tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64066450644206707022024-03-13T07:56:14.003-07:00To the End of the World...Follow my travels during the summer of 2011,
as I walk 600 miles with my mother, on the Camino Trail of Santiago in just over 30 days.ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-16227966930119434002011-07-24T16:13:00.009-07:002011-07-24T17:49:15.270-07:00So what happened????<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, I've been home 13 days and so many of my friends and family have asked, "What happened??? I was following your blog and you never posted anything about the final days!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I know and I am so sorry, but I have a couple of good explanations! First of all, while I was still in Spain I couldn't find a computer with a darn card reader and therefore couldn't upload any more photos. I felt like I needed pictures to accompany my last thoughts. And then when I got home...well, honestly I just couldn't bring myself to turn on my computer. No REALLY!! I had no desire to surf the internet, look at my blog or log into Facebook. And those who know me, will agree when I say that it was so unlike me! I resisted as long as I could, but I have finally given in--only to some extent :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was great to get home and see my family, but I must say that I have had a hard time adjusting to reality. I feel like I'm in limbo. I feel so out of the loop and lost without the trail. My responsibilities at home, work and church are slowly creeping their way back into my routine and causing me to miss the Camino more and more each day. Even with all the pain and struggles that I had, I would love to be back out in nature with my boots and trek poles. Heck, I even miss hand washing my clothes--well, maybe only a little! haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think what I miss most is the simplicity of the trail and being unplugged from a world that is always on fast forward. I miss NOT having to choose my outfit for the day or NOT spending an hour doing my hair! I miss the friendly faces of my fellow pilgrims with their helping hands and caring attitudes. I miss being in a state of mind where you don't worry about anything anymore. You don't worry about what you will have for dinner, where you will sleep that night or where you are going the next day. You just let things happen and accept them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to walk every step. I'm grateful that my mom was willing to go with me and walk the trail for the third time! I'm grateful for the wonderful people that I met along the way. They will never know how much they have influenced my life with their words and kindness. I will never forget them! I have learned that it doesn't matter where you come from or what you do for a living, but we are all connected and can easily make a friend by offering a smile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have included some photos from the last day as we walked to Finesterre--THE END OF THE WORLD. I am so glad that we decided to continue as this was probably the best and most beautiful part of the whole trail. It was a great feeling to walk into Santiago, but it was an AMAZING feeling when we reached the coast and the Atlantic ocean.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks to all those who have followed us on our journey. I felt your love and support every step of the way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>~Yvette</i></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2MKfQhwRAWCk1Kn3eHA1CdxeoWb2FyJQIHpYslEeAkv-5sMFUfduLII5kWv9I3H-wfb33W9fnrcrsg_1YzUcXQgJHLFQUHHnGclYUCy3j4pMjNhaZhwqif77_FXCI9ENL6voCA4YmdY/s1600/SSCN5924w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2MKfQhwRAWCk1Kn3eHA1CdxeoWb2FyJQIHpYslEeAkv-5sMFUfduLII5kWv9I3H-wfb33W9fnrcrsg_1YzUcXQgJHLFQUHHnGclYUCy3j4pMjNhaZhwqif77_FXCI9ENL6voCA4YmdY/s320/SSCN5924w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On the way to Finesterre!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoygcKXcJzECjG1t7-MKTTFIkFZwfcUoMEWSedKrTWmfLBpaMoCzy70LSq_muE5P9nr6F13WSHv3PKZvlEnDnK5cQLKmo7wNMYztno_OruOw0ZMyGYXay1JxqtCuazBHugvpeqDxcYV4/s1600/SSCN5923w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoygcKXcJzECjG1t7-MKTTFIkFZwfcUoMEWSedKrTWmfLBpaMoCzy70LSq_muE5P9nr6F13WSHv3PKZvlEnDnK5cQLKmo7wNMYztno_OruOw0ZMyGYXay1JxqtCuazBHugvpeqDxcYV4/s320/SSCN5923w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Coming over the mountain and seeing the ocean was an amazing feeling! It was a sense of accomplishment that I've never felt before.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gK9Z3Gkgx1HZzxmfJAfd-QM4D19ocUwppa2Q6UXCCfhgmQvSoASSG59OhNIk8yd0tiWAk5BDqsAgL5Wf7GW7VL6OKEErWiQNLZyfNXZ6tTfrLxEknejW78Dp_fjnKm1pSsaog6to5sA/s1600/SSCN5920w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gK9Z3Gkgx1HZzxmfJAfd-QM4D19ocUwppa2Q6UXCCfhgmQvSoASSG59OhNIk8yd0tiWAk5BDqsAgL5Wf7GW7VL6OKEErWiQNLZyfNXZ6tTfrLxEknejW78Dp_fjnKm1pSsaog6to5sA/s320/SSCN5920w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last marker telling us that we had truly made it!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40Rlzs-NyM9Hm85E2AwPET_ApXLZsL6rMMrSqhZEmDKkvn8WkPcrg152doaatuLRB_Y9W2zET3aQst1wg8bEslYRD3YJnmkgnTi2BlQxQrjKWmxe92LvjPAJVNyOPl6hDqv3R3LWTkrg/s1600/SSCN5921w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40Rlzs-NyM9Hm85E2AwPET_ApXLZsL6rMMrSqhZEmDKkvn8WkPcrg152doaatuLRB_Y9W2zET3aQst1wg8bEslYRD3YJnmkgnTi2BlQxQrjKWmxe92LvjPAJVNyOPl6hDqv3R3LWTkrg/s320/SSCN5921w.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">ZERO!!!!!! Accomplished in 37 days!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwu453E8akjqJ46piIduWPHa3TsNQn_stCvs3q3Z0ci3xp0SUBxHKR6EysLIGpC8OZQexsGlVvc8ZtohMY0iLjoapdTjlKhOddHmk0CKbnvFicP0GQCGo6dkMvX1jYAlAZ6EYBlP2sgY/s1600/SSCN5919w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwu453E8akjqJ46piIduWPHa3TsNQn_stCvs3q3Z0ci3xp0SUBxHKR6EysLIGpC8OZQexsGlVvc8ZtohMY0iLjoapdTjlKhOddHmk0CKbnvFicP0GQCGo6dkMvX1jYAlAZ6EYBlP2sgY/s320/SSCN5919w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We felt so great that day!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmcYNbyNS4Xdd7tZVMf1wdqLahI5znws2fUlk-9nu6bxqfXmWTAcNNopMi8EwYeSZ_zDTdTzmBJ1SyDTaI1_pTQXDbqRMNuLHzNWmpGxFT0uyVjFe-1GDQDEbYZAJ6JzdiqZQ4UfVqrw/s1600/SSCN5918w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmcYNbyNS4Xdd7tZVMf1wdqLahI5znws2fUlk-9nu6bxqfXmWTAcNNopMi8EwYeSZ_zDTdTzmBJ1SyDTaI1_pTQXDbqRMNuLHzNWmpGxFT0uyVjFe-1GDQDEbYZAJ6JzdiqZQ4UfVqrw/s320/SSCN5918w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made it to the END OF THE WORLD!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY04xLok1VPh2QVa52LDZkOdcdyDP3fDI327WfeII0gCW1ZeV0yu21UOM8QV4zek4t8ulXa8qhAlrvukw9VaGQmzIU8vnl9MOzt837yIDEFfQ3ib4um9MAxCGWKtYny0QesTDTXh7mF4/s1600/SSCN5961w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY04xLok1VPh2QVa52LDZkOdcdyDP3fDI327WfeII0gCW1ZeV0yu21UOM8QV4zek4t8ulXa8qhAlrvukw9VaGQmzIU8vnl9MOzt837yIDEFfQ3ib4um9MAxCGWKtYny0QesTDTXh7mF4/s320/SSCN5961w.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So proud of my mom for her accomplishments!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0V2xbLBfy_32YqbNXC7SwGqaoZbpr6awtlhRk1d-CwKbLjHrrfT-_i_Q6uYUX09aBrEZl-7jDmKKfUWfp-MsdX5AJ-3NZEntKnm5NEZSaHe6GhV80-EqndV-R0ckR9fXMK2iaVwE46M/s1600/SSCN5958w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0V2xbLBfy_32YqbNXC7SwGqaoZbpr6awtlhRk1d-CwKbLjHrrfT-_i_Q6uYUX09aBrEZl-7jDmKKfUWfp-MsdX5AJ-3NZEntKnm5NEZSaHe6GhV80-EqndV-R0ckR9fXMK2iaVwE46M/s320/SSCN5958w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The ocean was more beautiful than I had imagined!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWVc1pv0TezT8ZXktanHsJc0-3L84i7IQUkrLyoblRXDxH_vt3f8b5aAdDaYmhm6FPJ3OI0cuMevEOmOZqZl2WxEt6KlLYsAWwh-6rPh9zuedOYkCQn67GA8ScZzzdw4BT9kdhrovuFA/s1600/SSCN5959w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWVc1pv0TezT8ZXktanHsJc0-3L84i7IQUkrLyoblRXDxH_vt3f8b5aAdDaYmhm6FPJ3OI0cuMevEOmOZqZl2WxEt6KlLYsAWwh-6rPh9zuedOYkCQn67GA8ScZzzdw4BT9kdhrovuFA/s320/SSCN5959w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My mom celebrated with her favorite beverage--wine and I stuck with my Agua con Gas (mineral water)! haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DWEtI-GfvHmJukWf8sj7YMq4HdngxRf55p6A7K0swFBDOHh1GIC-ckhhZcELi748Qg_nK-i-vCm8MrAx2FR5lS3Ydv3Oum6XMiBjnfKwbLVsOdSJTF7R4YNP2KhztESJmibooAiaxUE/s1600/SSCN5922w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DWEtI-GfvHmJukWf8sj7YMq4HdngxRf55p6A7K0swFBDOHh1GIC-ckhhZcELi748Qg_nK-i-vCm8MrAx2FR5lS3Ydv3Oum6XMiBjnfKwbLVsOdSJTF7R4YNP2KhztESJmibooAiaxUE/s320/SSCN5922w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We received our 2nd certificate, declaring that we walked to Finesterre.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjDFmo6y8FAC5rfhdQjg4wDq6uFdsHpcqj9iPCBAqRu7TOmiXnAWrDtUzULZ8Zl-Iu70Z2-5K75qyVAsAcgUZwg4mk9L7PpSCWaG8a4JWJAuoEzd-iETFHArf1Sm2tKEL5NAWoQhGy9g/s1600/SSCN5960w.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjDFmo6y8FAC5rfhdQjg4wDq6uFdsHpcqj9iPCBAqRu7TOmiXnAWrDtUzULZ8Zl-Iu70Z2-5K75qyVAsAcgUZwg4mk9L7PpSCWaG8a4JWJAuoEzd-iETFHArf1Sm2tKEL5NAWoQhGy9g/s320/SSCN5960w.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Along the trail we received many stamps from the cities that we stayed in,<br />
but this was the ULTIMATE stamp!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">VIDEO:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf3_d6dxti0">What now?</a></span><br />
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</div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-76705237881029815482011-07-04T11:27:00.001-07:002011-07-04T11:41:25.717-07:00Back In The Saddle Again!!Well, it looks like we are on the trail again!! We spent 2 days in Santiago and fortunately my mom recovered very quickly. We walked around, sat around, took a nap, ate great food, litened to some fantastic musicians, took some photos, did some shopping, took a tour and realized that we were completely bored! We are much happier when we are walking. Crazy, huh?! So, we decided to give Finesterre another try! Originally, we had planned 4 days for the 55 miles trip but now we only have three so, we have to really pick up the pace. We may end up taking a taxi somewhere in between to help us cover ground. We have to be back in Santiago on Thursday night and will be flying to London on Friday.<br />
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Today we left at 6:30am. It was amazing to see the square in front of the Cathedral, completely empty, quiet and dark. During the day, there are hundreds of people wondering around. But this morning it was only us--very nice. We headed out with no real map or information about the Camino to Finesterre. But, again we have complete faith in the yellow arrows and will rely on their direction.<br />
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We were pleasently surprised with the the landscape. It is beautiful and lush. We both agreed that it is probably one of the best on the entire trail. So glad we decided to come!<br />
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Here are a few pics from this week....<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Made it to Santiago!! Standing in front of the Cathedral. It´s definitely a masterpiece!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKoRASQ4z_kG5YFSDy7gRfl1T8ZGqFMqGgAK-Enh9xr67Rjj_J8ktU4LuhbQcXzFZmECdwoUgTsD1RtTck8vkh973lH6CcqC70scNrFDaOrwnOylp4Bq6nAI17g8oLfC5UGZRs0EfnO8/s1600/SSCN5819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKoRASQ4z_kG5YFSDy7gRfl1T8ZGqFMqGgAK-Enh9xr67Rjj_J8ktU4LuhbQcXzFZmECdwoUgTsD1RtTck8vkh973lH6CcqC70scNrFDaOrwnOylp4Bq6nAI17g8oLfC5UGZRs0EfnO8/s320/SSCN5819.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI525AHrsYm0VYwe08UFnoYfRbTfhHLcW-g9J9-mOxFHIfiZZdgxWFZixX7mi6Re-BmCJ6cmTyooKeHeqomInEViBW61zhdEbIO10UBiVZ0VhVd6rreuWZqklNvdIh3R6e_iH6VVfW9c/s1600/SSCN5820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI525AHrsYm0VYwe08UFnoYfRbTfhHLcW-g9J9-mOxFHIfiZZdgxWFZixX7mi6Re-BmCJ6cmTyooKeHeqomInEViBW61zhdEbIO10UBiVZ0VhVd6rreuWZqklNvdIh3R6e_iH6VVfW9c/s320/SSCN5820.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Vegetable paella! Yummy!! I can´t believe how much we´ve eaten!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aoAhj7cvpvOTTOpxrak6M8koFTTRX9QgHM2lyR7rACkPOWps4_bk-ABXEYKCNR37VAr-YkUPz0rIKOuj_9HELIa6zVhGBPMLhVA93MWvg8hbsKjiUZFViOijfhxXk0YK4n_2NKLCv0A/s1600/SSCN5821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aoAhj7cvpvOTTOpxrak6M8koFTTRX9QgHM2lyR7rACkPOWps4_bk-ABXEYKCNR37VAr-YkUPz0rIKOuj_9HELIa6zVhGBPMLhVA93MWvg8hbsKjiUZFViOijfhxXk0YK4n_2NKLCv0A/s320/SSCN5821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">My mom proudly displaying her third Camino certificate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKecoiGyzsyjQxqxJ4RFn1cV_CQgGel4MpfTyVfLwMrIHnmCFYGgynuijsEoJxM2hjOuFCoxKXrTYmpFuDmQAH5ZmapJVNWAM-YgbcUZS1Sk7wfSIRLYGYCbwIm12sDwPKrInnYFkMZoA/s1600/SSCN5822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKecoiGyzsyjQxqxJ4RFn1cV_CQgGel4MpfTyVfLwMrIHnmCFYGgynuijsEoJxM2hjOuFCoxKXrTYmpFuDmQAH5ZmapJVNWAM-YgbcUZS1Sk7wfSIRLYGYCbwIm12sDwPKrInnYFkMZoA/s320/SSCN5822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This was about a week ago. The weather went from HOT to COLD overnight.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was wearing everything I owned that day! My mom said that I looked scary! haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDkllXILwNPW8ulHwt7RXOgV2oknQca7io1oePkPgAdaFJ46D_PXE9YKcuX6IqOn1rW_UKksBTXNNWI5MKRNWx1VnA6L58kgauHqxTmssdF89yogur5NscXfi6REO6MwuIV2Qx_-f-Bw/s1600/SSCN5823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDkllXILwNPW8ulHwt7RXOgV2oknQca7io1oePkPgAdaFJ46D_PXE9YKcuX6IqOn1rW_UKksBTXNNWI5MKRNWx1VnA6L58kgauHqxTmssdF89yogur5NscXfi6REO6MwuIV2Qx_-f-Bw/s320/SSCN5823.