The Stomach Bug vs The Richardsons: Will They Make it?

Sarria to Santiago: 69 miles/112Kms, 5 Days

(Sarria, Portomarin, Palas de Rei, Melide, O Pedruzo, Santigo)

Santiago de Compostela

Of course we made it to Santiago!  But first, we all had to overcome a stomach bug, Parker had to continue battling his blisters, and Kaia's shoes were on their last thread. We even discussed pausing our walk for a bit, but we ultimately decided to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. We completed our pilgrimage in 40 days, 20 days quicker than Parker and I had planned!

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Located on the last 112kms from Santiago de Compostela is the town Sarria. Only ten percent of the pilgrims who walk the French Route begin where we did, in St. Jean Pied de Port (483 miles/778kms away). Ninety percent begin in Sarria. To get the Compostela Certificate, you only have to walk at least 100kms(62miles). That is why Sarria is so popular. Thousands of new pilgrims joined us out of Sarria.

However..... the night before Sarria, Cruz woke up in the middle of the night and threw up (off the top bunk of course). This part of Spain is famous for its pulpo (octopus). I love octopus and ordered it the night before (Cruz and Parker also tried it). But, it didn't look right, it reminded us of Parker's pig tail lunch. I'm sure it was prepared correctly, but I couldn't eat it. So maybe it was the pulpo? We knew of a few pilgrims who didn't feel well the previous days. So maybe something was going around. People were saying maybe it was contaminated water? Or could it have been the inconsistent standards of the cafes/restaurants along the Camino? It's hard to say.  Kaia and I caught the 48 hour stomach bug the following day in Portomarin, and Parker didn't feel so great either but didn't have the vomiting.

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In addition to the whole family fighting the stomach bug, Parker was still going through his blister saga. The kids decided we will do a side slideshow of the evolution of his blisters. It was epic: blisters inside blisters, and layers under layers of his baby pinky toes. Poor little piggys. He was managing them well but it still made us nervous. Many pilgrims had to end their walks early because of blisters. We had met someone who's blister got infected and he had to go to the hospital. Someone else got sick and also had to got to the hospital.  Both had to end their walks. You can only imagine the endless stories of blisters, black toe nails, lost toe nails, and all the ailments from head to toe. It was one of the ways we all bonded at the end of our days of walking.

Another situation we were dealing with was Kaia's trail shoes. The thread was still good but the uppers were falling apart. Getting new shoes this far into our walk was risky. New shoes with the mileage we were cranking out daily insured blisters. She's the only one who hasn't had a single blister or any foot issues. Getting blisters now could slow down or end our walk. She tried duck tape but that only lasted a day. We crossed our fingers that the shoes would make it all the way to the end.

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Out of Sarria, we were joined by thousands of people along the Camino.  It sometimes felt like we were in a 100km  line to Santiago. Before this, we might only see 20 or so pilgrims throughout the day, sometimes less. One day on the Meseta, we only saw two others. Now there were tons of groups: some were groups of 20 with a guide, there were large school groups, church groups, and big families walking together. There were long lines for cafes, shops, stamps along the side of the road. Some people talked loudly on their phones, on speaker! Why?! Some groups blared music from blue tooth speakers. The solitude was gone.

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In the rain, we walked out of Portomarin with upset stomachs and zero sleep, due to a fiesta that started at 11pm the previous night. It was a tough night for all of us but there was no way we were staying in that godforsaken town another minute. We all decided to walk and find somewhere else to rest for the day.

This was the first rain of our walk, our 36th day. We walked with hordes of people in ponchos of all colors. We were one of many pilgrim zombies, zombie-grinos, that what our kids called us all (zombies + peregrinos). It was a rough morning.  My legs felt H.E.A.V.Y. It took a lot of effort to just move them forward. But we all kept going. I guess one bad day out of 36 days isn't terrible. The Camino felt different with so many new people. There was less comradery because everyone had their own group. Less "Buen Caminos" and discussions with random pilgrims throughout the day. 

Once we reached Palas de Rei, Parker and I discussed pausing our walk. We told the kids that it's health first and reaching Santiago is secondary. We knew we would make it soon enough, we were so close.  Everyone needed rest and plenty of hydration. The next day, even though we were all feeling better, we walked a short half day to Melide. We found a hotel by 10:30am. Then we hydrated, ate, and relaxed.

