New York

 One of our favorite places to sleep! This little tree was in the middle of our Albergue. Not to mention, everything was clean, and the owner treated us like it was a 5 star hotel, but it only cost about $13 each.

Santiago de Compostela

 The prize at the end of the hike

 This is a large incense burner that they light, and swing through the cathedral each day. Legend has it, that it was started because the hikers smelled so bad when they showed up.

 Santiago de Compostela

 Finisterra - The end of the world! This is the farthest point of Spain, into the ocean.

 Finisterra

These hot dogs were in one local store that we noticed. Apparently, people have the idea that we eat hot dogs out of a bottle in America - hence the statue of liberty.

 This is one of the nice little stores that we found along the way. Nope, it's not bigger inside! Although, there is a soda machine, and an ice cream cooler that are slightly out of sight.

 This is the perfect stairway into town after walking 20 miles!

 So, we were eating at this restaurant when all of the sudden, a group of folks with their cows started marching through the backyard/trail.

So many people take these stairs that the middle has been worn in, and slants down.

Burgos, Spain

 Burgos cathedral

 This guy said he would save our spot

 This was a pretty nice place to stay, a standard Albergue (hostal).

 More of the cathedral

Inside the cathedral

Crossing into Spain

Here is the beginning of our Camino.

The first day  was in St Jean Pied de Port 

 Here are a few hikers getting some last minute things before their adventure

 Meanwhile in Spain...

 The running of the bulls! That barrier between us and the road was full of medical staff, and police. The only catch was, they can only help you if you make it through the fence, or over it until the bulls pass, and potentially trample you! The people on the fence are the newspaper photographers.

95% of our water came from fountains in the middle of nowhere. This particular fountain is very nice, and well kept. Most of the fountains are just a spout sticking out of the trail, with a sign that says "potable." 

A few more photos

Sorry about the delay everybody! I am trying to find the best photos to put up, but there are just so many! Here are a few more that I thought you might enjoy.

A street side market, with fresh food!

A few from the Eiffel tower

Notre Dame cathedral

Obviously, this is the Mona Lisa

A few additional photos...

 Security around the Eiffel Tower... Yes, those are machine guns they are casually holding.

 This is the elevator in the Eiffel Tower. Many people don't get to see this, unless they walk the stairs like we did!

Jim Morrison is buried here, in France. His grave was surrounded by several people when we visited, and always is, according to the security guards, and tour guides. We barely made it in time to see this, because the cemetery has "visiting times."

We are safe

In case you heard about the terrible train crash leaving at least 78 dead, and over 100 more injured, we want to inform you that we are safe. The accident took place in Santiago de Compostela, where our journey is set to end. Luckily for us, we planned to avoid Santiago during the fiesta, which was today. Our thoughts are with the many pilgrims and other people who lost their lives today. It is a sad day on the Camino

http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/25/santiago-train-crash-spain-mourning

Sleeping in...

Yesterday, we were lucky enough to be in a smaller hostal, with only two other people in our room. Normally people start making noise at 5:00 a.m. so we were so excited that all of us slept until 7:00! Those two extra hours made a huge difference!

We also had the pleasant experience of meeting 8-10 angry dogs on our journey(until now, we haven't seen any). The miraculous part, is that at the start of our day, a very large, nice dog, decided to follow and protect us for 10 miles. We are so happy to see how things fall perfectly into place when we need them the most.

More wonderful people

We find great people everywhere we turn! It is especially nice when we encounter people who speak English. Today, after walking the standard 24 miles or so, we arrived at our hostal. We were fairly tired, and were not sure what we would encounter for sleeping arrangements. To our surprise, we found a beautiful hostal, with a fountain, a nurse station that helps people with their blisters, and a kind lady who speaks English! We are so glad that we found this hostal, and we will be sure to spread the word about it on all of the pilgrim websites for future peregrinos! All of the services here are provided by donations, so please be generous when you stay here, it is worth every penny!

Wonderful people

The people of Spain love the pilgrims! Today we passed by this house, and found a variety of free snacks, just for us! The sign says: "Pilgrims, this is for you, from agapito, the friend of the pilgrims. Have a good trip. Drinking water is 200 meters to the right." We are amazed each day by how generous people are.

Interesting day

Today we walked up a steep mountain and found a place to rest before our even bigger mountain tomorrow. There wasn't any room left in the main hostal, but the city is 20 miles away, so the owners let us sleep in the emergency section that they kindly made for folks like us.

We only had to pay half price, but I think that we are having much more fun here than the normal hostal! There was a horse on our porch for an hour or so, the mattresses our on the floor, and there is a punching bag directly above my head! I moved my bed for a while, and 5-10 people had fun kicking and punching it while we were sitting around, relaxing, and eating a little snack.

