Madrid

In Madrid

Yesterday we spent travelling, and went to a local mall for dinner. Just as we were finishing, Lenore, Paul and Lilly joined us. What a surprise! They had just flown in from Toronto, and today went to Ponferrada, to meet Raphael, who will drive them to Foncebadon. They are the hospitalero/as for the first half of June, at Domus Dei, the donativo albergue in Foncebadon. How amazing to be there to see them. Here is where they will be working.

Today we took a bus and Metro into downtown Madrid. We found a free 3 hour walking tour of Madrid, and it was wonderful. The guide Tatiana, was from Kyrzakhstan, married to a Spaniard, and full of information and humour.  We saw so much and learned  a great deal about Spanish history.
One of my favourite squares on the tour was the Puerta da Sol, where we assembled for the tour.



After the tour we had an enourmous meal, then tried to walk it off.  Eventually we found our way to the Prado, which is free from 6 to 8 pm every day. We saw most of the Goyas, Reubens, and Velasquez. My favourite it still this one.

So, it is back to Toronto tomorrow, and hiking the Toronto trails. I´ll be blogging on wandering in Toronto, just not as frequently. Thanks for following my adventures so far, and post if you have any questions.

Buen Camino
Darlene

I will go on with joy, and gratitude

Foncebadon to Molinaseca 20 km

Today was soooo hard. Up at 6, and out the door at 7.30 with my headlamp on.  Up to the Iron cross, where I left stones for Judi, Peggy and myself. The sky was spectacular as the sun rose. I could see, at various times, the lights of Rabanal, Astorga, and even Leon. Then Manjarin, where I once again used the pit toilets. Thank God they were available. Then up more, then on the level to ElAcebo. From there it was downhill all the way, and the terrain was varied. Molineseca is at 500, so we descended 1000
meters over about 4 hours of walking. It really was brutal. Stone and rocks in various formations on the path.I slipped a few times, but my sticks saved me, and I knew then it was time to take a break.

I am here in a lovely albergue in Molenaseca. They are doing a communal dinner, but it is lentils and spaghetti, and I want something different, so I will walk back into town to eat. When I arrived here, I put my legs up the wall, then took a nap for 45 minutes. Now my laundry id out drying, and I had a shower.
 Hopefully tomorrow won´t be as challenging. Almost flat, with a bit of descent.

So here is my list of joy for today.
Hot oats with apricot jam for breakfast
Walking out of Foncebadon, using my headlamp for the first time, with the moon and the stars in the pre-dawn.
The view of the sky - immense - as the sun rose.
The Iron Cross against the sunrise.
A pit toilet, just when I needed it.
Birdsong in the forest - it sounded like  chickadees but unlikely
Dew soaked blackberries
Blackberries for snack all along the path.
A chat over cafe con leche with Bonnie, from the USA
Lunching on chocolate with almonds
 Vistas of green covered mountains
A body that works
Gregorian chant at Manjarin

And here is my gratitude list:
Heather and Lola for the purse and silk sleep sack
Michael, Ryan and Aislinn for the loan of a great sleeping bag
Keen for terrific boots and shoes and socks
Meg and Arlo, Lola and Cy for the walking sticks ( though I left them at home and bought some to dump here)
Louisa for the red merino shirt, which was perfect for today
Leslie for the gloves which I used for the first time today, and the teal shirt - great for cold days - and the toilet kit
Dave for helping me pick out a new backpack
Judi andPeggy for the stones, which made the visit to the Iron Cross so meaningful
You people reading my blog and encouraging me.
Everyone I have met through Caminoing
The Canadian Company of Pilgrims, Toronto branch
Hikers who walked with me in the winter.
My family, who always believed in me.

Love to you all

Darlene, the pilgrim

Later the same day

Life is so different as a pilgrim. I left Rabanal at noon, and arrived at Foncebadon at 1:30. It was challenging. All uphill - I climbed 300 meters over 6 km, so it was quite steep, and hot too. I didn´t think that I could make another 10 km to El Acebo. And I am still getting used to my new backpack, which, of course, is too heavy, mostly with food.

I am staying in the parroquial alberque. It is very basic: bunks close together, small corridor kitchen, even tinier bathrooms, and no heat - no lovely wood burning fireplace. No comfy chairs or garden to sit in. However, it is run by a volunteer hospitalero, Renny, from the USA, so I sat in the sun with him and we compared experiences, and albergues. This one serves breakfast (instant coffee and bread) and a communal dinner. He is making lentils, and will take out the vegetarian portion before adding the chorizo. He is also making pasta salad, so I am going back to cook a few potatoes for myself. He is on crutches, and has been for 14 months, so this is the way he can be on the Camino. He has done this place many times before. I choose to stay here, as Tom, who was one of our trainers, loves to work here, and I wanted to see if I could see myself working here. The answer is no.

Foncebadon is much colder than Rabanal- last week when we were 10´ they were at 0´, as they are that much higher. It also only has 4 year round residents. It is windswept, with many abandoned buildings, and 4 albergues. The one I am staying in is in the church, and there will be a gathering to share tonight, but no organized vespers. Rabanal is really a fairy tale village - so clean, with flowers everywhere, and no abandoned building on the main street. The restaurants are both in hotels, so are lovely, with extensive menus.

Tomorrow, only 2 km uphill to the Cruz de Ferro, where pilgrims leave their stones, then it is downhill all the way to Molinaseca.. I just checked for links and they are all in Spanish, or Galician, which is what I think this computer is programmed in.

Must go as time is almost up.

Darlene, la peregrina

Leaving Rabanal

An uneventful day - no new bedbug cases, and no rowdy pilgrims. They are really quite well-behaved - focused on eating resting washing, sleeping and eating again. I had a chat with 2 French women - my French was as good as their English, so we used both. We had a slow opening, and didn´t fill up to 20 until about 4 pm.

We had lunch in the huerta - it was lovely yesterday, but cooled in the eveing, so once again we had a wood fire. I made oatmeal scones for my last day. It took almost an hour fiddling with the oven - at one point it went out and it took me about 10 minutes to realize it - but they were delicious, and perfectly browned.

I went to Compline last night at 9:30, and got the stones blessed - 2 for Judi, one for Peggy, and one for me. It was a beautiful service, with a blessing of the pilgrims. I will include some of it tomorrow. My plan is to go back to the Albergue, pack my new backpack and some food, and take off. I will definitely walk to Foncebadon
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foncebad%C3%B3n
 and perhaps to El Ascebo.
It is a perfect day for walking - no clouds, and about 12¨

I hope to be able to blog from wherever I end up, but if not, talk to you tomorrow.

Darlene, who is between the two roles!