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Today´s lunch. I have to say that I´m a bit tired of french fries.</div><div style="text-align: center;">We have them with almost every meal. Although they do give us the calories that we need to walk 20 miles :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkXq0NT9lMV2DH8_bHQIkxthyphenhyphenACeZAOFmWW017M5wOcQDOk1Aluw6QryPclmmKNdmPgIVL-W1Xt_7ulvl_wowbfl7vVdI-txCXbCHgsQ-cN6wqnquUfxr0VNuNVRzMxhjao0tPpBqIh0/s1600/SSCN5847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpkXq0NT9lMV2DH8_bHQIkxthyphenhyphenACeZAOFmWW017M5wOcQDOk1Aluw6QryPclmmKNdmPgIVL-W1Xt_7ulvl_wowbfl7vVdI-txCXbCHgsQ-cN6wqnquUfxr0VNuNVRzMxhjao0tPpBqIh0/s320/SSCN5847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">On our way to Finesterre, we came across a beautiful town with a river going thru it. The camera will NEVER do it justice. It was one of the most beautiful sites we´ve seen on the entire trail.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu1og7QNUj2lNkaFadaYHzXHu27-jl6QyWX5y46ufrXEvU_eGMFjGtrXPwel3nTB2MislJtgXVI6xFq4dSDiXKyq3FvmxHvSIIMq1jJSlRMmWk7__6pWJeWC9k4f18XnoxcXeM0IGEIk/s1600/SSCN5848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPu1og7QNUj2lNkaFadaYHzXHu27-jl6QyWX5y46ufrXEvU_eGMFjGtrXPwel3nTB2MislJtgXVI6xFq4dSDiXKyq3FvmxHvSIIMq1jJSlRMmWk7__6pWJeWC9k4f18XnoxcXeM0IGEIk/s320/SSCN5848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O22X_6ar28H_l8g6Wf-m4AeaLUdWz8_2lekphaYJwGV5c_NfIP7q1f2bmp82afiLnb4-fB9fTlm6te4Jx2UnSJwvMGomOdjz-TTtUURZmbHwbrOwBQIu9Pfjzjlsl4gxu_6SUzQXWHQ/s1600/SSCN5849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O22X_6ar28H_l8g6Wf-m4AeaLUdWz8_2lekphaYJwGV5c_NfIP7q1f2bmp82afiLnb4-fB9fTlm6te4Jx2UnSJwvMGomOdjz-TTtUURZmbHwbrOwBQIu9Pfjzjlsl4gxu_6SUzQXWHQ/s320/SSCN5849.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in Santiago. It would be odd back home, but here in Spain it´s very common for musicians to set up right in the middle of the street. The surrounding buildings make for some amazing acoustics. This orchestra had to have professional musicians. The music they played was so beautiful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6waAcrozqicIGQXa5rs0PwJp1b7J-GPNStrrsdAZSAGc4G_X4YYz2codLgOWjHmEusBSA81RzgVo4n5byrDG_hLAf8wZFN3Br4DEI0_3hAnWsnQO_E2v_b9nPJPk4KyzI9EBlipM6a54/s1600/SSCN5850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6waAcrozqicIGQXa5rs0PwJp1b7J-GPNStrrsdAZSAGc4G_X4YYz2codLgOWjHmEusBSA81RzgVo4n5byrDG_hLAf8wZFN3Br4DEI0_3hAnWsnQO_E2v_b9nPJPk4KyzI9EBlipM6a54/s320/SSCN5850.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is us taking in some caffeine before we head up the mountain at O´Cebrerio.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFqWKwyDQkkMZl97WGIOCBMD2btVIvo48tQWRs9WIzzHi9RnCN7rtPFTmWSAztl8aCkm_CDkkgLaan7MAOJY_7e-HNXFoRk1eApm9-RzW77j3Nco2-AxR6ruYZD00fuhHqKDgtBu110I/s1600/SSCN5851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFqWKwyDQkkMZl97WGIOCBMD2btVIvo48tQWRs9WIzzHi9RnCN7rtPFTmWSAztl8aCkm_CDkkgLaan7MAOJY_7e-HNXFoRk1eApm9-RzW77j3Nco2-AxR6ruYZD00fuhHqKDgtBu110I/s320/SSCN5851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Yes, I´ve really pee´d outside behind bushes! My mom caught this shot of me coming back out onto the road! haha</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSZq2dbgbfvFIzZQl8yKYC4LikdD0rLbLXims5nHdr36Csc2RaoLp3LFaEMZxywpfC34xg3FgxcG5Qx2ywnwqSOuZA-CO_2dNmjr3PZXEanIjDE6IsrfQDJ75g2qgFEJj54Sl4WAsH9s/s1600/SSCN5852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSZq2dbgbfvFIzZQl8yKYC4LikdD0rLbLXims5nHdr36Csc2RaoLp3LFaEMZxywpfC34xg3FgxcG5Qx2ywnwqSOuZA-CO_2dNmjr3PZXEanIjDE6IsrfQDJ75g2qgFEJj54Sl4WAsH9s/s320/SSCN5852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Flowers are everywhere! I´ve been puting them in my pack and on the back of my hat. We expecially love to carry sprigs of lavendar!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByvr_fpyjkHICFMqkjPFO06xBKMroP983bdrzfqVZghMSeUzdgWL9PZF7S2gBx4f1VRMtELef_0-RHy3BYskwlW_TmV-_V1QjV9dThPen3LXJQaOqfd6hKX69OgrYp-6xh7krgtT8KBU/s1600/SSCN5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByvr_fpyjkHICFMqkjPFO06xBKMroP983bdrzfqVZghMSeUzdgWL9PZF7S2gBx4f1VRMtELef_0-RHy3BYskwlW_TmV-_V1QjV9dThPen3LXJQaOqfd6hKX69OgrYp-6xh7krgtT8KBU/s320/SSCN5853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-68760694282766690782011-07-02T05:18:00.003-07:002011-07-02T13:02:35.679-07:00So Close and Yet So FarYesterday, we were very close to Santiago--only 5 or 6 miles away. We decided to walk a longer distance and quit outside of Santiago, in hopes that we could arrive early in the city and find a place to stay. We went thru our daily rituals of showering, washing clothes and napping. When we awoke about 7pm, we went down to dinner and my mom mentioned that she was not feeling so good. She tried to eat her beautiful salad, but her stomach would not allow her to finish. She decided to head up stairs and go to bed early. I, on the other hand, finished my huge steak and french fries:)<br />
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During the night, she began to feel more nauseated. We were worried because several of our Camino friends had similar symptoms and became very ill. She did not sleep well and continued to feel nauseated. When the alarm went off, she announced that she would have to take a taxi into the city. I agreed that it was a good idea. Then, I began to think about how close we were and I didn´t want to take a car after coming all this way. I suggested that I walk and meet her there. She said that this was the most important part of the trail and really wanted to give it a try. She got up and started to pack. After about 5 minutes, she forfeited the attempt and agreed to take the taxi. She went back to bed and I left with my pack. We agreed to meet in 4 hours in front of the Santiago Cathedral.<br />
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I´m not sure if I ran or flew, but I made it in record time! As I came into Santiago and made my way thru the large city, a thought came to my mind... Here I was all alone, in a foreign country, not able to speak the language well, without a map and had never been to this place before---but yet, I was completely at peace. I had no worries about where I was going or when I would get there. I felt completely safe and comfortable. I followed the yellow arrows and trusted their direction. I walked thru alleys, neighborhoods and busy intersections--all with no cares in the world. Finally, I arrived at the main square and laid my eyes on the Cathedral for the first time. It was so massive and the detail was amazing! It was still very early and there were only about 5 others besides myself in square. I stood there quietly and peacefully and thought about our accomplishments over the last 5 weeks. That in itself was just as amazing as the cathedral. I still can´t believe that we´ve come so far--by foot!<br />
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I hadn´t eaten breakfast and was started to hear grumbling in my stomach. I decided to wonder around and look for a bar (cafe) and order a croissant and cola coa (hot chocolate). Right away, I ran into some ladies that we met weeks earlier. They are from South Africa and invited me to sit with them. I told them about my mom being sick and how I had walked in alone. They suggested that I go right away and get my Compostella (certificate). I left and made my way thru town looking for the Pilgrim´s office. Within minutes I was at the office and presented my pilgrim´s passport. This has documentation of my travels with stamps from every city that we´ve stopped in. They handed me a beautiful certificate with my name written in Latin and offered congratulations. With a big grin I said,"Muchas Gracias!" and accepted it.<br />
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I went back out to the square and again ran into other pilgrim friends. We all hugged and offered congratulations to one another. Within a few minutes, my mom came walking around the corner. We were both very surprised to see each other there so early. I was glad to see that she was feeling well enough to make it to the Cathedral. She had taken the taxi and already checked us into our hotel. I felt bad that she was so close, but yet too far to walk in her condition. At noon, we headed back to the Cathedral for the Pilgrim Mass. The inside of the Cathedral is beautiful! It was standing room only and we had 2nd row seats. As soon as it was over, my mom decided to go back to the hotel room and lay down for a while. She definitely needs rest for a speedy recovery.<br />
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Unfortunately, I don´t think she is up to walking to Finesterre. We would have 3 or 4 days of 30-34 km--IN A ROW! As we have watched our pilgrim friends recover from this bug, they are not up for walking such long distances. So, as of now we have decided to stay one more night in Santiago and possible go by bus for the remaining 50 miles. If we had more time, we would give it a try--but at this point, we would not make it in time for our flight home. Sure there is some disappointment, but when I think about what we´ve accomplished, we have nothing to be ashamed of! Especially my mom, as this is her third time to walk the entire Camino! Walking any futher could cause her to become more ill and that´s just not worth it.<br />
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I´ll keep you posted and let you know how my mom is doing. If I get a chance later this eveing, I will post some photos.<br />
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Buenos Dias Amigos!<br />
Yvetteycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-85476056069056792772011-07-01T12:24:00.002-07:002011-07-01T12:30:00.789-07:00Day 31 (I think) We´re almost there!!<b>Mileage to date: 800 km or 497 miles! </b><br />
<b>Actually, we have walked close to 540 miles. This is figured by taking into account the mountain ascent and descents.</b><br />
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Well, we did a very long 20+ miles today in the hot sun. We chose to stop at 4pm and just 5 miles outside of Santiago. By stopping here, we will arrive early tomorrow and have a better chance of finding a hotel room. There are many, many more pilgrims now than there was in the beginning! We will also get in line to receive our first certificate and information about Finesterre. We are anxious to meet up with our Camino friends as we enter Santiago. Everyone is planning to celebrate by attending the noon mass at the Cathedral and then dinner that night. It will be a great celebration!<br />
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We had originally planned to walk to Finesterre in 3 days, but people are telling us that we will need at least 4. We will have to do 18-20 miles for 3 days in a row!! We haven´t had to do that yet and I hope we are up to it. I have decided to ship my pack ahead each day. I want to enjoy walking without weight and possible ankle pain for the last few days. I think it will be a good choice!<br />
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It´s almost 9:30pm and I need to get to bed. We´ve got a busy week ahead! Hugs and kisses to everyone!ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-28223845066377036222011-06-29T11:26:00.000-07:002011-06-29T11:26:50.896-07:00The Camino is NOT for Wimps!I have had several conversations with my fellow pilgrims, who say that their friends think they are on a wonderful, relaxing vacation. OH BROTHER!! i am here to tell you that the Camino is not for wimps! It has been one of the hardest things I have ever done! So far in my blog, I´ve highlighted the fun, interesting and beautiful things that we´ve seen and done. I´ve also thrown in a few hard experiences. But, let me tell you more about the things that we´ve had to go through. <br />
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In my opinion, the Camino is a personal challenge. It isn´t so much a sight seeing tour (at least the way we have been doing it), but more of an athletic event. I am truly amazed at the extent at which I´ve been able to push my body, mind and spirit. I have walked with excruciating pain for weeks from blisters, and joint & tendon pain. I have been so cold that I had to wear ALL of my clothing. I have been so hot, that my clothes were completely saturated with sweat--down to my underwear and socks! I have been so exhausted and felt like there was no way I could take another steph. But, somehow I found the will to keep going and walk 15-20 miles EVERYDAY! I´ve learned so much about myself and what I´m capable of. I´ve also learned that I can do <i>anything!</i> I can do anything if I am prepared, if I take it step by step and if I ask for the Lord´s help. Many days when I knew that I couldn´t go on, I prayed that Heavenly Father would give me the strength and courage I needed to continue. I promised Him that I would keep moving my feet and not stop until I reached my goal if he would give me the energy and will to go on. There were times when the heat seemed to be unbearable because there hadn´t been any shade ont the trail. But time and time again, a little miracle would present itself...Just as I was at the end of my rope, a pocket of shade would appear from a tree and a cool breeze would blow across my face. Each time, I would thank God for this blessing and promise to keep moving. I knew he was there and would not leave me alone. Not everyone can come to the Camino trail, but it would be so wonderful if each of us could find something that would push us to our limits--something that would show you how far you can really go physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Camino trail has truly been the hardest thing I´ve every done, but also the most amazing. I´m grateful for the opportunity and Heavenly Father´s watchful hand.<br />
