Porto III

Porto II

Porto I

Pilgrim's Mass: Santiago de Compostela

Favourite Statues of the Camino

Favourite Camino Stamps

The Pope Signed Off--It's Official!

Betty and Jim were enlightened; Laurel had a cultural experience, but who can be sure...it's written in Latin.  Note: Laurel and Jim got their distances verified-- a Cardinal examined their feet,  checked out the tread wear and determined that they walked 775 km (based on the condition of Laurel's feet, he actually thought she had walked all the way from Canada!).  Betty's feet looked too good and he could not certify them.  The good news is she got a modelling contract with a European fashion mag,  "Pies de la Senora" ( "Lady's Feet Monthly").

We made it--Buen Camino!

Stage 33: Castenada to O Pedrouzo (27 km--21 degrees)

Last night in Casteneda we stayed in Albergue Santiago, a small family-run place with an attached cafe.  The owners took a liking to us and treated us very well.  Supper was a feast of ribs and when we were finishing dessert, out came the "special" drinks.  One tasted like Kahlua and the other like Ricola cough drops--as designated walker, Betty made sure we got home safely.

We have been waking up at 5:00 since about the second day of our journey and it has always been dark, but only for a short while.  However,  Spain is almost big enough to accommodate three time zones and has only one.  The net result of this geography and our westward journey is that the sun rises later and later each day. Today we spent our first hour in the dark and stopped for breakfast in Ribadiso--the cafes and bars are opening earlier now to accommodate the traffic of us dark walkers.

It was a cool misty morning and we started above the clouds.  As the sun rose we descended through the fog into forests of eucalyptus.  The sights, smells and even the sounds of roosters were reminiscent of our years in Hlatikulu, Swaziland.

The walk was marked by unusual sights: pilgrims sleeping on the side of the trail, a pilgrim with a donkey, a pilgrim on crutches, a carver selling walking sticks, a bar offering free foot baths, and the largest pan of paella that I have ever seen.  We also saw our first pig of the trek, which is strange because pork is the most common item on any menu.  Laurel calculates that the three of us combined have eaten enough bacon, jamon, Serrano ham, lomo, and chorizo to have put one swine herder's kid through college.

Today, we solved a mystery lasting over a week.  Since entering Galicia, we had noticed small elevated rectangular buildings in many of the yards we passed.  Theories abounded.  First, they were crypts--a place to keep your family skeletons; then they were ham curing sheds (the pigs are hiding somewhere?); finally, we checked Google and found out that they are granaries or corn cribs. Google take the fun out of everything!

Tomorrow we will arrive at our destination and in many ways we don't want it to end. First imagined then experienced and soon to be a wonderful memory, the Camino has been a great way to spend the summer with two good friends.

Ancient Chinese Secret

Stage 32: Palas de Rei to Casteneda (24 km-- 22 degrees)

Our typical morning routine:  get up at 5:00 am; visit the bathroom quickly (sometimes our "own," sometimes a shared facility); put on hiking clothes (half of which were donned before bed, and half of which have usually been worn for a couple of days already); doctor up our feet for their daily trek (smearing with vaseline and applying band-aids in strategic spots to allay blisters); eat a quick bite from our grocery bag (bread and peanut butter, a banana, crackers, or whatever we have); fill water bottles; don headlamps; grab hiking sticks; drop Betty's and Laurel's packs in the lobby for our buddy JacoTrans to pick up and transfer to our next Albergue down the road (Jim carries his daily); Jim sets "Run-keeper" to log our distance for the day; and then hit the trail (normally by 6:00 am).  It's still dark, but we've scoped out the route out of town the day before, and our headlamps locate the way-markers.  After walking for about an hour, it starts getting lighter.  We are used to being the only peregrinos we see as we set out in the morning, but now that we are within 100 kms of Santiago, there are many other early pilgrims; along the dark path in front of us, we see their lights bobbing here and there.

