Yes, I too made it to Santiago! However, John, Jay and I trekked into St. James twice. After the 35 kilometer hike we rested our legs, but allowed our minds to run wild. Something compelled us to march the additional 10 K that night. Stumbling upon the city around 11 pm I promptly asked a hip nine year old about the night life. However, this only translated into more walking. After another hour or so of wandering around aimlessly, we hailed a taxi and threw in the towel.

The next morning as a group we once again reached santiago, but this time, the hike held much more meaning. The Abe Lincoln Brigade (machi´s name for us) reached the cathedral. Holy year, pentecost, sunday- quite the celebration.

Although a bit touristy, chok-full of shell pedalers and post card pushers, santiago has a romantic feel to it with it´s beautiful (understatement) cathedrals and winding roads. Last night I went out and sat outside a cafe-bar listening to some sweet irish-flamenco? fusion music. I watched as a man with flowers in hand came, placing the flowers in his mouth he climbed onto a window ledge and knocked on a second story balcony, waiting for his love.
Next, out of nowhere our bare-footed chilean friend Machi appeared. He shared a few laughs and gave this advice, "tonight, you celebrate, enjoy the city. perhaps after a few weeks we will know the significance of the camino" He left just as he came, sort of vanishing into the night. Perhaps that will be the last I see of him, but I will remember his words, not forcing any meaning of the camino now, but reflecting later.

hasta pronto,
patrick   ¶ 2:25 AM

  OH MY GOSH!!!! I don´t think any words could describe how I feel right now. I made it, WE made it and most importantly we made it all together... a day ahead of schedule. We deserve this. We worked really hard and we deserve this feeling of accomplishment that we ALL feel. I can´t thank the group enough for helping to overcome and at times creating struggles during these past 17 days. Everything was worth it because of the amount that we have learned. The camino is for everyone, and we have proved that los americanos can do it, and not just the minimum amount either. We went over 300 km. Now thats something to be proud of. I hoped that by doing this camino we have not only helped ourselves learn about others and being tolerant with differences, both culturally and personally, but also helped to dispell some of the negative stereotypes that people have of all Americans. And while we may have only touched a few people, hopefully the positive energy and influence we spread along the trail will not just die out. When we were younger, everyone always used to say to us, You can change the world. Well after doing this and getting to know so many peregrinos from different places, I feel that I have accomplished a baby step in changing the world and the way in which our society is seen. Well, I´m sick right now, so sleep is in order. Catch ya later after a few days in Santiago.  ¶ 12:33 PM

  Good Luck from Home to both groups tomorrow. You can do it! We will be thinking of you and sending lots of comfortable feet/ankle energy your way. Love you Des!   ¶ 9:52 AM

  ¡Hola! Everything has been going pretty well. We had a surprise change in the schedule and a few of us will be walking 35km tomorrow, which means no cafe con leche before bed! It´ll be a long haul, but we´ll make it. ;) Today we are in Arzúa and we are loving it. Earlier I had some special kinds of cheeses, some good, some better than good. :) Trying to stay healthy but its hard with all the sickies on the trip. We only walked 14km today and it seemed soooooo short, partly cuz we were able to chat with our LA buddy, Sam and his compañeros. Hopefully tomorrow doesn´t kick our butts, but we´ll see how things go and take things as they come.
First thing I´m going to do when I get home is soak the feet in salts and sit in the hot tub with the most wonderful person in the entire world, and maybe afterwards we could get a huge tub of ice cream and try our best to finish it off while watching a movie and munching on Munchies. Well, I must go drink tons of water and chill out cuz the body needs to recoup. I love everyone at home. Thanks for supporting me while I´m having the tmie of my life. Hopefully this won´t be the last time I´m in Spain, and hopefully I´ll have some more special people with me next time. Lots of love. Destiny  ¶ 8:58 AM