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<i>Yvette</i>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-28852152592168590842011-06-29T11:08:00.003-07:002011-07-01T12:29:20.715-07:00Day 30 And We´re Back!!Wow, it has been a whole week since I¨ve been able to get to a computer. Somehow we got off track and have been ending up in tiny towns. No one seems to have a public computer or phone! Fortunately, I have still been writing in my journal and can give you some highlights.<br />
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<b>Mileage to date: 767 km or 477 miles! </b><br />
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We are in Palas del Rei today and ONLY 42 miles from Santiago!! Then it´s only another 55 miles to Finesterre!!! I can´t believe after so many weeks that we are only 2 days away from Santiago. The sad thing is that it will take us 2 full days to walk there and in a car we could reach it in 30 minutes! LOL Santiago is the end for many, but a limited few will walk to Finesterre. When we reach Santiago, we will be presented with a certificate and we will receive a second one in Finesterre.<br />
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There are many more people on the Camino right now. Many people start about 10 days out and still receive a certificate. If you ask me--that´s cheating! LOL There are many high school students who come with their teacher as a final project or Senior trip. They are fun and full of energy. My mom and I keep commenting about the fact that teenagers act the same no matter where they are from :)<br />
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So, when I made the last post we were in a town called Rabanal. Here are some of the week´s highlights...<br />
<ul><li>After we left Rabanal, we finally made it to Cruz to Ferro. This is where I left the stones that I brought from home. I was very excited to reach this point. We took many photos and some video. I left a rock that my friends signed, a rock that said SASSY on it and an Arizona key chain (from the Stewarts), along with an American flag key chain. It was so fun to see all of the other items that had been left before me.</li>
<li>On the same day, it was very hot and many of our Camino friends were ill. We couldn´t figure out if it was the food, water or dehydration. In the end, they think that it may have been a virus. We were lucky enough to be passed over. On our way into the next town, we saw some police on the trail. They were waiting for an ambulance to pick up a hiker. She was curled up in a ball on the ground. She had been vomiting and was badly dehydrated. She was taken to the hospital and fortunately released 2 hours later. All of the pilgrims were very concerned and praying for her and the others who were ill.</li>
<li>That night we had dinner at the Albergue. We met a man who must have been 75. He is doing the Camino trail backwards by bike. I´m not sure where he started, but by the time he reached Santiago he had already ridden 1000km --over 600 miles!! I think he had another 1000km to reach his home! AMAZING! A couple of days ago, we also saw a young guy riding a unicycle on the trail! I wished I had gotten a photo! He was too quick and I was too slow!</li>
<li>As I mentioned, the weather has been pretty hot. People were complaining and we didn´t think it was that bad. When we reached Villafranca, we checked into an albergue. It was old but comfortable. The temperature dropped a bit in the afternoon and everyone was happy. I was starting to get a chill and put on a jacket. When it was bedtime, my mom offerered her sleeping bag to me. By the way, she hasn´t even used it! She covers up with her silver emergency blanket and does well. Anyway, that night ended up being FREEZING! We realized that there was a 5 inch space along the floor. The wind howled that night and needless to say we didn´t get much sleep. When we left the next morning, I was wearing just about every piece of clothing I had. I even had my face covered! We decided to quit early that day and treat ourselves to our first Hotel! They even had a TV!! LOL It was so nice to have our own space and even a bathtub! Both of us took a turn soaking in a hot bath :) We needed the good rest, because the next day would be our steepest climb yet--O´Cebreiro.</li>
<li>For 4 weeks, I have been hearing about how steep the climb is to O´Cebreiro. People were saying that they were going to ship their packs ahead and some were even going to skip the entire thing. My mom kept telling me that I needed to take my time and go slow. We started our ascent after my mom had a coffee and I had a Coke. I don´t know what the big deal was! I practically ran up the hill! It felt so great after being in so much pain for so many weeks. I kept thinking that it was going to get worse, but it never did. I think we´ve done climbs that were longer and harder than this one. But, it was a relief to get it done.</li>
<li>After O´Cebreiro, we decided to keep going. We were coming to a town at the top of yet another mountain. It was called Alto de Poio. Geez!! That was much worse than the last climb. It was hot and there was no shade. When we finally reached the top, we opted to stay at one of only two buildings in town. It was an old hotel, but we didn´t care. Again, we got a good night sleep and planned to leave earlier in the morning to beat the heat. We hadn´t gone more than 2 miles when we saw a new albergue! My mom had forgotten that it was there. We were kinda bummed because it would have been nicer and cheaper than the hotel we chose--plus, we could have spent time with our Camino friends. As we walked past, some pilgrims came out to join us. They said that it was a terrible morning and were feeling pretty bad. Apparently, four pilgrims had been robbed and $400 Euros had been stolen. They said that everyone was mad and accusing each other. Many were sad, because they hadn´t experienced anything like this and it put a damper on the Camino spirit. I´m glad we decided to stay where we were.</li>
<li>On the same day, we had planned to walk all the way to Sarria--little did we know that would change. So, the weather has been quite unpredictable during the last week. First it was hot, then cold and now hot again. A Red Alert (heat advisory) was issued this day for Spain. It was all over the news and the Spanish people were suffering. From what I could tell, the temperature reached 37 degrees Celcius which is 98 degrees Fahrenheit. They said that it was the worst heat Spain has seen in 50 years!! We had plenty of water and chose a mountain route which provided plenty of shade, so we weren´t worried. As the day went on, we could feel the heat taking it´s toll on us. Finally about 3pm and too far from Sarria, we just couldn´t take it anymore. With heat exhaustion, we found a little mirage in the desert...a Pension! A pension is the highest quality hotel. We walked in with beet red faces and asked for water. My mom also asked if they had any rooms available. The lady said yes, but it would cost us $70 Euros ($100). We looked at each other and decided against it. Maybe we could rest and make it to the next town. The lady quickly made another offer...$35 Euros! We happily accepted and she showed us to our nice, clean, cool and private room! During the night, it was very humid and so about 1:30am, my mom opened up the window. We thought we could hear thunder and saw lightning in the distance. </li>
<li>In the morning, it was definitely more humid and the heat was still there. My mom had been telling me about a cute little bed & breakfast that she wanted to show me. We arrived at 11:30am and called it quits for the day. That is very, very early for us to be stopping--but we had already been walking for 5 hours! When we arrived my clothes were completely saturated from sweat. Fortunately, we had been drinking plenty of water flavored with electrolyte tablets. The Casa Rural (B&B) was very cute and they treated us well. They gave us our own little cottage and charged us only half of the original price :)</li>
<li>Again, we woke up extra early and planned to leave by 6am in order to beat the heat. We would be walking thru the forest and it was very dark, so we opted to go back to bed for 45 minutes and wait for light. When we finally were on our way, we were FREEZING! We just kept saying over and over, how grateful we were that the heat was gone. The fog was so thick and there was a mist in the air. As we continued to walk, it began to rain but we didn´t mind it at all!!</li>
<li>It has been freezing cold ever since! This morning, I had 3 shirts on with my rain jacket, my gloves, a face guard and my hat--and I was still cold! The heat should be past us as we are nearing the coast.</li>
<li>Yesterday, we met a man from Madrid. He is 82 years old and had walked all the way from Madrid to join the Camino trail!! He´s full of energy and is an inspiration!</li>
<li>We are now in Palas de Rei and purposely stopped early so we could have access to the computers and phone. </li>
<li>Yesterday, I dropped my camera while the lens was extended. Unfortunately, it´s not working anymore :( But, I still have my video cam which also takes still photos, so I should be good to go!</li>
</ul>We will be home in about 10 days! I can´t believe it´s almost over. I was telling my mom this morning that I am missing home and ready to sleep in my own bed. I´m sure, I will be missing the Camino life in a few months:)ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-19581874444820162162011-06-21T10:34:00.001-07:002011-06-21T10:39:52.407-07:00Go back to your Childhood on the Camino...Today´s post is a short one. I hadn´t plan to write anything, but couldn´t resist sharing this.<br />
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My mom and I took a nap this afternoon and when we woke up, we were discussing the day and what what was ahead---- we couldn´t stop laughing! We decided to create an advertisement that might help others want to join us on the Camino. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Return To Your Childhood</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>By Going On </b><b>The Camino</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Wake up at the crack of dawn--much earlier than anyone else is ready too!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Use vaseline on your buns to prevent chaffing!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Don´t comb your hair or brush your teeth if you don´t want too!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Have cookies, cake or candy for breakfast if you want!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Spend your days learning to walk!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Your mom will bribe you with ice cream to get you to walk to her!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Play outside ALL day!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">If you can´t find a toilet close by--pee outside!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Learn to tie your shoes!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Take a 3 hour nap every afternoon!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Go to bed before everyone else does!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Have no cares of the world!</span></b></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Only responsibilities are to EAT, POOP, PLAY & SLEEP!</span></b></li>
</ul>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-46852542427660718022011-06-19T09:38:00.004-07:002011-06-19T09:47:39.161-07:00A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mileage to date: 487 km or 302 miles</b></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b> <span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Father´s Day</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">to my Dad, My Husband & My Son, Chase!</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;">We love you! </span></span> </b></div><br />
<b>As I am always limited on time when using the computer, I decided to upload some more photos. They will help tell the activities of the week...</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
