Last night after I wrote my blog a man walked up to me and asked me if I was the one who fixed people. Somehow it had gotten around that I had helped a few people, taught them some yoga, massaged them and stuff like that and that I was now getting known as someone who fixes people. Being a yoga teacher I taught him some great stretches, gave him a short massage and sent him on his way, his smile and current relief being the remuneration I was seeking. I love helping people out and I've been seeking out opportunities to help in any way I can since I got here. I massaged more people and a woman joined in for the yoga lesson. I think it's kind of cool that I'm teaching again...this journey just keeps on giving and giving! :)
I've already had a small answer to one of the questions I was hoping the Camino would answer. My main question is "what should I do with my life?", occupation wise that is. Being a man of extremes I was afraid I could never again tap into the immense energy I have without losing the balance I now possess in my life. I was afraid that if I would let this powerful energy into my life again that I would skyrocket upwards, followed by the innevitable spiral downwards. But last night I felt how what I'm doing in my life now can help balance me out when I use my POWER. Yesterday I used my POWER to say the least, when I walked the Camino, and last night I got like an energy hangover so to speak. I just kept doing what I've been doing, added a little Ultreia to the mix and voila: I was back on track! This made me so happy, so amazingly happy and opened up so many new options for me when it comes to choosing what I should do with my life! Now that I'm not afraid to use my energy, I'm more open for going for bigger things, more challenging opportunities and more exciting work! It was truly a breakthrough!!!
I had a great walk this morning with Molly as we walked to the first town. There we joined up with Luis, Antonello and the rest of the gang. They went ahead of me as I stayed behind to pray and meditate. I felt a great "oneness" with that small Spanish town, the people there and the girl from Barcelona that sat on the bench next to me. It was an incredible experience.
I caught up with the gang soon enough and got to walk with Luis, a man from Portugal, and have a great spiritual talk with him. It is his last day as he's leaving for home tomorrow and I decided to walk with them today instead of marching forward on my power walking speed. We had a great time together and travelling with them was relaxing. We keep walking past fields and fields of grapes, this is truly the province of Rijoa...the province of wine.
I was glad that I walked slowly today because a pain has been building up on my left shin and it would be good to take it easy I thought. The pain had gotten pretty bad after the 22 km walk to Santo Domingo but of course I was in line for some more of the patented "Gulli luck"! :) The wonderful Albergue that awaited us had a great physiotherapist (not common) that was working there only for donations. He took a look at my feet, pierced my first blister (that I got today), fixed a toenail that was out of wack and last but not least told me that I had tendonitis on my shin. He put some cream on it and told me to drink even more water, get some anti-inflamitory cream, take some anti-inflamitory pills, elevate the leg and he even got me to bring my boots so that he could show me the problem. I had tightened my shoelaces too much and since the ankle on my shoes is high it resulted in this tendonitis. He also showed me how to tie my shoes lower so as not to inflame this any further and hurry my recovery along! :)
We're going to say goodbye to Luis now with a big dinner and most likely some wine. I've had Rioja wine before so I won't feel so bad not drinking with them. Luis wants me to asks you all to send healing streams of energy to us Camino Pilgrims. Antonello's knee is so bad that he might have to stop walking if something dosn't drastically change. So Luis is gonna have a small healing ceremony at around 21:00 (9 pm) here in Spain, feel free to add your energy to the mix! :)
Hopefully my journey will continue along these lines, with hardships that teach me more and more and breakthroughs that leave me truly ecstatic. I hope you are having breakthroughs in your life beautiful people, breakthroughs that will truly change your lives for the better!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ultreia!
I know I'll often hear that word while on my path. I and my fellow pilgrims will hear it shouted to us as a form of encouragement by the many people that will see us on our journey. This word has a great meaning for me as a pilgrim but an even greater meaning to me as a person; I think it holds the single greatest lesson the Camino has taught me so far!
Ultreia! or Ultreya! is a word deriving from the ancient Galician language (and originally from the Latin word ultra) which is difficult to translate exactly, but means something like 'Walk further!', 'Walk higher!', 'Onward!' or 'Walk on!'. Basically; keep going!!! I've used this simple word to cheer me on, to keep me going, since last night!
Last night I was in great pain and washing my clothes was hard again, taking a shower took ages and simply walking to the store to get some juice was a chore! For a moment the pain and aching engulfed my whole conciousness and a thought entered my mind: "I have 3-5 weeks of THIS left???" All the positive experiences on the Camino were nowhere to be found and self-pity became all inclusive...
I came to, like out of a bad dream, all the wonderful memories of this amazing journey came rushing back into my mind and a sense of reality was restored. Of course it's true that this is painful and yes it's true that it's challenging to walk this far through hilly Northern Spain every day but that in itself is not the whole truth. Mixed in with this are all the fantastic experiences I've had so far and together those make for an amazing journey. Through hardship I'm able to experience a feeling of achievement, a feeling of triumph that I couldn't feel without this being extremely difficult. So in fact the bad stuff is necessary for me to experience all the good feelings I'm having! :)
I felt better last night after this thought and also today as I reminded myself again and again! I've realized that Ultreia is a spiritual practice, a word filled with power for those dark times when your conciousness has no recollection of the truth, for times when all that matters is to keep going until your mind returns back to that which is real...until you can see more than the shadow's of your experiences!
Ultreia is perhaps the most important lesson I will learn on this journey: Keep on going Gulli, no matter what...no matter what!!!!!
My melancholy feelings were quick to subside last night and I had a lovely Pilgrim dinner with an English woman named Penelope. We discussed how hardship had infact taught us valuable lessons and how we were better for it today. It was a great dinner and I was very greatful for it since I wasn't in the same Albergue as the majority of people I had been travelling with the previous days.
