For me, the best time...

to stroll around a city is the early morning. I'm not a Metropolitan kind of guy. The crowds, noise and constant tumult are an overload to my senses. That being said, I always enjoy waking up early to watch a municipality gets out of bed. This morning in Logrono, Spain, I did just that.

I had time on my hands. My Camino walk was a mere seven miles for the day. That's nada for Pilgrimage standards. 

As usual, I went looking for a few jolts of Java. I didn't have to search very far. Adjacent to my hotel was a cozy bar/cafe. I saddled up to the bar and ordered "dos cafe con leches. Por favor." The young man nodded and went into barista mode. The coffees were strong and tasty. The price is way below Starbuck standards. I'm happy to say, the Spanish do coffee right. The cafe's other patrons buried their heads in the morning newspapers, or their coffees and croissants. No one spoke. It was very peaceful and soothing.

After downing the two brews, I went looking for food and more coffee! Just say YO! to drugs on the Camino. Caffeine will get you through all those mindless miles of Spanish countryside.

I twitched my way into the Old Town and found a cozier bar/cafe. The owner even smiled at my awkward attempt to habla Espanol. Two more coffees were ordered along with a few egg and veggie sandwiches. I savored the whole scene. Once again, I thought to myself, ""I'm in Europe! How cool is this?" 

By this time, people were moving about. A steady stream of Pilgrims were starting their westward journey once again. I went back to my hotel and made ready for another day's walk.

Happy Jewish New Year. 5778. We are still around despite Pharaoh, Haman, Queen Isabella, Pogroms, Hitler, White Supremacists and Trump. The Hebrews are survivors. (Like me.)

Enjoy the photos of Logrono waking. 

Good night from Navarette,

Jeff

The Yanks are Coming...

 The Yanks are coming!

When I walked my first Camino in 2006, Americans were an anomaly. The Pilgrims were overwhelmingly made up of Spanish and Italians, followed by French and Germans. As Yanks, we sort of stood out from the overall European mix. We were treated kindly for our uniqueness. That year the total number of Pilgrims for all the varieties of Camino's was a bit more than 100,000. (There's more than one way to get to Santiago, although most take the Frances Route.  (Like me). 

In 2013, Americans moved up the list to 5th place in the overall standings. Slightly over 10,000 people who spoke a funny language to the locals completed a Camino. In total, there were over 215,000 Pilgrims. I can't say I met many who could sing "The Star Spangled Banner." 

From the latest figures of 2016, Americans are now in 4th place with 15,000 plus taking this therapeutic walk. Overall there was an astounding 277,000 plus ambling through the Spanish countryside. It's  a safe assumption to say the Camino has been discovered.

I'm now on my Third Edition Camino, here's some of my astute observations:

Generally speaking, it's an older crowd. I'm seeing more beer bellies, wider beams and thicker ankles than in the past. More gents sport dapper gray beards and spectacles. There are more elderly couples. Young folks now stand out like Hare Krishnas among a congregation of Hasidic Jews. 

On this Camino I often hear the unmistakable sound of American English. 

Some Pilgrims are here for partial Camino's (one week wonders) and others (like me) are here for the long haul. All of us have our reasons. 

What hasn't changed is the Camino's manufacturing of cliques and couples. Pilgrims seem to want to belong to a larger group. Couples are forming for companionship or possible romance. So far, I'm going it alone. I've never been much of a joiner. I'll use a quote from Groucho Marx, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”

I'm now in Logrono, where a wine festival is in full swing. It'll be a noisy, busy night. There's a Church with a bell next door too. OY!

Salud! 

Jeff

For whom the Church bell...

Tolls. It tolled for me with an unwanted wake up call at 3am. From then on every fifteen minutes, like clockwork, a chime rang. Sometimes more than one ringy-dingy. The bell was far more than annoying. Every quarter hour, I was reminded, "Hey Jeff! That's fifteen more minutes of sleep you've been deprived of!" By 7am, I called it and went in search of coffee. 

I put my legs on automatic pilot mode and set the timer for five hours of cruise control. Off I went on a bracing morning. Autumn is now giving Summer the bum's rush. The days are almost equally divided between light and night. Multicolored leaves are in free fall. I take my few breaks in full sun and race through the shady parts. Yet Spain is warmer than the feel of winter I experienced in Switzerland. The daily low temperatures here are the high temperatures in the Land of the Alps. My forecast looks brighter too. I'll take it.

It's been interesting to go from orderly, precise and proper Switzerland to gritty, graffitied and rough cut Spain in less than a day. Take a few steps off the Camino de Santiago's path and you'll be on a collision course with an impromptu latrine. I won't go any further on details. Let's just say, I never saw this on the Haute Route. 

An analogy of the two countries differences can be summed up by their rivers. 

Switzerland's rivers are born from glaciers. The water runs cold and clean with a sense of purpose. Spain's rivers meander along with a manana attitude. The Spanish tap water has a tang to it. I still drink it; once in awhile my stomach will gurgle. I'm sure I'll get used to it like I have in the past.

A Pilgrim from the 2013 graduating Camino class gently reminded me that Saint James always provides. She's right! I'm now using Booking.com to score rooms along the way. Still the towns and hotels are packed. I'm hoping there's a drop off of Princes and Princesses on this Pilgrimage. It was so much easier when most of the Pilgrims stayed in the Albergues. (Dorms).

Now this Jewish Prince is tucked into a cozy room and bed at an early hour. So far so good. I don't hear any Church bells. 

Good night from Estella, 

Jeff