Day 8, 9, 10 & 11... On our way to London & at Royal Holloway College

We spent yesterday exploring Santiago.  We began our day later than usual & headed to the Cathedral around 10:30 to catch the Pilgrim´s mass at noon.  Thankfully we arrived so early because it was standing room only by about 11:30.  The mass was well worth the wait and definitely delivered beyond my expectations.  They did the incense thing during the mass which is typically done just on Sundays.  Way back they started doing this because all the pilgrims smelled so terrible upon arriving at the Cathedral after finishing their pilgrimage.  Today it is just a part of their services.  It was truly one of the coolest things I've seen on the trip thus far.  I took a video of it, so if you see me in person, ask to see my phone. 

We arrived at Royal Holloway in Egham around 2p on Friday.  After a little settling in, I finally heard Ben's voice & saw Kevin & the boys.  I didn't realize how much I missed them.  It has been so great to finally be under one roof to complete this vacation. 



Everyday here is filled with one major attraction & some soccer related activity.  Saturday started with a training session (which both Josh & Zach attended) and finished with a trip to Fulham stadium where we saw Fulham lose 1-2 to Parma.  The boys had such a great time watching the big boys of London Futball take to the field.  Sunday we went to downtown London to take a tour of the Arsenal stadium.  It would be like taking a tour of Great American Ballpark or Paul Brown.  Their stadium is really incredible.  The roof structure is unlike anything I've seen (large circular structure that leans inward toward the field with nothing really holding it up).  Really amazing...

Today we went to Windsor Castle, one of the many homes of the Queen of England.  This castle is absolutely massive with artwork, chandeliers, weapons adorning every wall and ceiling.  If it weren't for the short attention span of our little 5 year old angel, we would have been able to learn a ton about the history behind it all.  I would have loved to have a whole day in Windsor.  It was a very quaint bustling town with many shops and restaurants.  We had to call it short though because our boys have their first soccer game tonight in about an hour.  The competition has come from South Africa, some town right by Saudi Arabia, NY in the US and cities surrounding London (just to name a few).  We'll see how these little American boys compete with diverse talent like this...!  I'll keep you posted...

Day 7...Officially a Pilgrim

What a day.  The mornings here start early & today was no different.  We were on foot & in route by about 7:40.  It didn´t take long before the rain came & our ponchos made their first appearance.  It actually made for an easy day of walking.  The fog, drizzle and cool temperatures were not a bad way to end this week.  It was very nice when the sun came out upon our arrival into Santiago though. 

While walking we ran into our friends from the Coswalds, 2 ladies from North Carolina and we shared a table with a couple from Italy at Café Calle.  Once in Santiago, we saw our friends from Victor & Sherry from Washington, Vicki & Peter from Australia, the Coswalds couple and the Pena family from London (they are the family who had been reading my cards).  In a town where there are thousands of tourists roaming, shopping, eating, praying & just hanging around...we managed to see many of the familiar faces we met over our walking days.  Something about that really was the icing on the cake for me.

Also, outside of the Cathedral (which is INCREDIBLE), there is a man-made shrine filled with flowers, candles, notes and other ¨stuff¨ that is meaningful to people.  I placed 2 of my prayer cards there.  It was inside of the Cathedral where I found the Pena family from London again.  They had written a note and placed it on that man-made shrine.  When they looked at a couple of the other notes around where they placed their note, they saw one of the two cards I placed there too.  I don´t know if I´m just feeling really sentimental right now or if the Camino really does have a unique way of bringing people together.  Whatever it is...I´m hooked.

On the first day of our walking, Sue from New Hampshire said something that I cannot get out of my head.  She said this was a ¨walk of gratitude¨ for her.  I didn´t realize it before I got here but now it´s very clear to me.  This was my walk of gratitude.  My thankfulness for Kevin, my amazing sons, my friends and my family.  I´ve always know how lucky I am but walking the Camino has really made me have a renewed sense of gratitude for all of them.

I will keep blogging as we end our travels in Spain and begin the second half in London.  Hopefully we will have a working computer where we can upload pictures.  Thanks to everyone who has been following my rambling...your ¨likes¨ on Facebook, little comments and notes have really meant a lot to me.  I can´t wait to share the next part of this adventure with you.  Who knows what will happen when the McClorey crew takes to the streets of London...! 

Day 6...The Road to A´Rua

Just a little more on Day 5...we ended up eating dinner with 3 younger people from London.  Hermano (32 year old cardiac doctor), Nadia (33 year old hedge fund manager) and Faye (38 year old owner of The Chelsea Day Spas) kept us laughing & entertained with stories of their lives living in London & their tales of the Camino.  So fun...!

Sorry to be so late with day 6.  We have had trouble connecting to the internet in our hotels.  I thought having Mary on this trip would have meant a constant source to staying connected.  Little did I know :)  We still don´t have Wifi on her computer at this point.  I´ve resorted to using the hotel´s computer, which will not allow me to upload pictures & has a different keyboard with spell check operating in Spanish.  Please give me a little slack if there are some typos.

Day 6 was probably the easiest day we had.  The weather was absolutely beautiful and the elevation was pretty flat.  We finished in A´Rua in the afternoon & had dinner with the couple from Washington DC and another couple from the Coswalds outside of London.  We ate at a restaurant that served typical Spanish fare...which has been a huge challenge for me & Mary.  If you do not like octopus, french fries, flan and bread, you will starve in northern Spain.  We did have what they call a Tortilla on the trail which is great.  It´s an egg, potato & cheese pie (kind of like a potato omlette with no crust). 

