For those of that didn't know, I am now in Hungary. I figured that since I met so many Hungarians and they were all pretty rad it was a sign that I needed to go there. So here I am. Smack dab in the middle of Budapest. Actually I am in Pest, but I have also been staying in Buda. It has been one wild ride.
It turns out that the Hungarians are huge fans of staying up all night, every night. To put it this way, we go to bed at about 3:30am last night and that was an early night, but probably the most random. Everyone was gone yesterday. Jamie and Reka were at a Nine Inch Nails concert, Piroska was at work and Tamas was in some town doing something. Tamas had told me of a Hungarian film festival that was happening, sounds awesome right? No. By the time I had arrived the American movie was starting and it happened to be "Music and Lyrics" with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. If that wasn't bad enough it hadn't occured to me that there was a possibility that the movie was going to be in Hungarian. I felt like an ass. Oh, speaking of asses....
After the movie I ran across town to meet up with Piroska, Jamie and Reka because by some stroke of random luck we had been invited on a party bus by Piroska's brother. We arrive to a double decker tour bus with that is playing the most terrible music ever. I don't even know what genre it was but we'll just call it Crap. So, we get on to the bus and decide that we need to make the best of this and what better way to do that than to start taking shots of vodka chaced by sprite. Now that we are well on our way I think the only way to make this worthwhile is to moon the non-party bussers. Reka, Jamie and Piroska agree and we spend the next hour looking for our victims. There they are. An innocent group of people walking home after a long night. The four of us yell out the window and turn around as fast as we can and bend over. It was so much fun that we did it a few more times but it turns out that there are cops cruising the streets of Budapest. Who would have thought. The next thing we hear are sirens and our bus has stopped. Jamie and I start to get a very worried because we are without our passports and have just mooned a good part of the Pest side. Luckily, the cops didn't investigate any further and we went on our merry way.
And now tonight is Piroska's performance and Tamas' birthday. What could possibly happen tonight?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I F-ING MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!
Finally! After 32 days of walking I have finally made it to Finisterre!!!!!! I can not wrap my mind around it. Well, I haven´t actually made it yet. I still have 3k´s to walk to the lighthouse to watch the sunset and burn my socks, then I will be done. It is such an amazing feeling, I think. I do have to admit that I am one massive beer and a shot into my celebration with the Camino Family so I´m not really feeling anything but drunk.
To the lighthouse!
To the lighthouse!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sprinters and Bed Bugs
I am over my beef with the bikers and I have now focused my attention on the Sprinters. The sprinters are the people that start the Camino at the 100k mark. The reason for this is that you must do 100k´s in order to get the certificate at the end and they pretty much suck. They are the most unfriendly people and are extremely rude. It is just a long weekend for them and they don´t understand what it is all about. They come in late and loud, are constantly on their phones (in the rooma and on the Camino), they yell to speak, carry radios (!!!!) and listen to them while they walk so we can all enjoy their shitty music, and there are hundreds of them so they take all the beds. That last one really got us today. After walking 33 k´s to day (and 40 the day before), the place we were going to stay was full so we pretty much ran the next 3k´s to get to the next albergue where there was just one bed left and 4 of us. We must have done something good at some point because the hospialiro call the 3 of us back and gave us our OWN ROOM! I know you can´t understand the excitement, but we were squealing! For the past 30 days we have been sharing a room with 100 other people and to have 3 of us in one room is heaven!
Oh, speaking of sharing rooms. One of the many joys of this is that at some places, I don´t know how it happens, but people bring bed bugs. Up until now I have been very luck and have not encountered this but it finally happened about 3 days ago. Rike had seen one in her bed and didn´t think anything of it. Well, the next day she was covered in bites. They got into her bag, where she carried them to the next place and oh-so-kindly shared them with me. On my right arm alone I have 18 bites. I was so close! If they were just bites I wouldn´t care, but they itch like hell! It´s like having poison oak all over your body. And the best part is that I have 3 bites on my butt. I think I have rid my things of them, but the only way to find out is if I have more tomorrow...
Oh, speaking of sharing rooms. One of the many joys of this is that at some places, I don´t know how it happens, but people bring bed bugs. Up until now I have been very luck and have not encountered this but it finally happened about 3 days ago. Rike had seen one in her bed and didn´t think anything of it. Well, the next day she was covered in bites. They got into her bag, where she carried them to the next place and oh-so-kindly shared them with me. On my right arm alone I have 18 bites. I was so close! If they were just bites I wouldn´t care, but they itch like hell! It´s like having poison oak all over your body. And the best part is that I have 3 bites on my butt. I think I have rid my things of them, but the only way to find out is if I have more tomorrow...
