Logroño -Clavijo

On the 23 May the Santiago Cathedral celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Clavijo with the swinging of the botafumeiro during mass.
The legend of Santiago  appearing from the clouds on a large white horse was written centuries after the supposed battle of Clavijo took place.
Even though it is a legend, the castle perched on the pinacle of a rocky outcrop above the village about 18 km south of Logroño is well worth a visit.
The café bar was closed so we went back to Logrono for lunch. We decided to return to the restaurant where we had dinner the nigh before with a lovely woman serving our meal.  The woman behind the bar today was grumpy, impatient and quite  rude. I suggested that she didn't want to work today but had drawn the short straw and took her frustrations out on anyone who dared to walk in and ask to have a meal.

Logroño Day Two - a legend on the Camino

I've never been shopping whilst on the Camino, besides buying a few souvenirs and  trinkets.  Today we caught the No 9 bus to the Decathlon store which is an enormous outdoors store on the outskirts of the town.   I bought a pair of waterproof trousers, a new waist bag (Finn's Jeep bag is just too bulky for me) and some trail food.
We caught the bus back to town and after lunch Marion and I visited the Apple store in search of a part for her ipad. By the time we got back to the hotel, the last in our group, Father Jeffrey Edmunds had arrived.
We met Connie and Moyra and the four of us walked out of Logroño on the Camino path to where Maria Medel sits at a table outside her house selling souvenirs and offering a stamp with the words "Figs, water and love" "Higos, agua y amor" as her mother, Felisa, had done before her.
I met Felisa in 2002 when she was almost 92 years old, a wizened,  almost blind woman who sat in the shade of a fig tree for almost 12 hours every day eeking out a living from donations from passing pilgrims.  She passed away in October that year and her daughter Maria took over from  her. I visit Maria whenever I am in Spain and sometimes send her little notes and gifts with South African pilgrims.
She was surprised to see me this time and there was much hugging and kissing. We all bought a little something from her table and before we left I was able to connect to You Tube to show her a short video a pilgrim had taken of her mother Felisa in June 2002.  Maria will be 83 in a couple of months. Can she continue to sit in the shade of the fig tree for another 10 years? When she passes on, will anyone take over the Felisa table to offer Figs, water and Love to passing pilgrims? If not, the Felisa stamp will become just another story in the tapestry so stories that makes up the modern Camino and we will be all the poorer.

Bus and taxi pilgrim - Navarette to Najera

I thought I wouldn't sleep well but the pillows here are long and mine went right across the double bed so I could rest my arm on it next to my head whichever way I turned.
It takes twice as long to shower and dress and brushing teeth is a mission.
At 7.45 Kathy took the pink bag dowstairs and left for her walk to Najera.  The young man behind the desk gave me a Cola Cao and rang for a taxi to collect me at 10am.   The buses don't come to Navarette but one can walk a couple of km to the highway and get one there.
The taxi took me straight to the Hostal Hispano.  It is opposite the main park and I remembered having lunch in the Restaurant Hispano with Marion and Annelise in 2007. We also went back there with Finn on our car trip back to Pamplona.
Senor Alonso was most concerned about my arm and allowed me into my room earlier than normal check in time.  He gave me a map and marked on it where the bus stop, tourist office and clinic was.

I crossed the river and found that the tourist office was closed on Mondays.  I found the bus terminus and took a photo of the bus time table on the wall.  I bumped into the two pilgrims from Cape Town and spent some time chatting to them.
I went back tobthe hostal and Senor's daughter and new baby were visiting so I was introduced and had to recount the accident.  He went off duty and Anna, his other daughter arrived to do a shift at the desk.  I asked her if they ciuld scan or fax the doctor's reports for me but their printer, fax macine was out of order.
Kathy arrived and helped carrying the pink bag to our rooms. Anna suggested I try the library or post office to do the fax for me.  After 20 minutes in the post office they were unable to fax the documents to TIC.
Anna told me about a photocopy place around the corner so Kathy and I found that place and I was able to email the docs to my Mweb address.  Back at the hostal i sent them to TIC.
We ate in the room again and I had an early night.