We met these children in Leon. They are from South Korea and are traveling throughout the world for 10 months--with their teacher. They are ages 9 thru 13 and they have been walking on the camino!! They started in the same city that we did and are also carrying instruments. In each town, they give a concert wearing traditional Korean dress and singing many songs. They are so well behaved and very polite. I was amazed at how young they are. After they finish the Camino they will be traveling to such places as Turkey, India and South America.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6VXTqDp9b1Zr6Wao0hIU-WPjGrHFlfV3iD1OxNFmqLC97O4ydatCRKxnoXkyonZeZGB9WXKkLke9A92xunnJVV3NwlAk2bXsOc1mAIhID8GAMoVS3A4F45e5Y-6818DzeKuUSsHxtdA/s1600/SSCN5860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6VXTqDp9b1Zr6Wao0hIU-WPjGrHFlfV3iD1OxNFmqLC97O4ydatCRKxnoXkyonZeZGB9WXKkLke9A92xunnJVV3NwlAk2bXsOc1mAIhID8GAMoVS3A4F45e5Y-6818DzeKuUSsHxtdA/s320/SSCN5860.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> Don´t hate me girls, but this is a typical breakfast for us!! There are no eggs and bacon for breakfast. It is usually pastries, toast & jam, coffee, hot chocolate or fresh squeezed OJ. I was actually afraid to eat this kind of stuff as we know it has many calories. But after walking 8-10 hours a day, we need it! My mom and I have also had ice cream at least every other day :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA4H24bQSjnlDSl0ohCmgSdMKQzPlk-ThxN1Ywvyq036EQgulJMGUs-zDlHZyzvk1a6ZytyJ_e8aX9xtxfYC26Rbz3TRXNAkFpoiKNDqdyLT8QUgHoxEXMhh_I4XuBtlEl0gyWLg4GOk/s1600/SSCN5768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA4H24bQSjnlDSl0ohCmgSdMKQzPlk-ThxN1Ywvyq036EQgulJMGUs-zDlHZyzvk1a6ZytyJ_e8aX9xtxfYC26Rbz3TRXNAkFpoiKNDqdyLT8QUgHoxEXMhh_I4XuBtlEl0gyWLg4GOk/s320/SSCN5768.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This is actually a funny situation. We came to fork in the road and before we knew it, there were about 10-12 pilgrims gathered. Everyone was discussing the map and which to go. After about 10 minutes, everyone except my mom, I and two others went to the left. We chose the road on the right and were very happy that we did. It took us to a nice little albergue where we had a really fun time! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3sDCsGLjdT0sfeCDX9qnLUN7MCtlE8cpZgho80M6YlBqUUnUvRoocXapg6zIXgVutLDyF2SJMwT9j2dAHlMQ-uabs5IzST8MxWIGccNaKf6rJVLW8EZi5WjiI5jeI932sMw9PzuyoHQ/s1600/SSCN5770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3sDCsGLjdT0sfeCDX9qnLUN7MCtlE8cpZgho80M6YlBqUUnUvRoocXapg6zIXgVutLDyF2SJMwT9j2dAHlMQ-uabs5IzST8MxWIGccNaKf6rJVLW8EZi5WjiI5jeI932sMw9PzuyoHQ/s320/SSCN5770.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> My mom is adjusting her boot. This is something that we do many, many times a day. If we do not listen to our body and make adjustments, we will pay for it later. I had been checking my feet every morning and every night. I would go over every square inch and add tape to any hot spots. About a week ago, I became lazy and ended my routine. Needless to say, I have 3 very large blisters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsLN66d6KsSYzFXm5Q0ZTdaqzulVedFXOnjrbqUNRFDWeYENPQnlUFbMGLfke57VrpNiZfwlugvuhAp5Ay97fRJgxqr64nGzcqLKvdrBuAY5ZjfeNrHpXrDTmsZryHomDdgBb3a3iWhQ/s1600/SSCN5771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsLN66d6KsSYzFXm5Q0ZTdaqzulVedFXOnjrbqUNRFDWeYENPQnlUFbMGLfke57VrpNiZfwlugvuhAp5Ay97fRJgxqr64nGzcqLKvdrBuAY5ZjfeNrHpXrDTmsZryHomDdgBb3a3iWhQ/s320/SSCN5771.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This old guy was from France. He is a good example of the ¨Senior¨ pilgrims on the trail. There are many people 70 years and older. We couldn´t keep up with this guy! His upper body looked like an older man, but his legs looked like they belonged to a 20 year old!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAh7RsKDfKdb0UWXt6BNS1YbEMCmTRWGqrEDLzR2ivyMeQwxKh1e39wrtJgajbUXLu37IvT3nz9rjRKabVTfAw7uS0vUSjGnp_Mk_xSIZ4vw95LQyQHWj6Uv1LipEzRy-4QFAgHqpdk/s1600/SSCN5772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuAh7RsKDfKdb0UWXt6BNS1YbEMCmTRWGqrEDLzR2ivyMeQwxKh1e39wrtJgajbUXLu37IvT3nz9rjRKabVTfAw7uS0vUSjGnp_Mk_xSIZ4vw95LQyQHWj6Uv1LipEzRy-4QFAgHqpdk/s320/SSCN5772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We are always up before the sun! This means that EVERY morning we get to see the sun rise :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL92YkEacSqjmDhKive-wZ3hbrmYfhl1IZXu0hkwhFfFYigLBojwFwIdyGq_Py61NvEPuTyKdWCvJyumpNVaJZw2UtJC_IEqhv4qXyygBsjA6tLmyyGM9yh38j1SEMqhtSLXmC1z6xzg/s1600/SSCN5773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL92YkEacSqjmDhKive-wZ3hbrmYfhl1IZXu0hkwhFfFYigLBojwFwIdyGq_Py61NvEPuTyKdWCvJyumpNVaJZw2UtJC_IEqhv4qXyygBsjA6tLmyyGM9yh38j1SEMqhtSLXmC1z6xzg/s320/SSCN5773.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This is an example of one of the wash basins where we hand wash our clothes. I have become an expert agitator! haha It may look dirty, but it´s actually the color of the rock. The water is always ice cold, but refreshing on a hot afternoon. After the sink, it´s off to the clothesline! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhT9jGHtrJvo0Pjx8MDrZuM94LDpT5OJq5OahZfVA3JF63P9Qw24lrriJnMtDCoRz1ppxDPbtOHiGsyOuxnyosLjalPsGVYQzUyaZTTZoOdxTpLx97G5TOY9a1qnZA1h0BRrYeDPcLbeE/s1600/SSCN5774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhT9jGHtrJvo0Pjx8MDrZuM94LDpT5OJq5OahZfVA3JF63P9Qw24lrriJnMtDCoRz1ppxDPbtOHiGsyOuxnyosLjalPsGVYQzUyaZTTZoOdxTpLx97G5TOY9a1qnZA1h0BRrYeDPcLbeE/s320/SSCN5774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I can´t remember the city that we were coming out of, but this was one of the longest climbs we had yet. It may not appear so, but it is VERY steep. It´s small baby steps as we carry our heavy packs up the road. Once we got to the top, it was an amazing view of the city and the valley below. We have one more climb before we finish. It will be much steeper than this trail. Hope we make it! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyF0v2_IOyni5m1UcOxM0rAqPcrau_qEOjnSTUkEIf6OtsH9mAVxG1Wv8WhiOMwHh4SzbqLSCQva27bvVM4SY7vONL_QrUUb1k_s4TWbV4uBkJDWosOnMdNTe0R2dtmZCvNER8HdGjmQ/s1600/SSCN5775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyF0v2_IOyni5m1UcOxM0rAqPcrau_qEOjnSTUkEIf6OtsH9mAVxG1Wv8WhiOMwHh4SzbqLSCQva27bvVM4SY7vONL_QrUUb1k_s4TWbV4uBkJDWosOnMdNTe0R2dtmZCvNER8HdGjmQ/s320/SSCN5775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> This is an example of the signs they post in the albergues. Every night, everyone is always joking about who will snore the loudest. Although, I must say that it has not been a problem. The only thing keeping us awake is the people in the cities who stay up all night!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttPhG7GCAJeK2mkem7HB4MWlKC1pPPE5qvQJu0MAbMhbUtFC4JJfxpZOG9t2yiWZ_hupItiW2-kPk3M6V9g02Xsxp6Ci4omGrPCYDe7DeBhwpHiHM3n1yjjXlm1hixPKM7uUGpKZbADc/s1600/SSCN5776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttPhG7GCAJeK2mkem7HB4MWlKC1pPPE5qvQJu0MAbMhbUtFC4JJfxpZOG9t2yiWZ_hupItiW2-kPk3M6V9g02Xsxp6Ci4omGrPCYDe7DeBhwpHiHM3n1yjjXlm1hixPKM7uUGpKZbADc/s320/SSCN5776.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is us after a long hot afternoon. Even though we were on the floor we were so happy to have lots of space. And we didn´t have to climb up or down from a bunk bed. We also had the window right above us. It´s quite an honor and responsibility to be in charge of the window! haha </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwc5v60OJ_WJ40F2rdI82LhWsUIDJNsCHPpbh1bQVCOLrigflS9QvwnvxCUC8nxkBMCNlScL0bbJHerVB1aQ5xtyqEvntkYvP-BYVRo5dX9882ndtEiP6U1mclr_DVjf789-NNEjNpm4/s1600/SSCN5778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwc5v60OJ_WJ40F2rdI82LhWsUIDJNsCHPpbh1bQVCOLrigflS9QvwnvxCUC8nxkBMCNlScL0bbJHerVB1aQ5xtyqEvntkYvP-BYVRo5dX9882ndtEiP6U1mclr_DVjf789-NNEjNpm4/s320/SSCN5778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This is one of my Camino Angels! Her name is Ingrid and she is originally from South America, but has lived in Holland for over 40 years. When I was having terrible ankle pain and doubting that I could go on, she came but and lifted my spirits. She told me story after story. Many of them were hilarious. She helped me get thru some very hard times on the trail. I will never forget her :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgCLAM9duOR3CpSuaL3bglFUqa_6LFqiQFB6kOpOT9DsafxWIsVWk3Ho6f41NTwMBIKgJydc7LstvLUW5j-ulqq5U96bLD0etN4D7rNDJ1zBEaI_5_OxMy2pWKqGN_j1Cdd6WSiYpSiY/s1600/SSCN5779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgCLAM9duOR3CpSuaL3bglFUqa_6LFqiQFB6kOpOT9DsafxWIsVWk3Ho6f41NTwMBIKgJydc7LstvLUW5j-ulqq5U96bLD0etN4D7rNDJ1zBEaI_5_OxMy2pWKqGN_j1Cdd6WSiYpSiY/s320/SSCN5779.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">As I mentioned, we arrived in Leon yesterday. It was an amazing sight to see so many people. Normally when we arrive in a town, it is siesta time. Even the larger cities look like a ghost town, but not today!! There was a huge farmers market and thousands of people. I went around and around with my video camera!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j2z7BH1P5ZmUaW3-w_Mw_ZAr-GEuGEeETeeHxospmm1KVoacaMcdk7lZTif4Ao0ub8JgKHgsDUoUyDX45uls0dx5mIm1taNXlEwLPVUvzou1ly9h4KVABaYBekfwGljQfJcd37qVNK4/s1600/SSCN5828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j2z7BH1P5ZmUaW3-w_Mw_ZAr-GEuGEeETeeHxospmm1KVoacaMcdk7lZTif4Ao0ub8JgKHgsDUoUyDX45uls0dx5mIm1taNXlEwLPVUvzou1ly9h4KVABaYBekfwGljQfJcd37qVNK4/s320/SSCN5828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Vender selling beans </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVekvqoLcpmNjH6Io5AuqnEDP-jbImV17XZ-SKG6gfl5le85cPz5-nEoWzu_N3_yF65wQwoD18jeUZR5UzhXvfsVZ9Mz09HXFh6u2psmoW5s2tG4oLiHKpPbwJ0exQ96pLC2g2brOFgEM/s1600/SSCN5829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVekvqoLcpmNjH6Io5AuqnEDP-jbImV17XZ-SKG6gfl5le85cPz5-nEoWzu_N3_yF65wQwoD18jeUZR5UzhXvfsVZ9Mz09HXFh6u2psmoW5s2tG4oLiHKpPbwJ0exQ96pLC2g2brOFgEM/s320/SSCN5829.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a side view of the cathedral as we came down the streets of Leon. This was definitely one of my favorite cities! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5XMAuFFgAmJbodab-FZA3MO223yT5yYd__d6l8UI4IUqxhBSkMoB7pDGlt3piiWj53cQr2qtgg5imcrFSik6J1w155Tolt5-9pUNBdrX4y1P5LjdI1YSNv66TSrUY6go5xNNbcQrv4k/s1600/SSCN5854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5XMAuFFgAmJbodab-FZA3MO223yT5yYd__d6l8UI4IUqxhBSkMoB7pDGlt3piiWj53cQr2qtgg5imcrFSik6J1w155Tolt5-9pUNBdrX4y1P5LjdI1YSNv66TSrUY6go5xNNbcQrv4k/s320/SSCN5854.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">More of the farmer´s market </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslU-Phkqs8BNHiEpQH3y2XStSbQoBFq7ImLbJjMqcPgw06iR23PwMk89uXgp9zNjRpGh4DjpN_cT8V-v6CdouV34bTdJDJm9z02dsg687lp4jYfk-9vwg9p3WjaUhtPDBrgAOZHJGKGA/s1600/SSCN5855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslU-Phkqs8BNHiEpQH3y2XStSbQoBFq7ImLbJjMqcPgw06iR23PwMk89uXgp9zNjRpGh4DjpN_cT8V-v6CdouV34bTdJDJm9z02dsg687lp4jYfk-9vwg9p3WjaUhtPDBrgAOZHJGKGA/s320/SSCN5855.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Sbv0juZCqj7RFNXkm-CAgx8cyomNRNU4LnFUKcMokTxpnEDOHTgxo5iMYpp3BbYdgwmvyErjIkuh2bZZjQjxkxT8pWyKvP9yxIFInsZHUl1lgJHFu-45y5Fenvn8C28UmXxzytLon0k/s1600/SSCN5856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Sbv0juZCqj7RFNXkm-CAgx8cyomNRNU4LnFUKcMokTxpnEDOHTgxo5iMYpp3BbYdgwmvyErjIkuh2bZZjQjxkxT8pWyKvP9yxIFInsZHUl1lgJHFu-45y5Fenvn8C28UmXxzytLon0k/s320/SSCN5856.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ladies were going thru linens that were laid on the side walk. It must have been a 75% off sale, because they were going crazy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nzzoNG02-Kw7MqswsKrVHuyFMDd-CEVesUSERJALHt8MsxOiUg4xXHT4IRC6uQhC6LI25qEwOtzBSRCTrPBZRL9i4d6yMuVX6a09QLVTlmaK6a2JnpjIP7IeGJ6LmqxWsLBMF2_Ki4/s1600/SSCN5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4nzzoNG02-Kw7MqswsKrVHuyFMDd-CEVesUSERJALHt8MsxOiUg4xXHT4IRC6uQhC6LI25qEwOtzBSRCTrPBZRL9i4d6yMuVX6a09QLVTlmaK6a2JnpjIP7IeGJ6LmqxWsLBMF2_Ki4/s320/SSCN5857.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZGc4kRq67jRvjhnAoNlnyPWcJ55G9HFCa5Dl4IkXjyCF7koRpTOLMQwDirgAphEAipEKIwF_VtFojlXhyphenhyphenbRYv3aNBZoPJXeoIsVo1yGMSNwHvch2srOUiyNeCgjLmJKGuoR3f6ZAQEU/s1600/SSCN5858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZGc4kRq67jRvjhnAoNlnyPWcJ55G9HFCa5Dl4IkXjyCF7koRpTOLMQwDirgAphEAipEKIwF_VtFojlXhyphenhyphenbRYv3aNBZoPJXeoIsVo1yGMSNwHvch2srOUiyNeCgjLmJKGuoR3f6ZAQEU/s320/SSCN5858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is a familar scene. The pilgrims are waiting for the albergue to open and take a rest from their packs. I have truly enjoyed staying in the albegues. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6FRe322dfC3g07CGm0xRzQX4SeuFI4dSK_T0ZNop4_6H-1pO9x_Hb6ai0RiSI-yVg5UBW6QfBrZeNr6Y3VHYX1SuJ9XsRiRnAXkcLitOTmmuA1k1gW_wldPiKQGrKlyU8rWHqgMk8DQ/s1600/SSCN5859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6FRe322dfC3g07CGm0xRzQX4SeuFI4dSK_T0ZNop4_6H-1pO9x_Hb6ai0RiSI-yVg5UBW6QfBrZeNr6Y3VHYX1SuJ9XsRiRnAXkcLitOTmmuA1k1gW_wldPiKQGrKlyU8rWHqgMk8DQ/s320/SSCN5859.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This is what my ankle looked like yesterday. The swelling comes and goes. I think my blisters hurt more than my ankle. When we arrived in town today, the hostess at the albergue noticed I was limping. She said, "I have a fantastic Physical Therapist here. I can have him look at your foot if you like." I immediately accepted. Later after I showed and washed my clothes, she called me to the kitchen. Out came this old man who was very scruffy looking. He was wearing a little white hat, white tshirt and pants and a white apron. He was unshaven and had long grey hair. He also had a long braid in the back. HE WAS THE COOK! haha He asked me to sit down and he placed my foot on this leg. He began to inspect and massage. He asked the lady to bring him some tape and he bandaged my ankel. Then he said (in spanish),"That should get you to Santiago!" I gave him a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. Then he immediately went back to the kitchen to finish preparing our dinner! We are having a family style dinner and he is serving a HUGE wok of Paella! I´ll definitely be posting pictures later. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9dykjtAvnDqxVukz99JYxdGMZVfCrmbfra_OvfTb3EJC5_iGlFRjT3GjrVsM8RKStYVfyeSVWKEsvsOH2-lSFv9jX-ZTPMgCl2k3f5K1TpUJwk1gzrCrx5KnRqF5LogYub683GuLN8s/s1600/SSCN5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9dykjtAvnDqxVukz99JYxdGMZVfCrmbfra_OvfTb3EJC5_iGlFRjT3GjrVsM8RKStYVfyeSVWKEsvsOH2-lSFv9jX-ZTPMgCl2k3f5K1TpUJwk1gzrCrx5KnRqF5LogYub683GuLN8s/s320/SSCN5853.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">This is my friend St. Jacque. He is the patron Saint for the Camino. I leaned on him and told him that I was tired. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2o3ENvk8OcixvezZJyi0GEaO84ZsWljkJNgPNtlGD31NIY8lMzecCTogfvso-eIQjLpQUFUBen0a7xrpvFOvBrGQHxZqAdNzD2YjloGBqXb3gQb9pv9Qflrqd1YiZn-3KaN3sZakYzc/s1600/SSCN5777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2o3ENvk8OcixvezZJyi0GEaO84ZsWljkJNgPNtlGD31NIY8lMzecCTogfvso-eIQjLpQUFUBen0a7xrpvFOvBrGQHxZqAdNzD2YjloGBqXb3gQb9pv9Qflrqd1YiZn-3KaN3sZakYzc/s320/SSCN5777.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
