Day 10 of the Camino

Santiago and the return to Madrid

Today was scheduled as a sightseeing day. I enjoyed sleeping until about 9. We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then everyone except Karin headed for Decathlon. The main purpose was to get a pedal wrench and some bike bags for our return trip by train. They didn’t have any bike bags but we did get something that would work – hoping that we would be able to return them in Madrid. In the end, I got a fleece and Terri Lynn and Sheri ended up with a new outfits including some sandals. They were ready to have some warm feet after not being able to wear socks with their flip flops.

After our return to the hotel we took the shuttle bus into town. The driver gladly explained all that we were to see in the old part of the city. We got in on the end of the market.

Our main task was to get our certificate saying we had completed the Camino. It is in Latin and made out in the name of Alexiam. Other than that, I have no idea what it says. We also visited the church. We passed on waiting in line to see the bones of St James.

Outside in the square we saw two bikers we had met at Cebrerio. When asked if they remembered us they said, “Yes, you were the ones who flashed by us.” That must have been on the down hill because we weren’t flashing by anyone on the climbs.

A church in Italy made a model of the main cathedral in Santiago out of wheat. It gives a good idea of how big the cathedral actually is.

After getting some souvenirs we got something to eat and our umpteenth Magnum of the trip.

Then we walked up to a park area that overlooked the city for another photo op.

The Decathlon Girls - we could be models decked out in our decathlon stuff.

Karin, Alice, Terri Lynn, Sheri
A picture without our helmets on so people besides our mothers can recognize us.

During Karin’s conversation with the man who gave her a massage back in O Cebrerio he had told her that she would find a boyfriend the next day. Here’s the one she found – though she finds that he is a little cold and stiff.

One of the unique things in Santiago is the timer that tells you how many seconds pedestrians have to cross the street before the little green man turns red. What was funny was how the green man would start running when there was five seconds left.

Since it began to drizzle we headed back to the hotel. The great plans of hanging out by the pool didn’t happen. At least we had a 4 star waiting room. The staff was very accommodating and let us leave our things in a store room. We had something to drink and I was finally able to do some reading. I guess it was worth the effort to haul that book along.

As we looked at the weather we decided to see if we could come up with another solution for getting to the train station. Our original plan had been to ride our bikes. We asked the shuttle bus driver if he could take us. He could take us two at a time so Sheri and Terri Lynn went first. Karin and I took the second run. By then the sun had come out but it was nice to not have to worry about riding through the city.

Once we got our bikes and things onto the platform, the station manager came over to ask some questions. Once he saw our 1^st class tickets, he let us go. He also told us where on the platform our car would stop. We carefully took the pedal wrench out of the package (we were able to take it back) and got our pedals off. We also turned our handle bars. One unique thing in Spain is the necessity of putting all luggage through an x-ray machine. When the train pulled into the station at 22h30 we were ready to get on.

Our bikes lined up perfectly in the hallway of our car but the Mr Bean look-a-like conductor let us know that they had to go inside our rooms. That was our challenge for the evening. In the end one bike went up in the luggage compartment while the other was stood on its end and attached to a hook on the wall with a lock. Karin and I even managed to do it in such a way that we could still get in the bathroom.

While we were working on our puzzle, the waiter came by to ask if we were coming to dinner. Of course! Once our bikes were firmly in place, we went to eat. It was one of our best meals of the trip. Karin figured out that it is not easy to pour wine (or anything else) on a train that is rocking.

I had a spinach crepe for the 1^st course and soused chicken with red peppers for the second course. None of us were sure what soused chicken was but I could figure out the French which was mariné. After the cheese course, dessert and coffee we headed for bed.

There was a little bag of toiletries for each of us in our rooms. It included slippers, a comb, ear pugs, a razor and shaving cream, a tooth brush and some toothpaste, shampoo and shower gel, Kleenex, a shower cap, a shoe shine kit and a sewing kit.

It was after 1 when Karin and I got the light out and as soon as I laid down I felt like my meal was getting well mixed up in my stomach. The rocking and noise of the train kept me from sleeping much at all. I was actually glad when 6:30 rolled around and we could go to breakfast.