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As Parker and I sat outside the cafe below our hotel, we could hear a group of loud pilgrims approaching. They were our friends. We were all so happy to see each other. Everyone was concerned about our kids and were happy to see they were better. It cheered us all up.

The following morning, we all felt great! We had thought we might have to finish a day later than originally planned but we decided to see how the day went. It was the most perfect day for walking. It was flat. easy, and beautiful. We decided to walk a long day 35kms to Pedruzo because we were all ready to finish the following day. 

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The big day finally arrived. We were all back to 100%, Parker's blisters were behaving, and Kaia's shoes were a mess but still intact. There was a lot of excitement in the air. So many of us (thousands) started in the dark in anticipation of reaching Santiago. It was hard to believe that we only had 11 miles left. Even though the crowd was an adjustment, it was great to see the excitement on everyone's face, no matter if they walked for five days and 100kms, or 30+ days and 700kms.

About 3miles/5kms out, we could see city of Santiago de Compostela and we caught a glimpse of the cathedral. It was surreal to be dodging traffic and finding our way through the busy city. As we approached the Cathedral, we walked through a tall walkway as a bagpiper welcomed pilgrims from around the world. When we approached the square it was hard to believe that we finally reached our destination. We celebrated with friends at the Cathedral Square. 

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The following day, we attended the pilgrim mass at the cathedral with Brother Lucas as one of the celebrants. A special pilgrim mass is held every day to welcome all the pilgrims and to honor them after their Camino. The priest reads the number of pilgrims received in the last 24 hours, where they came from, and where they began their pilgrimage.

We were lucky that day to witness the botafumeiro during mass. The famous botafumeiro is a giant censer. Once it is filled with incense and coal, it weighs well over 100 lbs. It takes eight people to operate. It is suspended 65 feet in the air and can reach a speed of 42 miles per hour. Originally, it was used to purify the air when the church was full of stinky pilgrims who had traveled from their homes.  Now it is more of a ritual that began in the 12th century. The mass was a meaningful way to end  our pilgrimage. 

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On our last week to Santiago, it was difficult to mentally end our walk. There was too much going on: the stomach bug, epic blisters, failing shoes, and the hordes of new people. Parker and I were also starting to plan our next stages of travel (Portugal, Egypt, Philippines). It was all too distracting and we were not living in the moment.

I was ambivalent once we arrived in Santiago. The end is always hard to process in the moment but Santiago did not feel like the end for me.  The pilgrimage officially ends in Santiago de Compostela, but long before Christianity, people would walk to the end of the world as they knew it, to the ocean. Parker and I had always dreamed of going all the way to the water.

Finestere was another 54 miles/90 kms away. The kids knew about it and had been saying they wanted to go to the Ocean. We let them make the final decision because walking the 483miles/778kms to Santiago was already a lot to ask of our kids.

But as we were planning our last two weeks, they both said they loved  the Camino and did not want it to end! Once in Santiago, we gave them the last say, especially with the challenging week we just conquered. Cruz said he wanted to keep walking.  Kaia said she wanted to walk all the way across Spain! They had just walked 483 miles/778 kms like rockstars and wanted to keep going. 

This was the best thing Parker and I could have heard as parents. Not just that they wanted to keep going but that they loved the camino las much as we hoped they would. 

Just another 54 miles/90 kms to go to the end of the world.

7. Leon to Sarria: Hairy Pigtails, Burdens, and Rainbows

Leon to Saria: 128 miles/206 kms, 

(San Martin, Astorga, Foncebadon, Ponferada, Villafranca, O'Cebriero, Triacastela, Sarria)

As we explored the city of Leon, Parker asked me why I had such a big smile on my face. I had no idea I was smiling but how could I not? As we rounded the corner, I gasped when I saw the Cathedral for the first time. It was stunning and it took my breath away. Leon is a striking mix of Roman and modern. Founded in the 1st century B.C., the city has gorgeous buildings intertwined with cafes and shops. Well dressed tourist were bustling about with a few wandering pilgrims mingled in (easy to spot with a backpack, a walking stick, and a wide brim hat).   We did our tourist thing for a couple of day, enjoyed our three bedroom apartment,  and of course we found more tapas. We love tapas. 

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Photos do not do this hairy pig tail justice.

