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My Camino 2021

agosto 2021
Un’avventura di 11 giorni di William Leggi altro
  • 18impronte
  • 2paesi
  • 11giorni
  • 135fotografie
  • 0video
  • 12,9kchilometri
  • 11,5kchilometri
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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 6

    Betanzos

    21 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    My longest day so far with 25 k walking. I kept on running into the guys and spent some time talking with Alejandro, who wanted to practice his English for his job. The walk was a real roller coaster ride and I one point we got down to a beach and then up steep hill like at the biginning of today's walk in Pontedeume

    I also had lunch again courtesy of another Camino angel. It was a nice spot nestled amongst the trees in a eucalyptus forest. It was perfect timing because I had another hard up hill slog just before I came up on the food.

    I also tied my shell back on my backpack. The knot had become undone as I was leaving breakfast, Perigrinos tie on a scallop shell to show they are pilgrims. And there are.many places to get one including stands on the way where you can pick up a shell and leave a donation.

    I crossed a Roman bridge today. There are still scattered around the countryside from when Spain was a Roman colony.

    Betanzos is a small pretty hilly midieval city. When you enter through the old gates the way markers point to the left and another steep uphill walk. What a surprise! I found out later after I went out to explore that if I had turned right streets are less steep, and I could have meandered back to the place I was going. Lots of beautiful small Gothic churches too.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 7

    Break times

    22 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I left early and stopped for coffee with the boys. They were telling me about a guy doing the walk barefoot, they even video'd him! They also picked up a new Camino friend, Perla, who's walking companion seems to have left her behind. And I found out there's a big Nordic Walking group from Sevilla walking together. They make up most of the pack.

    Today's walk is about going up hill. Starting with a steep climb out of Betanzos then it flattened out for the walk to the coffee stop and later lunch. I packed my own lunch for today ,but it turns out I could have eaten at my next stop. It is wonderful place with a garden that opens on the Camino. I sat with the guys there too. They had passed me and were already there when I got there. Alejandro showed me an elevation view of this stage and I saw that I had a long ways up to go even though I was almost 1/2 way to my days end, so I bid my goodbyes as they started their 2nd beers figuring they would pass me again.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 7

    Mezon do Vento

    22 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    The highlight of today was Casa Avelina where I ran into Jose-Carlos again. It's run by two sisters who really cater to the Camino crowd. We sat out side and had a few beers. And the ladies brought over stools and made us put our feet up: just the thing I needed for my aching feet. They brought food with beers, the roasted peppers were delicious! And then opened the local chapel and let us ring the church bell!

    It was short walk to the hotel from there, about 40 minutes. I found out the 4 guys just arrived late at the hotel. Jose-Carlos is staying in with Romi, apparently she showed up after I left the lunch spot and they hung out together for a while.

    We all had dinner together.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 8

    Fantasy Land.

    23 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Fantasy land

     I didn't get far before I had to make a pit stop. And this where I ended up! Actually across the street from the sculptures. I didn't expect to see a dinosaur on pilgrimage route.

    It was a beautiful morning leaving Meson do Vento. I left my hotel on my own and ran into many people I know at the café. We left the café together but since I walked slow I was soon left behind.

    That is what I expected and what happens on the way, we all walk at our own pace and visit with others for a bit while walking. Little did I know that the café would be the only place open along the way today.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 8

    Siguiero

    23 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    This was the longest and hottest day so far. But now I'm just hanging out at the patio of the hotel. It was another great day.

    After my first coffee break I was hoping to stop at one of the cafes further down the roaf for breakfast or lunch, but they were all closed. And as usual I fell behind the group. But I met a new group of pilgrims, Jennifer and her son Jose from Barcelona and Mireya and Nuria from Madrid. We had a lovely walk together. We found picnic spot and all shared what ever we had for lunch.

    On the way we met an old women walking on the road with great mellon and a huge beat. She was so sweet, Mireya stopped to talk to the women and she offered to make us dinner! We declined though, because we still had a ways to go.

