So sorry for no pics in this post…my laptop is in the repair shop!

After almost 5 months of getting the runaround in Spain regarding my paperwork process to stay in Spain legally, I was finally informed in October that they would not be reviewing my application until May 2012 (even though I turned it in June 2011) because they are just that backlogged. Got to love immigration offices! I then talked to the Spanish consulate in Houston, TX and they told me they could complete my application in 2-3 months, but…I had to apply in person. So after a few more weeks, I hopped on a plane back to the USA, loaded up the car with my sister, niece and nephew and took a road trip to Houston where she and I both applied to reclaim our Spanish nationality. Yay!

Once that excitement was over, I kind of turned into a hermit. I just hung out with my family through the holidays and didn’t let many people know that I was in town. No offense anyone. I just needed some time to decompress and catch up with my family after 6 months away.

I also had to make some money while I’ve been home so that I can get back to Spain. And yes, that is the plan: head back to Spain, this time with my paperwork so that I can actually look for a real paying job. Until then though, I needed to replenish my savings. Thanks to my sister, I was able to jump into a temporary job doing secret shopper phone calls. Basically, I called tire stores all over the US pretending to need tires and rating the workers on their answers. This was a very fortunate opportunity for me, but not going to lie, I wanted to bang my head on the wall after about the 50^th tire call each week. I filled the rest of my time doing random side jobs doing anything from interpreting for a Hispanic family therapy session in a children’s psych unit, to helping my dad prepare his taxes, to child care for the transitional living program affiliated with my former employer (definitely nothing like working in the kid’s club at the resort last summer).

I did finally emerge from my cave and re-connected with old friends, soaked up as much Argentine Tango dancing as I could, and went on “vacation” to Louisiana. Oh and I helped some Spaniards do market research on whether or not to open a Spanish tapas restaurant in Tulsa; at one point I was helping cook for 130 people and felt like I was on an episode of Top Chef!

So it’s been an eventful time home;  I’ve loved being at home with family  and friends, but I also love living in Spain, so I am excited to get back. I’m now in crunch time trying to tie up loose ends and prepare to head back on Feb. 10th. Granted, I still haven’t received the paperwork I’ve been waiting for, despite them re-assuring me many times I’d have it by the end of January (shocker!). SOOOOO, I may or may not have to delay my return to Spain. Your guess is as good as mine. I’m just going to end this post before I start venting about how much I love red-tape and lack of efficiency and customer service. To be continued…

More pilgrims along the Camino as I near Santiago de Compostela

So I’m back in the USA now, but I still wanted to finish off telling about the end of my trip! Enjoy!

My solo bike trip on the the Camino del Norte, Camino de Santiago

Sobrado dos Monxes to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA!!! Approximately 55 km

[Video summary is at the bottom]

After a nice morning in the monastery where I stayed last night, I decided to take a shortcut and head all the way into Santiago de Compostela today. I stayed on the actual Camino the whole day and soaked up my last few stretches of solitude before I joined the continual stream of people on the Camino Frances. I saw my first girl bikers today, but they were with friends/boyfriends, so I finished the whole Camino and never saw any other solo female cyclists.

While pushing my bike uphill, I met two other Spaniards who were also pushing their mountain bikes. We gladly stopped for a refreshing drink at the top of the appropriately named Monte de Gozo (Mount of Joy) and enjoyed a view of our final destination: Santiago de Compostela! (see pics in the slideshow and in the video)

My cheesy "I made it!" picture

My new friends stuck with me even though I was slower, and I was so glad, because I seriously felt like everything started falling apart in the last 10 kilometers! My gears started making weird noises, I got really tired, and after bumping down a bunch of stairs, my backpack decided it was done being tied up and preferred to hang off the side of my bike. I had to keep stopping and re-adjusting everything…but I was so close! I just wanted to GET THERE! And get there I did. It was a glorious feeling to bike through the old town and arrive at the end of the Camino, right on the doorstep of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela! I made it!!

The "Compostela"--like a certificate of completion

After the requisite photo shoot (in slideshow), we went and showed our little pilgrims passports and got our “Compostela”(basically a certificate of completion) and then enjoyed some celebratory drinks and pulpo gallego (Galician octopus). Later on I ran into the group of cyclists I met in Gontán, so we celebrated together again with more yummy food.

Eating pulpo Gallego--yummy Galician style octopus!