Out of Leon, we had a memorable lunch at Villadangos. Parker ordered Pig Tail (Rabo De Cerdo), not sure what he had in mind, but he got a plate of chopped up pig tail that looked undercooked and was still hairy. We were trying to be respectful because it was probably a delicacy. But we could not stop laughing (silently, ha). I am usually the worst at ordering, since I somehow always order the most ridiculous thing on the menu. But this one took the cake. The kids still talk about the hairy pig tail.

The first place we saw at or destination for the evening, San Martin, had a pool. The kids were excited so we got a room there. They did not hesitate to jump into the cold pool while I wrote in my journal and Parker sewed on patches. He had started sewing the kid's patches on their backpacks a couple of weeks back. He had many to sew: the US, UK, France , and Spain. And since they have already walked hundreds of kms on the Camino, they earned a Camino patch for sure. His sewing skills come in handy at home and on the read. Good job dad!

The mornings started getting colder. We all wore pants for the first time. We welcomed the change in weather. Out of St. Martin, we passed by, you guess it, a medival village, that had the best preserved arch bridge in Spain. It hosted joisting tournament from back in the day, you know, the 13th century.

To our surprise, we saw Eva from New Zealand (from day one) at San Martin. We had not seen her since our first week out of France. The kids were happy to see her again. We caught up with her for a bit.  One of our favorite things about our walk is the people we pass or who pass us throughout our day.  Sometimes it's a quick: hello, how are you, where are you from, where did you start, where are you going? If we have already met them, we sometimes walk in stride for a hour or longer and talk for a couple of hours, all the while walking towards our destination for the day. It's a very special thing on the Camino to get to meet people in this way, one-on-one time with kindred spirits. Pilgrims especially  enjoy chatting with our kids and asking them about their day and experience.

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The Iron Cross is one of the important landmarks on the French Camino. It is a small cross on top of a pillar. For hundreds of years, pilgrims had offered a rock they have carried from their home or picked up somewhere on the route. Once at the cross, the rock is placed to represent the burdens you are currently carrying in life.

Our kids knew of the iron cross. Kaia carried a rock from France and Cruz had found a tiny rock with a painted yellow arrow in San Juan de Ortega. They added their rock to the massive pile. Parker and I took a moment to place our rocks and reflect on the burdens we wished to leave behind. We have had some challenges to over come the past few years. It was a brief but meaningful moment to us.

It was a beautiful morning as we timed our arrival with the sunrise. We looked up as our kids placed their rocks on the massive pile. They are too young to understand now, but we know that struggles and challenges in life cannot be avoided. This walk/trip is a leap of faith to bond our family. As they go through life with their burdens, we hope they know we are always there for them and they do not have to carry their burdens alone. We also hope that this trip will foster their lifelong relationship and that they will always be there for each other.

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One of our favorite things on our walk is discovering a village with a river swimming area. Villafranca had one of these swimming holes. As soon as we were checked-in at our place, we put on our bathing suits and walked to the spot where the locals and the pilgrims hang out. It was the Barton Springs of northern Spain. Cruz challenged Frank to a swim race while the rest of us (Nele, Jade, Ana, Johnny, Parker, and a few new friends we met on this stretch) soaked our tired feet in the cold water and enjoyed the sun. 

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It was time to leave the Meseta to make our way up to Galicia.  We showed the kids our options: 1) walk a flat 25kms and then climb 5kms to O'Cebrero, 2) walk the 25 kms today, then the 5kms climb in the morning (but in the dark). They decided they wanted to do it all in one day. We saw Nele and Brother Lucas throughout the day, we enjoyed cold drinks in the cafes as we prepared for the next 5kms or so to the next village. As we climbed up and saw our progress, it was rewarding to look back and see the 100s of kilometers we had walked as far as we could see. Our kids walked their second longest day, with a huge climb at the end, without hesitation. On top of the mountain, there was a man playing bagpipes as we approached the top. Great end to our big day.

On our way to mass that evening (which Brother Lucas was one of the celebrants), Cruz and I saw a double rainbow! Double Rainbow! The next day was the last day on the path until we hit the busiest part of the French Camino. We saw our friends in town and hoped we would not lose them in the crowds on our last stretch. It was time to make our way down to our final leg of our walk, the last 69 miles/112kms. Thousands of new pilgrims were about to join us on our last week.

6. Burgos to Leon: Eating KMs for Breakfast

Burgos to Leon: 111 miles/178.9kms, 7 Days

(Burgos, Hornillos del Camino, Castrojeriz, Fromista,Carrion, Terradillos, 

Bercianos del Real Camino, Mansilla)

1/2 Way at Sahagun: Only 400kms More To Go!

