Overnight - Pension Plaza
A reasonably late getaway this morning, which probably had something to do with the fact that I had great trouble staying asleep last night. The dorm was very stuffy and when I woke up after a short while around midnight, I decided to head out to the common area in the albergue to try and cool down.
In the morning, the two of us left in the dorm decided we’d walk together so we spent the morning chatting away as we walked through the crowds. Sofia, from Bulgaria, was heading for Melide today and was hoping to find a pool somewhere where she could have a swim. It was an excellent walk, made even more attractive by a mist which hung around the forests for most of the morning before it burned off. Interestingly, there were several eucalyptus trees I recognised scattered throughout the forests and I almost expected to see a koala or two slumped up against one of the branches.
When we finally arrived at Palas Del Rei, it had warmed up considerably so we decided to have lunch with lots of cold water before Sofia set off again up the track. I found my pre-booked hotel, which was very basic, and quickly fell asleep. Come dinner time, I wandered into a nearby bar and settled in to watch the first day’s action at the Rio Olympics for the rest of the night.
Weather - Another typical Spanish summer’s day, with the walk finishing during the warmest part of it.
Health - Still scratching a little from what I have to concede now are almost certainly bed bug bites. But they seem to be getting less annoying.
Food - Breakfast at Portomarin albergue (mixed self-serve items, including cereal and juice); Pot of tea about halfway to Palas Del Rei; Pilgrims lunch at Palas Del Rei (salad, tea, water); Dinner at Palas Del Rei bar (salad, pasta, bread basket etc)
Expenses – Accommodation - 25.00; Food/Drink - 27.90 Total - 52.90
Walking time - 7 hours, 45 minutes (start 8:05am, arrive at accommodation 3:50pm)
Brierley distance - 24.8km (total 712.0km)
Daily Steps - 40,126
Total Camino steps - 1,136,916
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Saturday, 10 September 2016
Day 30 - Sarria to Portomarin (Friday 5 August 2016)
Overnight - Albergue Aqua Portomarin
While today's stage promised to be straightforward, it was clear that the whole vibe of the Camino has now changed significantly. Walking out of Sarria, I was met with a whole new group of pilgrim colleagues. There were so many people, I wouldn't have been surprised had a travelator - similar to those common in big airports - suddenly appeared on the track.
Not that this change was a surprise. I had been pointing out to my fellow pilgrims over the last couple of days the following very prescient comment in Brierley’s guide for the post-Sarria stage:
“Note for ‘seasoned’ pilgrims: Beware of signs of irritation at the intrusion on ‘my’ camino - remember that many of the new arrivals may be nervous starting out and the last thing they need is aloofness built on a false sense of superiority. A loving pilgrim welcomes all they meet along the path with an open mind and an open heart … without judgement.”
I'm pretty sure I obliged. I certainly tried to.
Later in the morning, I met up again with my Czech and Brazilian buddies - Martina and Ned - and we walked together until a refreshing lunch at Portomarin, where I had a place booked for the night. While they walked on after lunch, I checked into the albergue and explored the small but attractive riverside town with a very pleasant square surrounding the church.
In the evening, a group of us from the albergue decided to go out and ended up having a wonderful long dinner at one of the church side cafes in the town square.
Weather - Normal service resumed today. Blue skies, warming up after a cool start. Move along - nothing to see here, folks.
Health - The itching I mentioned yesterday started to get particularly annoying today. I hate to admit the possibility, but I think the bed bugs have made their presence felt in a few spots on my upper legs and arms. There's only about half a dozen apparent bites, but they sure look like the bites that have afflicted some other pilgrims much more profoundly. I'll just have to suck it up, I suppose.
Food - Albergue breakfast (mini buffet); Lunch at Portomarin (salad, tea, bread); Pots of tea x2 at a Portomarin cafe; Pots of tea x2 at another Portomarin cafe; Group dinner in Portomarin with a selection of different food etc
Expenses - Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 20.90; Other (Australian flag pin at Portomarin shop - 1.50) Total - 32.40
Walking time - 6 hours, 10 minutes (start 8:05am, arrive at accommodation 2:15pm)
Brierley distance - 22.1km (total 687.2km)
Daily Steps - 32,497
Total Camino steps - 1,096,790
While today's stage promised to be straightforward, it was clear that the whole vibe of the Camino has now changed significantly. Walking out of Sarria, I was met with a whole new group of pilgrim colleagues. There were so many people, I wouldn't have been surprised had a travelator - similar to those common in big airports - suddenly appeared on the track.
Not that this change was a surprise. I had been pointing out to my fellow pilgrims over the last couple of days the following very prescient comment in Brierley’s guide for the post-Sarria stage:
“Note for ‘seasoned’ pilgrims: Beware of signs of irritation at the intrusion on ‘my’ camino - remember that many of the new arrivals may be nervous starting out and the last thing they need is aloofness built on a false sense of superiority. A loving pilgrim welcomes all they meet along the path with an open mind and an open heart … without judgement.”
