Camino de Santiago (Le Puy - Santiago)

Arrived; we're off again...

2007-09-18T13:47:00.000+02:00

I have reached my goal! arrived in Santiago yesterday evening, the city I set out towards on foot 68 days ago. There were times when I did not really think this place existed, days that would drag on and on, steps that seemed to take me nowhere, pains that never seemed to leave, and rains that never stopped to fall. I wondered many times if I wasn't a fool for taking on such a goal, sometimes even questioning whether this place actually existed, for it so often seemed like a fantasy in a made up world far off at the end of the never ending european horizon of plains, plateaus, mountain tops, deep valleys, and path after path after path.

Yesterday though, David and I stepped onto the Obradorio, what some have described as the most beautiful square in the world. And it was! We plopped down right in the middle, staring at the Cathedral towering above us, on the backdrop of a bright blue sky, and were left speechless for at least 5 minutes. The beauty of the place did not so much stem from the impressive midieval architecture of the church, or even the largess of the palaces encircling it, but from the realization that we had reached what for so long seemed unreachable. And we were not alone... hundreds of other pilgrims were milling around us as well, all with their own particular experience, and purpose for being there. Be it the pilgrim who walked the 100km to receive his Compostella or the pilgrim who walked from Moscow, or even the older man I saw with leg braces on, we had all reached our goal! It could have very well become a place to boost my pride, relish in my accomplishement, and pat myself on the back for what I had just accomplished. But no, in fact it was just the opposite, one of the most humbling experiences of my life, for on that square, we were sitting in a place where thousands, millions perhaps, of other pilgrims had been before, and where millions will be again. And what am I , but one of them, one small drop adding to the flow of this river which began in the 9th century and will continue for years to come. David and I prayed together there on that square, thanking the LORD for his protection over us, for the things He taught us all along the way and for the way he strenthened our friendship through this endeavor. I was wondering if I would cry when I got here, I didn't but at that moment my throat tightened up... huge emotions, huge.

Along this path there was much physical pain, yes, but it was easily compensated by a multitude of joys as well. If I were to make a list here you would be reading for hours and this is already getting long. I so enjoyed the freedom experienced of the past two months, living day by day, never thinking of the next deadline, the next paycheck, or the latest bombing in the news. I so enjoyed meeting so many interesting people all along the way, who we met and who welcomed us in their home, offering us coffee, or a meal, or even a roof for the night. I so enjoyed all the great discussions I had for hours on end with David. I so enjoyed my times of solitude in some of the most remote and beautiful places I've ever seen... Is this amazing experience really over?! I don't have to walk tomorrow... Am I happy about that? My body sure is, but I don't know if I really am. It's odd really, I've walked towards this far away place for so long all the while with the hope of getting here, and soon after I arrive my feelings already tend towards nostalgia, and I long for more.

But why? Do I not still have a goal to press on to? Was I just playing at being a pilgrim? If so I will go back into the "real world" and the game will be over. But no, I've become a pilgrim, and this pilgrimmage continues for the rest of my life. It's never over! We are all pilgrims really, every day is a new étape or stage, a new place to walk to. There are pains and joys, sorrows and victorious accomplishments, but through it all we are all pressing towards something. What is your goal? Here is mine:

I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Thank you all who followed us over these past two months. Those who prayed for us, called us, wrote us... You were all an encouragement in one way or another. I hope to answer you all on a more personal level once I have a bit more time. In the mean time,

ULTREIA!

Joshua.

Santiago de Compostela

2007-09-16T15:47:00.000+02:00

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23

It is over with. We no longer have to walk. And it´s difficult to stop.

With incredible joy we approached Santiago yesterday, but not without a tight heart. This is it, Monte de Gozo has announced our arrival, we see the city of the End of the Earth. Fortunately we prepared ourselves in Lavacolla, in the creek, where pilgrims throughout the ages have bathed before entering Saint James´sanctuary. As we took our time to bathe, to wash the clothes we had worn on our backs during the entire pilgrimage, our minds had trouble understanding that only 10 kms separated us from our goal. We passed the modern outskirts and entered the old city, without having seen the cathedral yet when finally we arrived at the Puerta do Camiño. There, as we came into the old city, our eyes saw the towers of our goal. Impossible! We walked all the way here from a far away land, through many cultures and countries. We pulled out from our pockets the volcanic stones we picked up in Le Puy en Velay and set them down in Santiago.