Tomorrow is the big day
It´s finally here. Tomorrow we walk into Santiago. I guess I shouldn´t say finally, because it has come too quick. After 30 days of just walking, the thought of not doing it is a little scary. Thankfully we still have Finisterre to walk to. Speaking of Finisterre, I can not wait! All the way to Santiago it is very religious. Crosses everywhere, no booze aloud in the albergues, god this, god that. But Finisterre. Ah Finisterre. This is the Pagan side of things so let the debauchery begin!
Finisterre was believed to be the end of the earth a few years ago and there are some legends that I can´t really recall at the moment. It´s a 3 day walk and once you get there you are to burn your socks or all your clothes or your boots, little things you brought from home (which I was unaware of) or pretty much anything. I will be burning my socks and possibly my shoes. But the best part is that, from what I have heard, after you burn everything, everyone runs into the ocean naked! Yes, it is a group skinny dip (a chuncky dunk for a few...)!!! Sorry Mom and Dad, but yes I will be partaking in this event. Try not to think about it. From what I understand it cleanse you and you become a pure pilgirm.
This has been quite the adventure. Sunburns, blisters - oh the blisters. I managed to get one blister twice! Put that in you pipe. So, sunburns, blisters, food poisoning, bikers, sprinters, torn meniscus (possibly), bed bugs, and amazing people. I could ask for anything better.
Finisterre was believed to be the end of the earth a few years ago and there are some legends that I can´t really recall at the moment. It´s a 3 day walk and once you get there you are to burn your socks or all your clothes or your boots, little things you brought from home (which I was unaware of) or pretty much anything. I will be burning my socks and possibly my shoes. But the best part is that, from what I have heard, after you burn everything, everyone runs into the ocean naked! Yes, it is a group skinny dip (a chuncky dunk for a few...)!!! Sorry Mom and Dad, but yes I will be partaking in this event. Try not to think about it. From what I understand it cleanse you and you become a pure pilgirm.
This has been quite the adventure. Sunburns, blisters - oh the blisters. I managed to get one blister twice! Put that in you pipe. So, sunburns, blisters, food poisoning, bikers, sprinters, torn meniscus (possibly), bed bugs, and amazing people. I could ask for anything better.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pain and Suffering, Emotions, Spiritual
This is what I have heard about the Camino. It comes in three stages. The first: Pain and Suffering. This couldn´t be closer to the truth. Your body is aching in places you didn´t even know existed, blisters have started forming, you are stuck sharing a room with 109 other people who all don´t have the same view on personal hygiene as you do and you find that walking is hard! I know you are laughing at me because I keep saying that walking is tough, but give it a shot. And I´m not even suggesting that you put a 20 pound pack on. Walk down to the store or maybe even just a mile down the road and back and tell me how you feel. But the main problem with the walking being hard is that when doing my research on the Camino and everyone was stressing that you should train, I laughed just like you are.
After you have gotten over how bad your feet and shoulders ache and you have quit giving so much attention to that one blister between your big toe and the one next to it and how bad it hurts and how you wish that amputation was an option, then the emotions start rolling in. These aren´t your everyday, run-of-the-mill emotions, these are the one´s you have put away for a rainy day. You are all over the place. My mom was sure that I was going through the change at 24. But there is a reason that this is the time for all the emotions. You are on the f-ing meseta and are bored out of your mind! A week and a half of wheat. It´s flat and there is wheat. Nothing else. Just wheat. Your brain has no way of dealing with all the wheat, so instead it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster to save you from how bored you are.
Now that you have experienced every emotion known to man, you finally arrive in Galicia. I´m not sure if it is really as beautiful as I think it is or if I am just happy to be off of the damn meseta, but it is amazing. Everything is so green and there are birds. You didn´t hear birds on the meseta, at least I didn´t. I don´t think there has been any spiritual movement inside of me but life is much better. Give me 3 days and I´ll let you know. That´s when I should be arriving in Santiago!
