adventures in spain

the last two days of the camino were tough! we were a bit physically and mentally exhausted but you just keep getting up every morning and pushing on. the last day we did 38 km to get to santiago on time. we got our official compostela to prove we did the walk and then we had some santiago cake to celebrate! we bumped into a lot of our camino friends in santiago and it was a great way to end the experience. we then got on our sleeper train and headed back to madrid – wow those spanish trains are rickety! saturday was a day to celebrate our accomplishments with a relaxing morning at the pool and then a kebab! we met some friends out for drinks and dancing for our last nite out in madrid – we came home late to find a burning smell in the apartment. after sniffing everything for a half hour we discovered the plant on the patio was smoldering. don’t really know what happened there but it gave us a chuckle as we headed off to bed. today was a relaxing day shopping at el rastro a huge flea market thing in the streets. we are now getting sad and sentimental about our departure to chicago tomorrow morning. . . the adventures in spain come to a close . . . see you back in the states!

hope you are all enjoying our tales from the camino. here´s another good one: yesterday afternoon after a tough day of walking we arrived at the albergue at 2:30 p.m. a totally respectable time. we walked in to find the place full already and were told we could have a space on the floor. being the weary pilgrims we were, we accepted. we spent a lovely evening on the cold tile floor laying right in front of the washrooms – needless to say we are a bit tired today. and yet we soldier on. . . we have only three days left, but due to some early mileage miscalculations we now have 90 km left to finish in that time – definately something we can do, but a bit more than we bargained for at the end of the road!
life on the camino has been a new experience every day – here are a few of the highlights:
* we were at a fork in the road a few days back and could not make a decision due to inaccurate maps and signs. along comes a brown cow wandering down the road. he takes the fork to the left, pauses for a second, looks at us and lets out a big moooooooooooo. then keeps walking. we took that as a sure sign he was telling us to follow him – so we did and the cow was right!
* there are definate signs we could be losing our minds on this trip – a few examples: singing christmas carols to keep our minds occupied while struggling up a big hill, stocking up on toilet paper any time we find a bathroom that has some, being willing to accept the fact that there are flies on our food and bodies at all times, eating doritos off the ground because they are a precious commodity, thinking we are clean after taking a two minute cold shower and then putting the same shirt back on!
*we have started some friendships here with people from a variety of places: france, italy, austria, canada, spain, iceland, belgium, germany, the u.s. we love bumping into our friends on the trail and at the albergues – it´s kind of like our family away from home. there is a retired french couple who are kind of like our grandparents, and a spanish woman who is like our mom – she even tucked us in last night and gave us a hug when we had to sleep on the floor!
*a few funny tidbits: janet sometimes swings her walking stick by her side and looks remarkably like a marching band director. . .judy randomly fell on a smooth stretch of path and looked so stupid doing it that a car stopped by and asked if she was o.k…due to a leg injury janet walks down hills backward. . . we have never spent more than 12 euro in one day – meals and lodging included. . . we went to a mass on sunday and they said it in five different languages, but of course not english!!!!!
hopefully the next time we write we will be certified pilgrims who have completed the camino! (by the way the total mileage is 312 km – we originally thought we were only doing 200) oh one last thing – in the last blog i said the mountain was 1400 km high- oops it´s not that big!! hope everyone out there is well!

p.s. jay, if you are reading this, janet´s band bracelet fell off. does that mean the band has to break up? we´ll get some new ones for everyone from spain!