The weather gods favoured us today with cooler temperatures and overcast sky, but no rain.  The mountains are well behind us now, and our terrain consists of wide rolling hills and valleys with numerous streams.  We walked through fragrant eucalyptus forests, with foggy hills covered in pine trees on the horizon beyond.  Our Swaziland friends can picture it, as it seemed like we would come upon The Forester's Arms Hotel (near Mbabane) around the next bend!  And at another part of the trail, we passed by a stand of poplar trees which had dropped yellow leaves all over the path.  The farms are bigger, and look more prosperous, in this area than were those in the mountains when we first had entered Galicia.  Black slate roofs have now reverted to red tile again; stone houses are more likely to be covered with plaster/stucco and painted white or other colours.  The ubiquitous "Pilgrim's Menu" finally has more variety -- in recent days, we've had delicious beef stew, chicken thighs with mushrooms, grilled octopus with potatoes, lemon chicken, roast pork, fish, salads, slow cooked beef tongue with peppers, and chickpea-tripe soup (okay, that last one was not exactly delicious, but it was alright--Laurel tried it).
We easily reached Casteneda, where we'll do laundry and relax.  Only 45 kms yet to go!

It's a rocky road to Santiago

... sometimes ... but most of the time, the path is smooth!

Stage 31: Portomorin to Palas de Rei (25 km--24 degrees)

Our early start today allowed us to arrive at our destination before the sun reached its peak. The hottest part of each day seems to be around 3:00 and we were already done doing the bedbug check by 12:30.
It felt dreamlike walking early this morning as the path was full of perigrinos by 5.45 many of whom did not become visible until the sun rose. We passed many different types of fences today--some filled us with awe over their workmanship and others with fear over what they promised. The sign warning of the vicious dog actually had their fence wide open and the vicious creature partaking in siesta. It did remind us though of a recent pilgrim dog biting incident that occurred in one of the villages we 
walked through. Most dogs are left to wander and we joke that our day hasn't really 
started until we hear a rooster crow and see a village cat and a dog.

This  Grid is for all the gardeners or flower lovers. I have never seen such large hydrangeas or such variety of colour!

We are interacting or observing many different types of pilgrims now that we are within 100 km. of Santiago. A couple of days ago we met our first family travelling with a baby (toddler). The father carries the little girl on his back and the mom who is 5 months pregnant carries the backpack. This morning we passed our first two-wheel bike camping set-up. They were still sleeping though the sun was long up. We also passed and was passed by a young man carrying a guitar. Later in the day as we passed an outdoor restaurant he was playing and singing while other pilgrims video taped his performance. Finally we ran into a fairly large group all originating from the same village in the Andalucia region in Spain. They seemed to walk in two distinct groups--one group of young children with two adults and one group of four with a young man, Mario, in a wheelchair. One group would call out and the other would answer. Jim pushed Mario for about a kilometre and talked to him and his brother Anthonio. The last 100 km seems like a different Camino.

Stage 30: Sarria to Portomorin (25 km--30 degrees)

We had a hot but relatively quiet night's sleep. The twenty plus school students who checked into our Albergue at 8:00 and woke the baby in the next room had quieted down by 9:00 and the baby had cried herself to sleep.  Distant drumming and undulating waves of muted cheers provided the soundtrack to a deep sleep, so deep that we slept an hour longer than we intended.

We quickly roused ourselves and completed our morning routines with the focus and attention of zombies.  Breakfast, foot care, sunscreen, teeth cleaning, ablutions --all carried out in perfunctory silence. I barely stopped myself from brushing my teeth with Voltarin.

We wended our way through Sarria up to the church and ancient quarter. The streets were littered with straw and adorned with beautiful cloth banners and heraldry.  It soon became apparent that we had slept through the Primera Fiesta Irmandiña de Sarria, a medieval festival celebrating a peasant revolt that occurred in the 1400s.  It looks like we missed a great party!

As we left town it was clear that something had changed--we were not alone.  Hundreds of pilgrims now filled the trail, like the ants that had crossed our path on the meseta, marching in columns and carrying loads several times their body weight [note to self: fact check ant--back pack comparison].  Sarria is the closest city to the 100 km radius of Santiago de Compostela and therefore the minimum distance for a pilgrimage to qualify for holy certification. Most of the additional perigrinos are Spanish and they, now,  far outnumber the rest of us.  The trail is no longer quiet and pensive, but exciting and festive.  The subtext of the conversations, unintelligible to my ears, was "we can do this...we will do this!"  By mid morning we were walking though hay country and saw an old gentleman farmer raking his crop by hand.  We also marked the 100 km point with a group photo.

