Merry Christmas from all of us

We, Patrick and Ivy that is, are back home. I assume Don and Sancho are still in Spain. We arrived back Tuesday night and are very glad to be back, 107 days later.

A Lot to Be Thankful For

We picked olives on Thanksgiving, at El Buen Samaritano, a drug rehabilitation center in Cordoba province. It was a beautiful day, a little cool, but very clear. We gathered a lot of olives and it was a lot of work, but I think harvesting is a good thing to do on Thanksgiving.

The center (click here for a link to their website) is self-sufficient, with a well, solar panels for electricity and hot water, a large brick oven/building for baking bread, and a greenhouse. There are about 1000 olive trees, and the olives are for oil. The approach is ecologico, or organic. The center is part of a co-op that processes the olives into oil.

We were at the center for four days; there were 8 Spanish residents (there for a year each) and a Dutch short term group (there for a week). And us, the two Americanos along for the ride, trying to interpret for the other two groups (!!). It was an interesting mix, but a very good experience. I felt that there had been a lot of pain and shame in the lives of these men, but that God was doing a healing and restoring work.

Cinema de Maroc

Several films have been made in Morocco. We saw two large film studios in Ouarzazate (Oz for short)

A short list of films:

Gladiator - in Oz

Kingdom of Heaven - in Oz

Lawrence of Arabia - in Oz

Black Hawk Down - in Rabat, (it didn't look that rough to me, but I guess I didn't go to where they filmed the movie, thank goodness)

Star Wars - in Tunisia, but it looks like it could have been filmed and inspired here. 

Strangely enough, Casablanca, arguably the most famous of all films involving Morocco, was filmed in Hollywood.

For more, check this wikipedia article out.

The Road to Ouarzazate

That is pronounced "whar's it at" and this town, although pretty remote is in a beautiful place. The road from Marrakech was amazing, a tiny little 1 1/2 lane road with busses and donkey carts, deadly dropoffs, etc. It can be closed if it rains or snows too much. I think our bus stopped here, at this wide spot in the road. I bought some peanuts from two young guys named Essam and Ibrahim.

I've posted some pictures of Marrakech and Ouarzazate in the webalbums (link to the right). I liked this part of Morocco a lot.

It's where it at!

Exchange Rate

You pay attention to this sort of thing when you travel.

This as well.

Fes and Casa

A medina taxi in Fes

Fabric spun on the loom

I've uploaded some pictures of Fes and Casablanca to the Picasa Webalbums. It rained for a week in Fes, but now it is hot in Casa. Tomorrow we will go to Marakech.

We're trying to remember some French, but we're lost when it comes to Moroccan Arabic! But, its just another language, it might not be as hard as Basque!

New colors for the blog. What do you all think?

Need some elbow room...

We have spent some time in Fes el Bali, or Old Fes, the most dense, largest, car free area in the world. Check it out here if you get a chance. 

Its a fascinating, albeit cramped place!

Vite, Vite!

Quick, quick! But that is hard to do, as I have become less and less efficient the more time I spend in Spain. I can´t imagine it getting any better in Morocco.

Since finishing the Camino, we have been traveling south, staying with friends of friends. In Madrid we stayed with the Nordgrens and Karin Harper (they are with an organization called SEND). They knew Phil Jolley (with an orginazation called ECM) who needed some help at a retreat in the province of Ciudad Real. So we looked after several English and German kids. We didn´t plan on this before, but it was a neat opportunity that just popped up.

At the retreat, a place called Sol Verde (www.sol-verde.com), we met the director of ECM who suggested we visit his sister in Granada. We said ¨Sure!¨and in a few minutes, he said, ¨She will be expecting you tonight.¨ Its amazing how God brings these things together.

We were very blessed to stay with Rowena (British) and Paco (Spanish) in Granada. We have been learning a lot about hospitality these last few weeks and they are great examples.

From there we traveled to La Linea, the town right at the foot of Gibraltar to visit Melissa McKeehan, from our home church. She is a language assistant in a public school there. We visited Gibraltar, part of the UK, and saw a cool British supermarket.

Currently, we are in Algeciras with Mark and Robin, friends of a friend in Knoxville. Tomorrow, we leave Spain after almost 2 months here. We can see Morocco from here and tomorrow will be a travel day to Tangier and then (as quickly as we can - I´m not a big fan of port cities) to Fés. Mark and Robin have been giving us suggestions and orientation about Morocco today.