Out of Burgos we hit the halfway mark. Woohoo! Only 400kms left to go. Kaia and Cruz had long gained their walking legs. Parker and I are feeling great about our progress, and more importantly, our kids are having fun. With the flat terrain ahead, we were pumped to cover some big miles/kms over the next seven days. We continued waking up early to take advantage of the cooler hours of the morning, see the stars, and watch the sunrise. By 8:30am or 9:00am we had usually walked at least 10kms. 

Pro tip for parents: use miles when a distance is far, this helps with your target milage goal to be less discouraging. Use kilometers when you want to feel good about your progress. Kilometers are way more impressive throughout and at the end of a day! This mental exercise works well for adults too. I often joked with the kids that they ate KMs for breakfast. 

The Meseta is the interior plateau of Spain, think the Midwest of America. There is a lot of talk about it because there is no shade and many people find it very boring. A lot of pilgrims skip this stage by taking a bus or by renting a bike. In the morning, we saw a lot of walkers turned into bikers (easy to spot as they had their backpacks on instead of using panniers). We were the crazies intent on walking. The days were hot, but as long as we started early we knocked out our miles/kms before noon.

Me: "Guys, Sunflowers!!!".... My kids: "ok, mom."

The rolling hills out of Burgos offered pastures of wheat, barley, oats, and sunflowers. Apparently, my family has an appropriate amount of appreciation for sunflowers. I was told that I am a bit over zealous.  But I love sunflowers, so don't mind me...I took a photo of every field we walked by. My kids, "yes mom, we see the sunflowers. Mom, please, no more photos of us with the sunflowers."

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Monk Selfie!

On our first day out of Burgos, we met some of our favorite people on our walk. Brother Lucas is a monk/priest from Germany doing a pilgrimage on his six week holiday. Of course, my first question was, "do you wear your robe while walking?!. Yes, he did, but it was light-weight, he said. We also met Nele (one of our favorite peeople),  a young German on a month walk before she started University. Eppei was a kind, retired man from Japan. Alba and Maria are from Spain. They were walking solo, met in Pamplona, and are now walking together. One morning, we also walked with Jocelyn for a few hours, an ultra-marathoner from the USA. She was walking/running the Camino in 17 days (she did it!). The rest of us pretty much kept the same schedule and looked forward to running into each other throughout the day as we walked, or in cafes and towns.

The same evening, the church was steps away from where we were staying and I went to mass. Cruz joined me. To our surprise, Brother Lucas was offering the mass. As he walks through the Camino, he introduces himself to the clergy and is often invited to do the service. At mass, we were also Nele, Maria, and Alba. Many attendants at mass are catholic, others are other denominations of Christianity, some might be atheist. Still many others are on their own spiritual path.. The beautiful thing about the Camino is that it doesn't matter what draws you to mass, all are welcome. 

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The Beautiful Arc Anton

The Meseta gave us some of the most incredible Roman and medieval sites. Arc Anton is a hospital from the 15th century that took care of pilgrims as they made their way to Santiago. Under the arches, bread was placed for pilgrims from long ago as they passed the arch. It had fallen in disrepair but it serves as a reminder of the gateway in once was/is to our destination. On this stretch, we also passed and visited the oldest church on the Camino, The Church of Santa Martin de Fromista. This Roman Church over 1,000 years old. We pass many churches of all sizes throughout the day. Even if it's for just a few minutes, we visit each one. We are so lucky to be able to visit these sites.

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Extra Workouts for these Crazy Kids

While we walked, the kids came up with the game, "three clues to guess a movie". My family has watched ALL the movies. This game would go on for an hour or longer at a time. Of course they went through every Superhero movie, Disney, and everything in between. I have watched only a few movies all the way through (I read books, I do not watch things). What was I doing when they watched all these movies? I'm guess laundry, cleaning, or probably some reading. But I still enjoyed somewhat participating. 

Another game we played to keep us occupied was the Alphabet Game. One would start with an A Animal, the next person had to repeat the A animal and choose a B animal and so on and so forth, until we reached Z. The last person had to recite all the animals from A-Z. We also did this with superheroes we made up. It was sometimes exhausting in the heat but it kept us focused and engaged. It was also a good distraction and a good way to pass the time.