Our train was due in at 8:30 but it was more like 10:00 when we rolled into Madrid. We took two commuter trains to get out to the area where the others live.

After getting our pedals back on, we had a 10 km ride to get to Sheri and Terri Lynn’s house. Our final photo op was on their front porch followed by a great 2nd breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. We ride for a lot of reasons but one of them is definitely to eat!

Thanks all for a great time!

Day 9 of the Camino

Stage 9 Palas de Rei to Santiago de Compostela

Today was a short day. We had breakfast at 8 and were on the road at about 9. The general direction of the profile was down hill and that is how the day started. But there was still lots of up. I don’t think there was 100 meters of flat all day. I did pretty well until about 20 kms out. After that my legs were tired and I was getting to the point where I didn’t want to see another hill. (However, since I have returned to my usual routes, what I used to consider a hill now just seem like a bump in the road. I no longer avoid hills or wind. Karin could turn that into an illustration for something.)

Today was cool and cloudy much of the time. Unfortunately I made the mistake of washing my long sleeved t-shirt the night before and it wasn’t dry so the only option was to put on my rain gear. That kept me warm but by the time I took it off I was dripping wet. At one point we did stop to put on our rain gear because rain threatened. We did drive on some wet roads but we didn’t get rained on.

The sun peaked through about the time we arrived in Santiago.

After stopping to take some pictures next to the Santiago signs we went on all the way down to the cathedral. Since it was Sunday the streets of the old town were packed. Terri Lynn led us down the cobble stone streets ringing her bell as we went. Since I was behind her I caught the nasty look of more than one elderly woman as we went by. We ended up having to walk and get our bikes down some stairs. That is not an easy task with the extra weight from the panniers. The square in front of the church was full of people. What was missing were some people to congratulate us as we arrived. It was no problem to find someone to take our picture.

It wasn’t long before we were thinking about food. There didn’t seem to be anything with available outside seating in the old part of the city so we headed back the way we came (while avoiding the stairs.) We found an Italian restaurant where we could sit outside in the sun and keep an eye on our trusty bikes. The worst problem we had with them was chains that liked to come off at the most inopportune times.

As we waited for our food, Terri Lynn sent the daily text message to her sister who would have loved to have been with us. (Next time Toni Lynn!) We enjoyed a great meal of salad, pizza and pasta. What more could a group of bikers ask for? We also enjoyed cheering on the bikers and other pilgrims who came by.

We ride to eat

Once our stomachs were full we headed back out to the hotel. It was on a hill overlooking the city so we had one final climb that was short but very steep. Once I started going up I had no choice but to finish because there was no way I could clip out to stop without falling over. Sheri had found us a four star hotel at a great discount price. The outdoor pool we had been hoping to enjoy was closed because of the bad weather so after a shower I took a nap.

At supper time we walked to a restaurant where we had our worst meal of the trip. I wasn’t very hungry so I just had soup and bread. Even that wasn’t very good. The others ordered meat that was to be well done but most of it wasn’t edible. Fortunately we had had a good meal earlier in the day and we were happy to get some ice cream across the street.

Back at the hotel Sheri, Terri Lynn and I watched part of a Real Madrid soccer game on the wide screen TV while Karin soaked in the tub “that is as big as a swimming pool!!!”

Vital stats for the day:
71.21 kms
4h02 riding time
17.2 average speed

Day 8 of the Camino

Stage 8 O Cebreiro to Palas de Rei

Since we were again at a higher altitude we didn’t try to get an early start. After breakfast we took plenty of time to enjoy the view over the valley on both sides of Cebreiro before we left.

We began with some more climbing but it was actually quite a bit of up and down. It was a lot easier then the part of the climb we had done the day before. The descent was very nice. I hardly had to be on my brakes at all.

From there on out there wasn’t a bit of flat. Most of the hills weren’t very long but they kept coming and coming. I especially didn’t like it when there was a slow lane. That mean the hill was either a little longer or steeper (or both) than normal. By the end of the day Sheri was wondering when the torture would end. One of her shoulders had a major knot. Terri Lynn came and rode behind me which helped me at the end of the day. This was probably the most difficult day for me since I always dragging behind the others on the hills.

