Photos from Day #1

The first photograph is the first waymarker that I see as I leave Astorga & clearly comes from a period when there was a Jewish section of the village--before they were evicted along with the Moors & the beginning of the Inquisition.

The second is from El Ganso - a semi-abandoned Maragato village (an independent group that is believed to be descended from the Berber tribes that came with the invasion of the Moors & who have their own dress & customs).











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Day #1 - Astorga to Rabanal 21.4 kms. (13.3 miles) - 7+ hrs. Walking

The first hour is spent in the process of adjustment: tying & retying shoes, making various adjustments as to how my backpack is riding--more of this than actual walking. But I remember from my training walks that the first hour is frequently the most difficult. It turns out that this was really too long a walk for the first day out. I meet a mother & daughter pair from France who have been doing sections of the Camino for six years running & they, too, are starting from Astorga, but have planned to walk only 8 kms. & later meet others who also think it is better to start out slowly. Well, I definitely was going slowly as everyone I met was passing me by. A bit of a tough day, intermittently raining, very windy and with some elevation. But I also saw some of the old villages that I was hoping to pass on this walk, so that was exciting. The good news was that my legs felt fine--clearly the training walks were well worth the time & energy. But my feet really hurt--not just from blisters, but all over. On the other hand the albergue (pilgrim hostel) was great: clean & comfortable for €4 with hot showers (& since I was so late, there was no competition). Pilgrims menu of two courses, bread, wine, bottled water & dessert for €10. And I found a meal I could eat: insalada mixta con atún (salad with tuna). Lights out at 10 pm at the albergue & it would have been a perfect sleep except for the early risers who begin packing up before 5 am with their flashlights & crinkling plastic sacks. The snoring did not bother me, but hard to sleep thru this group (& I have no idea why they would want to leave in the dark when it's cold & with no breakfast!). So i wake the next day convinced that I will take it easier & will never start walking without breakfast. A successful first day mainly because it was hard, but no tears on the side of the road.


Palacio de Gaudi which is now an art museum in Astorga.
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Some Camino History

Before I head out to see if I can find something edible (and while i am enjoying what might be one of my last nights of comfort in a private hotel room),I thought I would give everyone some brief history about the Camino & the legends that accompany it.

Christian history or legend has it that St. James (Santiago in Spanish) headed out to Spain after the death of Jesus to convert the pagans living there. Apparently, it did not go well, so he returned to Jerusalem where he was summarily beheaded by Herod in 42 A.D./BCE. His disciples brought him back to Spain (or by some accounts, he was placed in a boat which just happened to land in Finisterre). For those of you who remembering taking world history, you may recall that during the Middle Ages, Spain was invaded by the Moors from north Africa who were also trying to spread their new religion: Islam. (this has been a long standing quarrel.). Actually, things were going fairly well when the western Islamic empire was situated in Cordoba, Spain and the three big religions were living in relative harmony.

The Santiago story reemerges in the year 813 when a shepherd named Pelayo was drawn by a bright light to what is now Santiago & gave the city it's name of "Compostela" which means "field of stars". Whatever happened, the Bishop of the period took this as the time to "confirm" that the bones of St. James were buried there--just in time for the Saint to spearhead the "reconquista" of Spain by the Catholics & "Santiago Matamoros" (slayer of Moors) was born.

Between the 12th & 14th centuries, Santiago de Compostela became an even more popular pilgrimage site than Jerusalem and Rome. Now the saint becomes Santiago Peregrino with his staff, bible, wide brim hat to keep off the sun, and the scallop shell "concha". All of this led to unknown numbers of people making this pilgrimage when it meant just leaving your home & village (in Italy, Germany, France, etc.) and walking to northwest Spain to seek help from Santiago. Some were sent as part of either religious penance or criminal justice, some on their own, but many never returned or would be gone for years. So, it was no small undertaking. At some point, the "credencial" became important as proof that the person had completed the journey as they would have it stamped by church officials in each village and town they walked thru. It continues to be important for those who wish to receive the "Compostela" at the end of their pilgrimage. In the Middle Ages, there were as many routes as pilgrims walking, but they tended to converge on what is now the most traveled routes: the Camino Frances which starts at the border of France & Spain; the Via de la Plata (beginning in Sevilla);Camino Portugues (starting in Oporto, Portugal); the Camino del Norte (from Irun or Oviedo in Spain) as well as a bunch of other less frequented routes.