  Hola Chicos!
We came into Arzua early this afternoon after another short day of walking - about 14 km. The trail was typical of the past few days - a few up/downhill areas, some gravel and dirt paths, and a little bit of tree cover overlying parts of the walk. The weather was fairly nice with a few clouds and cooler temperatures, similar to the weather we have seen thus far since we entered into Galicia.
Along the way, a few of us had an opportunity to talk with Sam - a young, high school biology teacher from East Los Angeles. We have passed him a few times the past couple days, but today was the first time I was introduced to him. It was interesting learning about the time he has spent in Spain trying to learn the language and also about the experiences he has had during his time in the country and on the Camino. One of the most unique experiences that I have been exposed to along the way has been the diversity of people that we have met and seen day in and day out as we continue to make our way towards Santiago.
We have run into a few difficulties in terms of securing lodging for the next couple days only because we are such a large group and as we move closer to Santiago, there is a larger number of peregrinos travelling along the way. As a result, we have divided into 2 groups. One group will travel the remaining 35 km over a two day period, while the other group will travel the same distance in 1 day and have a 1 day rest period before we meet up again as a group to arrive in Santiago. It will be challenging in many ways for both groups; however, I am confident that as we get closer to the way´s end, the anticipation we feel will override the physical hardships that have threatened our group in previous days.
Buen Camino a todos!
Jessica  ¶ 8:37 AM

  Notes from Andy:

Currently we are (more or less) 39 km away from the goal: Santiago de Compostela. We have run into more problems than anticipated with lodging. Annie and I imagined that things would be crowded with the año Xacobeo but we did not anticipate the numbers we are seeing these days.

Given the reality of this, we now have to divide the group up in two so that it will be easier to find lodging the last days of the trip. Tomorrow the early group (named the ¨Breakfast Club¨ in honor of one of the greatest 80s movies ever) will leave at around 6 a.m. and trek 35 km to Monte de Gozo. This final push should ensure lodging for everyone in the group and will be a challenge since the farthest we have walked since the beginning has only been 25 km.

Aside from the long walk, I sense that there are mixed emotions about reaching the ¨end of the road¨. Obviously there is some desire to finish it once and for all but, at the same time, some are reluctant to end what has been such a rewarding experience - walking the Camino and meeting the other peregrinos.

The next post should be from Santiago.
Hasta soon
Anditos  ¶ 8:04 AM

  Hey everyon´; this is Ncik. Sorry I havent blogged yet, but I´ve just been too busy having fun and living la vida Española. Anyway, this is what the camino has taught meÑ 1. Northern Europeans were designed to carry heavy weights upon their backs and walk for long distances. Unfortunately, however, natural selection has also provided for our sheer whiteness in order that we blend into the snow. Hense forth, sunburn insues. 2. Spain has showned me spirituality in a whole new way. Cafine and ham, God does exist. I left a cokeacola adict and will return an avid coffee drinker. Oh well. 3. Canadians are all crazy, but then again I have nothing but crazy people to compare them too around here, so maybe there just as normal as we are. Anyway, tomorrow is the longest day yet, the breakfast club, as we´ve come to call ourselves, is walking a thirty five kilometer day. I believe I am still the only person on the list of Nuclear Hallocost survivors, so Camino, Bring It On. Nos vemos cuando volvemos.   ¶ 7:53 AM

  Hey guys, today we are in Melide. I thought this town would be really small but its actually quite big. tonight we have to try pulpa, or octapus for those not spanish speakers. mmmm yummmmm. I walked with my bag today and I really was happy that I was back in the game. I can´t wait to finish the camino. we have been walking the same dis´tances as more people lately. we have a friend on the camino from LA now, he´s really cool, but he´ll get into santiago one day before us. Its cool here. the weather has been really foggy but at least it hasn´t rained. we´ve been soooooo lucky with the weather. its only rained after we´ve been done walking for the day, and even then it has only rained a few times. Tomorrow we are walking to somewhere not on the itinerary and I forget the name of the town, but oh well. I am super excited that we will not have any really long days left. the last day will only be 5km! how awesome is that? I´m missing everyone at home and especially peanut butter and jelly. its weird the things that really make home feel like home. ;) I hope everyone at home doesn´t miss us too much ;) it´ll be A-okay. I´ll be safely home in 13 days. so soon yet almost two weeks away still! lots of spanglish love, Destiny  ¶ 7:42 AM

