Santo Domingo

It has been awhile since I have been to my blog.  Internet is not always as accessible as the U.S.  My feet are getting better, but man are they sore by the end of the day.  Since Estella, I have been through several little towns.  I am now in Santo Domingo.  I am sure you can find it on the map.  It is still on the outskirts of the La Rioja region.  This is an area that is full of vineyards.  And the wine is really great.  Most of the walking is on dirt paths that seem to stretch for miles and miles.  On either side are grapevines, just coming into bloom.  The hills are covered with nice little rows, all neatly plowed, that reach to the very blue sky.  For the past few days I have walked under a cloud cover. This has made the walking so pleasurable.  I have found a nice pace each day, and I often prefer to walk alone, with only an occasional pilgim passing by.  The solitude is priceless.  

On a stretch of the road along the interstate, between Estella and Najera (I think) sometimes all these towns run together when I finally get to a computer.  Anyway, pilgrims make little crosses out of anything they can find, and place it on the fence.  The one in the picture is mine.  The last picture is in the very big town of Logrona.  Right outside the tourist office is a modern statue of two pilgrims walking.  So my new friends Isabella(from Germany) and Melanie(from Switzerland) and me all jumped on the statue and a nice man walking by took this picture for us.  Notice his finger in the upper left hand corner.  Oh well, just another gift of the Caminio. lol...

Puerta la Reina to Estella

And so my journey continues through the Spanish countryside.  Coming into the cities here are always exciting.  Most have walls and a portal to go through.  It feels like the renaissance faire to me everytime!  Such history here, it makes America such a baby in so many ways.  There is a wonderful river that we have been following along.  It was quite big here in Estrella.  It has been warm and clear and beautiful my entire journey, although there is talk of rain in the morning.  Change is good!  lol...

As I was leaving Puenta la Reina there was a tall tower to the left and on the top was a stork´s nest.  She had some babies too.  ( I had seen them earlier)  So I snapped a picture.  Even with the zoom, it was hard to catch it, but if you look closely, you will see her atop, tending to her babies.  It was pretty cool.  The pilgrims meal I had the night before was the best ever!!  It was 11 Euros, but they had everything you could think of and all the vino tinto you could drink.  Que Rico!!  I have a picture of my new friends Cali and Coleen from South Africa and Jopsts from Germany.  Jopsts had blisters on his feet too, so we commisurated together.  What a gift to meet so many wonderful people on the Camino!   God is good!

Pamploma

My journey to Pamploma was shortened by the huge blisters on both feet!  Thank you Spirit for the bus!  I also have a nasty dangling toenail.  hmmm.  Sorry for the ugly photo.  Just not sure what to do with such a toe!  I know that rascal will fall off soon.  I just don´t want an infection.  I did have a great time in Pamplona with my new pilgrim friends.  The city is so big and there are many wonderful sights to see.  I was a little incapacitated to walk much, but none the less, it was great!  I started walking this morning feeling a bit better after my rest.  I got as far as Cizer Menor (Only a few kilometers) and two blisters popped and bled, so I caught a bus back to Pamploma, then one to Puerta de la Reina, where I am once again trying to rest.  UGH!!  I am not giving up, I am not giving up!!!  I will rest, and be better soon!

Buen Camino!

Roncevalles to Zurbiri

I woke up in Roncevalles renewed and ready to walk all the way to Santiago! lol..  No breakfast to be had in town, so with my Japonese friend, Reiko, in tow we headed out to our next destination.  As we walked, I notices a little heat on the bottom of my feet.  With only about 5 km under out belt, we paused for a bite of breakfast at a little outside cafe.  It was so beautiful.  I took off my boots to see if all was ok and found some not so ok things.  I had somehow managed to get two huge blisters on the soles of my feet.  I also had a dangling toenail on the ¨little piggy that stayed home¨ ouch!  Lesson 1 for Joni:  always keep your toenails cut very short, or the pressure of them bumping on the toe of your boot will be so great, it will take your nail off!  Who knew?   I was very saddened by this, so I promptly threw away my boots and put on my sandals.  Jesus walked in sandals, so why couldn´t I?   Probably not a good idea, but I do things like this....The path to Zubiri is very rocky.  There is a steep downhill into the town.  My feet hurt so badly and they were bleeding through my socks.  It took me almost 10 hours to walk what would have normally been 4 or 5 for me.  I found a beautiful albergue that was new and clean and had delcious food!  I slept in this morning.  I will take the bus to Pamploma.  There I will see a doctor for my feet.  I am certain a rest day and a little help from the doctor and I will be good as new.  I am not stopping until I see Santiago!  Buen Camino!

