Camino Diary
/Wednesday 5-10-2023
At DFW, in the same foot court where we ate while on our way to Saudi Arabia, in the international terminal, which was only a month ago, but feels longer. We are in Whataburger, 3:25 pm, at a table and waiting for our flight that leaves at 5:00 pm.
We left Midland at 12:24 pm, on American Eagle. Like all trips of this nature, trying to get away and get all that’s needed together is such a flurry it is hard to be excited right away. But we are both looking forward to making this Camino walk and doing it together.
I woke up about 3:30 am worrying about how we’ll get from the airport to the train station and all that. I worry more about the front end of the trip (Midland to Sarria) and back end (Santiago to Midland) than I do about walking the 70+ miles. Once we are on the trail, I’ll be doing something I’m used to doing - walking on a trail. But all the air and train connections, that’s new to me. And it will be in Spain.
The Saudi trip wasn’t stressful since Todd made all the arrangements and I trusted him, and I knew it would all work. This trip is up to me and while I trust my decisions I still worry about the improvised parts.
At 4:00 am as I tossed and turned and worried, I realized: (1) we aren’t the first Americans to make this same trip, (2) people from all over the world and all languages make these same connections every year, (3) I just have to trust the process and don’t be afraid to ask for help (not a small concession). Once again, I prayed as I have done so many times before, Lord – teach me to trust you. We are in your hands, and we are safe.
Thursday 5-11-2023
We flew all night – about 8 hours in the air. I watched two movies: Ford vs. Ferrari, and Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
We landed in Madrid at 9:05 am. Passport control was a walk-through. It felt like we walked forever down long airport hallways and rode underground trains forever until we finally got to baggage claim … but as soon as we walked up to the carousel, we grabbed our bags.
We found an ATM and pulled some Euros, then got directions to the airport train station. Our train tickets to Sarria were enough for us to ride the municipal train from the airport to Chamartin Station. (So, one of my waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night worries was solved quickly and easily. Of course it was.)
We are now in the train station, where we ate a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, waiting until 1:15 pm when we’ll leave for Sarria.
The train ride was about five hours, and Cyndi and I slept most of the way. I woke up whenever we stopped so I could track our journey and make sure we didn’t sleep past our stop. Sitting in the seats in front of us were Blane and Celeste, from Baton Rouge, and they were also touring with Fresco.
At Ourense we left the train. Many of the train riders were pilgrims like us, and we all walked together to a row of buses, stored our suitcases under the bus, and climbed aboard.
About 1/3 of the trip to Sarria our bus blew a tire. I figured we’d be stuck waiting for help for an hour or two, but from somewhere close, a new bus showed up, and we finished the trip with no problems.
Once in our hotel room (Hotel Alfonso IX), Cyndi wrestled AT&T to the ground to make sure I had international calling.
We met Steve and Chris Robichaud (from Midland (they’d arrived the day before)) and ate dinner at the hotel.
Somehow, Cyndi and I have carved out a life so that if we say we want to hike the Camino, no one asks why we want to do it. It’s understood that’s the sort of thing we like to do. That makes me happy.
Friday 5-12-2023
We slept in this morning, unintentionally, until 8:45 am. We went down to breakfast – a typical European buffet and joined Celeste and Blane from Baton Rouge (we met them on the train and the bus) and their friends Steve (orthodontist) and Elizabeth (retired attorney) also from Baton Rouge.
Today we will poke around Sarria and deal with jet lag as best we can, etc.
After breakfast we walked up the hill, following the Camino path (marked with big yellow arrows) to the Mercedarian Monastery of the Magdalena. It was located at the top of the hill. It started raining on us as we climbed the hill. We were happy to duck into an entryway at the monastery, where we hoped to see inside. But even though the sign said the monastery was open from 9:00 until 1:00, it was closed now. We pulled the chain to ring the bell, but no joy. They never came to the door.
We walked back down the hill and stopped in a backpacking-type store full of pilgrim gear. I bought a couple of blue patches with yellow shell designs. I want to put one on my black book backpack, and maybe another on my REI daypack.
