Day 6: Estella to Los Arcos, 20 km

I am now in Los Arcos writing from my ipod. it does not recognize the
camino 2011 group address so you will have to send this on.
The main event of the day is that I got caught in a heavy downpour for
30 min an hour away from Los Arcos, would have been ok, except I had
ut my raincoat in the bag sent through jacotrans. Things are basically
ok, except that some water got into my camera and cellphone, despite
my keeping them well-protected, I thought. At least my ipod and key
board are ok.


Left Estella close to 9 am, It took me more time than I thought to get
ready. I wore thinner woolen socks and that relieved pressure on my
little toes.
The walk all through was pleasant, over cast skies, some kith ambon,
more like precipitaion. A couple of kilometers out of Estella is a
famous ancient wine fountain with a sign that tells the pilgrim to
drink up so as to have the strength to finish the camino. I had a
picture taken beside the faucets, which give wine rather than water.
peregrines were happily drinking up.


A lot of ups and downs  till one of the highest points, Montjardin,
where I had a lunch of fried eggs, french fries and sausages, Asked
the waitress to take my photo with the food She was amused: "Con los
platos?" aand then "Sonrie, smile"


From there was around 9 km more to Los ARcos through gently rolling
hills. Lots of vineyards,


My feet are holding up, the thinner socks gave my little toes relief.


Till the heavy rain for 30 min an hiour friom Los ARcos.


Hope my camera and cellphone will do better after they dry up. If not
I will have to get new ones in Logrono tomorrow. I have an extra day
in Logrono so have time to fix things there.


The main point is that I am holding up physically and mentally,
spiritually too I hope.


Dinner at 7. Mass at the Church beside my pension at 8. Then sleep.


Hope to leave early tomorrow as it is a long camino of 28 km to Logrono.


All the best.

Day 21 El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas, 18.8 km

Today was a relatively light day. After the long previous two days (27

km and 30.7 km resp.) today was only 18.8 along wide sendas with

enough trees to make the way not so hot. I am one day away from Leon,

where I will have a rest day with the Jesuit community. Something to

look forward to. The guidebook also says that this is Fiesta time in

Leon (San Juan and San Pedro) and hopefully there may be what the

guidebook describes; running of the bulls during the day and concerts

and fireworks at night!

Had a good night's sleep, maybe partly fatigue from the long 30.7 km

walk and partly from shifting to beer from the wine I had been taking

with my meals. Top brand here is San Miguel (top soft drink, coca

cola). Got up relatively late and had breakfast at 7:30. I was

surprised to learn that the pension (El Peregrino) served breakfast as

early as 5 am. An impossibly early hour in Spain. Left past 8 am and

had a straight walk for the next 13 km to the main stopping place

before my destination, a place called Reliegos.

As I said the path was good with enough shade trees. Also rest areas

along the way (with benches and shade). Those along the way with me

were mostly French and some Germans. Had a rather slow pace this

morning, but there was no need to speed up. The areas we passed were

quite nice, but much the same unending fields. Noted lots of signs

pushing for autonomy for the Province of Leon (Leon solo or something

similar) -- out of the present region of Burgos, Palencia and Leon.

Got to Reliegos before noon and had a hot meal (not too many of

these): two eggs with jamon serrano and good bread (and a can of

coke). Tasted great! As I was finishing, my French friends, Alain and

Pascale, arrived. They left their place earlier and caught up. We ran

into each other again along the way and agreed to have dinner together

tonight. Turns out mass here in Mansilla is 8:30 PM, so we will have

dinner at 7 before mass.

Mansilla de las Mulas is an ancient camino town going back to the 12th

century. Will take a walk later when it is cooler (it is 4 pm and

still rather hot -- remember sun is up till 10 pm).

The guidebook says I am 336.1 km to Santiago. There are still a couple

of challenges, the cold at the highest peak with the Cruz de Ferro

(1505 meters) on Day 27 and the steep climb to O'Cebreiro ( from 600

meters to  1300 meters) on Day 29. Will have to check in Leon if I

need to get an extra sweater for the cold.

Otherwise I am well, feel quite healthy. Have probably lost quite a

bit of weight.

All for now.

Day 20: Terradillos de los Templarios to El Burgo Ranero, 30.7 km (flat terrain)

Postscript from last night: There was no mass in the Church, so spent
some time in quiet prayer. I had dinner with 3 French and 2 Germans,
among the French the couple with whom I had the bad lunch at an
albergue a couple of days earlier. We were cordial, but could not
really converse much -- between the French and Germans, not much
either. But it was a good dinner,  a soup of some kind of grain with
some garlic and broiled trout with salad. Went to bed early, around
9:30. All the others in the room were already sleeping. I was quite
impressed how considerate everyone was. The room was very quiet --
there was an occasional snore, but never lasted long. Slept well.

I also forgot that yesterday was kind of a red-letter day on the
camino for me. I crossed the halfway mark to Santiago yesterday.
Terradillos de los Templarios is 387.5 km from Santiago. El Burgo
Ranero where I am now is 355 km from Santiago. Nice to have done over
half.