The next day I got up and went to the noon“Pilgrim’s Mass” at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Drastically different from mass anywhere else in Spain, it turned out to be insanely packed with tourists from all over the world. Note to anyone who goes to this special mass…get there early if you want a seat! There was certainly a lot of pomp and circumstance, including an incredibly large silver incense burner swinging broadly across the front altar. This definitely elicited lots of oohs and ahhs from the crowd as the nave filled with smoke. Many pilgrims also line up to see the crypt where the apostle James is allegedly buried.

Inside the Cathedral including the swinging silver incense burner and altar

To do so, you have to pass by the giant gold statue of James built into the altar, which many people “hug” on their way by. Many of these rituals are so foreign to me, and this particular mass was in Portuguese, but I at least have a Protestant background to be able to appreciate some aspects of the service. I only hope that those pilgrims who have come truly on a spiritual search are able to still connect with God and find what they are looking for. (pics in slideshow below)

The rest of my time in Santiago de Compostela, I wandered around the town, went to a park (Parque Boneval–had good views of the city), and the Pilgrimage Museum, ran into more people that I had met earlier on the Camino, had more celebratory food and drinks and then headed out on my night train to Madrid. (pics of it all are in the slideshow)

Biking 11 days alone on The Camino was certainly one of the most significant and rewarding physical feats I have ever accomplished. It was definitely worth all the crazy pushing up hills and heaving my bike over stone steps to try to stay on the actual Camino de Santiago instead of just taking all the easier national highways. It made it more adventurous that way. I feel very proud and accomplished for what I did, but most importantly, I feel more calm and at peace with God, myself and with who I am. I would certainly recommend anyone to do the Camino de Santiago in whatever way they could and I hope to return to do more of the Camino again one day! I have so many more thoughts and tips, but it’s obviously taken me way too long just to get these few days up, so we’ll see if more makes it up eventually! Thanks for reading, and feel free to browse back through my earlier posts of other days if you missed fun stories like me getting pulled over on my bike by the cops!

Here’s my video summary of the last day:

The thing that looks like a mini-church on stilts is actually used to store corn

Day 10 of my solo bike trip on the Camino de Santiago, Camino del Norte

Baamonde to Sobrado Dos Monxes (Approximately 45-50 km, 27-31 miles—including getting really lost once!)

The morning was SO COLD—especially with the wind biting through my thin layers going downwhill at high speeds on my bike. I was seriously wishing I had some gloves!  The worker at the albergue (the “hospitalero”) told me this morning that 90% of the actual Camino today was asphalt and easily bikeable.

More stone slabs...with a farm dog chasing me out of his territory.

I think that NONE of the hospitaleros or tourist office people have ever actually ridden a bicycle before, or that they have certainly never done so on the Camino de Santiago because they are almost always WRONG!!! I would say maybe 50% was asphalt and the rest was woodland paths, including some stone steps early on, and rocks and gravel throughout. It was really pretty though, dotted with quaint farming towns comprised of 5 houses and lots of fields.

Loved the room I stayed in!!

The albergue in Sobrado Dos Monxes is actually a working monastery! It was awesome! An Asian monk showed me to my bed in a room with walls and arched ceilings made of stone. I met a young Slovakian guy who has been walking from France on the Camino, wearing Crocs and only carrying a very small rope satchel. This guy was hard core! He was a great testament to how little you really have to have to survive. Granted, to do that he had to sacrifice some things in the cleanliness department and his shoes now had holes, BUT he had a brilliant smile and attitude that just kept everything simple. He was inspirational. He made me want to chuck my backpack and all my stuff. The hilarious part though, was that one of his bare essentials was a small teddy bear. I love that the bear made it instead of a sheet or say…shampoo!

Inner courtyard of the Monastery in Sobrado dos Monxes

That evening I went to a Vespers prayer vigil in the monastery. I have never attended anything quite like it before. It was certainly a reverential experience rich with rituals and symbolism. I would definitely recommend even just sitting in and observing if you ever have the chance somewhere along the Camino. Especially if you can talk to one of the monks to help you understand.

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Sobrado dos Monxes

For dinner I met up with 3 Spaniards and an Australian guy that I had met along the way. The people I meet are so interesting! For example, the Australian actually lives in London and is the director of some competitive cooking show there similar to Top Chef. The Spaniards ordered all the essential foods and drinks we needed to try that are typical to Galicia, such as caldo Gallego (a very yummy soup). After a sprint back to the monastery to avoid getting locked out after curfew, I was fast asleep with bittersweet feelings about tomorrow being my last day on the Camino.