We went to a grocery store and bought snacks and energy bars and cheese for lunches for the next few days.
Then Cyndi and Chris and Steve went for ice cream. I went to the room and took a nap and a shower. We are supposed to meet our group and get our tour packets at 7:00 pm.
The Fresco representative, Miguel, and the owner of Fresco, Alex, explained our materials: our Camino credential (for stamps), our room vouchers, our luggage tags, our maps, our Camino shells, and all that. It was an excellent, detailed yet entertaining, presentation.
We ate dinner together in the hotel restaurant.
I slept well, except for waking up at 3:00 am. (Seems to be a lingering effect of jet lag … or a sign of getting older). I read my book for a while.
Saturday (day #1) 5-13-2023
Sarria > Portomarin
Cyndi and I got up at 6:00 am, got ready for the hike and packed our suitcases, then went down to breakfast at 7:00 am. We were the first ones down. We ate from the buffet, and soon the entire touring group was present (15 pilgrims, all from the USA).
We all started walking together on the trail at 8:30 am. We had a steep uphill as we climbed into the old town part of Sarria, then a steep descent to cross a river.
Then another steep ascent out of the river to a small village called Vilei. Just past Vilei was a small 8th Century church called Barbadelo. It seemed to be still active. At least, the cemetery was still active.
After visiting the church, we climbed even more to Mercado, and then still upward to Peruscallo, where Cyndi and I, Steve and Chris, stopped to eat snacks and go to the bathroom.
Not far out of Peruscallo, Cyndi and I were hiking out in front, when we were overtaken by a father and daughter from Chicago. This was their 30th day of walking (they started at the French border). The dad was named Mike, and he worked as a contract engineer for a company that made software for metal casting. Because he was an independent contractor and a contract worker, he could work his own schedule, so he took eight weeks off in April and May to walk the Camino with his daughter who just graduated from college. Her name was Ashley and was walking the Camino before beginning her first job in June.
We walked with them for a while, quickly, they had a brisk pace, 30 days of fitness in their legs, for about six kilometers. Finally, I couldn’t keep the pace any longer and Cyndi and I stopped for a rest and snacks at Mercadoiro.
Approaching Portomarin was a very steep descent to a river crossing. It was so steep I had to keep focused and keep my knees bent. It went on and on and on and was quite exhausting. Then we crossed a long bridge over the river (more of a lake due to a downstream dam), until reaching Portomarin on the far side. As soon as we finished the bridge we climbed several hundred feet of stairs, and then continued climbing up the street, to our hotel, the Hotel Ferramenteiro.
We arrived first of our Fresco group, at 3:30 pm. We weren’t hurrying but had kept a good pace. Of course, no matter how quickly I walk, Cyndi is intentionally slowing to stay with me. Thanks, Cyndi.
At 5:30 we joined the Robichauds for pizza. We were all wiped out. We’d walked 14 miles. Not only was it our first day of walking, but it was our longest day of the trip.
The buildings in the town all looked new – especially compared to the small villages we’d walked through already today. Nothing appeared to be from the Middle Ages here. We later found out that in the 1960s the original 1800-year-old town was covered with water when the river was dammed. Only the church was preserved. They hauled the church to the top of the hill, stone by stone, and reassembled it in a new, dry location.
We’re now in our room and probably won’t do anything else tonight but take showers and go to bed.
Most of the time we get in too big a hurry to assign meaning to an adventure. It usually takes a while for the meaning to reveal itself to us. There are things I can’t hear or understand until after a couple of days on the trail by myself. It takes that long for the brain floaters to settle.
Sunday (day #2) 5-14-2023
Portomarin > Lestedo
We got up at 6:30 and went for breakfast at 7:30. We hit the Camino trail at 8:15.
It was an uphill day. All day. We started climbing almost immediately out of town and continued to climb for at least 10K. From about 350 meters elevation to 700 meters (1,184’ climb) with only a few flat spots.
In one of the flat spots, about 8km from the start, we stopped at a roadside bar near Gonzar. We bought two waters and ate trail mix and energy bars.