Day 20: Terradillos de los Templarios to El Burgo Ranero, 30. 7 km.


When I awakened at 5:15, 4 of the group was already getting ready to
go. They did it very quietly, not turning on the light. They brought
their stuff to a kind of sala outside the sleeping room to fix them
there. The albergue does not serve breakfast till 7, but there is a
machine for coffee, snacks etc. I thought I could leave early too, but
realized I should stay till 7 to make sure I leave my mochila for
jacotrans with the staff when they come in at 7. However, I did have 2
cafe con leche from the machine and a breakfast from doughnuts I had
with me and the remains of my choco chip cookies.

Today was a long walk. I left around 7:15 AM and got to El Burgo
Ranero at 4:45 pm. However, it was not a very difficult day. First, my
right little toe, which continued to cause a little pain over the last
days (as it was bruised from squeezing from my earlier shoes), finally
settled down and was fine. Also, while it was long, it was less boring
as it passed various towns and cities and the terrain changed a lot
more. Finally, on the last long stretch from just before 2 pm to
almost 5 pm, the long road stretches were lined with trees (not
completely, but enough to be much cooler). It was still hot though.

The first part of the day was a gentle climb till we passed the town
Moratinos 3 km into the walk. People were not yet awake ( 8 am). 3 km
later we passed San Nicolas del Real Camino and then 7 km later the
city of Sahagun. I looked for a place to eat and finally found myself
in the Plaza Mayor and saw a panaderia, bought a bocadillo with
scrambled eggs and potatoes and a can of coke and sat in a shady area
of the plaza. The bread was much better than in the bars, I guess
freshly baked by the panaderia. Watched the people -- old men sitting
around chatting, young people eating, drinking from the fountain, etc.
Churches were closed so I just passed by them. This was around 11:00
AM. Left Sahagun before 12 and headed for Berciamos del Real Camino
(10 km away) and later for El Burgo Ranero (another 7.6 km). It was
warm, but there was a gentle breeze to compensate.

When I got to Berciamos, went into a bar and asked for a bottle of
cold water and a coke. Sat and drank down the cold water (one really
appreciates this after a  hot walk) and then ate the remains of my
chocolate bar with the coke. As I was finishing, my French friends,
Alain and Pascale, came in. They were staying in Berciamos for the
night. they were in the other albergue in Terradillos and Pascale had
been down with as stomach ailment, probably from something from the
dinner in Carrion. I was not much affected by it, nor was Alain. But
they had to take a ride to Sahagun this morning and get some
medicines. Pascale is now fine. We chatted for a while and agreed to
have dinner tomorrow in Mansillas de las Mulas.

From Berciamos is just a little under 2 hours to El Burgo Ranero. Not
difficult, but a lot under the sun, though there were trees along the
way. I was very glad to finally enter El Burgo just before 5 pm.

Am now at Hostal El Peregrino. Will wash up and rest.

all for now.

Knights Templars

The whole area I have been walking through the last 3 days seems to
have been a center of power for the Knights Templars. You can get
general info about them from wikipedia or other sources. They were a
religious order, who were religious and soldiers (knights). They
became very powerful and perhaps a mixture of their own failings and
inevitable intrigue that comes with power, opposition to them grew.
The albergue I am staying in is named after the last Grand Master of
the Templars, Jacque de Molay. He was condemned and here the legends
grow. The main story is that he was executed. But other stories are
that he escaped or something like that. In any case, there are legends
that he will return. Last novel I read that included this is Umberto
Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum". Anyway, he has always fascinated me and
so I could not resist staying at the Albergue named after him -- the
other choice is another Albergue, Los Templarios, 500 meters away.
Probably more modern, but not as historic.

Day 19: Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templares, 26.8 km, 27.3 adjusted for climbs

Postscript from last night: I attended the 8 pm mass at the beautiful
Church of Santa Maria in Carrion. The celebrant was very engaging and
gave a good homily on the readings for the Feast of the Most Holy
Trinity. We finished the mass at 8:45 PM and I looked forward to
having supper immediately and get a good night's sleep as it would be
a long walk today. However, there was a pilgrim blessing and while it
was very nice, it went on and on. After several psalms, there was a
reading from St. Paul and he asked all those with different languages
to read the version in their language, so we had the reading 6 times:
Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish. More psalms.
Then we sang a very beautiful hymn about the Camino. That was not the
end, he gave a long talk about the gifts of the camino. At a certain
point, I indicated to Alain and Pascale, who were also there that I
would meet them at the resto next door.

Saving grace was that we had a good supper: good onion soup and
excellent lasagna and wine.

Today was simply a very long day and a very long walk. The terrain was
not difficult, the path was on a senda parallel to the vehicle
highway, most of the way. The challenge was that it was hot (though
there was a breeze to make it more tolerable) and the road just went
on and on and on. We were warned that we would walk 17 km before there
would be a bar to stop by and get something. So I bought some snacks
last night and a jamon and tomate bocadillo at the breakfast place.