As we descended to our destination of Portomarin we were impressed by its setting beside the  dammed Rio Miño. In the 1960s the river was dammed to create the Belesar reservoir, putting the old village of Portomarín under water. The most historic buildings of the town were moved block by block and reconstructed in the present site, including the Church of San Juan of Portomarín.  To make sure that the reconstruction of the church was faithful to the original in both appearance and engineering, workers numbered each stone. (The funny thing is it still looks like a kid put it together with Lego!)  Some of the numbers are still visible on the blocks today, as well as some mysterious etchings that date back to the days when the blocks were originally quarried in the Middle Ages.

Stage 29: Triacastelo to Sarria (35 kms -- 35 degrees)

The Longest Trek and the Hottest Day . . . 

The Wayward German Pilgrim, the Barking Dog, and the Small Miracle . . . 

Amazing Samos . . .

Only Mad Dogs, Englishmen, and Canadian Peregrinos Go Out in the Mid-day Sun . . .

So many captions could describe Stage 29, it's impossible to choose one -- let me just start at the beginning ...

Knowing that it would be a scorcher of a day, and intending to avoid the hottest part of the day, your three peregrinos headed out good and early at 5:45 am.  It was dark, but the stars shone, the path was parallel to the road, and our trusty headlamps showed us the way.  Few cars were travelling yet.  We had mapped out the scenic route; yes, a few kms longer than the main route, but more shady and it would take us past the medieval Benedictine Monastery at Samos.  We were looking forward to the trek!  

Our progress was, indeed, smooth until we arrived at the small and sleeping village of San Cristobo, down in the still-dark valley bottom.  The shuttered stone houses were silently crowded along the ancient cobble-stoned main road through town; we quietly wended our way along and crossed the narrow bridge.  A rooster crowed.  Now we were confronted by a Y in the road before us -- were we to go left or right?  We couldn't see any trusty Camino signpost or yellow arrow, which always show us the way.  Suddenly, to our surprise, in the semi-darkness on the branch heading rightward, we spotted our first fellow-peregrino of the day, a middle-aged German woman plodding up the road (we recognized her from our Albergue last night; she certainly had headed out extra early this morning).  So, naturally, we followed in her footsteps and then, with a merry "Buen Camino" greeting to her, we moved ahead of her on the path.  Soon we left the village, walked through some trees, and then up past a farmyard, where a dog began barking loudly.  It was not a friendly sound; he was making it clear that he was a watchdog on duty.  We nervously made our way past him and continued a ways.  Wait -- let me reassure our readers, here, that the dog was securely chained!  Now we began to wonder if we were going in the right direction, so we stopped and consulted our cell phone maps.  No, we were supposed to be following the river!  Therefore, we would have to backtrack to the village, past the barking dog again!  Meanwhile, the German woman had caught up to us and, so, we were able to inform her that she was headed in the wrong direction.  We all trekked back down, and looked again at the Y in the road -- now that the light had improved, we were able to see a very faded yellow arrow directing us leftward!  And so, we all continued on the correct path to Samos.  Though we were delayed by the detour, we realized that it had resulted in saving a lot of time for the German woman!

Our path to Samos, along the river, was shaded by large old trees with wide gnarled trunks, many covered in ivy.  Both sides of the trail were lush and green, dotted with brightly coloured wild flowers.  We felt as if we were walking through the magical woods of "The Lord of the Rings."

We spent a couple of hours in picturesque Samos, having breakfast at a sidewalk cafe, attending Sunday morning mass at the Benedictine monastery, and taking a guided tour of the monastery.  It's a very large, beautiful, and peaceful complex, but today has only eight resident monks, and one novice monk.

Leaving Samos, we followed the yellow arrows but somehow ended up inadvertently taking the longer alternate route to Sarria.  By the time we arrived, our kms for the day added up to 35, making it our longest trekking day ever!  And, it was the hottest day, too, at 35 degrees!  As you can imagine, we were very relieved to reach our Albergue in Sarria.

