So far it has been very pretty & I´ve enjoyed the walk, except for one thing. We are walking mostly through farm land, and that means cows & other farm animals with the attendant smells.
Ordinarily, this would not bother me, but a little over a year ago, I was in San Angelo, at the concentration camp CPS set up at the Colisseum there, just after a livestock show they had not cleaned up after. The room where we were allowed to see our clients was part of a showbarn, that had dirty hay filled with just about everything you can imagine, PLUS and ungodly amount of chemicals on top of it. It was, simply, disgusting & made many of us sick.
That´s what the smell of rural Galicia reminds me of, and it brought back a lot of memories & feelings about the FLDS case that I´d rather not have to deal with. I am still quite angry at just how low CPS sank & just what they were trying to accomplish...for all their blathering about "saving" the children, what they were really trying to do was commit genocide. The Constitutional rights of the children & the mothers were completely ignored, they were forced from their clean homes at gun point, loaded on to buses & locked up in dirty, filthy concentration camps in & around San Angelo. And then when none of them expressed gratitude for being "saved" & left in those dumps, CPS began to lie about them.
I have long believed & will always stand by this statement: In April 2008, the Nazis were alive & kicking in San Angelo, Texas. Thank God for the FLDS & everyone else in this country that several attorneys (self included) from 2 different legal aid organizations stood up to them & stopped them cold in their tracks.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sorry, I´ve got a cat on my lap
The best excuse out of doing anything when I was growing up was to say "I´ve got a cat on my lap." Of course, the cat actually had to BE on your lap for this excuse to work. More on this later.....
I was walking from Sarria to Portomarin & having a very bad go of it. For some reason, I felt like I was walking in sand, just couldn´t get myself going. Took me until almost noon to go 5 or 6 km. What the heck? I felt bad, because I had told all my friends from Sarria that I would meet them in Porto, & it was getting later & later in the day & I was nowhere near the town. My feet hurt too & started swearing at me. They would have made sailors blush.
I came across this little rest area & flopped myself down, almost completely spent. Along came 2 friends from Galicia, Emilia & Sonia, who asked if they too could sit. Well, I don´t own the joint & there was plenty of room, so I said sure. And we talked a bit before they dug out sandwiches, & offered me bits of each. I was starving by this point, so I accepted them. Mmmmm. We then sat & talked about where we were from & where we had started, etc, & how bad the walking that day was (Monday?). Then Emilia broke out some chocolate & I said Gracias a los Aztecas! and we all laughed. They put their bags back on & left. I kitted up a few minutes later, only to stumble down the path & find not just a bar but an albergue, 5 kms from Porto. It was absolutely beautiful. Nice garden with an herb section, overlooking the countryside. Oh, how I wanted to stay here! I started crying, and my feet decided for me. Hell no we won´t go to Portomarin today! So I stumbled into the reception, paid my Euros, and headed up to the bunks. After getting settled in, I came back downstairs & saw that this albergue had a dog and a cat, both snoring away in the sunshine. Emilia & Sonia regretfully had to leave as they were on a deadline to reach Santiago, so we took pictures & exchanged emails.
The next morning, I had breakfast at the albergue & sat outside. The cat decided he would sit on my lap, so for 30 minutes, I had a huge purring tom on my lap. People kept leaving & wondering when I was going to start off myself & all I could say was "Sorry, I´ve got a cat on my lap."
I was walking from Sarria to Portomarin & having a very bad go of it. For some reason, I felt like I was walking in sand, just couldn´t get myself going. Took me until almost noon to go 5 or 6 km. What the heck? I felt bad, because I had told all my friends from Sarria that I would meet them in Porto, & it was getting later & later in the day & I was nowhere near the town. My feet hurt too & started swearing at me. They would have made sailors blush.