Walked 8 km before the first break, a rest area with shade and
benches. Drank water and had half a chocolate bar and some choco chip
cookies. Several other people at the break area.

Walked another 5 or so before the next rest area. Here I met the young
Japanese whom I had been running into off and on. He had his stuff for
sale (mostly pendants, etc.) on a bench and I sat down with him. A
young lady from Texas also joined us. I shared some of the chocolate
chip cookies with him. There was another Japanese leaving when I
arrived, he walks fast, probably doing 35 km a day. Asked the young
Japanese if he would take my picture.

Then the last 4 km before the lunch break at Calzadilla de la Cueza.
This part really seemed to go on and on. On these sendas, where
everything looks the same, same road, same fields around, one loses a
sense of progress on the road. There are no milestones to tell you how
you are doing. I estimate where I am by time -- I do 4 km an hour, a
little faster in the afternoon. When I was beginning to wonder whether
Calzadilla would ever appear, it finally did, hidden by the brow of a
hill.

Stopped at a bar and ordered a coke. Ate my jamon bocadillo and rested
my feet. Then a cafe con leche before leaving.

The last stretch is about 10 km. I was alone most of the time, except
for a young girl who was always a bit ahead of me. This part also
seemed to go on and on. It was also like 1:30 in the afternoon, so a
very warm sun. Got to Ledigos at around 3 pm and stopped at a bar and
ended up ordering two bottles of orange juice (very good stuff). It
was great after the heat of the walk.

Finally arrived at Terradillos de los Templares around 4 pm. My
albergue (Jacques de Molay) is in the center of the town. It is quite
full with lots of people I have met along the way. There are no
pensions with individual rooms in the place (nor nearby), so I share a
room with 5 others here. The facilities are quite good and the
guidebook says the family running it serves good food.

No mass here tonight.

Will sleep early as tomorrow my walk goes over 30 km to El Burgo Ranero.

All the best.

Day 18: June 18, 2011 Fromista to Carrion de los Condes, 20.5 km, 20.7 adjusted for climbs.

Postscript from yesterday: I forgot to narrate that since Day 11 to
Belorado, I crossed over to the region of Castilla y Leon. Quite
different from the mountain regions of Navarra, the Basque country.
Also in Navarra, there was always a rosary 15 minutes before the
evening mass. Not in Castilla y Leon. First part of Castilla y Leon is
the province of Burgos. Yesterday I crossed into the second province,
Palencia, marked by flat plains and endless fields of grain. Fromista
itself seems to take from frumentum, the Latin word for grain.

I attended mass at Fromista in the Church of San Pedro at 8 pm with
the French couple Alain and Pascale. A simple mass with a good homily
on the readings. Had dinner by myself in my pension, Marisa. It was a
good dinner to make up for the bad lunch. Had chicken noodle soup,
very hot and a nice comfort food. Then an excellent salmon filet. For
dessert, I asked for flan, but they had run out. So some good ice
cream instead. Another difference here is that in Navarra, they gave
you a 3/4 bottle of wine with the meal. Here they give you the whole
bottle. I do not know if it is the weather or the long walks or simply
adjusting to Spanish ways, but I usually finish half the bottle with
no particularly strong effects! They tell me that the Americans finish
the whole bottle and ask for more! (They give you one bottle each if
you are several).

Day 18: Fromista to Carrion de los Condes

Today as you can see is a shorter walk and quite flat. The whole way
was through so-called Sendas de los Peregrinos or something like
Highways for Pilgrims. The guidebook talks of them as "soulless", but
they are a relief from the tougher sections. They are flat with mostly
good solid earth walks. The only downside is that they run parallel to
the highways with cars zooming past (speed limit in Spain is 120
km/hr, but most travel 10 or 20 km faster, I remember that it was nice
driving at those speeds when Fr Ting and I were in Spain for the
Ignatian pilgrimage in 2006.)

The memorable experience of the day was meeting a man, named Pepe
about 8 or 9 km into the walk. (I had stopped a few minutes in a
little town, Revenga de Campos, found a shade and drank some water and
had one of the peaches I brought with me.) He had a little van parked
on the senda as I was leaving Revenga and when I was about to pass, he
signaled me to stop, rushed off to a little shade tree and came back
with a little basket of candies and asked me to take one. He then told
me that he is like a Friend (or maybe better, Apostle) of the Camino.
He had his own sello (stamp) for my credencial and, of course, I was
happy to get it from him. A Canadian lady also passed by and I asked
her to take my picture with Pepe. On the sello, he wrote his name and
mine (same for the lady). As we were parting, he said "Venceremos" "
We will overcome." Meaning, I think, we will overcome all these high
speed modern cars with the spirit of the camino. Then, " El camino
para hacer mas bueno el mundo" and I agreed, "para mejorar el mundo."
After I left him and as I reflected on these physically parallel
roads, the high speed highway beside me with cars and trucks roaring
past, and the senda beside it with us pilgrims walking slowly, it was
two worlds and two ages. I like the mass at the end of the day,
because it really puts its stamp on connecting with a world that is
being bypassed by the modern world, but with its own power. I was
quite touched by Pepe and his positive way of helping me connect with
the world of the camino. (By the way, he had a special medal as a
friend/apostle of the camino and he put it on carefully for our
photo.)

