathtaking.
I only have a few minutes so let me say that the mountains there are covered with a yellow bush called Broom. It is like Forsithia but it is not. It is so beautiful. It looks like the mountains have been painted yellow. I have never seen anything like that before.
The Pyrenees had a lot of pink heather, and some of the hillsides looked pink, but nothing like this blazing color.
We spent a long time walking into a valley, which had a very gentle ascent. After lunch, we went into the woods for a steep climb. It ended at a "Delightful Hillside Village". I got there first and started looking for a fountain to fill up my water bottle. I could not find one, an a girl offered me some of her water. When Anselmo got there, I was standing in front of a fountain that said "Water not potable" and offered him a drink out of my water bottle. He got a horrified look on his face and said "You can´t drink that water". Ha ha he is so predictable.
The final walk to the O Cebreira village, on the mountain ridge was breathtaking.
I only have a few minutes so let me say that the mountains there are covered with a yellow bush called Broom. It is like Forsithia but it is not. It is so beautiful. It looks like the mountains have been painted yellow. I have never seen anything like that before.
The Pyrenees had a lot of pink heather, and some of the hillsides looked pink, but nothing like this blazing color.
A Snake in the River
The next day we trekked from Molina Seca to Villafranca.
It was a long walk.
Okay, I motored over the Cruz de Ferro pass like the
We walked through a city called Ponferrada. I generally hated it and whined all day. Maybe the less said the better.
We have not seen very much wildlife on this trek. They do not have pesky animals like deer, raccoons or squirrels here for example. In fact, I think that Spain could use a few more animals, and I would be happy to contribute a few.
They do have fish in the rivers however. I stopped at a bridge to look in the water and see fish. To my immense surprise, I saw a 3-foot long snake swimming across the rocky river bottom. He was white with black leopard spots. I watched him for 15 minutes and I did not see him come up to breathe!
After that, I whined my way through beautiful hilly vineyards. We are in a green farming area of Spain. It is called the Berceria. They grow grapes for wine, apples, pears, and some weird sounding meat.
We ended up in a town called Villafranca which was beautiful but I was too tired to care and crashed as soon as I could.
It was a long walk.
Okay, I motored over the Cruz de Ferro pass like the
Little Engine that Could, and it must have tired me out. I was tired almost as soon as we started walking.
We walked through a city called Ponferrada. I generally hated it and whined all day. Maybe the less said the better.
We have not seen very much wildlife on this trek. They do not have pesky animals like deer, raccoons or squirrels here for example. In fact, I think that Spain could use a few more animals, and I would be happy to contribute a few.
They do have fish in the rivers however. I stopped at a bridge to look in the water and see fish. To my immense surprise, I saw a 3-foot long snake swimming across the rocky river bottom. He was white with black leopard spots. I watched him for 15 minutes and I did not see him come up to breathe!
After that, I whined my way through beautiful hilly vineyards. We are in a green farming area of Spain. It is called the Berceria. They grow grapes for wine, apples, pears, and some weird sounding meat.
We ended up in a town called Villafranca which was beautiful but I was too tired to care and crashed as soon as I could.
Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross)
The mountain climb was beautiful although cold. The first cafe we came to we stopped for coffee and breakfast.
There was a guy in there named Albert, from Western Canada. He told quite a story about his friend who had been robbed in Seville (Europe has very few criminals but apparently there are gangs from North AFrica)
After that we went to the Cruz de Ferro. It is the highest altitude on the whole trek. It is a tiny little cross on a large pole. Okay, I don´t understand what the big deal is!
You are supposed to leave a "token of love" at the foot of the cross. Anselmo brought a tiny pebble from home which I left. It is practically invisible in the huge pile of rocks left by other pilgrims. There are also other "offerings" like worn out shoes.
After that we walked to another high-altitude point and then started the descent. We ran into the (British) Ukelele Boy again. He had joined up with a guy I called the Gap-toothed Boy and the Gap-toothed Boy´s Girl, who are both Israeli, anyway, I should find out their names so I don´t give them these silly nicknames. Anselmo renamed the Ukelele Boy the Peeing Boy because of an incident along the trail.
"Sorry, Nature Called," said the Ukelele Boy.
We finally ended up at the bottom of the mountain range at a lovely town called Molina Seca. We stayed in a little place called Posada de Muriel
Candles In the Wind
After Rabanal, we crossed a mountain pass with the Cruz de Ferro.
It was a long climb so we started before dawn! We stumbled out of our hotel and started walking straight uphill. It was much colder! The wind had been blowing like crazy all night and it was cold and windy while we walked uphill.
There was just enough light to see mountains on either side and clouds. I saw something that was so strange that I thought that I was dreaming.
I could barely see a long cloud in the sky on my left. Above the cloud were very tall slim candles, maybe 60-100 feet. It was hard to tell because the cloud was several miles away. You could barely see the candles themselves. Each candle had a tiny orange flame at the top.
The wind was howling and I was absolutely freezing but I had to stop walking and get a grip on myself.
Angels?
It was a long climb so we started before dawn! We stumbled out of our hotel and started walking straight uphill. It was much colder! The wind had been blowing like crazy all night and it was cold and windy while we walked uphill.
There was just enough light to see mountains on either side and clouds. I saw something that was so strange that I thought that I was dreaming.
I could barely see a long cloud in the sky on my left. Above the cloud were very tall slim candles, maybe 60-100 feet. It was hard to tell because the cloud was several miles away. You could barely see the candles themselves. Each candle had a tiny orange flame at the top.
The wind was howling and I was absolutely freezing but I had to stop walking and get a grip on myself.
Angels?
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
walk to Rabanal, Completely Unique Experience
We walked from Astorga to Rabanal today. It was a pleasant walk, about 13 miles. It was hot but not brutally hot. It was a gentle uphill. The landscape began changing from dusty desert to mountain forest.
Okay, today I did something that I don´t think anyone has ever done. I peed on my headphones. I was peeing behind a bush and my two little headphones were kind of hanging in front of me. Anselmo (kindly and helpfully) said "Don´t pee on your headphones". I assured him that I had missed them, but when I put them back in my ears they were wet. It did not affect the music, which was early Neil Young.
Rabanal is a small town oriented towards pilgrims. We are staying in a neat hotel, at the very top of the hotel, under the eaves. Our window opens onto the roof!
We went to hear a service where some monks sang a Singing Vespers. The church here was built in 800 AD. The service was lovely. As usual I tried to feel spiritual but failed. One of the images I saw in the Leon cathedral was a painting of nightmarish violence and I could not get that out of my head. I am beginning to wonder why I keep having dark thoughts when I´m in these churches. Maybe the spirit of a bitter woman from long ago is accompanying me on my pilgrimage. Maybe she will find redemption.
Okay, didn´t mean to get serious. Yikes.
Later. Tomorrow we climb to the Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross on a mountaintop.
Okay, today I did something that I don´t think anyone has ever done. I peed on my headphones. I was peeing behind a bush and my two little headphones were kind of hanging in front of me. Anselmo (kindly and helpfully) said "Don´t pee on your headphones". I assured him that I had missed them, but when I put them back in my ears they were wet. It did not affect the music, which was early Neil Young.
Rabanal is a small town oriented towards pilgrims. We are staying in a neat hotel, at the very top of the hotel, under the eaves. Our window opens onto the roof!
We went to hear a service where some monks sang a Singing Vespers. The church here was built in 800 AD. The service was lovely. As usual I tried to feel spiritual but failed. One of the images I saw in the Leon cathedral was a painting of nightmarish violence and I could not get that out of my head. I am beginning to wonder why I keep having dark thoughts when I´m in these churches. Maybe the spirit of a bitter woman from long ago is accompanying me on my pilgrimage. Maybe she will find redemption.
Okay, didn´t mean to get serious. Yikes.
Later. Tomorrow we climb to the Cruz de Ferro, an iron cross on a mountaintop.
a gross lunch, a fantasy castle
A few things I forgot to say.
Anselmo had an unbelievably gross lunch in Astorga. It was "Revuelto de Morcilla". Okay, I think it was scrambled eggs with black Blood Sausage. It was a plate of black vomit. I couldn´t even look at it. I can´t believe he ate it. I told him to never order it again.
