Roaming Rocks

Miles: 15.77/ Steps: 34,575

I didn’t sleep very well last night. My bladder knew how hard it was to get up and down from the bunk bed and decided to make me get up twice in the night to use the restroom. It was hard to get down in the daytime, so you can imagine the challenge of doing it in the dark. That, combined with a snoring roommate and a paper sheet that kept coming off the bed and I will admit there wasn’t much sleep happening last night. I couldn’t be grumpy for long because the sunrise was gorgeous and it was a new day! Breakfast was bread and jam and coffee but they didn’t provide cups and wanted you to drink the coffee out of bowls.

Someone recommended that I take a selfie each morning to see if there are any changes over the entirety of the Camino so here is todays!

I started at 7:30 this morning with an immediate incline today and it made me really nervous for the inclines that were to come. Viv and Brett stayed at Borda which was a km away (I wish I had too!) and I was excited to meet them so we could walk together. Sadly, I completely missed the sign for their hostel and just kept on walking past it. I didn’t realize I missed it for another mile and was so sad. The reason I missed them was because it was so so windy and honestly I had to put my head down to push thru it and never actually saw the sign for their hostel. To give an example of how windy it was….I kept hearing a high pitched whistling sound and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from until I realized the pack had a whistle and the wind was making it sing!

It was nice to turn the corner and see the food truck. Since breakfast was just bread with butter and jam, I was excited to be able to get a boiled egg and have some protein. It was here that I met Brian, a 69 year old retiree who had a big life decision to make while walking the Camino. It’s interesting to be an outsider and hear the entirety of someones situation. The decision I would choose if I were in his shoes felt so easy to decide but it wasn’t my weight to carry nor my place to tell him what I thought he should do. So, I listened and asked him questions to make him think of different perspectives. I hope to keep in touch to see what he decides.

I feel like I am in the Marriott compared to last night. The lady who checked me in was lovely and we really hit it off. Of course I had a rock for her. When I was being directed to the room, the hostess commented on how good these beds were. As I got to the room, we joked that it was the penthouse because every other floor had bunk beds. Showers and bathroom were great. You only got 30 second spurts of water but you could have as many as you wanted so I was good with that! The paper sheet fit the bed well too! It didn’t come off in the middle of the night a single time!

They don’t allow you to wear your shoes in the bedrooms so they are all stored near the entrance. I hope mine are there when I go down in the morning because so many people have the same shoe.

Savina has been my roommate every single night of the Camino so far. (Not planned) We are walking on a similar schedule so I think I will be seeing a lot of her during the walk. We went to the bar and ordered what we thought was cider and French fries. Instead we got fried potatoes with sauce which tasted great….something got lost in translation. Viv and Brett also met up at the bar as well. I was glad to see them because they were walking shorter distances and won’t be on the same trajectory anymore.

We stopped in the church as well. I think it’s impressive that the church’s technology is so advanced. 1 euro for 8 minutes of light in the church and a machine for debit card donations. I’m surprised all churches haven’t done this.

I shared dinner with these lovely sisters from England. We had a lovely meal and drink afterwards. We said our goodbyes and it was bedtime.

Foot update: big toe blister gone. I got a small blister under my pinky toe but am hoping it will be gone by morning. Aside from that all is good!

Miles: 8.97/Steps: 19,666

Today was the first real day of my Camino. The hostel played beautiful music that sounded like angels singing at 6:30am to wake us up. I asked the name from Joseph and it was MIRACLES OF SANTIAGO , ANONYMOUS 4 and was a brilliant way to be woken up. There was a great breakfast of boiled eggs, fruit, cereal and toast. We packed up and were on our way by 8:00am.