14  km into the way and around 12 noon I stopped at a cafe/bar in
Villalcazar de Sirga, described by the guidebook as a center of the
Knights Templars in the Middle Ages. Will say more about the Templars
tomorrow, as I will be staying at the Albergue Jacques Molay (who
should be known by all who know about the Templars) in Terradillos de
los Templares. I tried to order a plato combinado as I wanted a hot
lunch, but the lady said no kitchen till 12:30. I did not want to
wait, so I had my favorite bocadillo: jamon con tomate. I then had
time to visit the Church of Santa Maria across and it was a very good
experience, to have quiet time to pray at lunch, away from the heat of
the day. Will try to make that a more regular part of the walks.
(Churches are usually open late morning till the 2 pm lunch time and
again in the evening.)

From Villalcazar to Carrion was just 6 km and I was at my pension,
Hostal Santiago, a little after 2 pm. I asked a man I met where the
Santiago was and he said, they have no room. But I have a reservation,
I said.  In that case, he said, I will bring you there. Which he did.
He called out to the lady in charge who was busy hanging clothes to
dry and I waited a bit as she finished her task. I was actually happy
to see her doing that as I had asked her on the phone yesterday if I
could have my laundry done and she said yes. Later as I gave her my
laundry, I asked how much it would be and she said it is included in
the room charge. Nice thing here is that the sun is out till past 10
pm, so more than enough time for the clothes to dry.

There will be mass at the Church of Santa Maria later tonight, have to
check the time. Hope to have an early enough dinner and get an early
rest. Tomorrow is a longer walk, about 27 km and would like to start
early.

All for now. All the best.

Day 17: June 17, 2011 Castrojeriz to Fromista, 25.2 km, 26.4 adjusted for climb

Postcript from last night: I attended the 7 pm mass at the Iglesia San
Juan together with the French couple, Alain and Pascale. Aside from us
three, there were just 4 other old ladies. The mass was simple, no
homily. After the mass we went over to thank the priest and when I
told him I was a Catholic priest, he said you should have
concelebrated with me. We then had dinner at a bar/restaurant. The
dining room was full, but the bartender, Antonio, fixed a place for us
in the area of the bar (usually for people who just want a beer and
maybe a sandwich). This actually turned out better, as Antonio was
very engaging and he kept chatting with us. We had time to talk about
the Church in France and in the Philippines, how few people go to
Church in France. (Actually, the people of Castrojeriz usually go to
the morning mass at the nuns' convent). I told them that pretty much
all Churches in Manila will have one or two Saturday evening masses
and up to 7 or more masses on Sunday. They said, we have mass Saturday
night and no mass at all on Sunday.

Today was a relatively long day on the camino. The walk was actually
one km longer than the official distance, as my pension was one km
further away. Did not meet and interact with many people today. Either
we got up at different times or what, but I was alone on the camino
most of the time.

First stage was from Castrojeriz to a high point, Alto Mostelares, a
climb of about 100 meters, quite steep going up and even more steep
going down (which I dislike more). Compared to other stages, not
particularly difficult. But I noted two memorials to men who died on
the camino, I suppose in those spots, these are the 3rd and 4th I have
seen. From the high point, the next key point was a shaded rest place
Fuente del Piojo where it was pleasant to stop among shady trees and
benches and have a drink from my water bottle. There was a French
couple I run into off and on on the camino and I asked the man to take
my photo. Refilled my water bottle from a clear spring source. From
there around 5 km to an albergue in Itero de la Vega, where I decided
to have lunch. The French couple also did. Not a good choice, should
have stopped at the bar earlier. They took a very long time preparing
my plato combinado, I asked for eggs and some meat (pork strips), they
served rice. But the rice was cold and did not taste good and the rest
was not very good. When the French couple caught up with me on the
camino, they said "VEry bad food" and I agreed. Will be more
discriminating in the future.

From the lunch place were two very long stretches on the open meseta,
sun was out and so it was warm, but this was mitigated by a strong
breeze/headwind, so it never felt very warm. First stretch was 8 km to
Boadilla del Camino, where the French couple would be staying. I
stopped at Boadillo a while in a shaded place, drank water and had the
orange, which the lunch place had given me (best part of their meal).
Should buy more oranges, they really taste good in the heat.

Then the last stretch of 6 km to Fromista. Fortunately, this stage has
stretches along shaded trees, so much cooler.  But still a long
stretch after an already long day. Finally got into Fromista around
3:45 pm, got into my pension, Marisa, and was very glad to get a
shower and rest. You really appreciate these things after the long
walks.

It is past 6:30 pm here in Fromista. Will be going to the 8 pm mass,
will probably meet Alain and Pascale, as they were also going to
Fromista. Dinner and then rest, can get up later tomorrow as the stage
tomorrow to Carrion is only 20 km.