I came across this little rest area & flopped myself down, almost completely spent. Along came 2 friends from Galicia, Emilia & Sonia, who asked if they too could sit. Well, I don´t own the joint & there was plenty of room, so I said sure. And we talked a bit before they dug out sandwiches, & offered me bits of each. I was starving by this point, so I accepted them. Mmmmm. We then sat & talked about where we were from & where we had started, etc, & how bad the walking that day was (Monday?). Then Emilia broke out some chocolate & I said Gracias a los Aztecas! and we all laughed. They put their bags back on & left. I kitted up a few minutes later, only to stumble down the path & find not just a bar but an albergue, 5 kms from Porto. It was absolutely beautiful. Nice garden with an herb section, overlooking the countryside. Oh, how I wanted to stay here! I started crying, and my feet decided for me. Hell no we won´t go to Portomarin today! So I stumbled into the reception, paid my Euros, and headed up to the bunks. After getting settled in, I came back downstairs & saw that this albergue had a dog and a cat, both snoring away in the sunshine. Emilia & Sonia regretfully had to leave as they were on a deadline to reach Santiago, so we took pictures & exchanged emails.
The next morning, I had breakfast at the albergue & sat outside. The cat decided he would sit on my lap, so for 30 minutes, I had a huge purring tom on my lap. People kept leaving & wondering when I was going to start off myself & all I could say was "Sorry, I´ve got a cat on my lap."
A brief conversation in Gallego
Who knew I knew so many languages? Well, not really. Gallego is a dialect of Spanish, sort of a combo of Spainish & Portuguese, whereas I and anyone else from North & South America speak the dialect known as Catalan, thanks to the conquistadores who came from Andalucia.
Anyway, the other day, I heard some birds making a racket in a tree as I passed by. Sounded like parrots, but I don´t think they have wild parrots in Europe. Down the road comes hobbling a little old man, who saw me & asked if I spoke Gallego. No, senor, hablo un poco de espanol. Ah, catalan. Si Si. He pointed to the tree where the birds were still making a racket & said that he always laughs when he hears those birds, because they remind him of pilgrims. While we´re walking, apparently we are all very quiet, no talking, but when we hit a bar or albergue, yack yack yack yack yack, just like those birds. I had to agree with him, because it is true you can find the bar or albergue by following the racket. He then wished me a buen camino & since it was afternoon, I said Buenas tardes. Only to be corrected by him, because it was still time to say Buenos dias, as la tarde was, well, mas tarde.
Anyway, the other day, I heard some birds making a racket in a tree as I passed by. Sounded like parrots, but I don´t think they have wild parrots in Europe. Down the road comes hobbling a little old man, who saw me & asked if I spoke Gallego. No, senor, hablo un poco de espanol. Ah, catalan. Si Si. He pointed to the tree where the birds were still making a racket & said that he always laughs when he hears those birds, because they remind him of pilgrims. While we´re walking, apparently we are all very quiet, no talking, but when we hit a bar or albergue, yack yack yack yack yack, just like those birds. I had to agree with him, because it is true you can find the bar or albergue by following the racket. He then wished me a buen camino & since it was afternoon, I said Buenas tardes. Only to be corrected by him, because it was still time to say Buenos dias, as la tarde was, well, mas tarde.
Friday, September 25, 2009
A couple days of rest in Leon
Arrived yesterday in Leon & thought I had made a bad mistake. I first tried the Hotel Paris, where I stayed before, only to be told it was full for days. Then headed to the turismo to get a map only to find the place where it has been for years right across from the cathedral where most of the tourists go was closed & abandoned, no forwarding address indicating its new location. The only thing in sight was the Hostal Albany, and I didn´t want to stay in a hostal after a previous bad experience somewhere else. I wanted my own room with my own bed & my own tv & my own bathroom, after weeks of sharing space with hundreds of different people & sometimes not having toilet paper in the restrooms in the morning.
Well, guess where I ended up & it´s not so bad, really. It´s actually a 2 star hotel now (sign needs updating apparently), but it´s clean, has an elevator (oh how I´ve used & abused that privilege already), the bed is comfy & I have my own bathroom, complete with tub for 45 euros. You could not get away with that price & get this quality of room (and maybe not even a clean one) in similarly-sized city in the US.
Oh to be able to spread my stuff all over the place & not have someone crab that I was taking up too much space. To be able to sleep in the dark, without emergency lights blaring in my face or someone banging on the lights either intentionally or accidentally, with no one snoring or farting or arm-wrestling plastic bags, without having to rush out by 8:00 a.m......last night was absolute heaven. I slept until 8:30. Then stayed in bed for another half hour just because I could.
I also treated myself to a massage from the famous massage guy in Leon. My body & feet are still quite happy I did, btw. He even gave me a "prescription" to take downstairs....some magnesium tablets & freeze gel. The tablets aren´t so bad, but I haven´t tried the freeze gel yet, since I´ve been resting & not walking.