The kids stopped at every playground we passed during our walk. They jumped on the swings and went down slides. Throughout Spain (and in France), we saw exercise equipment outside, usually at a park. They loved hopping from one to another. They also did little side routes throughout the day. At the end of the day, they probably ended up doing a couple extra kilometers from all their side excursions.

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Prep for our Communal Meal

On the Camino you will sometimes find a donativo albergue. It is sustained by volunteers who have previously walked a Camino (there are many routes). Often, there is a meal offered and it is all by donation. We stayed at the donativo at Bercianos del Real Camino. We met volunteers: Robbie from New Zealand, Fillipo from Italy, and Francesca from Spain. Kaia, Cruz, Nele, Eppei, and I, along with other pilgrims, helped prepare the vegetarian meal. Parker helped clean up the dishes with the Italians after dinner. There was a lot of singing in Italian involved. He said he had no idea what they were singing but it was fun. And of course, very loud.

Donativo Meal

The volunteers set up the table outside on the street. We shared a lively meal amongst pilgrims from, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan,  Australia,  and South Africa. After dinner, we went to a prayer room. Most shared their reason for being on the Camino and what it had given them back so far. It was moving. Then we all went up the hill to watch the sunset together. It was one of our favorite experiences with some of our favorite pilgrims.

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Parker and I were anticipating a stretch from Carrion to Terradillos de los Templanos, it was 17kms with no town in between. He carried tons of snacks for us as usual, but the challenge was to keep the kids motivated. That morning was one of our first chilly mornings where we wore our fleeces. The cold was actually helpful because it kept us moving. 

We set off at 5am because leaving early made the time fly in the mornings. We followed the Milky Way and watched the sunrise. The guidebook says that there is a "food truck" type trailer with coffee and snacks at 10kms. Parker and I know better than to trust in those promises. There was a food truck at 10km but it wasn't open yet. We took a quick break by the side of the road and had a snack. Someone walked by, said Buen Camino and took a photo of us. Then we busted out the next 7kms to the first town for a big breakfast. Our kids walked 17kms pretty much straight through with no complaints. 

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On our way to Leon, we also kept running into our other pilgrim friends, Frank from the UK, Johnny from Australia, Ana from Croatia, and Jade from the States. We knew most of the pilgrims on this section (those within a day of either side of us at least). It was really wonderful for the kids to see our  friends throughout the day.  They all loved Kaia and Cruz. They treated our kids with so much kindness and also respect for putting in the effort us big kids did. We all had to walk the same kilometers, no matter our age.

The Meseta became one of our favorite sections of our walk. Because it was so flat, it was fun to knock out big miles/kms.  The Meseta rewarded us with brilliant stars in our early mornings, amazing sunrises, endless sunflowers, medieval churches, and wonderful new friends.

5. Lost Teeth, White Fang, and Shooting Stars

Pamplona to Burgos: 134 Miles/ 217 Kms: 11 Days

(Uterga, Estella, Los Arcos, Viana, Logrono, Ventosa, Azofra, Santo Domingo, Belorado, 

St. Juan de Ortega, Burgos)

Summer in northern Spain was in full swing when we left Pamplona. We made a new schedule which included walking somewhere between 10-13 miles a day and no more than 15 miles (16-24kms). Kaia and Cruz adjusted well to our daily routine as pilgrims: Walk...1st cafe for first breakfast...walk...2nd cafe for second breakfast...walk...lunch at cafe at our destination...check-in...siesta...journal...dinner.

Throughout our walk, we follow yellow arrows on the Camino, guiding us west to Santiago. The thousand year old path is well marked with stone markers and painted arrows on everything you can imagine (the road, walls, posts, sunflowers, etc). The greeting for pilgrims, bicyclists, and locals who want to wish us well is, "Buen Camino!". Buen Camino means, "good way", also "good path" (the physical and spiritual). We hear and say this at least 100 times a day.

A big part of being in Spain is for our kids to use their Spanish. We have them ask for a room, order our food, ask for directions, etc. When we get to a stopping point, we find an albergue (sometimes a hotel) and ask, "is there room in the Inn". Not booking accommodations ahead of time is a little risky but we  want to be flexible with how the kids feel each day. So far we have been lucky. 

They are doing an amazing job being our translators. People are impressed by their Spanish. Kaia is very technical and has been so helpful with specific communication situations. Cruz is happy to speak to anyone and will easily ask for directions and anything food related. In San Juan de Ortega, we were in a small family albergue/restaurant and when Cruz started speaking Spanish, the owner and other pilgrims started clapping. Sometimes he gets embarrassed by all of the attention. 