Other than that, Astorga was lovely. They had a Bishops Palace that was built by Gaudi. It was like a Disney Fantasy Palace with round towers and pointed Gothic arches and windows. All it needed was a Unicorn on the front lawn, which was planted with Lavender.
Inside were big rooms for entertaining. One of them was painted with contemporary style paintings of scenes from the life of Christ. But they were beautiful. The faces were gentle. The paintings were easy to look at, unlike much of the art here. The ceilings and walls of the rooms were decorated with blue-and-white tiles. It was just lovely.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
City of Chocolate
We spent yesterday in Leon, and visited the Leon Cathedral and the Pantheon of San Isidoro.
The cathedral was amazing. Even though it is not all clean and bright like the Burgos Cathedral. Actually, they were in the delicate process of cleaning it.
The cathedral is really tall and narrow. The guide sheet called it the "height of French Gothic". But the whole upper half of the cathedral is stained glass. It´s quite a sight. There are three enormous rose windows. The windows that are clean are spectacular. But you can see why it would be hard to clean! The building contains more glass than stone. The fact that most of the building is glass has actually weakened the structure of the building so that it has fallen down a couple of times in the past!!!!!!
Some of the windows near the back of the cathedral were unusual in that they were forest themes rather than Bible themes. They were intertwined leaves and vines, with acorns and pine cones, and little faces of elves and foxes. These windows are green, red and blue. Okay, here is a picture. You are not supposed to take pictures in there but I made Anselmo take a couple (it is not his fault).
The other place we saw was the Pantheon of San Isidoro. This is a Romanesque church. We didn´t see the actual church but the "Pantheon" is a basement that has a ceiling painted with 11th century Frescoes (paintings in plaster).
Because light can´t get in the paintings are still bright and pretty. It is cool to see the art styles from 1000 years ago. The scene where the angel announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds was my favorite because it showed what the animals of that time looked like. The sheep and dogs are similar to the local breeds of today! We didn´t take any pictures there but when I get home I´ll find one online and add it.
We are currently in Astorga. It is also a city started in the Roman era. It was the first place in Europe to have chocolate. Cortes found the Native Americans enjoying chocolate in Mexico (before he killed them of course). Later, Spanish Nuns living in Mexico got the idea to combine the chocolate with cane sugar from the Canary Islands. The rest was history. Astorga has an actual Chocolate Museum, and fabrication of chocolate, as well as advertising it, is an important part of its history.
The cathedral was amazing. Even though it is not all clean and bright like the Burgos Cathedral. Actually, they were in the delicate process of cleaning it.
The cathedral is really tall and narrow. The guide sheet called it the "height of French Gothic". But the whole upper half of the cathedral is stained glass. It´s quite a sight. There are three enormous rose windows. The windows that are clean are spectacular. But you can see why it would be hard to clean! The building contains more glass than stone. The fact that most of the building is glass has actually weakened the structure of the building so that it has fallen down a couple of times in the past!!!!!!
Some of the windows near the back of the cathedral were unusual in that they were forest themes rather than Bible themes. They were intertwined leaves and vines, with acorns and pine cones, and little faces of elves and foxes. These windows are green, red and blue. Okay, here is a picture. You are not supposed to take pictures in there but I made Anselmo take a couple (it is not his fault).
The other place we saw was the Pantheon of San Isidoro. This is a Romanesque church. We didn´t see the actual church but the "Pantheon" is a basement that has a ceiling painted with 11th century Frescoes (paintings in plaster).
Because light can´t get in the paintings are still bright and pretty. It is cool to see the art styles from 1000 years ago. The scene where the angel announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds was my favorite because it showed what the animals of that time looked like. The sheep and dogs are similar to the local breeds of today! We didn´t take any pictures there but when I get home I´ll find one online and add it.
We are currently in Astorga. It is also a city started in the Roman era. It was the first place in Europe to have chocolate. Cortes found the Native Americans enjoying chocolate in Mexico (before he killed them of course). Later, Spanish Nuns living in Mexico got the idea to combine the chocolate with cane sugar from the Canary Islands. The rest was history. Astorga has an actual Chocolate Museum, and fabrication of chocolate, as well as advertising it, is an important part of its history.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Hand on the Saddle of the Mules
So, I was saying, the Albergueria Hostel in Mansilla was just lovely.
The room was a dark pink stucco. The bed was an iron 4-poster bed with a bit of delicate lacy canopy. The windows had lace curtains and wood shutters.
The walls had old fashioned medieval style paintings.
They were in a style like Tarot cards. There was an old dark wooden trunk at the foot of the bed. Very romantic.
The dining room was an open-air courtyard, roofed with grapevines with grapes. Flowers were blooming all around pink stucco walls.
Oh, I forgot to say, because the day before was hot, we started from Berciano very early, before sunrise. We walked to Burgo Ranero and stopped for a rest and a drink. I met a young guy there who was carrying what looked like a tiny guitar in a cloth case. It was a Ukelele. He said he missed playing music when he was trekking and he could carry the Ukelele. He said it is tuned completely differently than a guitar. The string closest to you is not the lowest tuning.
Anyway, because of our early start, we reached Mansilla before 2:00.
The Albergueria had a "library". Although the internet did not work, there were some nice books. I am constantly looking for books to identify the different flowers and birds I´ve been seeing.
I found a series of coffee-table books about different natural areas in Spain. One of the books was about the Picos de Europa.
We visited the Picos de Europa during our honeymoon in the 1980s.
We were on a quest for Anselmo´s ancient family home, LOL. We found 7 towns calle "La Lastra" on the map, all in one small area. We drove up there and that´s when we discovered the Picos de Europa. They are a mountain range which are very steep mountains, actually they are straight up and down. They are a "Karst" formation, not sure what that is, it is a geological term for very straight mountains.
So while I was looking through the book I hatched the idea to drive up to the Picos for two days just for old times sake.
Anselmo is looking at car rental rates to see if we can do that and then resume walking after Leon.
Okay, time to go, off to see the Leon Cathedral and the Saint Isidoro Romanesque church.
The room was a dark pink stucco. The bed was an iron 4-poster bed with a bit of delicate lacy canopy. The windows had lace curtains and wood shutters.
The walls had old fashioned medieval style paintings.
They were in a style like Tarot cards. There was an old dark wooden trunk at the foot of the bed. Very romantic.
The dining room was an open-air courtyard, roofed with grapevines with grapes. Flowers were blooming all around pink stucco walls.
Oh, I forgot to say, because the day before was hot, we started from Berciano very early, before sunrise. We walked to Burgo Ranero and stopped for a rest and a drink. I met a young guy there who was carrying what looked like a tiny guitar in a cloth case. It was a Ukelele. He said he missed playing music when he was trekking and he could carry the Ukelele. He said it is tuned completely differently than a guitar. The string closest to you is not the lowest tuning.
Anyway, because of our early start, we reached Mansilla before 2:00.
The Albergueria had a "library". Although the internet did not work, there were some nice books. I am constantly looking for books to identify the different flowers and birds I´ve been seeing.
I found a series of coffee-table books about different natural areas in Spain. One of the books was about the Picos de Europa.
We visited the Picos de Europa during our honeymoon in the 1980s.
We were on a quest for Anselmo´s ancient family home, LOL. We found 7 towns calle "La Lastra" on the map, all in one small area. We drove up there and that´s when we discovered the Picos de Europa. They are a mountain range which are very steep mountains, actually they are straight up and down. They are a "Karst" formation, not sure what that is, it is a geological term for very straight mountains.
So while I was looking through the book I hatched the idea to drive up to the Picos for two days just for old times sake.
Anselmo is looking at car rental rates to see if we can do that and then resume walking after Leon.
Okay, time to go, off to see the Leon Cathedral and the Saint Isidoro Romanesque church.
tres dias de calor, y estamos en Leon
After Fromiste, we walked to the Knights Templars Albergue. I didn´t post that night because i was too tired and grumpy.
That day there were two choices in the Camino trail, one beside the highway and one through a forest. We decided to take the forest trail. However, after a long stretch with no yellow arrows we started worrying about being lost and so we backtracked to the start and took the highway trail. It was a hot day (high 80s) and I got very tired. The Templars albergue was really pleasant. There were lots of kids there and older people. They had a nice front porch to relax on. But I never quite recovered from the hard day.