All the best.

Day 15: Burgos to Hornillos del Camino 21 km, 21.7 adjusted for climb

This comes a day late, because Hornillos remains in its medieval
state, quiet etc. and no internet. Good experience to be in a place
happy to leave the rest of the world alone.

I left the Jesuit residence in Burgos early, around 7 am, and
connected to the main route. I dropped off my bigger backpack at Hotel
España to be picked up by Jacotrans for my next stop.

First 5 km is outskirts of Burgos, getting out of big cities is always
a challenge. Especially making sure not to get lost. I tried to keep
peregrinos ahead of me in sight. In a couple of places, citizens of
Burgos were very helpful. Out of Burgos one enters the famous mesetas
(flat plateaus) of Castillo y Leon. Fairly good earth trails, the
challenge is that they go on and on. I thought that they are the
equivalent of the desert in spiritual experience, changeless land, you
keep asking when does it end. Or like what we used to call De More
(usual schedule) in novitiate and juniorate, changeless, boring days,
but essential. Today was challenging mainly because the sun was out,
no trees (or hardly any) on the mesetas so it was hot. The main effect
of the peregrinacion on me (aside from probably losing weight) is
sunburnt skin. One of the Jesuits at Burgos asked if I was darker from
the walks and I showed him the difference in my arm, between the
section covered by my wristwatch and the rest of the arm.

11 km into the walk was the first stop where you could get something,
Tarjados. I stopped at a store that sold soft drinks and sandwiches
and got a ham and cheese bocadillo. Found myself seated beside two
Japanese ladies, struggling a bit with their full mochilas. We talked
a bit. One of them asked if I was a priest and said that she just
retired from working with the Bishops´conference of Japan. A little
over 2 km later at Rabe de los Calzados we met again at the fountain,
where I refilled my water jug. We took pictures this time and had an
interesting conversation with a Spanish lady, who liked to engage
peregrinos. She warned us about the perils of the road, especially
bedbugs in the albergues, which she says invade everything: your
clothes, etc.

As one reaches last ridge before Hornillos, one sees Hornillos in the
distance. A Frenchman caught up with me and asked me to take his photo
with the town in the background. I asked him to do the same for me and
we chatted in my basic French. He was quite flattering about my French
(which is quite basic). There was then the very steep descent with
loose stones, along what is called Cuesta Matamulos, Mule-Killer
slope. I imagined mules in medieval times slipping an breaking a leg,
esp in wet weather.

Then Hornillos, really quiet. So much so that the only bar/resto in
town starts serving supper at 6 pm.  I sat with another Japanese,
Hiroshi, who has just retired from his work and is taking 44 days to
get to Santiago. He might arrive there just before the Feast of St.
James.

Then slept early. All for Day 15.

DAY 16 of Fr Ben's Camino > Text from Fr. Nebres, SJ

Am in Hormillos del camino unspoiled by tech no internet so no update today wil send tmrw pls tel rona joy thanks

Day 12: Belorado to Atapuerca, 30.4 km (32.9 adjusted for climbs)

The stage today went longer than in my original plan, which was to go
Belorado to San Juan de Ortega, 24.3 km, but all the staying places in
San Juan were booked (when I passed by, there were several tourist
buses parked, so a lot of tourists). I was referred to Atapuerca, 6 km
further and am here now staying at casa rural Papasol, right beside
the parish church.

It was a very long, but now particularly difficult walk. The main
difficulty was the heat, as most of the way, from noon on, was under
the sun. It was great when there were shaded places. In terms of time,
I left 8 am and arrived in Atapuerca  5 pm, with about an hour for a
lunch and a couple of refreshment breaks, so 8 hours or more of
walking.

Had a good breakfast in Belorado and also bought something like a big
mamon the night before just in case. Kept walking with a couple of
water breaks till Villafranca Montes de Oca, 12 km away. Had a ham and
tomato bocadillo and a coke. And a cafe con leech. By 1145 I was back
on the road and this stage went on and on. There were several climbs
(not very high), but mostly just long, long stretches of open road
under the sun. It felt like a very, very long 12 km. till San Juan de
Ortega. A lot of it was through woods (on the side, so no protection).
Not really difficult, but tedious. I kept asking when do we get there.

Finally got to San Juan de Ortega a little after 3. Bought a cold
drink from a vend, which did funny things with change again. Took
pictures. Lots of people around (tourist buses as I mentioned).

From San Juan another hour and a half to Atapuerca. It was great to
have  a shower!

Many people I now meet over and over again. An Italian swiss
gentleman, who stayed in the same pension, but whom I met back in
Roncesvalles, a coupled of Italians whom I see at mass and who
congratulated me on getting to San Juan. New ones: a young man from
Sweden and a Brazilian, who were walking together.