Another thing they have to get used to is people taking photos of them/us. So far, we are the only family other pilgrims have met who are walking the full French Route. Other families we have met are walking or biking only a week at a time. The majority of pilgrims we have encountered are solo and are on holiday. Some people ask for our photo and often we take a selfie. Others just pass us, look back and take a quick photo. A couple of times, bikers have ridden passed us pointing their phones at our direction and taking a selfie video. We tell our kids that people are happy to see a family walking together and they want to share that with their families back at home. "Ok mom", they said, "but it's still weird".

After our first week of walking, everyone is feeling good and getting into routine. We have the right gear but, unfortunately, Parker is starting to get blisters on his pinky toes on both sides. He has neuropathy in his feet so he did not feel them develop right away. We have a full emergency/first-aid kit so he is able to manage them daily. We met an Italian girl on the first day and when we saw her again in Zubiri, she had every toe and the balls of her feet wrapped in med tape. Yikes! Already there's a lot of talk about blisters and walking injuries amongst the pilgrims at the end of the day. To pop or not to pop?... that is the question. The kids and I are blister free so far. I will spare you Parker's blister photos for now.

 

Leaving our comfy apartment in Pamplona made for a late start to our next destination, (unkown at departure). Today we had a very steep climb out of the valley and came very near to some massive windmills. It was really cool to see and hear them up close. On top of the ridge by the windmills we could see Pamplona behind us in the valley. It was time to say goodbye to the Pyrenees that were visible behind the city as we climbed over to the other side. With our late start, we only made it to Uterga, 10 miles out of the city. In front of us was 137 miles and 11 days of walking to Burgos.

Kaia points to the horizon and says, "see that out there, of course you don't, that's Santiago and it's 580 kms away". Ha! One step at a time.

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Because we had a short day out of Pamplona, we were in a tricky situation for the next couple of days. Ideally, we needed to do an epic 18 mile/30km day to Estella, to get us on a good schedule the rest of the week. With the heat, it was best to get to the bigger villages/towns to make sure we ended up somewhere big enough for accommodations, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. We shared this with the kids and showed them our options. The family decision was to walk town to town to see how we felt throughout the day. Spoiler alert: we walked an epic 30 km! This is what our day looked like:

6am: Walk with the stars and watch the sunrise.                                      

7am: First town, Obanos: Closed! Nothing open yet.

8am: Puente La Reina, charming village and walked by a bakery. First breakfast at the bakery with a cafe con leche for me and an americano for Parker. Delicious warm pastries for everyone.

10am: Maneru, tiny village and decided to walk right through because we were still full.

11am: Cirauqui, one hour picnic lunch break on top of the town on the square. Walk over ancient Roman Roads.

2pm: Arrived in Lorca for a two hour break. Had some paella, cold Fanta, ice cream, and beer.

4pm: Final stretch to Estella

6pm: Made it to Estella!  There was a running of the bulls festival going on in town with every local dressed in white with red bandanas, etc. Had dinner and chocolate shakes to celebrate an epic 30km day! We took a lot of breaks and had a lot of treats throughout the day. Well deserved. These two were up for the challenge and earned bragging rights for the rest of our walk. Now the rest our our days will be much shorter. Our up coming days will be half the distance and we'll be done by 11am/12pm!

   

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Logrono was at the beginning of the La Rioja province of Spain, known for its wine production. We began walking through gorgeous vineyards and saw the wine farmers working their land in the mornings. There are more than 600 vineyards in La Rioja, more than half are aging their wine.  The pilgrim meals usually come with a jug of red wine. The oldest vineyard in La Rioja is from the 15th century. Also, right along the Camino were miles of blackberry bushes, some as tall as 10 feet. We had a blast picking some blackberries while we walked. In Ventosa, at the Saturnino albergue, they had their own labeled bottle of red wine for only $5, and at the grocery stores bottles were as low as $1.50! I remember paying $22 for a glass in New York City. Wine is literally cheaper than bottled water here. The selection of red wines through this region is incredible, affordable, and so delicious.. 

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We made it to  sleepy little village called Azofra. What an interesting day that was. We were having lunch, Kaia went to the bathroom. She came out and said, I lost my last baby tooth. What?! Then a couple of hours later, Cruz came out of the bathroom at our albergue and said, I lost a tooth! What is going on?!  At dinner, we celebrated with a Filipino Ice Cream, what are the chances they would both loose a tooth on the same day, so crazy?!