We have met a lot of amazing, bi-lingual (or tri- and quadralingual), generous, and hospitable people that we have really been blessed by in the past few weeks. I´ll never be able to pay them back, but I can be changed by my time with them, to learn from them!

I´ve added lots of new pictures in the picasa albums. Some new ones of the middle of the Camino too (that I forgot to put in there!)

Back in the Saddle Again

We made it to Santiago, and after two days of rest (and eating and showering), we got up and set out for Finisterre, 90k past Santiago. This is the westernmost point of Europe, and the furthest a pilgrim could therefore go. This is a little debateable, but the yellow arrows pointed that way, so 3 days of walking later, we watched the sunset over the ocean. It felt like a good end to our trip.

We hadn´t planned on this added leg, but we are glad that we did it. It feels more complete now.

Made It!

...and every step was by God´s grace. We are in santiago, arrived yesterday morning after a short walk (5k). It has been good to catch up and reunite with a few other pilgrims, sleep in, and not be so hungry! We have had a chance to reflect on the camino, but it will be a while before it all starts to sink in and take root.

I think that we apprecaite the simple things more now: food, rest, privacy, band aids, companionship, each other, home. We talk a lot about how we miss Berean, our home church, and the people there.

I have put some new pictures of Galicia on the webalbum. It is much greener here for two reasons, number one is rain (it poured on us for 4 hrs two days ago) and reason number two is.... number two. this can be a smelly place.

We miss you all and hope to see you soon.

Hand to Mouth...

A thought has been coming to my (Ivy) mind a lot as we walk each day. This has been the time in my life when I have been most aware of God´s provision. I can see the daily hand-to-mouth relationship so clearly. It is always there. He provides daily, but somehow the simplicity of this walking lifestyle allows the pilgrim to SEE God provide. Amazing. When I feel as though I cannot go on, an old man comes out and gives each of us an apple and a plum that he picked from the trees in his backyard. Provision. Encouragement. When we walk and walk, and run out of water, a fountain with drinkable water comes at the moment when we are so tired that we can´t stand it. Grace. I see it so clearly. What a blessing. All of the pain in the journey is worth it to see this Love in action.

Day 21 on the Camino

We are in Astorga, around 275 km to go to Sanitago. Hard to believe. We are leaving the meseta ("little table") and entering the foothills of the mountains of León. The next few days are up and over the mountain, the highest point on the Camino Francés.

We are doing well, my (PC) ankle and knee hurt in the morning most and it warms up after about an hour or walking. Ivy has some pain from blisters, but she is learning all sorts of great taping techinques.

Aldo, our friend, who in three stages, walked from Mt. St. Michel in France to Santiago (and Finisterre) told us what he learned about the Camino. "Eight hours of pain, 15 min. of pleasure with a shower, and joy with a beer." So far, so good. ;-p Sometimes it is 20 mins.

But also, he said that we would experience everything in life in a very short time span. He has been right. There have been excitement of a new day, a new place to go, the routine of packing up and taking care of our feet. Hunger, sadness, happiness, thirst, companionship, and so much more. Also, he said that we could learn about living modestly, and when you are a stranger in town carrying all you have on your back, you learn to appreciate the smallest things. A smile, a welcome, a fountain to drink from, a place to sit in the shade.

Some Highlights

Ventosa: An amazing albergue...the nicest building in the whole town. A plaque in the town square described Ventosa as a town that reached its height in 1367. he he he!We think that they were right.

Hontanas: Small town in a valley on the meseta. you walk all day until you step down into a hole...Hontanas. No store, but a meat van comes daily. Honks as it enters town, and the people come a runnin´for blood sausage and chorizo. (yes, blood sausage is made of pig´s blood and rice...yuk!) When the church bells ring, a donkey near the refuge brays with the ring of the bell. We´re not sure if it was a bray of annoyance or if he was competing.

Leon: Walked into town and into a festival with cattle carts, bagpipes, and lots of chorizo. The poor cows had large rounds of bread hung on their horns...hmmmm. Took some contraband pictures of the cathedral...very pretty! Ate at 2 kebab restaurants in the same night (for variety...and because we were starving!). Stayed in a hotel...it was amazing. We did not have to see anyone in their underwear at 6:30 in the morning like all other mornings while staying in refuges. A BIG plus!

Half way there

Hard to believe, but if you put one foot in front of the other long enough, you´ll go a long way. We are 25km from Leon. The previous few days have been over the meseta, a mostly flat, hot, arid yet beautiful part of the country. It is so much different than the first week. Check out the pictures on picasa.