Day 2: Morgade to Mercadoiro

Day 2
The morning was cold and grey. The Irish lady was in two minds about walking. She had sweated throughout the night and her head was pounding. "I feel as though I have done a few rounds with Mike Tyson" she said.  The taxis came for us at 9am and dropped us off at Morgade.  Belin would take our baggage to Portomarin.
She and I would try a km or two whilst the others walked on. We walked a few steps, stopped, walked a few more, stopped.  She sat on the walker and I pushed her where it was flat but even a slight incline exhausted her and she was too heavy for me to push uphill.  After an hour or so, and probably not more than a km, she was feeling weak so I called a taxi.

We arrived at the Pension but the room wasn't ready so we went to a café-bar in the square and had a hot drink.  They advertised that they had rooms and while we were there a German couple arrived and asked for a room but the young man told them they were full - completo. He offered to find them a room elsewhere and started phoning around.
Albergue Ultreia is uphill from the square and Pension Caminante (where she and Reinettte shared a room) is in a side street before the Albergue. When her room was ready I took her back to the Pension. The bathroom was a wet-room, especially designed for people with disabilities.  The toilet was so high that she could barely get onto it.  The shower area had no curtain and the water went all over the floor making it slippery and dangerous.  Understandably she wasn't very happy with it.
Jose arrived with the baggage from Sarria and I was able to check into our rooms.
I took the room with a double bunk and the others had double rooms.  The owners are a lovely family.  Warm and kind they made us feel welcome and their two charming daughters made a point of introducing themselves and welcoming us to their albergue.
By lunch time the albergue was full as was the one across the road. Pilgrims spoke of full albergues in most small and large towns and of having to walk long distances to find beds.  "More pilgrims are booking rooms ahead," said one pilgrim, "and this means there are no beds left for us".  Another pilgrim defended his right to book beds at private albergues or pensiones.  "Who is 'us'? He asked. "Am I and  my wife not part of the pelgrims? We knew that the Camino is going to be busy in May so I booked my beds" he said.  "We are all pelgrims - we are all 'us'. when you go on holiday you cant expect special treatment when you arrive and the hotel is full."  I left the dining room as others joined in and the discussion became heated.
The others arrived back from their walk and settled into their rooms. It started raining and we spent most of the day in the albergue.

At 5pm we got taxis to take us to Vilacha where we had a lovely meal with Gordon Bell in Casa Banderas. We met Johan from Cape Town and two German girls who arrived as we were leaving. It was raining again and the forecast was for much of the same the next day.

Day 1: Barbadelo to Morgade

Day 1
It is 4.5km from Sarria to Barbadelo.  Miguel Angel, the taxi driver we had used from the bus station to the pension, came with 2 other taxis to take us to a point 49m from the last Casa in Barbadelo where the 106km to Santiago waymark is.

The Irish lady was exhilarated to be walking with her Trionic Veloped walker. The path started off flat and not too difficult to negotiate.  Pilgrims walking past clapped, called her 'valiant' and most took photos.

We thought she might manage a couple of km but we kept going after the 2km mark, even when the path became difficult with stone slabs up a torrent course.  Adrian and I carried the Veloped while she walked up the path using her sticks. After about 2 km of partly walking, partly pushing we came to a very basic stop with a table bearing a thermos flask of tea and coffee and a few packets of cake.
We stopped for a lukewarm and then she sat on the walker's seat while Adrian pushed her along the road.

We stopped again a bit further on for a hot cup of Cola Cao and then after another difficult section, Negotiating stone blocks alongside a river, she started to flag.  Pushing, walking and being pused we had covered about 4km.  She had never walked 2km in her life and was exhausted by the effort of walking, pushing and being pushed.  I called a taxi and she and I went back to Sarria while the others continued to Morgade.
Although it was only 6.2km today to Morgade, the others returned quite tired from their walk. Adrian was still feeling the effects of his long flight. Bob was proud that he had taken the first day in his stride (quite a long stride too with his long legs), Pat and Janet were happy that their feet had held up and Reinette was euphoric having loved every moment of walk.
Besides the weather not being very kind with almost freezing temperatures and cold winds we hadn't had any rain and our Caracoles had done well and were looking forward to the next stage on this slow Camino.