After you have gotten over how bad your feet and shoulders ache and you have quit giving so much attention to that one blister between your big toe and the one next to it and how bad it hurts and how you wish that amputation was an option, then the emotions start rolling in. These aren´t your everyday, run-of-the-mill emotions, these are the one´s you have put away for a rainy day. You are all over the place. My mom was sure that I was going through the change at 24. But there is a reason that this is the time for all the emotions. You are on the f-ing meseta and are bored out of your mind! A week and a half of wheat. It´s flat and there is wheat. Nothing else. Just wheat. Your brain has no way of dealing with all the wheat, so instead it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster to save you from how bored you are.
Now that you have experienced every emotion known to man, you finally arrive in Galicia. I´m not sure if it is really as beautiful as I think it is or if I am just happy to be off of the damn meseta, but it is amazing. Everything is so green and there are birds. You didn´t hear birds on the meseta, at least I didn´t. I don´t think there has been any spiritual movement inside of me but life is much better. Give me 3 days and I´ll let you know. That´s when I should be arriving in Santiago!
700k down, 100 to go!
Yep, that´s right. I just passed the 100k mark. I can´t even comprehend it.
It´s been awhile since my last update so I´ll try to keep it short and to the point. Three days after my last post we (i´m not sure if i told you about the big group I fell into. If I haven´t then I will let you know that there are 6 people) stayed at this amazing little place by the name of Manjarín. This is a place that will always have a special place my heart and my immune system. Manjarín had no running water, no electricity and mats that we slept on in the attic of this house. We roughed it. They were kind enough to provide us with dinner, breakfast (!) and a great time. What they also sent us on our way with was a huge dose of food poisoning. Slowly, one by one, it took us down. First it was Tim. He spent that entire night running downstairs (and remember, no electricity). Then in the morning Jamie starts speaking of an upset stomach which caused me to turn my attention to my stomach that was also not feeling up to par.
After a nice siesta by the river in an unknown town, I run into Jamie looking quite dazed. I had stopped in an albergue to use the bathroom and almost took him out. It turns out that 2 Spanish men found him in a ditch throwing up and took him to the hospital. I got him settled in and went on my way. I´d say about 3 hours later, in the middle of nowhere, 5k from the next village, there I was puking, again. Luckily, Tim had stayed with me and that kept me from bursting into tears pleding with the heavens to send my mom to me. Little did I know that one of the Hungarian girls was doing the same thing 2k´s ahead of me. Then about 4 hours after that it took the German girl down. So, 4 out of our 7. Not bad. We ran into some other people that had stayed there that night and they were all sick also. I tip my hat to you, Manjarín.
It´s been awhile since my last update so I´ll try to keep it short and to the point. Three days after my last post we (i´m not sure if i told you about the big group I fell into. If I haven´t then I will let you know that there are 6 people) stayed at this amazing little place by the name of Manjarín. This is a place that will always have a special place my heart and my immune system. Manjarín had no running water, no electricity and mats that we slept on in the attic of this house. We roughed it. They were kind enough to provide us with dinner, breakfast (!) and a great time. What they also sent us on our way with was a huge dose of food poisoning. Slowly, one by one, it took us down. First it was Tim. He spent that entire night running downstairs (and remember, no electricity). Then in the morning Jamie starts speaking of an upset stomach which caused me to turn my attention to my stomach that was also not feeling up to par.
After a nice siesta by the river in an unknown town, I run into Jamie looking quite dazed. I had stopped in an albergue to use the bathroom and almost took him out. It turns out that 2 Spanish men found him in a ditch throwing up and took him to the hospital. I got him settled in and went on my way. I´d say about 3 hours later, in the middle of nowhere, 5k from the next village, there I was puking, again. Luckily, Tim had stayed with me and that kept me from bursting into tears pleding with the heavens to send my mom to me. Little did I know that one of the Hungarian girls was doing the same thing 2k´s ahead of me. Then about 4 hours after that it took the German girl down. So, 4 out of our 7. Not bad. We ran into some other people that had stayed there that night and they were all sick also. I tip my hat to you, Manjarín.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Can I pass into your bed?
I´m not sure if I have mentioned this yet, but I have a serious grudge against the bikers. They zoom past you at a million kilometers per hour dinging their stupid bells *ding ding* ¡buen camino! *ding ding* I haven´t really liked them from the beginning, I believe that they are cheaters. But what really sent me over the edge was a situation similliar to the one I just described, but one guy, oh this one guy, instead of a "¡buen camino!" he gave me a *ding ding* "¡adiós!" I wanted to throw my walking stick in his tires. What takes me 3 days to walk, they do in 1. It´s quite annoying. But this is what the Camino is about, looking at the things that bother you and figure out why. Well, I haven´t figured out why, maybe jealousy, but I gave it a good shot.
