Almost There: Century Resident Continues Journal From Spain Hike

July 6, 2010

We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.

As Terri hiked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she filed dispatches from her journal and sent pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hiked the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.

To read the complete series from day one, click here.

On Wednesday, we will bring you Terri’s final journal entry and look a gallery of photos from across Spain.

(Scroll down to read entries from several days.)

June 27 2010

Start: Portomarin

Destination: Palas De Rei

Today was a day of varied terrains. We started by climbing up and crisscrossing the main road. More and more new faces join us every morning and we are also seeing some of the pilgrims we met miles ago. It is funny how you think someone is far ahead of you and then you see them sitting at a cafe table.

The walk through the woodlands was very enjoyable and as Lou pointed out, with the terrain it we could be in just about any state in the union. This area was the scene of a bloody battle in 840 between the Moors and Christians but there is nothing left now to disturb the peace other than the chatter of pilgrims .

We passed through the hamlet of Rosario, named because long ago pilgrims would begin to recite the Rosary as they came into town. We heard of a brand new alburque so we decided to try it out. Shock of shocks it was air conditioned!! A brand new facility, new beds, cafes, showers with plenty of hot water.

If it lacked anything it was tables and chairs to sit in as you went on line to check email or the internet. As we tried to sleep though we learned the walls were paper thin and the doors all had a tendency to slam. There are plenty of pilgrims who have started hiking and want to party most of the night then sleep late in the mornings.

Miles  16.2

June 28, 2010

Start: Palas De Rei

Destination: Ribadiso

I threatened to pitch a full blown temper tantrum if the guys woke me up before 6:00 am. They must have taken me seriously because Lou woke me up at 6:30. I decided to ship my pack ahead today. We have several climbs and I am having problems with my left heel. It was very enjoyable to hike with just snacks and water.

We crossed six shallow river valleys today and the majority of the path was a natural path. The day today was all about smells. When we finally left the farmlands and the smell of manure, the hedge rows were in full bloom and the sweet smell was almost intoxicating. Then we walked through a forest of eucalyptus trees and their smell was just as intoxicating.

Most of the places today had octopus on the menu. Evidently this area is renowned for its octopus meals. None of us were willing to try one of the dishes but instead opted for a scrambled egg sandwich. It was almost cultural shock to hike through town with its noisy streets and shops, blaring horns and busy sidewalks. We stopped in the western suburb of Santa Maria de Melide with its 12th century Romanesque church. The interior is decorated with delightful inspiring frescos above the altar. We collect yet another stamp in our pilgrim passport and head out of town back into the woodlands. Our resting place for tonight is in Ribadiso.

This hostel is a wonderful reconstruction of one of the oldest pilgrim hospitals still in existence with an award for environmental architecture. This is the only hostel here and it is not quite as bad as a cattle car. The showers and toilets are down a long path separated from the sleeping quarters. I am thinking there is a lot of grass between my bed and the bathroom. Its redeeming grace is that it is located on the bank of a small river with steps going into the water to sit on and soak your feet. Some brave souls are even braving the icy water to try and swim in 3 foot of water.

There are lots of screams and squeals going on among the younger hikers. One of the funniest things that has happened to me along the trail happened this afternoon. I was sitting on a low window ledge arranging my back pack to catch the sun to dry it when a man jumped from the window and landed in front of me. He gave his best superman pose, faced me and proudly proclaimed in very broken English that he had hiked 22 kilometers today.

What is strange about that you ask? Only the fact that he was in his mid seventies and he was wearing nothing but a Speedo bathing suit! Lou says he was just hitting on me. I am not sure that is supposed to make me feel better or not. This guy kept repeating himself like he was waiting for me to give some sort of reply. All I could think to say was “Oh!” I am not sure what I was saying “oh” to though!

Miles 16.4

June 29, 2010

Start: Ribadiso

Destination: Arca Do Pino

I was determined not to have to crawl out of the top bunk and go outside in the middle of the night and my determination worked. However the weather turned chilly during the early hours of the morning and I woke up shivering. My pack was down on the floor and I tried reaching over the rail to get it and get my sleeping bag out but it was just out of my reach. If I leaned any farther I would have fallen on my head and really woke everyone up. I pulled the disposable sheet off the bunk and put it over the top of my silk liner. I don’t think it did any good though. I was awake before the guys even crawled out of bed.

In fact I was packed and ready to roll by 6:30. We had plenty of shade today and most of the walk was on earthen paths. A television crew was doing a segment on pilgrims and they took video of me getting my pilgrim passport stamped. At one point there were a dozen or more cars lined along the road. Today was a celebration of San Pedro which I found out was St. Peter. There was a small marching band that marched along the road and several large statues being carried by four men each. I don’t know why today was the celebration and no one could understand us when we asked.

Arzua is the last major city before we enter Santiago. The town is an untidy development put together haphazardly along the older town center. There is no rhyme or reason to how the town is laid out. This is the farthest we have had to walk off of the trail to get to a hostel. It was probably close to a half mile into town. We also encountered our first major wait to check in. We were in line for 45 minutes.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow we reach Santiago, the destination we have been hiking towards for 29 days now. We ask each other where the days went. It seems just yesterday we were huffing and puffing up that first mountain. I came over here with two expectations and they were to hike and have a good time. I have hiked and I have had a great time. I have met some very interesting people, some of which I could not understand a word of what they said. Some who I could converse with because they spoke a little English. I have found the same apathy in cafes by the waitresses and waiters that you find in the states. It is just a job to them and they are not really present. Then there have been the larger portion of them who have went beyond just waiting on you to asking about where you are from and how long you have been walking.

For most of the small villages it is the pilgrims who keep the place going even if it is just a small amount it is all they have. Most of the pilgrims themselves will try to talk with you, bridging the language gap as much as possible. Then there are those from other countries who speak English and very fast become your friends and you exchange email addresses with. All in all it has been a lot of fun; I have been exposed to totally different cultures while in the same country.

If there is one negative thing that stands out it is the fact that at least half of those who walk are either uneducated or uncivilized in the “Leave no trace” motto that is prevalent among most of the United States trails and parks. I am appalled at the number of women who will pee along the trail and leave their toilet paper on the ground as opposed to putting it in a zip lock bag and disposing of it every night in the trash or just burying it.

Then there were plenty of places along the trail just off the path where people choose to have a bowel movement, leave the used toilet paper on top of it with no thought of digging a cat hole to bury their poop in. I didn’t see things like this along the Appalachian Trail although at some of the trail heads it was obvious that women chose to just leave their toilet paper on the ground.

Miles 13.8

Comments

3 Responses to “Almost There: Century Resident Continues Journal From Spain Hike”

  1. Regina Gohagan on July 6th, 2010 7:13 pm

    I agree that this must be so exciting and it has been a very interesting read.

  2. Gerry Dumenkoffen on July 6th, 2010 3:13 pm

    Will be sad that your journey is ending but glad that you are coming home. Maybe you and Lou can travel and journal some more trails in the near future.

  3. Willene Bryan on July 6th, 2010 8:07 am

    This must be so exciting.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News