If all goes well, we plan to be in Santiago on June 1st. This will give us plenty of time to walk the extra 90 km (55miles) to Finesterre. Many people are doubting that we can do it. We will go slow if we have to, but we hope to make it to the END OF THE WORLD!!<br />
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Love and miss you all! Yvette & Yvonneycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-76703348543582346452011-06-18T04:47:00.000-07:002011-06-18T04:47:13.591-07:00In Leon!!It´s Saturday, June 18th and we made it to Leon this morning! It´s a beautiful and busy city. We visited the outside market where they had the most amazing fruits and vegetables! I was hoping to upload some photos, but there is no card reader.<br />
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Yesterday, was tough as my ankle was giving me trouble again. We had to walk 15 miles on the old roman road. It is covered in stones and is very painful on my ankle. Hoping to rest and be ready for tomorrow.<br />
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As we checked in the Albergue, we noticed a group of Asian looking kids. We found out that they are from South Korea and they are between the ages of 9 & 13. They are here for 10 months (in europe) with a teacher. They started walking the Camino in St. Jean Pied de Port--just like us. I can´t imagin how they can do it!! They are soooo young! They also have instruments with them and have been performing along the way. We hope to watch and record them tonight.<br />
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That´s it for now! Love to all! Pictures coming soon!ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-16150648422297369372011-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:002011-06-16T07:03:45.977-07:00Day 17 continued....We are now walking on the meseta, which is the desert portion of the Camino. It is very flat with very little scenery. Hikers are saying over and over that they had previously prayed for flat ground when we were climbing mountain, but now they are so bored. I have done a few things to keep myself occupied during our 10 hour days on the long straight, flat roads. I have sung many songs to myself. Here are the top 10...<br />
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<ol><li>Yesterday by the Beatles</li>
<li> Hey Jude by the Beatles</li>
<li> Michelle by the Beatles</li>
<li> Hard Days Night by the Beatles ( I don´t know how the heck I remembered these!!)</li>
<li>99 bottles of beer on the wall ( I only get to 84 before I stop)</li>
<li> Child´s Prayer</li>
<li> Star Spangled Banner</li>
<li> Over the hills and thru the woods</li>
<li> Happy Birthday</li>
<li>Come Away With Me by Norah Jones</li>
</ol>While I´m walking I think of so many things that I want to share, but by the time I get to a computer, I forget. So, I play a little game by creating a list and adding items thru out the day. Here´s a list from yesterday...<br />
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<ul><li>Sun on my back- I´m grateful that as I´m walking the sun is always on my back and not on my face.</li>
<li>Blanket- I´m thankful for the blankets provided in the albergues. They keep me warm as I have no sleeping bag (sent it home).</li>
<li>Hot- Everyone thinks it´s hot here, but this AZ girl thankful for the cool breeze!</li>
<li>Bugs- As we walked yesterday, there was about 5 miles of road that had swarms of gnats. There were several kamikazes that aimed for my eyes and mouth! I was thankful to get past them!</li>
<li>Clouds- After we had been walking with no shade for 6 hours, we were blessed with overcast! I was thankful for the clouds.</li>
<li>TP- I was thankful for the toilet paper in my pocket that I carried from the last town :)</li>
<li>Songs- I´m thanksful for the songs that I was able to remember.</li>
<li>Body- I´m thankful for a healthy body that is taking me to Finesterre.</li>
<li>Equiptment- I´m thankful for the nice equiptment that I have and especially my boots!</li>
</ul>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-85862686226456664342011-06-16T06:42:00.000-07:002011-06-16T06:42:25.062-07:00Day 17 Access to a computer...FINALLY!!!Oh my goodness, I have so much to catch up on!! I will be spending a pretty penny (Euro) on these next few posts!<br />
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<b>Mileage to date: 424 km or 263 miles in 17 days!</b><br />
<b>It is 764 km to Santiago, so we are more than half way!! </b> <br />
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It is hot and sunny here. The Europeans are dying of heat and it´s only about 28 degrees Celcius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit!! There is a cool breeze and we feel like it is late winter or early spring in Arizona! A lot of people are starting at 4 or 5am and stopping at 1pm. We start at 6:30a and end at 4pm! haha<br />
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My ankle is mas mejor (much better)!! Today was actually the first time that I could walk on it normally. But, yesterday I did develop my first blister. It covered my entire little toe! I popped it right away and bandaged it up. I have been telling everyone that I am an official pilgrim now that I´ve gotten a blister. The English and Irish say that I am now a <i>PROPER</i> pilgrim! haha<br />
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I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was lucky enough to meet a Physical Therapist who taped my ankle and enouraged me to stay off it for a couple of days. I think it made a big difference. But, I also met another angel along the way. His name is Andres and he is from France. He said that he was a medic and could help me with the pain thru injections. I was a little leery and thanked him for his offer, but decided to pass. The next day, he asked if he could look at it. I took off my boot and sock to show him my attempt to wrap it. He said that it was too tight and that he´d like to cut some of it off. I agreed. It did feel much better after that. He again offered the medication thru injections and said that it would help with the pain. Again I declined with a smile. Finally on a third meeting, he asked if I was feeling any pain. I said yes and that it had been a very hard day. I was tired literally watching EVERY step that I took to avoid rocks and divits. He said that he had his medical bag ready and could give me the injections if I wanted. Without hesitation, I accepted and immediately took off my boots. He carefully prepared the bottles and sterilized needles. He examined my ankle and poked around--I yelped with pain. He told me that he was going to begin the injections. I closed my eyes and waited for the painful prick. SURPRISE!! There was no pain! He was only making multiple, tiny pin pricks all around my ankle! I decided to grab my camera and snap a photo. As he was working, many other pilgrims started to gather. They watched intently and made grimacing faces as he continued to poke. I assured them that it didn´t hurt at all. Someone from the crowd asked, "Are you a Doctor?" Another asked "Can you help me?" He continued to work but answered them quietly by saying, "Yes, I am a doctor. I am a specialist of the bones and tendons. And yes, I can help you." He was an Orthopedist and he was helping me for FREE. The word spread quickly thru the albergue that there was a pilgrim who was a doctor and surgeon and he was helping people. He was a blessing to some hikers that were in a lot of pain. I´m not sure what he used on me, but I must say that I feel great!! We did buy him dinner and had some great conversation that afternoon. He has done the camino 4 times and had some lovely stories to share about his time of the Camino. I´m thankful for his generousity and will never forget him :) I<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBawF80JAxA0xweYYQvQtp9kqm4cuWrlom6OS99aYnA8lNRUCLQWRWYcdq-EEs5OUHfYBqP5pEPVf2ShLS2T2p_AA1dmvNhKM5WcePUaTrGjt6Fe28GDJ6O376Yee1cWgKRpnEACm7yg/s1600/SSCN5769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBawF80JAxA0xweYYQvQtp9kqm4cuWrlom6OS99aYnA8lNRUCLQWRWYcdq-EEs5OUHfYBqP5pEPVf2ShLS2T2p_AA1dmvNhKM5WcePUaTrGjt6Fe28GDJ6O376Yee1cWgKRpnEACm7yg/s320/SSCN5769.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-41912856233482380312011-06-12T09:40:00.000-07:002011-06-12T09:40:32.009-07:00On the Road Again!<b>Mileage to date: </b><br />
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I´ve completely lost track of time, but I think it´s Sunday and Day 13. Yesterday it was exactly 2 weeks since we left home. Time has gone by so quickly!<br />
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Well, as the title says--we´re on the road again! Yesterday was my first day to be on the trail after being diagnosed with an injured ankle. The swelling has gone down just a bit, but the tips of my toes are still numb. When I stop for an extended time, they begin to burn like they are frost bitten. We have begun the second phase (of 4) in our journey. During this time we will experience a lot of flat roads--which is just what the doctor ordered. Today we experience only the second day of sunshine! Everyone was laughing at me because I kept saying that I was an Arizona girl and I could die without sunshine! :)<br />
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I thought I would do something a little different in this post. You already know that we are walking and walking, but we are experiencing so much more. Maybe some random thoughts and experiences might give you a better idea of what´s going on here...<br />
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<ul><li>I rarely hear English each day--sometimes only from my mom.</li>
<li>An Italian man was trying his best to speak English as he told us a story and he said, ¨When I stand up in the morning...¨ We busted out laughing because he meant, ¨When I wake up in the morning..¨ LOL!!</li>
<li>I´ve met a wonderful lady named Ingrid. She is originally from South America, but has lived in Holland for 43 years. I just chuckle everytime she tries to get up from a chair or bed. She always, ¨Yoy, yoy, yoy, yoy, yoy!¨ It´s just so funny the way she says it!</li>
<li> When we buy a sandwich (i.e. ham & cheese), they always have it already made and sitting on the counter--UNREFRIDGERATED!! I will buy one, eat half and save the rest for much later. It doesn´t spoil! Also, they do not put lettuce or condiments on it--just meat and cheese.</li>
<li>I sent home 9lbs of stuff yesterday and probably got rid of 5lbs before that! My pack is so much lighter. I no longer have a fleece jacket, sandals or a sleeping bag! </li>
<li>I have worn the same clothes (all day and to sleep in) for 3 days in a row!!</li>
<li>I have done two things that I swore I would never do on the camino...Shaved my legs and wore socks with sandals while wearing shorts! LOL</li>
<li>I am completely comfortable sleeping (in a separate bed) next a complete stranger from a different country! LOL I am no longer ashamed of how I look in the morning!</li>
<li>On the trail, everyone is equal! It doesn´t matter where you come from or how much money you have--everyone is an instant friend. The camino has brought us together! Nobody tells what they do for a living. Although, I suspect that I have met some every important people :)</li>
<li>Yesterday, we met a man from France. He asked me about my ankle. He said that he was a medic and if I needed any help, he would be happy to look at it. He adjusted my tape today and I can tell by his bedside manner and medical vocabulary that he his a Doctor! </li>
<li>When you are walking on the trail, another hiker will never walk by without saying hello and buen camino.</li>
<li>We have many meals with others who do not speak the same language, but yet we are able to communicate.</li>
<li>It is still light at 10pm. It looks like it´s more like 6:30pm.</li>
</ul><br />
This is a typical day for us...<br />
Wake up around 6am (in our clothes for the day)<br />
Quickly pack out things and brush our teeth. Forget the hair and makeup! haha<br />
By this time it is 6:30.<br />
If there is a bar (cafe) open, then we could get a hot chocolate and toast. If not, we must wait until we arrive in the next town. This may be 6 or 7 miles away (2 to 2 1/2 hrs).<br />
We walk and walk and walk for a 7 to 10 hours.<br />
When we arrive, we immediately go to the albergue and hope that there is a bed open.<br />
You must remove your boots, show your credentials (passport) and pay.<br />
The Albergue can cost anywhere from 5 - 10 Euros ($7 - $14)<br />
You are shown to your bed--where there are at least 6 other beds and as many as 20 in a room.<br />
We shower right away and take our dirty clothes to the sink where we can wash them by hand.<br />
We hang them out on the line, hoping that they will dry by the next day.<br />
After that, we may find lunch but usually we are too tired and the feet are aching. We will lie down for 2-3 hours and sleep. <br />
If I cannot sleep or have extra time, I will locate the computer or write in my journal.<br />
The afternoon is quiet time for the pilgrims. <br />
By 6pm we are awake and check the laundry. We also look for a place to eat. Dinner is served at 7:30, but occasionally we can find something earlier.<br />
We eat, visit with new friends and then return to the albergue for bed.<br />
We are usually in bed by 9pm and it´s lights out at 10.<br />