I never get over how ridiculously hilarious my helmet is.

I feel like today was my last day, and I’m sad. Today was the last hilly day and tomorrow I’ll join up with the Camino Frances (a more commonly used inland route to Santiago de Compostela) where I know there will be a continual stream of pilgrims. I would like to have more time and keep going.

But this is good…it leaves me with a taste of the Camino and a desire for more.

Beautiful wooded paths

The terrain in Galicia is notably different than what I saw in Asturias

Such a serene and beautiful trail!

The one restaurant in Abadin had this sink outside for the farmers to wash up outside before they come in. I never saw that in Spain before!

Day 9: Biking the Camino del Norte, Camino del Santiago

Abadín to Baamonde (Approximately 45 km/28 miles)

Tranquil Camino

I’ve been reading a book called The Sacred Way by Tony Jones. It’s a historical, theological and quite practical look at 16 different ancient spiritual disciplines that have long been forgotten or misunderstood. Today I practiced the Jesus Prayer, a simple phrase and centering prayer that I repeated continually for most of my bike ride. It was a great way to release my worries and resulted in a very relaxing day with more beautiful scenery. It definitely feels more meaningful praying in ways that pilgrims hundreds of years ago may also have prayed walking along this same path.

Lots of wooded spaces and babbling brooks on the way to Baamonde

Today was SUPPOSED to be a flatter day and the Camino allegedly better for the bike, but I found myself often on rocky uphill paths. It was by far not the worst I´ve done, but it was still hard, and I think I´m just more tired now. I opted for the main road a bit and got back on the Camino whenever I had the energy and/or when I needed more shade. Today was a hot day so the pretty wooded tracts and small farm-towns were welcomed despite the harder path. I’m just glad to not be getting lost much anymore. There are more markers now; I only have to remember that in Galicia we now follow the top end of the shell instead of the bottom like before.

I made it to the albergue by 3:30, so I did laundry, read, relaxed and talked with some of the other pilgrims. Not many of them seem to be doing the Camino with spiritual intent, but rather physical or tourist motives. I’m a combo of all those.

The trail markers are often built right into the walls of houses...(close up of shell tile in other pic below)

There are definitely a lot more people along the Camino now as I am getting closer to Santiago de Compostela. When before I might see 5 pilgrims all day, now I pass someone every 30 minutes or so. To get the “Compostela” (like a certificate of completion) at the end you have to have at least walked 100 km or biked 200 km prior to your arrival. So of course many people start from as close to 100 km as they can, which is right about where I am now. There is a huge group of Portuguese teenagers and adults who showed up here at the albergue tonight…complete with moving truck to carry all their belongings and mobile kitchen. When they busted out their guitars and all started singing together, I knew they were a church group. Many of the other pilgrims who have been on the Camino walking for weeks or months, carrying their own packs, definitely looked down on those who just started so close and with a service to transport everything for them. But hey, who am I to judge…at least they are doing something. It is certainly hard to adjust to being around so many people again. I guess my peaceful Camino is ending.

The sunrise over the Puente de los Santos (Saints´ Bridge) from my albergue´s rooftop in Ribadeo

Day 8

Biking the Camino del Norte, Camino de Santiago

Ribadeo to Abadín by bus

Here´s a video I actually took on Day 7 of the somewhat scary bridge into Ribadeo. The biker coming towards me and I had to do a bit of finagling to get around each other on this narrow space. Once on the other side, I had officially crossed into the province of Galicia.

The albergue where I stayed along the river Eo in Ribadeo.

The albergue I stayed in here was almost right under the bridge, so early this morning I had a great view of the bridge and nearby village all lit up from the window by my top bunk bed. I walked out on the roof and watched the sunrise as I considered my plan for the day. I was acutely aware that it is hard for me to sit and stay put; I have to fight the urge to keep moving and biking instead of taking time to focus and center myself on God. It is so easy for the destination to become the goal instead of the goal simply being to connect with God and enjoy the process.