The next day we hiked to Berciano. We were supposed to go to "Burgo Ranero" (does that mean "City of Frogger?") but didn´t quite make it.
Berciano was a dusty village, with buildings seemingly made of mud and straw (adobe). I don´t know if they honestly make buildings out of mud and straw in 2008, or if it´s a mud and straw sort of exterior siding!
Very odd. There were square openings in the mud buildings, some filled with boards, some with bricks.
The town seemed asleep. We stayed in a hotel right over the first bar we came to. It was relatively cool inside the hotel room. Outside was over 90, maybe even hotter in the sun.
The bar was filled with about 30 creepy old men. I was embarrassed to walk in there in my shorts and running bra.
I went upstairs and took a shower and a nap. When I came down the creepy old men were all gone. The only people in the bar were a two young girls from Germany who were walking the camino.
They said that they had tried to get a drink in the other bar but it was filled with creepy old men and they felt uncomfortable there! We decided the creepy old men had migrated from one bar to the other.
Late that night we discovered that the town came to life around midnight. Everyone was in the bar or outside in the street, chatting and bickering in loud voices. We had to put in earplugs at 3:30. I closed our window but then the room got hot so we had to reopen it.
Next day we hiked to Mansilla de los Mulas. Mansilla means "Mano en Silla" or "Hand on the Saddle". Mulas means Mules.
I expected another dusty mud village but I was pleasantly surprised. Mansilla had a Medieval Wall surrounding the old city.
We stayed in the loveliest place, "Albergueria del Camino".
Gotta go. More in the next post.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Today is Liz 21st birthday!!!
Wow, it has been 21 years since the greatest moment of my life!
Liz called and we talked to her.
I miss her so much. I suggested that Anselmo and I make a video of us singing ¨Happy Birthday¨ to Liz and send it to her!
I finally got to upload a few pictures to the Blog. We are in a library. I am not sure how long I get to use the computer. The lady next to me is viewing PDF´s of sheet music. I am kind of curious how she gets them but I don´t know if I want to start a conversation in Spanish. The women here talk really fast and really loud.
I would like to upload some of my flower pictures too.
Today we walked from Fromiste to Carrion de los Condes. Breakfast at our hotel was so tiny it was ridiculous! I don´t know how these people survive on so little food let alone walk all day!
The walk was uneventful. We walked along a small river for a while (no ducks) and then along the roadside.
I saw a brilliant, large, blue-green bird on a telephone wire. It is a bee-eater. The library here has bird guides. I was also able to look up some of my other birds.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Castrojeres to Fromiste
Today we walked a fairly long stage, 16 miles.
We walked up a steep hill onto the "Alta Meseta".
We came to an ancient, 12th century "Pilgrim Hospital", Saint Nicolas de Puentetitero.
It was lovely. You could stay there (it was an Albergue). It was just this one building, with no electricity. It had candles on candlesticks. There was a volunteer there serving tiny cups of coffee and Chips Ahoy cookies.
I was looking at the apse and I discovered a guitar! I quickly played "Four Strong Winds" and "Scarborough Fair". I expected the guy to tell me to quit playing. I practiced a few chords. It was a classical guitar so it was too big for my fingers. I really miss playing music! And I found a piano one day and a guitar the next day. The guy told me that the guitar belonged to the Albergue and that I played very well.
I wish we could have stayed there, it was so lovely and quiet. Very spiritual.
After that we walked to a town called Boadillo. We stopped for lunch at an Albergue with a pool. You could not swim in the pool unless you were a guest there. I was just dying to jump in! We were planning to go further so no swimming.
All the pilgrims who took one look at this albergue stayed there! It reminded me of the Maiden Castle in the Holy Grail story. The Knights of the Round Table were searching for the Holy Grail when they came upon the Maiden Castle. They went inside and after that they could not leave. It was hard for us to leave this place. It had a beautiful patio with great food and lots of roses and other flowers. All the people there looked happy and relaxed. WE almost didn´t leave!
We walked along a canal after that. There are two canals here, the Canal de Pisuerga and the Canal de Castilla. They are used for irrigation so they can turn the Meseta, which is basically a desert, into farms and forests. The canals are older but they are still developing the irrigation systems and planting groves of trees. It is beautiful what they have done.
The long walk to Fromiste got me kind of grumpy. There are no pilgrims in fromiste because they all stayed at that place with the pool.
There is a gorgeous little Romanesque church here, just gorgeous, but workmen are working on the patio around the church so it is fenced off and dusty. I don´t know if we can get in or not.
Okay that is all for today.
Expect: The Flowers of Spain. I am making Anselmo photograph lots of flowers. I´ll upload the flowers when I get home.
We walked up a steep hill onto the "Alta Meseta".
We came to an ancient, 12th century "Pilgrim Hospital", Saint Nicolas de Puentetitero.
It was lovely. You could stay there (it was an Albergue). It was just this one building, with no electricity. It had candles on candlesticks. There was a volunteer there serving tiny cups of coffee and Chips Ahoy cookies.
I was looking at the apse and I discovered a guitar! I quickly played "Four Strong Winds" and "Scarborough Fair". I expected the guy to tell me to quit playing. I practiced a few chords. It was a classical guitar so it was too big for my fingers. I really miss playing music! And I found a piano one day and a guitar the next day. The guy told me that the guitar belonged to the Albergue and that I played very well.
I wish we could have stayed there, it was so lovely and quiet. Very spiritual.
After that we walked to a town called Boadillo. We stopped for lunch at an Albergue with a pool. You could not swim in the pool unless you were a guest there. I was just dying to jump in! We were planning to go further so no swimming.
All the pilgrims who took one look at this albergue stayed there! It reminded me of the Maiden Castle in the Holy Grail story. The Knights of the Round Table were searching for the Holy Grail when they came upon the Maiden Castle. They went inside and after that they could not leave. It was hard for us to leave this place. It had a beautiful patio with great food and lots of roses and other flowers. All the people there looked happy and relaxed. WE almost didn´t leave!
We walked along a canal after that. There are two canals here, the Canal de Pisuerga and the Canal de Castilla. They are used for irrigation so they can turn the Meseta, which is basically a desert, into farms and forests. The canals are older but they are still developing the irrigation systems and planting groves of trees. It is beautiful what they have done.
The long walk to Fromiste got me kind of grumpy. There are no pilgrims in fromiste because they all stayed at that place with the pool.
There is a gorgeous little Romanesque church here, just gorgeous, but workmen are working on the patio around the church so it is fenced off and dusty. I don´t know if we can get in or not.
Okay that is all for today.
Expect: The Flowers of Spain. I am making Anselmo photograph lots of flowers. I´ll upload the flowers when I get home.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
crossing the sublime meseta
This morning, we walked a 12-mile stage from Hornillos to Castrojeres.
Hornillos is a tiny little town, one street, about 4 blocks! As we were walking out of town I saw several doorways that led right into the ground! Like Hobbit holes!
Martin, our Canadian soldier friend had also commented that Spain is like Middle Earth. I thought that France was more like the Shire, since it is so green and fertile but Spain is more fantasy-like.
Also, when we´re on the Meseta, at a higher altitude, we can see these pointy mountains in the distance (the coastal range) that look like the beginning of Mordor. Burgos reminded me of Gondor, with the fantasy white spires of the Cathedral.
Anyway, we walked to the next city, Castrojeres, easily. Right before Castrojeres we came to an ancient, ruined monastery, Saint Anton.
It was open to the sky because the roof was long gone but you could see that it was once a lovely building.
The sky was incredibly deep blue today. Saint Anton had one wall that used to have a rose window. The glass was long gone but the rose window now enclosed deep blue sky. It was so beautiful. Also the open arches that used to be the windows were enclosing deep blue sky. The original doorway was still there, a pointed Gothic style doorway with figures of people in the plaster. It was also beautiful.
The Saint Anton monastery was associated with Saint Anthony, from Egypt. I don´t know the whole story but his symbol was the Saint Anthony´s cross, which is the shape of the Greek Tau, like a T, and a symbol of love.
The monastery has a few tables inside and a coke machine, and a sheltered area where pilgrims can camp. It had a powerful spiritual feeling, I don´t know, maybe from the beauty of the building, apparently the building still kept its power in spite of the fact that it is open to the sky and doesn´t have all its walls. Maybe the sky added to the feeling.