My first stop was the Camino Office to pick up my credential. (Think of it as a passport to get stamped each day to prove you actually completed the stages of the Camino.) I was helped by a lovely lady from Germany who was volunteering for the week. She gave me tons of advice and information and was the perfect ambassador for the Camino. I also got my Camino scallop shell. The shell is a metaphor in that its lines represent the different routes traveled by pilgrims from around the world to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
 The Scallop Shell is also on the milestone markers on the Camino, guiding pilgrims in the right direction.

From there, I walked to the Gate of St James which is the official beginning of the Camino de Santiago Frances and then I was on my way. The walk out of SJPDP was beautiful. The cobbled stone roads and historic buildings are unlike anything we have in the US and such a treat to look at.

The walk out of town was steep from the beginning. The views and animals made things more bearable but it was tough. Pretty early on I met Viv and Brett. They are the loveliest people. Both are international ping pong players and have lived very adventurous lives. We walked the same speed and I really enjoyed their company. We also needed “catch your breath” breaks at the same rate so they felt like the perfect walking partners!

Words can’t express how happy I was to see the hostel beyond this bend! The climb was hard but we did get there before earlier than I thought I would. I stayed at Le Refuge Orrison my first night. It had a gorgeous deck with amazing views.

First we had a drink and some lunch. (How much do these guys look like Matthew Perry from Friends and Kurtwood Smith (the dad from That 70’s Show?!) Then I checked in, took a shower, did some laundry and started going through my pack to see what I could get rid of. If you guessed rocks, you are 100% correct! 😊 in all I think I probably dropped at least 2 pounds with the things I got rid of.
Below are some pictures of the hostel:

We had a communal dinner again and I got to know some really interesting people. I have mostly met Australians, Koreans, Germans and Americans but there are people here from all over the world!
It’s 9:30pm and time for bed. Tomorrow is another hard day but should get much better afterwards…

Woke up this morning, packed and walked 4 miles to the train station. It was early so the Barcelona streets hadn’t really woken up yet. There were a shopkeepers sweeping up the cigarette butts from the night before, people walking their dogs and a few homeless people still asleep from the night prior but really it was quiet and peaceful. I passed some beautiful statues and landmarks and got to the train station early.
I had to switch trains once and would make it to Pamplona in 4.5 hours.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve taken a train and had a mini panic attack when I didn’t see my 11:00am train to Pamplona on the board. I knew I had to switch trains but the connecting location wasn’t there either. Because the website was in Spanish, I immediately assumed I had made a mistake booking it. I realized my train’s ultimate destination was Madrid and that the train number matched mine and I calmed down a bit.

I got to my alburgue and was so happy! Gite Beilari Hostal was such a cute and quaint place to stay for my first night. It was clean and cute and Joseph the host was very friendly and welcoming!

The best part of the night was that I got to meet Nikki. We have been corresponding for the past 3-4 months and had an instant connection. We are very similar in our sense of humor, age and family situation. It felt like we have been friends for a long time! I have no doubt we will stay connected after this hike!

We had a tasty communal dinner on the patio and got to know everyone who was staying there. Dinner consisted of soup, salad, a dish similar to shepherds pie but with mushrooms, tiramisu and wine. It was a perfect evening and I appreciate the friends that I have made so far!

My room was named Ura and I shared it with 2 other ladies. Stacy is a cow farmer from New Zealand and Savina was a dietician from Canada/Wisconsin.

For those curious about my sleeping arrangements, I will include pictures. They gave us paper sheets for the bed and pillows but I’m so glad I have the pillowcase that Caitlyn made me. It is my most treasured item I have with me. It’s nice to know I have a piece of her with me and paper pillowcases just aren’t appealing!

Lights went out at 10:30 and we all went to sleep, excitedly waiting for our next morning’s adventure to start.

At 1:00am on June 10, 2022 I was able to score tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in Barcelona. That was the defining moment that solidified that I would be coming to Spain and hiking the Camino de Santiago! The reality hit hard and the excitement of the adventure to come was incomprehensible. I was only able to get tickets in the second pit (orange section) which is the farthest from the stage that I have ever been but I wasn’t going to complain! There isn’t much better than seeing Bruce in Barcelona.

