Camino Madrid Wrapup

Date	Jun 30
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1619 miles
Total Lodging:	$ 530
Buses / Trains	$ 20
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 125
Food:	$ 15
Total Food:	$ 425

Meaningful Moment

Before I left for Spain, I weighed myself and came in at 177.0.

Today I got on the scale (some six days after returning) and weighed 172.0.

So I figure that shedding five pounds over three weeks of intense hiking is pretty good.

As always, the hard part is keeping it off. LOL

Random Thought of the Day

While I was hiking in Spain, the Rochester baby falcons continued their growth. They are about ready for their first flight from the nestbox. I was wondering if I would be back in time to help in the watch over the babies. 

So this morning I made it out to the Court St Bridge for my first baby falcon watch of the season. I'm glad that I got back in time to participate in this year's falcon watch (before the babies take their first flight).

Notable memories

Just comparing my routine this week, now that I've been back 14 days, from my routine 3 weeks ago on the Camino.

No doubt something that every Camino Walker does.

My daily routine starts with a downtown Rochester peregrine falcon fledge watch on the Court Street bridge. From here with Gimli, the chocolate Labrador, I and my binoculars keep an eye on the Times Square building where this year's fledges should very soon, in the next few days, take their first flight. 

You can search on Rochester New York for peregrine falcons and the Genesee Valley Audubon site with live streaming cameras should come up on the top of the search list. ( Of course, by the time you read this, the fledges are no longer in the nest box area as they wander all over the downtown area as they explore the world. )

Anyway instead of starting my day with a quick bite to eat and heading out for 12 to 15 mi walk, I'm now having a high fiber wafer and banana and coffee and sitting in a chair on a busy downtown street.

The routine sure brings back the routineness. Lol

Something I haven't got back into yet is pickleball. Although I really have a lot of fun playing the sport, my desire to return to the court has been lagging. Not sure why but I'm sure that will change in time.

 I can think of a couple reasons .

It's summer and I want to go boating as a Coast guard auxiliary search and rescue crew member. So I need to set up some time to do that. Have a lot to practice to get back into form for that activity. 

Completely did no German language practice so I need to ramp that skill set up again.

And last night I booked a Camino hike to the Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.

I, my son and my granddaughter will spend a week in August hiking there. It will be my third hike in Ireland and their first. After a week they will return to the States, while I continue hiking along the Kerry Way.

For myself I got a one-way ticket because I don't want to feel the pressure of a return travel date. Turns out to be literally twice as expensive as a round trip ticket, but I don't think I care.

I value the flexibility of going as far as or covering as little as I feel at the moment. That matters more to me than the money.

Towards the end of the Camino Madrid.

Leaving Madrid behind at the start of Deb's and my Camino.

The time has come to end my ruminations on this Camino, as I prepare for my upcoming hiking experience in Ireland with my son and daughter-in-law.

Buen Camino!

Day 22: Madrid to Rochester

Date	Jun 30
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1619 miles
Total Lodging:	$ 530
Buses / Trains	$ 20
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 125
Food:	$ 15
Total Food:	$ 425

Best  Moments

Cervantes house: being able to walk through the house where he wrote the classic novel Don Quixote while in the small, relatively small city of  Valladolid where I never would have expected such an experience. A rare treat on the Camino Madrid.

Climbing Sierra Guadarrama and  Fuenfria: by the time we started the serious ascent, the temperature was in the low 90s. Fortunately we had shade. But by the time, after over 4 hours of increasingly steeper and tougher climbing, we reached the pass. 

We  achieved something physically challenging, mentally challenging and possibly spiritually challenging in that we had to keep our spirits up because as the trail dragged on, it got progressively harder to maneuver.

Segovia Jewish quarter: sampling the history, the tradition and the culture of this barrio was an education for me. I learned a lot.  I was very fortunate to to experience this area alongside Deb.

Ursula's meal: on the day of the crossing the mountains, when we finally reached our albergue, it was a bit of a shock to find out that the only bar in town, that is the only place that had food was closed. Our keeper at the albergue made us a tortilla, a potato salad and brought us watermelon and bread. That was one of the best meals because of her spirit of charity and enjoyment of life.

Guernica: as always when I look at that painting, that bigger than life work of art by Picasso, I can't help but be moved by how, contrastingly beautiful and ugly, he captures war. I only thank God that I in my career in the military never actually had to call in targeting information for real because otherwise that painting might haunt me forever.

Random Thought of the Day

Retired my hiking poles. End of life cycle. Funny thing is a couple years ago I retired another pair that looked just like this pair lol. That's what happens when you're mix and match.

On the Road / Notable memories

0600: up and at 'em

0630: cab arrives

0655: arrive at Barajas airport

0715: check-in starts

0745: cleared security check point

0810: cleared immigration and the Schengen zone

0820: at gate Madrid Barajas 

1050: takeoff from Barajas. 8 hr flight

1240: arrive Newark airport

1300: cleared immigration and customs

1345: cleared tsa security at Newark

1400: at gate Newark

1540: boarding in Newark

1720: landed Rochester

Overall a pretty smooth experience getting from the hostel to the gate at the airport. 