Castrojeres is really strange. It is like a ghost town. There are many ruined and abandoned houses and shops. Many of them look like they were once very nice but now they are falling into ruin. Beautiful old doors, door knockers, holes for those big old-fashioned keys. We saw one half-timbered house with ancient wooden beams.
We stopped for lunch in a hotel that made me think of the Hotel California in the Eagles song. It was a kind of tattered elegance, but no actual people anywhere in signt. It had a nice outdoor patio with a view overlooking the Meseta. We sat at a table under a tree for more than an hour. I explored the hotel and discovered an old piano in the empty parlor! I played 3 John Denver songs and some of my 12-bar chord progressions.
Castrojeres has existed since Roman times and has been important on and off in history. It was the site of battles in the Reconquest, and also in the Spanish civil war. You could see that most of the religious figures had the heads knocked off. The Communists, who were athiests did this as a way to harass the Fascists, who were religous.
Okay that is enough for today. I hope we can get some pictures uploaded soon.
the doorway of Bag End
The last two days we walked two 12-mile stages. Yesterday we walked from Burgos to Hornillos (de something).
On the way out of Burgos we met an old man who insisted on showing us a beautiful gateway to an old college and a couple of other pretty sights.
The walk finally took us into the Meseta, the immense dry plateau that covers the upper central part of Spain. It´s about 300 feet of elevation, almost treeless, covered with wheat fields.
Hornillos is a tiny town. We stayed at a tiny hotel across the street from the one open store in Hornillos. As soon as we walked out of the hotel we ran into Martin, the Canadian soldier that we met in Burgos. I was surprised that he had stopped there but he was having foot problems. I think that he was lonely as well, because it turned out that he had left the group that he was trekking with because they were on a slower schedule.
We had drinks with him. He suggested wine with Coke!!! Rioja red wine. It sounds gross but it was pretty good. Like fizzy Sangria. Anselmo had one and then we chatted for a while, then went back to take a nap.
I watched "Atonement" on my Ipod. That was so sad! I was so upset when I learned that Cecilia and Robbie never saw each other again thanks to Briony. We had dinner with Martin as well and asked him all about soldiering in Afghanistan.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Burgos Cathedral, heavenly white lace, El Cid!
Today we took a bus to Burgos, skipping two stages of the Camino. We don´t have enough days to walk the whole way. Anselmo had to find a stage that he could stand to skip and he decided he could skip the stage before Burgos.
We met an interesting fellow pilgrim while waiting for the bus. He was a Canadian from Montreal, but he is in the military. He just finished a 7-month tour in Afganistan. He and Anselmo talked a lot about maps and navigating. He said that in Afganistan the streets have no names (like the U2 song, LOL). He said that the soldiers spend a lot of time getting lost.
We reached Burgos and walked into the old center. It is a big city with a beautiful center. The apartments and shops are in great condition although old buildings.
We came to Burgos in 1985 on our frenetic Spain honeymoon! At that time the cathedral was all black and dirty and it was hard to appreciate. They have spent the 25 years in between cleaning it and restoring it.
It is stunning!!! The first thing we did was walk up to the castle at the hilltop and look down on the cathedral. It has two pointed 14th century Gothic style towers at the front. It has two other towers in the middle and back, that are 8-sided, with lots of points and lots of lacy Baroque ornamentation, all white and gleaming in the sun.
Late in the afternoon we toured the interior of the cathedral. They are restoring the inside too, making all the art look really good.
Those Baroque domes have 8-sided stars underneath, so beautiful.
One of the rose windows (there are several) had panels that looked like Butterfly wings.
I took a picture of Anselmo in front of the grave of El Cid and Mrs. Cid (Dona Jimena), and also in front of a mural of the 9th century hero. Oh, they had El Cid´s treasure chest or trunk or whatever hung up in there. I guess he is the most famous person from Burgos.
Okay, later.
We met an interesting fellow pilgrim while waiting for the bus. He was a Canadian from Montreal, but he is in the military. He just finished a 7-month tour in Afganistan. He and Anselmo talked a lot about maps and navigating. He said that in Afganistan the streets have no names (like the U2 song, LOL). He said that the soldiers spend a lot of time getting lost.
We reached Burgos and walked into the old center. It is a big city with a beautiful center. The apartments and shops are in great condition although old buildings.
We came to Burgos in 1985 on our frenetic Spain honeymoon! At that time the cathedral was all black and dirty and it was hard to appreciate. They have spent the 25 years in between cleaning it and restoring it.
It is stunning!!! The first thing we did was walk up to the castle at the hilltop and look down on the cathedral. It has two pointed 14th century Gothic style towers at the front. It has two other towers in the middle and back, that are 8-sided, with lots of points and lots of lacy Baroque ornamentation, all white and gleaming in the sun.
Late in the afternoon we toured the interior of the cathedral. They are restoring the inside too, making all the art look really good.
Those Baroque domes have 8-sided stars underneath, so beautiful.
One of the rose windows (there are several) had panels that looked like Butterfly wings.
I took a picture of Anselmo in front of the grave of El Cid and Mrs. Cid (Dona Jimena), and also in front of a mural of the 9th century hero. Oh, they had El Cid´s treasure chest or trunk or whatever hung up in there. I guess he is the most famous person from Burgos.
Okay, later.
Santo Domingo
We have been staying in hotels for several stages because they don´t change the linen in the hostels. The last hostel we stayed in, the dust mites caused Anselmo´s allergies to really kick up.
We found him some Zyrtec but we have been in hotels ever since. Hair dryers! Bathrooms to myself!
But it's a bit lonely. The Albergues (hostels) are very social.
Yesterday we had a short stage. This was good because I was getting really exhausted. At Logrono and at Najera, I passed out as soon as I got to the hotel room and had to be woken up to go to dinner.
We walked from Najera to Santo Domingo. It was a beautiful walk over a mountainside covered with Rioja Vineyards.
It was really cold and it was supposed to rain. I had left my long pants and sweater behind so all I had for warmth was my rain jacket! I was in trouble!
However, while walking I could keep warm.
Santo Domingo was founded by a saint of the same name, who lived in the 11th century and built a lot of facilities for Santiago Pilgrims. He built a pilgrim hospital in the town of Santo Domingo. That hospital was converted in modern times into one of the Spanish Paradors, where we stayed in the height of luxury. As soon as we got there it started raining buckets. Anselmo went and did out laundry at a laundromat while I started another 14-hour sleep marathon! Well, I watched a few nature shows on TV in addition to sleeping.
I think the Spanish custom of eating nothing for breakfast and lunch plus the long stages has really worn me out. I was hoping to slim down but instead I´m just getting really tired. Liz will kill me for not eating. Okay, I am going to try harder to eat breakfast and lunch. However, we just found out that there will be no cafes open in the morning when we hike out.
It was really cold in Santo Domingo. Anselmo brought two pairs of pants. He would not let me wear his spare pair!!! I was pissed!!!!!
We found him some Zyrtec but we have been in hotels ever since. Hair dryers! Bathrooms to myself!
But it's a bit lonely. The Albergues (hostels) are very social.
Yesterday we had a short stage. This was good because I was getting really exhausted. At Logrono and at Najera, I passed out as soon as I got to the hotel room and had to be woken up to go to dinner.
We walked from Najera to Santo Domingo. It was a beautiful walk over a mountainside covered with Rioja Vineyards.
It was really cold and it was supposed to rain. I had left my long pants and sweater behind so all I had for warmth was my rain jacket! I was in trouble!
However, while walking I could keep warm.
Santo Domingo was founded by a saint of the same name, who lived in the 11th century and built a lot of facilities for Santiago Pilgrims. He built a pilgrim hospital in the town of Santo Domingo. That hospital was converted in modern times into one of the Spanish Paradors, where we stayed in the height of luxury. As soon as we got there it started raining buckets. Anselmo went and did out laundry at a laundromat while I started another 14-hour sleep marathon! Well, I watched a few nature shows on TV in addition to sleeping.
I think the Spanish custom of eating nothing for breakfast and lunch plus the long stages has really worn me out. I was hoping to slim down but instead I´m just getting really tired. Liz will kill me for not eating. Okay, I am going to try harder to eat breakfast and lunch. However, we just found out that there will be no cafes open in the morning when we hike out.