Last night, the priest who said the Pentecost mass in the Church of
Santa Maria in Belorado, was very good. Young, but not as young as the
night before. He gave a very good Pentecost sermon. After the mass, we
gathered in the Chapel of Santiago El Peregrino. He did a nice ritual
of blessing. I took pictures of Santiago the Pilgrim, an excellent
statue.

All for now.

DAY 11 >> Stage 10 Santo Domingo to Belorado 22.9 km, 24.4 adjusted for climb

Day 11, Stage 10: SANTO DOMINGO TO BELORADO

I decided to leave a little later, because I thought it might be very
cold. Had some of the chocolate cookies I had bought earlier for
breakfast. Left a little after 8 am.

The big news is that I bought a new paper of walking shoes yesterday,
one size bigger, european 43 rather than the 42 I had earlier. That
has solved the problem. This gave my toes more room and they could
land on the road more properly. No more pain! Lessons learned: Our
feet really expand in these long walks. Our toes need room, they were
made to be free.

It was a very simple road today. Good roads, very few rough spots.
From Santo Domingo it was 7 km to the first stop, Granon, a small
town, where I had a cafe con leech and some kind of donuts. Ran into
Paul again and we walked together for a while and remarked on the
sounds around, including frogs from the nearby stream. He mentioned
talking to a young man, who found being alone on the road depressing,
so much so that he would take a taxi rather than keep walking alone.

From Granon, I thought there would be  a coupled more stops where I
could get something to eat. But at each of them (Redecilla del Camino,
4km from Granon,Viloria de la Rioja another 3.5 km, there were cafe/
rests advertised along the way. But they were all closed for the
weekend. People take vacations and weekends seriously here.

I was disappointed that the cafe at Castilldelgado, just before
Viloria de la Rioja, was closed. It is called El Chocolatero and I
would have loved to get a timbre on my credencial with such a name!

I finally got lunch 5 km from Belorado, at Villamayor del Rio, at a
Restaurante Leon, had eggs and ham.

Got to Belorado at 4 pm, got to my hotel Jacobeo and found they had
cancelled my reservation. They were calling me on my cellphone on the
way to confirm, but I was not paying attention to calls on the way. No
big problem, though, as they called a nearby place, Casa Rural
Verdeancho, which is probably better anyway as it is in a quieter
area.

Hope to find mass this evening and hope the priest is as engaging as yesterday.

Tomorrow will be a bit longer 30.3 km, as I will go all the way to
Atapuerca, 6 km more than I had originally intended. It is ok as it
means the walk on Monday to Burgos will be 6 km shorter.

All for now. All the best. God bless.

POSTCRIPT TO DAY 10: Najera to Sto Domingo

POSTSCRIPT TO STAGE 9: NAJERA TO SANTO DOMINGO

Weather: It was very cold yesterday afternoon and evening. After lunch
in Ventosa, there was a cold wind and I had to put on my
raincoat/overcoat until arriving in Santo Domingo. Then in the evening
it really became very cold, maybe around 10 centigrade. I had to put
on several layers, including a woollen sweater. (Today is much
warmer.)

People: Coming out of Najera, I asked someone along the way to take my
photo. Turned out he was Irish, Paul, so we chatted a bit, told him I
was a Jesuit and he said his sons studied at Gonzaga high school in
Dublin. Small world, we chatted a bit more as we met along the way.

Mass in the evening at 8 pm at the Erniita chapel of our Lady was by a
young priest, very young and very good looking! Sorry I can,t send you
a picture immediately. He connected well, beginning the mass by saying
that it was a very cold summer, but he hoped that God,s love and our
love would keep us warm. He also gave an excellent homily on the
Gospel: Jesus asking Peter three times, Do you love me?

He said the mass with immense devotion, even drama, a bit like he was
only recently ordained. Prayed a lot for him for the years to come.
After the mass I went over to thank him for the mass and homily. Told
him I was a priest, he asked if diocesan or religious. I said I was a
Jesuit> He beamed and said, we owe so much to the Society. I asked for
his name and he said "Jesus," then smiled "Jesus Ignacio". We had a
photo together.  I prayed for him on the camino today.

Finally, turns out Santo Domingo is a mid-size town with lots of shops.

Day 10 (Stage 9)Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada (21 km, 22.5 adjusted for climb)

This computer recognizes my camino2011 group.

It is June 10 and I am on the 9th stage of my camino. Today is a
relatively short stage and so I took a full breakfast (big croissant,
hard roll, slice of ham and cheese, butter, jam, cafe con leche). Left
Najera around  8:30 AM.

The way today is simple. It passed through the old part of Najera,
past the Church of Santa Maria, where I had wanted to go to mass last
night, but the priest did not come, then up through a wooded reserve
of the town. Very pleasant.

First stop is an old town Azofra after a little less than 2 hours (6
km). Stopped and had another cafe con leche and rested a bit for the
next longer stage.

Next stage goes almost 10 km with a climb of about 250 meters. Quite
pleasant. The road is wide and smooth -- except in a couple of
stretches, which were very muddy and only a very narrow part to walk
without getting stuck in mud.