I'm pretty sure I obliged. I certainly tried to.
Later in the morning, I met up again with my Czech and Brazilian buddies - Martina and Ned - and we walked together until a refreshing lunch at Portomarin, where I had a place booked for the night. While they walked on after lunch, I checked into the albergue and explored the small but attractive riverside town with a very pleasant square surrounding the church.
In the evening, a group of us from the albergue decided to go out and ended up having a wonderful long dinner at one of the church side cafes in the town square.
Weather - Normal service resumed today. Blue skies, warming up after a cool start. Move along - nothing to see here, folks.
Health - The itching I mentioned yesterday started to get particularly annoying today. I hate to admit the possibility, but I think the bed bugs have made their presence felt in a few spots on my upper legs and arms. There's only about half a dozen apparent bites, but they sure look like the bites that have afflicted some other pilgrims much more profoundly. I'll just have to suck it up, I suppose.
Food - Albergue breakfast (mini buffet); Lunch at Portomarin (salad, tea, bread); Pots of tea x2 at a Portomarin cafe; Pots of tea x2 at another Portomarin cafe; Group dinner in Portomarin with a selection of different food etc
Expenses - Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 20.90; Other (Australian flag pin at Portomarin shop - 1.50) Total - 32.40
Walking time - 6 hours, 10 minutes (start 8:05am, arrive at accommodation 2:15pm)
Brierley distance - 22.1km (total 687.2km)
Daily Steps - 32,497
Total Camino steps - 1,096,790
Day 29 - Samos to Sarria (Thursday 4 August 2016)
Overnight - Albergue Albaroque
A short but mostly scenic stage into Sarria loomed today, and after a tea heart-starter, it was on the road with Martina under leaden skies. She had already decided to avoid staying at anything resembling a big town from here on and was going to find an albergue past Sarria.
The walk out of Samos was as pleasant as the walk in, until the optional path met back up with the standard path at Aguiada. After another tea, the town of Sarria appeared in the near distance, and soon enough, we were in its outskirts.
Sarria itself seemed like a real Camino town with albergues on just about every street and fresh-faced, unsoiled, white-legged pilgrims with colourful walking shoes mingling with people like me (29-day beard growth, dusty, sweat-stained, loose, clothing, with heavily tanned lower legs and a world-weary look in their eyes).
It took a while to find my pre-booked accommodation, which turned out to be an albergue on the fringe of the old part of town. I was expecting a plush, centrally located hotel but it looks like I got the pictures mixed up on booking.com.
The afternoon was spent at the near deserted albergue and then wandering around cafes in Sarria, at one of which I had my second and final pulpo meal. I tried, but it's just not for me.
When I returned to the albergue, it was much fuller. In my dorm, a Spanish guy enlightened me about the tradition for (the presumably less abstemious) pilgrims when arriving in Santiago to do the 'Paris-Dakar'. It's not a motor race, but a marathon bar-crawl, with the first bar evidently named Paris and the 22nd 'Dakar'. I think we'll wait and see on that one.
Weather - How can I put this? - IT ACTUALLY RAINED!!!! It was overcast all day in line with advice from a fellow pilgrim the previous evening that there was a 60% chance of rain today. The humidity was evident early on in the walk and the sky looked threatening a few times, but more often some sun started to peak through. Then on the walk into Sarria came the unmistakable, and almost forgotten, feeling of a few drops. The lightest of light drizzle lasted for almost a minute before it stopped, but it was definitely rain. And I was definitely walking in it. An hour or so later, from my albergue window, I could see the showers over the town. They lasted for at least half an hour and were then blown away without much trace. I doubt they did much to disturb the dust on the track, but it sure was refreshing to see them.
Health - I managed to pick up a few bites on the upper body last night which I've been scratching occasionally. I don't think they're the dreaded bed bugs, which have wreaked havoc with some fellow pilgrims along the way, but they are certainly annoying whatever they are. Otherwise, still healthy.
Food - Pot of tea at cafe near Samos albergue; Pot of tea + mini muffins x2 at Aguiada cafe; Muesli bar; Pot of tea + small biscuits x4 at Sarria cafe; Pastries x2 + pots of tea x2 at another Sarria cafe; Sliced ham, brie, baguette, mixed jubes; Sarria cafe dinner (pulpo, ice-cream tub, pot of tea)
Expenses – Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 25.86 Total - 35.86
Walking time - 5 hours, 25 minutes (start 7:40am, arrive at accommodation 1:05pm)
Brierley distance - 14.8km (total 665.1km)
Daily Steps - 31,792
Total Camino steps - 1,064,293
A short but mostly scenic stage into Sarria loomed today, and after a tea heart-starter, it was on the road with Martina under leaden skies. She had already decided to avoid staying at anything resembling a big town from here on and was going to find an albergue past Sarria.