I slept until 8:00 this morning and we had to have left the Albergue at that time. I hurried out, had breakfast at a coffee place, prayed and meditated and headed off. I walked through the center of Logroño and left that beautiful city around 9:45-10:00. Logroño is the capitol city of Rioja, a providence soooo famous for it's wine! ;)
I was far behind everyone else and I wasn't expecting to catch up with anybody. With the word Ultreia in my mind and my ipod blasting in my ears I powerwalked like never before. I didn't stop for 13 km, when I reached Navarrete, and even there I only stopped to stretch, fill my water bag and eat 1 banana. I kept on going again for almost 2 hours, stopped again for 2 bananas, fill my water bag and stretch. Then => POWERwalk! :)
I arrived in Najera, 29 km from Logroño, at 16:00. It was amazing! I felt so powerful, so filled with energy that I couldn't even believe it. Usually after a day like this I've been so tired but I danced my way into the city. The walk was so hot, the sun showing that it too is immensly powerful and both times I stopped I took my t-shirt off and squeesed loads of sweat from it...Loads!! ;)
I had a good chance to cool off when I got here since there was no hot water left for the shower. I took an icecold shower but not even that could ruin my buzz. I feel great and it feels like my body is finally getting ready for this walk. I don't know if I'll experience the same thing tonight as last night; I didn't sleep much at all, I woke up in pain because of my ankle and I was so hot after walking in the sun all yesterday. But I feel great right now! My ankle feels much better, almost cured...even though this morning was the worst so far! I will of course remain "realistic" and just wait and see what will happen, but I feel great though and expect the best right now! :)
If the dark clouds your mind are overwhelming you I hope a feeling of Ultreia will seize you, I hope you will march on no matter what! When the dark clouds pass I hope you find a well of energy as endless as the one I've found! :D
Ultreia! or Ultreya! is a word deriving from the ancient Galician language (and originally from the Latin word ultra) which is difficult to translate exactly, but means something like 'Walk further!', 'Walk higher!', 'Onward!' or 'Walk on!'. Basically; keep going!!! I've used this simple word to cheer me on, to keep me going, since last night!
Last night I was in great pain and washing my clothes was hard again, taking a shower took ages and simply walking to the store to get some juice was a chore! For a moment the pain and aching engulfed my whole conciousness and a thought entered my mind: "I have 3-5 weeks of THIS left???" All the positive experiences on the Camino were nowhere to be found and self-pity became all inclusive...
I came to, like out of a bad dream, all the wonderful memories of this amazing journey came rushing back into my mind and a sense of reality was restored. Of course it's true that this is painful and yes it's true that it's challenging to walk this far through hilly Northern Spain every day but that in itself is not the whole truth. Mixed in with this are all the fantastic experiences I've had so far and together those make for an amazing journey. Through hardship I'm able to experience a feeling of achievement, a feeling of triumph that I couldn't feel without this being extremely difficult. So in fact the bad stuff is necessary for me to experience all the good feelings I'm having! :)
I felt better last night after this thought and also today as I reminded myself again and again! I've realized that Ultreia is a spiritual practice, a word filled with power for those dark times when your conciousness has no recollection of the truth, for times when all that matters is to keep going until your mind returns back to that which is real...until you can see more than the shadow's of your experiences!
Ultreia is perhaps the most important lesson I will learn on this journey: Keep on going Gulli, no matter what...no matter what!!!!!
My melancholy feelings were quick to subside last night and I had a lovely Pilgrim dinner with an English woman named Penelope. We discussed how hardship had infact taught us valuable lessons and how we were better for it today. It was a great dinner and I was very greatful for it since I wasn't in the same Albergue as the majority of people I had been travelling with the previous days.
I slept until 8:00 this morning and we had to have left the Albergue at that time. I hurried out, had breakfast at a coffee place, prayed and meditated and headed off. I walked through the center of Logroño and left that beautiful city around 9:45-10:00. Logroño is the capitol city of Rioja, a providence soooo famous for it's wine! ;)
I was far behind everyone else and I wasn't expecting to catch up with anybody. With the word Ultreia in my mind and my ipod blasting in my ears I powerwalked like never before. I didn't stop for 13 km, when I reached Navarrete, and even there I only stopped to stretch, fill my water bag and eat 1 banana. I kept on going again for almost 2 hours, stopped again for 2 bananas, fill my water bag and stretch. Then => POWERwalk! :)
I arrived in Najera, 29 km from Logroño, at 16:00. It was amazing! I felt so powerful, so filled with energy that I couldn't even believe it. Usually after a day like this I've been so tired but I danced my way into the city. The walk was so hot, the sun showing that it too is immensly powerful and both times I stopped I took my t-shirt off and squeesed loads of sweat from it...Loads!! ;)
I had a good chance to cool off when I got here since there was no hot water left for the shower. I took an icecold shower but not even that could ruin my buzz. I feel great and it feels like my body is finally getting ready for this walk. I don't know if I'll experience the same thing tonight as last night; I didn't sleep much at all, I woke up in pain because of my ankle and I was so hot after walking in the sun all yesterday. But I feel great right now! My ankle feels much better, almost cured...even though this morning was the worst so far! I will of course remain "realistic" and just wait and see what will happen, but I feel great though and expect the best right now! :)
If the dark clouds your mind are overwhelming you I hope a feeling of Ultreia will seize you, I hope you will march on no matter what! When the dark clouds pass I hope you find a well of energy as endless as the one I've found! :D
Monday, August 29, 2011
Dancing in the street
The last 24 hours have been one big party, with a slight intermission for sleep! :)
Last night we said goodbye to the awesome french guys and nothing says goodbye like a party. There was loads of wine and beer and there were 20 of us that ate together. Molly and Kesha, the Polish girl, cooked a wonderful meal for all of us. There was some concern that the party would go out of hand and since the owners of the Albergue knew that I was going to be sober they asked me if I could help make sure that wouldn't happen. I told them that they obviously didn't know me since I was the most likely person to encourage the party to go from calm to crazy! Luckily it didn't get too far out of hand despite arm wrestling and drinking competitions. :)
I slept in, so to speak, that is I woke up at 7:30! ;) I had breakfast with the french guys, my family, and said goodbye to them, hopefully not for the last time! It was a sad moment but then I got to thinking how beautiful it is that in such a short time we could have formed this great connection! I immediatly became very grateful for yet another amazing experience on the Camino (road/way/path).
