39th Day...Phoenix!

Hello Everyone-

 

Yvonne & I arrived safely in Phoenix on July 1st, Tuesday, at 7:30 pm, where two very handsome and charming husbands were awaiting us with roses, hugs and many kisses.  Wow, we are two lucky women!

We had an exhausting, fun & magical journey.  One we are delighted to have experienced, and joyful to be home.

Stay tuned for my next journey to Montana.  Marc & I leave July 2, 2008 (Thursday) to celebrate Hobson, Montana's 100 year Celebration!  Take a peak at:  http://hobsonreunion.com/regnews.pdf

All My Love to Everyone...AriZona at home in Phoenix, AZ

June 29th...Back in Santiago

This morning Yvonne and I took a bus back to Santiago for the day. This evening we will take another bus to Oporto (airport), Portugal.

After arriving in Santiago around noon, we came straight to the Cathedral to see if any of our pilgrim friends were arriving. We saw several people we´ve formed a Pilgrim kind of bond with (the short life bond, you won´t see them again, but for awhile they were in your life). Life Is Good.

It seemed every narrow (2x4 mason laid stones) street we turned on there was someone else to hug, ask when they made it to Santiago, if their bodies were okay, more hugs and I would wish them Buen Viaje (Good Journey) then add...in your life. It´s been good today.

It´s now 5;:40 pm and soon (8:30 pm) we´ll be taking our last walk out of Santiago to the bus station. For me, it´s just for the moment...I´ll be back.

There is a web cam in front of the Cathedral for you to watch...Yvonne and I will stand in front of the web cam (our time: 8 PM)........your time (11 AM PDT).


http://www.caminosantiago.com/web/webcams.htm



We are wearing: Yvonne has on green pants, black top with a white cap. AriZona is wearing tan pants, black top with a blue cap.

We hope you can catch us. I Love All of You...AriZona signing off in Spain

FINISTERRE...

Hola from one of my favorite places in the world! We took the bus into Finisterre, no time for walking the three days this time. Each journey is different, different stories. Each making Magical memories.

Yvonne went her separate way today, up to the lighthouse after we got our room. I went to the Atlantic Ocean first...¨The End of the World¨. Taking my boots off, tying the laces and hooking them over my shoulder and walked into the crystal blue ocean. The tide was coming in so the water was forceful with its waves and whitecaps. I thought I´d get wet up to my knees, in a moment I was soaked to my waist and laughing. It was Magical! I bought a coke and a little chocolate, sifting my feet through the sand after going in the water. Living With Passion! Wish I could have all of you here with me and share in the Atlantic and sand.

After I fed my soul one way I walked up to the Lighthouse, where I filled my soul again...The End of the World. I met a young woman from Australia who will turn 30 in ten days. She did all her personal purging (her house, boxes all packed), ready for new beginnings. While she was here, she was offered a new job. All things falling into place...New Beginnings.

Yvonne and I will spend the night here and then get on a bus in the morning back to Santiago, catching another bus to OPORTO, Portugal. We will fly from there to London (Stansted) where we will spend the night. Home on July 2nd!!!!!!! Woooooooooo Hoooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Oh my god, there is a guy singing with speakers sooooooo loud it hurts my ears! I have to go!!!!
I miss all of you. Thank You for all your support and love. All My Love...AriZona on the road in Finisterre, Spain

I met Yvonne as she was walking down. She had a good time she said.

Day 30...SANTIAGO

Hello Everyone...We´re here in Santiago!!!!

I can´t believe we are here! Our walking days are over...our feet and minds don´t know it yet, so I think there may be some withdrawal symptoms.

Today when we got our credencials, a man who was giving Yvonne hers asked, ¨How did you know when you would arrive?¨ She showed me her Pilgrim Passport and she wrote in June 27, 2008. I looked at mine...June 27, 2008! I remember the man asked us to fill it out in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port...30 days ago on May 27, 2008! We´ve seen an entire world in those 30 days. Rain, lots of rain! Mud, lots of mud! We loved every bit of it!

We left our Albergue this morning at 7:30 ish, later than I wanted, we had 22 km to get to Santiago before noon mass. We arrived inside the church at 11:58 am in true Camino fashion, hustling our butts through the streets of Santiago.

We still had lots of climbing to do today even though the elevation was lower. We walked through dirt paths, surrounded by eucalyptus forests with their distinct lengthy trunks and bark you can strip away, and then...there is the aroma. I love eucalyptus. We traveled on asphalt roads, not my favorite, it´s very hard on your feet and legs. The sky was very grey when we left this morning with a strong breeze. I´ve been walking quite some time now with my shorts, the pant portion tucked away in my pack and a sleeveless top. If we stopped we´d get shivers until we started walking again and work up a good sweat.

I felt a natural pull towards Santiago as once again I was in its presence. And knowing that mass was at noon...really gave me a push. Laughing, hustling, seeing the Pilgrim´s all rush towards the Cathedral is so much fun for me. It´s emotional, to know how far you´ve trekked across this country and at the same moment...it seems as though you´ve never done it.

