The cockrel crows in Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

No the title is not Spurs related, there are cockrels kept in the cathedral here but I shall come to that later. So today I walked 13miles from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada after a great but interesting night sleep. In my last entry I explained how the bunk beds were very close together, well I didn´t get a big snoring man I got a small attractive Korean girl. I thought all ould be well but at some point in the night she either decided that she wanted a cuddle or my half looked more comfortable. I was literally hanging off the edge of the bed at points as she snuggled up to me, she would then touch me and jump awake, returning to her side of the bed. Despite this I slept well and started at 7:30am. Nadia had gone ahead but we both met after 5.8km (sorry about the mix of miles and km distances, I work in miles but my book works in KM so any details in KM are just read from my book) in the town of Azofra where we had both stopped for breakfast. We were both feeling lethargic after two long days of walking so we decided to walk together.

The walk was easy but my feet ached from the previous two days and what was worse was that my mind was really not in the right place to inspire me to walk today, so it was a hard trudge. The first part of the path was between farmers fields and they obviously had a dislike for pilgrims (probably due to the fruit stealing I mentioned yesterday) and they were bombing down the path in tractors, it was very dangerous. So in the next town of Ciruena we stopped so I could eat the rest of my sandwich (had half in Azofra for breakfast) and a small tin of pringles I bought as a treat in Azofra. This picked up my mood and despite aching feet we flew into Santo Domingo. So it was a good walk and the company was good again. Nadia taught me lots of pidgeon English that they use in German and sayings that don´t make sense such as, when your fly is down "Your trouser shop is open" and instead of saying I don´t care "That´s me sausage", I combined the two and we laughed so hard. We seem to spend most of the time this way, it is good fun. We talk a lot about movies which I think I mentioned and I now have a list of even more movies that I have to see.

So about the cockrel. So basically this place has a story called "The miracle of the cock" and I don´t have time to type it out and Spanish computers are strange, ctrl + t doesn´t work (or ctrl + a for that matter) so I cannot open a new tab to wiki it for you. So if you do not know this story and you want to find out then go and look. But it is basically about how some mans chicken dinner got up off his plate and flew out of the window, I would have sacked the chef personally but they decided this meant they should keep two live fowl in the cathedral. So that is a very rough explanation but they are still there to this day and I am off to have a look at them soon. Apparently if they crow three times as you walk past (or something similar) then you will have a safe journey to Santiago, here´s hoping.

That´s pretty much it I think. I know I don´t explain much about these towns or the particular path that I have walked but at the end of the day I really can´t be bothered and time is short. So I apologise if some of you would rather know more about the places I am traveling rather than just what I am getting up to.

So tomorrow is 14.2 miles to Belorado, should be interesting. I hope that my feet are well rested by then. At least no other part of my body is giving me trouble, I am only experiencing fatigue. So it is all good. I think I am getting used to this though as each day is gathering pace now, it feels like only an hour ago that I was starting out this morning. This is bad, I need to try and stay in the present which is hard especially now parts of this trip have become routine.

I am off now. I need to find a place to eat tonight too, hopefully as good as the place last night. Meat and chips is always a winner.

Aching feet in Najera

Just finished hanging my clothes out to dry after a quick hand wash and a shower. Arrived at an albergue in Najera, something like 90 odd people in one room and you sleep about 15cm from hte person next to you. It is an ok place and is ran on a donation service. Unfortunately I am not sure if my white t-shirt will make it all the way to santiago as it is already turning a strange grey colour and it has been stained by the red soil of Rioja (sp). I don´t care how scruffy I look but this is something else, I think people will think I am homeless. Not sure I could afford a new one though so I may have to make do. So far I have seen people walking in jeans (!!), dresses (!!!) and people gelling their hair and applying make-up and skin products. Some people even have really nice clothes for the evening, surely their bags are too heavy! I am happy to look like a scruffy pilgrim, some of the Spanish in the bigger towns really stare though I am such a state but I am enjoying it. Pilgrims today were also stealing grapes from some of the fields, I know this topic has been covered on one of the forums I go on but I really didn´t think I would see so many people doing it. It is theft, plain and simple.