Most of the first half of the day was through wooded trails, sometimes alongside the highway. It was beautiful and green. After halfway, during another gentle climb, we stopped at a roadside bar near Ventas de Naron. I had to doctor my feet a little; I could tell blisters were forming.
We started back downhill about 14km. Cyndi and I tried picking up our pace to let gravity pull us down the road rather than using our joints and muscles for breaking. It was nice, quicker, and surprisingly easier on our legs.
We ran into our friends from yesterday, Mike and Ashley, and walked with them a short bit. We knew they were faster than us, so we sent them on their way.
We took a steep downhill into Portos, then back up to our destination for the night – Lestedo. We had trouble reading our map which meant we couldn’t find our hotel. Mike and Ashley appeared again – like trail angels – and helped push us up the final hill until we found the road leading to our hotel.
It was a very nice boutique hotel named Hosteria Calixtino. A long time ago it was the local priest’s house. It sat abandoned for a long time until someone bought it and turned it into this hotel. Cyndi and I arrived at 2:30.
Dinner was at 7:00, and we pulled tables together and we all ate together. It was a fun, loud evening telling stories of the day’s walk and from our lives back home.
I found a blister on each foot, along the outside edge below my little toes. We bandaged each blister and I hope I can keep walking on it. I plan to change shoes tomorrow.
Monday (Day #3 - 5-15-2023
Lestedo > Melide
Cyndi and I got up at 6:30, and Cyndi bandaged my blisters, both feet. Both were in the same place, on each foot. We put gel band aids on and covered them with moleskin.
I decided to wear my other shoes (NB1540s, gray everyday shoes that were more stable) instead of the black NB860 Fresh Foam shoes (that were cushier), since the black shoes had given me blisters. We ate breakfast at the same table as last night.
We left on our walk at 8:30. I tried a different approach this time. I transcribed some of the information from my guidebooks onto our trip map (which was actually more of an elevation profile). The other tour members saw it and were impressed, and several took photos so they could use it during their walk. I was impressed as well – it was a better way to keep up with our progress and make sure we noticed the points of interest.
Our first big city was Palas de Rei (where most Pilgrims stayed, which meant our walk from Lestedo was behind the big bubble of walkers. It almost felt lonely sometimes.)
In Palas de Rei we went inside an old, yet still active, church – San Tirso. When we walked in, there was a group of about 20 people sitting in the front pews and singing. One of their members played the harmonica while they sang. It was cool to hear them. They were singing in German, but the melodies sounded very Catholic.
About 3km down the road we came to a small town, San Xulian. I read in the guidebook there was a place to stand and get a photo that would have a Hellio (Galician corn crib) on our right, a cruceiro (stone crucifix statue) on our left, and a Roman-era church behind us. A trifecta of photo ops from Galicia.
We went inside the very small church. It had pews and seemed to be still active. As we were about to leave, our German friends came in and started filling the pews. I knew they would be singing soon, so we left to give them space. I suppose it was their pilgrim plan to sing in every open church. I think the church was named – La Iglesia de San Xulian do Camino.
Our next stop was Casanova, where we stepped at a bar and had cokes and a pastry. When I first read in all my tour guides about the bars along the way I could only imagine dark smokey bars. Our tour guide, in fact, had told us bars would be our best friend. I couldn’t see how that would be true. But I was wrong. There are more like roadside restaurants, with lots of tables, usually shade, some food and drink, and bathrooms. They’re light and fun and social and good places to stop. At the bars. we tended to see other pilgrims we recognized from the trail, as well as members of our own tour group, so it made the bars friendly and inviting.
We hiked another 3-1/2 kms to Leboreiro. It was a cool town that felt ancient – the stone buildings and streets but had all the pilgrim amenities. We took photos of a Roman-era church, very small, with lots of crypts in the small courtyard. We crossed a medieval bridge as we left town.
Between Leboreiro and Ribeira Sacra, about 2km, the Camino passed through an industrial area. It wasn’t the prettiest. But it was flat and smooth.
We dropped down a steep descent into Furelos, to cross the Furelos River over a large medieval bridge.
Our target of Melide was seemingly right next to Furelos.