The walk out of Samos was as pleasant as the walk in, until the optional path met back up with the standard path at Aguiada. After another tea, the town of Sarria appeared in the near distance, and soon enough, we were in its outskirts.
Sarria itself seemed like a real Camino town with albergues on just about every street and fresh-faced, unsoiled, white-legged pilgrims with colourful walking shoes mingling with people like me (29-day beard growth, dusty, sweat-stained, loose, clothing, with heavily tanned lower legs and a world-weary look in their eyes).
It took a while to find my pre-booked accommodation, which turned out to be an albergue on the fringe of the old part of town. I was expecting a plush, centrally located hotel but it looks like I got the pictures mixed up on booking.com.
The afternoon was spent at the near deserted albergue and then wandering around cafes in Sarria, at one of which I had my second and final pulpo meal. I tried, but it's just not for me.
When I returned to the albergue, it was much fuller. In my dorm, a Spanish guy enlightened me about the tradition for (the presumably less abstemious) pilgrims when arriving in Santiago to do the 'Paris-Dakar'. It's not a motor race, but a marathon bar-crawl, with the first bar evidently named Paris and the 22nd 'Dakar'. I think we'll wait and see on that one.
Weather - How can I put this? - IT ACTUALLY RAINED!!!! It was overcast all day in line with advice from a fellow pilgrim the previous evening that there was a 60% chance of rain today. The humidity was evident early on in the walk and the sky looked threatening a few times, but more often some sun started to peak through. Then on the walk into Sarria came the unmistakable, and almost forgotten, feeling of a few drops. The lightest of light drizzle lasted for almost a minute before it stopped, but it was definitely rain. And I was definitely walking in it. An hour or so later, from my albergue window, I could see the showers over the town. They lasted for at least half an hour and were then blown away without much trace. I doubt they did much to disturb the dust on the track, but it sure was refreshing to see them.
Health - I managed to pick up a few bites on the upper body last night which I've been scratching occasionally. I don't think they're the dreaded bed bugs, which have wreaked havoc with some fellow pilgrims along the way, but they are certainly annoying whatever they are. Otherwise, still healthy.
Food - Pot of tea at cafe near Samos albergue; Pot of tea + mini muffins x2 at Aguiada cafe; Muesli bar; Pot of tea + small biscuits x4 at Sarria cafe; Pastries x2 + pots of tea x2 at another Sarria cafe; Sliced ham, brie, baguette, mixed jubes; Sarria cafe dinner (pulpo, ice-cream tub, pot of tea)
Expenses – Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 25.86 Total - 35.86
Walking time - 5 hours, 25 minutes (start 7:40am, arrive at accommodation 1:05pm)
Brierley distance - 14.8km (total 665.1km)
Daily Steps - 31,792
Total Camino steps - 1,064,293
Day 28 - Fonria to Samos (Wednesday 3 August 2016)
Overnight - Albergue Val de Samos
A generally aimless day today. My pre-booked schedule means that I need to be in Sarria in two days, but it's only about 25 kilometres away. So this morning, I took my time getting up and didn't leave until 7:40am, by which time the reasonably full albergue was all but deserted.
From Fonria, it was a mostly gentle downhill for about nine kilometres into Triacastela - precisely the opposite of yesterday's opening to the walk. At 900 people, Triacastela (meaning ‘three castles’, none of which remain) is probably the largest town I'll see today.
With no pulpo on the menu, I stopped for a long breakfast/lunch anyway, sitting in the sun for well over an hour. The outdoor cafes adjacent to the track are a feature of this walk and have been great places to stop and relax.
Walking out of Triacastela, I ignored the optional Samos route to Sarria and headed along the conventional path, which ran alongside a road for a couple of kilometres. It then turned up into a sensational bush path with a very pretty tree canopy up and down some hills for a while. About an hour into it, I checked the book and then asked some nearby walkers about which track I was actually on. Each confirmed I had taken the Samos route after all.
Not to mind. Apart from the great walk, Samos itself turned out to be a wonderful little town, with a spectacular monastery which was open for tours. I decided to take the fascinating guided tour where the guide helpfully gave us handful of English speakers a short version of the talk she was giving to her 50+ Spanish customers.
In the evening, I had a lovely long dinner, which included pulpo, with Martina (who had somehow taken the same wrong turning as me and found herself in the same albergue dorm!) and, later, two other Belgian girls - Katrina and Sondra - who I’d also been meeting up with at various points along the way.
Weather - If it's ever going to rain on this walk, the evidently unpredictable Galician climate provides the best and last opportunity. So far, it's been anything but unpredictable.
Health - Again, all good. I'm maybe feeling a little tired after taking hours to get to sleep the other night, and another long while last night. But if an occasional yawn during the day is the worst thing that happens from here on, I'll live with it. And another thing - my trousers fell down as I walked out of the albergue this morning. I obviously hadn't tightened the belt enough to support them as they've become looser and looser over the past few weeks, despite all the pastries and other crap I've been eating. It's just another burden I'll need to bear, I suppose. But I'll do so happily enough.