After morning mediation and prayer I charged on! My ankle still hurts but if I concentrate on my walking and make sure that I walk "right" I feel less pain. I love getting my strut on and even though everyone had left the Albergue before I even woke up, I caught up with them pretty quickly. Strutting through the Spanish countryside is just amazing! :D
When I caught up with everyone I met up with Antonello, a great Italian guy that I got to know in the party the night before. He has always had a great connection with Iceland and wanted to ask me some questions about my country. After answering them we just had loads of fun travelling together through the day. When we met up with Isaiah, a Spanish girl from Barcelona, we danced around and celebrated life. When we got to the highway we stopped for a moment to shake our butts and dance in the street. The day was a big celebration of life and how to enjoy it! We even had a water fight thanks to Isaiah when we got to Viana, the second to last city on todays journey. :)
After the 28,4 km walk to Logroño I was tired to say the least. The walking, dancing or my general enjoyment of life weren't the only things that drained my energy but also the heat. It was quite hot today! All the Albergues on the Camino itself were full so I had to walk 5 more minutes to another Albergue. I was so tired that those 5 minutes were probably the longest of the day! ;) But sure enough I got a great bunk bed to sleep in, a place to take a shower and hand wash my clothes and another stamp in my Pilgrim passport. Hopefully after I write this blog I'll just have some dinner and relax in my bunk. But knowing me I might meet some people and get wrapped up in just how many amazing people this world truly has! :)
I hope your life is a celebration beautiful people, a celebration of all the wonderful things this life has to offer!!!
Last night we said goodbye to the awesome french guys and nothing says goodbye like a party. There was loads of wine and beer and there were 20 of us that ate together. Molly and Kesha, the Polish girl, cooked a wonderful meal for all of us. There was some concern that the party would go out of hand and since the owners of the Albergue knew that I was going to be sober they asked me if I could help make sure that wouldn't happen. I told them that they obviously didn't know me since I was the most likely person to encourage the party to go from calm to crazy! Luckily it didn't get too far out of hand despite arm wrestling and drinking competitions. :)
I slept in, so to speak, that is I woke up at 7:30! ;) I had breakfast with the french guys, my family, and said goodbye to them, hopefully not for the last time! It was a sad moment but then I got to thinking how beautiful it is that in such a short time we could have formed this great connection! I immediatly became very grateful for yet another amazing experience on the Camino (road/way/path).
After morning mediation and prayer I charged on! My ankle still hurts but if I concentrate on my walking and make sure that I walk "right" I feel less pain. I love getting my strut on and even though everyone had left the Albergue before I even woke up, I caught up with them pretty quickly. Strutting through the Spanish countryside is just amazing! :D
When I caught up with everyone I met up with Antonello, a great Italian guy that I got to know in the party the night before. He has always had a great connection with Iceland and wanted to ask me some questions about my country. After answering them we just had loads of fun travelling together through the day. When we met up with Isaiah, a Spanish girl from Barcelona, we danced around and celebrated life. When we got to the highway we stopped for a moment to shake our butts and dance in the street. The day was a big celebration of life and how to enjoy it! We even had a water fight thanks to Isaiah when we got to Viana, the second to last city on todays journey. :)
After the 28,4 km walk to Logroño I was tired to say the least. The walking, dancing or my general enjoyment of life weren't the only things that drained my energy but also the heat. It was quite hot today! All the Albergues on the Camino itself were full so I had to walk 5 more minutes to another Albergue. I was so tired that those 5 minutes were probably the longest of the day! ;) But sure enough I got a great bunk bed to sleep in, a place to take a shower and hand wash my clothes and another stamp in my Pilgrim passport. Hopefully after I write this blog I'll just have some dinner and relax in my bunk. But knowing me I might meet some people and get wrapped up in just how many amazing people this world truly has! :)
I hope your life is a celebration beautiful people, a celebration of all the wonderful things this life has to offer!!!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Eye of the Tiger
I was afraid that I was gonna be stuck in Estelle this morning! When I woke up my ankle was even worse than it was yesterday. A wonderful South-Korean girl gave me some anti-pain spray and I took some Ibufen. Even after that I couldn't imagine putting my foot down much less walking the 21 km to Los Arcos. The french guys and the New Zealander's were gonna head there today and it seemed that this would be the last time I would see them. I decided to try and walk, even though each step hurt like hell, and see how far I would get. I said goodbye to my family, not knowing if I would see them again.
I was at a gas station when they left. I stayed on for quite a while and had some coffee and enjoyed the nice toilet that was there. Since I was walking alone now, as not to slow down the group, I could concentrate on each step and make sure I wasn't stepping on uneven ground. Again I got to see just how lucky I am; just after I passed the Fountain of Wine I came to a crossroads. Both said that Los Arcos was 17,4 km away but I didn't know which to take. At that exact moment a local Spaniard passed by and he even spoke english. He told me which way most of the pilgrims take and I was on my way, so happy that I would have been skipping if it wasn't for my ankle.
A few steps later I found a nice bench to sit down and pray and meditate. It was a magical moment and afterwards I was focused and ready for the day. I started walking again, slowly at first and then I kept increasing my pace. I was walking faster and faster and the song Eye of the Tiger just started playing in my mind. I remembered everything I've ever heard about how to walk correctly and then I put that into action...I even think that my subconcious added what I didn't remember. Suddenly all the training I've done for this trip just kicked in and I could walk on my super speed and I wasn't even tired. About 8 km from Los Argos I even caught up with the french guys and the New Zealander's, they were sitting down by a huge mound of hay. It was great to see them, but I was in the zone! I told them that they would probably catch up with me even though I could feel that they wouldn't, and I kept going. From the point after I prayed and meditated, I didn't take a break or stop for 17 km!
I arrived in Los Argos at 13:00 after having walked 21 km during the day and I felt less pain in my ankle now than when I started walking. I must have been walking wrong in some way before and that must have caused my old injury to act up or something like that. The pain in my ankle really kept me present; kept me in the moment. If I stopped thinking about how I should walk, even for a second, it would hurt horrible again. But the pain had kept me in the moment and I was one of the first to arrive at the Albergue in Los Argos. When I got there I was so energetic that I could have kept on going for another 17 km. I decided to stop here in Los Argos because this is the french guys last night. I'm going to miss 'em!
This morning the pain was horrific and every step a disaster in itself. Sometimes you need to take a rest, like I did yesterday, and let your body recuperate. But sometimes, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual pain, you just have to push on. You have to keep going no matter what. You may need to use all your experience, all your energy, all your mental acuity but if you give it all you've got => you'll succeed no matter the odds. This was that kind of day!