We quickly found our destination, the Hotel Carlos, arriving at 2:15 pm. We moved into our rooms, then took up an outside table at the hotel restaurant where we could watch for our tour buddies and cheer them as they trickled in.
Six of us ate dinner down the street at Pulperia A Garnacha. It was marginal, sort of an already cooked, fast food feel. Some in our group ordered the local specialty - octopus - but Cyndi and I have had octopus before and we weren’t interested.
And then, ice cream. Chris Robichaud is a fiend for ice cream.
Back in the room Cyndi and I worked on the first installment of a report to the Ezekiel department Day #1.
Tuesday Day #4 – 5-16-23
Melide > Arzua
We got up about 6:45 am after hitting the snooze button a few times. I put some duct tape on my left foot to reinforce the moleskin.
Cyndi and I started walking about 8:40 am. The route took us through town, crossing streets and highways, down narrow alleys. Today was 14km, or 9 miles, our shortest day of the trip.
The first church we saw was Chapel of Roque. It was closed, but in the courtyard was the oldest cruceiro we’ve seen yet, from the 14th-Century. It was near a roundabout, in the heart of the city. On this day it was surrounded by white tents and booth structures. Apparently there had been some sort of festival, or was one coming, maybe for Day of Ascension.
The next church we saw was Church of Santa Maria, a small church on top of a hill. We looked inside and took photos, while a woman and a group did their Hail Marys.
About 3 km in, we crossed a creek. I believe it was Arzua Creek, at a popular photo spot known as Bridge of Stone. We were with the Robichauds and took lots of pictures.
We passed quickly through Parabispo, kept going. We had several very steep descents as well as steep climbs. All straight down or straight up, no switchbacks.
We stopped for snacks and a Coke Zero at Castaneda.
We crossed the River Iso over a Medieval bridge. The guidebook said it was our last old bridge.
And then into our destination of Arzua. We arrived at 1:15 pm, moved into our room, I did some laundry in the hotel room sink, and ate an early dinner at 5:00 pm. A Hamburger. Not bad. Maybe my favorite meal of the trip, so far.
I had two thoughts today. As I looked at the shell on my backpack, the one that transformed from a tourist to a pilgrim, it occurred to me maybe the cross I’ve worn since my Walk to Emmaus (1998) is a similar marker. I’ve never known why it was important to keep wearing it, but I knew it was important. Maybe it was also a marker of moving from tourist in life to a pilgrim.
We sing This world is not my home, I’m just passing through, but we should not simply be tourists, observing and complaining, but as pilgrims, using the journey to draw us nearer to the heart of God and leaving an affect on those we see along the way.
My second thought was: I thought about how we all say Buen Camino to pilgrims and village residents as we see each other or pass each other on the trail. Maybe I should start saying Buen Guadalupe to the other hikers when we climb Guadalupe Peak. Maybe it’ll catch on.
Also, another idea. Find a cluster of worship spaces in Midland, maybe four or five, and create my own brief, one day, pilgrimage. Walk from space to space, sit and pray and sing and write. Try to recruit some people to join me.
Wednesday Day #5 – 5-17-23
Arzua > Pedrouzo
We got up about 6:30 and sent our day #3 email to our Ezekiel Class. Dressed and packed our bags and went to the hotel next door for breakfast.
We started on our walk about 8:40 am. We wanted to buy some cheese (Arzue is the cheese capital of Galicia) but all the grocery stores were still closed. In fact, the only people we saw moving on the sidewalks were other pilgrims. We also missed the small church on our way out of town. Bummer.
We stopped at a bar in Calle for snacks and to rest after 2 hours walking. While we were sitting the Robichauds came by, so we hooted them to join us.
We passed by a Hindu-looking man who was playing (softly) a tongue drum. He had posted inspirational posters of encouragement on the trees alongside his camp. We put money in his collection box and stamped our credentials.
It got warmer as we walked, much more city-like and busy.
We passed by a man who made little bracelets and zipper pulls and sold them for donations. Cyndi selected two for the girls. He also stamped our credentials.
I was wiped out the last hour or two. I had an energy bonk … the only time it happened to me on the trip.