So anyway I will fill you in on today. Firstly, I just wanted to let you all know that me and Nadia really struggled to find a pilgrims menu last night, maybe because it was a big city. We ended up eating at Burger King which was gorgeous but bad preperation for a days walk really, needed more carbs. I had a good nights sleep too and we left this morning at 6:45am as everyone was too noisy this morning. It also meant we would be walking less in the heat of the day. So as it was a long distance planned today (18 miles) we said we would walk together again which was nice. We had bought croissants and juice the night before and we sat outside of (I dont have my book with me and I am too sore to get it, a bit delerious maybe as I forget where I was last night) Logrono (?) and sat on a bench overlooking a lake as the sun was rising. It really was beautiful. We had a good walk. We both felt slightly sore from the start due to the long walk yesterday but we were in good spirits. We stopped for a coffee and then continued to Najera (cannot check the spelling due to not having my book). The last stretch was quite tough as our feet were really really sore, and still are. 17miles and then 18miles was new for our bodies and it took a lot of strength. I am glad that I had her to help me along this last stretch, we helped each other. Talking rubbish towards the end to just forget the pain, and all out of water. The good news is that apart from really sore feet my body held up really well, no other aches and pains so I am over the moon. The sense of achievement at reaching this place was huge, despite walking like I have been running across hot coals.

So I am off to get some lunch and find a pilgrims menu for tonight, there is one nearby luckily. I then plan to get a really early night thanks to my ear plugs and eye shades and get a slight lie in to leave at 7:30 for a slow relaxing stroll of 11-13miles (I forget). I will treat my body nicely tomorrow after how well it has performed. I am proud. Not sure where I am walking to as I do not have my book to hand, so appologies. Prickly heat not so bad today which is good and I didn´t burn as I applied suncream a lot better today.

Sorry for the random way this report has been thrown together but I am pretty tired and just want to get fed. Smiling on the inside though, it is great to challenge yourself. How else do you learn your limits without trying to reach them.

Aching feet but high spirits, subdued mood. Hope you are all well.

A short video for you all (Turn your sound up)

This is from day 2, Orisson to Roncesvalles. Over the Pyrenees it is very peaceful and is one of the days where I got a lot of time to myself. Most places are peaceful but this was really something else as there were no villages, towns, cities or main roads anywhere near. Rally was a magical moment which this video attempts to express in a very crude way. You had to be there. I stood at this spot for about 5-10 minutes just taking in the peace and calm. The sound was very peaceful.

I think I could like out a backpack for the rest of my life if I didn´t miss friends and family. Loving discovering a new landscape each day.

Some pictures. Warning one gross picture

Good internet here despite being a bit expensive. No worries, enjoy.

My heel (No worries it´s all good now)

Puente la Reina

(Guiseppe (sp) and the fountain)

(Pilgrim monument on top of a big hill - Alto del Perdon

Roncesvalles Albergue

Roncesvalles Albergue - Many beds in one room

Coming to you live from Logrono.

So when I last left you I had recently discovered that the skin on my left heel had decided to come away, despite using lots of grease of my feet (teaching grandma how to suck eggs comes to mind). The mistake I did make was to leave the compeeds on for so long. Anyway the next morning I made a plaster for my heel using some breathable mesh and mefix from my first aid kit and it worked a treat. At night I take it off to let it breathe and then patch it up again the next morning. It is getting better and gives me no problems in the day.

So yesterday was a 13.1mile walk from Estella to Los Arcos where we found the two Albergues we wantedto stay in the most were closed so we stayed in a place which was basically a converted house. We relaxed in the town square as there was nothing else to the town and had a pilgrim meal. It was pretty grim as it was cold. I walked with someone else for the first time as previously I have Preferred to walk alone but I walked with a hungarian girl all the way, she then went on to the next town but I had agreed to meet Nadia. Her English was fantastic and we talked constantly about all sorts, it was nice to have someone to talk to for the walk too. At the end my left shin was in so much pain (shin splints?) I was glad to arrive and I was worried about the next day. Nothing else to report about yesterday except that there was a wine fountain just outside of Estella, I was just going to take pictures but a lovely Italian man had me cut his shell off his bag so we had a cup and insisted that I have some and have the first drink despite me arguing otherwise. So I had a shell full of wine but I will continue not drinking, give my gut a rest! Nadia´s knee was better which was great but we were sad as she had planned to stop at Viana the next day, short of Logrono which is where I planned to stay.