In awe, we sat on the Plaza del Obradoiro facing Saint James´Cathedral. Crushed beneath its massive facade, our bodies lost all strength to go in until we felt ready to go see inside, where pilgrims have since long ago put their hands on the first pillar inside; this pillar holds up two arches that present the entire genealogy of Christ, the Tree of Jesse. We hugged Saint James and sat before his tomb in the crypt, hardly believing we had walked all those kilometers to be in that small room together.

Now, we rest and contemplate on everything behind us and before us, acknowledging that this pilgrimage has been one of the most intense and powerful moments of our lives. Our faith has grown, and we have changed. It is quite hard to write, even vaguely, what we are living now. We sat this morning with masses of people at the High Mass in the cathedral this morning, and as we sat there among many other pilgrims, the priest read out where every pilgrim had come from. When "De Le Puy en Velay: 2 peregrinos" echoed in the Church, a rush of joy filled us, but when the list went on such as " De Tours: 1 peregrino" "De Oviedo, de Irun, de Pamplona, de Munich, de Roma, de Paris, etc..." silence grew more and more over the crouds and only the cries of some pilgrims could be heard around us. What a moment! Europe has gathered here, and we are all sitting here together, all from different places, and though some have walked more than others, a deep sense of humility and respect for one another could be sensed.

Our feet still hurt, we want to walk but our minds and bodies know it´s over with... what is to come next? We don´t know, but life is a lot less scary now for we know we are worth more than birds in God´s eyes, and that He will never forsake us and will always provide along this other pilgrimage we have started some 26/27 years ago. Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers. You guys were with us along the entire way!

Tonight we celebrate!

Lugo !!! 1563 kms behind us, 101 kms to go

2007-09-11T20:16:00.000+02:00

Hello Everyone!!
We just made it to Lugo!! We made it over the mountains, not without trouble, and our minds are now fixed fully on the goal. Our next days will be San Roman de Retorta, Melide, Santa Irene... and SANTIAGO!!! Four more days of walking!! We will arrive on Saturday the 15th early afternoon.

From Tineo to O Cadavo Baleiro, we had to go over mountains... endless valleys and passes under a blazing sun. Some days were without food (from Pola de Allande to A Fonsagrada, there was nothing but path and mountains). In Oviedo I threw my shoes away, it was a sad moment. They had helped me walk 1350 kms, but by the end, my feet were basically coming out of them. So I bought new shoes and so far my feet are fine, a few new blisters, but nothing bad. In A Fonsagrada, James Hackman, a close friend, met us and has been walking with us, and will be to the end! It´s a great boost to have a new person walking along with us and lift our weary minds a bit. He lives and works in India, and flew all the way to Spain to visit Mathieu, my brother, and walk with us. Today is his second day... he´s in pain. I fell behind right at the beginning of the day, and never found Josh and James until the end in Lugo. They had gotten lost and I was trying to catch up with them; little did I know they were behind me. So I walked 31 kms in 6h. I did assume, after a while, that they were behind me, so I left a bag with food for them along the trail, with a note telling them when I had passed that point. They found it, fortunately... it would have been lost food. I didn´t want to wait for them, because I wasn´t 100 % sure they were behind me. Unfortunately, they got lost twice and prolonged their day with 4 extra kms... the camino... at one point they were heading straight north, and not west.

Everything is going well, the weather has been hot and dry, my stomach is back to normal and Josh hasn´t gotten sick. In Pola de Allande, I met a pilgrim waiting for a bus. He was going home because of a stomach flu. He was extremely sad and depressed and it made me realize THAT though we are very close, anything can happen still. We aren´t there until we get there!

As we approach Santiago, we feel the end of our pilgrimage, with everything after it sometimes weighing our minds down a bit. Josh knows that right after he gets back, he´ll be living a crazy life of quick decision making, millions of emails to write, many things to think about. I know my teaching life will pick up quickly and I´ll be sucked back into a rat race life. We are so tired of walking, yet, stopping implies so much... All of a sudden, we´ll be back home, where we have closets with a large variety of clothes to choose from in the morning, a bed to sleep in for more than 1 night, a normal life... we haven´t slept in the same place for the past 64 night.