We were all glad to pull into Palas de Rei. I believe it was Terri Lynn who spotted the sign for the hotel which was off the main road. Our rooms were nice and it was obvious that there would be a wedding there that night. Tables were set up outside and I was hoping that it would be a quiet party so we could sleep. In the end some rain came and ended the outdoor part of the party rather quickly.

We walked into town and checked out our restaurant options. We ended up back at the hotel where we sat outside as we ate where we were able to see the wedding guests arrive.

Vital states for the day:
102.58 kms
5h47 riding time
17.7 average speed

Day 7 of the Camino

Stage 7 Rabanal del Camino to O Cebreiro

We began the day with breakfast at the hotel. Klaus came down just as we had ordered so we invited him to eat with us. Since we were part way up a mountain, we didn’t want to leave too early since it was rather cool. It was once again a beautiful day as we headed off. The profile indicated that we would begin and end the day with a pretty good climb.

The first climb was about 8 kms. Thanks to everyone’s help yesterday I had my legs back so it wasn’t too bad. We had our green jerseys on again so an older Irish man noticed us. Terri Lynn rode next to him and chatted with him for quite a while. At one point he said he would have to walk a bit. The next stretch had some tough percentages but we all made it. At the top there was a cross with lots of rocks around it. The idea is that the pilgrims carry a rock the size of their sins to that point and leave it there by the cross. We decided that we could never find a rock the size of our sins and even if we could, we could never carry it – especially on the back of our bikes. In reality there were lots of t-shirts, hats, water bottles and numerous other articles that are carried in backpacks.

During our photo op stop, Michael caught up with us and introduced us to two Irish women who were walking part of the Camino. One of them was fascinated by Sheri’s rearview mirror attached to her helmet. She wanted to know where she could get one for her cycle-loving brother. Sheri is thinking of carrying some with her on the next trip and selling them for a profit to all those who ask about it.

After our 8 km climb we enjoyed an 18 km descent. We didn’t go very far before we stopped for another photo op. I enjoy climbing for two reasons. One is the incredible views.

The other is the fun of climbing is having the road just disappear over the ridge.

The first part of the descent was quite technical and I had to be on my brakes the whole time. Terri Lynn, the fastest on the descents, stopped after a sharp hairpin turn at the edge of a little village. The street through the middle of town was rough so it was good to have stopped so we could go slowly through the village.

On the other side of the village, the descent wasn’t as steep and the turns weren’t quite as tight. The road was in excellent condition so I could enjoy the great view with little need for my brakes.

Once we came down to the bottom we had a good bit of flat. It seemed that most of it was through town. On the other side we started a gradual climb that was quite long. At times it looked like it was down hill but I knew my eyes were playing a trick on me because I was still on my small chain ring.

A Spanish wind farm

Eventually we started some serious climbing that must have lasted about 17 kms. The last 5 or 6 were rough. Taken alone they probably weren’t that bad but with 70 kms in my legs, they were hard. I was assured that we had a 3 km climb once we turned off the main road. I stopped there to rest while the others continued on. Even without an odometer I knew how far I had gone thanks to the km markers on the side of the road. After 2 kms I caught sight of the others and saw a down hill section on the other side of the ridge. That helped keep me going. The 3 km climb turned out to be more like 4 but with a little descent thrown in it was OK and we all made it to O Cebrerio having conquered the hardest climb of the Camino.

Later during supper, Terri Lynn asked what I had been thinking during the last part of the climb. I was singing in my head. For you are great, you do miracles so great, there is no one else like you, there is no one else like you… One interesting thing is that even though I was singing in my head, I still had to take long pauses between phrases of the song to catch my mental breath.

Cebrerio is a small village with stone houses, thatched roofs and cobbled stone streets. Bikes and cobbled stones don’t go together very well so we walked our bikes in to find our hotel. Our impression was that everyone in the town was grumpy. They must have had about enough of all the tourists coming through even if it was their livelihood.