Stage 28: Linares to Triacastela (23 km -- 25 degrees)

Week of Lasts
We have begun our week of lasts. Each day in the week marks the last day of the week that we will walk together to Santiago so today is the last Saturday. Last night I took a picture of the moon outside my bedroom window. As you can see the moon is visible in broad daylight and it made me realize that I have not seen the sun set since I arrived in Spain. I know that it gets dark because we have watched the sunrise almost every morning. Our shadows are long in the morning and this morning we realized that these shadows represent that we have travelled a 'long' distance in the past several weeks and only have 132 km. left to cover.

Once again the walk today was perfect. Even the early morning breeze was mild enough to have Jim remove his jacket and the bottom of his pants before we left the village. The hills in this region are covered with ulex,(the yellow flowering shrub that is the national flower of Galicia) foxglove and heather.  As the sun rose, the hills were ablaze in colour.
Much of our journey today was pastoral and there were several instances when we had to share the route with cattle. It is fascinating to watch the herds person and the dogs move the cattle. At one point, just as we were entering Triacastela, our end destination for today, there appeared to be as many perigrinos on the road as cattle and this seemed to confuse both sets of travellers!
I am still amazed at the size of some of the tree trunks. I half expect to see fairies and goblins peaking out from the many crevices. Maybe I have been walking too long...

Stage 27: Las Herrerias to Linares (13 km--20 degrees)

The Albergue de Los Herrerias was a clean and restful place to spend the night.  The communal supper was a vegetarian delight and would have been perfect with a little chicken or beef.  When we departed in the morning, we were sent on our way by an Albergue volunteer from Colorado.  It was her last day and then she, too, was beginning her pilgrimage to Santiago.  Today's walk up to O'Cebreiro would be the last challenging segment of the Camino and the village of Los Herrerias capitalizes on this fact by offering a couple of ingenious short cuts.  First, you can rent a horse to carry you up to O'Cebreiro and apparently this is kosher with the Pope and the Camino referees as horses have been around since the this whole pilgrimage thing  began.  Second, you can arrange to rent a bicycle in O'Cebreiro and glide all the way down to Tricastela, 23 km away.  Although bicycles are relatively new (circa 1817), they too are a sanctified form of transportation, mainly because they resemble a horse and because the Italians pilgrims find spandex too uncomfortable to walk in.

We started out with a pack of perigrinos, a few of whom were familiar and many, including a Spanish school group, who were new to us.  In a short while we had all spread out and we were alone with cows and herd dogs.  The trip lived up to everything the guide books promised and we felt like we were hiking to the top of the world.  Betty stayed on the inside track and only opened her eyes once or twice to make sure we were still beside her.

O'Cebreiro is a Gallacian village that is right out of an Asterix cartoon complete with thatched stone houses.  We stopped for second breakfast and ordered the local specialty, pulpi con cachelos (octopus with potatoes).  The waitress was suspicious at first, but once she was convinced that we knew what we were ordering, she went back to the kitchen and yelled at her husband to make a supper entre at 9:00 in the morning.  It was delicioso!  We continued on a few kilometres down the road to Linares, a sleepy town with a country hotel and a church that leaves its bell tower unlocked.

Stage 26: Villafranca to Las Herrerias (24 km--24 degrees)

Three routes led out of Villafranca this morning:  one along the highway all the way, one up a big hill for the first part and then along the highway the rest of the way, and one which avoids the highway completely by going over several hills (the Dragonte route).  We chose the second option, and had a lovely hike to our destination of the day.  Our path immediately started uphill, taking us through trees as well as some open areas.  Soon we were walking along the hilltops/ridge, higher than the power lines and we could see beautiful scenery all around us.  Down in the valley below, we observed other peregrinos following the highway route.  All of a sudden, on the path in front of us, was standing a deer!  We approached quietly and she jumped into the grass to our left; we couldn't see her anymore, but the buck was standing there peering at us (for a moment)!  In a few kilometers, we reached a quiet village located on a hilltop and surrounded by huge, lush vegetable gardens.  We stopped for a coffee and the very hospitable owner served us her delicious homemade chips with garlic mayonnaise and chestnut cake (all main ingredients which they grow themselves).
From there, our path descended and then began to follow the highway.  It's a secondary highway, following the valley bottom, and the traffic was light, so we found it ok.  Nearby, we could see the autoroute, going through tunnels and along highly elevated sections way above us and the villages.  I've tried to give a sense of the height of it in one of the photos.  We were so relieved that we didn't have to walk (or drive) on that!
Our supper was a tasty vegetarian meal, enjoyed communally with other peregrinos from Canada and Italy.