so we have finished 7 days of walking! we have crossed two mountain ranges – the mountains of leon and the mountains of galicia- not bad for a couple of non-hiking girls. we are now regulars on the camino and have developed our own pilgrim´s routine. it goes like this:
up at 5:30 – eat a zone bar, drink lots of water, apply various balms and medical aids, and depart in the dark.
the last few days in the mountains have been freezing and all we have are favorite tees from the gap!
we are not as prepared as everyone else with long pants and a fleece, but soon we are boiling anyway.
6:00- 10:00 walking, walking, walking. then we take our mid-morning break for granola and fruit.
10:07- around 1p.m. – continue walking to our destination – usually about 25-30 kilometers a day. the terrain has been gorgeous – sorry we can´t upload pictures. a lot of hills and rocky ground to cover – the last town we stopped in was at the top of a 1400 km. mountain.
afternoon at the albergue: we jump in the shower to hope to get some hot water, wash our filthy clothes in the sink and hang on the line if there is one. then it is a rest/nap for about an hour where we try to share earbuds to the only mp3 player we have. if the beds are situated just right the music gets through.
early evening: if the town is big enough for a store we buy some food for dinner, usually pasta, bread, cheese, tomatoes, etc. if there is no store we try a local restaurant and ask for macaroni. we have learned that it is the only safe item to order as the meat is a bit scary.
later evening: if another activity is available like retrieving our dry clothes or popping blisters we do that before bed which is usually around 8 p.m.
sounds like a fun day, huh? actually we have met a lot of cool people who we have affectionately given nicknames like german guy, map guy, sisters from canada, grandma and girl from train, teachers from north carolina, retired french couples (who by the way always pass us up on the trail) etc. we have shared many stories and laughs with fellow pilgrims and we are really glad to be on the camino.
hope all is going well back in the states – we´re keeping spain in line over here!

and so the walking begins . . . the first day began in Leon with us searching around the city for the beginning of the camino! we found a nice french couple who pointed us in the right direction and we were on our way. the first day we walked about 22 km, it was pretty flat land, not much to see . . . we got to the refugio by 1 p.m. we relaxed a bit and were in bed by eight. the next day we traveled about 30 km to Astorga. we decided to take the scenic route and were rewarded with endless fields off wheat, and rocky up and down hills through farms all the way – it was a long day. when we finally got to the town we had to walk up more hills to get to the refugio – we were bushed. we soaked our feet, relaxed, and were the first ones in bed at 9p.m. the next morning we woke up at 5:45 to find everyone else in the room of 12 people were already gone. no shame in being first to bed and last to wake up! today´s walk was about 28 km up a mountain that never ends. we just finished eating a lentil soup and bread dinner with 25 other pilgrims at a big long table. a few tidbits about the walk: we sleep in rooms each night with 12-18 people, no one really speaks english, we are tan on only our backs and left side of the body due to always walking west, we smell (bad), the showers tend to have no hot water – sounds like a great trip huh? we actually are enjoying it, we have met several interesting people, and seen some amazing views, etc. 9 days to go . . .

thursday morning found us saying a tearful goodbye to the sunroller. we packed up and headed down to barcelona for our next set of adventures. despite getting lost three times we managed to find our hostal on a tiny street right near las ramblas. it was a tense morning so we settled in for our daily nap. but soon we were ready to check out the sights nearby. we were just casually walking when jon asked if we should pop into a store for a 55 cent beer to chug. sure we said, and then the 3 beer bandits were born. we soon began popping into stores all along las ramblas, buying cheap beers and then leaving the cans in a funny pose to show the bandits were here! Then after a bird left a enormously large turd on judy´s back we were off on a drunken metro ride to meet jon´s friends mike and john at a bar on the beach. They knew the night was going to be crazy when they saw us stumbling toward them in the sand at 8 p.m. it was a night of good conservation and laughter topped off with another naked dip in the mediterranean – this time mike joined in too!
The next morning, we were up early to do the tourist thing. we left jon snoozing to go see gaudi´s work in progress – la sagrada familia. despite the hangover we managed to climb 342 steps to the top of a tower for some amazing views of the city. later that day we decided to take our daily nap at the beach under cloudy skies. we then met up with mike, john and rosemary to see ¨war of the worlds¨ what were tom cruise and steven spielberg thinking???? our night ended in grand fashion with a light and music show at this huge fountain in the city – quite the sight to see. we had best meal of the trip with mike and jon after the lights. who knew that bacon, cheese, and dates could taste so good together!
Saturday began cloudy so we ventured to a park in the city, but as soon as the sun came out it was off to the beach one last time. we were really struggling to pull ourselves away, but finally did only to realize we were dangerously close to missing our flight back to madrid. we were totally those people you see in the airport running like mad to make a flight – marmaduke was in rare from swinging his bag to and fro. back in madrid we met up with a bunch of jon´s friends for gay pride fest. it basically involved the largest mass of humanity to ever converge in one place drinking, dancing, and reveling all night long. judy managed to get separated from the group and wandered around aimlessly for a half hour. but eventully she found jon and janet eating toasted pb and j´s back at his apartment and all was well again. a good time was had by all.
this morning dawned bright and early as we bid jon farewell to set off for the camino. we have had an interesting day of travel, involving a 4 1/2 hour train ride with no air conditioning (the temp inside the train was 34 celcius, about 100 degrees), buying multiple train tickets from non-english speaking clerks, and wandering around Leon looking for a place to stay tonight with only 4o euro to our names (it´s sunday and there are no money exchanges to be found)! but alas, we managed quite well and made it to our destination and found a cute little internet cafe/ restaurant. we will soon hit the sack to begin the walk tomorrow- hasta luego for now!