Could have been worse with the ongoing NATO conference and traffic jams, or crowds at the airport due to staff shortages in either the airline or security.

Smooth travel experience. I noticed in the news that others were suffering from an airport / travel congestion nightmare.

Day 19 - 21: Sahagún to Madrid and sight seeing

Date	Jun 27 - 29
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1619 miles
Lodging:	Hostel Rober @ $ 85
Total Lodging:	$ 530
Buses / Trains:	$ 55
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 105
Food:	$ 90
Total Food:	$ 410

Meaningful Moment

Made it to the hostel in Madrid. We are on a pedestrian and shopping street which should be a pleasing experience.

Just visited the Queen Sophia National Museum of Art for my fourth time in order to see Picasso's Guernica. This time though, instead of being alone with my thoughts, I saw it with Deb. 

Every time I've tried to explain to someone my reaction to the painting, I seem to not be able to finish the sentence. 

I wanted to tell Deb the history behind the painting but couldn't do it without looking away for a moment and choking back the intense feelings this painting evokes. 

" The story behind Guernica is that the Nazis, in support of Franco, carpet bombed the town of Guernica." And this is where I choked up. All I wanted to say was " and Picasso painted it in memory of the people. " But it must have taken me a minute, or so it seemed, to finish the sentence.

Random Thought of the Day

Easy start to the day. Grabbed a coffee in Sahagún and caught the bus to Leon where we are waiting now to transfer to the bus to Madrid.

On the Road / Notable memories

While riding the bus to Leon, we saw about 20 or 25 Pilgrims on the Camino frances.

In our entire time on the Camino madrid, Deb and I saw only two other pilgrims, the Australian ladies, Jackie and Lynn.

Madrid

Day 1

Arrived at Estación de Sur and took a cab ride to Hostel Rober. Calle del Arenal is a pedestrian only street, making it beautiful to walk along.

Queen Sophia National Museum of Art to see Picasso's Guernica.

Mixed salad dinner for me and paella for Deb.

Street side churrería for churros dipped in hot, melted chocolate.

Day 2

Started the day with a breakfast of cafe con leche and churros.

Deb and I did a walking tour of Madrid center to include Puerta del Sol, Kilometer 0 (the center of Spain), the royal palace, Cathedral of Madrid, other local places of interest and Plaza Mayor.

Lunch at Restaurante Madroña. Traditional Spanish food. 

Checked out the Metro system if we need it to get to the airport on Thursday.

Starting tomorrow the leaders of NATO are meeting in Madrid for two days to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO. Expect random street and block closures all over Madrid. They are meeting less than a mile from where we are staying.

There is a major NATO conference in Madrid. Deb and I ran into it when we could not get to our dinner reservation because we could not cross a major street which had been closed because the world leaders are arriving. The only advice we got was to take the subway to another station and exit there. We're staying less than half a mile from the meeting site. Not that we will be invited lol 

Had a good meal of shrimp fried in garlic and fried peppers, but it was at the Opera plaza which is just kind of touristy. With the exception of one young man, the rest of the staff was standoffish. And the bill was higher than it was supposed to have been according to the menu, but I was too tired to argue about it.

Day 3

Deb went to the stylist this morning, so I just walked around Santo Domingo which appears to be Chinatown. Made it to Plaza de Espana, and decided to try the subway just for the experience. 

Took a few minutes of map studying just to figure out how to go one station. I did this studying at a street side Metro map, so that I would not cause a huge queue of people inside the metro station.

Figured it out, bought a ticket and navigated the metro station to get to the right track. And as soon as you could say abracadabra, the train arrived, which I took it to my destination and made it back to the street at Plaza Callao. Good practice for our fancy dinner tonight at a paella restaurant, just in case the streets get closed again due to the NATO conference and it becomes difficult to navigate on the street.

Evening

Deb wanted really good paella and she found a restaurant earlier in our stay which we could not make last night due to the ongoing NATO conference.

However tonight we made it. It was an outstanding meal.

Photos of our Madrid stay

	Deb gave me this bracelet for my 2019 Camino. It made it all the way through my Camino Madrid with her but it met its life cycle. :-)
	Sahagun train station
	View from the bus window as we head to Madrid, thinking how it took a 16 days to cross all this land.
	About one half hour from Madrid. We crossed this mountain chain on day four.
	View from our r&j balcony of the hostel
	Street life
	Our barrio at night
Day 2
	The National Police were out in force around the Opera theater. Not sure what it's significance was to the ongoing NATO summit.
	Tonight's dinner at the Opera plaza
Day 3 - Some random walking around
	Barrio Santo Domingo ( Chinatown )
	Plaza de España
	Just walking now around Plaza del Callao
	Plaza de San Martin
Last night in Madrid
Paella on our final night in Madrid

Day 18: Santervás to Sahagún

Date	Jun 26
Today's Distance:	13 miles / 21 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	219 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1609 miles
Lodging:	Casa Rural Arturo @ $ 45
Total Lodging:	$ 445
Buses / Trains:	$
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 48
Food:	$ 20
Total Food:	$ 320

Meaningful Moment

After 16 days on the Spanish meseta, I once again find myself thinking about the adage that it's not the destination but the journey. 