I got a great nights sleep and started out at 7am in the dark which was hard because you have no sights to take your mind off the walking and you are very mindful of it. It began to get light and I saw Nadia ahead, actually spelt Naja I think but I am lazy, and we walked the rest of hte way together. A total of 17.8miles. The great thing is that I had no problems at all, no sore knees, no sore shin, no sore heel and all I felt was aching feet at the end which was to be expected. It was nice walking with Nadia as we usually just spend the night together and talking really took my mind off the length. I felt like I could go further actually, so hopefully I should be fine for tomorrows 18mile walk. Nadias knee is also better which is good. I think we talked non-stop, mostly laughing at English sayings and such; slowly, slowly catch a monkey. She is a bit of a nerd like me too so we have a lot in common about films, she actually named her daughter after a Star Trek character so we have a lot in common despite her being ten years older than me. We were saying that although we didn´t really know David for more than 4 days it is sad that he has gone which is weird and that it would be sad to part ways along the Camino too. So far we have been walking the same distances and I think she has decided to follow the steps in my book so we may make it to Santiago together. I think I have genuinely found a friend in Nadia, we have a good laugh and it makes the trip a lot easier.

So I am in extremely high spirits today, despite waiting at the wrong Albergue for 45 minutes before realising that the place we wanted to stay was actually open. Had a great day and no bodily complaints apart from prickly heat and a one sided tan. I may see if Nadia wants to walk together tomorrow too as it is another long one. Absolutely loving this adventure, the sense of achievement each day is great. So much so that 13miles feels a bit like, "13miles, big deal." but today felt like an achievement to arrive with no pain. Just very hot as there was no shade and it was a long stretch in the sun. High 20´s maybe even 30 degrees, can´t wait for the colder area of Galacia. So off to chill, then to find a pilgrim menu. I am not planning any days off as although I have no time limit I have a money limit. Working on 30 euro´s a day which gives me roughly 40 days and I really want to make it to Finisterre (the end of the world) and up the coast to Muxia.

One minute left and I am not paying more as this is the most expensive internet yet. Hope you are all well. Missing you when I am not having so much fun adventuring. So tomorrow onwards to Najera.

A quick one from Estrella

Just finished my routine after a 13.6mile walk. Not much to report apart from I have bad prickly heat on the hands, forearms and neck which is a pain. Also, if you recall, on day one I got a blister on my left heel. It was relatively small but I used a compeed, my sock started to pull it down so I overlapped another on it to keep it down and eventually a third. After 6 days I finally removed it, I think it should have come off sooner. The moisture under the compeed has made all teh skin on my heel come away, quite a big patch. It wasn´t sore today but I had compeeds on. So I plan to let it air today and then I will patch it up with something. Bit of a pain, I think it needs to be patched up as it is fresh and red raw skin there now.

The walk was relatively flat apart from the odd hill. A stretch was on an old roman road which had degraded to just a path of cobble stones which twisted the knees and ankles badly. I didn´t ache much today which was good. I stopped for a coke and pizza 3.7km from Estrella which was a bad idea as I wanted to then relax and not continue. Shouldn´t have stopped for such a big lunch. I dragged my feet for the last 3.7km and my heart wasn´t in it. I´d had enough for today. I also spent 10 minutes staring at what I thought was a dead horse until it moved and made me jump.

So I met up with Nadia again. She was already here as she had a really bad knee, got a support for it and then had to get the bus. We both hope that she is able to continue, she will try tomorrow. Hopefully the knee support will work. 13odd miles tomorrow and then two big ones 17 and an 18. I will see how I feel on the day though and possible cut them short. So that is it. The albergue here is nice, really friendly. It is at a place for mentally handicapped people or something, hopefully they will let me out.

Off for a slow walk around Estrella and a drink (coke or water obviously). Which reminds me tomorrow we pass the wine fountain, will I have the strength to pass by without sampling the delights? We shall see.

A few pictures

Not many as the internet isn´t great but it isn´t as terrible as the other day. I have just picked some at random, will give you some idea of what is actually going on here. Also Nadia just checked into this Albergue so we are having dinner together tonight, this has been a good day despite the start. Shame David has steamed on but I have a feeling that I will see him again, he will probably end up not being able to tear himself away from Rioca (sp) as he likes his wine. I may see him in Santiago though. So enjoy the few pictures, I will try do some more down the line and then stick them all up when I am eventually home.

St. Jean

View from Orisson

Waymarker

France/Spain border

At the side of the path

A more ´basic´albergue

Me entering the centre of Pamplona

A note left specially for me today.