Then we do it ALL over again in the morning :)ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-30827404038129986862011-06-09T11:15:00.001-07:002011-06-09T11:17:11.477-07:00Day 10 More pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjVsgRClbZE-c8gotdmYGYu8zHaYq0INsbJyZzXx_hW9pJ2unrryblO3Kes3MLtWEJjTtH9MZI7m1rk0aAJnKmL1V-u_8pRd7SiYvjLZGO3X69QiWY30DoUC4DsnDXVUKm_DuNwwvoPM/s1600/SSCN5638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjVsgRClbZE-c8gotdmYGYu8zHaYq0INsbJyZzXx_hW9pJ2unrryblO3Kes3MLtWEJjTtH9MZI7m1rk0aAJnKmL1V-u_8pRd7SiYvjLZGO3X69QiWY30DoUC4DsnDXVUKm_DuNwwvoPM/s320/SSCN5638.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is Rafael. He is the host at the albergue that we are staying at while my ankle heals. He has been so nice and taken us under his wing. He told the other volunteers to make sure that we got the suite with the ocean view! It was actually a view of the handwashing sinks for laundry :)</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqzmjk_G8yVAS8-khsKPCBkZLlO1XL4Eqnb9s1ZNY2UAKjmNqM8dEpbIfP4XBiMIdEKhSC6TPBHEyt6plHE4FMIeN4XNEDb7q4Shd3mYj5A2-YP8GD3J973a0p2cj9TDu786fJrxPPfQ/s1600/SSCN5640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqzmjk_G8yVAS8-khsKPCBkZLlO1XL4Eqnb9s1ZNY2UAKjmNqM8dEpbIfP4XBiMIdEKhSC6TPBHEyt6plHE4FMIeN4XNEDb7q4Shd3mYj5A2-YP8GD3J973a0p2cj9TDu786fJrxPPfQ/s320/SSCN5640.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My mom found a comfortable cement lawn chair to relax on after a long climb up a hill yesterday. We managed to cover 19 miles in 10 hours.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJFe-AXp9JKAf6U_lc1bM9qA3m2wknV0tN9Merp7bP9-mJzUOeVoqXEo4Uq3L3fYWU0Kwe79oLK4eYhGtTgGg4CM4zL8T0lPZtwqmYxMZKBkgDb7KPy7FEtmWFG9UEyc7j-1tvP97hRk/s1600/SSCN5644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJFe-AXp9JKAf6U_lc1bM9qA3m2wknV0tN9Merp7bP9-mJzUOeVoqXEo4Uq3L3fYWU0Kwe79oLK4eYhGtTgGg4CM4zL8T0lPZtwqmYxMZKBkgDb7KPy7FEtmWFG9UEyc7j-1tvP97hRk/s320/SSCN5644.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Because it has been raining so much, the snails are out and about. As they crossed the road, we tried to avoid stepping on some, but unfortunately a few lost their lives. The lucky survivors were the ones who made their way up a tree and hung on for dear life! LOL</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQA_sdDloNKf2-bULT3u1wu9D3RysFX8CYlWair978hE82OWJd35d7EDbS0wmKOg-VYyvpKvV1t1z6dZUllvjRtOWXgWrtZqFULopVS3ZuRhAGgSHLgIgMlVDxNjE4azpNdJOJLipA-m8/s1600/SSCN5643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQA_sdDloNKf2-bULT3u1wu9D3RysFX8CYlWair978hE82OWJd35d7EDbS0wmKOg-VYyvpKvV1t1z6dZUllvjRtOWXgWrtZqFULopVS3ZuRhAGgSHLgIgMlVDxNjE4azpNdJOJLipA-m8/s320/SSCN5643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here´s an upclose portrait of Mr. Snail. These guys are huge!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimoUlxeW6-V2khEOb9CTXDCn1knQKdTZgFivhMqZf99SHpxFfUIkSynUx31yCzeZXpLSIBBRyvTY4_UnxrMdnJn7oMCyxZTFCOPXY6oU8_8VuGDv1rfYsSXZ6rwbA18SYwgVgR6Bp08I/s1600/SSCN5642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimoUlxeW6-V2khEOb9CTXDCn1knQKdTZgFivhMqZf99SHpxFfUIkSynUx31yCzeZXpLSIBBRyvTY4_UnxrMdnJn7oMCyxZTFCOPXY6oU8_8VuGDv1rfYsSXZ6rwbA18SYwgVgR6Bp08I/s320/SSCN5642.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I thought this was a good representation of the spanish landscape... Vineyards (left), red poppies, wheat fields and rolling hills--with some rain clouds.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ozXL_LpaGew73QeYnM3XlqvvSvc1KF1OvGEcGMFfGy9UV_JJuQwYpLPLwjuBaGBmWkBAn1VhROK6O-4e1lhHqOsnkoGJFPyDFU3t8ZJAx2qHeo3YJqDxVYNnkVBirQlIOFPLkmVQZDY/s1600/SSCN5641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ozXL_LpaGew73QeYnM3XlqvvSvc1KF1OvGEcGMFfGy9UV_JJuQwYpLPLwjuBaGBmWkBAn1VhROK6O-4e1lhHqOsnkoGJFPyDFU3t8ZJAx2qHeo3YJqDxVYNnkVBirQlIOFPLkmVQZDY/s320/SSCN5641.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Walking in the mud is like walking on fly paper! This was definitely a contributor to my aching ankle.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">More to come...</div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-91138785030421237962011-06-09T05:45:00.000-07:002011-06-09T05:45:19.063-07:00Day 9 &10 I DON´T WANT A FLIPPIN´ COOKIE!!!<u><b>Mileage to date: 134 miles (in 9 days) </b></u><br />
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Let me tell you why I chose the title for the post. We have been a bit behind schedule even though we have walked for 8-10 hours a day. Yesterday, we decided to go for it and make up the mileage. In 10 hours we walked 31 km (19 miles) to Santo Domingo. There came a time during the day when I was having a lot of pain in my ankle and was going very slowly. My mom was about 30 yards ahead of me and was waving something. As I got closer, I could hear her saying, ¨Cookie, cookie, cookie!¨ She was trying to get me to walk faster by bribing me with a cookie! I yelled out, ¨I don´t want a flippin´cookie! In fact, I don´t even like those cookies!¨ LOL Needless to say, I finally made it over to her. We were in the midst of farmland and there was a shallow cement canal. I took off my boot and soaked my ankle in the icy water. Ahhhh! My left ankle has been swollen and feeling very bruised for the past 3 days. I chalked it up to long days and many miles. With the help of Motrin, everyday I was able to move on. Although yesterday did push my limits. During the last few miles into the town, all I could do was shuffle. I had to stop and wiggle my ankle about every 100 yards. This would help me go a little bit farther. Finally, we reached the abergue!! I was relieved to get off my feet. In my mind, I wondered if I would be able to continue with this kind of pain. At some of the albergues there are volunteers who massage your feet. At the one we arrived at, there was a physical therapist--free of charge!! He had many people wanting his help and I patiently waited. When it was my turn, I explained that I had no blisters or sores, but that my ankle was very sore/bruised and the tips of my toes were numb. Right away he started to poke & twist my ankle. I cringed and yelped at the pain. After a thorough inspection, he said, ¨You have a dangerous injury. It seems to be a problem with your ligaments. If you twist your foot on a rock, you will probably break your ankle. This is something that you don´t want to mess with. I can wrap it, but you need to stay off it for at least 1 day. And you should not carry your backpack for 2 days.¨ I told him that I couldn´t stop and he warned me that if I kept going in this shape, I would severely injure my ankle. He also said that I could just ship my backpack ahead and then I won´t have to carry it.<br />
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So, we received special permission to stay in the albergue one more day. Unfortunately, we will have to take a bus to the next city, which is Burgos. I´m disappointed because it will take a few miles off of my total, but I guess it will be worth it in the long run. I must say that it has been nice to rest. I am finishing a book and catching up on the blog. I am also uploading a video and will post some more pics later today.<br />
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Overall, we are doing great! Having fun, meeting so many new people and enjoying good food! ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-81186045727593075132011-06-06T09:06:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:08:12.357-07:00Day 7 A few photos...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Had a few mintues to post some photos....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ensalada Mixta--This is very popular. It´s a salad with tuna, egg, onion, olives, tomatoes and the long white veggie in the middle is a peeled asparagus. I have not had any soda since I left home, I am drinking Agua con Gas (water with bubbles). This is one of our favorite meals :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpMre-zi3DiNTVGVWSoJGlrUX2Sgf59owxcYDmLyN-TZmEifiTkwdVbEXwz2xCcPDzFBv_EhhusrQUDb15mv_eknDKAvu54xh_uov2utcL1kujVggltNQdBZYWTon12OH4-jBSWJiv7E/s1600/SSCN5605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpMre-zi3DiNTVGVWSoJGlrUX2Sgf59owxcYDmLyN-TZmEifiTkwdVbEXwz2xCcPDzFBv_EhhusrQUDb15mv_eknDKAvu54xh_uov2utcL1kujVggltNQdBZYWTon12OH4-jBSWJiv7E/s320/SSCN5605.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This from today. The last two days have been unusual as we have been close to other hikers. There were many days that we hardly saw anyone. Today was also fun because we all had plans to go 30 km to Logorno. As it turns out, everyone was pooped when we arrived in Viana and most everyone stopped for the day. Tomorrow we may have to make up for lost mileage :(</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzav_cbRWufoNLx5xzH1KmX1Zfj-P7Fuik7yJJDu06JYWyeTcpZLTuP4MFcbsOkbew5LsVvQmnaKV2X-cAlt1sdrVOtmyJKY4ppMIZHqEv7ga93VFfGs50oAhJMXZ2bw30y50qHgWcviM/s1600/SSCN5606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzav_cbRWufoNLx5xzH1KmX1Zfj-P7Fuik7yJJDu06JYWyeTcpZLTuP4MFcbsOkbew5LsVvQmnaKV2X-cAlt1sdrVOtmyJKY4ppMIZHqEv7ga93VFfGs50oAhJMXZ2bw30y50qHgWcviM/s320/SSCN5606.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is not an unusual scene. This is what we are seeing everyday, time after time. Isn´t it beautiful? We were very lucky to have overcast and rain ALL day today :)</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are my two new friends, Kevin and Fichra (Fi-gra). We had dinner with them on our first night on the trail. They are from Ireland. Fichra has done the camino once before and this is Kevin´s first time. They did not know each other before coming to Spain--now they are the best of friends.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJJLFVI1Jh7qvDbM2pAz9dqN_LLSaB93YVu09C44o1EXAe9j0EQ5q5c42IUYFReL4iS5mOyidqbObiimUhvOJV-hIUFyJsS5AXZ3gH1VWk_E6O72s5-nswIeTK7P5ZCytLjXG-kss-qs/s1600/SSCN5608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJJLFVI1Jh7qvDbM2pAz9dqN_LLSaB93YVu09C44o1EXAe9j0EQ5q5c42IUYFReL4iS5mOyidqbObiimUhvOJV-hIUFyJsS5AXZ3gH1VWk_E6O72s5-nswIeTK7P5ZCytLjXG-kss-qs/s320/SSCN5608.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a shot that my mom took of me. We couldn´t help but stop and look at the beautiful landscape.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LtVySlLrhr1XGJLGY7yTdqkyc_gp9_aGn-pmHEVAznFLDBkQ3YA3VEBsHO-NUhgzLnzPD9o3Scp1WNs8TuvRJ4hdCGaWkEl1fwxFW3aGVKIbM3zMtEsMLttNWc7MaKU-VyQTQDn5FXA/s1600/SSCN5609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LtVySlLrhr1XGJLGY7yTdqkyc_gp9_aGn-pmHEVAznFLDBkQ3YA3VEBsHO-NUhgzLnzPD9o3Scp1WNs8TuvRJ4hdCGaWkEl1fwxFW3aGVKIbM3zMtEsMLttNWc7MaKU-VyQTQDn5FXA/s320/SSCN5609.JPG" t8="true" width="240" /></a></div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-47245226949631682342011-06-05T11:05:00.003-07:002011-07-24T17:05:57.402-07:00Day 6 Feeling good, feeling tiredBuenas Dias Amigos! Que tal? Estoy muy buen!! LOL! I´m feeling a lot more comfortable with my spanish in only one week. I find myself running words thru my mind quite a bit as I am walking. Today, my mom sent me into a restaurant to order dinner while she reserved a table outside. After she sat down, she realized that maybe she should have been the one to place the order. Not necessary!! I was able to order to plates of spaghetti, a hot chocolate and a glass of wine--and ask them to bring it outside :) It´s amazing how little English I hear in a day. If it´s not Spanish then it is French. I am also enjoying all of the different accents. Over the last couple of days, I have tried to record a few conversations.<br />
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Yesterday, was the 24th Wedding anniversary for me and Carlos. I think this makes 3 years in a row that we have been apart on our anniversary. We tell people that´s why we´ve been together for so long! LOL I was able to call him and spend about 20 minutes talking. I miss him and the kids. I wish they could be here to experience this with me :( Carlos said that one day we will come back together. Carlos did get to celebrate our anniversary--my dad took him out to dinner! LOL Thanks Dad!<br />
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I did not write over the last couple of days for two reasons. First, I was just too dang tired on day 4 and there was no computer on Day 5. I decided today that I may have to limit my computer time as it is getting very expensive. It costs me 2 Euros for 40 minutes. If I use the computer everyday, that would be 14 Euros a week, which is about $20. Over 6 weeks, this is $120!! Aye, ye, ye!<br />
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We are still feeling great! We have been making good time and getting into town each day about 2 or 3pm. This gives us plenty of time to handwash our clothes and hang them out to dry. We shower and take a nap for about 3 hours. Then it´s time for dinner at 7:30 and off to bed. We have been trying to get up and out the door by 6:30am each day.<br />
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We arrived in Los Arcos today and have covered approx 137 km or 85 miles!! All of the maps take into account the acsending trails (which are very steep) and will add to the distance. So it may be closer to 90 or 95 miles.<br />
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Here are todays HIGHLIGHTS:<br />
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<ul><li>We were almost hit by a biker! He was coming down the hill at amazing speed and seemed to be out of control as he skid towards us. I didn´t know what else to do except grab a tree! LOL Fortunately, he missed us.</li>