I decided to take a day of rest today and go by bus from Ribadeo to Abadín (about 50 km/30 miles). I had heard warnings from other cyclists of an 11 km/7 mile incline within that stretch, and the visions of me pushing my bike uphill for that long were utterly unappealing. So since I’m not hard core nor am in this for the bragging rights, I am opted for the break. (*Note for those preparing for the Camino: I found out later I could have taken a bus from Lourenzá to Abadín and only been on the bus for 25 km and still would have avoided the insane incline).

Since I had time to kill before my bus, I biked around the coast nearby. Climbing down and sitting amongst the rocks watching the seaweed and sea anemones swaying in and out with the crashing waves was incredibly soothing. My thoughts wandered back to all my uncertainties about what I should do with my life, but the phrase, “Be still and know that I am God” entered my thoughts.

Where I spent my morning near Ribadeo

I have continued to simply repeat this phrase every time worries creep in and it helps me relax and not feel stressed. It is such a waste of my mental and emotional energy to debate and ponder endlessly. I trust that in the moment I really need to make an important life decision, God will give me what I need in that moment to make the right decision, and until then I can just let it go and enjoy the current moment. Anyway, those are some of my thoughts from my Camino. They are simple and obvious but so easily forgotten!

After my bus ride, I met 4 Spanish cyclists in the albergue. We all went out to dinner and of course I was given a hard time about my bike and how uncommon it is to take one like mine on the Camino. It was a great time of memories, sharing food, drink and stories from the Camino together. After hearing all their war stories from the 11 km incline, my decision to skip it was affirmed! Tomorrow is supposed to be a flatter day for the bike. We’ll see!

Can it get more peaceful than pumpkins growing in the side of the path? Little did I know what was to come!

Biking the Camino de Santiago; Camino del Norte

Almuña/Luarca to Ribadeo: Around 55-60 km

Today is the first day I’ve noticed being physically tired. Not enough to quit, but it’s definitely hitting my body that I’ve been biking for a week straight now. Pushing through paid of with great rewards though…today was an amazing day!

As I left the beautiful town of Luarca, Pleasant quiet village roads through farmlands helped me bike off my morning stiffness. Then the Camino was intercepted by new highway construction and the path became basically ridiculous without a mountain bike. I made it through that, only for the Camino to continue on naturally rugged terrain. Granted, these paths would not be that hard for a walker, but for me as a non-mountain biker, it was a challenge.

There was a great stretch that was a subtle downhill path literally through someone’s farmland. I only saw one lone Asian man for a long time. After crossing a stream I saw that I had a steep muddy incline ahead, with a huge rock step in the middle of it. I mustered up my energy, struggled up the hill and ramped my front wheel up and over the step, but I literally could not push it any further. So there I was, mid-hill, halfway over the rock. I couldn’t go up, and I couldn’t go back, or I would end up falling into disaster. I waited for a minute trying to figure out what to do, when up walked the Asian pilgrim. He smiled, silently gave me a boost from behind, and went on his way. Thank you Asian Angel! I don’t know what I would have done without you! After that I definitely stuck to the main roads for a bit while I recovered.

My antique memento from Navia, along the Camino de Santiago

When I came to the town of Navia, I biked past a local antique shop right on the Camino. As an antique lover, I popped in to see what kinds of treasures a Spanish antique shop would contain. Common to most antique shops worldwide, every square inch was packed. Yet one little ring caught my attention. The elderly shopkeeper didn’t know much about it other than it was from the 50s, but I knew it had to be my memento from the Camino. The subtle cross will be a perfect reminder for me of the tranquility of the Camino and my need to stay centered on my current path, remember that God is always with me, and that there is no need to worry about tomorrow. I think it’s a much cooler and more memorable souvenir than a cheesy T-shirt!

Mmm. Picnic with a view of the Cantabrian Sea.

Eating on the Camino has been different almost every day for me. Today, I found some shade behind an abandoned house with a view of the ocean and had a picnic with my leftovers of tongue and french fries from yesterday’s menu del día. And yes, it was good. I tried meditating, but thoughts of my route, my time, and concerns from back home filled my mind. It is amazing how even while on the Camino, seemingly disconnected from everything, I can still get distracted. I guess that’s only natural as I had to bring my brain with me.

Back on the Camino I heard live music and saw many dressed up people as I biked through the town ofLa Caridad. I detoured and followed the crowds to the main plaza and found a local festival in full swing. It was a great bonus in the middle of the day, and provided some great people watching! (Clip from it at the end of the first video posted today).

