From Zubiri to Pamplona

Hello again!

Our journey continued on today through an absolutely beautiful countryside! We started walking at 6:15 and, after stopping for breakfast and lunch, finally made it to Pamplona at 4:00. What a long day! But along the way, we stopped to see an 8th century bell tower that was later turned into a church in the 17th century. And of course we made it all the way to the top of the narrow circular staircase to ring the bell at the top. And the view from up there was gorgeous! We passed several beautiful bridges over creeks and streams. Tonight, there is some sort of festival going on in Pamplona tonight so we will be able to enjoy the festivities. We are posting as many pictures as we can on Facebook, but we are not able to put many up at one time. Talk to you again soon!

Kelsea

First Day on the Camino

Hey guys!!!

I´m not near as eloquent as Trey when it comes to writing, but I will make this short, sweet, and to the point. We have had an amazing few days already! Barcelona was incredible and we took three buses to get to Roncesvalles and made it in time for pilgrims´ mass and had dinner and slept in a hostel with about one hundred other people. This morning we started walking at 6:15, took a 15 minute break for breakfast and finished about 1:00 for lunch. (Apparently, 13 miles is a very short day, so there will be much more to do coming up). We´ll hopefully build up in distance the next few days. Tomorrow will be relatively flat compared to today and Sunday will be straight up and right back down. We are staying in Zubiri tonight and I know we´ll sleep hard.

We´ll start posting pictures tonight or tomorrow on our Facebook group-The Way of San Jimmy

Love you guys,
Kelsea

Barcelona- Day 2

The morning started with a cool ocean breeze and sand beneath our toes as we started our morning off right with dolce pan and cafe con leche off of the Mediteranian. It was picturesque as we watched the small waves come in off of the beach.
Next Kelsea and I walked up to Los Rambles, a world famous street with shops and human sculptures, to the world famous house designed by archetect Gaudi. Casa Batillo was a mix of vibrant colors and twisted shapes. We also walked up to Casa Milo another house designed by Gaudi. Kelsea and I made our final stop on our tour of Gaudi's famous work when we walked to the unfinished Sagrada de Familia. The Sagrada de Familia is a towering temple that looms over the town. The amazing thing is that the Sagrada de Familia is not completed. In fact it is only half as tall as it will be when completed(in like 2050). The remarkable project is already breathtakingly tall.
Our next stop was the gothic cathedral in the center of town. Barcelonians claim that their cathedrial is the most beautiful in Spain. It is magnificant. The high butrised ceilings have incredible detail and then shrines are not to scoffed at either.
Tomorrown Kelsea and I are headed to Roncesvilles. We will start our pilgrimage on friday. Because we are trying to catch the bus to Pamplona it is going to be an early morning. I will write more tomorrow. -Trey

Day 1- Barcelona

Our airplane screeched into Barcelona this morning at 8:30. Of course my body thought it was 2:30 am. I am always amazed at how traveling can wear a person out. Kelsea and I took a three hour nap this afternoon and I am still tiered.

Kelsea and I were biting our nails as we waited for our bags but they arrived safe and sound. The last time I came to Spain two friends and I got stranded in Bilbao because our bags didn´t make it to the airport. We have been in Barcelona for twenty hours and have not gotten lost yet. I call that an accomplishment. Our hostel is two blocks from the metro which means we are ten minutes from anywhere in the city.

The weather in Barcelona is everything you would expect from a city on the cost of the Mediterranean. The weather was about 75 and a cool coastal breeze is always available if the day starts to feel hot. It never ceases to amaze me when I walk down a street that has been in existence longer than the country I live in. In the old city, the original part of town were the buildings are designed in Gothic style, people live in houses that are older than the United States. That will never cease to amaze me.

Kelsea and I arrived at our hostel two hours early so we dropped off our packs and ventured to find some food. We walked through the busy streets of Barcelona and down towards the Mediterranean. As we walked along we saw a park filled with fountains and statues. There was lots of water. We wandered around the park for a short time, and then we went on toward the ocean.

We walked for about a mile until we up to a statue in the middle of a roundabout. The statue was the start of the Olympic Plaza where the Olympic games were held in ´92. After the statue in the plaza there is the Catalonia Museum of Art. It is in an ancient building. In the shade of the building Kelsea and I had lunch and listened to a person playing classical guitar.

Kelsea and I went back to the hostel and took a three hour nap. I am still trying to adjust to the time change. We went to dinner and had a paella. The sea food in Barcelona is amazing.

Tomorrow our main focus is going to be the architecture in Barcelona and the Mediterranean sea. Barcelona is known for their architecture and Kelsea is excited about it.

Kelsea and I are so excited about our trip. We hope to have a post a day. Talk with you all tomorrow. -Trey

Hey everyone!

We leave for Spain tomorrow morning! We will be posting pictures soon of the start of the trip. We'll keep in touch through this and post pictures as often as we can. See you when we get back!

~Trey & Kels