We made it to our hotel at 1:30. After checking in we went to the restaurant and Cyndi had French fries and I had penne pasta with meat. It was perfect. I was quickly revived.
Now I’m in the room writing up my notes and posting on Facebook, while Cyndi is teaching yoga headstands out in the grassy courtyard.
Thursday Day #6 – 5-18-2023
Pedrouzo > Santiago de Compostella
In order to authenticate your pilgrimage and prove you walked as far as you say you did, they give you a small folding booklet called a Pilgrim Credential. All along the way, everywhere you stop, whether hotels or bars or churches or men selling stuff, they have ink stamps, and you collect those stamps as you go. Pilgrims are required to collect at least two stamps per day, but most collect many more. Here is a photo of my Credential from about halfway through the trip.
Again, we got up about 6:30 (plus snoozes) and ate breakfast in the hotel. It was my favorite breakfast so far, featuring soft scrambled eggs and sausage and cheese.
We left walking at 8:30. Not long on the trail we saw a young man playing accordion. He said he’d walked from Belgium, and was now on his way back, playing to earn travel money. He was fun and friendly and delightful, and again, to my dismay, I didn’t get his name or take a selfie with him. I need to learn better skills as a reporter.
We stopped at a small chapel in San Paio, about 8km from Pedrouzo. It was too small for pews. I don’t know if they ever held mass inside since it was so small. I took a photo of what looked like a line of men standing in fire … the church guide said it represented Purgatory. (I suppose it was meant to be a public service announcement: Don’t let this happen you to.)
We went in and out of woods and urban streets all day. Stopped at San Paio for our two-hour snack break and Coke Zero, then later at San Marcos two hours later. Steve bought 2 bags of potato chips and they were amazing.
When we finally made it to the outskirts of Santiago do Compostella we expected to find our way to the hotel quickly, as had happened in every other town so far. However, if felt like we walked forever through Santiago, hoping we were still on the route.
We finally found our hotel (Hotel Compostela) at 3:30 pm. I went straight down on the bed and tried to sleep.
I took a shower, and we went to eat with the Robichauds at 5:00 – at a sidewalk café – Cyndi and I split Calzone and salad and fries.
Then we went to the Pilgrim office to get our Compostela, a certificate of completion. It is in Latin, so the only thing I can read is my name. (On Cyndi’s certificate they made an attempt to Latinize her name … Cynthiam Simpson)
The woman who printed mine said, “Congratulations, Berry" and I teared up. I was surprised that it was so emotional for me.
She also asked, “What is the reason for your visit?” This, by the way, is not the same as asking, “What is your quest?” That’s a destination question. “What is your reason?” is a motivation question.
We are now seated in the south transept of the cathedral, waiting for the Pilgrim Mass to begin.
The mass was OK, considering we understood less than 10% of it, and the parts we understood (the only parts in English) were the instructions not to take photos.
Later, that night, it was hard to fall asleep. My left foot was stinging on the upper outside, like it did last summer, post-surgery. At that time, the doctor said it was “my nerves waking up.” I supposed it was caused by the shock of 70 miles in six days.
Friday – 5-19-2023
We slept in until 7:00. Then ate breakfast.
We took a Fresco tour of the Cathedral and surrounding city, and it was great. We learned a lot. It was striking, the architectural mash-up of Roman-era and Middle Ages and Baroque.
Afterward we shopped around, ate lunch (hamburgers), and shopped some more.
I took a nap while Cyndi made a dry run down to the train station to see if it would be a problem with our suitcases early tomorrow morning.
We met the Chicago women for dinner, and first thing we all went back to the train station (one of the women left her phone on a city bus and she wanted to report it). We all went to a Tapas Bar and ate what turned out to be one of my favorite meals of the whole trip. Great food and fun conversations.
Saturday – 5-20-2023
We woke up with the alarm at 4:00 am, finished packing, paid for our extra night, and walked ten minutes through the city pulling our suitcases to the Santiago train station. This transition was the 2nd of 3 transitions I was worried about. Well, worried is too strong of a word. What I mean to say is it was one of the parts of our trip I couldn’t plan because I didn’t have enough information I could trust. But I knew we’d figure it out on our own on the fly. I’m not afraid of that. But I want Cyndi to feel taken-care-of.