See footage of this beautiful stretch of the Costa Verde in the video...

From there, I took an optional coastal route through Tapia de Casariego (you can actually “ride” with me and see it unfold live in the above video) and although I got lost connecting into Ribadeo, it just didn’t bother me as much. I’ve finally accepted getting lost as part of the experience. Plus, the absolutely beautiful coastal scenery and beaches made it all worthwhile. The bridge and view to Ribadeo is nothing short of impressive and the albergue was just on the other side, almost underneath the bridge with a view of the river pouring out into the Cantabrian Sea. Maybe I’ll catch the sunrise tomorrow…

Morning mountain mist I had to wait out...

Day 6: Biking the Camino de Santiago, Camino del Norte

Approx. 55 km/34 miles: San Esteban de Pravia to Almuña

One advantage of riding my bike instead of walking is that I can get to my next destination faster than the walkers, SO I don’t have to get up and out as early in the morning. Today was a pretty early start for me…up and out by 8:30 am. It totally backfired on me though, as at 9 am, I hit mountain morning fog/mist so dense that I could hardly see 10 meters in front of me. As there were many sharp curves and no shoulder on the old national highway, I decided to avert being hit from behind by waiting it out with a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) in a gas station’s café.

View Larger Map

It's hard to see, but the ocean is on the other side of this town.

The rest of the day was somewhat monotonous and uneventful until the evening. Still, I can´t complain…the landscape is pretty, forested, and dotted with quaint towns right on the ocean as you can see in my pics.

Horse with rocky coastline in background

It started sprinkling a few kilometers before I made it to my albergue, but I made it without getting too wet. I’ve been very fortunate to have such great weather. I made it farther today since I didn’t get lost and there were not as many hills (or I’m just getting buff and more used to them)…just lots of curvy roads. There were also more Camino markers for alternative bike routes which I was incredibly grateful for.

At the albergue in Almuña outside of Luarca, there were 8 other guests representing 7 nationalities. The one young German turned out to be friends with another German I had dinner with back in Sebrayo. We all pooled our food and drinks together and shared a simple meal together, talking and translating through a mix of English, German, French, and Spanish. The evening truly captured the essence of community on the Camino. Although we all come from different places, we share a similar destination and a sense of goodwill to all. In my experience, The Camino has a way of attracting helpful, pleasant and interesting people to it; or at least they become that way while they are on the Camino. It seems the sense of camaraderie is irresistible to those who are truly on the Camino with pure motives.

8 pilgrims, 7 nationalities, united by the Camino

The most distinct character of the evening was actually the hostelero (the guy in charge of running the albergue). We invited him to stay and join us to eat, and he reveled in it saying he hadn’t seen a community meal like this in a couple of months in this albergue. He got a bit carried away…I think possibly under the influence of some happy grass…and ended up describing to us all in depth, multiple times what café de calcetines is and how it’s made. I have never seen someone so passionate and animated about an old- fashioned, rural way of making coffee by using a sock or hosiery as a filter.

The night was finished off by more banter about my bike as everyone watched me quickly unfold and fold it again. Everyone gave me a hard time about my small bike, for my big heavy chain I use to lock it (I don’t have the expensive lightweight ones), and then became parental, chastising me for doing the Camino on bike alone. These are all conversations I have often. I wish I had $1 for every time I was given unsolicited advice about my equipment choices and going alone! But, I know they mean well or deep down are just jealous and wish they had an awesome bike like mine.

Day 5: Camino de Santiago, Camino del Norte

Gijón to Aviles to San Esteban de Pravia: Approx. 45 km (27 miles)

Gijon's beach

Today was a GREAT day! In the morning, I talked with two Spaniards at the albergue who are also biking the Camino del Norte. They let me take pictures of all the maps from their guidebook, which are better than mine. And guess what? I DIDN’T GET LOST TODAY! It was a glorious day. Granted, I basically ditched the official Camino route. Well, I’m on it sometimes, but depending on my mood and energy level, I stick to secondary roads or go on the larger old national highway. I´m sure I missed some pretty scenery along the coast, but I still saw plenty, and today, I didn´t really care.  Today was all about easy and stress-free after yesterday’s mountains. There also weren’t many inclines today, so I actually made decent time.

