Molinaseca to Villafranca - 9/4

(Distance: 31.2 kms  Time: 9.5 hours)
The Day: It was a long long day. The day started slow as we made our way first thing to Ponferrada (a 7kms walk) for our coffee and pastry. We found an ATM to replenish our money and then were on our way again. The day grew very hot (we were told it was the hottest day this summer for that area) and there wasn't a cloud in the sky ... with very little shade. The country side has changed completely now from flat fields of wheat to mountains & grape vines. Also the forecast appears to indicate we might have to deal with some rain but we deal with things one day at a time.

The People: Along the way yesterday, we met a couple from Virginia and ate lunch with them. We also saw Dami and Claudia, friends from a while ago, and then at the end of the day we briefly saw Angeliek. It is interesting that as we deal with what the day brings, each decision seems to reunite us with someone or introduce us to someone new and that enriches our experience.

castle in Ponferrada

castle wall

passing through a town for lunch

grape vines have replaced the wheat fields

Angeliek as we enter Villafranca

church in Villafranca

Foncebadon to Molinaseca - 9/ 3

(Distance: 20.7 kms  Time: 7 hours)
The Day : We stopped short of our goal today as we spent more time in the mountains than we anticipated. It was perfect weather and being at the highest point on the Camino at sunrise was spectacular (lots of pics below). Today was a special day too as we placed our rocks at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro... a simple iron cross atop a weathered pole with a huge pile of rocks & other tokens of love. It was a special time and we stopped for a while to recollect all the prayer intentions everyone gave us for the Camino. The rest of the day was downhill from there ... literally, as we descended about 900 meters to the bottom of the mountains. When we entered Molinaseca we began to cross an old stone bridge when we saw Jamie and others swimming in the river. Of course Jamie invited us in so down we went to the river. We didn't go swimming but we did soak our sore feet in the very cold water and it felt great. So that combined with the time spent in the mountains as well as the difficulty of the decent all did us in and we called it a day.

The People: I already mentioned seeing Jamie again but we also stayed in touch with Manfred. Cutting our day short also reunited us with Thorunn and Angeliek. Then we had a real surprise and saw Cherry whom we had not seen for along while. Funny how God works all that out for us :)

sun rise in the mountains

spectacular views as we walk in the mountains

Cruz de Ferro as the sun rises

rock pile at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro

our walk continues in the mountains ... God's beauty all around us

river / "swimming pool"

cooling our feet in the river

Astorga to Foncebadon - 9/2

(Distance: 27.2 kms  Time: 7 hours)
The Day: We had a rough start this morning ... both of us were ornery and we took it out on each other. Things smoothed out after a while and we ended up making good time. We both can see a difference in our stamina and the time it takes us to cover distances. (Hmmm ... does that mean I am now walking at Betsy's pace ?) By 11:30 am we had already walked our target of 21 kms so we had some lunch and then continued on to the next town. I have been trying to post pictures that give a feel for the country side & environment and since Leon we have noticed some changes. Gone are the wheat fields and the average age of the pilgrims has seemed to increase. Probably because we are loosing all the college age folks as schools get back in session and vacations in Europe come to an end. Tonight the town we are in is up on the side of a mountain and the view is magnificent.

in Astorga

The People: On and off today we saw Angeliek and Christian, and they are with us at the albergue. Some new acquaintances today but no new " friends"

Mazarife to Astorga - 9/1

(Distance: 31.2 kms  Time: 8.5 hours)
The Day: Well even with our "injuries" we made the 31 kms today. We both still hurt but that was to be expected. The terrain itself was not too difficult but it was rocky and hot. I had an incident when we were going over a bridge that crossed a railroad track, a gust of wind blew my hat off and it landed down on the tracks. I successfully retrieved it as Betsy nervously watched me. Tomorrow is a less aggressive day as far as how far we want to go, but it is mostly all uphill. Just another day on the Camino ...