monday morning found us beginning our journey to barcelona – after an 8 euro latte we were on our way. upon arrival we picked up the rental car – a cute little black and silver smart car for four!!! our first destination was a rendevous with our friend aaron from our trip last year in europe. we strolled down las ramblas, shared some beer and fun stories we`ve had in the last year. then it was off to costa brava and our little bunglaow called a sunroller. when we got to our destination – Camping Kim´s we found our home – a tiny mobile home with closets for bedrooms and a pesky miniature ant problem. but it is cozy and clean and we fell in love with it right away! we went to the store for some pizzas only to come home and find we really didn´t have an oven! we asked the restuarant on site to cook it for us – they obliged, but just this once they said. (by the way they sold their own pizza there – only ballsy americans would ask such a favor)
we were up and out early the next day to the beach in llafranc – the town we are staying in. we caught some rays while also being sprinkled on at the same time! after a nap it was a home cooked pasta dinner complete with bread and butter our first in a long time! although jon preferred to read that night we had other plans. after a few cocktails at kim´s bar, we came back to the sunroller and played truth or dare (for example judy stole a chair from a neighbor to replace one jon broke earlier in the day) then things got really crazy as we headed to the mediterranean sea for a midnight skinny dip! brrrr that water´´s cold!
today we were up early again – we are pros at this! we ventured up the coast to a new town with a sparkling blue water beach! we also found a cove with a black sand beach, and then we hiked up a mountain to see a castle only to find out when we got there the only part of the castle remaining was the turrets! but the view was awesome from the top – we could see all the way to france.
things are going well with all three of us – we have started to call jon marmaduke for his clumsy ways, judy is referred to as black woman for her deep tan, and janet is called blondie for the color the sun is turning her hair. life is good on the coast of spain- we can´t imagine leaving!

friday found us back at the pool – yes we know – we’ll find the time to sightsee, don’t worry! friday night, we went out madrid style. judy met her college friend marina and her husband who now live in spain, and we joined two of jon’s friends from here. we had quite an interesting evening with three languages – english, spanish, and french among our group! we hit a few clubs in jon’s neighborhood – all of them underground and a bit toasty on the temperature side – jon actually had to wring his shirt out – he was that sweaty! we stayed out until 5:30 or so and then walked about three miles home! we enjoyed a few shenanigans on the terrace and watched the sun come up.
as we hit the sack at 7:00 a.m., saturday was quite noneventful. it involved a variety of naps interspersed with a bit of food. that night we enjoyed the company of some friends before deciding we should not attempt another wild evening so soon.
today we took a journey to segovia – an old town about a two hour train ride from madrid. we finally managed to give our cameras a workout with pictures of an ancient roman aquaduct, a stately castle, a catherdral, and a bike race.
we are still enjoying the trip immensely. a few more things we have noticed about spain – no one lives in houses, it’s all apartments, ice cream treats are sold everywhere (yum!), shrimp flavored chips (what??) and it is only possible to do two things in one day…anymore is pushing it for spain! We might not be able to write for a few days…(we know you’re tearing up right now) anyway we are going to the coast…not sure if they have technology.
adios for now