Gijon

My morning bike ride through Gijon took me past the beach, old cathedrals and buildings, pretty plazas, and the port. It left me wanting to explore Gijon more one day. I had a leisurely breakfast at a café along the beach in Gijon before I took a really peaceful bike path on a secondary road that was impossible to get lost on. It was so nice because I didn’t have to think about directions or pushing my bike etc. I even spontaneously busted into song and had some nice time of reflection and prayer I was so relaxed on the bike today. And no, there was not really around at all to hear me singing while biking!

I stopped for a couple of hours to enjoy the town of Aviles on the way. The entry and exit of this town is pretty ugly and industrial, but in the center, there is a cute old pedestrian area and port. I had a great “menu del día” (fixed menu 3-course meal) which was a nice change from the bocadillos (sandwiches) that I’ve been eating for the last couple of days.

Church in the countryside decked out with the flag of Spain and of St. James

Everyone has been so helpful to me along the way. Multiple people at the restaurant were giving me directions and tips. Lucky for me, I even met an elderly man who has won some sort of bike races for seniors. He checked my bike over and made some adjustments for me. I´ve basically given up pre-planning and reading up the night before in preparation for the next day’s leg. I pretty much just wing it now, ask people along the way and use the maps I have; and it helps that I’ve gotten much better at finding and following the Camino signs.

I ended the day by going a bit out of my way to cross a beautiful river and stay at a private albergue along the coast in the sleepy little town of San Esteban de Pravia. I was the ONLY guest in the whole place and the entire town seemed to be in hibernation! It´s quite beautiful there as you can see in my video:

Tonight, my arms are really hurting. I have lost feeling in both my pinky and ring fingers and down my arms to my elbows. My arms must still be getting adjusted to biking and using the hand breaks so much. I think I will be doing more arm and hand stretches and changing my position more frequently on the bike from here on out. Shockingly, other than this, I haven’t really been in any physical pain or discomfort; I’m not even really too sore!

Tips for cyclists on this stretch of the Camino del Norte — MORE PICS BELOW

• It was definitely confusing following the markers out of Gijón, so be prepared to ask for directions!
• I took the CE-6 from outside of Gijon to Ambás. There were barely any cars AND a special shoulder/bike path. The Camino overlapped with the path for a bit, but I stayed on it even after the Camino left it officially. It was a pleasant break on my bike from the last few difficult days.
• The Albergue Turístico Bocamar was a great stop for me. While not officially on the Camino, I knew I couldn’t make it all the way to Soto de Luiña today. Plus, it was a really pretty stop on the coast. If you’ve been on your bike and have missed some of the coastal paths, this is a worthwhile small detour to make overnight.

Day 4 Camino de Santiago, Camino del Norte

Sebrayo to Gijon. 34 km + about 10 km of being lost + longer detours for the bike route = 40km/24 miles

I biked for about 8 hours including some breaks today. A ridiculously long time for such a short distance. Basically, I am SLOW!!! That lets you know that I was lost a LOT and that I pushed my bike uphill a LOT. I think I pushed it uphill with no break for about 5 km/3 miles straight…twice. And somehow I still enjoy myself. I think I am a glutton for punishment. I did feel much better about myself today knowing that all the pilgrims were pretty much lost all day. The signs were simply not good on this stretch.

This video makes me laugh at myself as I watch my slow deterioration as the day progresses. It pretty much captures the day. But what I didn´t mention in the video is below:

I washed clothes yesterday, but the sun was setting while I was hanging everything up. So, in the morning, all my clothes were still really wet and I had to hang them all over my bag, underwear and all. Note to self and others doing the Camino: don´t wash all your clothes at once!

I stopped at the post office in Villaviciosa in the morning and mailed off my laptop, misc. clothes for cold weather and anything else I could find that I don´t need in order to shed some weight. It was a glorious moment. I don´t think I would have made it today without having done that!!

Despite being lost so much today, I do actually feel like I´m finding my rhythm and am doing better at following the signs/arrows/shells. I think I´m learning how to accept myself as is…I make stupid decisions/mistakes or am slow to catch on sometimes, but in the end I get it. I am learning how to have patience with myself. Also, I thought about how excited I get to see a little yellow arrow whenever I was feeling uncertain about which way to go. I would LOVE to have some of those little signs for direction I should go with my life. Here, when I don´t see the arrows, I either find someone to ask (including knocking on doors of people´s homes), just keep going and hope for the best, or today I actually started turning around and retracing my steps to see if I missed a sign. And my German angel I menioned in my video helped a lot too!