The day was great for walking. Cloudy, with only a little rain, so
cool and pleasant.

Next stop was Cirueña, a very nice little town with a very nice
Church. A kilometer before Cirueña proper is a new development, with
lots of apartments and a golf course. But it got hit by the economic
downturn and so one sees "Se Vende". for sale signs all over the
place.

Got to Cirueña around 1 pm and took a leisurely lunch. I have learned
that apart from bocadillos, they serve platos mixtos (all have french
fries, eggs, cooked green pepper and choice of ham, sausage, etc.). I
chose the ham and it was excellent. Asked the waiter to take a photo.

From Cirueña to Santo Domingo de la Calzada is less than 6 km and so I
had a leisurely walk after lunch and got here at Santo Domingo before
4 pm.

It turns out that Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a very important
historical town. First, it is named after a saint born around 1019 and
who was very key in the development of the Camino, thus the name. The
town was the seat of the diocese for centuries and I was amazed at how
elaborate the Cathedral is and how magnificent the treasures in it.

Among the most interesting tourist parts is  a live cock up on one of
the pillars. It is attached to the story of a young man, wrongfully
accused of theft and executed, but whose voice was heard by his
parents saying that he was alive thanks to Santo Domingo. When the
parents told this to the leader of the town, the man replied: "Your
son is about as alive as the roast cock and hen I am about to eat." At
that point, the cock and hen jumped out of his plate and began to
sing. They have a saying:Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where then crows
after being roasted. Took several photos of the live cock.

All for now. I will try to see if getting shoes slightly bigger and
wider might solve my pain in the toes problem. Dr. Canlas had
suggested that my present shoes may be too snug.

All for now. Its another relatively short stage to Belorado tomorrow.

POSTCRIPT to Day 9: Logrono to Najera

Postscript to Day 9, Stage 8, at Najera. 

I tried to go to the 7 pm mass at Santa Maria Church. It started drizzling on the way and it was good I found a group of ladies who told me there would be no mass this evening. I would have gotten wet for nothing.

I eventually went into a bar and had a beer till the rain let up (one good thing about rain here is that it does not last long).

The reason for this postscript is that I had dinner at Los Parrales, by the river of Najera which is the key thing in the town. What struck me was how much the evening paseo is such a central thing in the life of the town. Couples, whole families were making paseo along the riverbank. Several had an evening drink by Los Parrales, but more simply took walks with their little children. NIce thing to see. Of course, it helps that it is light till 10 pm. 

Other things that strike one from our part of the world.1) I pass through many towns and villages along the way and most of the time there is no one around, quite striking for us where there are always people, 2) A lot of people, young and old, men and women, smoke and the streets are littered with cigarette butts, 3) at the cafe bars where I stop for a drink or snack, the locals stop by for a beer or wine or other alcoholic drink at any time, 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, etc. 4) Big groups come in around 1 pm and it is clearly a social as well as a drinking (with a little eating) event. 

Finally, on my menu del peregrino at Los Parrales, I ordered much the same thing as at Los Arcos (vegetable first dish, lomo steak for main dish, ice cream for dessert.) Difference is I finished everything here, unlike Los ARcos where I finished barely half. Maybe I was hungrier or their cooking is better or (you always have a choice of either wine or water, not both, for drink) I ordered wine this time! Did not at Los Arcos as I was still going to the 8 pm mass. 

Anyway, took pics of the people taking paseo and of the dishes. 

All the best.

Sent from my iPod

Day 3 Zubiri to Pamplona

Postscript: Forgot to mention that we passed a monument to a Japanese peregrino who died on the way from Roncesvalles to Zubiri, Shingo Yamashita.



   I am now in the Jesuit community for the Colegio de San Ignacio here in Pamplona. One of the Jesuits, Fr. Juan  Bautista Larralde, took time to show me around Pamplona. He talked most of the time and I was able to follow and reply to most of his comments. I am glad he was with me as he showed me the place where St. Ignatius fell and a monument to him. Also the Cathedral and a monument to what Pamplona is most famous for to many people, the running of the bulls.

I arrived here around 4 pm. The last two hours were quite hot. I hope the rest of the camino won't be so hot.

Left Zubiri 7:45 AM. I thought I might get to Pamplona by 2 or 3 pm.
But a combination of fatigue and sore toes (no blisters thank God)
slowed me down. I find the steep downhill parts difficult because my
toes press against the shoe and are painful. Maybe I should learn to
just ignore the pain as it is not blisters.

 Lesson learned this stage is to check where I might get lunch along
the way. The guidebook listed quite a few villages we would be passing and I assumed I could stop and get something to eat from them, but it turns out they are so small they don't have even the simplest of eating places. The paths this time were different: very narrow, just a couple of feet in width, way above the main highway, so one can see the cars and trucks way below.  So instead of lunch around 12 noon, it was 1:30 pm and I was quite tired and hungry.  The last 4 kilometers seemed to stretch on and on, maybe because I was tired. I got worried about dehydration as I finished all my water. Fortunately, in the last 2 km I ran into a man on the narrow road who was selling soft drinks (colorum I think), so I bought an orange drink and had a good chat with him. But another lesson learned is to take a longish break: I took an hour for the lunch and felt much better for the last two hours.