  Hey guys, this is Jessica again. We´re in Melide today and arrived early after a 14 km hike. The hike today went by pretty quickly compared to yesterday´s 24 km hike. I think everyone was looking forward to the short day after the last two. The town itself is a lot larger than I had anticipated. Apparently the town is known for octupus so we are going to have a quick taste before dinner - should be interesting. Other than that things are going well. We have 4 days left of walking and everyone is really looking forward to the activities that are planned for our time in Santiago.   ¶ 7:32 AM

  Hey Everyone,
It´s Jessica, but I am using Destiny´s name. The Camino up to this point has exceeded my expectations by so much more than I thought possible. We have had some awesome experiences and met some wonderful people from different parts of the world. I can´t imagine anything I would rather be doing in the summer. The past few days we have had some rough times; however, we have each other to turn to and to talk to when things are bothering us. I hope the last few days of walking will continue to provide us with lasting memories of this unique adventure and everyone will be healthy as we spend our time in Santiago.   ¶ 11:30 AM

  Hey everyone,
The camino is treating us great! 13 days down, 5 to go. We´re all pretty healthy, and I think we´re all going to actually walk with our packs tomorrow too. Our days have basically consisted of walking a ton then zonking out for the rest of the day, waking only for food. :) you gotta love being able to sleep anywhere because you are absolutely exhausted. We´re definitely making a rift in the stereotype everyone in the world has of americans, but lets be honest, its a big task. We´re all friends still, ;)... check back later.
Des  ¶ 11:18 AM

  Hey Everyone! Its Em, I´m using John´s account because I still can´t figure out how to use this tihng...but anyway, we´re having an awesome time!! We´re all still trying to figure out how in the world GIEU is paying us for this...I mean, we´re working really really hard and we are earning every penny! Well after another long day at the office today of walking through the gorgeous country surrounded by rolling hills, farm country, snow peaked mountains, and just about everything else you can imagine.

I have a new boyfriend, Manchi, from Chile...who is walking the entire Camino BAREFOOT!! And we all though we were hardcore, yeah right! He wins Survivor Immunity for life, no doubt. He´s about 55 years old and probably one of the coolest people I´ve ever met. We´ve also been tagging along with a group of insane Canadian women in their 50´s, and some Germans who like to pump our blisters full of brown goup! Fun stuff!!!

We reached the 100K mark yesterday, and we´ve only got a few more days of walking. Everyone is getting pretty worn down, but we´re all still in good spirits and trying to enjoy the last of our time on the Camino.

Thanks to GIEU for this amazing opportunity!!!!

Em  ¶ 7:54 AM

  Alright, hopefully this will be a sucessful blog, 7 mins and counting-down. Today was our longest day, but for some reason, it also seemed pass by as one of the quickest. I, as would everyone I´m sure would like to thank GIEU for this wonderful opportunity, one of a kind for sure. A few days ago, (i think, lost track of days!) I was able to carry out my experiment, of blind folding ourselves to gain an experience of what it is like to walk in Nick´s shoes. The results were better than I expected, in terms of a truly educational experience. We also reflected on the day and recorded the session, hopefully it will be avail. on our website- yet to be published. Everyone at the least now has a better understanding, and a much stronger apprectiation and admiration for those who must face similar challenges on a daily basis.
All is well, everyone is in high spirits,
saludos,
patrick  ¶ 7:49 AM