Oh and I got stopped by the police/Guardia Civil again today (read about the first time here). I was wandering in Gijon, trying to find my way back to the albergue/campgrounds on the outskirts of town and the Guardia Civil asked if I needed help and pulled over. Thanks to their iPhones I was able to get back on track. Normally I´m told Guardia Civil are not so nice and helpful. Turns out one of the Guardias was really just interested in my bike. He was curious to find out more about it, so we chatted it up about my folding bike. By the way, I do still love my bike despite my dificulties on the Camino. So thank you Dahon bike for attracting the help of the police!

Just a few pics today as the scenery, while beautiful is pretty similar to earlier days.

Day 3: Camino de Santiago, Camino del Norte

Approx. 28 KM; Ribadesella to Sebrayu

Fresh cheese and bread, my journal, and the beach. Total tranquility. A great start to my day.

Wanting to process the funeral from last night and enjoy the setting, I took some time to relax on the back porch, looking out at the ocean. There, I journaled and prayed a bit while enjoying my Asturian cheese with bread for breakfast. I packed up pretty late…everyone was already gone for the day, and the house was desolate. I must admit, in this moment I had my one pity party of the trip. With the remnants of my emotional night prior still lingering, I felt very alone and a bit overwhelmed at the road ahead. I cried for a few minutes, then shook it off, remembered all the uncountable things I have to be grateful for and hit the road after10:30 AM.

By this point, I’ve decided that the guidebook and maps I have are almost totally worthless. I basically stalked another Spanish cyclist and desperately asked him how he follows the Camino on his bike. He confirmed what two French cyclists told me this morning and said he sticks to the main roads because the Camino is often too hard for bikes. That was both consoling and disappointing for me. I hate knowing I’m missing some pretty scenery along the coast, but it really is just too hard on the bike.

The day started off with a killer hill almost immediately, which led to subsequent killer hills the rest of the day. I really needed that great scenery as a frequent reward, because of having to push my bike up most of them. Sometimes the up hills seemed never-ending. I realized I get more discouraged whenever I can´t see the top of the hill and I have no idea how long the uphill is going to last. I find myself just waiting for the downhill I know has to be on the other side. I think this actually parallels how I can be in my life when facing something uncertain or unknown. Maybe I have to figure out how to enjoy the uphill climbs in life, instead of to just waiting for the downhill…hmmm…deep thoughts to ponder!

I tried to stick to main road for first half to make it easier and then branched back onto the Camino at Colunga. In Colunga, I stopped for a drink and a pincho (like a tapas or small snack). Here I met a German couple, who were probably in their late 30s and were biking all over the world. They had already been biking for 6 months through Europe and were possibly going to America by boat! They are planning on biking for years and/or until the money they saved up runs out. They saved for 5 years, and had been planning their trip actively for 2 years. They were such an interesting and inspiring couple!

The shell is a symbol of the Camino, and also serves as an "arrow"/marker for the path.

After Colunga, I was doing great following the yellow arrows and was feeling really good about myself. Then somehow I got lost, wandered around for a while, sat in a roundabout trying to call the albergue, and in the end, knocked on a couple of doors and finally found a tiny path to take me to Sebrayu. On the way, I crossed a Spanish guy walking that I had already passed twice earlier…he was going basically just as fast walking as me on my bike. I blame this on the fact that the whole day I was in essence walking, just pushing my bike uphill. It was torture. I HAVE to mail things and get rid of weight. My backpack definitely weighs too much. I can’t keep pushing like this.

I pulled up to the albergue at Sebrayu, which is in fact a village…the kind that if you blink, you miss it. It was in the middle of literally nowhere, no shops, just a few small houses on one dirt street. It was still early in the day and I had energy to keep going a bit, but there wasn’t another albergue for 20+ miles, with more mountains. I knew I didn’t have energy for that! So, I stayed, enjoyed the peacefulness, washed clothes in the sink, and talked with a young German guy. A van drove up to the albergue selling veggies and other packaged foods as they apparently know us pilgrims travel light and have no where else to get food. I bought a few things, and made a simple dinner that I shared with my new German friend and an Italian couple.

Today, I didn’t take as many pictures. The scenery is starting to look the same, and I’m so tired, I don’t even care as much! HA! Here are the ones I did take: