Camino Friends and Food

Friends and food, two meaningful words that sustain us. As in a typical Spanish city, Santiago has a large fresh market, housed in 3 buildings on the edge of the old city. Wandering the aisles, you find stalls overflowing with all types of beautiful fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, bread, pastries, olive oils, vinegars, and jams. Another has refrigerated cases of whole chickens and ducks, complete with feet, many different cuts of beef and pork, including pig feet and even the face. The fish section is fascinating; whole fish of types I haven't seen before, sacks of mullosks and clams, live lobsters, and jumbo shrimp so fresh they still have life. And the cheeses ..... Yum.

It has continued to rain every day since my arrival here. Friday was a holiday, Labor Day, with many people marching throughout the area in support of labor issues. Many people were on holiday, so my huge hotel was full, with many noisy revelers returning to their rooms throughout the night. Saturday, the Camino next to the historic area was blocked off to traffic for about 1 1/2 miles for a popular street fair and handicraft, food and beer market. American music was blasting, a rock band played, Celtic singers performed, and a great time was held by all inspite of the cold and rain,

It is fitting I end my stay in Santiago with my new friends, some wonderful tapas and a glass of vino tinto from Rioja. Albert is Dutch, an old friend of Yvonne Thrasher from Vacaville. He finished walking the more difficult, isolated and rugged Camino del Norte, or Camino Primitivo at the same time as I finished the Camino Frances. He is a Facebook friend I met through Yvonne, and  am delighted I finally got meet him and share a meal and a most interesting visit. He will continue to walk one of the many Camino routes each year in order to meet the many fascinating  people who undertake this journey.

My Australian Camino Princessess arrived in Santiago before me; not being quite ready to quit, they walked another 3 days in the rain and wind out to Finisterre and the literal end of the Camino as it drops into the Atlantic. They have been delightful company, Francesca is of Indian descent, while Ranni, which means Princess in Sanskrit, is a typical light hearted Auzzie. I met them on Day 4, on a cold, windy, and rainy day climbing up the Hill of Perdon outside of Pamplona; they took my photo with the metal pilgrim cutouts. I kept meeting them along the way. The concept of not depriving oneself just because you are a pilgrim struck me at just the right time; days of walking in cold and rain was not a lot of fun. But as a Camino Princess, you can check into a nice hotel, preferably a palace, and reinvigorate yourself for the next day. What a concept! They are traveling on independently, will meet again in Greece for a yoga retreat, then return to Australia in July and September.

I maintained my general good humor and pilgrim attitude by staying in Casa Rurals, Pensiones, small inns, only 2 albergues, and an occasional palace. A good nights sleep is a wonderful thing. There is not the social aspect of meeting as many pilgrims as you would in the albergues, but us ladies of a certain age no longer relish the open dormitory, bunk beds, noise, lack of privacy and snoring found in them.

My grand adventure here has finally ended. Shortly, I will bid Spain a hearty 'Adios,' and 'Hasta Luego,' as I depart for a REAL vacation in London with Ken. Thank you for following along with me as I walked each step and carried my pack for 500 miles. It is with a huge sense of accomplishment that I finish my journey.

I wish you a  'Buen Camino' and a Grand Adventure as you continue your travels through life!

From Parador to Seminario

The massive Parador, on the right side from the front of the Cathedral of Santiago and anchoring one side of the Plaza de Obradorio, is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the world. Although it opened as a hospital, pilgrims also were able to stay in it. The building was originally made around 2 interior courtyards, then 2 more were added a bit later. An ornate chapel  with upper level  balconies on 3 sides occupies the central crossing. The 4th side has a full length window opening into a small room. This room is now a meeting or dining room, but was originally used for the very sick and dying pilgrims. In the corner is a stone spiral staircase going down to the chapel. The patients could hear the mass through the window, and the priest could use the spiral stairs to come up quickly to give them last rites. The old vaulted stone stables are now the high end dining room. There are meeting and conference rooms and comfortable lounges scattered around the front part of the Parador. The Pilgrim Dining Room is located back by my courtyard. It is behind a service area and quite small and plain. The story is the hotel will serve a free meal to the first 10 Pilgrims who show up. I can't quite figure out how that worked, I never saw any pilgrims or employees back there.

I am now back to reality, and have moved to the San Martin Seminario Majore, only perhaps a 1/2 block away, located opposite the side of the Cathedral. I heard a guide describe the building as the 2nd largest historic building in Spain. It is so large, the photo can't show it all. Looking at the front, the right wing is a museum, now closed for renovation, the middle has a large church and cloister, the left is now a hotel. As I write this, I am in a sitting area on the 2nd floor, where there are normal wooden doors to what look like fairly large hotel rooms at normal prices. My Pilgrim room is on the 4th floor, which has about 80 rooms for pilgrims. This is the best deal in Santiago, for only €23 a night, you have a private room with bath, complete with fresh sheets, a large  towel and bar of soap, AND a breakfast buffet. This whole building used to be a Seminary, so the pilgrim rooms are what's left of where the students lived. It much better than the large, open rooms, bunk beds and unisex living of the albergues, but the Princess is missing her Parador!

There is rain today through when I leave for London. Tomorrow is a holiday so everything will be closed, but Saturday there is a festival next to the historic center. I will see Janet again tonight, Petra left for home. Friday Albert, from Holland, arrives; he is finishing the rugged Camino del Norte. Saturday, I will meet my 2 Australian Princesses I first  met on Day 3. This is truly a small world.

