Day Two Obanos – Lorca – 15km

Albergue

€7

Pilgrim dinner €9.50 (the meal was horrible and best avoided)

Gorgeous albergue with rooms that had double beds for a higher price.

Free internet use

Kitchen facilities with washing machines

Blankets and earplugs provided and towels available for €2

Excellent hot water and bathrooms like you would find at home.

Weather

Extremely hot – t-shirts, singlet and shorts. If we could have walked naked we probably would have.

Aargh – we woke this morning to suspect that Panadol & Ibuprofen could be our sponsors for the Camino. Naturally this was to be expected after such a climb on the first day. Our feet, shoulders and butt muscles were well and truly informing us they were awake -and they were not happy about it!!

Aurelia on the other hand had no aching muscles since she was carried and (unlike us on being woken)was full of energy and smiles for Jock our roommate.

We had planned a shorter walk today (only 15km) as people had warned us to pace ourselves for the first 3 days and ease our feet in gradually to avoid blisters.

We slowly started packing up our gear ready for another day of walking. Apart from Jock and Rob, and one other lady we were the only ones left in the albergue. People who were walking longer distances had started their days earlier and would have most likely left at 6am. We on the other hand,allowing Aurelia to sleep as long as possible only just scraped out the door minutes before the 8am boot out the door occurred.

As we stood on the doorstep of the albergue and wished Jock and Rob safe travels all four of us noticed for the first time that the weather was less than desirable. We just looked at each other – rain! Straight back into our packs for rain jackets, ponchos and gortex gear. Now I was glad that I hadn't been up earlier walking in the rain like the other pilgrims would have been.

We knew now that the path would be muddy and slippery now broken up by all the other walkers but there was nothing we could do so we chose to focus on covering the first 3km as quickly as possible so we could grab a coffee and croissant.

Arriving in Puente la Reina we found a gorgeous bakery along the camino path and ordered breakfast. A friendly Italian at the bar told Nick he looked like Hugh Jackman when Nick stood beside him at the counter – not in the handsome Hugh kind of way – in the Hugh Jackman “Wolverine' character kind of way – Nick's hair really needed a cut and was looking particularly wild this morning. I almost laughed my coffee all over the table. Raya happily read the morning newspaper

Lingering over our coffees we faced the fact we were just dragging our feet and so we hauled on our packs and began the walk. Leaving the town we crossed the impressive medieval bridge to walk on through crop fields. Here we met an elderly man who was photographing the bridge. He told us he had walked the camino many times but never seen a pilgrim as young as Aurelia. He asked to take her photo and now explained he was driving the camino and was only there for the 'romance' of the camino – not the challenges. I suspect any 'romance' in an albergue would be a bit of a 'challenge'!

The path continued up through vineyards and we were passed by several locals on horseback who looked at us with incredulous looks on their faces. The rain had given way to sunshine -loads of it and the ground underfoot was steaming at the water evaporated under the baking sun.

Today we would learn that occasionally our guide maps did not give descriptions which we felt reflected the nature of the path. Today ours read “the path continues up' and you bet it certainly continued up!!!

This was a climb not even worthy of mention on the guide maps -just a little surprise the camino had thrown us for morning tea. What an absolute killer – very short but 200m elevation on a fine,pebbly,slippery road. 

When we made it to the top we added a stone to the monument at the top and remembered the words of an Irish pilgrim we had met on the first night “there are no tears on the camino – you must offer them up for your sins' Oh dear, we would then be having a lot of hills to climb and that was working off Nick's sins alone!!

The path continued along through vineyards and the scenery was gorgeous. We met one pilgrim who was walking towards us. People in front of us shouted to her “you're going the wrong way' to which she replied with a smile on her face and spring in her step 'No I finished, I'm walking back from Santiago”!!!

We spent most of the day walking near a German man named Wolfgang. I have a little German and he spoke a little English so we made basic communication and filled in the gaps with nods and smiles .As it would turn out we would come to be very friendly with Wolfgang as he was one of the few pilgrims keeping a similar pace to us.

Wolfgang was in his late seventies and we first me him when we were walking out of Pamplona on the first morning. We remember spying him walking ahead of us. An elderly man in dress slacks, a grey short sleeve T.- shirt with a yellow bandana tied around his neck and a soft material cap on his head. On his feet were mens dress shoes – no Teva sandals or hiking boots. He had a 60L pack(which he wore without using the hip belt) and a pillow case he carried over his shoulder full of possessions. He had snowy white hair which only accented his florid complexion.