Understandably, the common language here is Spanish. We have had a lot of fun learning new words, and getting to know people from all over the world. Everybody on the Camino is very nice. The hosts do anything that they can to make sure that we are taken care of!

It has been fun to find simple pleasures on our journey. A Coke tastes much better after walking 20-30 miles, and drinking warm water all day! The locals have fun playing soccer in the streets, and  sitting in the chairs that line the walls. We also love to sit down with them when we are finished walking for the day. The streets are barely large enough for one car, but people drive both directions. The drivers are very understanding of people walking and playing in the streets, and they drive slowly in congested areas of the small towns.

We often go for hours without seeing anybody. One of the towns that we passed through had a sign that said: "Population: 1." The only person who lived there was a host of a hostal. We have yet to figure out how the small towns get their mail!

The Camino scenery

The small towns that we go through are full of history. The buildings and bridges are of Roman influence, and date back to that time. Many invasions of the country have resulted in other influences altering the designs of the ancient structures.

We walk through many types of fields each day, which remind us of America's heartland. Some of the things that we have seen the farmers growing include: wheat, millet, asparagus, almonds, olives, artichokes, figs, berries, and walnuts. There are also several vineyards along the way for the wine industry.

We have walked miles, and miles(or should we say, kilometers, and kilometers)! Santiago de Compostela seems farther each day!

A few funny things that we have walked through include a tar pit, and a town with a free wine fountain, specifically for the pilgrims. The tradition is to fill your shell with wine(or water is also provided). Many people were excited to have free wine. We were excited to drink ice cold water out of our shells in the middle of nowhere!

We have been able to see many ancient cathedrals along the way. They are well kept, and very kind to pilgrims. One of the cathedrals in particular, is a world heritage sight, and one of the largest in the world.

Spain is very devoted to the Camino, and the peregrinos who trek the path each day. They provide hostals/albergues every 10-15 km for tired pilgrims. Luckily for us, they are between 5-10€ each night, and provide a mattress, bathrooms, and showers. The mattresses are usually on bunk beds, in a room that will hold 20-30 people of mixed genders. We enjoy the company of people from many countries including, but not limited to: Croatia, South Korea, Germany, United States, Hungary, Spain, France, Columbia, Denmark, Holland,and many more!

Well, that's it for now! As we say to fellow pilgrims - Buen Camino!

Cultural notes

Most of the small towns that we pass through, offer refreshments for the "perigrinos." A "perigrino" is a pilgrim, or a hiker on the Camino. Many folks have converted old garages into soda/coffee shops just for us!

We have been doing our best to adapt to the new lifestyle, and schedule in Spain. Everything, including pharmacies, stores, restaraunts, banks, and anything else that you can imagine, closes between 3:00-7:00 p.m. When we do get a chance to eat, the standard is a "bocadillo." It consists of a large baguette, with Spanish ham and cheese. It is € 3.00, and can easily feed two people.

There is no such thing as soda from a tap, or a cup with a straw. When you order a drink, they bring you a cup of ice, and a can/glass bottle of soda.

One night, we decided to order a "hamburgesa" which is a hamburger. When we got it, it was the size of a McDouble, and had a fried egg on top. We really liked the Spanish salsa that replaced the mayo/ketchup/mustard. The "papas fritas," better known as French fries, were a very tasty side.

The wildlife is very interesting, and is mostly birds. We have seen several storks living on the tops of abandoned smokes stacks, and chimneys, and many other high places.

Where are the bathrooms?

Sorry for the delay of posting our first part of the Camino! We thought we would have some extra time here and there, but we have been walking all day, and we fall right into bed when we get to the hostals.

The first thing that we have to comment on, is the bathroom situation. We know that they don't exist on the Camino, but they are very rare in cities as well.

The first day of our Camino was all up hill! We walked 34 km up the Pyrenees mountains. Eventually, we found ourselves at the highest point, where we filled up our water from a fountain that was about two thousand years old! The water was great, and the view was also spectacular. Luckily, at the bottom of the mountain, there was a drink shop with Coke and other goodies. After a short break, we continued to the next town.

We stayed in a nice mom and pop hotel for only 27€. The hotel was built in 900 A.D. When we recieved the key to our room, it was an old fashioned skeleton key, to match the age of the building. The interior and furnishings were antique(late 1800's), but very well kept, and a pleasure to stay in. As we were leaving, the host opened the door for us, and wished us a "buen Camino" which means "good trip." As a cultural note, opening the door for a guest means that you are inviting them to return in the future.

