So its day 25 and its turened a bit cold and rainy now and then. Well on day 5 it was hot and very hot and my bag wegithed me down. So seeing a charity clothing bin i tossed my jumper in it. So i need somewere cheap to buy a new one. Oriental Bazaar was the place. It has every thing you ever need. Its a bit like a pound shop mets a DIY/home store. On paying for my jumper (a homage to Scott at the science musuem) and a star head band for Em. Emily noticed the guy watching the CCTV. He showed us all the ways he can zoom in and watch split screen. Em and the guy moned about how pepole stole stuff. When Em asked if i was surprised and felt sorry for him that he need all that to stop pepole nicking stuff. My answear was well he was also selling a device to smoke drugs as well as a set of digtal micro scales and my fave just by the cartoon DVD ther was a DVD and the pictuer on the front was a naked woman huging a cow. So not saying he desvers all he gets but no i dint fell sorry for him.
Any way the ligths are out in the hostel so going to spark up the pipe and watch this DVD under the sheets.
(I normally add a pictuer of the topic but not this time, as having the Spainsh police looking for you once is engough)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Camino Surprises ....
- There is a rumour that one lady is doing a “commando camino” after she left her underwear behind and now classes undies as a luxury
- I regret going down to 2 pairs of undies and throwing the bottom half of my zip up trousers away
- Meeting two friends who met 30 years ago as they were in the same ten pin bowling team. They were the best in Finland at one point but now they are not so good as “we have new younger members and they need to learn a lot”. The husband wouldn't walk with them as he plays ice hockey three times a week (he´s 78).
- Planning the day ahead and thinking, ah, that stretch is only 12 kms - no problem.
- Eating ALOT (including three course meals with chips most days) and losing around 4 kilos so far.
- That the homeopathy snoring spray is actually working (a little).
- That we haven´t got bed bugs yet.
- Jumping in the back of a car as the guy who was driving said he was an amigo of the owner. We were hobbling into town (well I was) at about 8 at night and I think the guy felt sorry for us as it looked as though we´d walked all day. He wasn't to know we decided to have a short day and a long lunch instead and had only been walking for 3 hours! Needless to say we didn't end up in black bin bags...
- Suddenly crying as I thought it was super sweet that a truck driver beeped and waved to us when we were walking along a motorway. (We wave at a lot of truck drivers to get them to honk their horns and it usually works, but this was the first time one had made the first move so to speak).
- Enjoying spending time with people who don´t speak English. The quiet is nice and the charades are fun.
- Remembering odd things that people say... “you gotta look back or you don´t know how far you’ve come kid”
- Developing a taste for strawberry jam.
- Naturally waking up at 6.30am.
- Totally by accident staying at a hostel sponsored by the author of the pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho. I´m not sure what this website says but you can see pictures of the hostel http://www.icaljacobeo.es/Mostrar.cfm/Reportajes/I/camino/8000/kilometros/fecha/caducidad/193044 it was so peaceful and a bit of a magical experience.
- Making it to the half way mark!!!!!!
Half way there!!
Thats rigth were well on the way. All we have to do is the same as before but a bit diffrent. So as you walk you get to think about what you would like to do in the futuer. Here is just a small list of mine and Ems posible furtuer job prospects.
1) Run a pilgrime hostle dug in a hill side.
2) Run a company that send futuer married couples on the Camino to realy find out about each other.
3) Become shepards whith a donkey hearding the sheep(This was as we got suround by sheep and walked with them)
4) Drive one of these.
Well its nice to dream.
1) Run a pilgrime hostle dug in a hill side.
2) Run a company that send futuer married couples on the Camino to realy find out about each other.
3) Become shepards whith a donkey hearding the sheep(This was as we got suround by sheep and walked with them)
4) Drive one of these.
Well its nice to dream.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The things we hear.
So you over hear lots of diffrent things as you walk and hang out in hostles. My fav so far is a conservation between two people.
1- Says do you speak English or Spainsh?
2- yes,
1- then asks which one?
2- In a obivous tone, English.
The fact that the connsevation was so fluid it was obivous he spoke preety good English i laugth for hours on that one.
The next one a fellow prilgrime Rory passed on to me. He walked past a couple and the women was resting her feet and the boy friend was afew steps forward. He looked pissed off. And Rory said as he past he heard the girl say fine i cant stop to rest me feet but its OK to stop to take a photo of a puddle.
Well the joy of human natura
1- Says do you speak English or Spainsh?
2- yes,
1- then asks which one?
2- In a obivous tone, English.
The fact that the connsevation was so fluid it was obivous he spoke preety good English i laugth for hours on that one.
The next one a fellow prilgrime Rory passed on to me. He walked past a couple and the women was resting her feet and the boy friend was afew steps forward. He looked pissed off. And Rory said as he past he heard the girl say fine i cant stop to rest me feet but its OK to stop to take a photo of a puddle.
Well the joy of human natura
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Burgos Baby - Day 18
Ok, so instead of making use of the hotel we had to book into today (and I´m talking about using up all the complimentary toiletries people), or seeing the amazing historical sites of Burgos, or attending one of the many hundreds of church services, or reflecting or even walking like a good little pilgrim, I´m sitting here in a dirty Internet cafe with a pretend coca cola updating you lot and considering getting Burger King for dinner (maybe I´m a tinsy winsy bit homesick and a little tired).