I'm on track and I'm ready to walk 28 km a day just like I had planned. Life might throw me another lesson or hardship and I hope I'll deal with it the same way I have with the lessons so far. If you're dealing with hardship in any way, shape or form, I hope you too will find a way to power through despite the obsticals beautiful people! :*
I was at a gas station when they left. I stayed on for quite a while and had some coffee and enjoyed the nice toilet that was there. Since I was walking alone now, as not to slow down the group, I could concentrate on each step and make sure I wasn't stepping on uneven ground. Again I got to see just how lucky I am; just after I passed the Fountain of Wine I came to a crossroads. Both said that Los Arcos was 17,4 km away but I didn't know which to take. At that exact moment a local Spaniard passed by and he even spoke english. He told me which way most of the pilgrims take and I was on my way, so happy that I would have been skipping if it wasn't for my ankle.
A few steps later I found a nice bench to sit down and pray and meditate. It was a magical moment and afterwards I was focused and ready for the day. I started walking again, slowly at first and then I kept increasing my pace. I was walking faster and faster and the song Eye of the Tiger just started playing in my mind. I remembered everything I've ever heard about how to walk correctly and then I put that into action...I even think that my subconcious added what I didn't remember. Suddenly all the training I've done for this trip just kicked in and I could walk on my super speed and I wasn't even tired. About 8 km from Los Argos I even caught up with the french guys and the New Zealander's, they were sitting down by a huge mound of hay. It was great to see them, but I was in the zone! I told them that they would probably catch up with me even though I could feel that they wouldn't, and I kept going. From the point after I prayed and meditated, I didn't take a break or stop for 17 km!
I arrived in Los Argos at 13:00 after having walked 21 km during the day and I felt less pain in my ankle now than when I started walking. I must have been walking wrong in some way before and that must have caused my old injury to act up or something like that. The pain in my ankle really kept me present; kept me in the moment. If I stopped thinking about how I should walk, even for a second, it would hurt horrible again. But the pain had kept me in the moment and I was one of the first to arrive at the Albergue in Los Argos. When I got there I was so energetic that I could have kept on going for another 17 km. I decided to stop here in Los Argos because this is the french guys last night. I'm going to miss 'em!
This morning the pain was horrific and every step a disaster in itself. Sometimes you need to take a rest, like I did yesterday, and let your body recuperate. But sometimes, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual pain, you just have to push on. You have to keep going no matter what. You may need to use all your experience, all your energy, all your mental acuity but if you give it all you've got => you'll succeed no matter the odds. This was that kind of day!
I'm on track and I'm ready to walk 28 km a day just like I had planned. Life might throw me another lesson or hardship and I hope I'll deal with it the same way I have with the lessons so far. If you're dealing with hardship in any way, shape or form, I hope you too will find a way to power through despite the obsticals beautiful people! :*
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The pains of yesteryears
In 2004 I twisted my ankle pretty bad. This morning when I woke up my ankle decided it was still 2004 or at least that revisiting those pains would be a good idea! So I had to walk slow today but I still walked the 25 km to Estella. I walked with Alexander and we discussed everything from relationships to politics and ranged from dirty jokes to faith. It was a great walk even though it was rather slow and painful.
When I got to Estelle my super luck kicked in and I sat down next to a physiotherapist without knowing it who actually taped my foot and told me what would be the best remidy; rest! So from 17:00 to 20:00 I layed in bed, dropping in and out of sleep.
I was awaken by the french guys and they had cooked and bought 7 bottles of wine for the 8 of us that were eating. Since I don't drink anymore they had a bottle of wine per person. It was a great meal! :)
I have to stop now since the energy for the computer turns off at 22:00. I hope you're having a great day, with great people and that despite difficult situations; that luck is following you around! ;)
When I got to Estelle my super luck kicked in and I sat down next to a physiotherapist without knowing it who actually taped my foot and told me what would be the best remidy; rest! So from 17:00 to 20:00 I layed in bed, dropping in and out of sleep.
I was awaken by the french guys and they had cooked and bought 7 bottles of wine for the 8 of us that were eating. Since I don't drink anymore they had a bottle of wine per person. It was a great meal! :)
I have to stop now since the energy for the computer turns off at 22:00. I hope you're having a great day, with great people and that despite difficult situations; that luck is following you around! ;)
Friday, August 26, 2011
Getting my strut on!
Yesterday afternoon was wonderful. I arrived in Pamplona at about 14:15 and it was good to have so much time there. Before my blog yesterday I had already gone out to try and check out the city, after I got settled in the Albergue of course (meaning a shower and hand washing my clothes). But what I was totally oblivious about is the ciesta which is of course from 14:00 to 17:00 every day. So I went back to the Albergue and wrote the blog...much wiser about the ways of Spaniards! ;)
After I wrote the blog I went to see where the bull run, or Encierro as it is called in Spanish, starts. I didn't have the energy to run it but I walked from the start of the race all the way to the end which is at the bullfighting stadium in Pamplona. It was great to see this part of Spanish culture and history, since it has always amazed me! :)
Pamplona is just wonderful, and after walking around the city and seeing the most beautiful sights I went back to the Albergue just before 20:00 and got the 3 french guys I met on my first day in the Pyranees. Jean, Edouard and Olivier are great guys and I dragged them to a concert which was on the city wall right next to Pamplona's amazing cathedral. After that we had a bitchin kitchen party and had pasta together with some other people...well you all know that kitchen parties are the best parties! ;)
This morning Jean awoke me at 7:40 and we had to be out of the Albergue at 8 so I had breakfast in a beautiful little coffee shop and listened to cool jazz music. After morning meditation and prayer, which was actually quite nice to do there in the coffee shop, the french guys met up with me and we started our walk. It was raining cats and dogs in Pamplona and I got to try out my poncho and rain cover again! ;) It was a nice walk and not to hard, at least not getting out of the city, and since I had less pain this morning (although I woke up like yesterday morning; with conciderable pain in my shoulders) it was easier on my body.
We rested in a small town for lunch and met up with 2 great New Zealanders; Molly and Alexander. They walked with us from there and sure enough the sunshine came with them. The rest of the day was sunshine, beautiful landscape, great conversations and a lot of fooling around. I can't describe how beautiful the countryside is here and I doubt my pictures will do the scenery justice.