Food - Pot of tea at Fonria albergue; Mushroom tortilla with bread and salad + pot of tea at Triacastela cafe; Small biscuits x2; Pots of tea x2 at Samos cafe; Pilgrims dinner at an excellent nearby Samos albergue (scallops with lettuce, pulpo, cheese and honey desert, bread rolls, pots of tea x2)
Expenses - Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 27.70; Other (Monastery tour - 4.00) Total - 41.70
Walking time - 4 hours, 55 minutes (start 7:40am, arrive at accommodation 12:35pm)
Brierley distance - 19.3km (total 650.3km)
Daily Steps - 32,327
Total Camino steps - 1,032,501
A generally aimless day today. My pre-booked schedule means that I need to be in Sarria in two days, but it's only about 25 kilometres away. So this morning, I took my time getting up and didn't leave until 7:40am, by which time the reasonably full albergue was all but deserted.
From Fonria, it was a mostly gentle downhill for about nine kilometres into Triacastela - precisely the opposite of yesterday's opening to the walk. At 900 people, Triacastela (meaning ‘three castles’, none of which remain) is probably the largest town I'll see today.
With no pulpo on the menu, I stopped for a long breakfast/lunch anyway, sitting in the sun for well over an hour. The outdoor cafes adjacent to the track are a feature of this walk and have been great places to stop and relax.
Walking out of Triacastela, I ignored the optional Samos route to Sarria and headed along the conventional path, which ran alongside a road for a couple of kilometres. It then turned up into a sensational bush path with a very pretty tree canopy up and down some hills for a while. About an hour into it, I checked the book and then asked some nearby walkers about which track I was actually on. Each confirmed I had taken the Samos route after all.
Not to mind. Apart from the great walk, Samos itself turned out to be a wonderful little town, with a spectacular monastery which was open for tours. I decided to take the fascinating guided tour where the guide helpfully gave us handful of English speakers a short version of the talk she was giving to her 50+ Spanish customers.
In the evening, I had a lovely long dinner, which included pulpo, with Martina (who had somehow taken the same wrong turning as me and found herself in the same albergue dorm!) and, later, two other Belgian girls - Katrina and Sondra - who I’d also been meeting up with at various points along the way.
Weather - If it's ever going to rain on this walk, the evidently unpredictable Galician climate provides the best and last opportunity. So far, it's been anything but unpredictable.
Health - Again, all good. I'm maybe feeling a little tired after taking hours to get to sleep the other night, and another long while last night. But if an occasional yawn during the day is the worst thing that happens from here on, I'll live with it. And another thing - my trousers fell down as I walked out of the albergue this morning. I obviously hadn't tightened the belt enough to support them as they've become looser and looser over the past few weeks, despite all the pastries and other crap I've been eating. It's just another burden I'll need to bear, I suppose. But I'll do so happily enough.
Food - Pot of tea at Fonria albergue; Mushroom tortilla with bread and salad + pot of tea at Triacastela cafe; Small biscuits x2; Pots of tea x2 at Samos cafe; Pilgrims dinner at an excellent nearby Samos albergue (scallops with lettuce, pulpo, cheese and honey desert, bread rolls, pots of tea x2)
Expenses - Accommodation - 10.00; Food/Drink - 27.70; Other (Monastery tour - 4.00) Total - 41.70
Walking time - 4 hours, 55 minutes (start 7:40am, arrive at accommodation 12:35pm)
Brierley distance - 19.3km (total 650.3km)
Daily Steps - 32,327
Total Camino steps - 1,032,501
Day 27 - Ruitelan to Fonria (Tuesday 2 August 2016)
Overnight - Albergue Reboleira
Today's alarm was a 6:00am music show by the albergue-ers who then put on a very pleasant breakfast. As odd as it sounds, the music idea worked really well with a skilfully selected playlist, including an Abba tune and the Beatles 'All You Need is Love'.
But I was keen to get away early and tackle the climb. I hit the road just before 7:00am and quickly got into stride. I passed through a village a short way down the road and then crossed over a bridge where the path kicked up quite suddenly. The early part of the climb was along a wooded pathway splattered with horse manure from the horses used by those who decide to pay 20 Euro to get a ride in the saddle to the top.
Much of the walk was a steady climb, sometimes it levelled out for a short way, and in other places it was quite steep.
My face was quickly dripping sweat, and at about 6,200 steps (I was looking out for the moment), the first bead of perspiration fell from the brim of my hat - a sure sign that things were getting serious. It continued dripping for most of the rest of the hill.
The higher we got, the smaller the trees became and the more exposed the path. The sun finally hit the track close to the top. Before that, the hill was either in shade or the early morning gloom. I started feeling for those who had attempted the climb in the heat of the afternoon.
As the walk continued up, I just kept charging along and felt the endorphins doing their thing. I'm sure I was going faster at the end than I was for the first half of the journey and I felt grateful for the endurance training I'd been doing and the effort over the previous 26 days of this walk.
