I am back home

Hello everyone. Is been a little over two weeks since my last post. I know I still owe pictures and stories from the Camino. They are coming, I have started to organize the pictures and label them properly.

I just realized today why I have been reluctant to get to work and publish the stories as well as the pictures. Biking the Camino has been an amazing experience. It was tough and difficult, it was beautiful and joyful, it was sad, it was full-filing, and I feel once I publish the pictures and write the stories this experience will be completed…

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to be home, see my friends, sleep in my own bed, go to Wegmans. However there is a big part of me that misses The Camino… as tough as my ride was this is the hardest part of my experience. I now understand that I have to work hard to make sure The Camino is always with me, it did have a beginning but not and end and hopefully I will find another opportunity to go again. Until then, I will cherish the friendships made, the memories, the little mementos, the pictures and most important of all, the learnings.

I have arrived!!!

Friends, I have made it!!!, my days got longer and internet conection was not great, so I could not update you, I apologize. 

Since Monday (6/30) I have not been able to write because as I came closer to Santiago, room in the albergues became sparse and many times at the end of my riding day and after I had riden more than 50 difficult miles (the Galician terrain is very mountanous) I had to ride 2,3,5 or 10 more miles to find room.   Once I made it to the “albergue” or hostel all I wanted to do was shower, eat, handwash clothes and sleep.  I am trying to recoup but I promise I will write and post pictures soon.  There is a lot to tell as my last few days were not uneventful…

I can tell you now that as soon as I arrived at Monte do Gozo (Mount of Joy) which is a hill from where you could (in the past before the urban growth of the city) see the peaks of the Cathedral in Santiago, and where there is a large pilgrim Monument, I could not contain my joy and started crying.  As I write this my eyes water… 

A million thanks for your support, stay tuned…

A long day

I only have 8 minutes to write so I will give you a short one.  Today has been the longest day, I covered 80 miles today (it is the longest day so far) I am glad to be out of the Spansh hills for I have seen Wheat fields all day.  I am extremelly tired but in great spirits. 

Thanks to your enegry, prayers and Santiago Apostol.  Again, I will publish pictures after 4th of July weekend.

One funny anecdote, Since day one I have not fallen of my bike, nearly 200 miles.  Today we (Manuel and I) arrived at the albergue at 7:10 pm however as son as I stopped in front of the albergue I could not unclipped my right pedal and felt in front of the albergue….Again I am extremelly tired.

Day 5

Hello everyone.  I do not have much time to write because there is only 1 computer at this albergue and many pilgrims want to email home.  However I wanted to give you and update from my adventure.

The last two days have been very demanding phisically, all in all about 120 miles covered through hard mountain passes. I have met great people and now ride with 1 friend from Valencia and from time to time we meet a Spanish couple and two guys from Madrid.  We make sure we know where each other is at all times in case of an emergency.  Also we have met at the end of the day in different albergues and shared stories from our travels.

I have tons of pictures to share but I think it will be easier to do so once I arrive at Galicia sometime after 4th of July.  My bike is holding up ok but there are noises coming out of it that I have never heard before which is the same I can say about my body because I am very tired…When I wake up in the morning I feel a train has run over me…However, I am in great spirits thanks to your positive energy, good wishes and prayers.  Keeep the coming.

As soon as I can I will write again and post pictures and videos.  Buen Camino

A great day

Again, I don´t have much time today but I wanted to share an updated with you.  THANKS FOR ALL YOUR +ENERGY AND PRAYERS!!!! Today was tough day physically but I was able to ride 88 Km (55 miles) w/o my bike breaking.  I wish I could say the same about my body…  The sun is proven to be a tough element. I am very tired and sun burned.  Every day I learn something new.  I rode about 30 miles after 3 pm with the sun shining hard… Tomorrow I leave the alberge before 8 a.m so I can ride hard early.

Alto del Perdon

Having brakfast in Uterga

A special Fountain in Irache

Church of Santa Maria de los Arcos

Tomorrow will be another tough day with temperaturs in the high 90s.  Thank for all your encouraging words. Keep me in your prayers!!!

 

Two very hard stages

I don´t have much time but I wanted to make sure I let you know what has been happening the last two days.  The last two days have been extremely hard.  I am very tired and I had lots of trouble with mi bikcycle today.  Let me give you a recount.

Yesterday we arrived by car to Roncesvalles very late, too late to do the first stage from Saint Jean Pied de Prt to Roncesvalles.  Against advise from the person at the hotel we took a taxi to Saint Jean Pied de Port where I had my Pilgrim passport stamped and received strong advise to leave in the morning.  We have a very tight timetable until tomorrow (when I start on my own) and had to do the stage or call it a day.   We decided to start our hike on the Pyrenees 5 miles up the road on a mountain refugee…. It was almost 3 pm and we had about 4 hours to s the Pyrenees from France to Spain (really crazy)

We started walking and immediately were covered with fog so intense we could not see more than 15 feet in front of us.  The temperature dropped from about 80F to 60F and we had nothing more than our t-shirts.  We climbed more than 2500 feet with little visibility…It was treacherous….and amazingly beautiful once it cleared and before it started raining.  Many sections we could see (but not hear) the bells on the necks of cows, sheep, and horses… we walk a little more than 10 miles and climbed about 2500 feet before we descended 1500 feet to Roncesvalles. We made it but could barely move.  The best part of the day was the Pilgrim Mass and Blessing at the church in Roncesvalles at 8:00 pm

Sughey was a true tropper, she never complained and always keep her good spirits.  SHE IS REALLY AMAZINBG!!! I wish she would come with me the whole way…I owe you more pictures but this connection is really slow…

I am pretty tired, so I do not want say much about today…yet.  But I will give you a summary.

I Fell off my bike twice (very hard) I blew my tube and my spare tube had a slow leak so I had to stop every 1.5 miles to pump it a little until I blew it 5 miles from my end point (Pamplona) so I had to carry my bike (on my shoulder) until Don Jose Antonio, a retired gentlemen from Pamlpona, saw my pilgrim sign (I´ll show you later) and he helped me with my bike.

FOG!!!

Sughey and I in the Pyrinees

Above the clouds

Don Jose Antonio saves the day

I hope I can tell you some  good knews tomorrow….

Pictures from the Basque Country

Our stay here in the Bsque country is coming to an end.  We have had a wonderul time with our Friends Iratxe and Javier.  In a short time we have visited several beautiful locations from this great region and I wanted to share some pictures with you.

The Guggenheim in Bilbao

Sughey in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Hanging out in Bilbao with our Friends Iratxe, Javier, Martha and Yolanda

In las Arenas in front of the hanging bridge

Bilbao Cathedral

Javier, Iratxe and Sughey in San Sebastian

In San Sebastian

Sughey in San Sebastian

The Cathedral in San Sebastian

Hotel Maria Crsitina in San Sebastian

Today we depart to France and then will cross the Pirynees (on foot) back to Spain.  It will be a long day.  I will keep you posted.  Did you like the pictures?