We know we´ve changed, and it´s been a good thing for us to experience intense pain, with a set goal ahead of us. The joys and suprises along the way have made our pains so much worth going through. Life wouldn´t be a good one without pain, and a far away goal reached without pain would be dull. As I walked alone this morning through beautiful woods here in Galicia, I went through all the pains we went through since we left the forests of the Velay, in central France, and I was so glad for them. Had we not gone through challenges, we probably would have quit out of boredom or lost our way. At times, the pain was so intense we would walk faster, concentrate more so we wouldn´t get lost, and the place we´d be shooting for that day would be like reaching heaven. No, suffering and pain is very good, one of the best motivators out there... I remember Josh walking into Cahors, with feet that looked like raw chicken skin; he was walking so fast and so focused, in such a humamal way... such a difference with some of our past couple of days where we haven´t had much physical pain, and where it´s taken us 6 hours to walk 10 kms, where we´ve been way slower, much more lazy... and because of that, we´ve come to the pilgrim hostal dead last, and had to sleep on the ground, for lack of available beds. So yeah, it´s good to get our butts kicked along the way, in some way or another.

Anyway, our last update might be in Santiago... Josh just decided to quit, so I´ll be coming alone.

Oviedo, the end is nearing!

2007-09-04T10:47:00.000+02:00

Hello People,

a few hundred kilometers back, we were arriving in Cahors, in France, just when the Tour de France was going through. Yesterday, as we came into Oviedo (which is only 320 kms away from our goal) we arrived just as the Vuelta de España was here. It´s the Spanish Tour, so though we came into Oviedo dead tired, with the usual feeling of having broken feet, we had a good laugh.
Yesterday we walked 37 kms on asphalt, through pre-big city roads with a lot of old buildings, factories, junk here and there, but our day was entertained in some very fun ways! As we left a very ugly town called Pola de Siero, some gypsies invited us into their little house to jam on guitars and sing along... we had a blast, although it cost us 2 hours of walking, which made it so that we were last to arrive at the Oviedo Pilgrim Hostal, which meant, of course, no more beds... only the dining room floor for our weary bodies. We didn´t care too much, it was worth spending time in a gypsie home. (I think the Kleeman brothers got the opportunity to do the same there two days earlier). Indeed it was fun, it was a give and take moment... as they entertained us, fed us, their chickens took advantage of our cookies and ate them all, somehow they managed to get them down from Josh´s bag. We got our revenge... one chicken tried to cross the road just outside the house, but never made it, some car made that one pay for the rest who dared to steal from poor pilgrims. I´m probably talking nonsense to all of you, sorry! It´s just one of many random things that happen to us all along the way.

We are starting to look like bums, really. We are at a point where we are not sure if we are animals or humans... so the definition we´ve given ourselves is humamal. It´s a strange feeling to come into a town and really look like a beggar. Most pilgrims don´t though, I don´t know what we´re doing differently. We shower plenty...
As for my health, I´m feeling better and am able to hold food in my stomach more than 6 hours now. Hopefully we won´t get sick before the end.

We caught up with Cassie and another Danish woman we met along the way a while back, but we don´t think we´ll see the Kleeman brothers until we get there in Santiago. Many pilgrims are starting from Oviedo, so perhaps we´ll be making new friends before the end. Well it´s time for us to move along, hope all is well with all of you,

Oh and before we go, just want to say thank you for your prayers again!