The People: Most of the day we walked with our friend Angeliek with brief encounters with Thorunn and Jolie. We are becoming very comfortable with being by ourselves with some shared praying, a little conversation and a lot of silence (a good kind of comfortable silence) with only the crunching of the stones & dirt paths beneath our feet.

the road today

an old bridge into a town along the way

Betsy and Angeliek

in Astorga

Leon to Mazarife - 8/31

(Distance: 22 kms   Time: 5.5 hours)
The Day: We started out late this morning because breakfast (a real scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit and even choc cake for Betsy) came with our hotel room but they did not open up until 8am. So we were on the road at 8:30 and back on our journey of walking. What should have been a strong day for both of us given the day off turn out to be tough. I had my usual aches & pains that did not seem any better, but Betsy has developed a blister/sore on her left heel. By the afternoon we were moving at a very slow pace and finished the day limping in to the albergue. Her blister is buried underneath the callous on her heel and she eventually was able to drain it. We don't know whether it will just fill up again or begin to heal. Tomorrow is supposed to be a 31 kms walk but we will just have to see how the day unfolds. All prayers are welcome :-)

the way as we leave Leon behind us

Betsy and a local farmer

entering Mazarife

The People: We have reconnected with an old friend, Angeliek from Holland who we had not seen for over a week, and met her friend Thorunn from Iceland. The way is becoming a more internal journey as Betsy and I walk together.

Jolie, Angeliek, Christian, Thorunn, Manfred, Bob, Betsy at dinner

In Leon - 8/30

The Day: We spent the day relaxing and site seeing. First thing in the morning we toured the Cathedral and then returned to our hotel where we took a tour of it also. The hotel is an old monastery connected with the St Isidoro church with was built on part of some Roman ruins. The wall right outside our window was built in 100 BC! Betsy took advantage of being in a larger city and got her hair cut ... see pictures below :-) Tomorrow we are back on the trail as we tackle the last 300 kms to Santiago.

The People: We found our friend Mike from Canada, ran into Patrick once again and saw familiar faces of fellow pilgrims throughout the day. For the most part we spent the day on our own.

Puente to Leon - 8/29

(Distance: 13 kms  Time: 2.5 hours)
The Day: We made an easy walk this morning into Leon and then made our way to the old part of town & the Cathedral. After getting a map at the tourist center we ran into our friends again that we had not seen for two days ... Jamie, Valentina, Jee Young and Ensun. It was good to see them again and we spent the rest of the afternoon with them. We are staying in Leon for 2 nights so we can both rest some and see some of the sites.

The People: We are both excited and sad in making it to Leon. Excited because we made it walking 500 kms ( over 300 miles) ... sad because Leon is the end of the way for many of our new found friends. Leaving people is a real part of the Camino, just like in real life .. it is just that the "cycle of friendship" from first meeting people to sharing stories to becoming closer to saying good bye, all runs the full cycle in such a short period of time that makes it hard. We say we will stay in touch but that is hard too and rarely happens after we all get back and caught up in our real lives. So we put Ensun on a bus to Santiago, Valentina left shortly after, Jamie leaves tomorrow and tomorrow Jee Young will walk on while we stay in Leon. It is sad knowing we will probably never see any of them again but we know our life is richer and blessed having met them and shared the Camino with them ... something none of us will ever forget.

our first view of Leon

old city wall entering Leon

the Cathedral

reunited with friends again

our hotel in Leon

El Burgo Ranero to Puente Villarente - 8/28

(Distance: 24.5 kms  Time: 6 hours)
The Day: We continued on the alternate route today which the locals debate is the real Camino, to the point where the two paths join back together. Our original plan was to stay there but since we arrived before noon we decided to continue on. Leon is drawing near ( now only 12 kms) so early tomorrow morning we should arrive there. The way is now following the major highway to Leon so it is not as senic or peaceful but the path is well off the road so far so it is safe walking. At the end of today's walk the thought occurred to me that it would have been much better if they had buried St James in Leon as our bodies need a rest. So the plan is to stay in Leon for 2 nights and take a break. (for all you PM's reading this, translated for you this means I have project reserve built into the plan and I am taking advantage of it) We really are ahead of where we thought we would be and with no major injuries. A few minor blisters, very sore feet and tired backs & legs ... but for the most part in pretty good shape which helps make the whole experience that much better. Have I mentioned lately God is good? It seems even when we make a mistake He turns it into yet another great experience ... guess we are supposed to let Him be in control :-)

sometimes the way just goes on and on and on ...