  It´s about time that I add something to my creation here. Even though I have done the Camino twice on bike, I am amazed at every step how richer the experience is on foot. Today was our longest day, 22km from Sarria to Portomarin. In my head that is about 5 laps around the arb, but today it felt like a lot more. Without a doubt, I would have never made it this far in this good of condition had Andy and I not trained.
Yesterday as we came down of the mountains, we could see a continuous sea of clouds--something that perhaps some of our students had never seen before. Today, we walked underneath them. The fog was a relief from the constant sun and a perfect background for the lush greeness, which galicia is known for. At times I felt like I was back hiking through the Cascade mountains that run through Washington and Oregon.
Time is running out, both on my time here in the internet cafe and on our trip, so I will sign off.
saludos,
annie  ¶ 9:14 AM

  Andy´s report from Sarria

The past 4 days on the Camino I finally found my stride in terms of walking and the aches and pains afterwards. Every day I am so glad Annie and I did all of the training we did before we took off for Spain. It was tough to find the time the last six weeks of the semester but it has paid itself off more than once on difficult walks.

Dropping weight from my pack helped a lot. I now have:
3 shirts
1 pair of pants
1 pair of shorts
5 socks (don´t ask)
1 rain coat
1 polar fleece

Everyone on the Camino has told us that the distances are not what kill you, it´s the weight in your pack. The fact that 60+ year old people are doing this (with very small packs) while walking longer distances than we are is proof enough for me.

Hasta soon
Andy

  ¶ 2:55 AM

  So, today was a pretty hard day: some tough up and down hill. But I feel pretty good still, only one blister. I meet a really nice Austrian women yesterday and saw her again today. You run into a lot of the same people night after night. She is going to be a doctor and in fact just finished medical school. She will start her job in September, so she decided to do the Camino before that. It´s amazing how interesting people´s lives actually are. Everyone on the trip has been so nice too.   ¶ 9:37 AM

  Today we made it to El Acebo!! Day five is completed, with 88 km down. Everyone is well, despite some really rocky and hilly terrain. However the extra push was worth the view. Definitely the pictures today will be some of the ones to look most forward too.

We went through the mountains in fields of purple and white wildflowers, and soaked up the beautiful sun and watched the panoramic view of snow topped mountains in the distance. The town here is quite small, but the locals have made eating a treat with delicious soups and entrees.

Overall, our Spanish is improving and we are getting out of our "box" and talking to others from the camino and learning various perspectives of why each person is completing the journey. We´ve met an italian couple who when they finish, will get married in Santiago. There is also a now famous man in this area from South America who is completing the entire journey barefoot! These and many other stories only provide us with inspiration and support to keep on moving despite blisters, sore feet, and tense muscles.

Until then...hasta luego!! :)

Yasmin N  ¶ 9:29 AM

  Hi from Home Destiny and all of you wonderful trekkers! So glad to hear the trip is going well. Hope your first day walking was comfortable. We Love You, Des. Take care Everyone!  ¶ 4:30 PM

  Hey everyone,
It´s been great here in Madrid. I got here on the 10th and have seen more things than I´ll be able to remember. Everywhere you go things are gorgeous, there´s almost too much to see, but I´m not complaining in the least. I´m getting to know the group really well, and I love it. We have such a great group. We went to the store yesterday and realized how little spanish I actually know after four semesters in college. This whole experience seems surreal and I just can´t get it into my head that we will be seeing new places EVERY DAY for the next few weeks. It´s like constantly going on different vacations, if that makes sense. But the company certainly helps. With the combined knowledge of everyone, we know so much and I don´t think there is anything we can´t do. I hope people at home are safe and sound, and Steve, I hope you are feeling better soon. Momma, thanx for the post, appreciate it. I´ll send postcards and I´m keeping your journal, Steve. Lots of love.
Destiny  ¶ 6:33 AM

  Greetings from the city that never sleeps, (minus the siestas). Still hard to believe that we´re doing what we are! Everyday has unfolded in new and exciting ways. From the numerous plazas to the art museums and even a flemenco show, our happy feet have carried us. I only hope I don´t run out of steam once on the real walk arrives, tomorrow!!? The dynamics of the group is perhaps what has amazed me the most thus far, everyone brings something interesting to the table and lasting friendships are bound to emerge as we continue our journey.
I´ve made an honest effort at improving my spanish and am happy that I have. The countless talks with our friendly mexican hostal attendant, Marco, infinitely fueled my skills.
Although madrid has been quite the happening city, I´m ready to move onto the camino. Hopefully, I will be able to keep my goal in mind- to be in the present moment and enjoy my surroundings, not caring where our end destination is.