The journey without a destination seems to be fleeing.

The destination without a journey seems to be just escaping.

And I now begin to think that it's really the journey and the destination.

What changes in my life does that portend?

Random Thought of the Day

47° today for a starting temperature. Unbelievable. 20° colder than when we began this Camino.

And the mountains north of Sahagún look bigger today this morning as we continue north along VP 4013.

Over breakfast it occurred to me how much scarcer stopping places with services are on this kind of Camino. 

I can think of four nights where we could have been without a substantial meal just because the town was either closed up or simply had no bars or restaurants or shops. 

It is a new way to look at the Camino de Santiago as the Madrid route requires more planning than some of the others where you could rely on services once you got to a town.

On the Road / Notable memories

I find the meseta to be challenging because the scenery can be so constant. Seeing the mountains to the north in the distance, provided a distinct visual break from the past couple of weeks. 

Anecdotally I often hear people say it's the meseta's constant unchangingness that makes it so challenging. 

I wonder about the people who find a soothingness in the constancy of the meseta. I wonder what it is they find comforting out here. 

	Several days ago I saw a field with one sunflower. On our last today I come across the field with multiple sunflowers. There might be a metaphor there.
	Obligatory solitary tree picture
	Cranes on church steeples are so common in Spain has to be almost unremarkable.
	I liked the blue, white and yellow.
	Jackie and Lynn, two women from Australia also doing the Camino Madrid
	Castle in Grajas
	Deb and I have completed the Camino Madrid. 220 MI across Spain from Madrid to Sahagún.

Day 17: Cuenca de Campos to Santervás de Campos

Date	Jun 25
Today's Distance:	14 miles / 23 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	206 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1606 miles
Lodging:	Municipal Albergue @ $ 12
Total Lodging:	$ 400
Buses / Trains:
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 48
Food:	$ 24
Total Food:	$ 300

Meaningful Moment

Ever since Thursday people in the province of Valladolid have been preparing for a big weekend of festivities celebrating the saints.

From what I understand this weekend is for St John the Baptist. 

Anyway, whether we're in the bigger towns or the small towns, there's an excitement in the air as people get ready for the celebration.

Random Thought of the Day

Incessant wind. Today, and other days, there has been constant wind, increasing to gusts, only to settle back to a constant wind. Must be a feature of being on the plains. 

When we were just a little bit outside of Fontiyuelo, I looked to my right and saw the mountains off in the distance. 

If anything is a signature change from the last 16 days, it's finally seeing the mountains of Northern Spain. 

Finished hiking on our penultimate day.  One more day tomorrow to reach Sahagún and tomorrow night we are at the end of our Camino Madrid.

On the Road / Notable memories

Only two days of hiking left, today and tomorrow.

Like with all Camino's, I can barely remember the beginning as we wrap up the ending.

	Miles and miles of farm road under the Meseta sky
	Cute burro
	Villalón Feast of St John
	Villalón town hall
	Villalón Panorama

Day 16: Medina de Rioseco to Cuenca de Campos

Date	Jun 24
Today's Distance:	13 miles / 21 km
Route and Stats	Route Video
Total This Camino:	192 miles.
Total All Caminos:	1592 miles
Lodging:	Municipal Albergue @ $ 18
Total Lodging:	$ 388
Buses / Trains:
Total Buses / Trains:	$ 48
Food:	$ 20
Total Food:	$ 276

Meaningful Moment

Walking along the Canal de Castillo, used for irrigation, to start the morning. For the first time on this Camino, Deb and I have had a continuous body of water. Even though the canal is not so big, it's nice to constantly see water.

Ever since we landed in Spain, we have been in the Spanish Maseta, a hot arid dry land. The trails show little sign of any water. So that adds to the contrast of walking along this canal.

Random Thought of the Day

I think this has been the first morning when it's been a really "nice" walk. We've got a cool breeze, comfortable temperatures, the sun is out but there's lots of shade trees, and of course we have the canal to our left, just a beautiful continuous body of water

Stopped in the small town of Tamariz for cold cuts and cheese, yogurt, Powerade etc, all out of the backpack because everything is closed, technically the one bar in town is closed.

.

On the Road / Notable memories

Washing machines. The albergue had one. Haven't had clothes really washed since we started.

	Canal de Castille
	Our first sunflower