We saw him walking slowly and puffing along and we had both slowed our pace to walk near him convinced he was moments away from a heart attack and we would both need to give him CPR.

How wrong first impressions can be! We found out Wolfgang,who saw no need for technical equipment, just 'a want to walk and listen' had begun his pilgrimage in Northern France. His credential when opened was full of hundreds of stamps and he was probably one of the fittest pilgrims of his age. He would beat us to most albergues and the heat didn't seem to alter his slow but steady pace along the path.

The heat continued to increase and Aurelia played happily in the carrier. When we had food stops she refused to eat, too busy exploring her surroundings. Once back in the carrier there were frequent taps on the shoulder to stop and “juice juice' demands to be met as there was nothing to distract her from feeling hungry. As a result our pace was slow.

After eating Aurelia was lulled back to sleep by the rhythm of the carrier and I got desperate to cool myself down. My body was reasonably warm however my head was boiling. Out of desperation I ended up soaking a pair of black undies in water and wearing them on

my head. I said the camino wasn't glamorous and for once I was glad to have a slow pace and to not have this witnessed by other pilgrims. Nick politely kept his laughter to a dull roar.

Only 1km short of Lorca the Camino threw us her second surprise of the day – this one slightly more welcomed than the first. A cool stream flowing under the bridge we had to cross.

We scurried down the side of the bank and whipped off our boots. Aaah to be able to soak our feet in the cool water was bliss. We had a picnic here and Nick taught Aurelia to skim stones on the water which resulted in pearls of laughter. While we numbed our feet Aurelia splashed in the water. Nick and I looked at each other and again spoke of how lucky we were to be here as a family sharing this moment.

When the water finally threatened to turn us into prunes we gathered our gear and walked the 1km incline up into Lorca. We discussed a new family game plan. With the heat being so extreme (we were being repeatedly told by locals how unusual the heat was) we were going to have to rise earlier in the morning to escape walking in the heat of the day.

Arriving in the albergue we sought out our beds and hot showers. My shoulders ached from the 14kgs I was carrying and I had absolutely no idea how Nick was managing his pack which was well over 20kgs. I was not surprised when several germans who had walked past Nick today had looked at him and said “respect man”.

We were tucked up in our sleeping bag liners by 8.30pm knowing the hardest day lay ahead of us tomorrow but comforted by the fact that if we did survive the experience, our extra luggage and clean clothes were awaiting us in Santiago.

Day One

Pamplona – Obanos – 20km

Route
Today the walk passed through farmland and the remains of the Pamplona Basin. A steep climb through boxwood trees and coarse scrubland. We passed the slowly trickling Reniega spring. Following this was the steep ascent climb to Alto de Perdon at an altitude of 800m. Here is the monument erected to the pilgrims and windmills. Looking in the direction the camino continues the Valdizarbo valley lies beyond.
Albergue
€7
Area for handwashing. Shoes left at the door
1 shower/mixed sex bathrooms
1 Large dorm room and smaller dorm room with beds
Good hot water and kitchen facilities
No blankets or sheets provided

Weather
Extremely hot – t-shirts, singlet and shorts

Today our first day of walking was a fantastic if not challenging beginning to the Camino for us. We had risen early like all pilgrims (many had their alarms set for 5.30am) to walk early in the day and avoid the heat, arriving early at the albergues in the afternoon in time to purchase food for the next day and to then have an afternoon siesta.

We were excited to walk beyond the boundaries of the city and to see the fields stretch out in the distance ahead of us. A narrow dirt road winding through fields of wheat – this was the image we had in our heads of the camino.

It didn't take long for us to shed our layers of warmer clothing and to appreciate the trekking poles we had brought with us. To someone not walking they look a tad ridiculous but we found they really did make the walking much easier

Aurelia had her first 'side of the road' Camino nappy change and we were off again. The weather leaving Pamplona was unseasonably warm and it didn't take long for us and the other pilgrims to be sweating like maniacs under the load of our packs. Aurelia was dressed in her UV50 protective suit and hat, with a light layer of clothing over the top, and did not seem phased by the heat at all falling asleep quickly again in the carrier after her early start to the day. My worries of how she would find the albergue accommodation the night before had proven unfounded and she slept through the night in her Kinderkot without a sound. This made her hugely popular with other pilgrims, many who had dropped by our bunk beds to comment on how wonderful she had been last night and wishing they could trade in the noisy snorers for a few more babies. Walking along the path we looked to the summit of Alto de Perdon and saw numerous windmills. Jokingly I had mentioned that perhaps our breakfast coffee would be at the top – it was the last time we joked about windmills as the statement turned out to be true!! It was also the longest walk I had ever made for a morning caffeine hit

As the walking continued the sun rose higher in the sky and shone down brightly. As gorgeous as the fields were the absence of trees along the winding path meant a lack of shade and the first mental challenge of the camino arose. What so soon we thought! Our bodies already were keen to sit and rest. How discouraging to feel our bodies struggle on the first day, even though everyone around us was struggling as well. Still they had walked for 3 days already and we were fresh – please don't let this be a sign of things to come we thought.

