Long waited blog...

I have decided to stop the blog during the Camino due to my thoughts becoming more and more personal. I guess after 2 weeks in you truely come to terms with some of your most inner thoughts you have not ventured into in years. I am now back in Virginia and pondering what the next day holds for me. I have decided to change this blog into people I've encountered during my walk. I have found out that this Camino could not have been done without the wonderful people I've become close with each step of this journey. I will start this new project with my last 3 days on the Camino then start back over by telling everyone the story of each person I've met from St. Jean Pied De Port to Finisterre.

Arriving at Santiago.

I have decided a day before I arrived at Santiago to walk 35 km to Monte de Gozo, which lies about 4 km prior to Santiago. This would give me a chance to walk into Santiago and on to Finisterre the following day.

After our dinner at Monte De Gozo, I was quite excited to head over to Santiago. I ended up walking by the road and over this bridge/overpass then on to the city. I had no idea that Santiago was a city. I was quite dissapointed by the city like atmosphere, construction, and the rain that would not stop. I believe I walked about 4 km's to get to the Cathedral. I was utterly dissapointed. I had hoped for more emotion or some sort of happiness or something...to tell you the truth I had no idea what I wanted. I remember fanticising about trumpets lined up playing this glorious marching theme while angels come down from the heavens to spread confetti over the blue skies...haha ok that's a bit of a stretch, but I was expecting to feel some sort of happiness walking into Santiago since I looked forward to this place since St. Jean pied de Port. Wait check that, since 3 years ago sitting in my office surfing and researching the Camino. It is called Camino de SANTIAGO...well anyways...enough complaining about Santiago.
I just grabbed my Compostella at the office then proceeded to head to Negrreira. I wanted to just get to Finisterra. 3 more days till I get there. I had aquired a map from the compostella office and the lady at the desk showed me where I needed to exit to head over to the path to the next hostel in Negreira, so I headed out of Santiago...so I thought. No matter which direction I headed I ended up back at the Cathedral at Santiago. I went north and end up at the south side of the cathedral...I go south and end up at the side of the cathedral...I go to the west and end up in the front of the cathedreal...I was starting to get pretty upset after walking for 3 hours and ending up at the same spot where I started. 3 hours!!! ughhghgh!!! I ended up just completely getting lost on some road by a hospital just right outside of town. I was completely insanely angry at this point, I threw my bag pack on the ground, kicked it down a hill, then looked up to the sky and scremed " F U Santiago!!!! efffffff YOUUUU!!!!!". Then I realised how much of a fool I am for screaming in the middle of the road like a bloody lunatic so I went and picked up my bag and just sat down...I prayed "god get me out of this situation and I promise to come back to santiago and go to the pilgrams mass..." I guess sitting and praying calmed my nerves a bit. I felt a little better and more focused to get out of Santiago and on to Negreira. I walked towards a street ahead and in the corner of the street I saw an old lady...first person I saw right after I had calmed down so I went up to her and asked her for directions.

"donde esta el camino de Finisterra?"
nothing....hmmmm

She just stared at me for a bit with a confused look then grabs my hand walks over to the corner of the street and just sits down, still holding my hand. I was kinda freaked out. I requested for assistance once more with panic in my voice this time.

"senora...Por favor...Donde esta el camino para Finisterra...ya know...the Camino?? para Pilgrams?"

nothing...she just held my hand and smiled...was she crazy?? I didn't feel like wasting anymore time...I was so exhusted from walking in circles for last 3 hours. She pulled my hand and just sat there...and this went on for one hour. I was officially freaked out at this situation but for some reason I had no energy to just let go of her hand. I was on the verge of just giving up and and something about a motherly hand holding mine just felt secure. So I sat there...with a strange Senora from Santiago, pondering how I am going to spend my next day looking for a bus to Finisterra.

About another 10 minutes pass by...a bus pulls up...she draggs me onto the bus...pays for my fare...gets me to sit down as she sat next to me...20 minutes goes by...bus stops...she pulls me out of the bus grabs my belongings then points to the street sign across the road that reads...