Fast forward to yesterday, the day of the concert was finally here. Brais met me at the hotel in the morning. We had a quick discussion about the weather and at the last minute I decided to bring my poncho…just in case! We walked the 30 minutes to the Olympic Stadium (think 1992 Summer Olympics) up a steep hill and many stairs!!

For those who have never been to a Bruce Springsteen concert, his philosophy on concert tickets must be explained. The entire floor section is General Admission but there is a process to get close to the stage. For my section, we had to get there early and line up. The first person arrived at 8:00am (yes I asked her). We got there at 11:00am and we’re about 100th in line. By 1:00pm there were easily 1000.

It was really warm but we were all very cautious not to drink too much water or cerveza because a) you didn’t want to lose your place in line to use the restroom and b) the port-a-potty situation wasn’t nice! (For the record I lasted 14 hours without using the restroom!) We started to become friends with the people around us in line. The 6 of us started looking out for each other (and hold our places in line) if we needed to stretch our legs or get food/water.
Around 4pm they moved us into the Olympic Stadium. After 30 years (since the Olympics) the facility was starting to fall apart but one could easily imagine the beauty of the complex when it was newly built.

They ushered 2 groups of people towards the concert venue. I was barely in the second group. Everyone else had to wait further away on the opposite side of the Olympic Stadium. This is a picture of my group:

The best part of the group is that there were people there from all over Europe. I was the only American. I was also the only English speaking person. My new friends also barely spoke English (except for Brais) but always made sure I understood what was going on and trust me when I say there was so much going on!
The group behind us had to wait at the other side of the Olympic Stadium.
Note: Notice how blue he skies are!!

This next picture was taken 20 minutes later.

And then…the heavens opened up!

Thank goodness I had my poncho. Many people didn’t and there were tons of people shivering. I think it was the first time in my life I have been prepared for something like that!

There was so much integrity for the line to get into the show (based on arrival time). People were very calm about it! As we moved from the initial line to the Olympic stadium to the ticket takers (in the pouring rain) – nobody was running, everyone saw the funny side of the weather and heaven forbid anyone try to cut in line because the crowd wasn’t having it!
That said, it was a free for all once you moved into the concert venue. We actually entered into the back of concert venue at 6:30pm and it was a mad rush to get to your spot. Everyone was in a full sprint despite being told to quit running by security! And, it was still pouring rain! The group was briefly separated but we quickly found each other and we’re be able to be together for the show. We were able to get front row seats of the second section which made the day of waiting worth it. The great thing is that there was a 5 foot walkway between the two sections so we really didn’t have anyone in front of us. One of the security guards actually told us not to hold onto the front railing because it was thundering and lightning and he didn’t want us to get electrocuted! God help us!

As luck would have it, a rainbow came out and the rain stopped 30 minutes before the show was about to start. It was an awesome performance. The crowd was electric, the band was on fire and Bruce put 120% into his performance. He played the full 3 hours and I have to say it was the best Bruce show I have been to.

Tom Hanks and his wife were also there and only a few feet away from us!

Despite the long day, ranging from being hot and getting sunburned to freezing in a torrential rainstorm, I have to say this was my best Bruce concert. The crowd makes the show because they are on fire, it obviously energizes Bruce and the E Street Band which makes the band better performers which excites the crowd and it just keeps going. Bruce’s lyrics are able to paint a vivid picture, he can shape deep emotions in just a few words. He has a distinct voice and is just a great performer. The ironic thing about the Barcelona concerts is that 90% of the people don’t speak English yet know every word and meaning for every single song.
So I leave Barcelona with some amazing Bruce memories, several Bruce friends and a heart that is full. Now I’m ready for phase 2 of this adventure!
And Fyi there was so much going on I didn’t even think about my blister. It is still there but much smaller! I think it will be fine!

