The sign as you come into Ages days let our town enchant you. And oh boy can it!
Whilst wandering around town soaking up the energy I took a load of photos but when I tried to play them back later they had all got errors. Not one of my photos of Ages after the sign has been saved successfully. I'm guessing the town wants to keep its secrets.
I had the best night's sleep on the Camino, this time, in our funny old dormitory in the eaves of the pink house. We even slept in till six!
Once again I wasn't keen to leave Ages and had heavy feet. Our morning starts are usually quite quick. This morning we took it more slowly than ever before, my mind was constantly slipping back.
Around nine we stopped for breakfast and first of all were joined by a friendly little dog who was more than happy to share my croissant, and actually ended up having more than me. Then another couple, well 3, pilgrims joined us, and as we got into conversion it turned out that one of them, Cue (Q) was living in Brighton! The others were from Cambridge (Anna, originally from the Ukraine) and Mississippi (John-Mark).
Arriving in Burgos we found our hotel (us a bit of luxury for our last night) and we were amazed that it was owned and run by the same place as where we ate in 2010 for Laila's last meal!
Burgos is currently in the middle of a summer fiesta and is very busy. It is a beautiful city but a little overwhelming after being on the Camino for a few days. I thought I would be keen to keep walking when we got here but have found that I am content to stop and am looking forward to going home. ...
The start was a bit difficult this morning with a painful ankle. Then a voice said 'take it easy'. I listened and changed into my sandals (yes with socks) and slowed my pace. The pain subsided and became more manageable allowing us to arrive here in Ages about an hour ago.
The Walk between Belorado and here is spectacular. Normally the views are breathtaking but today most of the way was shrouded in cloud. So we couldn't see far ahead but what we could see and feel was awesome. Energy fills this area of the Camino and my hands were tingling/vibrating as we walked through the woods and Meadows.
We are in same albergue as 2010 which is fantastic. My whole body is picking up on the energy here and I know that I will be recharged before we leave. Feeling relaxed is an understatement. I am so chilled I don't think anything could rile me. This is such a wonderful feeling.
There is a storm blowing around the mountains which is adding to the electric atmosphere. If it comes this way I think we will be in for quite a show.
Later I shall visit the church. If you've read my book you'll know the why and wherefore of that. If you haven't 'why not'?
Memories and memories of memories are filling my head, some from our last visit, others from who knows when. But I know I've been he me than just the once.
Will I return again? Let's see what I find in the church.
Despite a poor night's sleep and a bit if rain it's been a pretty magical day.
To keep up our spirits as we walked we sang a lot along the way and coming into Belorado substituted the town name for others in various songs. .. Can you get these. ..
You can check out anytime but you can never leave. Welcome to. ..
Or
....... Why don't you come to your senses, you've been out riding fences. ..
And as we walked beside the road for a part of the way we waved to lorries that were passing (like kids in the back of a car) eliciting many waves in return and quite a few honked horns.
Arriving at our favourite albergue from our last visit we settled in and decided to eat in the restaurant here too. As we ordered the song changed to 'conquest of paradise' our camino song from 2010 bringing a tear to my eye. What better message that I am in the place I should be at this moment. This was followed by Bette Middler singing the theme from beaches. I crumbled!
We have spent the afternoon playing with the dog (a new, four month old, addition since our last visit called Kira), feeding the rabbits and chickens and then snuggled under blankets on the bed.
This place still holds all the magic it had in 2010. The owners are just as delightful as we remember and the energy is more than special.
Tomorrow we head for Ages where I expect to find more amazing energy both along the way and in the tiny hamlet itself.
Last night we didn't get a lot of sleep as there was some kind of local fiesta going on until the wee hours. Between 9 and midnight a band was playing up and down the streets loud enough to fill the town with its music. And even when that seemed to finish people were raucously partying right outside the albergue until at least 3 am.
Despite the wildness going during the night ruining any possibility of sleep we were still up at 5.30 and back out before six.
Something I love about the Camino is the cameraderie. Everyone says hello and wishes each other 'Buen Camino'. Knowledge and stories are freely shared as are provisions and offers of help. Despite the mix of languages everyone tries to communicate the best way they can. This may simply be with nods, smiles and gestures, or more often than not in each other's languages. English more often than not is the lingua franca, spoken in so many different accents. I love hearing the different ways people try to express themselves in my language.
If possible I try to at least acknowledge others in their language, be it French, German, or Spanish. This is most often well received but sometimes causes a little confusion. No one ever mistakes me for Spanish but today when I greeted a French'
woman with 'bonjour' she asked which part of France I was from, explaining later that my French accent was excellent. If only that were true of my Spanish accent.
Our walk this morning was full of the sights, sounds and wonder that is the Camino. Nature at its best buoying us along. Even a light rain as we entered Santo Domingo didn't dampen our spirits. I may have mentioned this before but it really does have a magic of its own why else would we return every year?
We are now comfortably ensconced in the albergue that we stayed in back in 2010, which is just as we remembered, although it isn't quite as bright and new as it was back then, but I guess that we too have aged a bit.
Tomorrow rain storms are predicted along the way so we shall suit up accordingly. We've enjoyed walking the way in the rain before and no doubt shall do so again. ...
About thirty kilometres covered today depending on which guide book you ascribe to.
We started off with a climb out of Logroño, and were the first to leave the albergue, which was far from full. We have noticed that the way is much quieter this year compared to 2010.
The terrain had been varied and beautiful. We have had to stop many times to admire the views. Mountains, lakes, forests. I think we've pretty much seen it all today.
Arriving in Najera we were relieved to kick off our shoes and get in the showers. We've had a quick look round but have returned for a lie down before venturing out later for dinner.
The challenge for me this year is to stay present. With so much going on in the next couple of weeks I'm being careful to try to push that aside and stay in the moment. So far so good. There is so much to see and think about as we walk that the projects of the near future are staying there.
W ere checked into another comfortable and well maintained albergue which only opened in 2012. Friendly, clean and ideally located by the River and directly on the Camino.
It's much busier here and our room is full of cyclists. Hopefully none of them snorks as a good night's sleep is what we need ready for tomorrow's walk. ...
Up at 5am to catch the first train to Barcelona to board or train to Logroño. All went swimmingly without a hitch, despite previous worries about cutting it fine. Surprisingly the train was quite busy - most people on their way home after a night of clubbing.
As we pulled into Logroño I had a sudden attack of nerves. Not sure what that was all about, but it may have had something to do with our stop off here 4 years ago when we really didn't gel with the city.
We arrived at the albergue a little early so they let us drop off or rucksacks while they finished cleaning and we went off for a coffee. We returned about an hour later and checked in.
It's a wonderful place. Only opened last year by a guy who has walked the camino 9 times, and I thought we were gluttons for punishment. The hosts are very very friendly and helpful and the place has a relaxed and welcoming energy. It's clean and tidy with everything we could need for an overnight stay. Pretty much luxurious as far as albergues go.
After checking in we've done a bit more sightseeing and actually love the city. We clearly missed the best parts last time.
Tapas and a glass of rioja for lunch and we were well sorted.
It's been a great start to this year's adventure but now we are both pooped and are going to spend the rest of the evening relaxing on our bunks. Happily the place is far from full and very peaceful so it looks like a good night's sleep is on the cards.
Although we're both tired we're in high spirits. Tomorrow the walking begins and we are both keen to get going.
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