NEGREIRA!

Amazing.

I have 2 more days until Finisterra!

Burgos, Spain

Finally internet at a hostel. I decided to stay at remote places and check out the donativo experience on the Camino. I stayed at a church in Granon and my first thought was that it was going to be a painful experience. Sleeping on the floor with just mats in an old church that was a little eerie for my taste. I was completely wrong of course. It was the best experience on the camino so far. I highly recommend any donativo experience. Donativo albergue´s usually eat dinner together with all the pilgrams. We made food for the next evening for the next day pilgrams as we prepared the food from what the previous pilgrams had left us. After dinner we are treated with one of the staff singing a song in the church while we prayed and shared our thoughts during a passing the candle ceromony. It was quite emotional at one point when a German pilgram explained that one of his friend had passed away that evening and he had just received the news a few hours before dinner. Death is always tough...but I´m sure he´s now one of his angels watching over him during his walk.

Luckily I have yet to get lost on the camino. Whenever I feel like I can´t find the markings on the road I either run into some random locals that point the directions to the right path.

I have tons more that I have written in my journal that I will share with everyone but I will stop here since all the one euro per 20 min on the internet are adding up. As soon as I get to a PC with an USB port I will post all the beautiful sights from this journey.

You do not find the path...the path finds you...the path can not be defined as it defines you.

Day of St. Michael

Oliver the German (that´s my name for him) told me a few days ago that he will walk each day for someone in need or someone close to him in his life. A couple days ago he told me he is walking for his brother Michael when we left to go to Estella...24 km for the day. Right before we got to Estella, Oliver stopped in his path and told me ´look...that old Catheral is named San Miguel, Spanish for St. Michael, must be a sight...I will take pictures and meet you in Estella!´

I wanted to give him some privacy so I trekked forward to our next stop. When I arrived at Estella, I decided to wait for him at the entrance. About 10 minutes later I saw Oliver in the distance with a glowing smile. Upon arrival he said ´you´re not going to believe this, when I got to the church, I decided to phone my brother Michael and told him that I was walking for him and I am standing in front of the church named San Miguel´ he continued ´my brother couldn´t believe it and told me that this is Day of St. Michael´

wow...coincedence?? I am a believer in the special way of St. James...things just don´t happen this way anywhere else in the world. I think Oliver also became a believer...

We checked into the hostel that evening and made a toast to his brother Michael...with La Cervace de San Miguel...fitting

Buen Camino!

Quick Pamplona thoughts...

First big city of the Camino.

Relatively large city compared to the villages I stayed in the last two days.

This video shows the passion of soccer fans in Spain...and they were the visiting team´s fans!

US vs. Pamplona health system

I didn´t get to post my thoughts from yeterday since I was pretty spent from celebrating my bday with some fellow pilgrams. Everyone has been quite wonderful here.

I am now in Puenta La Reina...beautiful city...my eyes are being pretty spoiled here with awesome scenery.

I want to go over something I went through yesterday. We have 4 of us that have been sticking together during this walk. Sung Yong is a pilgram from Korea. During his walk from Roncevalles, he hurt his knee pretty bad and comtemplated continuing the walk. Oliver (German) and I decided we needed to go with him to the hospital in Pamplona. We didn´t want him to stress his knee any further fearing ligament damage. We took a cab to Pamplona hospital yesterday morning. We were greeted by the nurses at the reception desk at the emergency room. Since he only spoke korean and Oliver spoke Spanish, we decided to translate for him. The nurse would speak to Oliver in Spanish, he would turn to me and translate to English, I then turned to Sung Yong and translated to him in Korean...it was a 3 way translation but somehow we got through it. Sung Yong took an x-ray then a doctor consulted him. He did not have a clear ligament damage but he needed to rest his legs for couple days. Then came the scary part...Billing! We were advised to go check out with the nurse who admitted Sung Yong. We got his prescription and waited for the bill...

waited...waited...