Well, kinda. Walked down to the train station today to get my train ticket for tomorrow, as if oodles & skads of people are going to want to go to Sarria tomorrow (you never know). Then back to the hotel, where I noticed it was 12:40 and I had purchased my ticket at 12:03. My feet didn´t seem to be too upset about it, though, so I went off in search of the Burger King my German friends told me about the day before when we met for dinner. Oh, I haven´t had fast food in weeks.
Speaking of which, I´m really craving a Laredo Plate right now. Fajitas, avocado, chips & freshly-made salsa.......once I get home, don´t come between me & a Laredo Plate because you will lose....
I really do like Leon a lot better than Burgos. It seems more open than Burgos, more full of light & energy.
Well, guess where I ended up & it´s not so bad, really. It´s actually a 2 star hotel now (sign needs updating apparently), but it´s clean, has an elevator (oh how I´ve used & abused that privilege already), the bed is comfy & I have my own bathroom, complete with tub for 45 euros. You could not get away with that price & get this quality of room (and maybe not even a clean one) in similarly-sized city in the US.
Oh to be able to spread my stuff all over the place & not have someone crab that I was taking up too much space. To be able to sleep in the dark, without emergency lights blaring in my face or someone banging on the lights either intentionally or accidentally, with no one snoring or farting or arm-wrestling plastic bags, without having to rush out by 8:00 a.m......last night was absolute heaven. I slept until 8:30. Then stayed in bed for another half hour just because I could.
I also treated myself to a massage from the famous massage guy in Leon. My body & feet are still quite happy I did, btw. He even gave me a "prescription" to take downstairs....some magnesium tablets & freeze gel. The tablets aren´t so bad, but I haven´t tried the freeze gel yet, since I´ve been resting & not walking.
Well, kinda. Walked down to the train station today to get my train ticket for tomorrow, as if oodles & skads of people are going to want to go to Sarria tomorrow (you never know). Then back to the hotel, where I noticed it was 12:40 and I had purchased my ticket at 12:03. My feet didn´t seem to be too upset about it, though, so I went off in search of the Burger King my German friends told me about the day before when we met for dinner. Oh, I haven´t had fast food in weeks.
Speaking of which, I´m really craving a Laredo Plate right now. Fajitas, avocado, chips & freshly-made salsa.......once I get home, don´t come between me & a Laredo Plate because you will lose....
I really do like Leon a lot better than Burgos. It seems more open than Burgos, more full of light & energy.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
And now a word from Hape Kerkeling
(thanks to Rebecca on the Pilgrimage to Santiago forum, who responded to my March of the Damned comment yesterday) it´s not cool to quote Hape Kerkeling on this forum, but here’s his bit on Calzadilla:
"I ... use the denim shirt for hiking and the city shirt, obviously, for the city. But here in Calzadilla, I leave my denim shirt on. Not only is it barely a city, but I’m still mad at the place because it hid from me until the last minute.” A page or two earlier he says “I’d sooner drag myself over the Pyrenees in the fog than try this part again.”
I haven´t cared much for Mr. Kerkeling before, but this passage is right on the mark. Yes, I would rather haul my butt over the Pyrenees in the cold & fog than walk that 17.8 km stretch of hell again.
"I ... use the denim shirt for hiking and the city shirt, obviously, for the city. But here in Calzadilla, I leave my denim shirt on. Not only is it barely a city, but I’m still mad at the place because it hid from me until the last minute.” A page or two earlier he says “I’d sooner drag myself over the Pyrenees in the fog than try this part again.”
I haven´t cared much for Mr. Kerkeling before, but this passage is right on the mark. Yes, I would rather haul my butt over the Pyrenees in the cold & fog than walk that 17.8 km stretch of hell again.
Monday, September 21, 2009
So why don´t you write about THAT in your blog?
asked Charles from Houston (yay, another Texan on the road!!!) 2 nights ago in Fromista. Everyone talks about physical preparations, but no one considers the mental aspects of it until you are actually staring at a long, steep hill that separates you from the next town, a shower, a nap, & a good meal. Or a walk like today, 17.6 km of NOTHING, the end of which quickly becomes the March of the Damned...you´re only moving not because you can see the town & the end of the day´s trek ahead of you. You move because that´s all you can do & it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to keep you interested in staying in motion.