None of this says a thing as to why I decided to give it a try. Still not sure, but waiting to see.

I will include a photo of the Palacio de Gaudi--I think it's my favorite after Parque Guell in Barcelona.

Off to search for food.


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Location:Calle de Santiago,Astorga,Spain

Train to Astorga photo

I haven't figured out how to add a photo after saving an entry so I will add a photo taken out the train window & then perhaps one of the Palacio de Gaudi (which is now the Museo de Caminos) in Astorga itself.



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Train to Astorga

There may be more soothing experiences than riding the rails thru autumnal northern Spain while the rains pours outside & I listen to Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, but, for me, it ranks among my most memorable train travels. I love trains--they are the perfect setting to let your thoughts drift & flow with the rocking of the train. The car is quiet as most passengers are either sleeping or drifting through their own memories. My earliest train memories were those of taking the sleeper from Chicago to Denver as a student, loving the slower transition of train travel in comparison to air travel (& that was before flying ranked up there with a trip to the dentist.) But my true romance with train travel occurred when I took a year off from college & travelled around europe and then India almost solely by train. Back then it was incredibly cheap with a student pass (but that was also when you could travel round trip to Europe on Icelandic Air for $160 with an open return!). My last unforgettable train experience was the night sleeper to Marrakech, waking up in the morning in the Moroccan desert with the pink city of Marrakech in the distance. I think there is another trip riding the trains of Europe in my near future.
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Location:Calle de Santiago,Astorga,Spain

Safe & Hungry in Santiago de Compostela

Arrived safely after predictably horrid American Airline flight without even a moment of sleep. But arrived to what should be phenomenal walking weather: cool, overcast with slight intermittent drizzle. I spent the late afternoon wandering in the warren of narrow streets in el centro around Plaza Obradoira by the Catedral. I found myself taking photos of food as I searched for something I would eat. It does not look good. Everything looks to have either eggs (the Spanish tortilla) or jamon (pig) and the most famous seafood dish is the Galician pulpa (octopus). That won't be happening. In addition, all the restaurants (as opposed to the cafe bars) don't open until 8:30 pm--which was great in Barcelona, but not so good when you need to get up early to walk or (tomorrow) catch an early train. So I am debating going out for my standby favorite around the world-- the ubiquitous cheese pizza or settle for a delicious Kind Bar & an early bedtime. All depends on whether I can get my technology to work as planned. I hope to have a chance to post a short history of the Camino while traveling FIRST CLASS tomorrow to Astorga. So I will try to post this with a couple of today's food pics.





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Location:Rúa da Fonte de San Antonio,Santiago de Compostela,Spain

Ready to Go Part 2

Okay.  Now I am packed & have carried my (too heavy) pack up & down the hills of my neighborhood and feel that I am as ready as I am going to get.  I wish I had done yesterday's six mile walk fully loaded about two weeks ago, but.... I didn't, so now its just a question of whether I will follow my "proposed walking schedule" in Spain or will do an abbreviated version.  I am just ready to get going.  And slightly frustrated that I have had to change my original plan to reach Santiago at the end & have to spend the day & night there at the beginning so that I can take a day train to Astorga the next day.  So it turns out that I will be taking my planned "rest days" at the beginning of the trip rather than in the midst of it.  Oh well.  I feel sure that this is only the beginning of the changes that I will have to adapt to as I go along.  I am sure that there is potential for spiritual growth here (?).  I am mostly writing this to check out whether "signing up" for the blog means that the person gets updates whenever I make a post.  So I am checking that out.  Even tho I will be leaving in three days, I won't actually hit the Camino itself for nearly a week, so patience will be important.