David

400 Km away from St James

2007-08-30T15:11:00.000+02:00

We are exactly 400 kilometers from our goal and are facing the biggest obstruction in our path so far. I am writing this just outside of Llanes where we slept last night. The four days since our last update in Santander have been a mix of difficulties, blessings, frustrations, ugly industrial zones, beautiful countrysides and the occasional little mirarcle. We left Santander overjoyed by the fact that the sun was shining. Days on end we had been soaked to the bone, walking through the most heavily industrialized zone in northern Spain, and the sun has the power to make even large smoke spewing factories seem a bit nicer. It was hot and humid we had 37 kilometers to walk to Santilliana Del Mar, but it was a good day. There was no donativo ( a.k.a free) hostel in Santillana,and since the weather was finally nice we reverted to our old ways and slept by the church... The local priest gave us clams, cassoulet and aspergus (long story) which was a welcome change, to our regular diet. The next day we had a short étape ahead of us which was good for our spirits and david´s leg. The sun kept up, we got there early and were able to bathe in the atlantic that afternoon. That night, we slept in an old prison now converted into a pilgrim hostel, pretty cool... Tuesday we were off to Unquera another day of walking on roads under and over highways, which made us miss the ´good old days´of the french portion of the camino which was 90% path. We pushed through, trying to keep a good attitude about it, and finding new ways to entertain ourselves along the way... and as always, we finally arrived in Unquera. David has developed a bout of shin splints, or tendinitis which makes walking (especially downhill) very painful after 20k, and by then his leg had swollen to worrysome proportions. I went on ahead to find some ice, and find out to my surprise that there was no hostel in the town, as indicated in our guide book... again dark clouds were forming and sleeping outside was not an option. I explored the town for different sleeping possiblities with a roof, abandonned buildings, buildings under construction were the best options but our spirits being as low as they were, we decided to treat ourselves to the generous pilgrim offer the local hotel made for us.. 50% off = 20 euro for a room. Personal bathroom, television, two beds. WOW! We were so excited when we got our keys, and plopped down on our mattresses, David iced his leg and we vegged in front of the tv for a couple hours before getting a good night´s sleep. The next day the rain had finally returned. It rained hard, very hard all morning and into the afternoon... but, we were finally walking on beautiful paths, right on the ocean. We witnessed a rare geological phenomenon called Bufones, where the waves crash against the cliffs, and spew up water like a geiser a dozen meters further up land, with enourmous power and a huge rumble... Our exploration was probably a bit dangerous, but that spiced things up. We kept walking and arrived in Llanes tired, wet, hungry but in good spirits. The day was absolutely magnificent in terms of beauty, in the top 5 so far! We had treated ourselves to the hotel the night before, and the budget definitely didn´t allow another night indoors so it was exploration time again trying to find a spot to sleep. The best option turned out to be the local soccer stadium, which had a side door left open (just for us?)... the covered bleachers would do the trick perfectly. A couple hours later the obstacle mentioned at the beginning of this update showed it´s face. David has developed some sort of stomach flu... Diarrheah and Vomitting most of the night. We were both finally able to sleep a bit around 4am, but David has absolutely no energy left, and isn´t quite sure yet how much food he can hold down. This morning we were able to get fluids and electrolites back into his body, but he is very very weak. This has forced us to check in to yet another hostel 2 km outside of Llanes, which is again way above our budget. David is sleeping right now though, which is good, and again we have our own bathroom if need be... I am going to go back into town this afternoon to play guitar and try and earn a bit of money to cover these costs. We are both hoping that this is just a one day flu and that he will be able to hold food down today to regain his energy to continue a bit further tomorrow. We have two flat days along the ocean left before attacking the Asturias mountains, our last chain before Santiago. As this ¨adventure¨ continues, we wonder what else can or will happen before we finally arrive to our goal, either way each new challenge makes that arrival all the sweeter... ULTREIA!

Joshua

Santander (1100 kms)

2007-08-25T14:15:00.000+02:00

Here we are! In Santander!
Hard to believe we´ve past the 1000 km mark, and are still going... Since Bilbao, 120 kms behind, much has happened, and a new challenge for us has made the distance between these two cities seem like an entire Camino in itself! We left Bilbao in rain, not just rain, abundant, flooding rain! That could sum up our entire week. It took an entire day of walking to leave the industrial zones around Bilbao, in rain. It started raining so hard once that we took refuge under some poor old little house on a hill. As we stood there, trying to avoid the tennis ball size drops of water ( not quite, but not far) the door of the house opened up, and we were welcomed by an old lady with five little smelly dogs to take a seat for a bit. She was so nice with us, treated us like her sons. She made coffee and we talked for over 1 hour. The rain never did stop, but at least we had met someone very nice along the way on one of our hardest days mentally. These past 5 days we have walked along highways, and major roads... not the most interesting, but rather challenging, as trucks and cars incessantly fly by. But yesterday was our last day of rain, but it made sure to come down on us one last time so we would remember it. We came into a little village on a steep hill, and the rain was coming down so hard pieces of asphalt were flowing down past us, along with sewage and trash. Our feet were in water up past our ankles at times. We couldn´t help but laugh our heads off at the craziness of the situation. Needless to say that my clothes haven´t dried in one week and smell like bitter smelly moldy feet. Today, in Santander, it´s laundry time, hopefully things aren´t too ruined. My shoes are falling apart from being wet so much. My socks show in 8 differents areas. Had it rained one more day, we´d both have pneumonias I think!