Our feet hurt, but its not terrible. We are learning our limits and to not push them. Still headed west.

Internet connections in rural Spain are as hard to find as fresh spinach (man, I miss that stuff). But I´ll try to keep you all as up to date as possible.

Hola a Todos!

We are in Logroño, and this is the first place that I have been able to post some pictures, see them in the picasa link to the right. Things are going well. It is hard but rewarding. Here´s a typical day:

Up at 6am, groan some and then tape up feet

7am, get packed and out of the refuge (a dormitory type place with bunkbeds)

Breakfast of some fruit or muffins while walking

Walk

Walk

Walk

Sit in the shade

Walk

Get a drink of water from a fountain

Eat lunch of a baguette and salami and chocolate

Arrive at another refuge around 2 or 3 pm

Shower and wash clothes (sometimes at the same time)

Find dinner, either at a restaurant or cook in the refuge´s kitchen

Sometimes talk to other pilgrims, play cards, massage feet

Earplugs in (for snorers), facemask on (for lights), and sleep like a rock!

We are really enjoying this, we have never done anything like this before, so it´s all new. We have walked out of our first province, Navarra, and into La Rioja today. It was a cool feeling. I really wouldn´t trade any of this first 8 days, from the mountains to the valleys, the people from around the world to the solitude and time with my wife, from the cities to the small towns and countryside, from the physical pain to the excitement of what is down the road and what I have just seen. God continues to provide and has been very gracious to us, and we try to commend Him to others when we can. We think about you all often. I hope to stay in touch!

And if you are wondering, yes, that is a wine fountain in the picture.

Towards Santiago

We are headed to St Jean Pied de Port, a traditional starting point for pilgims into Spain; we have already begun to see signs of the routes here in Toulouse (in the churches, museums, etc.).

My feet hurt, my pack feels kinda heavy, and some of my clothes stink. I think that I am ready!!

Pics from the Combe de Savoy

I've added some pictures from our time in this valley (combe). This area is very beautiful, pictures can't really capture it, but I'll keep trying. Sometimes I mistake mountains in the distance for clouds. Mountains can't be that high up there can they? But there they are. The larger cites (Albertville, Chambery, Grenoble) are in the valleys, by the rivers, and the villages inch their way up to the mountain passes.

I've posted some pictures in the Picasa web albums to the right.

Remembering Paris...

Paris...I don't think you can really compare it to anything else. It seems to be a city where history is around every corner, where they pay attention to detail even when designing the stairways down to the metro stops, and where you will see great wealth and poverty. When we first arrived at the Paris airport, we were excited about the day ahead. We got off of the plane and immediately knew we were in a different country. It just feels different. The way they design hallways and bathrooms is different. The people dress differently. We got our bags (a miracle of sorts!) and headed out to hop a train to the city. Before we went we needed money. One problem. After double checking with our bank TWICE and making sure that our bank card would work, they were both rejected. Luckily, we had a credit card. We did end up getting our cards working about 2 days later, but we were so thankful that we had another emergency plan!

We stayed in the artist's district in Paris. Montmartre is a beautiful part of town with cobble stone streets, old men carrying bagettes and groceries while walking their dog, and a slower pace than much of Paris. We ended up staying at what our guide book described as a low-end budget hotel. We didn't mind. It was clean (for the most part) and had a bathroom in the room for the bargain price of 35 euros a night. That is a steal in Paris. Mohammad, the man who runs the hotel ended up being a huge blessing and was always running out to ask us how we slept or if we needed something. There are pictures of him in the Paris album of our picassa picture link. check it out!

While in Paris, we saw the usual. Look at the pictures, they are wonderful! we stayed out late one night to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night (Ivy's mom's request). At about 10 pm the whole tower sparkles and shimmers with lights. It looks like a sparkler at the fourth of July. I knew it lit up, but this was amazing! It must be a gift to those who stay out late.

Paris did prove to be extremely expensive. We, on the other hand, are extremely thrifty so we ended up eating mass amounts of bread and cheese. Not that we're complaining. If you must eat that all day....France is the place to do it.

One last reflection. On the way over, we had the amazing blessing of being able to sit next to a French woman about our age named Solene. We must have talked for 2 or more hours about French culture and American culture. We also even had the opportunity to talk about our faith and our Hope! Solene had just spent a month in California with a friend, and her English was great (much better than our French). She was a joy. It felt as if the magic of the trip was starting even as we were on the flight over.

Voila!