Soon enough, the signage announced we were now in Galicia and shortly after that appeared a small but well-crafted obelisk by the path stating that Santiago was 160-point-something-something-something kilometres away.
I felt the strangest sensation - a kind of sadness or despair that immediately ended the rush I'd been experiencing up to that point. The little obelisk signalled in the most clinical of terms that this thing is drawing to a close. Sure, there have been occasional signs, in various states of disrepair, over the course of the Camino that give a vague indication of the remaining distance. But the brutally accurate nature of this one, and the identically designed ones which followed it at too-frequent intervals, placed into very sharp focus that the end is nigh.
It's also a good indication of the parallel universe (some of) us pilgrims are now inhabiting that such a distance still to walk is almost regarded as trivial.
I finally crested the hill, covered in sweat, 1 hour and 50 minutes (and 13,000 steps) after leaving the albergue. According to Brierley, it was a distance of 9.6 kilometres.
With no plan for the rest of the day, I sat at a cafe in the hilltop village of O Cebreiro (somehow pronounced ‘oh-thay-bray-air-oh’), lingered for a long time over a tea, and then went across to check out the local church. Among other things, it's home to the grave of the chap who evidently reinvigorated the Camino walk a few years ago by implementing the much loved yellow arrow direction system. As someone who has been the beneficiary of these invariably well placed arrows over the past four weeks, I thought I should pay my respects. The statue of him over the grave must also be the only one I've seen which includes sculpted spectacles.
And then as I walked into the church, I bumped into my wonderful Czech Camino buddy Martina and, with our Brazilian friend, Ned, we shared another drink, and decided to walk the rest of the day until we felt like stopping.
For the next couple of hours, the track wound its way around the next valley providing spectacular panoramic views of the landscape below. It was mostly flat or undulating with a tough but short hill coming into Alto do Poio, where we stopped briefly for refreshment. The final few kilometres overlooked yet another valley and led us into the tiny village of Fonfria, and its impressive, modern albergue - the end of today's stage.
The pilgrims (late) lunch at a nearby cafe was great value, although the unavailability of the famed pulpo was disappointing. It meant I had to postpone my resolution, now we are in Galicia, to eat seafood at least once every day. But the taste of Martina’s cheese and honey desert just about made up for it. It was ‘sensacional’ as we say in this part of the world. I’ll definitely be looking to have more of that in the week ahead.
Weather - Not as cold a start as yesterday, but still reasonably cool. Even though we are in the mountains now, the weather is completely predictable and following exactly the trajectory of the past many days. Meaning by the time we walked into Fonfria, it had warmed up considerably.
Health - No issues at all. The body didn't miss a beat up the hill or for the rest of the day. Seeing some of the carnage along the track with so many other walkers, and unworthy as I might be, I do feel a little blessed in this regard.
Food - Albergue breakfast at Ruitelan (coffees x2, glasses orange juice x2, toast with butter x2, mini muffins x2); Pots of tea x2 at O Cebreio cafe; Pot of tea at Alto do Poio; Pilgrims lunch at Fonfria (mixed salad, grilled pork with hot chips and rice, slice cake, pot of tea); Orange
Expenses – Accommodation - 8.00; Food/Drink - 18.00 Total - 26.00
Walking time - 7 hours, 30 minutes (start 6:50am, arrive at accommodation 2:20pm)
Brierley distance - 21.5km (total 631.0km)
Daily Steps - 33,640
Total Camino steps - 1,000,174
Today's alarm was a 6:00am music show by the albergue-ers who then put on a very pleasant breakfast. As odd as it sounds, the music idea worked really well with a skilfully selected playlist, including an Abba tune and the Beatles 'All You Need is Love'.
But I was keen to get away early and tackle the climb. I hit the road just before 7:00am and quickly got into stride. I passed through a village a short way down the road and then crossed over a bridge where the path kicked up quite suddenly. The early part of the climb was along a wooded pathway splattered with horse manure from the horses used by those who decide to pay 20 Euro to get a ride in the saddle to the top.
Much of the walk was a steady climb, sometimes it levelled out for a short way, and in other places it was quite steep.
My face was quickly dripping sweat, and at about 6,200 steps (I was looking out for the moment), the first bead of perspiration fell from the brim of my hat - a sure sign that things were getting serious. It continued dripping for most of the rest of the hill.
The higher we got, the smaller the trees became and the more exposed the path. The sun finally hit the track close to the top. Before that, the hill was either in shade or the early morning gloom. I started feeling for those who had attempted the climb in the heat of the afternoon.
As the walk continued up, I just kept charging along and felt the endorphins doing their thing. I'm sure I was going faster at the end than I was for the first half of the journey and I felt grateful for the endurance training I'd been doing and the effort over the previous 26 days of this walk.