We walked 23,5 km today and ended up in a town called Puente la Reina. During lunch time I stretched a lot after the meal, showed a few people some yoga positions and we were off. A very steep hill awaited us and I was not looking forward to that encounter. But Gulli got his strut on today and I marched up that steep steep hill like it was nothing...and the best part; I was hardly tired when I got up there. I mean I even gave Edouard a horse back ride on my shoulders for quite a while on the top! :) And when we got to Puente la Reina I could have kept on going and that was a great feeling. These past few days taking a shower and washing my clothes after the day has been really painful...I barely felt it today!!! I'm loving this change :D It's not that I don't feel any pain anymore; it's more that in comparison to what the last 3 days have been like, the 4th one kicks ass! :)
We had loads of fun today and then tonight we all had dinner together, the six of us. I went to the supermarket with Molly and bought some food for dinner but little did I know that the awesome french guys had already bought food for me. I love these guys! And then at dinner I was complementing them on this and saying how cool they were and Olivier's response was that we were more than friends now; we're a family. Man I'm loving this trip!
Well I'm gonna get back to my friends. I hope you are having a great time with your family beautiful people, whether they are related to you or not! ;)
After I wrote the blog I went to see where the bull run, or Encierro as it is called in Spanish, starts. I didn't have the energy to run it but I walked from the start of the race all the way to the end which is at the bullfighting stadium in Pamplona. It was great to see this part of Spanish culture and history, since it has always amazed me! :)
Pamplona is just wonderful, and after walking around the city and seeing the most beautiful sights I went back to the Albergue just before 20:00 and got the 3 french guys I met on my first day in the Pyranees. Jean, Edouard and Olivier are great guys and I dragged them to a concert which was on the city wall right next to Pamplona's amazing cathedral. After that we had a bitchin kitchen party and had pasta together with some other people...well you all know that kitchen parties are the best parties! ;)
This morning Jean awoke me at 7:40 and we had to be out of the Albergue at 8 so I had breakfast in a beautiful little coffee shop and listened to cool jazz music. After morning meditation and prayer, which was actually quite nice to do there in the coffee shop, the french guys met up with me and we started our walk. It was raining cats and dogs in Pamplona and I got to try out my poncho and rain cover again! ;) It was a nice walk and not to hard, at least not getting out of the city, and since I had less pain this morning (although I woke up like yesterday morning; with conciderable pain in my shoulders) it was easier on my body.
We rested in a small town for lunch and met up with 2 great New Zealanders; Molly and Alexander. They walked with us from there and sure enough the sunshine came with them. The rest of the day was sunshine, beautiful landscape, great conversations and a lot of fooling around. I can't describe how beautiful the countryside is here and I doubt my pictures will do the scenery justice.
We walked 23,5 km today and ended up in a town called Puente la Reina. During lunch time I stretched a lot after the meal, showed a few people some yoga positions and we were off. A very steep hill awaited us and I was not looking forward to that encounter. But Gulli got his strut on today and I marched up that steep steep hill like it was nothing...and the best part; I was hardly tired when I got up there. I mean I even gave Edouard a horse back ride on my shoulders for quite a while on the top! :) And when we got to Puente la Reina I could have kept on going and that was a great feeling. These past few days taking a shower and washing my clothes after the day has been really painful...I barely felt it today!!! I'm loving this change :D It's not that I don't feel any pain anymore; it's more that in comparison to what the last 3 days have been like, the 4th one kicks ass! :)
We had loads of fun today and then tonight we all had dinner together, the six of us. I went to the supermarket with Molly and bought some food for dinner but little did I know that the awesome french guys had already bought food for me. I love these guys! And then at dinner I was complementing them on this and saying how cool they were and Olivier's response was that we were more than friends now; we're a family. Man I'm loving this trip!
Well I'm gonna get back to my friends. I hope you are having a great time with your family beautiful people, whether they are related to you or not! ;)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
All roads lead to Pamplona
When I woke up this morning I thought my shoulders were gonna leave my body in a big hissy fit saying to the rest of my body: "You can stay, but I'm leaving!". They hurt so much that I wasn't even sure I could put my backpack on. For a mintue there I was sure I was going to be stuck in Zubiri for the day or maybe even longer. The pain was that immense! But then the wierdest thing happened; slowly but surely the pain just went away. I'm not saying I was pain free, but after about 20 minutes I would say that it had left compared to what it was like when I woke up.
I slept in a bunk bed and for the first time in many many years I slept in the top bunk. I pitty the poor woman that slept below me and the fear that she must have felt as this huge Icelandic viking climbed in the bunk bed above her. But her worries, and mine, were illfounded since I didn't fall on top of her. The bunk moved all night though since I tossed and turned in the heat. I didn't sleep a lot either this night since I'm not used to the heat yet (and of course there isn't any air conditioning) and probably because of my body being over-tired. But somehow waking up wasn't that hard! :)
The breakfast was included in this wonderful Alberge (only slept in a room with 12 people, which is pretty good) and I found out that pretty much everything offered for breakfast had sugar in it. Since I don't eat sugar I had toast with butter and coffee. Surprisingly I was full after that and evidently because of how well my walk went was also full of energy (until about 6 km away from Pamplona that is).
Today was beautiful. Yesterday morning in Roncesvalles it was raining when I woke up so then I got to try out my new poncho and rain cover for my bag. Today the sun was shining and I got to try out my sunglasses! :) The walk from Zubiri to Pamplona is 20,9 km and that's how far I went today. You travel through a gorgeous valley, filled with trees, a river and today a lot of great Pilgrims! You have to go a little uphill and downhill but nothing compared to the last 2 days. At first I thought I wouldn't even get tired today, but sure enough about 6 km out of Pamplona exhaustion came a calling. It's not that I didn't have the endurance to walk it, cause I had plenty of energy left. It's that certain body parts (in particular my thighs, calfs, shoulders and back) just seemed to hate me and demanded that Pamplona be as far as I'd go today. I begrudingly listened to them and then realized that Pamplona is home to "Running with the bulls" and I'm going to check it out after I write this blog. Even if I won't see any bulls I'll see the street that they run in and the square where they end up. The city is beautiful, the Albergue I'm staying in is fine, I'm dead center in the old part of town and I'm glad that I decided to stop here!