    On the way into Siguiero we stopped at a bar, Clube Hipico Deixebre / Gamping Corredoira do Camiño Inglés to get some refreshments and found my original group of walkers and puppies!    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    1
    Giorno 9

    Enchanted Forest

    24 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    On the way in to Santiago de Compostela we passed through a section of woods called the Enchanted Forest. We also stopped at a café and took some silly pictures.

    Two of the ladies were walking with, now forever known as Dos Chicas, Nuria, and Mireya, were supposed to leave Siguiero with us. But they took the wrong bus from the hotel and finally caught up to us on the way. Their bus pulled up as we were crossing a bridge along the raod. Apparently they were shouting at the bus driver to stop the bus when they saw us! The bus ride did disqualify them from getting a Compostela, since it is mandatory to walk the entire last 100 kilometers. See my other post today about the perigrina with bandaged feet. People will do what they must to get it. Or they will return again.

    I got all the selos (stamps) I needed for my Compostela by lunch time (at least 2 selos for everyday). We were also comparing pilgrims passports with another group of perigrinas who had different covers than ours. The ones issued by the church in Galicia are different than the ones you can get at tourist information office for example. They are all acceptable.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 9

    Santiago

    24 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Getting refreshments after walking into Santiago de Compostela. I swear my feet were hurting more and more as I entered Santiago de Campostela. Just after the 3 kilometer marker we could see the towers of the cathedral peaking over the the city rooftops. At 2k we could really see them clearly.

    I'm having some refreshments and cakes at Almorzos. My friends say it is the best place for cakes and sweets in the city, I saw a girl there who was limping and whose feet are all bandaged up, a real perigrina.

    The cake I had was a Santiago torte served Galician style with coffee liquor poured over a cross cut into the slice of cake.

    The next stop was a visit to the cathedral and a visit to the tomb of St. James the apostle. Then on to get our Compostelas (completion certificate) but the Pilgrims Office was closed for the day.

    All good things come to an end. My Spanish travelling group of friends were not doing this for religious reasons. But one was still grieving for the loss of her husband. Anyway they had to depart. So it was a bitter sweet ending for the day.

    Tomorrow is Compostela, laundry, and Covid test time. I need to test negative to be able to return to the US.    Leggi altro

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  • ViaggiatoreMy Camino 2021
    Giorno 10

    After the Walk

    25 agosto 2021, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Today was a mix of busy and waiting. I could not get my Compostela yesterday, since the office closed. I was still able to register and got counted for the days totals though. I was one of 1273 pilgrims who went to the office, but my guess is that less than 50 were on my route.

    So far this month there have been approximately 22,000 registered pilgrims who completed the way. Overwhelmingly they walked the Camino Frances. If you see a Camino movie or YouTube channel about the Camino, it will most likely be about the French Way. 344 Americans did the walk so far this month. And out of the 22,000 people, most walked, a little over 1000 people bicycled, 34 rode horses and 15 people in wheel chairs made it.

    I returned to the Pilgrims Office at 9 am to see a long line winding around the block. That line was to get a ticket to then be called to submit my documents for the Compostela. Remember those stamps? I was going to have to show my credential with the stamps to get my Compostela. I got ticket number 316. While I was waiting I went out souvenir shopping, because the people in the pilgrims office told me it would be at least 2 hours before I was called. The ticket thing is actually kind of nice, because you don't have spend your whole time stuck on line.

    I was finally called just after 12 noon. The process was easy: I went up to the window and they looked up my info when I registered and counted the stamps and confirmed the dates. I was issued the Compostela with my name in Latin. Actually the text of the Compostela is all in Latin. I also asked for and received the Certificate of Distance. And a cardboard tube to take them home in. It's funny all the guidebooks say I walked 117k but my certificate says 113. It doesn't really matter and I do like the Latin name.

    To celebrate I got lunch on a fixed price menu with wine, bread, Galician Soup and roasted meat and coffee all for 11 euros.

    I did miss the pilgrims mass though. It was at 12 and there is limited seating due to Covid and long line because of the limited seating. One day..... and maybe I will see the Botafumeiro.

    The rest of the day was taken up making sure I had my travel documents ready including taking a Covid Test. You can't get back in the country without one. Actually it may not matter soon, because there are rumors that the European Union will close to Americans after Labor Day since we never reciprocated the reopening.    Leggi altro

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