The highlight of the evening was the massage. We noticed a table set up and a woman giving massages in the church courtyard. Since our hotel overlooked the courtyard, Karin leaned out the window and (being a loud American) asked how much it cost. Finding out that it was a donation, she told the lady she would be down as soon as she had finished her shower. In the end, Terri Lynn was the first one down. She got the full body massage.

After she had finished, the woman and her husband took a short break before Karin and I got our shoulders worked on as well as our legs. Karin, who enjoys talking, found out more about them. The woman has a massage parlor in Barcelona. Having walked the Camino before, they knew that massages were always well appreciated so they offered them for a donation. They also had some massage oils for sell. This time they were driving a van/camper and had been in Cebrerio for a couple of days. Wherever they stopped they set up shop and offered their services and made a little money on the side. They probably could pay for most of their vacation that way. A massage was just what my legs needed and her thumbs caused some grimaces as they dug into the outside of my quads. The other thing that really hurt was the inside of my feet. My shoulder hurt like crazy when she was done but the next morning it was fine.

We found a nice place to eat with a view out over the valley. Karin jumped up to take a picture of the sunset partway through the meal. We had the local soup which tasted like ham and bean soup but there were some other things in it as well. I had trout for the 2^nd course.

Vital stats for the day:
89.1 kms
6:06 riding time
14.6 average speed
1044 meters climbed (? We weren’t sure that the altimeter was working correctly)

Day 6 of the Camino

Stage 6: Mansilla de las Mulas – Rabanal del Camino

Our first stop of the day was in Léon which was about 20 kms from where we stayed. We all took it easy and I had no legs so didn’t take a turn up front. It was very cool (55°) as we set out and all of us were a little chilly even with long pants and jackets. I didn’t have ear muffs or full-fingered gloves in my panniers.

The main attraction in Léon is the Parador. My understanding is that all over Spain historical buildings have been converted into hotels. This one used to be a monastery and was now a very classy hotel – even though the sign on the door called it a hostel.

We had breakfast across the street and were happy to find a place inside where we could watch our bikes and be warm at the same time.

Karin and I had “tortilla” which I’ll describe as an egg and potato quiche minus the crust. It is normally served in a sandwich but ours was on a plate with a piece of bread next to it. It must have been good since after a taste, Sheri and Terri Lynn also ordered a piece. I also had the traditional tostada to go with it.

Before we left town we made a stop at a grocery story for fruit and I got some more cereal bars.

I don’t remember much of the rest of the day. There were more corn fields and several good up hills. There is a story to tell about Karin's biker wave, but you'll have to ask her to demonstrate. We stopped in town that had a beautiful flower garden that overlooked part of the town and the valley.

All of us felt rather apprehensive about the climb at the end when we looked at the profile of the day. Since I had no legs to begin with I took it easy on all the hills so I would hopefully have something left at the end. It turned out that the final climb wasn’t that bad. The last 2.2 kms were hard with the first stretch being VERY steep. I had to tack up the hardest 100 m or so and then was able to pedal in.

Terri Lynn loves to climb so I had told the others to not wait for me unless the hotel was off the main street of town. Rabanal del Camino was a small village and I didn’t see the others before it looked like I was heading out of town. So I turned up toward the church. When I came to a T and was obviously wandering which way to go, a man pointed up the hill to the left and told me in perfect British English that the others had gone that way. Our matching green jerseys came in handy once again.

The hotel where we stayed. Our bikes were kept in the courtyard behind a 4 wheeler.

I was happy to see a bathtub in our rooms. I soaked my legs good and tried to massage my quads. After we were all clean and our biking clothes were hanging up to dry, we walked around the village. As usual there was some beautiful flowers and some elderly Spanish men that we couldn’t help but take a picture of.

Rabanal is another village that caters to pilgrims. It was only a little after 7 and we were already seated waiting for our food. The only thing missing was pasta on the menu. At the end of our meal a German man sitting alone at the next table started talking with us. Klaus was from Köln and newly retired so he didn’t need a vacation. He had always been very active but after several months of dealing with a hamstring injury he was now walking parts of the Camino. It seems this trip was in part to scout things out for next year when he wants to bring his wife.

Vital stats for the day :
90.3 kms
5h27 riding time
16.5 average speed
969 m climbed
7h15 total time from start to finish