After such an amazing day yesterday, today might feel a bit boring to some but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I started the day with an awesome Spanish breakfast! Their fresh squeezed orange juice and cafe con leche is to die for!

I walked to my new hotel today which was about a 3.5 mile walk along the marina to be closer to my friend who is also going to be going to the Springsteen concert tomorrow. The sun was shining, there was blue skies and it was gorgeous out. There were so many locals enjoying the outdoors and beach. I passed a CrossFit bootcamp, a yoga class, a man teaching his son how to fight, a dance instructor teaching a woman how to dance, roller skaters performing tons of tricks and a guy (I wish I took a picture …it just didn’t feel appropriate) who had a tennis ball tied to a string, connected to a headband and trying to hit the ball with different parts of his body, all while balancing on two 5inch pieces of pipe. I could have stayed there for hours watching.

I checked into my new hotel and then went out exploring. I needed to buy walking sticks but found plenty of other interesting things along the way!

and my personal favorite…

I found a Decathlon (Similar to Dicks Sporting Goods) and got walking sticks and a few other things. They had the best check out system I have ever seen. Simply put everything in the box and the system identifies everything that you have put in. Why hasn’t this made it to the US yet?

I found an outdoor cafe and enjoyed a glass of wine. Albariño is my wine of choice these days. I also had a great FaceTime call with Caitlyn and caught up on the last 2 days!

Next I met up with Brais and his friend. Brais and I met in line to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets 20 years ago for the Barcelona concert when we used to live here. We have kept in touch all of these years and now get to do it again! Super excited to see him! He looks exactly the same! We met up at the Olympic Stadium to figure out some logistics for the show and then agreed to meet up in the morning. The views of the city from the park were beautiful but it started raining so I headed home after a few pictures for an early night in.

The only bad thing of the day is that I walked 12 miles, half of which was in regular boots instead of my trail runners and I got my first big blister underneath my big toe. Let’s hope it doesn’t last long and the location isn’t too painful as I didn’t feel it forming during the day.

I woke up from a glorious nap and decided to go exploring in Barcelona. Knowing that I had tickets to see Bruce Springsteen on Sunday, I thought it made sense to go to the venue and check how they were handling the General Admission seats since it was crazy the last time I saw him in Barcelona in 2002 and it was his opening show of the European Tour!
The Concierge let me know about a really cool cable car that goes near the venue so I thought I would give it a go.
The line was long but I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be, so I embraced the moment and started talking to people around me. There were tons of people going to the concert and the energy was so high.

The Universe put Frauke, Christian and Uwe in front of me and the night took a totally different direction than I was expecting! Lucky for me, they had a spare ticket for the show and invited me along.
Surprisingly they trusted my navigational skills to get us to the venue and we walked about 30 minutes to get there. While walking I learned that Uwe was Christian’s dad and Frauke was a friend from their village. We had a lot of laughs on the way and Uwe was very motivated to get inside and get his beer.

Our seats were great! I realized I had never seen Bruce from a seat before as I have always gotten General Admission tickets. It was such a fun, stress free experience and completely different than what I was used to. I am not joking when I say that Barcelona is my favorite place to see Bruce. The energy and adoration for the man and his lyrics are like nothing I have ever seen. It was very moving to be able to see people’s reactions to his songs. It feels like everyone has a story and memory that his music reminds them of. It was a great experience with great people and a night I won’t soon forget!

Knowing that I would be seeing him again on Sunday, I left 3 songs early so that I could catch a cab and get back to the hotel. Being a single woman, I didn’t want to risk having to walk 5 miles at night time in a foreign city. I got one of the last taxis available and was relieved to be in my hotel 15 minutes later. Oh and for the record, the taxi driver brought me all the way to the hotel and didn’t make me walk 1.5 miles. He did charge me $30 for a $10 fare but that is the joy of being at the mercy of taxi drivers. Such a good night!