St. Jean to Roncevalles

I have made the journey over the French Pyrenees to Roncevalles!  I did it in two day, stopping halfway up the mountains at an albergue(hostel) in Orrison.  It was interesting sleeping with four other guys in a little room. lol...The place was clean and the food was fair, so no complaints from this pilgrim.  The jourey up the mountain was very hard and very steep.  It really took all of my being to push on.  But I did it!  My rest that night was a good one and I was ready to charge to the top the next morning.  I would also be walking almost twice as far and I did the day before.  The views we so breathtaking I could not believe such beauty existed.  Although the road was steep, I was filled with excitement as I took each step.   It was Pentecost Sunday and I was definitely filled with the Spirit!!  It did not seem as tough as the day before for some reason.  Perhaps I was more accustomed to the climbing. At the top it was clear and I could see Roncevalles in the distance.  There were still patches of snow all around us, but the weather was perfect.  I would say around 70 degrees farenheit, sunny, with a slight cooling breeze, just when I needed it.  It was a close to heaven as I can imagine!  Against everyone´s warnings, I chose to talk the dirt path through the beautiful Birch forrest.  Apparrently it is the largest Birch forrest in Europe.  All the other pilgrims took the road.  (how boring is that?)  So a nice Japonese woman (70 yrs. old) wanted to walk with me.  She was a little frightened, but came along and trusted me. She would say, ¨Joni you have much courage.¨ lol...little did she know, I just didn´t know better.  It was the right decision, it was a beautiful path.  We walked for miles, all down a very steep incline under a canopy of birch trees.  We never saw direct sunlight, and the leaves on the path were two feet deep.  At times we had difficulty finding the path, looking for the familiar yellow arrow that indicated the Camino, but we did it!  We arrived at the bottom, at almost the same time as others, who left before us on the paved road.  They could not believe we went through the forrest and they were all a bit envious!  haha!  I don´t want to miss a thing!  A beautiful hotel, ¨La Posada¨was waiting for me to relax.  I had a big Heineken beer to celebrate with my new friends, then off to sleep for the next day´s journey.  God is so good!

Saint Jean Pied du Port

I arrived in Saint Jean about 5:00 pm last night.  I am staying at a wonderful hostel that is owned by a wonderful Dutch couple.  It is so beautiful here words cannot describe it.  There are many cyclists here in the Pyrenees.  I have been taking pictures, but I haven't quite figured out how to upload them from the internet cafe yet. My phone has run out of "au juice" so until I can get it charged up, no phone calls will be made. The hostel is Le Esprit du Chemin, meaning the Spirit of the Camino in French.  I would highly reccomend it to anyone who comes to Saint Jean.  We had a wonderful meal last night, and a great breakfast too.  I hand washed my clothes this morning, and they are hanging to dry.  The sun is shining and the sky is clear.  A perfect day to walk the Camino, but I am taking a rest day, and will enjoy the little town today.  I love France!  I am anxious to begin walking, and I have already found several items in my pack that I will ship to Santiago.  Lighter is better.  I will check in as often as I can.  Love to all. joni

When Did it Get Hard to Leave?