Apart from that, all is well, last night we stayed in an awesome hostal in Guemes, just outside of Santander with our 3 friends from Chicago area ( Alex, Nick, Cassie) and a lady from Madrid, another guy from Pozuelo (suburb of Madrid) and three germans ladies. We had a blast eating around a big table while Josh gave us a little guitar concert. We were introduced to Gorujo, a local liquor (50%), which made us forget the cold and rain pretty quickly!

We are going to push to Boo de Pielagos today... Hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for the comments! We´re always happy to give an update, it helps us think back a bit and take into account all the things that have just happened.

David

The Bilbao Clan

2007-08-20T21:02:00.000+02:00

From Bilbao
Yesterday, feeling well, we decided to walk 53 kms from Bolibar, a town just outside of Markina-Xemein to Bilbao in order to have a full rest day in Bilbao. We walked over 11 hours straight, but felt good, most of the time. It´s true that after 5 weeks of walking, our bodies have become accustomed to long distances. Bilbao is quite fun! It´s fiesta time here, even though it´s raining and will be through Friday, and the people are nice!We stayed in an albergue last night, and are staying in the same one tonight, and the three pilgrims mentioned in the last entry commentaries are here! So here is the photo of us with Alex, Nicolas and Cassie!

A few days along with the pilgrims

2007-08-18T00:06:00.000+02:00

Greetings,

On Monday I received a phone call from David. The two pilgrims were inviting me to come to Hendaye to join up with them for a day. This was their birthday gift to me as I just celebrated it the previous week, and what a gift! On tuesday, I jumped on a train from Madrid toward Hendaye, and got there in the evening, only to spend one our in France, before crossing the boarder back in to Spain. I witnessed the pilgrims goodbyes to France as they were crossing the bridge that connects Hendaye to Irun, two cities in the Basque region.
The following day, we all three walked from Irun to San Sebastian, and were well enchanted with the beauty of the region as we made our way on ridges of the small mountains overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Unfortunately we quickly were surrounded by thick clouds, and by the time we got to San Sebastian, it was pouring with rain.
It was good to see David and Josh. They have their routines, their accumulated stories through which they find much joy and laughter, their 'inside' jokes that have been built along the way, their songs; all numerous souvenirs that fill their minds and that will remain in their thoughts for a long time to come. I was indeed interesting to see how they have learned to be content with the smallest things, and this was refreshing for me - fresh out of the city, where entertainment has become such a market that we too often forget to smile or laugh for simplest things.
I got back to Madrid on Thursday, and haven't been feeling too good; this explains why I haven't posted an update until now. I'm sure many of you have received emails from either David or Josh. They are now in Deba, a village on the Atlantic coast. Apparently, they were well received there by men in traditional Basque outfits, as there was some sort of fiesta going on there when they arrived. Later in the evening, they found a box on the ground full of delicious pastries, and did not hesitate to devour the box's content as this was a real treat for them.
I'm expecting photos from them any time now. They have sent a few more CDs packed with thousands of photos taken along the way. I'll post some on the blog and on FaceBook when I get a chance!
Until next time...