I've washed my clothes, made my bed (sleeping in the lower bunk tonight), showered and now I've written today's blog. Really appreciate how supportive you've been beautiful people and I hope you're experiencing wonders the likes of Pamplona in your life! :)
I slept in a bunk bed and for the first time in many many years I slept in the top bunk. I pitty the poor woman that slept below me and the fear that she must have felt as this huge Icelandic viking climbed in the bunk bed above her. But her worries, and mine, were illfounded since I didn't fall on top of her. The bunk moved all night though since I tossed and turned in the heat. I didn't sleep a lot either this night since I'm not used to the heat yet (and of course there isn't any air conditioning) and probably because of my body being over-tired. But somehow waking up wasn't that hard! :)
The breakfast was included in this wonderful Alberge (only slept in a room with 12 people, which is pretty good) and I found out that pretty much everything offered for breakfast had sugar in it. Since I don't eat sugar I had toast with butter and coffee. Surprisingly I was full after that and evidently because of how well my walk went was also full of energy (until about 6 km away from Pamplona that is).
Today was beautiful. Yesterday morning in Roncesvalles it was raining when I woke up so then I got to try out my new poncho and rain cover for my bag. Today the sun was shining and I got to try out my sunglasses! :) The walk from Zubiri to Pamplona is 20,9 km and that's how far I went today. You travel through a gorgeous valley, filled with trees, a river and today a lot of great Pilgrims! You have to go a little uphill and downhill but nothing compared to the last 2 days. At first I thought I wouldn't even get tired today, but sure enough about 6 km out of Pamplona exhaustion came a calling. It's not that I didn't have the endurance to walk it, cause I had plenty of energy left. It's that certain body parts (in particular my thighs, calfs, shoulders and back) just seemed to hate me and demanded that Pamplona be as far as I'd go today. I begrudingly listened to them and then realized that Pamplona is home to "Running with the bulls" and I'm going to check it out after I write this blog. Even if I won't see any bulls I'll see the street that they run in and the square where they end up. The city is beautiful, the Albergue I'm staying in is fine, I'm dead center in the old part of town and I'm glad that I decided to stop here!
I've washed my clothes, made my bed (sleeping in the lower bunk tonight), showered and now I've written today's blog. Really appreciate how supportive you've been beautiful people and I hope you're experiencing wonders the likes of Pamplona in your life! :)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The pains of yesterday
Before I went on this trip I decided I was going to walk 20-28 km a day, so that the trip would take me 4-6 weeks. I started to imagine what that would look like and I imagined walking a distance in Reykjavik, a distance that equaled 20 - 28 km. When I had the path in my mind I thought "that ain't so bad, I can do this". There are 2 things I wasn't counting on. The first being that the rolling hills and mountainsides of the Pyrenees mountains have little in common with Reykjavik. Icelands Capitol city has paved roads, the hilly parts aren't hard in comparison to where I am, and I know my way around Reykjavik so there I never have to stop for directions or get confused where I should go. But the walk I had today wasn't so bad in itself, I mean I'm in shape for a walk like this. It would have been fine if it wasn't for...
...the pains of yesterday! That's the second thing I wasn't counting on. Yesterday I did something extraordinary, even if I say so myself. And my body is extremely tired. The distance I was gonna walk today is in fact around 26,8 km but I couldn't go the distance. I was gonna go from Roncesvalles (where I slept last night) to Larrasoana, but after 21,6 km I had had enough. Luckily I was in Zubiri, a beautiful little town here in Spain. I found a great Albergue and they even have a washer and dryer service so I don't have to wash my clothes in a sink with a bar of soap like last night.
Even though the pain has been immense the walk was amazing. The beauty of the Pyrenees is equalled by few and the viewpoints took my breath away (not that I could afford that). I walked alone today, met a lot of people, but enjoyed walking alone. I feel like I get more out of the journey that way. I mean, it was great fun walking with the girls yesterday but I'm here for a different kind of fun. I'm here for an experience and it seems like I get more of that when I walk alone. It was truly amazing!
Now I've taken a shower, hopefuly had enough fluids to replenish the ones I lost throuh sweat today, hung the clothes that I carried wet in my backpack today up to dry, started charging my camera battery and my ipod, gotten the clothes I was wearing and the clothes I didn't wash last night to the reception and I'm waiting for my first pilgrim dinner.
Hope you're having a blast, whether you're in pain or not! :)
...the pains of yesterday! That's the second thing I wasn't counting on. Yesterday I did something extraordinary, even if I say so myself. And my body is extremely tired. The distance I was gonna walk today is in fact around 26,8 km but I couldn't go the distance. I was gonna go from Roncesvalles (where I slept last night) to Larrasoana, but after 21,6 km I had had enough. Luckily I was in Zubiri, a beautiful little town here in Spain. I found a great Albergue and they even have a washer and dryer service so I don't have to wash my clothes in a sink with a bar of soap like last night.
Even though the pain has been immense the walk was amazing. The beauty of the Pyrenees is equalled by few and the viewpoints took my breath away (not that I could afford that). I walked alone today, met a lot of people, but enjoyed walking alone. I feel like I get more out of the journey that way. I mean, it was great fun walking with the girls yesterday but I'm here for a different kind of fun. I'm here for an experience and it seems like I get more of that when I walk alone. It was truly amazing!
Now I've taken a shower, hopefuly had enough fluids to replenish the ones I lost throuh sweat today, hung the clothes that I carried wet in my backpack today up to dry, started charging my camera battery and my ipod, gotten the clothes I was wearing and the clothes I didn't wash last night to the reception and I'm waiting for my first pilgrim dinner.
Hope you're having a blast, whether you're in pain or not! :)
Over the Pyrenees
Yesterday and last night was a time of many first!