<li>If that wasn´t funny enough...We were walking along and a car was coming towards us. We have learned that it is safer to turn facing the road. This eliminates any possibility of your backpack being hit by a side mirror. So as the car approached (closely and quickly) I turned to face the road. As I did so, I took a step backward hoping to get further from the road. What I didn´t know was that there was a DEEP ditch behind me hiding in all of the overgrowth along the road. I went sliding down, but fortunately was able to hang onto the tall grass before sliding all the way to the bottom. My mom ran towards me and I was laughing histerically! She was trying desperately to pull me up and all I kept saying was, ¨Take my picture, Take my picture!¨ She wasn´t interested in looking for her camera at that moment. She finally pulled me and my heavy pack back out onto the road. And then we both were laughing so hard, we could have pee´d our pants! Luckily we had just visted the water closet (bathroom) in the last town :)</li>
<li>We had incredible weather today!! It was completely cloudy for about 90% of our hike. This could have been unbearable as there were very few trees along the trail.</li>
<li>I did some more house cleaning and dumped even more items from my backpack. I squeezed out half of my moisturizer and half of my toothpaste. I also trashed several odds and ends. I hope it helps with the weight of my pack.</li>
</ul><div>My mind is starting to clear and I am able to focus on everything around me. I realized today that I am no longer thinking about work or church assignments. However, I am constantly thinking of Carlos and the kids.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We heard today that Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez have produced a movie about the Camino. Everyone here is talking about it. Apparently, Martin Sheen had another son who tried the Camino. He lost his life on the Pyraneese mountains (the ones we covered the first day). The story is that Martin & Emilio came to Spain to collect his body. They had him cremated and then carried his ashes on the Camino to Santiago. I have been told there is a trailer on Youtube, but I haven´t found it. The name of the movie is called The Way.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Okay, that´s it for now. It´s almost time for bed. We´ve got a long hike tomorrow--almost 30 km (18miles)!</div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-52399716406416709322011-06-02T12:34:00.000-07:002011-06-02T12:34:51.970-07:00Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsEyZvQYHbnP8OIPiIcR9_LpJ70Tpa6e4Klz-0AGmSgvNrLgBTqpV1uKbbUvwTD-MDTADBbRRpu4XTVZkOfstEXZiqOJ7owV98baOGRcCDfVRFg3qvGO1bkdD5bHcpDnFAhHTjnX9G2c/s1600/DSCN5533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsEyZvQYHbnP8OIPiIcR9_LpJ70Tpa6e4Klz-0AGmSgvNrLgBTqpV1uKbbUvwTD-MDTADBbRRpu4XTVZkOfstEXZiqOJ7owV98baOGRcCDfVRFg3qvGO1bkdD5bHcpDnFAhHTjnX9G2c/s320/DSCN5533.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Here we are today on Day 3. We are leaving the albergue in Zubiri about 9am, which is a little late for us. I decided to lighten my load by leaving behind a few items. Maybe lost 2 lbs of luggage :) Made a big difference going up the hills today! We walked 7 hours and 14 miles. Still a lot of up and down. I´m actually enjoying the uphill :) I think I am turning into a mountain goat! We had a nice surprise today. We came into Pamplona and hour early!! We were very excited to see the big wall around the city. We found an alburgue and settled in. Tomorrow we are headed to Puente La Reina which is a little longer than today.<br />
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So, you know that we are walking and walking. Let me give you an idea of what we are feeling like...<br />
Our hair is silky soft, either from the shampoo or the water :) We haven´t come close to being sunburned because it is cloudy and cold. I´m starting to develop a callus on my hand from gripping my trek poles so tightly. Our legs are sore and stiff only when we stop. I was having quite a bit of trouble with my knees from all of the downhill, but they are feeling much better today. I learned to release the straps on my pack and it took all the weight off of my knees. We haven´t gotten any blisters yet. I was feeling some tenderness on my big toes and wrapped them with duct tape. We are hoping to stop by the pharmacia to buy some Compeed. It´s like a skin or callus that you can put on your feet. Works very well. When we stop for more than a few minutes, I can feel the tightness in my quads and calves. I´m sure it is from all the hills that we have climbed. I cannot believe how we seem to go up them with ease. We are slow but steady.<br />
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I have to tell you more about our trip over the Pyraneese mountains on the first day. The weather was cold and it never stopped raining, but we were mostly warm and felt great. We have talked to many other pilgrims that went over on the same day. Some suffered from hypothermia! Everyone has been talking about how unusual the weather is right now. We are greatful that it is on the cold side rather than too hot. The hills would be even harder. Many people said that they have never seen the kind of weather that we experienced on the mountain. We were very lucky to make it thru without freezing!<br />
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We just finished a spaghetti dinner down in the square of Pamplona. There are a lot more people here and it is very busy at night. When we arrived there was not a soul in sight--kinda weird. But, it was siesta time and everything was closed.<br />
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We have met so many people from all over the world! All of the hikers are friendly and say hello. The common phrase as you pass someone on the trail is BUEN CAMINO!! That means have a good camino! Let´s see if I can name some of the other countries... America, South Africa, Canary Islands, England, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Spain, France, Italy, Canada and the list goes on and on. My mom is not shy about talking to people. She will go right up to them and ask what language they speak and where they are from. Then it´s a big game as we try to communicate. Most people are fluent in Spanish & French with good English. <br />
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Well it´s 9:30pm and I´ve got to get my pack ready for tomorrow and then hit the sheets...uh I mean, sleeping bag :)<br />
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Love to all! Adios!ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-46032460148836371992011-06-01T22:00:00.001-07:002011-06-01T22:01:25.753-07:00Day 2 We go UP and We go DOWNAfter paying 10 eurosWe settled last night into our bedrooms and then headed to our 8:30pm dinner appt. Many of the restaurants offer a Pelegrino dinner (for pilgrims/hikers only) which is a set menu of maybe 2 choices at a discounted rate. You have to choose a time--either 7:30pm or 8:30pm. And they seat you at a large table or assign you to sit with people who speak the same language. We were assigned to sit with two young (25 yr olds) from Ireland. Boy they had thick accents!! One was named Kevin and was his first time to try to Camino and the other was Frigra and it was his second. We had great conversation and they were very interested about Arizona. Their was only once choice for dinner--trout. Everyone except Kevin was not excited. We asked if there were any other choices. The waitress brought us 2 eggs over easy, 2 slices of cheese and french fries. Oh ya, we also had soup. The meals are very simple and very small. It reminds me of how much we over eat in the states!<br />
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We had a good night´s sleep and headed out at 7:30am--with no breakfast. We made our way to a small town called Biergetz where we had a nice little breakfast made up of thinly sliced ham, cheese, orange cake and Cola Coa (hot chocolate). We headed out the door and planned to walked to Lorasona.<br />
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I don´t think we walked more than a mile on flat road today. We went UP and we went Down. The hills are VERY steep. We were HOT and then we were COLD. We stopped several times to put on and take off our jackets and long sleeve shirts. It never rained, but the wind what icy. Several times along the road we could see our breath. I didn´t have any gloves to wear because they were soaked from yesterday´s rain.<br />
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Anyway, after 8 long hours and 15 miles, we finally made it to Zubiri. We did not go to Larasona because we were exhausted and our legs were giving out. My knees are really aching and I hate going downhill. We decided to find a place to stay and rest for the day. <br />
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We found another beautiful albergue--actually quite fancy. For 27 euros they include breakfast and dinner. It´s a little pricey, but by this time we didn´t care. We just wanted a hot shower and clean bed :)<br />
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After a 3 hour nap, we had a wonderful dinner with some great company. Everyone spoke a different language, but we seemed to overcome that. There was a couple from Argentina, who spoke 4 languages!! They helped alot with translation. There were 2 American ladies besides us. A french couple. A man from Austria, who served in the military with Arnold Swartzeneggar! A man from spain and a man from Germany. We laughed and had a great time!<br />
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We finally got to bed about 10pm. We shared a room with 8 other people. Normally, everyone is up early but our group seems to be lazy this morning. I couldn´t sleep so I got up at 6:30 and came down to use the FREE computer. I am going to have breakfast now.<br />
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We are going to follow the river to Larasona today, but then will go on to the next town. Not sure how far it is, but it should be shorter. Possible only 13 miles.<br />
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That´s it for now! Adios!ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-37035559113385693392011-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:002011-05-31T11:14:22.836-07:00DAY 1 UNTITLED AND THE REASONS WHYI´M NOT SURE WHAT TO TITLE TODAY´S POST BECAUSE THEIR ARE SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES.... A NICE LEISURELY WALK GONE WILD. THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE INN. HOLY CRAP! KEEP ON WALKIN´. BAPTIZED BY FIRE!! DANG, I´M IN GOOD SHAPE!, RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN! WE WALKED HOW MANY MILES??<div><br />
</div><div>SO YOU CAN SEE THAT I HAD MANY INTERESTING TITLES TO CHOOSE FROM. WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO ARRIVE SAFELY IN ST. JEAN PIED DE PORT YESTERDAY. WE IMMEDIATELY WENT TO REGISTER FOR THE CAMINO AND RECEIVE A CAMINO ¨PASSPORT.¨ AFTER THAT WE NEEDED TO FIND AN ALBERGUE (DORMATORY) FOR THE NIGHT. AS WE WALKED DOWN THE STREETS, A NICE ELDERLY LADY ASKED US (IN SPANISH) IF WE NEEDED A PLACE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT. WE SAID THAT WE WERE LOOKING--BUT FOR AN ALBERGUE. SHE INVITED US INTO HER HOUSE AND OFFERED US AN INVITATION TO STAY. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL HOME WITH 4 LEVELS AND MANY ROOMS. SHE SAID THAT WE COULD STAY AND SHE WOULD PROVIDE BREAKFAST AND A SACK LUNCH FOR THE NEXT DAY! WE ACCEPTED! THEN WE WALKED AROUND TOWN (IN THE RAIN) AND WAITED FOR THE RESTAURANTS TO OPEN. NOBODY OPENS BEFORE 7PM---NO EXCEPTIONS!</div><div><br />
</div><div>WE HAD A GOOD MEAL AND AND GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. WE AROSE AT 6:30 AND HEADED DOWN STAIRS FOR BREAKFAST. WE WERE JOINED BY 2 SPAINARDS, 1 AMERICAN & 1 CANADIAN. WE HAD A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION AND MY MOM ACTED AS TRANSLATOR AS NOT TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT OF THE CONVERSATION. lol! WE PACKED UP OUR THINGS AND HEADED OUT. LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF A DAY WE WOULD HAVE...</div><div><br />
</div><div>WE WENT TO THE CAMINO ENTRANCE AND TOOK A FEW PICTURES BEFORE WE STARTED. WITH EXCITEMENT WE TOOK OUR FIRST STEPS ON THE TRAIL. IT HAD BEEN DRIZZLING ALL MORNING AND DIDN´T LOOK LIKE IT WOULD STOP. WE HAD OUR RAIN JACKETS ON AND FELT GREAT! MY MOM ASSURED ME THAT WE WOULD DO A SHORT JAUNT TODAY--ONLY 3 HRS. I WAS GAME :) NOW REMEMBER, WE WERE STRARTING OUR JOURNEY OVER THE PYRRENES MOUNTAINS. MY MOM TOLD ME THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME STEP CLIMBING, BUT FOR SHORT DISTANCES. YES, IT WAS STEP AND I CONCENTRATED CAREFULLY ON EACH STEP BECAUSE IT WAS MAINLY IN THE MUD. AT LAST WE MADE IT TO ORROZON (SP?). WE EAGERLY WENT INTO THE ONLY BUILDING IN TOWN AND THE ONLY ALBERGUE. WE WERE GOING TO GET A BED AND REST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. WE WOULD FINISH OUR CLIMB OVER THE MOUNTAINS TOMORROW. OH NOOOOOO! THERE WAS NO ROOM IN THE INN! WE WERE TURNED AWAY BECAUSE THEY WERE COMPLETELY FULL. OUR ONLY OPTION WAS TO KEEP WALKING TO THE NEXT TOWN--RONCEVEUX. THE INN KEEPER TOLD US THAT WE COULD PROBABLY MAKE IT IN 6 HOURS. HOLY CRAP!!!! DID HE SAY 6 HOURS?? YES HE DID! WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND DECIDED THAT WE WOULD DO IT. WE TOOK OFF OUR PACKS, PULLED OUT OUR SANDWICHES AND HEADED OUT. IT WAS A NICE WALK IN THE RAIN. THERE WAS FARMLAND ALL AROUND US AND BEAUTIFUL COWS AND SHEEP (YES, I SAID BEAUTIFUL). THE GRASS WAS BEAUTIFUL, THE TREES WERE BEAUTIFUL AND MY SANDWICH WAS YUMMY! (HAM & GOAT CHEESE)</div><div><br />