In all the excitement of preparing for this great journey, I never once gave thought to how very difficult it would be to say goodbye to my life here in the desert.  As I was packing, and repacking a dozen or more times, checking off lists, and ensuring I had all necessary items in tow, I wasn't prepared for the sense of sadness that enveloped me as one by one, I said goodbye to my family and friends.  A warm farewell at Mass from my church community left me a little melancholy.  My grown children, and my grandchildren all voiced their concerns one more time about going all that way by myself, but they knew my mind was made up, and they gave me their blessing.   My Mom, who will be 85 on July 8th, was probably the hardest to say goodbye to.  She is incredibly spunky for her age, very computer literate, and still very active.  She lives near by in a wonderful senior country club and has many good friends with whom she gathers several times a week. Between her card games, the Red Hats, her swim club,  her Singles club, her Knitting Guild, and her Crafty Ladies Club, I'm not sure  she will have time to miss me, but I know there will be a hole in my heart until I get back home to see her again.

    Last night, I took my very precious, and very old (14) yellow Labrador retriever Murphy Mae, to my friend Carol's house.  Before I left, I had a long talk with Murph.  I explained to her how I needed to walk the Camino.  She seemed to understand. I asked her to please not go to heaven while I am away, but she wouldn't promise anything.  She just looked at me with her big brown eyes filled with perfect unconditional love.  I don't know if she will be here when I return.  I don't know if I will be able to live with the guilt if she is not.  I have given her a very good life, but I am not ready to say my final goodbye to her.  I pray she knows I will come for her when I return.  I will leave her in God's (and Carol's) hands for now.
   I have made it as far as North Hollywood tonight.  My little Boston Terrier, Hollywood, is laying by my side, snoring away as I write this.  I am at my friend Theo's house.  Theo will be caring for my littlest baby while I am away.  Theo owns Hollywood's litter mate, Vino.  The two pups have had a good time this afternoon romping around her yard. Only a little more than a year old, Hollywood and I are close, but we don't share the history that is with Murphy.  And still it will be hard to say goodbye. 

   All in all, it is an unfamiliar feeling, this sadness as I depart.  I don't ever recall such a feeling before.  The excitement of a pending vacation or trip always superseded any angst about leaving people or pets.  Perhaps as I get older, I am realizing how very Blessed I am to have such wonderful relationships with my family and friends, and my precious furkids too.  So for Mom, for Amy & Anne, for Murphy, for Theo, for Carol, for Ned and Kathy, and for all my dear friends near and far, know that I will miss each and every one of you.  And I will hold you in my heart until I return.

9 Days Until Flight!

As the countdown continues, I find myself thinking of the most bizarre things.  My fantasy is to be on a misty road (like the picture to the left) walking serenely, loving each step, at one with the world; the perfect pilgrim.  And then my anxiety slowly creeps in, and other more obscure thoughts emerge.  The not knowing of what lies ahead breeds a million "what if..." scenarios.  I rationalize them all away, one by one, with a certainly of God's plan for me, just as it is.  And I must admit, I'm 55 years old, and despite a few little bumps in the road,  my life has been, and continues to be incredible!  So why the worry?  My rucksack, which began at a svelte 11 lbs, has now grown exponentially.  I rationalize this by saying, "Well, I'll just lose 2 pounds of me before I leave, and that will make up for the extra 2 pounds in the pack."  Not.  Of late, my walking has been less and less each day due to other obligations.  I have made my lists, and checked them off.
  It will be interesting to live without makeup for 2 months.  I heard only the French women actually use it on the camino.  Not me.  I'm even entertaining leaving the razor at home.  Although the idea of hairy armpits is foreign to me.  I am also trying to familiarize my self with my one, true hair color.  It has been so long since I have seen it, I really can't remember it at all.  As it turns out, after allowing it to grow the last month, it appears most of the color has vanished completely, leaving a kind of gray/silver weave around my face and at the crown.  Ah vanity, as Miguel De Unamuno wrote: "Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others.  Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you." With that said, I think the gray hair will be fine.

  A week from today I leave for my friend's house in LA.  The furkids will go to their respective holiday homes while I am away, and a new little addition (Broadway Joey) will be waiting for me when I return. (Something to look forward to upon returning.) 
  On Wednesday, at 0400 hours, off to LAX.  I will meet up with my friend Barry in Washington DC, and then we will fly together to Madrid.  I hope I will sleep during the flight over, as jet lag is awful after hopping the pond.  It will be good for Barry to get used to snoring anyway...lol...