our adventures continued tuesday night in madrid. we had our “social hour” at jon’s flat before trekking out for some tapas. we ended up at the museo de jamon – the museum of ham! every dish here has ham in it – these people are passionate for pork! we shared some fried flour with ham in the middle, a ham/egg/potato quichy thing, and of course a plate of ham and cheese. we washed it all down with some mini beers called canas. all the while our dining experience was surrounded by hundred of pork legs hanging all over the walls! after our porkilicious meal, we found a rooftop bar that we had to ring the doorbell to get in – the weather was awesome that night – breezy and cool.
wednesday morning arrived cloudy with a storm a brewin’ – very unusual for madrid. we decided it was the perfect day for shopping. being the bargain hunters we are, our only purchases were some clothes for less than 3 euro! we enjoyed the menu del dia – meal of the day during siesta time, and then headed to jon’s for a quick snooze. we needed the nap because then our adventures began. we realized we had to get our passport for the pilgrimage before 9 p.m. jon was off doing his own thing, so we had to navigate madrid on our own! we had to take a cab to our other apartment, then the metro to the office, find the building and get the passport, and then walk back to jon’s – not an easy task when you don’t speak spanish. even though no one in the office could communicate with us, we managed to fill out the right form, get our passport, and even meet a few other pilgrims. we were quite proud of ourselves! later that evening we enjoyed a wild “social hour” eating digestive biscuits and nut nougat, and listening many times to our new favorite song “la camisa negra” by this spanish singer juanes. we then headed out in the pouring rain to a bar across the street. our main destination was a dance club called why not- where janet practiced her salsa skills with a spanish cassanova! on our way home we spent a good part of a half hour trying to hail a cab. jon taught us a new spanish swear word – hoder. we got a lot of use out of that one! back at the apartment we needed a snack so of course out came the ham! – this time on a pizza.
we are loving the trip so far, and look forward to keeping you updated on our adventures. write comments when you can – we want to know what’s going on back home too!

well we made it to madrid safely despite almost falling asleep in some amazingly comfy chairs during our Brussels layover! it’s blazing saddles hot here – over 100 the past two days! Jon’s smiling face greeted us at the airport and guided us through the complex metro system to our new homes for the next week. we will be splitting our time between two apartments in the city-our apartment for sleeping and our apartment that will serve as a staging area for going out. we fought off our jet lag yesterday and ventured out into the city. we strolled to a park called el Retiro to soak up the atmosphere. all three of us enjoyed watching a very cute spaniard direct a movie in the park and then we settled in to a cafe for some Damm Lemon – a mix of Fanta and beer – yum! we then picked up a few groceries at the local supermarket – an interesting experience – what is up with spaniards only have three flavors of ice cream to pick from???? for dinner it was kebabs – which are really not kebabs at all – more like a gyro. we ended the night having some tinto de verano (red wine and sparkling water over ice) on the awesome terrace at apartment number one. it was fun to chat and catch up with our friend jon. then off for some shut eye!
today we slept in for a bit and then organized a plan. museums? sightseeing? fuck that (sorry mom) we were off to the pool! with the summer heat, madrid has some awesome public pools – we spent a good part of the afternoon soaking up the sun, the spanish language and livin’ good at the pool! it was a great way to feel like a real spaniard – right down to the topless sunbathing! (j/k – we didn’t partake, although we saw quite the variety) we are now enjoying some cerveza and preparing to head out in a bit for some tapas and drinks. i must say the spanish know how to live. a few observations about spain so far – siesta time really does exist: everyone chills from 2-5 in the afternoon, you have to pay the man in the little booth for a piece of toilet paper, the elevators are a bit tiny and old fashioned everywhere, the sun is up until after ten each night, etc. the spanish know how to live – we’re lovin’ it here.
our adventures are just beginning so kept checking for updates – don’t worry those of you who know us well, the crazy stuff will come – just give us some alcohol!

hola! we’re making last minute arrangements for our big adventure!
two days and counting. . .