Yvonne and I stepped into the Cathedral staying on the steps so we could have a good view of what was going on in the center with the priests honoring the Pilgrim´s, naming each country that was represented. It goes straight to your heart. Here were Yvonne and I, exhausted, standing with our packs on and trekking poles in hand for an hour...it was emotional for the Pilgrim´s. There were also many tourists inside the church, looking at us as they entered the church.

There was an older nun with the most beautiful singing voice that whisked me off into my childhood in the Catholic Church in Erie, PA. I was that little girl once again loving the angelic singing by the nuns in our parish.

After Mass, we walked outside, still high above ground when one by one, friends we´ve met on the Camino came up and said, ¨We wondered where you two were.¨ That´s the way it happens once you´ve arrived at the Cathedral, it´s the gathering place for the Pilgrim´s.

We found a nice little room next to the Cathedral, a favorite place of mine. Leaving our packs in the room we discovered how light we felt. We´ve never gone anywhere without our packs, at least not for long. Today, we felt lighter than a feather. I took Yvonne to my favorite little Italian (yes, Italian) Restaurant for Pasta. We both love pasta!

Afterwards, we came back to our room to take showers and have a little rest. It seemed as though my mind knew my body was finished walking the Camino. While Yvonne showered, I laid down curled up in a fetal position and dozed off. I was tired, we both were tired. We went out into the village area again so Yvonne could see some of the stores and then we made telephone calls to our sweethearts. Only a few more days and we´ll be home.

There was another joyful treat for me. In 2002, I was dancing under the archways with my japanese friends (Kaz & Yukko) to some wonderful Spanish music. After calling Marc, I went back to our room and Yvonne was sitting next door at the bar, drinking a cafe con leche and a large group of men with instruments and dressed in black & red capes, black stockings with black shoes, white shirts all drinking a few beers before starting their Entertainment for the night...Under the archways, just as in 2002!!!!! I´m sure it was different people, but the very same group! It is now 11:45 pm, they will play until midnight. I can hear them as I type and my feet are wanting to Dance. I must go to bed.

Tomorrow morning we will take the bus to Finisterre and dip our feet in the ocean. I will bury my feet in the warm sand and listen to the ocean waves, just as I have done before. Even though I won´t be walking the three days to reach Finisterre, this is my Camino. It wouldn´t be complete if I didn´t go to Finisterre. We will walk up to the Lighthouse and touch the last Camino marker.

Good Night to all my Family and Friends, I Love each and every one of you.

Living With Passion...AriZona, on the road in Spain (for the moment).

Day 30...Gonzar - Melide ( 33.1 km)

What can I say...another great day!

We left the Albergue earlier than usual, 6:50 am. We climbed steeping as soon as our feet hit the ground for 8 km.

We stopped for a bit of breakfast, a cola cao for me, a cafe con leche for Yvonne and toast for us both. During breakfast a 30ish woman entered the bar. She just woke up and was feeling a little guilty but happy. She told us her story. She´s been on the road to the Camino for four months starting in Holland. It was a dream of her father´s to do the Camino, but he died 10 years ago. She decided she wanted to do it for him. She could only take one year off from her job (not 6 months) and decided this was the time. She´s walked in snow and rain for much of her earlier days. She said she wanted to take her backpack on wheels but it was difficult on the mountain paths. It was an inspirational story. She called her mom and told her that she lit so many candles she felt like she lit a trail for her dad. Next thing she knew she had 52 e-mails because her mom spread the word. She told us she has orders not to arrive in Santiago until July 1st because there will be a surprise. She doesn´t think her mom will come because it is her birthday but believes her two nephews will be there. Bittersweet...

It will be down hill from here today. I started walking after our break with Madelon at 8:52 walking on the dirt path with the sun shining on my right shoulder and a morning breeze rushing up the mountain side. There were smells of fermenting Hay. The birds were singing wilding in unison.

Biking Pilgrim´s were speeding downhill on the asphalt road with glee. Buen Viaje! (Good Journey) I yell after them.

I heard roosters, bees, birds and cacadoodle do´s. It was quiet enough to hear the crunch of my boots on the dirt path. No more far away views now that we are in flatter land, only narrow winding roads.

10:08 am

Today we are being rewarded for all the hard climbs we´ve done. We are now crossing rolling hills on this third day before arriving in Santiago.

Thoughts pop in and out of my head like a road map of the world.

A little section of the road reminds me of a forest road at Armstrong Lake in Washington. Parts reminded me of Hansel and Gretal in our woodland path. Another area reminds me of Alice in Wonderland where she dropped down into the rabbits hole, tunneling down, down throught the forest just as I was.

I walk down the backs of boulders worn down from thousands of footsteps by thousands of Pilgrim´s. Cow pies dot the 3 ft. wide dirt path. The road down to Melide was one mostly under small dirt paths with trees curved into tunnels. I was delighted once again to go dancing down and down the paths until we were in Melide.