It was really cold in Santo Domingo. Anselmo brought two pairs of pants. He would not let me wear his spare pair!!! I was pissed!!!!!
church with star ceiling
I am going to have to find out the name of this church and edit the blog later.
I don´t want to forget it. It was on one of the long stages.
It was a "knights templar" church. It was in a tiny village that we passed through. It was built in 1100 or thereabouts but it was so exquisite, in perfect condition.
It had 8 sides like the church of Eunate. This church, a lady came and let us in.
The ceiling was so striking. It was an eight-pointed star, with interlocking lines supporting the center. Anselmo put the camera on the floor and took a picture. We will find the picture and upload it later. It was just so perfect and delicate and obviously designed by a Moorish or Arabic architect. It had that Arabian mathematical symmetry. One thing about Spain that separates it from other European countries is that Moorish architecture.
Cliffs of Cave Dwellers
Hi, I did not post for three stages. The stage from Los Arcos to Logrono was 18 miles. I was so exhausted that I passed out. I hit ¨"the wall" with several miles to go. I bought some new insoles for my sneakers at an outdoor store. Logrono was a lovely city but I didn´t care.
The stage from Logrono to Najera was also 18 miles. I tried to be more relaxed but my feet still hurt for the last 6 miles. The minute I hit a bed at Najera I passed out again. It was too bad. Najera is fascinating.
It is between these huge red cliffs and a river. It has been inhabited since the Cave Men.
The cliffs contain caves with doors! The doors are way up in the cliff. The city was inhabited by Celtibericos! What are they? Ancient Celts that lived in the Iberian Peninsula. They are separate from the Basques. The Celtibericos fought the Romans and eventually lost! Najera was also important during the Roman occupation. It has so much history.
Okay, right before Najera is a place, I forget the name, where Roland fought a giant named Farragut. Farragut was 9 feet tall, weighed 400 pounds, and had a really big nose. After they fought for 2 days he fell on top of Roland intending to squish him. However, Roland decided that FArragut´s only vulnerable spot was his navel. Roland stabbed Farragut in the navel and killed him. Hmm.
Spanish history is so violent.
It disturbs me because the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) is supposed to be spiritual but I have a feeling that Spain has its own version of Christianity which is hyperviolent. I have trouble with the spirituality and the Christianity.
St James is represented as St James Matamoros, which means he is on his horse with dead Moors underneath that he killed. That is just not spiritual.
Okay I need to go. We need to post some pictures on this blog. We are in a section of Spain called Rioja which has a lot of grapes (Rioja grapes) for wine and grain growing. It is really beautiful.
I will post on Santo Domingo later on.
The stage from Logrono to Najera was also 18 miles. I tried to be more relaxed but my feet still hurt for the last 6 miles. The minute I hit a bed at Najera I passed out again. It was too bad. Najera is fascinating.
It is between these huge red cliffs and a river. It has been inhabited since the Cave Men.
The cliffs contain caves with doors! The doors are way up in the cliff. The city was inhabited by Celtibericos! What are they? Ancient Celts that lived in the Iberian Peninsula. They are separate from the Basques. The Celtibericos fought the Romans and eventually lost! Najera was also important during the Roman occupation. It has so much history.
Okay, right before Najera is a place, I forget the name, where Roland fought a giant named Farragut. Farragut was 9 feet tall, weighed 400 pounds, and had a really big nose. After they fought for 2 days he fell on top of Roland intending to squish him. However, Roland decided that FArragut´s only vulnerable spot was his navel. Roland stabbed Farragut in the navel and killed him. Hmm.
Spanish history is so violent.
It disturbs me because the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) is supposed to be spiritual but I have a feeling that Spain has its own version of Christianity which is hyperviolent. I have trouble with the spirituality and the Christianity.
St James is represented as St James Matamoros, which means he is on his horse with dead Moors underneath that he killed. That is just not spiritual.
Okay I need to go. We need to post some pictures on this blog. We are in a section of Spain called Rioja which has a lot of grapes (Rioja grapes) for wine and grain growing. It is really beautiful.
I will post on Santo Domingo later on.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
fountain of wine/cave of the green men
Last night we stayed at a town called "Estella" or "Lizarra".
Well, "Lizarra" means "ash tree" in Basque. However "L´Izarra" means "The Star" in Basque.
We stayed at the municipal Albergue. There were 40 people in our room! We were in two bunk beds pushed together. Anselmo and I were on the bottom. Two women were on the top. He was surrounded.
We woke up really early. Our Albergue provided breakfast at 6:00 AM and you had to be out by 7! Breakfast was crackers!!! I could´nt believe it.
The first place we went was the monastery of Irache. We, which included the entire population of the Albergue, reached Irache about 7:30 AM which was good timing since it had the free Fountain of Wine.
Seriously. All the wine you could drink and/or carry for free.
After that we walked up a small cone shaped mountain, Monjardin, with a castle on top. Since breakfast was rather unsatisfying I succumbed to the temptation of a double expresso with about a pound of sugar to pep me up a bit.
After that we spent several hours walking through beautiful agricultural fields of grain and wild flowers. No trees. No rocks. No place to discreetly pee. It was tough. I had to go behind a hay stack!!!
We passed a place called "Cueva de los hombres verdes". These were people who were miners who traveled from Mesopotamia in 1000 AD (I think). They were in search of copper. They were mining for copper in the cave. When they died their bones were soaked with copper oxide. When they were found they had green bones.
We are in Los Arcos, staying in a small hotel. Anselmo is giving me my own bathroom with hair dryer every other day! Okay, its cool. It was interesting to shower with all those guys in the hostel yesterday.
Okay better go, Anselmo is going to write to Liz. We got a Spanish cell phone. We have not been able to call or text Liz yet. Or use Net-to-Phone.
Okay, off to sketch some flowers. I bought some colored pencils and paper yesterday.
Mary
Well, "Lizarra" means "ash tree" in Basque. However "L´Izarra" means "The Star" in Basque.
We stayed at the municipal Albergue. There were 40 people in our room! We were in two bunk beds pushed together. Anselmo and I were on the bottom. Two women were on the top. He was surrounded.
We woke up really early. Our Albergue provided breakfast at 6:00 AM and you had to be out by 7! Breakfast was crackers!!! I could´nt believe it.
The first place we went was the monastery of Irache. We, which included the entire population of the Albergue, reached Irache about 7:30 AM which was good timing since it had the free Fountain of Wine.
Seriously. All the wine you could drink and/or carry for free.
After that we walked up a small cone shaped mountain, Monjardin, with a castle on top. Since breakfast was rather unsatisfying I succumbed to the temptation of a double expresso with about a pound of sugar to pep me up a bit.
After that we spent several hours walking through beautiful agricultural fields of grain and wild flowers. No trees. No rocks. No place to discreetly pee. It was tough. I had to go behind a hay stack!!!
We passed a place called "Cueva de los hombres verdes". These were people who were miners who traveled from Mesopotamia in 1000 AD (I think). They were in search of copper. They were mining for copper in the cave. When they died their bones were soaked with copper oxide. When they were found they had green bones.
We are in Los Arcos, staying in a small hotel. Anselmo is giving me my own bathroom with hair dryer every other day! Okay, its cool. It was interesting to shower with all those guys in the hostel yesterday.
Okay better go, Anselmo is going to write to Liz. We got a Spanish cell phone. We have not been able to call or text Liz yet. Or use Net-to-Phone.
Okay, off to sketch some flowers. I bought some colored pencils and paper yesterday.
Mary
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
awesome breakfast
We stayed in a lovely hotel with really hot water. The town is called ¨"Puente de Reina" but I think it should be "Fuente de Comida".
We have had Issues getting breakfast at the Hostels and even when we order breakfast in a cafe it is like one piece of dry bread. I see why the Spanish are so thin, they only eat once a week.
It was today. The breakfast was like breakfast in Greece! Bowls of fresh yogurt, fruit, cereal, fresh bread, cheese! Chocolate! It was heaven. I ate too much!
We are stopped for lunch at a place called "Lorca". It is a medieval Hill Town. The cafe has free Internet. This morning we saw a Roman Road. The countryside is much drier. I think we are out of the slug zone.