Soon enough, the signage announced we were now in Galicia and shortly after that appeared a small but well-crafted obelisk by the path stating that Santiago was 160-point-something-something-something kilometres away.
I felt the strangest sensation - a kind of sadness or despair that immediately ended the rush I'd been experiencing up to that point. The little obelisk signalled in the most clinical of terms that this thing is drawing to a close. Sure, there have been occasional signs, in various states of disrepair, over the course of the Camino that give a vague indication of the remaining distance. But the brutally accurate nature of this one, and the identically designed ones which followed it at too-frequent intervals, placed into very sharp focus that the end is nigh.
It's also a good indication of the parallel universe (some of) us pilgrims are now inhabiting that such a distance still to walk is almost regarded as trivial.
I finally crested the hill, covered in sweat, 1 hour and 50 minutes (and 13,000 steps) after leaving the albergue. According to Brierley, it was a distance of 9.6 kilometres.
With no plan for the rest of the day, I sat at a cafe in the hilltop village of O Cebreiro (somehow pronounced ‘oh-thay-bray-air-oh’), lingered for a long time over a tea, and then went across to check out the local church. Among other things, it's home to the grave of the chap who evidently reinvigorated the Camino walk a few years ago by implementing the much loved yellow arrow direction system. As someone who has been the beneficiary of these invariably well placed arrows over the past four weeks, I thought I should pay my respects. The statue of him over the grave must also be the only one I've seen which includes sculpted spectacles.
And then as I walked into the church, I bumped into my wonderful Czech Camino buddy Martina and, with our Brazilian friend, Ned, we shared another drink, and decided to walk the rest of the day until we felt like stopping.
For the next couple of hours, the track wound its way around the next valley providing spectacular panoramic views of the landscape below. It was mostly flat or undulating with a tough but short hill coming into Alto do Poio, where we stopped briefly for refreshment. The final few kilometres overlooked yet another valley and led us into the tiny village of Fonfria, and its impressive, modern albergue - the end of today's stage.
The pilgrims (late) lunch at a nearby cafe was great value, although the unavailability of the famed pulpo was disappointing. It meant I had to postpone my resolution, now we are in Galicia, to eat seafood at least once every day. But the taste of Martina’s cheese and honey desert just about made up for it. It was ‘sensacional’ as we say in this part of the world. I’ll definitely be looking to have more of that in the week ahead.
Weather - Not as cold a start as yesterday, but still reasonably cool. Even though we are in the mountains now, the weather is completely predictable and following exactly the trajectory of the past many days. Meaning by the time we walked into Fonfria, it had warmed up considerably.
Health - No issues at all. The body didn't miss a beat up the hill or for the rest of the day. Seeing some of the carnage along the track with so many other walkers, and unworthy as I might be, I do feel a little blessed in this regard.
Food - Albergue breakfast at Ruitelan (coffees x2, glasses orange juice x2, toast with butter x2, mini muffins x2); Pots of tea x2 at O Cebreio cafe; Pot of tea at Alto do Poio; Pilgrims lunch at Fonfria (mixed salad, grilled pork with hot chips and rice, slice cake, pot of tea); Orange
Expenses – Accommodation - 8.00; Food/Drink - 18.00 Total - 26.00
Walking time - 7 hours, 30 minutes (start 6:50am, arrive at accommodation 2:20pm)
Brierley distance - 21.5km (total 631.0km)
Daily Steps - 33,640
Total Camino steps - 1,000,174
Day 26 - Villafranca del Bierzo to Ruitelan (Monday 1 August 2016)
Overnight - Albergue Pequeno Potala
A sleep-in today for the first of three unbooked days before getting to Sarria. The distance before then should really only take two days, but for some reason, I've scheduled three, averaging around 15 kilometres a day. And even though there's a long climb in amongst that, there will be some sleep-ins. Starting today!
I'm not totally sure where I'll get to today, but most likely somewhere at the foot of the steep climb to O Cebreiro, which I can then start on tomorrow morning.
When I finally stepped outside my Villafranca hotel, I was greeted with coldest morning of the trip so far. It stayed that way for an hour or more but after that normal service was resumed.
The track for much of the day was alongside minor roads, and mostly protected from what traffic there was by concrete barriers. The walk was through a long valley and was fitting of another superb Camino traverse.
At the first outdoor cafe I came to (in Pereje), I popped yesterday's thought-bubble about not eating along the way and had a very nice tortilla slice and pot of tea.
Further along at Vega de Valcarce, I stopped for another tea and decided to finish my day’s work at the foothills of the climb at Ruitelan. The Brierley summary of the albergue Pequeno Potala sounded good, so I landed there shortly afterwards and waited in the garden for its advertised opening time of 1:00pm.
I took advantage of the washing machine option at check-in and got all my clothes freshly laundered. Up until then, I had just been hand washing the odd item of clothing when they needed it but it was refreshing to have the lot done all at once.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at a local cafe and back at the albergue sorting my washing and waiting for the albergue’s communal dinner at 7:30pm. The few I've been to have been great value and my hopes were high for this one. They were not disappointed, although it was a bit lonely being the only English speaker at a table of Spaniards whose English was rudimentary at best. No matter.