Tomorrow (Thursday, 26 June ´08) we travel from Melide to Arca, 30.1 km. I hope to have access to a computer tomorrow before we enter SANTIAGO on Friday. If not, we will walk from Arca - SANTIAGO 20.6 km and arrive before the Pilgrim´s Mass at the Church at Noon.

We are doing well. Many thoughts are swirling in our heads as we near the end of this journey only to begin another when we leave to go home.

With much Love to Everyone...We´ll be home soon. AriZona on the road in Spain.



Then slightly descending for another 7 km and back up and down again to Palas De Rei, where we bought some salami and cheese, a coke for me, wine for Yvonne and enjoyed a nice sidewalk lunch. Afterwards, we went inside the bar to check e-mails. I wasn´t able to check my e-mail last time and wanted to hear from my sweetheart, while Yvonne read her e-mails and replied. Se were both delighted.

Day 29...Barbadelo - Gonzar (26.8 km)

Another wonderful day walking up again in the mountains where we see stone barns, wood weathered barns, moss and wild flower covered stacked stone walls on either side of our dirt path 4 ft. high. Ivy wraps and slithers farther up and around the grand oak trees.

We walked in the mist once again, it is calming. Pastures divided by 3 ft. moss and lichen covered stacted rock walls, meandering the 4 ft. wide wet dirt paths and across the hills. Who stacked these rock walls? For miles they meander.

I had the pleasure to walk behind a young family (mom, dad, and their 10 or 11 yr. old daughter)who was holding hands with her mother and singing in French. She was dressed in a blue poncho, green pant legs showing underneath and teal tennis shoes. Her brown hair loosely flowing under her pink cap. She tap, tap, taps her one inch wooden stick on the asphalt road as she bubbily bounced away. She was delightful.

We stopped off in Portomorin for an hour or so. First crossing the Rio Miño (River) and then climbing the stairway where legend says you are a true Pilgrim is you climb the steep stairway. We climbed it with little effort with our new Camino strengthened bodies. I worked on the blog while Yvonne sipped some wine.

We left crossing the river once again and made our way to Gonzar. We first got a bed and then immediately went to eat dinner, we were famished. I had a large ensalada mixta (salad), french fries with thinly sliced fried chicken, and then...flan with whipped cream! Ooooh La La!

After our delicious dinner we went back to the nearly empty albergue to shower. When finished we needed to lay down. Soon there was some commotion as the beds were getting filled...a man (late 40´s or early 50´s) arrived carrying a small child and another close by wanting a bed. This was all spoken in Spanish so I didn´t quite understand what was going on. I thought someone had come to meet this man while he was there on the Camino and was visiting him. No. He was riding a bicycle and was towing a bike carrier for the two children, a little boy 1 yr old, and a little girl about 3. He had to be crazy to do the Camino with two small children. Several men didn´t want two small children in our Albergue because we were all very tired. A man pulled a mattress off a lower bunkbed and took it downstairs. Unbelievable! I don´t know what his reason is, but this was unbelievable to many pilgrim´s. It is hard enough to do it yourself, but then bring two small children. Who knows what his reasoning was.

Have a wonderful day. Living With Passion...AriZona on the road in Spain

Day 28...Triacastela - Gonzar

We left the Albergue in Triacastela at 8:30 am. We started climbing immediately into green glens and forest. Fog nestled in the tree tops and misted moistening the stoney dirt path. Babbling brooks near and far while the birds sang to us. There were a few late pilgrim´s...it was that kind of lazy morning.

Along the way, I came to one of my favorite little stone buildings. This time it was occupied by Art, a watercolor Artist who had bought and taken residency. He had mortered the outside making it look new once again, the inside was small and done with simple elegance. He invited us in to have a look. Yes, it was an artist´s studio. A simple double bed, a small french chair with metal legs and wooden seat sitting in front of an open window with wooden shutters opened to a grove of trees and a small stream below, a small creme colored couch, a wooden table across from the couch with two wooden chairs. Simple Elegance. There were several small openings through the walls where he painted and placed cut glass to insert in the small square openings. He is there now but will not stay in the winter, it is not necessary for him to stay as it is cold. He dreams of having a studio and sometime teach classes. It was a wonderful stop for us and especially for me since I have adored this little building during my past two walks on the Camino. He is Blessed.

We continued walking up on the dirt path where eventually it turned into asphalt and then back to dirt in the scattered fog. I enjoyed watching the fog come up and over the hillside crossing the road and up the next hillside.

I called this the Valley of Silence...of Nature.

We continued walking to Barbadelo where we hoped to find a bed for the night. Yvonne had gone ahead of me as I tended to some business and eating in Sarria. She arrived about 2 1/2 hrs. ahead of me. When I arrived I discovered because of the new influx of people arriving in Sarria that there were no beds available. The Hospataler mentioned to Yvonne that the house below may have some beds. We checked and they did, so all was well for the night.

Sarria is the town that people from Europe start in on their short 10 day vacations because it is the last place they can start (approx. 100 km) before Santiago to get their certificate. So, now we are competing for beds in our last days on the Camino.

Much Love to everyone...AriZona on the road in Spain