I just tried to upload a picture because this computer has USB but not successful.
There is a guy here trekking carrying a guitar. His backpack was tiny. Okay, getting going. bye.
Mary
We have had Issues getting breakfast at the Hostels and even when we order breakfast in a cafe it is like one piece of dry bread. I see why the Spanish are so thin, they only eat once a week.
It was today. The breakfast was like breakfast in Greece! Bowls of fresh yogurt, fruit, cereal, fresh bread, cheese! Chocolate! It was heaven. I ate too much!
We are stopped for lunch at a place called "Lorca". It is a medieval Hill Town. The cafe has free Internet. This morning we saw a Roman Road. The countryside is much drier. I think we are out of the slug zone.
I just tried to upload a picture because this computer has USB but not successful.
There is a guy here trekking carrying a guitar. His backpack was tiny. Okay, getting going. bye.
Mary
Monday, July 7, 2008
the Heights of Excuse Me
Last night we had a lovely dinner with the Norwegian mother and daughter, Astrid and Marion.
I developed shin splints on my left leg and was worried about it, but Marion cured it with her magic foot cream. She got it from the Internet. It contains some homeopathic herbs. I wish I remembered what they were!!
After that we went to bed. I was not bothered by however many snoring men were in my room since I had my ear plugs.
This morning we crossed the Altos de Perdon. (means Heights of Pardon) This is a mountain near Pamplona. It contains metal statues of Santiago pilgrims. It was really windy up there. There was a water fountain there.
The story of the fountain is that a pilgrim was dying of thirst. The Devil was disguised as another pilgrim. He told the dying pilgrim that he would give him some water if he would renounce God. The dying pilgrim refused! Then Saint James appeared and created the fountain!
Once again I scampered up the mountain at top speed. I need to learn to pace myself and move a little slower so I don´t get so tired. There are so many flowers! Today there was pink heather on the mountain. I saw a hummingbird moth, a cute little insect that looks just like a hummingbird, hovering around some lavender. I may buy some colored pencils and paper and start sketching some of the wild flowers here. Today I also saw a lot of purple and pink Salvia, growing wild.
We visited a beautiful medieval chapel. It was octagonal in shape. It had an octagonal cloister. It was called Eunate. Hmm. It was in the middle of the country and very pretty and peaceful.
Okay I had better go. We are staying in a lovely hotel made from an old stone house. I washed my hair. Haha my own bathroom for a price.
I developed shin splints on my left leg and was worried about it, but Marion cured it with her magic foot cream. She got it from the Internet. It contains some homeopathic herbs. I wish I remembered what they were!!
After that we went to bed. I was not bothered by however many snoring men were in my room since I had my ear plugs.
This morning we crossed the Altos de Perdon. (means Heights of Pardon) This is a mountain near Pamplona. It contains metal statues of Santiago pilgrims. It was really windy up there. There was a water fountain there.
The story of the fountain is that a pilgrim was dying of thirst. The Devil was disguised as another pilgrim. He told the dying pilgrim that he would give him some water if he would renounce God. The dying pilgrim refused! Then Saint James appeared and created the fountain!
Once again I scampered up the mountain at top speed. I need to learn to pace myself and move a little slower so I don´t get so tired. There are so many flowers! Today there was pink heather on the mountain. I saw a hummingbird moth, a cute little insect that looks just like a hummingbird, hovering around some lavender. I may buy some colored pencils and paper and start sketching some of the wild flowers here. Today I also saw a lot of purple and pink Salvia, growing wild.
We visited a beautiful medieval chapel. It was octagonal in shape. It had an octagonal cloister. It was called Eunate. Hmm. It was in the middle of the country and very pretty and peaceful.
Okay I had better go. We are staying in a lovely hotel made from an old stone house. I washed my hair. Haha my own bathroom for a price.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
hostel at Cizur Menor
OKay I am running out of time on this computer.
We arrived at hostel. There are 50 people staying here, at least. WE are in a room with about 12 people, men and women.
Regine is here, the woman we met at orisson. There is an american guy named Brook in our room, very nice.
I got annoyed taking a shower because I had to wait on line! There were 4 women trying to take a shower. After my shower I had to compete with 5 women for the sink! One lady was washing her laundry in the sink while the rest of us tried to brush our teeth and put on face cream. They had a laundry sink outside. Oh well, I am not annoyed any more. It is very pretty. There is a fish pond with turtles for me to feed. I bought a pice of bread to feed them They are very cute.
Okay that is about it for today!
Mary
We arrived at hostel. There are 50 people staying here, at least. WE are in a room with about 12 people, men and women.
Regine is here, the woman we met at orisson. There is an american guy named Brook in our room, very nice.
I got annoyed taking a shower because I had to wait on line! There were 4 women trying to take a shower. After my shower I had to compete with 5 women for the sink! One lady was washing her laundry in the sink while the rest of us tried to brush our teeth and put on face cream. They had a laundry sink outside. Oh well, I am not annoyed any more. It is very pretty. There is a fish pond with turtles for me to feed. I bought a pice of bread to feed them They are very cute.
Okay that is about it for today!
Mary
the crazies of pamplona! call 911.
We spent the night in a lovely hotel. We had dinner with three Spanish ladies. They were hysterical! Dinner was mystery meat with french fries. I did not understand the dessert choices. I accidently ordered a bowl of solidified sheep´s milk. Hmm. It tasted like it was very low fat. The three women told me to try it with honey. Didn´t help. The women said ¨at least they didn´t kill anything to make it!¨
Breakfast was included with the room. Peach juice, three pieces of toast, a Danish AND chocolate pound cake.
We walked a long way through lots of flower meadows. I had Anselmo photograph most of the flowers so that I can look them up if I ever find a flower guide.
Finally we reached Pamplona. I read last night that Pamplona got that name from the Roman general Pompey, who must have conquered it. Pamplona is the capital of the Basque country. The Basque name for it is Iruna. The signs all have both names. It is a center of Basque nationalism.
The festival of San Fermin is the one where they have the Running of the Bulls. The festival started today (July 6) and lasts till July 14. The Running of the Bulls is tomorrow morning. The festival has a traditional outfit: white pants, white shirt, a red sash, and a red bandana. Everyone wears the outfit, from old people down to babies. The little kids in the outfit look so cute!!!
The center of Pamplona is surrounded by an huge ancient city wall. It looks like a Lego Castle that we used to play with when Liz was little. It has those round towers at the corners like a regular castle.
When we walked up to the stairs through the wall, we noticed EMS folks and police and an ambulance. Halfway down the wall is a ledge. The police were venturing out onto the ledge. Someone had fallen off the wall and landed on the ledge!!!! The police were trying to rescue the person! What an idiot!!!
Soon we got into town. It was packed with people like Times Square, all dressed in the traditional outfit. I saw a t-shirt I liked, with a bull snorting fire and smoke out of its nostrils. Some people were wearing hats with bull horns. Everyone was drinking wine like crazy. People were using those leather wine bags, called a ¨bota¨, to squirt wine in each other´s mouth. They were missing! People were also pouring wine in each other´s plastic glass from giant size bottles. I noticed some broken eggs. It turns out that early in the day they throw eggs at Camino de Santiago pilgrims. Fortunately we missed that particular tradition!
We did get wine poured on our feet. Anselmo had to change his socks. Serves him right for wearing sandals with socks.
Finally we left Pamplona.
Breakfast was included with the room. Peach juice, three pieces of toast, a Danish AND chocolate pound cake.
We walked a long way through lots of flower meadows. I had Anselmo photograph most of the flowers so that I can look them up if I ever find a flower guide.
Finally we reached Pamplona. I read last night that Pamplona got that name from the Roman general Pompey, who must have conquered it. Pamplona is the capital of the Basque country. The Basque name for it is Iruna. The signs all have both names. It is a center of Basque nationalism.
The festival of San Fermin is the one where they have the Running of the Bulls. The festival started today (July 6) and lasts till July 14. The Running of the Bulls is tomorrow morning. The festival has a traditional outfit: white pants, white shirt, a red sash, and a red bandana. Everyone wears the outfit, from old people down to babies. The little kids in the outfit look so cute!!!
The center of Pamplona is surrounded by an huge ancient city wall. It looks like a Lego Castle that we used to play with when Liz was little. It has those round towers at the corners like a regular castle.