3 mins on my internet left,
hasta luego,
patrick  ¶ 6:24 AM

  Well...I´ve been in Madrid for almost a week now and I have learned a lot about Spanish language and culture. One important thing that I found out the hard way, was not to eat at the Plaza Mayor. We were going to the Rastro marketplace, but we were hungry so we stopped at some tables in the plaza. We didn´t know what we wanted so our waiter offered some options (the most expensive we found out later) and so we got some cheese, ham, and a tortilla española. when we finally got the bill, it was 53 euros. Yes, we now know why we should never eat in the tourist places. I´m sure this is only the beginning of our learning....  ¶ 6:21 AM

  After an afternoon of exploration, I stumbled upon a little produce shop. An apple, I thought, would be quite a pleasant snack and so, bounding up the stairs, I embarked on my first solo Spanish purchase. With all my courage and not a word of Spanish under my belt, I approached the woman behind the counter, pointed at a stack of red shiny ones and confidently said, "uno." She was so impressed with my command of the Spanish language she instructed me (through careful gestures) to walk up and select one myself. Thirty three eurocents later, I was on my way out the door. Exhausted from my first Spanish conversation, I simply smiled and waved on my way out the door.
Spanish is easy.

-john  ¶ 6:11 AM

  Notes from a rainy Madrid (Andy)

Cold weather (15 C) and rain are making Madrid seem more like London these days and will definitely make some of the activities we have planned for the next few days more difficult but it will be good preparation for what we will experience on the Camino in a few short days (cooler temperatures and rain).

One thing that has shocked me since my last trip to Spain (1997) is the amount of inmigrants from South America in Madrid. People from Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Argentina now have a significant presence in this city. Yesterday I spoke with a young woman from Argentina who has been here for 2 1/2 years and gets by performing to the public in the Plaza Mayor as an estatua viviente (similar to being a mime but they stand frozen until someone drops a coin in their collection box). The streets are full of other Latin Americans selling umbrellas or whatever it may be to those passing by.

The food is excellent (is some what pricey). The list of favorites so far is topped by jamon serrano followed quickly by anything that contains jamon serrano. On a serious note, the food is fantastic and I have truly enjoyed trying much of it for the first time (I was a vegetarian for 10 years and did not try nearly any of the ¨typical¨ dishes my last trip.

Parents - prepare to receive updates from your children soon. We will be taking them to an internet cafe shortly.

Hasta pronto
Andy  ¶ 1:18 AM

  Destiny and Jamie ~ Hope you had a wonderful trip. We were thinking about you A LOT. Nice to meet you Jamie. Des, we all made it home safe and sound. Had to drive through 3 storms to get to Muskegon. I forgot to give Steve his card, but we met up with him by the NM football field driving home Sunday night.
I Love YOU So Much and am so incredibly proud of you. YOU Rock! ~Take Care, Yo Mama  ¶ 6:43 AM

  Here's Annie's site:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ahesp/

You can cut and paste the URL in your browser.  ¶ 6:36 AM

  Convocation was a wonderful experience. It was so nice to meet the parents that could attend and speak with them all. Peregrinos please remember to pass along this blog site to them and let them know that we are going to try and update it regularly on the Camino (hopefully cybercafes will be abundant). Also, let them know that they can contact us directly with any questions or concerns they may have: Annie Hesp (ahesp@umich.edu) or Andy Noverr (anoverr@umich.edu).

Another great resource your folks can visit to get an idea of the what we will be doing is Annie's incredible Web site she designed for her course on the Camino:



There they can find video, pictures, readings (in Spanish) and much more on the Camino in one spot. It truly is one of the coolest sites on the Web regarding the Camino so let your folks know about it.   ¶ 6:26 AM