So the update is.... we walked around 25 kms yesterday. Which was super impressive as I had a nasty stomach bug two days before. It was like a 24 hour throw up bug that was on a tight schedule so it decided to do all it´s business in 6, obviously not in it for the overtime. I recovered well as we walked only 12 kms the day afterwards and found ourselves in a lovely little place called San Juan de Ortega at a hostel that is connected to the church. It didn´t open till 2pm so I fell asleep on a bench like a tramp and shuffled through the door at opening time. I then found a corner bunk, got in it and didn´t get up until 5.45pm, went to mass and then took part in a tradition of theirs. After mass they feed all the pilgrims this amazing garlic soup. Without a doubt it´s the best soup I have ever had. Healing soup I reckon! I went back to bed at 7.30 and woke up again at 6am and walked to Burgos! I am a brand new pilgrim. However...
It´s now Alan´s turn. There is no healing garlic soup, but he is in a hotel with lots of Spanish TV so I think he´ll live! He is already on the mend and we´ll be walking again tomorrow.
Last night we thought we may have arrived in heaven. We had been recommended to stay at a Albergue (hostel) in Burgos called, Parroquial de Peregrinos Emaús. A local had to help us find it but it was like walking into a palace. They have rebuilt this church and it includes lots of rooms for the youth to use, smaller chapels for daily mass, a massive church for weekly services, accommodation for the two priests and a hostel for pilgrims. It´s donation only and we prepared the meal together (well, Alan and I set the table), went to mass altogether and had breakfast too. I think it holds about 20 people and Alan and I had a room to ourselves (which was just as well as he wasn´t well in the night).
As we were getting our credentials stamped they invited us to mass. I explained that we cannot take mass as we are not Catholic but was it still alright if we attended. She huffed and puffed and said something about it being the same Jesus, gave me a English translation so I could follow along and instructed us to go up for a blessing instead.
So we attended (there is a lot of standing up for a tired pilgrim, and no MCC style rise as you are able, and when it came to communion we thought maybe we shouldn´t go up to receive a blessing. However, the lovely huffing and puffing French lady marched up to us and said she had spoken with the priest and it was time we got walking up the front. And we did, and it was wonderful to be a part of it. We have found it very hard that we are not welcome to take communion at church and we have had angry moments and sad moments. We are trying to be open minding and it really does help to meet everyday people who think they same as we do as after all it is the same Jesus, isn´t it?
In true Emily and Alan style we have made up for it in our own ways. We had communion last Sunday, just the two of us, at the side of the road with our water bottles and croissants! Chris Dowd will be beaming!
All things considered we are doing great and might even book at flight and a date from Santiago back to the UK in the next week. The lovely people at the Science Museum have given us two nights at a hotel in Santiago (which isn´t that spiritual I guess, but VERY motivating!), so we´ll let you guys know very soon when we intend to get there.
Love you all lots and more xxx
So the update is.... we walked around 25 kms yesterday. Which was super impressive as I had a nasty stomach bug two days before. It was like a 24 hour throw up bug that was on a tight schedule so it decided to do all it´s business in 6, obviously not in it for the overtime. I recovered well as we walked only 12 kms the day afterwards and found ourselves in a lovely little place called San Juan de Ortega at a hostel that is connected to the church. It didn´t open till 2pm so I fell asleep on a bench like a tramp and shuffled through the door at opening time. I then found a corner bunk, got in it and didn´t get up until 5.45pm, went to mass and then took part in a tradition of theirs. After mass they feed all the pilgrims this amazing garlic soup. Without a doubt it´s the best soup I have ever had. Healing soup I reckon! I went back to bed at 7.30 and woke up again at 6am and walked to Burgos! I am a brand new pilgrim. However...
It´s now Alan´s turn. There is no healing garlic soup, but he is in a hotel with lots of Spanish TV so I think he´ll live! He is already on the mend and we´ll be walking again tomorrow.
Last night we thought we may have arrived in heaven. We had been recommended to stay at a Albergue (hostel) in Burgos called, Parroquial de Peregrinos Emaús. A local had to help us find it but it was like walking into a palace. They have rebuilt this church and it includes lots of rooms for the youth to use, smaller chapels for daily mass, a massive church for weekly services, accommodation for the two priests and a hostel for pilgrims. It´s donation only and we prepared the meal together (well, Alan and I set the table), went to mass altogether and had breakfast too. I think it holds about 20 people and Alan and I had a room to ourselves (which was just as well as he wasn´t well in the night).
As we were getting our credentials stamped they invited us to mass. I explained that we cannot take mass as we are not Catholic but was it still alright if we attended. She huffed and puffed and said something about it being the same Jesus, gave me a English translation so I could follow along and instructed us to go up for a blessing instead.
So we attended (there is a lot of standing up for a tired pilgrim, and no MCC style rise as you are able, and when it came to communion we thought maybe we shouldn´t go up to receive a blessing. However, the lovely huffing and puffing French lady marched up to us and said she had spoken with the priest and it was time we got walking up the front. And we did, and it was wonderful to be a part of it. We have found it very hard that we are not welcome to take communion at church and we have had angry moments and sad moments. We are trying to be open minding and it really does help to meet everyday people who think they same as we do as after all it is the same Jesus, isn´t it?
In true Emily and Alan style we have made up for it in our own ways. We had communion last Sunday, just the two of us, at the side of the road with our water bottles and croissants! Chris Dowd will be beaming!
All things considered we are doing great and might even book at flight and a date from Santiago back to the UK in the next week. The lovely people at the Science Museum have given us two nights at a hotel in Santiago (which isn´t that spiritual I guess, but VERY motivating!), so we´ll let you guys know very soon when we intend to get there.
Love you all lots and more xxx
Day... EVERYDAY - SheWee
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day 11 - Sleeping with the nuns
Okay, so today we reached Santo Domingo de la Calzada (just after Logroño on the map) and we are staying at a hostel run by nuns. Sweet! In fact they sing in the church along the hostel in about 8 minutes so I´m gonna go and check it out.
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