Very brief today. I’m in Vienna right now and about to leave to Poland for a week. From Venice I’ve seen the Alps, Salzberg, and the Austrian lake district. Notice new goofy picture take in Burgos many weeks ago.
I don’t know if I enjoy Venice yet or not because of all the places I’ve seen so far, this one is the most, shall we say, tourist-friendly. Everyone (especially Americans is looking for the Venice experience that the soul of the city is hard to find. While this is one of the only places in the world with absolutely no cars, the sheer number of people walking the streets and plazas fill in for the gridlock. One good thing though, that as long as you are near any sort of canal, it is impossible to take a bad picture. As for getting around in the city, an overpriced gondola ride is probably the fastest way to get from point A to point B (some of the upscale hotels are only accessible this way). While on foot a map is a necessity because the streets end and begin in the oddest places and sometimes you will search for half an hour in the same area just to find the stupid information kiosk.
As far as accommodations go, I am staying at a large campground outside the city (that is, on an island outside the city). When traveling by car across Europe, it is more economical to stay at such places rather than put up with high-priced hotels. As an Added bonus, the place I am staying now (Marina di Venezia) is so large that it has its own shopping street, tennis court, mini golf, swimming pools, private beaches, ect. ect. ect. that staying there for an afternoon is far from unbearable.
Vittoria! All of Roma is ecstatic at the World Cup victory. Just after the penalty shot that won them the game, you could stand anywhere in the street and hear an entire nation shouting. Not long after that, the uncommonly quiet Via del Corso was packed with fans (myself included) marching up and down shouting and waving flags throughout the night.
The next day (Monday) over a million people gathered in the Circus Maximus to welcome the team home. The bus carrying the team inched its way around the city as everyone, young and old, cheered them on as they hoisted the World Cup for all to see.
To clear a few things up: No, I did not make the international news as the American who was gored by the bull at the Pamplona festival. I was near the border of France at the time and ended up missing the festival by a single day, plus I can run way faster than any bull, so I couldn’t have been gored in the first place. So there.
Second, computers are few and far between as is my desire to use them once I’m off the Camino, so I’m afraid updates to my blog will come every few days, at least until I get to Vienna in a few weeks.
That said, since my last update nearly a week ago, I spend a few days in San Sebastian, one of the most expensive cities in Spain due in part to the gorgeous beach, which is enclosed by two mountains and an island. After about five days there, I went to a small city near the border of France and Spain, where many people begin their walk to Santiago. After that it was a drive to Lourdes for a day to see the famous grotto where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. Yesterday, I took a train from Lourdes along the French Riviera, through Monaco (which took about 2 minutes) and through Napoli and onto Rome, where I am now.
I haven’t seen many of the sights yet and am badly in need of a shower, so I must wrap this up. I will update again sometime after the France-Italy final to reassure all my faithful readers that I have not been killed by riotous soccer fans following the game.
The Spain´s Parador line of hotels is a state-run chain that takes historical buildings, and converts them into five-star stays in the most luxurious parts of the city. The Parador in Santiago is only a stone´s throw away from the cathedral and after walking for a total of 32 days, one night´s stay almost makes up for sleeping in a room with a dozen snoring hikers for that long. Also needless to say, I was happy to stay in my hotel room and watch the Spain-France match. The added bonus of sleeping in a place which was built and dedicated in the 1490´s by Ferdinand and Isabella was the stone walls muffled my shouts at the TV when Puyol unfairly received the yellow card which led to Spain´s defeat.
I have just returned from the End of the World, or as the locals call it, Finsterre. Up until the late 1400´s, this westernmost point in Europe was believed to be the place where the world stopped and ships fell off the edge, or sailed across the sea to the East Indies. It wasn’t until a Spanished finaced exhibition, lead by an Italian, proved otherwise. Today, a giant lighthouse sits at this point, guiding ships to the safe ports in the area. Even though the Camino de Santiago ends in front of the cathedral, many pilgrims choose to walk an extra three days (or take a bus as in my case) to burn an article of clothing and watch the sun set over the expance of the Atlantic.
How´s that for a cliffhanger? To answer a much asked question, no, I am not dead and a 3.7 earthquake doesn´t do that much damage. It did make the front page of the next day´s Leon newspaper, along with a photograph of Roman legion reinactors handing a plaque to the mayor, so all is well.
I am typing this at an Internet shop about a block from the Cathedral of Santiago, which means I am in the city of the same name an my walk is at an end. From the time I last wrote, I crossed the flat mesetas region of Spain (where there is ironically little rain) and the mountainous region of Galicia, which has lots of rain. For the past week or so, the sky has been overcast with clouds, mist, or fog, so it was noce to see as we came in the city our first patch of blue sky in days.
I´m staying in the area for the next few days, so there will be more posts detailing my adventures the past few days.
I am in the semi-large (read: medium) city of Astorga, one the chocolate capital of the world in the 17th century, and now one of the last major cities before I reach Santiago in the next two weeks. Today is also the first I´ve had to deal with rain, but fortunatly that only lasted a few minutes.
Saturday, Ghadi and I took a much needed rest day in the big city of Leon. The most interesting thing that happened was probably the 3.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the city early Saturday morning.