Back to Charles, we were all talking about was the things we tell ourselves while walking or the songs we sing in our heads, or blast on our iPods. Charles tells himself macho stuff. I can´t remember what it was, but it was pretty funny. Sarah from Seville via Newcastle sings "Everybody Dance Now" to get up the long, steep climbs. And of course, "SOLDIER ON!" which everyone pretty much tells themselves at some point of the day.
Me? Well, after the Barry Manilow incident, I´ve taken to playing my high school´s 2 fight songs. Yes, we have 2. Why? Because we are the Bulldogs, the Mighty Mighty Bulldogs, that´s why. Purple & Gold all the way & BTW, the absolute best McHi class ever was the Class of 1981!
Yesterday, I needed help for the last 6 kms into Carrion de los Condes, so out came the iPod & the fight songs were played over & over & over & over.....as I told my classmates, I had to fight fight fight for every step, not every yard, but I did manage to roll the Bears (our arch-rivals, boo hiss) in the sod in the sod every time. Made it to Carrion in (dum dum DUMMMMMM) 1 hour. With a heavy pack. And sore feet. And jelly legs. Bet I could have cleared 10 km in 90 minutes.....but will try that another day.
FYI, the M-C-H-I song is the Sousa march "National Emblem" & our other fight song is the fight song of Washington & Lee. Both available on iTunes.
Back to Charles, we were all talking about was the things we tell ourselves while walking or the songs we sing in our heads, or blast on our iPods. Charles tells himself macho stuff. I can´t remember what it was, but it was pretty funny. Sarah from Seville via Newcastle sings "Everybody Dance Now" to get up the long, steep climbs. And of course, "SOLDIER ON!" which everyone pretty much tells themselves at some point of the day.
Me? Well, after the Barry Manilow incident, I´ve taken to playing my high school´s 2 fight songs. Yes, we have 2. Why? Because we are the Bulldogs, the Mighty Mighty Bulldogs, that´s why. Purple & Gold all the way & BTW, the absolute best McHi class ever was the Class of 1981!
Yesterday, I needed help for the last 6 kms into Carrion de los Condes, so out came the iPod & the fight songs were played over & over & over & over.....as I told my classmates, I had to fight fight fight for every step, not every yard, but I did manage to roll the Bears (our arch-rivals, boo hiss) in the sod in the sod every time. Made it to Carrion in (dum dum DUMMMMMM) 1 hour. With a heavy pack. And sore feet. And jelly legs. Bet I could have cleared 10 km in 90 minutes.....but will try that another day.
FYI, the M-C-H-I song is the Sousa march "National Emblem" & our other fight song is the fight song of Washington & Lee. Both available on iTunes.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
So the dirty pilgrims are carting bed bugs
Wish I could find them & give them the bill for all the damn laundry I´ve had to do today, as well as getting grilled by the hospitalero in this new albergue. I completely understand why they are being very careful & warned them about these 2 dirty pilgrims. I saw them again in Boadilla at the wonderful place there, with the same girl who slept on the bunk above me in Belorado. No wonder I got bed bugs then. It´s a wonder they aren´t covered in marks themselves! I wasn´t bitten last night at all & hopefully today I will be rid of the dang things as most of my clothes are now in the washing machine & my sleeping bag is on the clothes line, after being sprayed down with repellent. If I can get away with it, I´ll keep it in its compression sack for the remainder of the camino, or at least until I can find a public laundry & give it another once-over.
Nice walk today, the sun was out, but not too hot. The wind was not too cold. The sky was beautiful & blue, with few clouds (and no rain!). I had the camino mostly to myself, since I didn´t get up until 7, like most in the albergue in Itero last night. Tomorrow it´s on to Carrion & the flat part of the meseta. And oh yeah, once more, it was 10k in 2 hours.
Nice walk today, the sun was out, but not too hot. The wind was not too cold. The sky was beautiful & blue, with few clouds (and no rain!). I had the camino mostly to myself, since I didn´t get up until 7, like most in the albergue in Itero last night. Tomorrow it´s on to Carrion & the flat part of the meseta. And oh yeah, once more, it was 10k in 2 hours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