Tomorrow morning's climb out of the valley is clearly visible from this village and it looks very imposing. Time for sleep.
Weather - The cold start had me thinking seriously about pulling out and dusting off my rain/wind jacket. But of course, this is Spain in summer, there were no clouds in the sky, and I was just being silly. And sure enough, as the morning warmed up, any thoughts of a jacket were long gone.
Health - All good. I did manage to use up some more of my anti-blister wool (which I haven't bothered using since the first week because my feet have been so resilient), but it was done through giving it to a fellow pilgrim out on the track who had stopped for a break because of blister problems. This was just her second day.
Food - Slice tortilla + pot of tea at Pereje cafe; Pot of tea at Vega de Valcarce cafe; Magnum-type white chocolate ice-cream + pots of tea x2 + mixed salad at Ruitelan cafe; Almond magnum ice-cream; Communal dinner at albergue (cold soup, mixed salad, spaghetti, rice pudding)
Expenses – Accommodation - 5.00; Food/Drink - 21.90; Other (bag wash at albergue - 4.00) Total - 30.90
Walking time - 4 hours, 5 minutes (start 8:30am, arrive at accommodation 12:35pm)
Brierley distance - 19.3km (total 609.5km)
Daily Steps - 26,864
Total Camino steps - 966,534
A sleep-in today for the first of three unbooked days before getting to Sarria. The distance before then should really only take two days, but for some reason, I've scheduled three, averaging around 15 kilometres a day. And even though there's a long climb in amongst that, there will be some sleep-ins. Starting today!
I'm not totally sure where I'll get to today, but most likely somewhere at the foot of the steep climb to O Cebreiro, which I can then start on tomorrow morning.
When I finally stepped outside my Villafranca hotel, I was greeted with coldest morning of the trip so far. It stayed that way for an hour or more but after that normal service was resumed.
The track for much of the day was alongside minor roads, and mostly protected from what traffic there was by concrete barriers. The walk was through a long valley and was fitting of another superb Camino traverse.
At the first outdoor cafe I came to (in Pereje), I popped yesterday's thought-bubble about not eating along the way and had a very nice tortilla slice and pot of tea.
Further along at Vega de Valcarce, I stopped for another tea and decided to finish my day’s work at the foothills of the climb at Ruitelan. The Brierley summary of the albergue Pequeno Potala sounded good, so I landed there shortly afterwards and waited in the garden for its advertised opening time of 1:00pm.
I took advantage of the washing machine option at check-in and got all my clothes freshly laundered. Up until then, I had just been hand washing the odd item of clothing when they needed it but it was refreshing to have the lot done all at once.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at a local cafe and back at the albergue sorting my washing and waiting for the albergue’s communal dinner at 7:30pm. The few I've been to have been great value and my hopes were high for this one. They were not disappointed, although it was a bit lonely being the only English speaker at a table of Spaniards whose English was rudimentary at best. No matter.
Tomorrow morning's climb out of the valley is clearly visible from this village and it looks very imposing. Time for sleep.
Weather - The cold start had me thinking seriously about pulling out and dusting off my rain/wind jacket. But of course, this is Spain in summer, there were no clouds in the sky, and I was just being silly. And sure enough, as the morning warmed up, any thoughts of a jacket were long gone.
Health - All good. I did manage to use up some more of my anti-blister wool (which I haven't bothered using since the first week because my feet have been so resilient), but it was done through giving it to a fellow pilgrim out on the track who had stopped for a break because of blister problems. This was just her second day.
Food - Slice tortilla + pot of tea at Pereje cafe; Pot of tea at Vega de Valcarce cafe; Magnum-type white chocolate ice-cream + pots of tea x2 + mixed salad at Ruitelan cafe; Almond magnum ice-cream; Communal dinner at albergue (cold soup, mixed salad, spaghetti, rice pudding)
Expenses – Accommodation - 5.00; Food/Drink - 21.90; Other (bag wash at albergue - 4.00) Total - 30.90
Walking time - 4 hours, 5 minutes (start 8:30am, arrive at accommodation 12:35pm)
Brierley distance - 19.3km (total 609.5km)
Daily Steps - 26,864
Total Camino steps - 966,534
Day 25 - Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo (Sunday 31 July 2016)
Overnight - Casa Mendez
I was up early this morning to listen to my favourite rugby league team, the gallant and resurgent Canberra Raiders, record yet another resounding victory and move to third place on the ladder. Coupled with the breakfast offering at the Molinaseca hotel, it was a promising start to what was going to be one of the longer days on the Camino.
But despite being awake reasonably early, I wasn’t especially motivated to get going after last night and didn't leave until almost 9:00am.