As you know, I have learned nothing in the way of Spanish since I have been here. All I seem to be learning is Hungarian. About 2 days ago I was laying in my bunk at the hostel when 3 Spanish bikers came in. We chatted as much as we could and they invited me for a beer. I accepted. Killing 2 birds with one stone, right? Well, after a few beers, it was time to head back to the albergue. It just so happened that one of the guys was sleeping right next to me. He was the only one that knew some English so we chatted for a bit and listened to some music. Just as i am about to fall asleep, his buddy says something to him and he looks at me and then writes me a message on his phone "can i pass into your bed?" Confused, I laughed and this made him a little uncomfortable. His reason was that his friend wanted to sleep on the bottom bunk. When that didn´t work, he tried the "this may be the only time I will see you" and after that didn´t land him a spot in my bed, he apologized and gave up. So, there you go. I tried and they failed me. No longer will I try to befriend a biker, let alone a Spanish biker.
As you know, I have learned nothing in the way of Spanish since I have been here. All I seem to be learning is Hungarian. About 2 days ago I was laying in my bunk at the hostel when 3 Spanish bikers came in. We chatted as much as we could and they invited me for a beer. I accepted. Killing 2 birds with one stone, right? Well, after a few beers, it was time to head back to the albergue. It just so happened that one of the guys was sleeping right next to me. He was the only one that knew some English so we chatted for a bit and listened to some music. Just as i am about to fall asleep, his buddy says something to him and he looks at me and then writes me a message on his phone "can i pass into your bed?" Confused, I laughed and this made him a little uncomfortable. His reason was that his friend wanted to sleep on the bottom bunk. When that didn´t work, he tried the "this may be the only time I will see you" and after that didn´t land him a spot in my bed, he apologized and gave up. So, there you go. I tried and they failed me. No longer will I try to befriend a biker, let alone a Spanish biker.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Seriously?!
I have lost track of any sort of time. I no longer know what day it is or what time it is. All I know is that I have to walk. The past few days the emotions have been all over the place. I was cursing St. James and his pilgrimage for an evening, then in the morning life couldn´t be better and now everything it mellow.
I was in Burgos 2 nights ago after a 41.5 km walk!!! That is a little over 25 miles. Just think about it for a second. Yeah, I know. Anyway, I don´t think I could have gotten out of there faster. We get to the albergue and get everything taken care of (showers, napping, deciding where to get food) and while Tamás is using the internet, I decide to go up to the room and read.
This was maybe the worst decision I have made in a while. As I´m laying down the man next to me asks me some question (I think it was about my yogatoes) which somehow leads to a conversation about how the French government is after him and trying to kill him. Apparently, years ago, he was friends with an Africian President and was doing everything in his power to keep this man from being killed because he knew that the government was after him (the French gov. I think), but the man got killed and they blamed him. Since then, the government has been harrassing him. Ransacking his flat, freezing his bank account, sending attractive women to trap him. This went on for about 30 minutes until I could form a plan to get out of there. The brilliant plan I came up with was to slowly put my shoes on, pretend like I am getting something out of my bag and grab out everything of value and tell him that I am leaving for dinner. Thankfully it worked. I informed Tamás and Fredrick of what happened and they just laughed at me. Fredrick later came up to see who he was. Long story short, everytime I was alone the next morning, he found me and continued to talk to me. How do these people find me?
Now I am in an amazing albergue with a pool! So, enough of this typing. ¡Hasta manaña!
I was in Burgos 2 nights ago after a 41.5 km walk!!! That is a little over 25 miles. Just think about it for a second. Yeah, I know. Anyway, I don´t think I could have gotten out of there faster. We get to the albergue and get everything taken care of (showers, napping, deciding where to get food) and while Tamás is using the internet, I decide to go up to the room and read.
This was maybe the worst decision I have made in a while. As I´m laying down the man next to me asks me some question (I think it was about my yogatoes) which somehow leads to a conversation about how the French government is after him and trying to kill him. Apparently, years ago, he was friends with an Africian President and was doing everything in his power to keep this man from being killed because he knew that the government was after him (the French gov. I think), but the man got killed and they blamed him. Since then, the government has been harrassing him. Ransacking his flat, freezing his bank account, sending attractive women to trap him. This went on for about 30 minutes until I could form a plan to get out of there. The brilliant plan I came up with was to slowly put my shoes on, pretend like I am getting something out of my bag and grab out everything of value and tell him that I am leaving for dinner. Thankfully it worked. I informed Tamás and Fredrick of what happened and they just laughed at me. Fredrick later came up to see who he was. Long story short, everytime I was alone the next morning, he found me and continued to talk to me. How do these people find me?