Yesterday I walked 28 km which in itself would have been a feat but what made this an even bigger accomplishment was the fact that it was 28 km and most of it uphill - I was traversing the Pyrenees mountains. This is the hardest part of the journey, or so they say, and it's kind of cool that it's at the beginning: It was like a trial by fire. My body ached so much, but less now than it did last night when I finally arrived at my destination: Roncesvalles. The journey was tiring to say the least and luckily the clouds were protecting me from what would have been enough heat to scorch my will to go on! I've never sweat as much in my life and that's saying something. The last 3,6 km were downhill and I would have thought that would make me happy. But the hill was so steep and my legs so tired after climbing the mountains that I was lucky I didn't fall (both from the hill being steep and my legs just crumbling to the weight of gravity). This was the first day and the night before I had slept on a train, arrived "late" (usually you wake up at 6 in the Refugio's) at 10:00 and didn't start walking until around 12:00. This meant that I didn't arrive in Roncesvalles until 20:30 and the lights are turned off at 22:00 in the Refugio. I had left to eat, shower, wash my clothes, ache in pain and anything else that a person does before bed. Since I could walk 28 km's of this I'm guessing I can walk 28 km a day in normal conditions. I'd appreciate less pain after the journey, during the night and when I wake up, but I'll take what I can get! :)
Sleeping in a Refugio (Refugio's and Auberge's are like hostels for Pilgrims that are travelling to Santiago de Compostela) is like being on a school trip, when you were a kid that is. It's loads of people sleeping in the same huge room and the beds are of course not luxurious, but instead something that'll suffice for the occasion: Sleep! Not that I really slept in the Refugio, I sort of drifted off several times and gained slight conciousness in between. I had never slept in a Refugio, with about 40 people, and the earplugs I took with me came in quite handy (first time for sleeping with earplugs as well).
Even though the first days journey was hard and even though my body aches the trip was awesome. The fog in the mountains and the steep hills filled with trees made the scenery mystical and awe inspiring. I met up with 2 girls, one from Germany and one from Hong Kong, and travelled with them two thirds of the way. We had loads of fun and mastered the art of posing for pictures and silly photography. The hilly countryside surrounding Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port is so amazingly beautiful. And there is little I can do to explain the feeling of triumph having gone over the Pyranees.
Well I'm off to Larrasoana which is about a 25 km walk. I'm about to see what day 2 feels like. Hopefully I'll have time there to let my clothes dry (they're still wet) and wash and dry the ones I'm wearing. Stay awesome beautiful people!
Yesterday I walked 28 km which in itself would have been a feat but what made this an even bigger accomplishment was the fact that it was 28 km and most of it uphill - I was traversing the Pyrenees mountains. This is the hardest part of the journey, or so they say, and it's kind of cool that it's at the beginning: It was like a trial by fire. My body ached so much, but less now than it did last night when I finally arrived at my destination: Roncesvalles. The journey was tiring to say the least and luckily the clouds were protecting me from what would have been enough heat to scorch my will to go on! I've never sweat as much in my life and that's saying something. The last 3,6 km were downhill and I would have thought that would make me happy. But the hill was so steep and my legs so tired after climbing the mountains that I was lucky I didn't fall (both from the hill being steep and my legs just crumbling to the weight of gravity). This was the first day and the night before I had slept on a train, arrived "late" (usually you wake up at 6 in the Refugio's) at 10:00 and didn't start walking until around 12:00. This meant that I didn't arrive in Roncesvalles until 20:30 and the lights are turned off at 22:00 in the Refugio. I had left to eat, shower, wash my clothes, ache in pain and anything else that a person does before bed. Since I could walk 28 km's of this I'm guessing I can walk 28 km a day in normal conditions. I'd appreciate less pain after the journey, during the night and when I wake up, but I'll take what I can get! :)
Sleeping in a Refugio (Refugio's and Auberge's are like hostels for Pilgrims that are travelling to Santiago de Compostela) is like being on a school trip, when you were a kid that is. It's loads of people sleeping in the same huge room and the beds are of course not luxurious, but instead something that'll suffice for the occasion: Sleep! Not that I really slept in the Refugio, I sort of drifted off several times and gained slight conciousness in between. I had never slept in a Refugio, with about 40 people, and the earplugs I took with me came in quite handy (first time for sleeping with earplugs as well).
Even though the first days journey was hard and even though my body aches the trip was awesome. The fog in the mountains and the steep hills filled with trees made the scenery mystical and awe inspiring. I met up with 2 girls, one from Germany and one from Hong Kong, and travelled with them two thirds of the way. We had loads of fun and mastered the art of posing for pictures and silly photography. The hilly countryside surrounding Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port is so amazingly beautiful. And there is little I can do to explain the feeling of triumph having gone over the Pyranees.
Well I'm off to Larrasoana which is about a 25 km walk. I'm about to see what day 2 feels like. Hopefully I'll have time there to let my clothes dry (they're still wet) and wash and dry the ones I'm wearing. Stay awesome beautiful people!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The beginning...
The beginning usually starts with the end of something else. I'm hoping that this is the end of the current me and what follows will define who I will become. I'm ready; ready for whatever awaits me whether I can handle it immediately or not. I'm ready!
I just arrived in Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port, got my pilgrim passport (got a stamp from here and I'll get a stamp from each town until I reach Santiago de Compostela) and a shell to put on my backpack to represent that I'm walking Santiago's Camino (Camino = road). Gonna buy some food, fill my camel bag with water and head off for the 27,5 km walk to Roncesvalles. That's day one for ya.
Whenever something new starts in my life I like to savor it, it makes what's coming have more meaning; makes it grander somehow. I hope you savor "the new" in your life, cause it's only new once! Give it all you've got! I mean after all, it's the beginning...
I just arrived in Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port, got my pilgrim passport (got a stamp from here and I'll get a stamp from each town until I reach Santiago de Compostela) and a shell to put on my backpack to represent that I'm walking Santiago's Camino (Camino = road). Gonna buy some food, fill my camel bag with water and head off for the 27,5 km walk to Roncesvalles. That's day one for ya.
Whenever something new starts in my life I like to savor it, it makes what's coming have more meaning; makes it grander somehow. I hope you savor "the new" in your life, cause it's only new once! Give it all you've got! I mean after all, it's the beginning...
Monday, August 22, 2011
The 11-11 train to Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port
It's finally here: The time has come for the train that will lead me to the start of my walk, the start of my trek; the beginning of my adventure! I'm leaving on the 11:11 Pm (23:11) train to Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port and there is lightning in the sky here in Paris. It's like the heavens themselves are seeing me off; it's really cool! :)
I'm so excited I'm about to burst. I'm happy but I'm also anxious, scared even. I'm about to go on a 830 km walk alone and I'll have no creature comforts on the way. I'll sleep in what are basically hostels for pilgrims walking this route (called Alberques and Refugios), I have 2 sets of clothes with me (the one I'm wearing and the one in my backpack) and lots of other stuff that makes this a trial and in fact scary. The fact that it scares me makes me happy again and even more excited, because anything worth having, anything worth doing will involve overcoming fear. And I know that this journey is worth doing!