 Many groups along the camino, dominantly French, German, Spanish, but a Russian couple too.

There is quite a change in the last hours of this stage as one leaves the very rural parts of Navarre and enters a big city, Pamplona. These last two hours are through suburbs of Pamplona, along main thoroughfares with lots of cars and stoplights. It was good my guidebook had a simple map. With its help I was able to deviate from the designated path for peregrinos and make my way to the Jesuit house. Though it took some time and several inquiries before I found it. Had a good dinner with some of them -- was able to carry on a basic conversation in Spanish. They were patient.

Tomorrow I go to Puente de la Reina. I am not too happy about the 300m climb and similar descent.

Above all, I hope my toes don't hurt more. The good news is my
shoulders are ok.

All the best.

Day 2 Roncesvalles to Zubiri

   Postscript from last night at Roncesvalles. La Posada served a hearty
menu del peregrino -- macaroni and excellent trout. Was in a table of
ten -- peregrinos from Canada, Germany, France. Good conversation, but
was too tired to participate much. LOts of wine, but I refrained as I
would be going to the 8 pm mass. The mass was quite elaborate -- at
Church of our Lody -- celebrant had a very good voice and sang many of
the parts in the old Gregorian (with variations of his own). Five
celebrants, they also recited vespers and compline. At the end one of
the priests gave a very elaborate blessing for pilgrims -- dating he
said from the 12th century and then said a blessing in the language of
the different countries,including Japan and Korea, but missed the
Philippines. It was very cold, had to rush back to the pension. Took a
glass of wine to warm up.

June 2

   Left for Zubiri late as the staff only came in at 8:30 and they still
had my passport and I had forgotten to have my credencial stamped the
night before. Also the breakfast came with the accomodations. It was
good I waited as they served a good breakfast. Left qt 9:30 AM.

   The walk to Zubiri was still quite difficult, many climbs and descents
(Zubiri is 450 meters lower than Roncesvalles) and a fair amount of
the way is through rough stony paths, where I had to watch every step
to avoid getting a sprain or falling. But not as difficult as the
first day.

    Met a group from France and asked them to take my picture. A couple
from France at the place where I stopped for lunch -- a bocadillo with
chorizo. At the lunch place was a very noisy group, cyclists from
Italy and several Spanish girls.

    Soon after lunch I ran into two Filipinos -- the man greeted me in
Tagalog and I responded. The girl, his niece, has been in Spain for
several years -- in Alicante. The man is in Canada -- has been there
since age 14. We passed each other several times. We met each other
again here in Zubiri -- they were looking for a pension and finally
found one. They are walking to Logroño, about a week walking which is
all the vacation he has.

    I went to the Church here, many other people waiting, and though the
sign said mass on thursdays is 6 pm, there was none. Maybe they
followed the Sunday schedule at 10 AM since today is the Feast of the
Ascension.

   I am staying in a small pension with just three rooms, Zubiaren Etxea.
Very new, very clean, very simple. The girl in charge, Sagrario, was
very welcoming and effusive.  She said Fr. Pierre who called to make a
reservation for me some time ago said "Ben is coming from very far
away to walk the camino."

   So survived second day and the challenge of carrying the full backpack
with 8 kilos or so. Shoulders ache a bit, hopefully ok. I have to
thank Tin for the exercises. Massaged my shoulders and hope they will
get used to the load.

   Hope to leave early tomorrow so I can get to the Jesuit community in
Pamplona in time for noon meal, usually their main meal and usually at
2 pm. Also hope to do my laundry there and have enough time for it to
dry. They have washing machines here but no dryers.

   I am grateful for blessings so far -- no blisters and manageable aches
and pains.

All the best.

Day 1

  I am having trouble with my ipod system. I had written a word document which I was going to attach, but could not get that to work. So let me repeat in email. May I ask Rona to forward to the others in my group email for the camino.

  Here I am on first day, am now at St. Jean pied de Port, St. John at the foot o the Pass, the traditional town where pilgrims from all over Europe crossed the Pyrenees into Spain.

  I took the 10:10 train from Paris Montparnasse, TGV high speed train, to Bayonne arriving at 2:55 PM and connected with a local train to St. Jean arriving just before 4:30 PM. Walked with the others to the Reception Hall, where I registered and got my credential del peregrino. I took a photo of it, but cannot find a way to send it right now. I also got a shell, the symbol of the pilgrim and the camino.
  
  The train to St.Jean was full, so a lot of pilgrims. Many not so young, so it should be an interesting walk tomorrow.
 
  I then walked over to my hotel, Itzalpea. They have wifi and it is working. I think the problem is the settings in my Ipod.
 
It is now 6:45 PM and I will walk around the town a bit, have supper and then sleep early.
 
Will try to send another email, before retiring tonight.
 
Best to all.
 
Fr. Ben