Now I am in an amazing albergue with a pool! So, enough of this typing. ¡Hasta manaña!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunburnt and sore
I am noticing a change in the way I write and speak these days. It turns out that when you only speak in broken English for 9 days, it kind of sticks and it is doing a number on my creative writing. So I apologize if my writing is a bit off. I blame my parents for not forcing me to learn 3 different languages.
I´m going to try to finish the recap and be done with it.
Day 5 - Cizur Menor to Ciraqui 27.4k
I´m going to make these quick. I woke up early and ditched Tom and Stephen. Nothing against them, I just wanted to make it there before nightfall. I had an awesome day walking by myself and powered through it. Things did get a little hairy when I came to a section that was seriously lacking trees and water, but it wasn´t to long until I came upon both. And big surprise, when I got to the water fountain and was doing some relaxing 2 peregrinos who were behind me stopped for some water. After listening to them speak for a second, guess what...yes they are Hungarian. Seriously. 7 Hungarians. How is this even possible? I have taken it as a sign and I will be going to Budapest to visit Tom and David and then up into the country to see Ann and Margo. I´m like a Hungarian magnet out here. That was pretty much the excitment for the day. Oh, and there was an amazing thunderstorm also.
Day 6 - Ciraqui to Los Arcos 36.5k
The most intense day thus far. Tom, Stephen and I walked to Villamayor and it was f-ing hot!! 95F and zero shade! Tom and I took little siesta at an albergue then continued on to Los Arcos with Valdi. Let me tell you about Valdi. He is from Poland and seems to be a little off his rocker. I had heard that the night before he melted all of his credit cards and id´s - he is giving the man the finger. Valdi also is walking the Camino because he is praying for all of the people of Poland to come back home because World War 3 is going to breakout in less than 3 years and Poland is the only safe place. He is the most interesting character I´ve met so far. We lost him after Los Arcos, but I have a feeling that he will pop up again.
Day 7 - Los Arcos to Logroño 28.7k
Nothing too exciting to report this day. I didn´t even write in my journal, so I´m guessing it was pretty uneventful. I know I was wiped out from the day before. By the way, 36.5k is a 23 miles.
Day 8 - Logroño to Nájera 30.7k
Also, pretty uneventful. Walked with David and then Fredrick from Germany. I wasn´t really into the view here and just wanted to get to Nájera.
Ok, I´m noticing that I´m not really giving this my all right now, so I should probably come back to it another day. Today is day 9 and hopefully tomorrow my writing mood will be better.
I´m going to try to finish the recap and be done with it.
Day 5 - Cizur Menor to Ciraqui 27.4k
I´m going to make these quick. I woke up early and ditched Tom and Stephen. Nothing against them, I just wanted to make it there before nightfall. I had an awesome day walking by myself and powered through it. Things did get a little hairy when I came to a section that was seriously lacking trees and water, but it wasn´t to long until I came upon both. And big surprise, when I got to the water fountain and was doing some relaxing 2 peregrinos who were behind me stopped for some water. After listening to them speak for a second, guess what...yes they are Hungarian. Seriously. 7 Hungarians. How is this even possible? I have taken it as a sign and I will be going to Budapest to visit Tom and David and then up into the country to see Ann and Margo. I´m like a Hungarian magnet out here. That was pretty much the excitment for the day. Oh, and there was an amazing thunderstorm also.
Day 6 - Ciraqui to Los Arcos 36.5k
The most intense day thus far. Tom, Stephen and I walked to Villamayor and it was f-ing hot!! 95F and zero shade! Tom and I took little siesta at an albergue then continued on to Los Arcos with Valdi. Let me tell you about Valdi. He is from Poland and seems to be a little off his rocker. I had heard that the night before he melted all of his credit cards and id´s - he is giving the man the finger. Valdi also is walking the Camino because he is praying for all of the people of Poland to come back home because World War 3 is going to breakout in less than 3 years and Poland is the only safe place. He is the most interesting character I´ve met so far. We lost him after Los Arcos, but I have a feeling that he will pop up again.
Day 7 - Los Arcos to Logroño 28.7k
Nothing too exciting to report this day. I didn´t even write in my journal, so I´m guessing it was pretty uneventful. I know I was wiped out from the day before. By the way, 36.5k is a 23 miles.