When we walked up to the stairs through the wall, we noticed EMS folks and police and an ambulance. Halfway down the wall is a ledge. The police were venturing out onto the ledge. Someone had fallen off the wall and landed on the ledge!!!! The police were trying to rescue the person! What an idiot!!!
Soon we got into town. It was packed with people like Times Square, all dressed in the traditional outfit. I saw a t-shirt I liked, with a bull snorting fire and smoke out of its nostrils. Some people were wearing hats with bull horns. Everyone was drinking wine like crazy. People were using those leather wine bags, called a ¨bota¨, to squirt wine in each other´s mouth. They were missing! People were also pouring wine in each other´s plastic glass from giant size bottles. I noticed some broken eggs. It turns out that early in the day they throw eggs at Camino de Santiago pilgrims. Fortunately we missed that particular tradition!
We did get wine poured on our feet. Anselmo had to change his socks. Serves him right for wearing sandals with socks.
Finally we left Pamplona.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The "Chanson de Roland"
Okay, this battle was in 780 AD. Charlemagne was fighting the Saracens in Spain. He promised the Basques that he would not damage Pamplona. However he destroyed the walls of the city. Roland was the general of the rear guard of Charlemagne´s army. Charlemagne retreated back over the Cize pass. The Basques ambushed Roland and his army. Roland had a supernatural sword named Durendal. He had a horn named Oliphaunt
Roland is (possibly) buried at Roncesvalles.
I slept for 12 hours. The next day I woke up very tired. Breakfast was not available at an early hour so we started walking. It was mostly downhill but there was some uphill. We saw a few small villages. I still had the runs but not quite as bad. We walked through some beautiful forests. The weather got slightly warmer but not much!
We are staying in a village called Zuberi. Since I am still a little sick we stayed in a hotel again. This hotel has a reading room, the first books I´ve seen! I would really like to see a flower guide!
Okay, more next time!
Mary
Roland is (possibly) buried at Roncesvalles.
I slept for 12 hours. The next day I woke up very tired. Breakfast was not available at an early hour so we started walking. It was mostly downhill but there was some uphill. We saw a few small villages. I still had the runs but not quite as bad. We walked through some beautiful forests. The weather got slightly warmer but not much!
We are staying in a village called Zuberi. Since I am still a little sick we stayed in a hotel again. This hotel has a reading room, the first books I´ve seen! I would really like to see a flower guide!
Okay, more next time!
Mary
Camino de Santiago: crossing the pyrenees, looking for a bathroom
Our pilgrimage began at St Jean Pied de Port, a small town in France at the foot of the Pyrenees.
Early the next morning we started on the route to the Cize pass. It was straight uphill. We had a little light rain. Anselmo agreed that we would stop at a hostel called Auberge de Orisson.
It took us about 3-4 hours to reach the Auberge. I had a sudden attack of Montezuma´s revenge and kept looking for a bathroom. We stopped at a cute cafe halfway there which fortunately had a bathroom. However, I flew up that mountainside like a rocket.
The Auberge Orisson was at an altitude of ... about 2500 feet. The view was spectacular. There was an outdoor terrace but it was much too cold to eat outside. We stayed in a room with three bunk beds. They gave us a token to take a shower. They had a dryer there which was fortunate since our clothes were wet and it was cold and humid. The shower was not hot. I didn´t wash my hair since I had no way of getting it dry. The toilet and sink were separate from the shower room.
Dinner was served at one big table. We sat with a guy named ¨"Crrl". He was Belgian, tall, scraggly beard, about 35. He had walked from Belgium. He claimed that his name ¨"had no vowels, only consonants". We also sat with a tall, thin, pretty Belgian woman named Regine. They were not together. He was alone and she was with two other women. We had a lively discussion about the differences of hiking in the US and in Europe. Europe doesn´t have animals, is the main difference, and Americans sleep in tents instead of inns. We met a mother and daughter from Norway who came in late.
There was nothing to do after dinner. Everyone tried to stand on the terrace and look at the view but it was too cold. I never got to sleep that night because of jet lag. Anselmo brought some TV shows on his Ipod. I watched 5 episodes of¨"Rescue Me".
The next morning we all had breakfast together. Breakfast was French bread, and BOWLS of coffee. Seriously. Bowls.
We started hiking up to the Cize pass. It was really beautiful but really cold and windy. I wore my nerdy hat and sunglasses. The wind blew so hard that I got some "lift" from my hat. The nerdy hat is a hat recommended by Helen. It is broad brimmed all around, with netting for ventilation, and white.
Oh, speaking of clothing, Michelle, you were right about the lined shorts. You don´t have to wear anything under them and you wash them out every night and they dry really fast. They are great.
Anyway, I rocketed up the mountain to the pass. We started last in our group but we got to the top first. The pass was at an altitude of 4500 feet.
Wildlife: we saw these huge soaring birds called Griffon Vultures. Wing span of up to 8 feet. They were soaring all around. It was a very windy day.
The only other animals we saw were HUGE SLUGS who kept crossing the road for some reason making me scream.
Plant life: there were millions of flowers.
At the high altitudes the pastures were carpeted withe beautiful pink heather.
At the middle altitudes there were deep pink spikes of Foxglove.
There were lots of smaller white, yellow, pink, blue and purple flowers. There were some pink flowers like very tiny hyacinths. There were huge Queen Anne´s Lace and lots of big ferns.
Soon we reached Roncesvalles, where I immediately ran for the bathroom. We did not stay at the hostel there. We got a gorgeous apartment. It had beautiful windows which opened to the flower meadows. The shower was really hot. Unlike the hostel, I could leave my bathroom things out and there was a hair dryer!
After we got cleaned up we went on a tour of Roncesvalles. It is the place where the legendary "Chanson de Roland" took place. It is the first great work of literature in the French language.
Oops, I am out of time on my computer! More tomorrow. I will explain the Chanson de Roland.
Mary
Early the next morning we started on the route to the Cize pass. It was straight uphill. We had a little light rain. Anselmo agreed that we would stop at a hostel called Auberge de Orisson.
It took us about 3-4 hours to reach the Auberge. I had a sudden attack of Montezuma´s revenge and kept looking for a bathroom. We stopped at a cute cafe halfway there which fortunately had a bathroom. However, I flew up that mountainside like a rocket.
The Auberge Orisson was at an altitude of ... about 2500 feet. The view was spectacular. There was an outdoor terrace but it was much too cold to eat outside. We stayed in a room with three bunk beds. They gave us a token to take a shower. They had a dryer there which was fortunate since our clothes were wet and it was cold and humid. The shower was not hot. I didn´t wash my hair since I had no way of getting it dry. The toilet and sink were separate from the shower room.
Dinner was served at one big table. We sat with a guy named ¨"Crrl". He was Belgian, tall, scraggly beard, about 35. He had walked from Belgium. He claimed that his name ¨"had no vowels, only consonants". We also sat with a tall, thin, pretty Belgian woman named Regine. They were not together. He was alone and she was with two other women. We had a lively discussion about the differences of hiking in the US and in Europe. Europe doesn´t have animals, is the main difference, and Americans sleep in tents instead of inns. We met a mother and daughter from Norway who came in late.
There was nothing to do after dinner. Everyone tried to stand on the terrace and look at the view but it was too cold. I never got to sleep that night because of jet lag. Anselmo brought some TV shows on his Ipod. I watched 5 episodes of¨"Rescue Me".
The next morning we all had breakfast together. Breakfast was French bread, and BOWLS of coffee. Seriously. Bowls.
We started hiking up to the Cize pass. It was really beautiful but really cold and windy. I wore my nerdy hat and sunglasses. The wind blew so hard that I got some "lift" from my hat. The nerdy hat is a hat recommended by Helen. It is broad brimmed all around, with netting for ventilation, and white.
Oh, speaking of clothing, Michelle, you were right about the lined shorts. You don´t have to wear anything under them and you wash them out every night and they dry really fast. They are great.
Anyway, I rocketed up the mountain to the pass. We started last in our group but we got to the top first. The pass was at an altitude of 4500 feet.
Wildlife: we saw these huge soaring birds called Griffon Vultures. Wing span of up to 8 feet. They were soaring all around. It was a very windy day.