Another great day

This whole Paris thing is really growing on us! This morning we went to a farmers market, and had some of the best strawberries we have ever had. All of the fruits/vegetables had been picked a few hours prior to opening. The French strawberries are totally worth coming back for, as well as the croissants. They also have McDonald's here but it is about $8.00 for 9 chicken nuggets!

This morning we climbed the several hundred stairs of the Eiffel tower. It may not seem worth it, but as you can imagine, the elevator lines are 5 times longer! The tower provides quite an amazing view of Paris.

In the afternoon, we visited the Notre Dame cathedral. It was a very old and historic site. The inside was dimly lit from the several stained glass windows.

One huge accomplishment from today was when we found the only two water fountains in Paris! We'll, maybe not the only ones, but the only ones we have seen for two days!

We are starting to master the metro system, too bad that we are leaving tomorrow! Oh well, at least we will know for next time, in several years from now, if ever.

We took a stroll on a fairly well known bridge. Both sides of the bridge are covered with thousands of locks. It is how tourists leave a part of themselves in France.

We'll, tomorrow should be a blast! We plan on seeing many more places, and eating a lot more bread!

Paris/Airport/Stop honking!

Wow! Today and/or yesterday, was full of flying and going through security. Salt Lake was an easy 5 minute check in process.

Chicago was eventful. The TSA lady had to double check my dads bag and apparently she is highly allergic to peanuts because when she saw them in the bag, she got very panicked, and called for another agent to check it.

and when we got to Ireland the one security lady was so overwhelmed by the Americans that she would yell "Do not remove your shoes unless you are told to remove them!" We felt quite bad for her!

Another sad moment was when our captain announced himself as "Captain Kirk," and the whole plane started laughing. Luckily, he couldn't see them!

We noticed a few tourists playing the shell game, so we decided to see how the guy cheated, and who his goons were. First of all, the tourist could not make money, only lose it. If they guessed correctly, the thief would simply give him his bet back, but if he lost, well... Anyway, he spotted us and told me if I could guess right, he would give me 50 Euros. I told him no, but he insisted that I did not have to bet, he would just give me the money. We were on to him of course, so we played along to give the tourists a break. I took the Euro's and walked away while his goon tried to sneek up on my dad. While the shell guy tried to convince me to play again, my dad turned around, stared the guy down, and we both had a good chuckle(since all of our valuables are securely hidden). I didn't want anybody to follow us for the day, so I gave back the money, and walked away. Everybody was wondering what just happened when a guy from behind a tree loudly whispered "police" in French, and suddenly the game was over, concealed, and looked like nothing happened.

This afternoon, we took a stroll down the small streets of a smaller town, and had some non-tourist food. It was fun to sit around and eats baguettes with total strangers who just smile and nod.

Due to the time change, we were got here at 10:00 am, but it felt like 2:00 am. So, goodnight!

P.s. Everybody keeps honking at other drivers, traffic is crazy here.

Dear fortune tellers...

Today I bought a Jones soda(which is rare for me), and here is what the lid said:

I have been doing a lot of research about France lately! For the first few days of our trip, we will be in France. I have found many helpful resources, and multiple shortcuts that will help us skip lines, and make the most of our 3 days in Paris. The first tip that I found, is how to skip lines at the Eiffel Tower. If tickets are sold out online, most people wait in line for 1-3 hours to get tickets to the top. However, if you are not afraid to walk a little, you can take the stairs to the second level, then take the elevator to the top. The ticket line is much shorter to take the stairs, and you get to visit the little shops that you would miss if you took the elevator!

32 days to go

July is coming soon, and we are still finding things to bring with us. We sold our backpacks and switched to a 45 liter pack with an internal frame. We also bought some new shoes(Merrell brand). The list of random things to remember is pretty long, but at least we will have the basics now - backpack, shoes, clothes, passport, and money. Apparently, those are the only things that you really need.

Here is a picture of the most effective map known to mankind.... Yellow arrows painted on random things! We will be watching for these arrows on rocks, walls, shops, roads, dogs.... Wait, strike that last one. Another symbol that we will be looking for is the shell pictured on the top of this marker. The shell represents many people coming together at one point, because there are many ways to arrive in Santiago de Compostela. Most pilgrims (hikers), carry a shell on their packs during the hike.

Hey everyone! As you know, we have decided to walk from the edge of France, to the other side of Spain. This hike will take about one month give or take a few days. We will try our best to update this blog daily with photos, and other information about our journey. However, due to limited internet access, please provide us with a little extra time! Below is a map of our trip...



We will be starting a little bit further to the right of what this map is showing. The trip begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, and ends in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.