Mathieu

Day of rest in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

2007-08-11T23:31:00.001+02:00

Photo: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Today was rest day for David and Josh in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. They arrived there yesterday (Friday), both extremely tired. During three days, they did not find any ATM machines; hence they were not able to draw money out. Not being able to buy anything, they walked 23 kilometers on Friday without any food, in the pre-Pyrenees. Fortunately, they were warmly welcomed in the evening in St-Jean at a pilgrims’ hostel, where they were promptly fed, and where they could settle down in nice comfortable beds. Today, they were able to enjoy their day in St-Jean, and witnessed a live bull run! (this is the Feria time of the year). They realized there were over 200 pilgrims in this town, and only 90% were just beginning their venture there, heading off toward the camino francés (the most used path in Spain). None of the pilgrims they have met so far will be taking the Camino del Norte, which is the path David and Josh will be hiking on. Today, they said goodbye to a number of pilgrims they had gotten to know along the way. Indeed, tomorrow, David and Josh will be going off their own way, on a path that is taken by very few pilgrims. They will be spending their next three days walking to Hendaye. Please pray for them as there are no villages or towns between St-Jean and Hendaye, they will have to live off the food they have stocked-up on for these three days of walk, and will most likely be sleeping outside every night. There may also be rain in the next few days.
They surely enjoyed their time in St-Jean today (Saturday), and were thankful to sleep in beds. Their previous ten nights were spent in very particular, peculiar places such as an abandoned basque school, in the house of the mayor of Aroue, in an Abby, in a church, a kindergarten school, a XIVth century donjon, a cemetery (as this was the only place where they could get water), a XVth century university turned into a hostel. Every night has been a surprise, sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Despite the pain and hardship, the two pilgrims are very thankful for what they have experienced so far. Every day has something new and interesting to offer: new landscapes, different challenges, new stories to tell. St James is getting closer every day, and many memories already fill the minds of the two hikers, as they can remember the many regions they have crossed (Velay, Margeride, Aubrac, Lot, Célé, Tarn et Garonne, Gers, Béarn, and now the Basque country), as they remember the different people they have met, and as they realize how much joy they have found in this simple life they are living. They have come to trust God for the simplest things. They realize more now how much they must trust Him, how much they depend on Him, even for a piece of bread in the morning.
The hardest part of the hike is yet to come. They are approaching the Pyrenees, and will then be going to Oviedo. Passed Oviedo, they will be in very mountainous areas. But all of this is still far away.
In any case, in the next week or so, they will not be taking the path indicated on the map at the bottom of this page. They will not be going down to Pamplona. They are going to Hendaye, and then from there will go toward San Sebastian in Spain. They are expecting to cross the boarder on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I will most likely be in touch with David on Wednesday (they should be in Irun on that day). Until then, the two hikers will be cut-off from the rest of the world.

Mathieu

Safe and sound in Sauvelade

2007-08-09T00:25:00.000+02:00

Today I had the chance to speak with David on the phone. The two pilgrims spent last night in the Sauvelade abby, which is not too far from Navarrenx. They want to reach St-Jean-Pied-de-Port by Friday, and will rest there on Saturday. This will be their first day of rest since they've left Conques on July 22! Needless to say, they're both worn out physically and mentally. Overall, they have gotten accustomed to the physical effort (no more blisters etc.), but it is hard to remain motivated. They had some company last week between Condom and Aire-sur-l'adour. Jared Lebel and his pal Phil were able join Josh and David along the way, and the two visitors helped cheer up our two distressed heroes. But this did not last too long as the two visitors needed to fly off to Jordan on Sunday (or Monday).
Ever since they've ditched the tent, our two hikers have basically adopted the lifestyle of vagabonds, spending their nights on church benches, inside schools, in barns, cemetaries, castle donjons etc. Bathing hasn't been on the top of their list of priorities either, and the variety of their meals has also been somewhat limited, as they are trying to stick to a reasonable budget. They are only five or six days away from Spain, and are looking forward to crossing the boarder, finally...

Perhaps we'll be getting more news from them on Friday or Saturday, as they may have access to Internet in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Mathieu

More photos

2007-08-04T00:43:00.000+02:00

Today, I received a CD from David with all the pics they've taken until approximately the 29th.
I loaded them all onto David's Facebook account. There are 331 pictures to see!!
Here are the links to the albums (on Facebook):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012377&id=163801575
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012377&id=163801575
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012379&id=163801575
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012380&id=163801575
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012381&id=163801575
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012382&id=163801575