*****

Walking early was key because by 9am, we had already walked 6-10 miles/10-16 kms. Parker found the book "White Fang" at one of the albergues. He would read a couple of chapters at night. To keep the kids occupied during our walk, he retold chapters of the book. In the morning, he would retell what he read the night before, with a bit more flare of course. Parker is a natural storyteller and the kids looked forward to hearing about White Fang's adventures. He would wait until sunrise to start the story. He often waited for the really hard stretches (when it got hot) to help distract the kids. It became one of our favorite things we did on our walk.

The first book about the way of St. James included the simple instructions of "follow the Milky Way to Santiago". Now it makes total sense that the original Pilgrims followed the Compestela (the field of stars). They had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn because Spain is hot as hell in August! 

Another thing we did to off set the heat was to look for albergues/hotels with pools. It gave us something to look forward to while we were walking. We found a few good pools. It was a nice reward at the end of a solid morning of walking.

Following the Milky Way was something we all began looking forward to in our early mornings. We used our headlamps for a couple of minutes until our eyes adjusted . Welcome to Camino homeschooling. Look up kiddos, that is the Milky Way, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Orion's Belt, and the North Star. As long as we headed west, we would one day reach Santiago.

The Perseid Meteor Shower was coming up in mid-August so we woke up a little earlier to start walking at 5am to see the shooting stars. On the 11th, we saw a giant meteor with a tail. This got us really excited. The next day we saw 15 meteors. On the 13th of August, with much anticipation, we headed out of Beldorado in the dark and started counting. Between the four of us, we saw 55 shooting stars! 55! It was an absolutely magical morning. We were holding hands in the dark when Cruz said, "I am happy I get to experience this with my family". Sweet boy, it was an unforgettable morning for all of us. We saw fifty-five shooting stars and watched the sun rise over sunflower fields in Spain. 

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It was a massive 16 mile walk into the city of Burgos. We didn't mind because we were spending the next two nights there. We stayed in a cute apartment with a loft at the center of town. It's nice to relax, sleep in, and eat non pilgrim food for a couple of days.

The city of Burgos is best known for the impressive Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos. The cathedral  began its construction in 1,221 and was completed in 1,567. It is a prime example of Gothic style. We toured the cathedral and were speechless. It was a lot to take in with its incredible architecture, collections of art, paintings, choir stalls, tombs, and stain-glass windows. The cathedral is majestic and is more than deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status.

Burgos is close to the halfway mark on our walk, Woohoo! Up next is the Meseta, the plateau of interior Spain.

4. Kaia's Summary of the first two Weeks

 

We started the Camino on a day which  just so happened to be my dad's birthday. It was by far the steepest, craziest, most difficult day of the 175 miles we have walked so far. Although we only walked six miles that day, it felt like over 20. Our actual longest day was 30kms, but it wasn't nearly as steep as day one. It was extremely hot, so we had to develop a strategy to avoid the afternoon heat. We rise at 4:00 A.M and leave at 5:00 A.M, watching the stars. This way, we don't hike after noon, and the heat doesn't catch up to us. On August 12th and 13th, there is a large dust cloud that Earth spins through. If you wake up early enough, you might see from 60 to 100 shooting stars an hour!

 

                  

So far, the Camino has been very interesting. I have never hiked a long distance hike before, and I love meeting all the other hikers and finding out where they started and where they will end. Some start in St. Jean Pied de Port and will end in Santiago, like we will, or they start in Roncesvalles and end in Burgos. Some walk for a week, some hike for a month, and some even start at their home and walk to the edge of Europe itself! Everyone hikes, bikes, runs, or even unicycles the Camino their own way. (We actually did see someone unicycling, by the way.) Groups stay together, groups separate, people slow down, and people speed up. I have found that my pace is very quick, while my family often likes to slow down. 

               

I love to zone out and daydream my way across the Camino, often tripping on a rock or stick. I'm telling you, they just pop out of nowhere! Even though I stopped wearing hiking socks and reverted to liners only, I have yet to get a blister or any other foot injury hiking, but i sadly can't say the same for Dad or Cruz. We take a "zero day" in all the largest towns, and I get a chance to chill and rest. We get to be "tourists" for a day, visiting souvenir shops and landmarks. Overall, the Camino has been a great experience so far and I love it all.