The late getaway meant that I decided just to devote the day to just trudging along and getting through the 31 kilometres. I stopped to have a good rest on a nicely shaded bench outside a small (and the only) church in Columbrianos, just out of Ponferrada, where I could hear the enthusiastic Sunday morning congregation singing some stirring renditions of 'Hallelujah'.
I didn't stop in Ponferrada. It looked like a pleasant enough olde worlde town at its centre, but I was maybe getting a little less excited by those sorts of places, albeit the imposing castle in the middle of town did look spectacular. Maybe some other day.
The rest of the day's walk was either beside quiet roadways or on gravel pathways with some solid undulations along the way. The reasonably closely separated villages were picturesque and inviting, but I didn't stop. Today was an iPod day, with plenty of Dire Straits, Yes, Foreigner, Train and such.
The journey ended in Villafranca del Bierzo, a village whose topography closely resembled that of a ski resort. My pre-booked hotel was at the far end of town, and I was happy to be able to spend the evening at the adjacent restaurant before catching up on some blogging and sleep.
Weather - It was still pretty much the same as it’s been for the last week, but today was my latest finish, and the early afternoon heat after a long walk was a challenge. Happily, the winds blowing through the valley worked to cool things down a bit.
Health - Again felt good, but there was a bit of a twinge in the left knee for a few strides when heading up one of the tough but short 15%+ gradient hills in the vineyards toward the end of the day. It was a worrying moment when it first appeared but it quickly went, hopefully not to be heard from again for the next several days. I also thought I'd try walking the day fuelled entirely by the breakfast provided at the hotel, and bottles of water. As it happened, by-passing the usual tortilla and other snacks along the way seemed to make no real difference in stamina, or anything else really. Might keep doing that.
Food - Hotel breakfast (coffee x2, toast with jam, croissant, mini muffins x3); Pot of tea at Villafranca cafe; Restaurant meal at hotel (pasta salad, battered pork with hot chips, vanilla pudding, piece bread, pots of tea x2)
Expenses - Accommodation - 35.00; Food/Drink - 13.20 Total - 48.20
Walking time - 7 hours, 35 minutes (start 8:50am, arrive at accommodation 4:25pm)
Brierley distance - 30.6km (total 590.2km)
Daily Steps - 45,459
Total Camino steps - 939,670
I was up early this morning to listen to my favourite rugby league team, the gallant and resurgent Canberra Raiders, record yet another resounding victory and move to third place on the ladder. Coupled with the breakfast offering at the Molinaseca hotel, it was a promising start to what was going to be one of the longer days on the Camino.
But despite being awake reasonably early, I wasn’t especially motivated to get going after last night and didn't leave until almost 9:00am.
The late getaway meant that I decided just to devote the day to just trudging along and getting through the 31 kilometres. I stopped to have a good rest on a nicely shaded bench outside a small (and the only) church in Columbrianos, just out of Ponferrada, where I could hear the enthusiastic Sunday morning congregation singing some stirring renditions of 'Hallelujah'.
I didn't stop in Ponferrada. It looked like a pleasant enough olde worlde town at its centre, but I was maybe getting a little less excited by those sorts of places, albeit the imposing castle in the middle of town did look spectacular. Maybe some other day.
The rest of the day's walk was either beside quiet roadways or on gravel pathways with some solid undulations along the way. The reasonably closely separated villages were picturesque and inviting, but I didn't stop. Today was an iPod day, with plenty of Dire Straits, Yes, Foreigner, Train and such.
The journey ended in Villafranca del Bierzo, a village whose topography closely resembled that of a ski resort. My pre-booked hotel was at the far end of town, and I was happy to be able to spend the evening at the adjacent restaurant before catching up on some blogging and sleep.
Weather - It was still pretty much the same as it’s been for the last week, but today was my latest finish, and the early afternoon heat after a long walk was a challenge. Happily, the winds blowing through the valley worked to cool things down a bit.
Health - Again felt good, but there was a bit of a twinge in the left knee for a few strides when heading up one of the tough but short 15%+ gradient hills in the vineyards toward the end of the day. It was a worrying moment when it first appeared but it quickly went, hopefully not to be heard from again for the next several days. I also thought I'd try walking the day fuelled entirely by the breakfast provided at the hotel, and bottles of water. As it happened, by-passing the usual tortilla and other snacks along the way seemed to make no real difference in stamina, or anything else really. Might keep doing that.
Food - Hotel breakfast (coffee x2, toast with jam, croissant, mini muffins x3); Pot of tea at Villafranca cafe; Restaurant meal at hotel (pasta salad, battered pork with hot chips, vanilla pudding, piece bread, pots of tea x2)
Expenses - Accommodation - 35.00; Food/Drink - 13.20 Total - 48.20
Walking time - 7 hours, 35 minutes (start 8:50am, arrive at accommodation 4:25pm)
Brierley distance - 30.6km (total 590.2km)
Daily Steps - 45,459
Total Camino steps - 939,670
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