Day 8 - Logroño to Nájera 30.7k
Also, pretty uneventful. Walked with David and then Fredrick from Germany. I wasn´t really into the view here and just wanted to get to Nájera.
Ok, I´m noticing that I´m not really giving this my all right now, so I should probably come back to it another day. Today is day 9 and hopefully tomorrow my writing mood will be better.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Holy molar!
Jesus, Joseph and Mary has it been a tough few days! I am happy to report that my left knee has doubled in size and because of its recent growth spurt my right knee is a bit jealous and is working on beefing up.
Thanks to Margo and Ann teaching me a couple phrases in Hungarian I have been able to tell 3 unsuspecting Hungarian men that I love them. The first being Tamas (To-ma-sshhh), the Stephen and some man with his wife.
Let us do a little recap of the past few days. I believe I left off on day 2, so I will start on day 3...
Day 3 - Roncesvalles to Lassarona 28k
I managed to find Linda again. It was fine. Thankfully she keeps a pretty good pace so we caught up with my 2 Hungarian lady friends, Margo and Ann. Margo and Ann were walking with Tamas, a Hungarian guy that I confessed my love for the night before. Tamas, Linda and I left Margo (the self-proclaimed snail) and Ann. Shortly after we lost Linda, also. I was a little sad to see her go, but I was in good company. There really isn´t much to report for this day except that I have the strangest songs popping into my head. This morning I woke up to "Come All Ye Faithful". I´m really hoping this doesn´t continue.
Day 4 - Lassarona to Cizur Menor 20k
I hated everything. Tom (Tamas) and I picked up another Hungarian and he walked with us. This was fine, except he didn´t speak a word of English and my Hungarian isn´t quite up to par yet. It took us 9 and a half hours to walk what should have taken us 5 and a half. I never wanted to see another Hungarian again. But after some rest and a beer and wine with dinner, things took a turn for the better. I am now able to understand some things when they are talking to each other. Tom can speak English pretty well, so he is our converstation middle man. Tom made me a super sweet walking stick and it is doing wonders for my legs.
I have some people waiting for the internet, so I will finish all this later.
Adios!
Thanks to Margo and Ann teaching me a couple phrases in Hungarian I have been able to tell 3 unsuspecting Hungarian men that I love them. The first being Tamas (To-ma-sshhh), the Stephen and some man with his wife.
Let us do a little recap of the past few days. I believe I left off on day 2, so I will start on day 3...
Day 3 - Roncesvalles to Lassarona 28k
I managed to find Linda again. It was fine. Thankfully she keeps a pretty good pace so we caught up with my 2 Hungarian lady friends, Margo and Ann. Margo and Ann were walking with Tamas, a Hungarian guy that I confessed my love for the night before. Tamas, Linda and I left Margo (the self-proclaimed snail) and Ann. Shortly after we lost Linda, also. I was a little sad to see her go, but I was in good company. There really isn´t much to report for this day except that I have the strangest songs popping into my head. This morning I woke up to "Come All Ye Faithful". I´m really hoping this doesn´t continue.
Day 4 - Lassarona to Cizur Menor 20k
I hated everything. Tom (Tamas) and I picked up another Hungarian and he walked with us. This was fine, except he didn´t speak a word of English and my Hungarian isn´t quite up to par yet. It took us 9 and a half hours to walk what should have taken us 5 and a half. I never wanted to see another Hungarian again. But after some rest and a beer and wine with dinner, things took a turn for the better. I am now able to understand some things when they are talking to each other. Tom can speak English pretty well, so he is our converstation middle man. Tom made me a super sweet walking stick and it is doing wonders for my legs.
I have some people waiting for the internet, so I will finish all this later.
Adios!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Things are looking better
I have finally made it to Spain after my near breakdown in Paris. I´ll give you a little summary of the past few days...
After I came inches away from losing my mind, I finally shelled out the 109 euros it cost to take the overnight train from Paris to SJPP. That is about 150 dollars back in the states. Since I had been sleeping in plane seats the past few days, I upgraded myself to a coachette. that did wonders for me. I believe my meltdown was due to the redeye to Boston and spending the day (my 8 hour layover) walking around the city with Chris, then catching the redeye to Paris and having to take the metro to various placed to get to the train i needed to be on. Because at this point i loathed Paris, I spent the next 8 hours sitting in the train station where I met the cutest little girl that was teaching me french. When i wasn´t "speaking" with her, you could find me sitting in a chair cross-legged with my bag on my lap and me hunched over it asleep and drooling. i was quite a sight. Finally at 11:10pm, my train arrived and i was off.