We considered taking a cab to the train station, but since Cyndi walked the route and then we both walked it again, we saw there was no need to hire a cab. It probably took us less than ten minutes with no traffic on the streets.
We loaded our train and left about 5:38 am, arriving in Ourense at 6:20, When I bought the train tickets back in Midland there was a warning that we’d only have 15 minutes between trains. That was my 3rd transition to worry about.
As it turned out, the train to Madrid was parked alongside our train from Santiago. So the actual time for transition was about two minutes. We had thirteen minutes to spare. Easy squeezy.
With the train to Madrid underway, I relaxed. Cyndi and I both slept about an hour and a half.
The Madrid airport was easy. Now we were seasoned pros. We ate pastries. Then boarded our flight about 12:30 pm. Now, as I’m writing this, it is 3:10 Spain time. We have about 7 hours of flying time yet to go.
On the airplane I watched a documentary about the movie Titanic, and an Austin City Limits featuring James Taylor, and then the movie Avatar.
We landed at DFW and cleared customs quickly. All it took was to look into a computer screen and their facial recognition program called us by name and cleared us. But our luggage took 1-1/2 hours to come out. They gave no explanation why it took so long, but we think they accidentally took it to the wrong terminal. Almost everyone on the flight had to wait for luggage … some people missed their connecting flights because of it.
While waiting for luggage we saw the man from Arizona that we walked with on the Camino, the one with a sign on his pack that said “Onward and Upward” in Spanish. Another man from El Paso heard Cyndi and I talking and asked if we’d been walking on the Camino as well. He was also a pilgrim. And a tall young woman, a college student, asked Cyndi about the Camino. She said her parents walked it last summer and they haven’t stopped talking about it yet.
We ate BBQ at a place in Terminal B called Hickory. It’s now 7:30 pm. Our flight doesn’t leave for Midland until about 10:30 pm.
We finally got home and into bed at 12:45 am.
Our day:
4:45 am - arrived at Santiago train station.
12:45 am – arrived at our house.
20 hours
7-hour time difference
27 hours of traveling
Sunday – 5-21-2023
We were so wiped out from the traveling we slept in. Skipped church and Sunday School and orchestra. I did go to the 5-at-5 Sunday evening service.
My feet and ankle performed well on this trip – even better than my expectations. Once I found my walking stride each morning, I could boogie down the trail without hesitation. I still had a spot of shin splints that popped up the day I got the blisters. It hadn’t gotten worse, but it also hadn’t gotten better.
However the tingling stinging sensation lingered, especially at night. Making it hard to go to sleep.
To walk is to leave things behind - a lesson learned from backpacking. I won’t know for a while what I may have left behind by walking the Camino. In fact, I don’t need to know right now. It’ll come when I need it.
I’m scheduled to speak at FBC Brotherhood on June 19. I am planning to do something with my thoughts of pilgrim vs. tourist.
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Quotes and notes
“Take the green door” (from our Fresco Tour guide, referring to heading into the trees to go to the bathroom.)
“Bars are your best friend,” (from our tour guide … the place to get stamps, coffee, and bathrooms)
Walking on a Country Road (James Taylor)
“All energy is borrowed; someday you’ll have to give it back.” (from movie: Avatar)
“Your life can never be simply about you.” (Erwin McManus)
Perigrinatio Pro Dei Amore = Pilgrim for the love of God.
"Religion in our time has been captured by the tourist mindset.” (Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction)
Fruitfulness is not the same as productivity. Productivity is about what we’re doing, fruitfulness is about who we’re becoming.
“Everywhere is in walking distance, if you have the time.” (Stephen Wright)
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There were many points along the trail where the walking surface was several feet lower than the surrounding land. None of them looked like they were deepened on purpose. They looked as if they were worn down by the millions of pilgrim footsteps. Those paths felt very Lord-of-the-Rings-ish.
A pilgrim can follow any route to Santiago. However, these are the routes that are supported and recommended … meaning food and lodging should be available.