We also met lots of other people that day too.  We met up with Hermano & Faye while walking.  We ran into Diane from New Zealand again.  Every time she sees us she says ¨Hello Aunt Mary¨, which I find to be pretty amusing.  I also met this amazing family from London.  I was taking a picture one of my prayer cards on a mile marker when they came up behind me & were trying to read it over my shoulder.  I told them they could read it & tried to hand it to them.  They proceeded to tell me that they had been reading my cards since Sarria, Spain.  I told them about the letter I wrote and what I had been doing & we just really connected.  I told them that I was headed to London for Josh´s soccer tournament at Royal Holloway College too.  Stephanie (one of two daughters) then tells me that´s where she attended University.  I couldn´t believe it.  Truly...what are the chances that a mom, dad & 2 daughters from London follow my prayer cards & we find each other during a 111km walk.  Just incredible to me...

 Day 5  We've made it to Azura, Spain

 

Today was a great walking day.  The sun hid behind clouds which made it cool and comfortable for most of the day.  We traveled through many little hamlets and met this nice cow along the way.  The animals here are present in sight and smell at almost every turn.  As I type this, we can hear one loud cow mooing outside our window.  Since our room doesn't have AC, I'm hoping she sleeps when we sleep tonight. 

I bought a walking stick before we began in Sarria.  I decided to leave it with one of my friend's prayer cards along the path today.  When I began this my backpack was filled with all the "stuff" I thought would be useful or needed.  What I've come to learn is that you need very little out here.  You need a guidebook (if you like knowing what you're looking at & the mileage you're covering), money, sunblock, music, chapstick, candy, water, a camera, your passport, a pen, sunglass & a hat, a poncho (which thankfully hasn't been needed yet)...and that's about it.  I highly recommend having your luggage transported from city to city.  Not carrying the weight of "everything" else has really been wonderful.

When we arrived in Azura, we checked in to our hotel & I quickly headed back out to explore a little.  I didn't make it a block before I heard..."hey...Cincinnati!".  I turned to find Peter & Vicki from Austrailia.  I sat with them for about an hour and talked about our travels, our kids, where we've come from and why we are here.  It's funny how similar we all are even when we live on opposite sides of the globe.  You think you really know this & understand it, but it took me taking this trip to actually live & breathe it. 

 

Off to A'Rua tomorrow...

 

Ps.  Cannot tell you how much I miss ALL of my boys right now!

 

 Day 5...Our journey to Palas de Rei

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to write about from our LONG, HOT walk today.  I could write about the hot beating down sun & how it felt like heaven in the shade.  I could write about the long stretches of paths that intertwined with the road and small hamlets and the array of aromas that fill the air.  I could also write about how this was another day that I hadn't prepared for mentally & felt tested physically at points.  But, what I want to write most about are a couple "things" that happened along the way.

First, both Mary & I turned to our music about half way into the day.  I don't know if we ran out of things to say or if we just needed a new distraction to make the miles a little shorter.  She tuned into Neil Young & the soundtrack from O' Brother Where Art Thou...and I cranked up Emblem Three (thanks Mackenzie!), Taylor Swift and some other songs I found on iTunes before I left.  At one point, I think Mary & I were both singing out loud to our songs...we had definitely found our happy place.

Second...today was a great day for meeting people.  We met a lady name Diane from New Zealand who has been on the Camino since May, a couple from Holland who have been walking since March, a 20 year old boy from northwestern France & a group of ladies my age (with kids) from Leon Spain.  These people, while we only talked to them for a brief amount of time, are really adding dimension and entertainment to each day. 

Lastly...today was a day where I continued to be surprised by the endurance, sense of humor and passion for life that my Aunt Mary has.  She ate that walk up today.  It was hot.  It was long.  It was out of her comfort zone...and she handled it like a champ.  I'm so lucky to be having this kind of time with her to connect, learn & grow with her.  She's truly a gift to me...& this day made me appreciate her even more.

ps.  we have 18 miles tomorrow...who knows what I'll have to say about her after that!

 

 (Day 3 was spent in transit from Santiago to Sarria.  It was a 2 hour taxi ride, which felt like FOREVER.  It was really daunting driving all that distance, knowing we had to walk the entire way back!)

Day 4

We began our day early in Sarria and ended around 4p in Portomarin.  It was a great day but proved to be much more challenging than I originally thought.  The terrain was hilly and filled with all sorts of walking surfaces.  From gravel to stones, to paved roads & dirt...we covered it all (trying to avoid fresh cow patties wherever possible).  We met a teacher from New Hampshire, a banker from Maine & a couple from Washington DC.  Most people speak Spanish which is making me regret now learning a little before we came here.

As you can see from my photos, we passed many shrines today.  I began leaving my treasured prayer cards along the way too.  These have been a spiritual gift to me & have started to add so much to my experience here.  Thanks to all who contributed...I'm so glad I did this.

We ended our journey in this little town called Portomarin.  It's filled with "pilgrims" of the Camino.  We are at this great hotel and met people from Australia & New Zealand at dinner.  Tomorrow is a 15 mile day that has similar terrain as today, only steeper!  Off to bed for a much earn rest...

  

Day Two...

Quick post for today b/c I'm not sure if we will have Internet at our hotel tonight in Santiago.  We jumped on a double decker bus this morning & got to see EVERYTHING in Cambridge.  The pictures here are when we climbed the stairs at St. Mary's Chapel.  The view was incredible.  The top picture is of Kings College.  That little doorway leads to the narrow circular (tiny) staircase we climbed to see everything.  Just beautiful! 

We are off to the airport now to board another plane to take us to Santiago.  Our adventure in Spain is just about to begin...!  Wish us luck!