Day 1
I arrived in SJPP at 9:34am and began my walk. I buddied up with 2 guys that were heading to the peligrino´s office and we started our journey. After the office we lost on guy, David of Hungry, so it was just me and Will of Chicago. This had to be the hardest day of my life. With lack of sleep and food on my side and staring at the face of the Pyreenes we walked. Granted we were on a road, but it was like walking up on side of Devil´s Dip for 4 hours (that´s for the Oroville folk) or i can´t really think of a good example for san diego, but when it comes to me i will inform you. After about an hour of walking up this never ending hill, will and i stopped to have a snack. He was kind enough to give me an orange since i only had a day old bagette. About an hour after that we came to the refuge that i had a reservation at, but since it was only 12:30pm i decided to push on with will. After a bit, my stomach started hurting, assuming it was due to the heat and all that jazz, i pushed through. We did stop about ever 100 feet to catch our breath or lay down for a second. We have now been walking for about 3 1/2 hours and we take a looooong break. I think i may have even fell asleep at some point. The next hostel is only about 10 minutes away, though this is not something we are privvy to. I get up because i just want to be there and i feel horrible, about 2 minutes into it i return the orange that Will so kindly gave me. Yes, i threw it up. Thankfully Will wasn´t too grossed out and waited behind me until i was done. I was mildly embrassed for being so rude to throw up his orange, but he assured me that it was fine and we continued. There was only one bed left at the hostel and it was actually a tent, not really a bed, Will and i parted ways and i passed out. Orisson (france) was the name of the refuge and included in the price was a three course dinner with all the wine you can drink and breakfast. Pretty sweet deal.
Day 2 (today)
I am in much better spirits today. Yesterday i was cursing myself for doing this. It´s so hard to keep track of time here. The sun rises at 6am and doesn´t go down until 10pm!! The tent had a mat, so it was pretty comfortable. I started walking today at about 8am and have made it to Roncesvalles. I have gone to the top and am now on my way down the Pyreenes! That climb was tough!!! I walked all day with Linda of Switzerland. She is nice, but doesn´t stop talking! I am realizing that i haven´t said a word about how beautiful it is!! i woke up and looked out the tent to see the clouds over the mountains below. I have hiked through the open spaces of the french side and now the forests of the Spanish side. The French side was breathtaking! When i get somewhere i can post pictures at i will.
I am happy to report that there was no puking today. But i would like to explain something to you. The backpack. Though i have a 35 liter pack, which is very small, it weighs 22 pounds! That may not sound like much, but it is equivalent to carrying a 3 year old on your back, without the squirming and incessant questions so it makes for a much better travel companion. But holy molar can you feel each and every ounce!
I am off now to get in line for my hostel. Adios!
After I came inches away from losing my mind, I finally shelled out the 109 euros it cost to take the overnight train from Paris to SJPP. That is about 150 dollars back in the states. Since I had been sleeping in plane seats the past few days, I upgraded myself to a coachette. that did wonders for me. I believe my meltdown was due to the redeye to Boston and spending the day (my 8 hour layover) walking around the city with Chris, then catching the redeye to Paris and having to take the metro to various placed to get to the train i needed to be on. Because at this point i loathed Paris, I spent the next 8 hours sitting in the train station where I met the cutest little girl that was teaching me french. When i wasn´t "speaking" with her, you could find me sitting in a chair cross-legged with my bag on my lap and me hunched over it asleep and drooling. i was quite a sight. Finally at 11:10pm, my train arrived and i was off.