Unlike most of the United States, much of medieval Spain can still be seen, although much of it lies in ruins it is ripe for exploration. The town I am now in, Castrojeriz, has several churches and buildings that are centuries old. The town was founded by Romans hundreds of years prior and is overlooked by the crumbling remains of a castle (although this was built by medieval Spaniards). I took a hike up to the castle this afternoon, and most of it was destroyed either in a siege or through years of neglect. The west side and part of the watch tower remain in relatively good condition and I was able to enter the courtyard and one of the remaining rooms, which still had the windows for archers in perfect condition. Upon immediately entering this room (no ceiling though) there was a dark staircase leading to the top of the castle. While probably not the smartest thing to do, as there was no one around, I went up the staircase to the top of the ruins where an observation landing was constructed and I could see not only all of the town below, but the next three towns I would pass through as well as windmills in the distance that I would probably see a whole lot closer in the coming days. The staircase (and myself) went even higher to the top of what was left of the castle, which had a flimsy wooden plank that bridged the gap between the highest landing and a 40-foot fall.
On a different note, many of you are probably wondering what there is to eat on the Camino. While many towns do not have a grocery store, all have a bar. Bars in Spain serve more than just alcohol, and are in many cases, small restaurants. One custom in Spanish bars is to throw your trash right on the floor. It may seem like a strange measure that the dirtier the floor, the better the bar. There are also several foods that are widely eaten in Spain. Yogurt, for example, is so popular that every major supermarket has an entire aisle devoted to it. It is also commonly eaten as a dessert. Ice cream (especially Nestle) can be found everywhere. In fact, there is one brand of “higher class” ice cream called Magnum that has poster sized advertisements featuring beautiful models and provocatively placed ice cream products. French fries (or potatoes of a similar cut) are served with almost every meal. While Spanish tortilla (an egg, potato, and cheese dish similar to an omelet) is served everywhere, some foods can be found only in certain regions. Mozilla (a kind of blood sausage) is found primarily in Castilla and Leon. Many foods served in bars are smaller portions and meant to be eaten as snacks or small meals. Similarly, tapas (kind of like an appetizer) are small portions of inexpensively priced foods that are eaten in succession. It is not uncommon to order five or six tapas when eating at a bar. Beer and wine are also popular and in most cases, cheaper than soda or bottled water. Non-alcoholic beer enjoys immense popularity and can be seen alongside its more intoxicating counterpart. Unlike the States, it is more socially acceptable for a person who does not wish to drink to go out with a group of people and order a non-alcoholic beer (many of which are fruit-flavored).
A lot of stuff to cover seeing I havn’t been near a computer for three days. I´m at an internet cafe in Burgos, one of the major cities in northern Spain. The cafe is kind of cool, a mix of bar, computers, and, uh cafe? I don´t think something like this would fly in the States because it mixes the dangerous elements of computer dork and alcohol. Uhh, -5 Cloud of Intoxication. (That was the nerdiest thing I could think of right now).
But I digress. On Sunday, we took a half day and walked to the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, which is know for its chickens. Not just any chickens, but ones so important that they live in the cathedral overlooking the remains of Saint Dominic. According to legend, in the 13th century a family was traveling the Camino and stayed at a local in. The barmaid fell in love with the family´s 18-year-old son, but he did not reciprocate the feelings. She took revenge on him by placing a silver goblet in his sack and accused him of stealing it. He was promptly hanged. When the family finished the Camino, they returned to the town weeks later, only to see their son, alive, still swinging from the gallows. They immediately informed the head of the town of this, who was just sitting town for dinner. Upon hearing the news, he said that the story is about as possible as the chickens on his plate getting up and walking away, which is just what happened. Ever since then, chickens have always been present in the cathedral as a reminder of the miracle.
The next day, we walked to a small Kearny-sized town and were treated to tea and sweet biscuits at the hostel, which was run by a Swiss couple. The night was less than perfect, as I was sleeping head-to-head with a French lady who snored like the devil.
The following day´s walk took us to the ¨small hamlet¨ (guidebook´s description) of San Juan de Ortega, whose church contains (you guessed it) the remains of San Juan de Ortega. Unfortunately, that was the town´s only attraction. There was only a small bar and a hostel. The town sign advertised the town´s only four contents, the previously mentioned three, and (wait for it…) a fountain. Yes, this was no ordinary fountain, but the town´s only source of water for hundreds of years. Thoroughly unimpressed by the fountain, we continued to the hostel, which displayed a sign of all the amenities available to us. Baños, si. Cucina, no. Electricidad, no. Agua caliente, no. For some reason, I started humming the theme to Gilligan´s Island. It goes without saying that the town had no working phone or internet. Worst. Town. Ever.
After a sleepless night in what I can safelty say is the closest thing to an authentic albergue peregrino, we began the quick walk to the big city of Burgos, home of a mighty cathedral, a magnificent park, and the building Christopher Columbus received his money for his first voyage to America, but more importantly, hot water. We are staying in an apartment in the center of town just down the street from said Columbus building.
Dinner is soon, and I can´t wait to dine again in the land where Coke es mas costoso que cerveza y vino.