After a few days in Paris, we have traveled to Albertville, in the southeast of France. We spent 4 nights and more euros than we expected in Paris. C'est tre cher! We stayed in a dive of a place, but the management (Mohammed, from Algeria and Eric from Poland) was very nice and helpful. It was a good time, but we were ready to leave the crowds and very high prices. Now we are in Albertville, where the prices are high instead. ;-p

See pictures from Paris on the Picasa link to the right.

Being with the Newports is like a breath of fresh air, when we've had a lot of 2nd hand smoke. Don't get me wrong, Paris was great, but a familiar face (or 8) has done a lot to encourage us. It has been good to "live it out" and to understand what it feels like here and then come to see them.

They send greetings and love back to those at Berean.

Hello All...

As we are packing up, and will leave on Saturday, I wanted to squeeze this last post in. This is mostly a re-post of stuff you may already know, but here's an overview of the blog:

• to stay in touch and share some pictures
• to introduce you (sort of) to the people we meet
• to share the history, culture, language and quirks of the places we visit
• to boast only in how good God is

Hope you enjoy it!

Los Caminos se Diferencian

For more information on El Camino de Santiago, here's a link to wikipedia.

For more information on another type of El Camino, here's another link.

Musica Gallega

From Milladoiro, a Galician folk band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ5NtUSQX4E

Sounds like Celtic music, doesn't it? Looks Irish too. Yet Spanish, as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EmoVmHoFnM

Bagpipes?

I think I get it, its not Celtic or Spanish, but its a little of both. It's Galician.

Just when I think I've got something figured out, it turns out to be richer than it first appeared.

Test Hike

On July 26-27 we went on a "test hike" to see how our gear and joints would perform on El Camino. From Cades Cove, we went up Gregory Ridge trail to the AT and stayed at a shelter at Mollies Ridge. We did 10.5 miles out and then back for a total of 21 miles. We averaged about 2 miles per hour. Click here for a map of the park. (Cades Cove is to the west.)

Some highlights:

• Lots of quiet and peace, time to think
• Good time together
• Many wild blueberries and blackberries
• No rain, some breeze
• Giving ourselves trailnames (Bean Burger and Tofu -- BB&T)
  

And some lowlights:

• Being really sore
• Sleeping on a cutting board (shoulda brought a pad)
• The shelter's water supply having dried up (we had enough to make it back; more inconvenient than dangerous)
• Forgetting to tell anyone our trailnames!
  

It was a good learning experience. Next time, we'll take less stuff, more food and water.

Our Route

Thanks to my techno-savvy brother, you can view our route! Merci beaucoup! Muchas gracias! "(thanks in Moroccan Arabic)!"

I'm not so techno-savvy, so click here to see the interactive version.

Many Routes

As I mentioned before, there are many traditional ways to reach Santiago. Historically, many pilgrims just walked out of their door and got started. Some people still do (I know one!). This map shows the different routes. (source csj.org.uk)

Camino Statistics

We are planning on a pilgrimage on the Camino Frances, from St. Jean Pied-de-Port, in France to Sanitago de Compostela, in Spain.

There are many routes, this one being probably the most popular and well traveled. Here is a slice of the pilgrim pie (source: el correo gallego)

A Rough Itinerary

Here's breakdown on the places we'll be over the next 3 1/2 months. We've allowed for some flexible time, so this is more of a travel "outline." I hope to stick to it, but if not, that will be ok, too.

Aug. 16th - Leave the United States
Aug. 17th - Arrive in Paris
Aug. 21st - Albertville with the Newports
Sept. 5th - Toulouse to visit the Gilones.
Sept. 9th -Saint-Jean Pied de Port Begin El Camino de Sanitago.
Oct. 17th - Conclude El Camino in Santiago de Compostela.
Oct. 18th-24th - Madrid with Craig Nordgren and Karin Harper
Oct. 25th - Fly to Rabat, Morocco
Oct. 25th- 1st Rabat
Nov. 1st to Nov. 10th - Fez and Ainleuhn (orphanages in Fez area)
Nov. 15th - Casablanca to visit George Washington Academy
Nov. 30th - Travel back to Madrid
Dec. 2nd - Fly back to the US

Why a blog?

Usually, blogs make real life seem much, much cooler than it really is. We'll see if we can live up to that expectation! No really, we hope to keep in touch with you all during our trip and communicate quickly and "in the moment," not a month later. I don't know just how frequently we'll be able to do this, but we'll see, won't we? C'est tout pour adjour'hui!

(for those who speak French, Spanish, or English for that matter, please feel free to correct me!)