Stage 25 Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo (29 km. -- perfect temp 20 degrees)

We left Ponferrada equiped with headlamps, followed the markers and lighted pathway until we hit the 200 km marker!!! It is hard to believe that we are three quarters of the way to Santiago. The core of Ponferrada seemed tired and run down while the outer areas had beautiful huge homes. There was a noticeable difference between the struggling inner core and the wealthy outer limits. This is different from the other larger centres we have visited which seem to have a fairly vibrant centre.

Everything about today's journey was perfect! The weather pleased everyone, the trail was easy on the feet and there was just enough ups and downs to please Jim and not enough to displease Laurel and I. We walked along rivers, through vineyards, picturesque villages, and felt like we were above the clouds are times. I had the opportunity to buy a baguette from a baker's truck that delivers fresh baked goods to the villages. Trucks drive up and down the street honking their horn to alert the townspeople of their arrival much the same as our ice-cream trucks. We also stopped at an unique coffee shop where Jim enjoyed his second cup and Laurel and I drank fresh watermelon juice-Delicious!

'The fruits of some one's labour and a taste of the stolen'
We are certainly back into wine country however there are many other kinds of fruit grown in families' yards. Below you will see grapes, pears, peaches, cherries, limes, unknown but surely a fruit, passion fruit and I threw in one blooming potato plant for my mom. We also tasted some of this fruit when one of us happened upon cherries close to the path.

Stage 24: Foncebadon to Ponferrada (28 km--9-26 degrees)

A howling wind greeted us when we woke at 5:00 in the tiny village (ghost town) of Foncebadon.  It reminded us that the forecast low was 8 degrees.  We all dressed for maximum coverage, Laurel even had socks on her hands at one point.  Our path followed a foggy, cold, wind-swept ridge past the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), the spot where we deposited our stones the day before.  Cows and other hikers appeared and faded away in the mist as we plodded along to the end of the ridge and we begun a decent that would last most of the day.  Down, down, down we went, our minds began to wander as well. "When will it stop, I don't remember climbing that high?", "We missed second breakfast, I'm hungry!", "Where's the Tiger Balm, my legs hurt?"  

After three hours the fog lifted and we saw how beautiful the scenery actually was.  We descended through mountain villages that were just waking up, but had no coffee or bathrooms to offer.  The village of Molinaseca welcomed us at 10:30 and we stayed for a picnic lunch beside the river. The remainder of the walk to Ponferrada was flat and beside a busy highway.  The temperature had risen to 26 degrees by the time we checked into our hotel.

After showers, we headed out for supper at 16:00 and to explore the Templar castle in the centre of town.  We were back in our room and complaining about the heat by 7:00 pm--too cold and too hot in the same day!

Trusting Neighbours

The Maragato people that founded the village of Castrillo de Los Povazares (see Stage 22) were so honest that, in the past, when they went away, they would leave the key in the door so if their neighbours needed anything they could go in and help themselves.  Today we can still see the large and ornate door locks but without the keys.  Either the Maragato no longer trust their neighbours or all the keys have been stolen!

Stage 23: Castrillo de Los Polvazares to Foncebadon (24 kms--17 degrees)

Today, we had big changes in the weather and the scenery -- both shifts were quite welcome!  The temperature cooled down, which along with a breeze, made our hiking much more comfortable than the sweltering heat of the past few days.  The trail was more shady and took us higher up, though at a gentle rate that was not tiring.  Since sun-up, ahead of us, we could see the mountains of Galicia, and reached them by the time we stopped for the day at 11:30 am.   Along the way, we passed through pretty villages of stone houses, roses, bustling albergues, and coffee stops.  It was a thrill to share the trail for the first time with peregrinos travelling on horseback; when we arrived in Foncebadon (our stop for the night), there they were again, the horses feeding on grass while the pilgrims grabbed a coffee!  Other animals we saw today were cats, dogs, rabbits, cows, a donkey, a fox, and a woodpecker.  Foncebadon was practically a ghost town, down to a population of just two people in the 1990s, but has been revived by the opening of four albergues in recent years, thanks to the increasing popularity of the Camino.