Day 1
I arrived in SJPP at 9:34am and began my walk. I buddied up with 2 guys that were heading to the peligrino´s office and we started our journey. After the office we lost on guy, David of Hungry, so it was just me and Will of Chicago. This had to be the hardest day of my life. With lack of sleep and food on my side and staring at the face of the Pyreenes we walked. Granted we were on a road, but it was like walking up on side of Devil´s Dip for 4 hours (that´s for the Oroville folk) or i can´t really think of a good example for san diego, but when it comes to me i will inform you. After about an hour of walking up this never ending hill, will and i stopped to have a snack. He was kind enough to give me an orange since i only had a day old bagette. About an hour after that we came to the refuge that i had a reservation at, but since it was only 12:30pm i decided to push on with will. After a bit, my stomach started hurting, assuming it was due to the heat and all that jazz, i pushed through. We did stop about ever 100 feet to catch our breath or lay down for a second. We have now been walking for about 3 1/2 hours and we take a looooong break. I think i may have even fell asleep at some point. The next hostel is only about 10 minutes away, though this is not something we are privvy to. I get up because i just want to be there and i feel horrible, about 2 minutes into it i return the orange that Will so kindly gave me. Yes, i threw it up. Thankfully Will wasn´t too grossed out and waited behind me until i was done. I was mildly embrassed for being so rude to throw up his orange, but he assured me that it was fine and we continued. There was only one bed left at the hostel and it was actually a tent, not really a bed, Will and i parted ways and i passed out. Orisson (france) was the name of the refuge and included in the price was a three course dinner with all the wine you can drink and breakfast. Pretty sweet deal.
Day 2 (today)
I am in much better spirits today. Yesterday i was cursing myself for doing this. It´s so hard to keep track of time here. The sun rises at 6am and doesn´t go down until 10pm!! The tent had a mat, so it was pretty comfortable. I started walking today at about 8am and have made it to Roncesvalles. I have gone to the top and am now on my way down the Pyreenes! That climb was tough!!! I walked all day with Linda of Switzerland. She is nice, but doesn´t stop talking! I am realizing that i haven´t said a word about how beautiful it is!! i woke up and looked out the tent to see the clouds over the mountains below. I have hiked through the open spaces of the french side and now the forests of the Spanish side. The French side was breathtaking! When i get somewhere i can post pictures at i will.
I am happy to report that there was no puking today. But i would like to explain something to you. The backpack. Though i have a 35 liter pack, which is very small, it weighs 22 pounds! That may not sound like much, but it is equivalent to carrying a 3 year old on your back, without the squirming and incessant questions so it makes for a much better travel companion. But holy molar can you feel each and every ounce!
I am off now to get in line for my hostel. Adios!
Friday, June 12, 2009
I hate Paris!
I really do. I thought things would go better this time, but I was wrong. I've been travelling for what I think is 2 days, but I'm not sure, with pretty much zero sleep. That may be causing my hatred for this place. I am going to get an over priced hostel tonight, then take an over priced train down to Bayonne where I can take the bus to SJPP and finally start this damn thing. I'm really starting to regret my decision to do this...
Monday, June 8, 2009
59 hours and 30 minutes
Trains, planes and automobiles. I am a two and half days from setting off on my super awesome adventure. Red-eye to Boston, another red-eye to Paris, then a train to Bayonne and a bus to St. Jean Pied de Port (SJP or SJPDP for short). oh, interesting fact number 32: I just found out that St. Jean Pied de Port means "Saint John at the foot of the mountain pass. This makes sense, I guess, since it is at the foot of the Pyrenees. After all of that, I walk. Just to clarify, I am walking. Yes, walking. Not taking trains or buses. It's me and my shoes. This seems to be hard for some folks to wrap their heads around this (Kurt Rein) even though it is all I have been speaking of for the last 3 months. It is a total of 784 kilometers, for you Americans that comes to just shy of 500 miles. Like I said before, I will be starting in SJP and I will finish the trek at Santiago de Compostela. I have been counting down the days for the past 3 1/2 months and now I can finally start counting down the hours.
There are a few different trails to follow, but I am following the Camino Frances. There really isn't any specific reason I chose this one, I just closed my eyes and pointed and that's the trail I ended up with.
Besides reading the forums and wikipedia and purchasing the necessities, I have done nothing to prepare for this. By that I mean that there has been zero training for me. No long walks through San Diego or intense workouts at the gym. The only thing that I have put any effort into training is my liver. It is well prepared for anything it encounters. No challenge is to big, no alcohol content too high.
This is it for now. I am off to buy the last minute things I am in need of, such as clothes and things of that nature.
There are a few different trails to follow, but I am following the Camino Frances. There really isn't any specific reason I chose this one, I just closed my eyes and pointed and that's the trail I ended up with.
Besides reading the forums and wikipedia and purchasing the necessities, I have done nothing to prepare for this. By that I mean that there has been zero training for me. No long walks through San Diego or intense workouts at the gym. The only thing that I have put any effort into training is my liver. It is well prepared for anything it encounters. No challenge is to big, no alcohol content too high.
This is it for now. I am off to buy the last minute things I am in need of, such as clothes and things of that nature.
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