Mathieu

Hello from Moissac

2007-07-30T17:47:00.000+02:00

Hello friends!
We are now in Moissac, about to leave for our next place Saint Antoine. We are getting over all the sores and aches of the first 400 kilometers, and are feeling better. This morning rained a bit, which but it didn't start before we left where we 'camped'. We waited the rain out in a bar, drinking coffee and watching 'Days of our Lives' dubbed in French. Pilgrims begin to enjoy the simplest things. We threw our tent away in Cahors, and have spent 3 nights now under the stars. It's quite easy to find spots now, though we look like homeless people more and more... beards growing, clothes looking dirty (although they're cleaned regurlarly in fountains with Marseillais soap). We're trying to find ways to keep ants and mosquitos out of our faces at night, but it's hard... not much we can do. It's worth the few bites and tickles at night, because our back packs now are considerably lighter to carry, our legs can carry us beyond 25 kms without too much pain. We've been loving walking through this new region of France, and we are feeling Spain slowly approaching, or us approaching it. We've entered a new departement 'Tarn et Garonne' where the country side has been offering us free plums, apricots, black berries, etc. We're getting our fix of fruit.
We've also been meeting many people, though we do not see them regularly, our pace has been keeping us from seeing people for more than 2 days. Just a few, such as Fabio, an Italian guy (we are sure he's used to be an olympian speed walker), whom we've been able to see along the way and who is going to Compostella. We've shared food, talks, and rest time together. We never see him walk, but he's always chilling at the place where we arrive at the end of our days. Merlin, an Australian-German, shared our lot of grass in the middle of Lauzerte, a fortified city. We also shared a good bottle of wine from the region together during the evening, as we talked about our impressions of the Camino. We are sure never to see him again, since he's walking back from Santiago... he's been walking for 10 years, so, he had some interesting things to tell us.
In two days we are meeting up with Jared and Phil, two good friends, who will be walking with us a few days... if only the new what awaits them... the first days of walking are hard to forget. They will love walking along Roman paths or 1000 year old paths, from village to village, but we'll see what they think about their feet. This Camino is a good way to get to know every centimeter of a foot.
Walking all day long has become like a job, a very good job, where we can just talk, or think, or dream, pray about everything, and anything. Kilometers go by, scenery changes every 100 meters, and our minds have all the time they need to take in what we pass by, and look forward to what there is to see around each bend of the path.
Our lives have become quite simple, where our troubles never go beyond our feet or our stomachs that we have to feed regularly. But we do think of all of you, hoping everyone is doing well. Being a pilgrim is teaching us that life is quite similar to this sort of journey, where we go from one day to another, one step after another, progressing toward our long terms goals, and where each person we meet is special.

Josh and I have created an album on Facebook, so you can see photos we took during our first two weeks of hiking: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012248&id=163801575

David

Where are the drugs?

2007-07-26T22:14:00.000+02:00

Photo: Parc naturel régional des Causses-du Quercy

(I just posted a message before this one, perhaps you haven't read it yet?...)

More news from our two pilgrims. I just talked to David a few minutes ago. They are spending the evening in Cahors in a hostel. This town is were what remains of the Tour de France peloton is spending the evening also. David and Josh were tempted to go get their fix in the cyclist village, but apparently, all the druggies have gone home.
The two hikers will be able to rest up tonight in comfortable beds (I hope) before heading off tomorrow toward Lascabanes. They spent the previous evening under a bridge, and will appreciate sleeping on mattresses this evening. The least we can say is that they are in bad shape. Fortunately, David's tic bite infection is not an issue anymore, as that disappeared overnight last night. However, their bodies are exhausted and are lacking strength. Last week, Josh developed sever tendinitis because of the hiking shoes he had purchased for this walk. Consequently, he bought Mephisto sandals several days ago, as he could not walk with the other pair of shoes anymore. His feet are now full of blisters, which of course makes walking almost unbearable. However, they will have to keep on hiking so as to not fall back in their schedule. They may be a day ahead of schedule right now, but they do not believe they will be able to keep up the same pace (over 30 km/day, the past four days!).

In the past two or three days, their walk has led them through the Causse-du-Quercy national park. This is a beautiful region, which contrasts with the suffering our two heroes are enduring.

Mathieu

Getting into the thick of things

2007-07-26T19:52:00.000+02:00

I got a call from David last night (July 25). Three nights ago, David & Josh spent the night in a convent. They slept in flee-infested beds, and David is the one who got them the worst. Their skin has gotten very irritated, and it itches quite a bit. David also got bit by several tics, and is developing some sort of infection.
They are close to Cahors (or perhaps have arrived already). David is going to try to find a doctor, as his skin is in bad shape right now. I will be in touch with him again soon (tonight or tomorrow). I'll post more news tomorrow or Saturday.

Mathieu

Conques

2007-07-21T12:47:00.000+02:00

Hello,

we are in Conques, 2 days ahead of schedule. We are staying in an Abbey run by monks (Pères Prémontrés) Fantastic place! We are relieved, our first week has been very difficult. Josh is suffering of tendinitis in his left foot, and we are both having hard time walking because of blisters. Overall this has been such an incredible experience, meeting pilgrims from Hungary, Belgium, all over France, US, etc. It's quite demanding physically. We've been caught in storms in the middle of the night, out in a field, we've camped next to churches, castles, on top of hills, who knows how our next 7 weeks will look like. We are leaving Conques tomorrow, Sunday, and hope to make it to Moissac in one week. We've only done 200 kilometers of our journey, but it's been full of incredible events.