Two kms past Foncebadon, is the highest elevation on the entire Camino.  An iron cross atop a high pole marks the spot.  Over the years, peregrinos have placed stones there from around the world, accompanied by prayers and messages of hope, so that now there is a large pile of stones at the base.  We walked there in the afternoon, and added our stones and wishes, too.  Early tomorrow morning, we will pass there again, but it most likely will still be quite dark.

Skies of the Meseta

Yesterday, we finally reached the end of the long, flat, hot Meseta and transitioned to our next section, which is through the cooler Cantabrian Mountains into Galicia.  Our stopping point for tonight (July11) is the village of Foncebadon; it is positioned high up where we can look back to see the Meseta stretching out behind us as far as we can see . . . seeing that, we can hardly believe that we walked the length of it!  The top photos show some skies of the Meseta from various points along the way; the last photo is the view over the Meseta from Foncebadon.

Historic Muleteer Village

Castrillo de los Polvazares is a village situated in Leon, in North-west of Spain. It's important due to its history, as one of the few places of the "Maragatería" which still keeps its traditions and was one of the main resistances against the French conquests.

Stage 22: Hospital de Orbigo to Castrilla de los Polvazares (25 km - 30 degrees)

We left Hospital de Orbigo before the sun came up and walked towards the mountains. Even though I loved the Meseto I will be happy for the cooler temperatures that I hope the mountains offer!

There were so many beautiful and interesting sights along the way today that it is impossible to fit them all into the traditional 3 grids. I have decided to give our end destination it's own. Below shows some of what we observed along the way to Castrillo de los Polvazares.  Both the first two pilgrims (Laurel and the bronze pilgrim) are taken on the approach to villages we passed through. Laurel's lavender is on the outskirts of Murias de Rechivaldo and the bronze pilgrim is in Astroga's mayor square. The next photo is of the Ayuntamiento in the same square and has two Maragatos who mark each hour by striking a bell in the tower.
The photo of the castle was built and designed by Gaudi for the local Bishop in 1915. It is called the Episcopal Palace and is located just across the road from the cathedral, pictured next.
The last two photos are of today's flowers observed along the way. The Spanish really love their flowers and we are always reminded to 'stop and smell the roses' as their fragrance is a constant reminder.

These were some of the highlights of the day for me. We always eat our first breakfast in our room but at about 10 km today we unexpectedly came upon a food stand where we ate a second breakfast. These kind individuals have set up this stand free of charge for all pilgrims! Third breakfast occurred in Astorga where we had a traditional English breakfast in a very beautiful square. I could not forget to include a much needed Aqua con gas (sparkling water), the road sign indicating that we had arrived at our destination and Jacko tran who transports Laurel and my bag to our hostel daily! I have included a third grid to show you some of the incredible sights of today's walk, but I wanted you to be aware that on Hot walks it is sometimes the breaks that make the list of my day's highlights.

Stage 21: León to Hospital de Orbigo (28 km--34 degrees)

Today we got up early, caught a cab at Plaza Mayor, just below our home for the past three days, and said goodbye to the Cathedral and the buried Kings of Leon.  The taxi spared us the the experience of Leon's industrial park and gave us an hour head start on our walk.

For over a week we have been walking through the meseta, but it could easily have been Saskatchewan.  Outlook, Glenside, Wilkie, Lumsden, Stewart Valley, Moose Jaw, and their environs would not have looked out of place along our path.  Most perigrinos barely tolerate the meseta and rejoice at the site of the Cantabrian Mountains. As avowed "flat landers"  we respect elevation and some of us even fear it.  As the mountains came into our view today and grew larger as we walked towards them we saw the magnitude of the challenge that lay ahead.

For most of the trek we have escaped the extreme heat of the meseta, but today felt 34 degrees on a mostly shadeless road. We tolerated it but not without many stops for water and rest.  Today's highlights included seeing storks up close, being buzzed by several powered  paragliders, wall art, and a 200 metre 13th century bridge that led to our Albergue.  We ate supper at 2:30 and were confused with what we got, I ordered a "number 8," which turned out to be deep fried cheese and bologna with squid, indisputable proof that Newfoundlanders settled Spain or that I gotta learn more Spanish!