The nurse looked at us funny, then told us we can go...I asked her to provide us with a reciept so we can pay and head our way...she looked at us funny again...I was confused at her gesture...

´Dinero??´ I asked...

This is the crazy part...emergency room, x-ray, and doctor consultant...it costed Sung Yong all of zero dollars! In case you missed it let me put it in plain english text...

HE DIDN´T PAY A DAMNNNNN THING!!!

I am angry...The United States of America...Leading nation and an example in the world...a free nation of patriotism and democracy...and we don´t have a health care more like Pamplona, Spain???? Really????

C´mon Obama...we can change this...I believe...YES WE CAN!!

Birthday in Spain...

Roncevalle to Zubiri 22 km.

The walk today compared to yesterday was a breeze. I woke up this morning by the sound of pilgrams zipping up their backpacks. I am using the backpack zipping noise as an alam clock.

´zip zip´ sounds a lot better than my beeping alarm clock...

Met a great bunk mate named Oliver last night before I fell asleep. He´s a german through and through...but he speaks nearly fluent English and I welcome anyone with my native tongue...even if it´s as a second language. We decided to wake up at the same time and head for Zubiri together. BTW the http://www.caminoguide.net/ guide is a lifesaver. Anyone walking the camino should print one out for whichever camino you choose.

Walking towards Zubiri you pass couple of small towns. I wish I can load the pics but unfortunately there is no USB outlet...perhaps down in Pamplona. The small towns have a WW2 feel and I felt like I was walking through ´Saving Private Ryan´ Beautiful buildings with reddish roofs and red flower pots highlighting each windows...I can´t describe in words...but I feel truly knee deep in history here. I have couple minutes until my internet will shut down on me...1 euro per 20 min. I guess that´s the normal price in all Albergues. I will rest my feet and walk to Pamplona tomorrow...until then....Ciao!

BTW...
Everyone here has been wonderful to me today. I told one of my walking buddy that I turned 32 today. He told couple more walkers and they baught me couple beers at the bar in Zubiri.

Great great company...which makes me forget about all the pain on my feet!

Battling the sheeps...

6:00 AM

I could not sleep last night. Full out surround sound 5.1 of snoring fest...and I had ear plugs in! There was an Irish man that slept across from me on the top bunk who couldn´t take it anymore and just left the room. I had an extra set of ear plugs to offer him but he didn´t come back. I found out in the morning that he just slept in the kitchen...haha

Everyone was in good spirits at 6 am. Me and a british man named Malcom that I met in St. Jean decided to head out together. We were on the road by 7 AM. This is a magical place...crossed the bridge and off to Orisson 8 km away.

The climb up to Orisson was steep...Malcom decided to go at a slower pace so I just pushed ahead. When I got to Orisson there was a tall skinny man at the counter greeting the pilgrams and offering coffee.

¨Un cafe y un chorizo¨

I sat at the bench eating an apple and waiting for Malcom. It was the greatest appl I´ve ever eaten in my life! 2 hour up a steep climb sure makes anything taste good. Malcom strutted along and we decide to walk the path together once again...and once again I had to push forward as he had to rest...

About half an hour into the walk my feet begin to communicate with my brain...

"what da hell are you doing?????"

"this is a wonderful idea...stop complaining and walk another mile" My brain shouts in a bit of snooty tone.

Another half an hour up a 45 degree angled pavement...

Now my brain is speaking on behalf of my feet.

"what da hell are we doing??"

This conversation went on for the next 10 kilometers.

I have to say...the mountain is beautiful...only I wanted to punch him in the face for having such steep hills to climb...

Then came the sheeps....

"bahhhhhhhh" one warned me while she crossed the pavement.

I am furious at this bizare gesture...

"bahhhhhhh sukkka" I snare.

This bahhhing went on for good 2 minutes.

I have lost my mind...I am speaking sheep!

I am now in Roncevalle in a hostel. I have 2 min before this internet shuts down so I will post more tomorrow with pictures as well. For now...I´m going to sleep...hopefully in peace counting sheep.