We hope everything is going well, sorry my phone is hard to call, there has been very little connection where we are at, and the Plateaux d'Aubrac were absolutely void of means of communications. Just cows... flowers and grass.

Where are they?

2007-07-19T15:51:00.000+02:00

For those of you wanting to follow the wonderous adventures of our two heroes, this post will not satisfy your wishes, as it has been impossible for me to get ahold of the two pilgrims. What is going on? Have they decided to cut off the only interface between themselves and the rest of the world, our great civilization? Has the cell phone been lost at the bottom of one of their huge hiking back-packs? Are they simply in an area with no cellular network coverage? Is the battery out?? Are they in a land where electricity has not yet made its progress, where people only live by the light of candles? Have they gone astray in a dark and unforgivable land? All of these questions, I cannot answer at this point in time.
Let us just hope Josh and David are safe.
I am sorry if no news can be brought to you right now. I will try to contact them again in the next few days.

Mathieu

News from the pilgrims

2007-07-16T10:07:00.000+02:00

I called David last night to see how things were going three days into the hike. Last night (Sunday July 15), David and Josh were camping somewhere between Aubrac and St Alban sur Limagnole. Only three days have gone by, and the two hikers are already extremely tired and weary; with blisters, aching backs and overall tired bodies. So far, the hiking paths have been difficult, with many up and down-hills. This is a rough part of the hike, and they had been warned of the difficulty of this area. Surely, their bodies will get accustomed to the physical effort.
David and Josh would like to thank Kathryn Lohnes (Josh's mother) as she provided food and first aid, which have already proved to be of great necessity.

I will try to keep you posted with regular updates on the hikers’ progress to Compostella. Stay tuned…
Mathieu

2007-07-13T00:35:00.000+02:00

Photo: Our last evening before leaving! Lyon

Tomorrow we are starting a great adventure! Our bags are too heavy (20 kilos) and we know that we'll have to throw things away along the way.

We are planning on starting our walk around 14:00 from Le Puy. From there... we don't know where we will stop for the night. We have a tent, food (homemade K bars (thank you Kathryn)), and everything to survive...

Hasta Luego!!! See Ya!! Salut!! Ciao!!

Dans quelques jours, En algunos días, In a few days...

2007-07-06T09:25:00.001+02:00

Le 13 Juillet, moi et Josué allons partir pour une aventure qui nous fait rêver depuis plus de 3 ans.

Nous ne savons pas combien de kilomètres nous allons parcourir exactement (environ 1600 kms), mais voici l'itinéraire en un coup d'oeil:

-Lyon - Le Puy en Velay (12 ou 13 Juillet)
-Le Puy en Velay - Roncesvalles (13 Juillet - 10 Août) Camino Podiensis
-Roncesvalles - Santiago de Compostela (10 Août - 12 Septembre) Via Camino del Norte

Nous essayerons de mettre à jour, dans la mesure du possible, ce site, afin que vous puissiez nous suivre dans notre pélerinage!

El 13 de Julio, vamos a empezar el Camino de Santiago desde Le Puy En Velay, una de las cuidades oficiales de salida para los peregrinos.

No sabemos exactamente cuantos kilómetros haremos (~1600 kms) pero abajo
pueden ver nuestro itinerario general:

-Lyon - Le Puy en Velay (12 o 13 Julio)
-Le Puy en Velay - Roncesvalles (13 Julio - 10 Agosto) Camino Podiensis
-Roncesvalles - Santiago de Compostela (10 Agosto - 12 Septiembre) Via Camino del Norte

Intentaré a actualizar este blog, en la medida de lo posible, para que puedan seguirnos

On the 13th of July, we are going to start an adventure that we've been dreaming about for the past 3 years.

We don't know how many kilometers we will walk exactly (around 1600 kms), but here is our itineray at a glance:

-Lyon - Le Puy en Velay (12 ou 13 Juillet)
-Le Puy en Velay - Roncesvalles (13 Juillet - 10 Août) Camino Podiensis
-Roncesvalles - Santiago de Compostela (10 Août - 12 Septembre) Via Camino del Norte

We will try to update, as much as possible, this site, so that you can follow us on our pilgrimage! Thanks for your support!