[Gocamino] A Camino Completed!

[Eileen]

Congratulaions!  delighted it worked out for you this time.  The secret is 
NEVER, EVER !!!   Eileen
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wes & Rita" <wesrita at comcast.net>
To: <gocamino at oakapple.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 7:19 PM
Subject: [Gocamino] A Camino Completed!


>I wanted to let all of you know that after one attempt to walk the camino 
>that had to be canceled when my back went out (September 07), and a second 
>attempt that was cut short after two and a half days of walking because Wes 
>had a pulmonary embolism from the plane trip (September 08), we started our 
>third attempt on May 1 and walked every day for 39 days, reaching Santiago 
>on June 9.  We had an incredible experience (and incredibly wonderful 
>weather till the last 2 days in Galicia).  We were slow, walking 12 -14 
>miles a day.  But we started at 6 am in the cool of the day and arrived at 
>our albergue after 6-7 hours of walking and, being so early, never had to 
>be concerned about finding room (we were usually among the very first to 
>arrive).
>
> Thank you to all of you who gave us advice over the years preparing for 
> this (Sil, Grant, Glenn, Rebekah, Upstate NY, and so many others).  We did 
> take Caroline's taxi from Pamplona and we stayed at the most wonderful 
> Esprit de Chemin in St Jean Pied de Port.  Best quote that guided us well: 
> "No one ever said they packed too lightly for the Camino."  We packed 
> really lightly, had only a silk sleep sack and never needed a bag as only 
> 2 places didn't have blankets (Roncesvalle and the monastery in Leon) and 
> then we just added our fleece layers and were fine -- body heat generated 
> by so many peregrinos kept us warm.  Someone on gocamino had written to us 
> long ago "trust the camino," and though that didn't work for everyone we 
> met along the way, it actually did for us, so thank you.
>
> To pass on some thoughts:  We stayed at albergues every night and only had 
> one really terrible albergue the whole time -- the one at Alto do Poio. 
> It simply wasn't clean and there was a really awful smell surrounding it. 
> I recommend avoiding it -- go on to the next town where there is a really 
> nice looking new one.  We stayed at a number of Xunta de Galicia ones that 
> other people had recommended against and found them to be clean and  fine 
> (and only 3 euros).
>
> We also found the woman at the albergue in Rabe de la Calzada to be 
> extremely unpleasant (the albergue is in her home).  She kept us waiting 
> long after the time on the door for opening, then had us come inside in 
> groups according to languages spoken (at least I think that was what she 
> was doing) and so we waited a long time again. When we finally were 
> beckoned with another English speaking couple, she left the room and we 
> waited for more than 20 minutes again.  When she came back she asked 
> people inappropriate questions about where they came from and where they 
> were going the next day and how were our feet, informing us that she will 
> tend to them (despite the fact that we told her we didn't have any foot 
> problems).  But when she told us that it cost 20 euros each (!) and that 
> included dinner and I said we didn't want the dinner, could we just pay 
> for the bed, we were informed that that was not possible.  We got up and 
> left at that point and went to the bar in town and asked !
> if there was any other place to stay.  Vincento at the bar said his 
> brother had a place for 8 euros each and after we said "great," Jose Maria 
> came for us in his car to drive us the few streets up to the top of the 
> town where we had a little room with 4 other peregrinos and Jose made us a 
> wonderful little dinner with whatever we wanted to order, which we ate 
> outside on the patio.  We recommend this albergue if you are going to be 
> staying in Rabe -- just stop in the bar and ask Vincento about it!
>
> In Burgos we found that the albergue mentioned in our (dated) guide book 
> was closed and happened on a new albergue on Calle San Pedro de Cardena at 
> the church Parroquia San Jose Obrero (across the river as you enter town). 
> It is one of the religious albergues, all donativo, with mass and dinner 
> and prayer meeting after, then breakfast in the morning.  It was a 
> beautiful modern place with two bunk beds in a room, nice storage 
> compartments and bedside lamps!  (A palace of an albergue and we highly 
> recommend it).  These religious albergues (in Estella the Albergue 
> Parroquial at 18 Mercado de Viejo, in the church in Grannon) that offer a 
> pilgrim dinner are really wonderful and the spirit of the peregrino 
> community really comes alive in them.
>
> Biggest unexpected problem -- toward the end many people were suffering 
> from tendenitis and other pains from overuse.  After four weeks we might 
> have thought we were home free, feeling stronger, no blisters.  But people 
> around us were swelling up and having to stop for 3 - 5 days for rest (and 
> icing and anti-inflammatories).  So our advice is to pay close attention 
> to what your legs are telling you and stop walking before it gets worse! 
> Take a rest day and/or shorten your day's walk.
>
> Again, thanks for all the good advice over the two years of planning -- we 
> had the experience of a lifetime.
>
> Buen Camino
>
> Rita and Wes
>
>
>
>
>
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