How could it be that people in their 60's and 70's were coping better than us. One look at the size of our packs compared to theirs gave us our answer!!

We(I) longed to sit down in the fields and drink all the water we were carrying (still breastfeeding Raya I was feeling quite dehydrated) however we also had the knowledge that the weather was only going to get hotter, the next town with an albergue was not going to get any closer and there was no other water apart from what we were carrying.

It was THE moment of realisation(with a tinge of panic) that we had to walk whether we liked it or not and the first of many “suck it up” moments on the path. Aurelia oblivious to our (my)overheating snored softly in the carrier on my shoulders.

Before we reached the foothills of Alto de Perdon we passed the monument of the pilgrim who passed away and we sat in the shade of the tree while aurelia crawled around amusing the other pilgrims. People commented that seeing her smiling face was refreshing and uplifting after a hard session of walking – and it was true – her gift to the other pilgrims.

There were numerous snails that crossed our path as we winded through the fields and I photographed one thinking how they were just like us – carrying all their possessions on their back and moving oh so painstakingly slowly!!

The ascent up Alto de Perdon was back breaking!! It was our first climb and there was little breeze on the Pamplona side of the hill. Reaching the top was a phenomenal moment -one I won't ever forget.

We had done it.

We had climbed one of the highest peaks on the walk and we were actually doing the very thing we had spent so long dreaming about. The sense of accomplishment was huge and we sat in the shade with other pilgrims, all exhausted, sweating but with small, energy saving smiles on their faces.

What goes up must come down and the muscles which we didn't use in the ascent we felt kick to life on the descent. The walk into Uterga was a comparatively easy one and our efforts were rewarded with a fantastic lunch at a pilgrim stop there

Aurelia made friends with the staff instantly who were shocked to see a happy, smiling, blonde baby pilgrim. The women gave her two small
key rings of a boy and a girl which she loved and once they were tied to the carrier stopped her from grabbing my ponytail and making “go go” noises like I was a horse while she was in the carrier. These were to be the first of many presents she collected from generous fellow pilgrims along the path.

Refreshed from lunch and having given our feet a rest from the last 15km we continued on knowing we only had 5km till we would arrive in Obanos – tired and sunburnt like all the other pilgrims.

When we arrived we found the albergue hostelier was rude and unhappy that we had Raya with us but, as their policy was to accept everyone, he took our money and grumbling to himself in Spanish put us in the smaller dorm room.

Nick took Aurelia off to the town park to play while I went to do the washing. Aurelia quickly involved herself in the games of the other local children despite the language barrier and showing no fear went down her first slippery slide all by herself.

The sexy sandals and socks look


While washing I met an Austrian man. He had taken off his boots at the top of Alto de Perdon and walked the descent on the stony path in bare feet, his shoes were hurting that badly. I couldn't believe he had made it and he informed me he was throwing his heavy walking boots away his feet were that blistered. One look at his feet had me silently praying we wouldn't have to walk with blisters like that.

I also met Judy and Barbara, two lovely women from the UK who we would come to befriend on the walk to Santiago.

Having washed and hung the clothes we changed into the single other clean change of clothe we had and we headed off to dinner. We met the first challenge of eating out with a small child in Spain. Spanish people do not sit down for dinner until quite late,well past Aurelia's bed time of 7pm. Still she travels brilliantly and was a happy little munchkin throughout dinner entertaining the table of French pilgrims throughout the evening with her dancing and smiles while they taught her a traditional French song they sing to children in France.

Tired as we were, we were already enjoying the simplicity of walk,wash, journal eat then bed.

We had 3km to reach Puente le Reina where we would have breakfast tomorrow and we bunked down to sleep sharing the room with Jock, the doppelganger for my brother in law Matt. Jock, an Aussie from Victoria, was walking the camino with his dad Rob and they were walking approx 35kms each day. They were both lovely blokes and we were sad that our slow pace meant we probably wouldn't cross paths with them again.

The thought of having done an extra 15kms on top of the 20kms we had done that day made the mind boggle.