So, since our last blog, the sun has returned with a vengence! The last 3 days of walking have been great, sweat and all! The day after we last wrote, we began a real climb into the mountains. The scenery is a perfect combination of Glacier, Vancouver Island and Columbia Gorge. It is fabulous! That evening, we stayed at an albergue on top of a mountain, which was run by a German Association of the Camino. It was our favorite night yet! They were warm and friendly and we had a wonderful time. Our favorite part was that they are currently adding onto the albergue, so the new addition has no doors or windows. They gave us beds inside, but we asked to move out there, where beds and chairs had been set up. A bunch of younger pilgrims stayed out there...we could feel the breeze blowing, hear the rain! The best part was that we got to shower out there too and we could hear the cowbells from the field next door while we were doing so. The cows then walked almost through our albergue later! That evening, the priest who usually comes up to perform a mass was unable to make it, so our hosts organized a prayer service. It was one of the most amazing experiences of our trip so far. The prayers were said in german mostly, but then everyone went around an said an intention in their own language. Then we all said the Our Father while circled around the alter...it was spoken in 5 different languages all at once: german, english, french, korean and polish. Amazing! And we got a good night´s sleep also. We also got a great recipe from some of the german pilgrims, so get ready Allen...sausage salad is coming your way! we´ll let you ponder that one!
The next day we continued our climb into the mountains. It was spectacular! The mist was very thick, and created ¨floating islands¨from the mountain tops. We had a cafe con leche and almond tort at the top in a town called OCebreiro. It was a spectacular day with great views the entire time. However, Team America has encountered their rivals. there is a group of about 9 Spainards that started in Astorga who are maybe college age. They all look like they just rolled out of bed and thought ¨hey, we should do the camino today¨. The best part is that they seem to think full spandex outfits are fashionable and appropriate, especially the guys. Therefore, we have coined them Team Spain-dex. And somehow, they manage to beat us about 50% of the time. We do not know how this is happening, but we´re keeping score. A little Camino Competition. They get negative points for the spandex, by the way.
Today we toured through more countryside with awesome views and picturesque landscapes. Pretty breathtaking. We came upon a town about 1/2 way that had one of the oldest monasteries in Spain...we think it was built in the 1500´s, but we´re still not that great at reading spanish. We decided to take the tour, which was given by a 4 foot tall monk who only spoke spanish and seemed to think we understood him. Smile and nod. It was pretty amazing though! And the cafe across the street had awesome coffee...so we had two.
As the day wore on, we got hotter and hotter (not just temperature wise), so we decided to stop at a little cafe and get a cerveza. The french people sitting there recommended the ziber, which is the equivalent of hard cider. It was the most refreshing and fabulous drink EVER!!! Got us through to Sarria where we are staying the night. This is the town just over the 100 km mark. To get an official compostela, you have to walk 100 km, so at this point lots of people will be joining the camino and flooding us out. we´re expecting larger crowds, but as long as they don´t drink all the cafe con leche, we´ll allow them on the camino!
Some other interesting happenings¨
1. Julia getting her blisters speared and cleaned by a Spanish pharmacist...scary
2. Almost getting run over by a herd of cows
3. The awesome chorus of snoring at our last albergue
4. Catie trying to buy a coffee grinder from a store, only to be informed it was an antique and it was not for sale. They should mark those things.
5. Julia going on a date with a German man last night...kidding, but kinda serious.
All in all, we´re doing great and looking forward to the last 5 days. We´re off to get a cerveza and then make some dinner. Hope you are all well!
Buen Camino
Julia´s blog if you want more stories: whereintheworldisjulia.blogspot.com
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Glad you guys are having fun! The blisters are gross, maybe you need more duct tape for the hot spots? Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
It's only taken me 4 weeks to figure out this site. I do check it everyday. Michael's test results are in. He scored 111. Required to pass 95. Mean 100. Standard deviation 10.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you did well Michael. Congradulations!!
Molly called today. She's in Florence.
You fuys keep trucking. What will you do when you can just relax and watch people all day and sip coffee?
Dad