I had a great last day here in Paris to round up an amazing 4 days spent in this city of wonder! But now a magical journey awaits me, and I don't wanna be late for it. I hope you too are overcoming the fears in your life that stand in the way of what is worth having...cause I'm loving it! :)
I'm so excited I'm about to burst. I'm happy but I'm also anxious, scared even. I'm about to go on a 830 km walk alone and I'll have no creature comforts on the way. I'll sleep in what are basically hostels for pilgrims walking this route (called Alberques and Refugios), I have 2 sets of clothes with me (the one I'm wearing and the one in my backpack) and lots of other stuff that makes this a trial and in fact scary. The fact that it scares me makes me happy again and even more excited, because anything worth having, anything worth doing will involve overcoming fear. And I know that this journey is worth doing!
I had a great last day here in Paris to round up an amazing 4 days spent in this city of wonder! But now a magical journey awaits me, and I don't wanna be late for it. I hope you too are overcoming the fears in your life that stand in the way of what is worth having...cause I'm loving it! :)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
A taste of things to come
Paris has been amazing! I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow. Sad to leave Paris and all it's wonder, excited to start my journey to Santiago de Compostela...conflicting emotions but both brought on by happiness so I'm good!
Paris has been just the preparation I needed for my trek. It's been so warm here and I've walked most everywhere I've gone. When I landed I took the train to Gare de Nord and just walked with my backpack to Notre-Dame. Great practice in the heat which was around 30 degrees Celsius; it's gonna be even hotter in Spain but good practice nonetheless! :)
Both yesterday and today were spent walking all around beautiful downtown Paris and being a happy tourist! I've been to beautiful parks, a zoo, seen adorable Parisian apartments, seen gorgeous structures and architecture, had amazing food and best of all I've had wonderful company!
Paris has been a taste of things to come: I've almost walked Paris from one end to the other, I've been in scorching heat, there's been so much to see and experience and I've had loads of fun. These are definitely some of the ingredients that I know will define my journey!
I hope your days are filled with magic, such as my days have been! :)
Paris has been just the preparation I needed for my trek. It's been so warm here and I've walked most everywhere I've gone. When I landed I took the train to Gare de Nord and just walked with my backpack to Notre-Dame. Great practice in the heat which was around 30 degrees Celsius; it's gonna be even hotter in Spain but good practice nonetheless! :)
Both yesterday and today were spent walking all around beautiful downtown Paris and being a happy tourist! I've been to beautiful parks, a zoo, seen adorable Parisian apartments, seen gorgeous structures and architecture, had amazing food and best of all I've had wonderful company!
Paris has been a taste of things to come: I've almost walked Paris from one end to the other, I've been in scorching heat, there's been so much to see and experience and I've had loads of fun. These are definitely some of the ingredients that I know will define my journey!
I hope your days are filled with magic, such as my days have been! :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Last minute kind of guy
I can't believe I'm actually on my journey already. I can't believe I'm actually gonna do it: I'm gonna walk the 830 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port to Santiago de Compostela!!! :)
Getting ready for this trip has been quite the challenge, physically that is. At the start of this year I couldn't even have lasted a single day on this 4 to 6 week journey. If I walk 20 km a day it will take me 6 weeks to finish this journey but it I walk 28 km a day it will take me 4 weeks. My goal is 4 weeks but I have 6 so we'll see what pace I can keep up with. But like I say, a lot has changed physically since the beginning of the year and it's enough so that I can embark on this adventure!
But I'm a last minute kind of guy, all that really mattered to me was that I was in shape for the journey. I mean I bought the backpack for my journey the day before I left (2 days ago) and perhaps if I would have bought it sooner I would have realized that it dosn't have a "built in" raincover. I got my walking sticks 8 days ago and my new walking shoes 12 days ago. That and a lot of other new stuff was all bought around the time I was leaving. I think I've walked enough in my new walking shoes, gotten them ready and adjusted to my foot, but honestly I'm not sure. Let's just say; this was last minute! ;)
I guess the reason this was last minute is that I really wasn't sure I'd be in a place, physically, mentally or emotionally to go on this journey. When I decided in April, this year, to go on this adventure a lot had to change in order for me to be able to go, not just physically. So I said I'd go in the middle of August if I met certain requirements that frankly were a bit out of a reach at the time...or so I thought! But sure enough I met them and 11 days ago I bought a one way ticket to France. Now I'm sitting in Paris, gonna enjoy Paris until monday night and then I'm taking the night train to the south of France; Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port! :)
So I bid you farewell good people and hope that you too will realize your adventures and make your dreams come true!!!
Getting ready for this trip has been quite the challenge, physically that is. At the start of this year I couldn't even have lasted a single day on this 4 to 6 week journey. If I walk 20 km a day it will take me 6 weeks to finish this journey but it I walk 28 km a day it will take me 4 weeks. My goal is 4 weeks but I have 6 so we'll see what pace I can keep up with. But like I say, a lot has changed physically since the beginning of the year and it's enough so that I can embark on this adventure!
But I'm a last minute kind of guy, all that really mattered to me was that I was in shape for the journey. I mean I bought the backpack for my journey the day before I left (2 days ago) and perhaps if I would have bought it sooner I would have realized that it dosn't have a "built in" raincover. I got my walking sticks 8 days ago and my new walking shoes 12 days ago. That and a lot of other new stuff was all bought around the time I was leaving. I think I've walked enough in my new walking shoes, gotten them ready and adjusted to my foot, but honestly I'm not sure. Let's just say; this was last minute! ;)
I guess the reason this was last minute is that I really wasn't sure I'd be in a place, physically, mentally or emotionally to go on this journey. When I decided in April, this year, to go on this adventure a lot had to change in order for me to be able to go, not just physically. So I said I'd go in the middle of August if I met certain requirements that frankly were a bit out of a reach at the time...or so I thought! But sure enough I met them and 11 days ago I bought a one way ticket to France. Now I'm sitting in Paris, gonna enjoy Paris until monday night and then I'm taking the night train to the south of France; Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port! :)
So I bid you farewell good people and hope that you too will realize your adventures and make your dreams come true!!!
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