another small town we passed

Betsy relaxing at the albergue

The People: Today we have pretty much been on our own with a few familiar faces here and there but none of the friends we've made. This morning we met a couple from Colorado Sally & Mark whom seemed about our age. She has tendinitis though so we far out paced them. The albergue we are in tonight is very nice with the usual 8 bunk beds per room arrangement and coed bath room & showers ... something we are getting used to but not something you grow to like. Tonight's pilgrim meal should give us a chance to meet some new people.

our room for the night

Terradillos to El Burgo Ranero - 8/27

(Distance: 28.7 kms   Time: 8.5 hours)
The Day: We were in a bunk room with our friends last night and we all went to bed early and no one woke up until 6:30! So it was a later start than normal ... around 7:30. The walk started off fine and we made decent time in the morning. When we got to Sahagun , we had a snack and then waited for our friends to catch up ... they  were reportedly 10 mins behind. After waiting 45 mins we decided to go ahead and go on. By the time we were back on the trail, lots of people had passed us and we were pretty much on our own.  There was an alternate route choice which we had decided we did not want to take ... so of course we took it by mistake and by the time we realized it, we could not turn back. We were bummed that we might not see our friends again. Then when we got to our destination for the day, we found Mike who we thought we might not see again so it all worked out. The terrain turned today from the endless wheat fields to gravel paths following the major highway that leads to Leon. We should be there in a few days. One good things about the alternate route we took was that the path was lined with trees. That combined with the cooler than normal temp ( around 75) and a nice breeze made the walk much more tolerable than it might have been. Seems God is watching out for us :-)

The People: Reunited with Mike we did not feel as bad as we initially did with our "wrong turn". The alternate path we took merges with the other path after tomorrow so perhaps we will see Jee Young at the end of tomorrow.

"The Way" beside the highway

ruins we passed by

sites in the towns we pass through

some unexpected company

Carrion to Terradillos de Templarios - 8/26

(Distance: 26.1 kms   Time: 7 hours)
The Day: Today had it's challenges but we are past the half way point to Santiago! This morning from when we left Carrion it was over 17 kms to the first town or village. So we had to carry a full compliment of supplies (water, food, etc) and waited in Carrion until the first coffee shop opened. We got to that first town around 10:30 and had a good long rest with refreshments. For the walk to the next town, I went on ahead while Betsy hooked up with Jee Young and they walked together. It was a nice to get some alone time and I think Betsy and Jee Young enjoyed their conversation. Tonight we are staying in a small village of about 80 people so not much to do. Maybe we'll get that good night sleep here tonight :-) 

The People: We are again with the group of people that we met last night along with Jee Young. Mike has appeared to move on but hopefully our paths will cross again on the Camino.

our Way today

our stop in the morning for coffee & pastry

Betsy and Jee Young

Boadilla to Carrion - 8/25

(Distance: 26.5 kms  Time: 6.5 hours)
400 kms done, 414 kms to go till Santiago
The Day: Even though we got a good night sleep and an easy 7am start, we both struggled today. Our legs were sluggish and we both just dragged a bit. For most of the day we did not see any other pilgrims except a few bikers here and there. The good news today is that we are just about half way to Santiago having walked about 250 miles. Far enough to go from our home in Wake Forest to Asheville, NC and in just 16 days of walking! We are both very tired tonight.

heading west first thing in the morning

canal along the way

still a long way to go

The People: The only old friend we have seen during the day is Mike ... whom we also had dinner with. At the albergue we met Michael, from Germany, and he shares our room with us tonight. We had pretty much lost touch with everyone else and were in our room in the early evening when Michael came in and said he had run into the Korean girls. So back out we went, met up with Jee Young (who is becoming a good friend) and met some new folks we had seen but not really talked to. They are: Jamie and Valentina, Corinne, Eunsun, Juan & Maria ... all pictured below. We found them at the church right at the end of Mass and the priest called all the Perigrinos ( Pilgrims) up for a special blessing, so up we went and all received an individual blessing as well as a gift of a paper star from the parish. Then as if that wasn't fun enough, the town was having a festival & parade in the street right outside the pub we went to. Watching the parade we then saw 2 old friends from the past week, Max and Alexander! What we thought was going to be a quiet early evening turned out to be another party with friends. More Camino blessings.

Jee Young's blessing by the Priest

dinner the night of the festival

Alexandro and Max