</div><div>NOW THIS IS WHERE MY BAPTISM BY FIRE COMES IN.... WE WALKED ABOUT 15 MILES---UP HILL ALL THE WAY!!! AND WHILE DOING THIS, WE CARRIED BACKPACKS THAT WEIGH ABOUT 35 LBS!!! DANG, I AM IN GOOD SHAPE!! I HAD NO IDEA THAT I COULD DO THAT! THE TRAILS SEEMED TO GO ON FOREVER AND IT CONTINUED TO RAIN. I FELT LIKE WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS AS THE FOG WAS SO THICK. WE COULD NOT SEE MORE THAN 20-30 YARDS AROUND US. WE COULD HEAR THE COWS AND THEIR COWBELLS, BUT WE COULD NOT SEE THEM. ONCE WE EVEN CAME FACE TO FACE WITH SOME ON THE ROAD AND THOUGHT THEY MIGHT CHARGE AT US. THEY ARE HUGE!!</div><div><br />
</div><div>SO, I WE ARE DOING PRETTY GOOD AND FEELING PRETTY PROUD. THE WIND IS BLOWING AND THE RAIN IS COMING DOWN HEAVILY. THERE IS SO MUCH TO TELL YOU, BUT MY METER IS RUNNING SHORT. I´M GONNA HAVE TO WRAP THIS UP. WE DID HAVE TO STOP AND PUT ON ALL OF OUR RAIN GEAR AND MY MOM CHANGED HER SOCKS. THIS WAS A CHORE IN ITSELF! WE KEPT WALKING --UPHILL--UNTIL WE CAME TO THE LAST 5 MILES. IT ABRUPTLY CHANGED AND NOW IT WAS STRAIGHT DOWNHILL!! IF YOU HAVE EVER RIDDEN A SKI LIFT AND SEE HOW STEEP THE SLOPES ARE--WELL THAT´S WHAT WERE WALKING ON. MY KNEES WERE STARTING TO ACHE. AFTER SEVERAL FAILED ATTEMPTS TO EASE THE STRESS, I FINALLY FOUND A GOOD SOLUTION.... I WALKED BACKWARDS! THE PAIN WAS GONE! I CAN´T TELL YOU HOW FAR THIS LAST 5 MILES WAS. IT FELT LIKE 20! WE WERE COLD, WET AND HUNGRY. </div><div><br />
</div><div>IN THE END, WE WALKED 20 MILES--ALMOST ALL UPHILL--CARRYING 35 LBS--IN 10 HOURS! WE FOUND A BEAUTIFUL NEW ALBERGUE AND HAVE A DINNER RESERVATION AT 8:30PM. AFTER THAT I´M SURE WE WILL DROP DEAD FOR THE NIGHT.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I HAVE TO CLOSE FOR NOW. LOVE TO EVERYONE!! YVETTE & YVONNE :)</div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-65730029710192216452011-05-30T00:30:00.000-07:002011-05-30T00:30:19.844-07:00We're getting closerSo, I was lucky enough to find internet access at the hotel we are staying at. We made it to London after a long flight! I think I've had enough of trying to sleep while sitting up! We did have good company and plenty of laughs. I sat next to a man from Maryland who is retired from the airlines and flies everywhere for free. He and his wife and been to many other countries and I enjoyed hearing about their travels. When we switched planes, we were lucky enough to sit next to another mother and daughter team from Philadelphia. They were headed to London for a wedding. They had us laughing the whole way! The daughter had recently seen a TV show about the Camino trail and had lots of questions for us. She is very excited to try it herself someday. It was amazing at how curious people were about our trip. Some had overheard our discussions and it started a chain of questions from everyone around us. One of the most common questions was WHY? We just chuckled and said, "Why not?!" My mom explained that when she decided to go for the first time, it was because she felt like it was calling her. She had read one of Shirley McClain's books where she mentioned going on the Camino. After that, my mom could not get it out of her mind.<br />
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I'm loving the British accent here in London. It's so fun to listen to. I keep thinking that I might be running into a member of the Royal family at any moment! LOL<br />
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Yesterday, we were exhausted and could hardly keep our eyes open. When we firgured out the time, it was because we had basically stayed awake thru the night (AZ time)! When we finally made it to our hotel, we both voted for a nap. We had about 3 hours before dinner. Then we met down in the bar area and had traditional Fish & Chips! It was great! We ate and decided to bed for the night--and it was only 7pm local time. I felt like it was 3 am! As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out--until 12 midnight. My eyes opened and I was wide awake. I decided to stop fighting it and turn on a movie. Finally at 2:30am, I was ready to go back to sleep. Woke up at 6:30, bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was showered and packed even before my wake up call came in at 8am. So, now I'm down in the lobby and my mom has joined me. We are going to have breakfast and then make our way to the small airport nearby. We are flying to Biarritz France today where we then catch a cab to St. Jean Pied de Port. This is where we will find a place to spend the night before our official first day of walking tomorrow! I'm ready to get on the trail and forget all this travel stuff. Although, it has been really nice not to have any luggage to carry. My backpack is heavy but easy to carry.<br />
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I haven't found a way to upload any videos or pics yet. Hope to somewhere along the way!<br />
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Love to our family. I miss Carlos and the boys already. Wish they were here.ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-79644735190311462082011-05-25T17:40:00.000-07:002011-05-25T17:48:35.932-07:00WONDERFUL & THOUGHTFUL FRIENDS<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I have prepared for this adventure, I have had some amazing support from family and friends! So many have expressed words of encouragement and excitement for me. I was especially touched when some close friends gathered together for a Bon Voyage dinner party in my honor. We had a great night of company and conversation. My generous hosts and dear friends, Brian & Sandi, hired a personal chef for the evening and he prepared a fabulous prime rib dinner! Let me tell you... I felt so special :) But, I was brought to tears when they presented me with a gift from the entire group. They explained that they knew I was very limited as to what I could carry with me on the trail. So after much thought they came up with this....</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1c2C5jWdFCb315zlPK2WyLsIkLAPxjNm4S_3FI7JwC4G1PwS0c7WXJlFF3mXNVMGI851mmsgdN73WshIHgwa8oZzgC-gU4AcXWeDPaGIO6SXM4WJpA4QjEMALgPDNvo6K1_YtwonSy4M/s1600/DSCN1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1c2C5jWdFCb315zlPK2WyLsIkLAPxjNm4S_3FI7JwC4G1PwS0c7WXJlFF3mXNVMGI851mmsgdN73WshIHgwa8oZzgC-gU4AcXWeDPaGIO6SXM4WJpA4QjEMALgPDNvo6K1_YtwonSy4M/s320/DSCN1595.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a beautiful box and inside was a rock and also a poem printed on a weathered piece of paper. I mentioned once that there is a stop along the trail called La Cruz de Ferro where pilgrims (camino hikers) leave momentos. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It consists of a wooden pole about five feet high topped by a cross</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> of iron</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> , a replica of the original. </span></span></span> Over the years the base<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> has been forming a mound.</span> <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A legend says that when the C</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">athedral of Santiago de Compostela</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> was being built, pilgrims </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">were asked</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to contribute by bringing stone.</span> Today, t<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">he tradition is to leave a stone, brought from the place of your origin. </span></span></span> So, my friends and husband signed the rock and asked me to carry it and then leave it at the site to remind me that they would be there with me in spirit. We should arrive at the place about 24 days into the hike.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Uph7ssqbY9NHCdRPO8lhtyDaaiqFWORKTPQLOLtfXTbrQrFb5FQRx2rzkT00yaYePT12MuVm8ljgHG1Dp_ANORdReLHgokjgAuWZmXcc9H_fgh_shgWf8y74Zw4WxWIZges89myJdE/s1600/Rock+pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Uph7ssqbY9NHCdRPO8lhtyDaaiqFWORKTPQLOLtfXTbrQrFb5FQRx2rzkT00yaYePT12MuVm8ljgHG1Dp_ANORdReLHgokjgAuWZmXcc9H_fgh_shgWf8y74Zw4WxWIZges89myJdE/s320/Rock+pile.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the poem they included with my rock...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Think I'll journey out some day</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>To wondrous lands afar,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Or even chart a journey to</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>A distant blazing star.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>But rest assured</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>That where my journey sees to take me to,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Always know that when I go,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>This journey takes you too.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>And so our journey goes by foot</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>To conquer mountains tall:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>But when we tire,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Let's rest our journey,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Stretched in fields of flowers,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>And bathe atop the mountain from the journey--</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Oh, autumn showers!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Refreshed, our journey takes a turn-</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>We'll venture back for home,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>But first we'll let the journey</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Take a tangent just to roam.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>And in the winding route,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>This journey's bound to bide content,</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>But most of all take heed-</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Let's make our journey life's event.</i></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for your love and support. ~Yvette</span>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-83212100199655013232011-05-23T15:04:00.000-07:002011-05-23T21:49:57.640-07:00I'M READY!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSN7DOwgPfSY3Fb3hueNQYkAPRq2VhRlTm7L3iI8PstuaMQq4joRD0rd7VkWH5PcLkv8HBreyZaBXHTgK15xTLk266MdFFX9Jku4CegksryqstVy1Lq70PaZtcMIKOLQwP2x88fPtrtM/s1600/DSCN1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSN7DOwgPfSY3Fb3hueNQYkAPRq2VhRlTm7L3iI8PstuaMQq4joRD0rd7VkWH5PcLkv8HBreyZaBXHTgK15xTLk266MdFFX9Jku4CegksryqstVy1Lq70PaZtcMIKOLQwP2x88fPtrtM/s320/DSCN1593.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm lucky to have an experience Camino hiker going with me on this trip. My mom has already hiked the Camino two times and knows all the ins and outs. She came over this morning and gave me some tips for packing my backpack. As you can see, there's not much to take--especially for 6 weeks! I already know what I'll be wearing when I leave this weekend. Although, it's not hard to choose as I only have 2 outfits. The only real variety I'll have will be the 3 hats that I'm taking! LOL If you're interested in knowing what exactly is in my pack, take a look at the previous entry. I have a video to go with it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We're excited to get started, but also are grateful for these last few days at home. My mom woke up on Friday and discovered that she had been bitten by the flu bug :( She has been feeling pretty bad and has a terrible cough. With lots of rest and vitamins, she's hoping that she will be in tip top shape by the time we leave. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't catch it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Camino Countdown: 5 days</div></div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-50142892575635843102011-05-21T13:02:00.000-07:002011-05-21T13:02:17.686-07:00Time to Pack<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm hoping to upload videos--either when I'm gone or when I return. You can find these on the TOP RIGHT side of the blog.<br />
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Here's the first one :) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MrsYcarroll?feature=mhee">Time to Pack video</a></div>ycarrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01199383482409648801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6406645064420670702.post-15219788511676294942011-05-20T16:15:00.000-07:002011-05-20T16:51:32.891-07:00The Countdown...8 days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In one week, I will be leaving for what I hope will be one of the most amazing experiences of my life! My mother & I will be walking 600 miles across Spain in just over 30 days.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We'll be following the Camino de Santiago which is an ancient pilgrimage trail that has been in use for over 1000 years. There are several options for distance when walking on the Camino and we have chosen the longest! We will start in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and end in Finisterre, Spain a.k.a <b>THE EDGE OF THE WORLD.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We will be carrying everything on our back and if all goes well, we will never use any other kind of transportation besides our own two feet.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have started this blog, because so many of our family and friends want to be able to follow our journey. I'm not sure how much access we will have to the internet, but I hope to post as much as I can during our trip.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enjoy :)</span><br />
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