Pilgrim Friends and the Cathedral

The lovely breakfast room of the Parador is on the upper level, overlooking the huge Plaza de Orbeidorio with the grand Cathedral of Santiago on the left. The cathedral is not the largest or most ornate in Spain, but is one of the most important. The facade is undergoing restoration, so the entry is now through one of the lessor side doors. The huge retablo behind the altar has statuary of St James, the patron Saint of Spain and the name of the Camino and city (Tiago is James in Spanish, so Santiago is St James). The top statue is of St James on a rearing horse, representing the origin of the legend of St James appearing in a significant battle, fighting and defeating the Moors. The middle one is of St James as a Pilgrim, and the lower and most important is of St James as saint. One of the rituals of the pilgrimage, is to walk up the worn marble steps behind the altar, embrace the silver and jeweled statue, and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for a safe arrival.

The huge Pilgrim Mass is at noon every day. Even though there are not many pilgrims here yet, there were 6 priests in attendance and the 1000 seat cathedral was packed with people standing in the back of the nave and crossing. A priest announced the nationalities of organized groups, and those starting in various towns along the way. From Roncesvalles, only Italy and USA were represented. At the end of the service, a group of men in maroon robes appears, lowers the large silver censor or incense burner, lights it, starts it swinging across the crossing in front of the altar, and using the ropes, they pull and swing it so it is almost hitting the ceiling. Meanwhile, a huge cloud of incense is billowing out and the fire can be seen through the grates Spectacular! In the 'olden days', it was thought the incense would fumigate the dirty, stinky, and often diseased pilgrims.

The vestments of the priests and the altar cloth are embroidered with the red sword of  Santiago. Under the massive alter is the silver casket and tomb of St James.

While walking around town, my British friend, Terry, found me. I met him on the Meseta on Day 20 and walked with him on day 27 and 28. We has a convivial beer together, and I invited him to join my American friend, Janet, from Day 18, for dinner. Janet arrived with a new friend, Petra, from Germany. We had tapas and wine, then dinner at a seafood restaurant. As you know, I am not a big fan of fish, but here it is very fresh and I had others to help guide me. I had hake, a mild white fish, very good, while the others ordered sautéed squid, excellent, and the local specialty, sautéed octopus, or pulpo, fabulous. We shared our various meals and a bottle of red wine, vino tinto de Rioja. A fabulous evening and great fun.

Terry leaves today, but I will see Janet and Petra tonight. Stay tuned, you still need to see the Parador, designed as a pilgrim hospital under the order of Queen Isabella in 1492, opened in 1501, and in modern times converted to a luxury hotel.

A Few Thoughts

As I sit with delicious coffee con leche after a magnificent breakfast buffet in this grand old Parador, I am thinking of my journey and those who have made it possible. The decision was made almost a year ago; this meant a great deal of time spent training, painfully losing weight again, finding new boots, equipping myself with gear for cold and wet weather, and developing the mental fortitude to make a strenuous journey alone and in a country where I don't speak the language.  Although I traveled alone, you were all with me, cheering me on. And THAT is what makes it all possible. At the end of a hard day, I knew there would be some positive messages waiting in my inbox. If I have missed replying, I will blame it on the wonky WiFi; I know I didn't receive all your messages.

I walked through mountains, hills, over rivers and streams, across the plains,  through 2 cities, several towns, over 100 villages; I walked on rock paths, gravel, asphalt, crushed rock, dirt, mud, flooded fields and paths; with frequent rain, mild sunny days, cool to cold days, and even snow. It took 37 days of walking plus 3 rest days, averaging 13 miles a day, to reach Santiago. Many days were a distance of 14-17 miles. I arrived in good health and grand spirits, with no foot, leg, or hip issues.

My gear all worked beautifully to protect me from the elements and keep me warm, dry (usually), and out of the sun. My fabulous new boots from January are no longer waterproof, they look terrible and the soles are quite worn, but they got me here. For all this work, I have 2 Pilgrim Credencials filled with stamps of every place I stayed as well as many cafes and churches,  an official Compostela and a new Certificate of Distance Traveled, all in Latin. I met many interesting people along the way, have made some new friends, some of  whom I will reconnect with here in Santiago.

What did I learn? That I am quite sturdy, determined, and tough. To be healthy and fit is a magnificent blessing, it allows age to be just a state of mind. Once again, I am reminded to fully embrace the body I was given and able to train; it is what got me here. I could not have made this journey without the support of all of you; although I traveled alone, I knew I had an army behind me, encouraging and moving me along.

Now I make my pitch .... Help another deserving young woman in her quest for a college or advanced degree. If you have already contributed, I thank you for your generosity, as does Soroptimist and several unknown women; if you would like to donate, you can send a check to Soroptimist International of Vacaville, PO Boz 6054, Vacaville CA 95696-6054, or online through GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/jillwalks500miles. Any amount is appreciated. Soroptimist International of Vacaville is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization with Federal ID # 94-6130798.

Stay tuned, more events and photos are still to come, such as this Parador, the great cathedral with its massive swinging botafumiero (what could that be?),  the rabbit warren of the historic center, and other fun 'stuff.' I am not done yet.