The only other animals we saw were HUGE SLUGS who kept crossing the road for some reason making me scream.
Plant life: there were millions of flowers.
At the high altitudes the pastures were carpeted withe beautiful pink heather.
At the middle altitudes there were deep pink spikes of Foxglove.
There were lots of smaller white, yellow, pink, blue and purple flowers. There were some pink flowers like very tiny hyacinths. There were huge Queen Anne´s Lace and lots of big ferns.
Soon we reached Roncesvalles, where I immediately ran for the bathroom. We did not stay at the hostel there. We got a gorgeous apartment. It had beautiful windows which opened to the flower meadows. The shower was really hot. Unlike the hostel, I could leave my bathroom things out and there was a hair dryer!
After we got cleaned up we went on a tour of Roncesvalles. It is the place where the legendary "Chanson de Roland" took place. It is the first great work of literature in the French language.
Oops, I am out of time on my computer! More tomorrow. I will explain the Chanson de Roland.
Mary
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Montenegro
One day I rented a car and drove down to the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. It was kind of a long day, with too much driving, but the bay is beautiful.
The walled city (maybe more of a town) of Kotor is much more manageable than Dubrovnik. What I mean is that there are no cruise ships in the harbor. Perhaps it's too small. There were plenty of restaurants and tourists, and the town was impressive.
The whole coast is full of little coves, and seems to be popular with beachgoers. There were some large hotels, but mainly people seemed to be staying in smaller places. An interesting island is Sveti Stefan. Well, it's almost an island since there's a small causeway that leads to it. The whole place is a resort for the rich crowd, so all I could do is have a look at it from a cliff on the mainland.
Interestingly, they use the Euro in Montenegro. I'll have to learn more about the recent history of the are when I get home. I know that Montenegro declared independence from Serbia not too long ago, but how did they end up with the Euro?
I wish I'd spent a night or two in Kotor.
I'm now back in Sarajevo and headed to London to meet Mary later today. I'd have to say that Sarajevo is my favorite of all these places. The old town is full of cafes, people are very friendly, there are few other tourists, and it's cheap.
The walled city (maybe more of a town) of Kotor is much more manageable than Dubrovnik. What I mean is that there are no cruise ships in the harbor. Perhaps it's too small. There were plenty of restaurants and tourists, and the town was impressive.
The whole coast is full of little coves, and seems to be popular with beachgoers. There were some large hotels, but mainly people seemed to be staying in smaller places. An interesting island is Sveti Stefan. Well, it's almost an island since there's a small causeway that leads to it. The whole place is a resort for the rich crowd, so all I could do is have a look at it from a cliff on the mainland.
Interestingly, they use the Euro in Montenegro. I'll have to learn more about the recent history of the are when I get home. I know that Montenegro declared independence from Serbia not too long ago, but how did they end up with the Euro?
I wish I'd spent a night or two in Kotor.
I'm now back in Sarajevo and headed to London to meet Mary later today. I'd have to say that Sarajevo is my favorite of all these places. The old town is full of cafes, people are very friendly, there are few other tourists, and it's cheap.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is certainly on the main tourist highway, and deserves to be. It's not only a beautiful town, but also perfect for tourism, with many narrow car-less streets on which to put outdoor cafes and restaurants. Actually many restaurants tables are on streets no wider than an alley. The larger cafes are on the main strip, and a few squares. One thing I really liked was a place with comfortable easy chairs. You could spend hours sitting and watching people strolling!
I stayed at a small place run by Edi Macinko. John Owens had found it and spent a couple of days vacationing there right before the conference. John said that Edi (pronounced Eddie) was the most gregarious person he'd ever met. Absolutely right.
Edi came to pick me up at the bus station in his small motorcycle. It was a wonder that it could take both of us and my backpack. Actually, it's a wonder we got to Edi's place in one piece. He kept chatting with other bike riders as he was weaving in and out of traffic.
There's a lot to do in Dubrovnik. I especially liked an exhibition of photographs of war. The Maritime Museum was also good. This was a center of ship building in the days of sail, so it's appropriate.
The only downside is the number of toruists. It was manageable until the cruise ships came (my last day) and started disgorging hundreds of people. Then it was impossible to find a seat in a restaurant. I ended up taking a ferry to a nearby island to escape for the day.
I sat at a jazz cafe on my last night. It's right behind the cathedral and was fantastic. A five-piece combo was playing old standards, and they were excellent, especially the pianist and sax player. A great way to wrap up my visit.
I stayed at a small place run by Edi Macinko
Edi came to pick me up at the bus station in his small motorcycle. It was a wonder that it could take both of us and my backpack. Actually, it's a wonder we got to Edi's place in one piece. He kept chatting with other bike riders as he was weaving in and out of traffic.
There's a lot to do in Dubrovnik. I especially liked an exhibition of photographs of war. The Maritime Museum was also good. This was a center of ship building in the days of sail, so it's appropriate.
The only downside is the number of toruists. It was manageable until the cruise ships came (my last day) and started disgorging hundreds of people. Then it was impossible to find a seat in a restaurant. I ended up taking a ferry to a nearby island to escape for the day.
I sat at a jazz cafe on my last night. It's right behind the cathedral and was fantastic. A five-piece combo was playing old standards, and they were excellent, especially the pianist and sax player. A great way to wrap up my visit.
Before the Camino
Mary is planning to meet me in London on July 1. I (Anselmo) got here earlier to go to the Graphics Hardware conference in Sarajevo. Since I had a week to kill, I first went to Mostar, also in Bosnia, and then to Dubrovnik in Croatia.
The conference in Sarajevo was made fascinating by the stories told by the local organizers, Jasminka and Selma. The talk by Selma about her life during the siege was sad and moving. We couldn't help but be amazed that such a crazy war ever began. No one seems to have won anything from it. The Bosniaks (Muslims) were especially devastated by the conflict. Although there are scars on many buildings and still some ruins, it's amazing how well the city has recovered in less than 15 years.
I'll have more to say about Sarajevo later. I left my sightseeing for when I return just to allow for possible travel delays.
Mostar is pretty. There's a famous bridge that was destroyed by Croatian shells during the 1992-1995 war. The bridge was rebuilt in 2004 with international help. Guys traditionally dive into the crystal clear river from the top of the arch.
There are a few tourist sights to see, mainly two small museums, some mosques, and three Turkish style houses. I scheduled two days, but one would have done.
I was a little bored the second day, but luckily met around-the-world traveler, Linda Somers. I had coffee with her and ended up talking the rest of the day. Linda has a blog at http://blog.cleveland.com/aroundtheworld.
I've been getting around using buses, which run frequently. The one from Sarajevo to Mostar (2.5 hours) was pretty good. The one on to Dubrovnik (3.5 hours) had a very weak air conditioner, which made the trip seem long. Here's hoping for a good bus for the 6.5 hour trip back to Sarajevo.
I'll blog about beautiful Dubrovik in my next post.
The conference in Sarajevo was made fascinating by the stories told by the local organizers, Jasminka and Selma. The talk by Selma about her life during the siege was sad and moving. We couldn't help but be amazed that such a crazy war ever began. No one seems to have won anything from it. The Bosniaks (Muslims) were especially devastated by the conflict. Although there are scars on many buildings and still some ruins, it's amazing how well the city has recovered in less than 15 years.
I'll have more to say about Sarajevo later. I left my sightseeing for when I return just to allow for possible travel delays.
Mostar is pretty. There's a famous bridge that was destroyed by Croatian shells during the 1992-1995 war. The bridge was rebuilt in 2004 with international help. Guys traditionally dive into the crystal clear river from the top of the arch.
There are a few tourist sights to see, mainly two small museums, some mosques, and three Turkish style houses. I scheduled two days, but one would have done.
I was a little bored the second day, but luckily met around-the-world traveler, Linda Somers. I had coffee with her and ended up talking the rest of the day. Linda has a blog at http://blog.cleveland.com/aroundtheworld.
I've been getting around using buses, which run frequently. The one from Sarajevo to Mostar (2.5 hours) was pretty good. The one on to Dubrovnik (3.5 hours) had a very weak air conditioner, which made the trip seem long. Here's hoping for a good bus for the 6.5 hour trip back to Sarajevo.
I'll blog about beautiful Dubrovik in my next post.
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