• Lorelee Friedel
  • Lorelee Friedel

Camino 2024

London England then Porto Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Finisterre and Musca Læs mere
  • Arcade to Combarro

    3.–4. jun. 2024, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After the long hot walk to Arcade the day before, I decided to take a train to Ponteverde where I would meet Mary and Helen for lunch. Mary would continue walking, and Helen and I would “hop on a bus” for the 16 minute ride to Combarro! Sounds easy peasy right!!!?
    Apparently, not so much for 2 who don’t speak much in the way of Spanish !!
    Firstly, find the correct bus depot to catch the bus.
    Secondly, get on the right bus! Which is not, apparently, the bus to “Cambados” which I might add is a lovely 1 and 1/2 hour ride on a very comfortable bus.
    And once off the bus to realize you’re not in Combarro but Cambados, so hop back onto the bus for the lovely ride back to Ponteverde to catch the correct bus.
    Bus driver drops us off at the right stop to wait for said correct bus.
    Waiting……waiting…..waiting…. In the hot sun and checking with every bus that comes along to see if they are going to Combarro (which we now know how to pronounce correctly) and talk to a young gentleman who ensures us we are at the right stop and the bus will come, so we are secure in the feeling that we are going to be on the right bus, which we get on for the 16 min bus ride to our destination Combarro!!!
    …….Or maybe we just stay on the bus and look at google maps to see our little dot moving past Combarro as it gets further away from us…..
    Okay! So once we land in “Sanxenxo” as it’s the last stop! (Apparently you have to ring a bell to get off a bus!! Who knew!!)
    Thankfully the bus stop had a bano and a place to get a drink, as we waited there for an hour or so for a bus that was supposedly coming in 5 min.
    Finally, an older couple comes along and we ask, using google translate, where they are going. Ponteverde, which is the correct bus, so Yayyyy!!!
    And we wait….. asking again of any buses coming in are going to Combarro, but of course none.
    Until our bus finally arrives and has the same bus driver that had dropped us off an hour or so ago. He was, to say the least, very surprised to see we were still there and made us sit in the front row so he could kick us off in Combarro!!
    Where, at our hostel, Mary had wine and cheese and peppers and tomatoes for dinner!!!
    It was Albergue Hostel Neuesta Senora del Camino and was quite lovely after our day of bus depots 😊
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  • Took a cab to Armenteira

    4. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Decided to take a cab to Armentia to save my foot as the walk was a 10km climb.
    We stayed at a municipal hostel which was…. not our favourite but it was a beautiful butlittle town. Home of the Armenteira Monestary.
    https://www.monasteriodearmenteira.es/
    After Helen and Mary got there we had lunch at the cafe and later that evening went to the Monestary for Vespers and a Pilgrims Blessing.
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  • More of walking to Vilanova de Arousa

    5. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We came upon a little church/chapel named after San Pedro, or St. Peter seeing they had a stamp. When we got in Helen said they wanted to sing a song and give a Camino blessing for the Canadians.
    We sat down and the woman played and sang a beautiful song about the Camino and I really tried not to cry.
    After getting our stamp Mary told them about Peter’s passing almost a year ago and then I cried thinking about him ❤️
    It was beautiful and I’m so happy I chose to walk again in spite of my sore foot.
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  • Vilianova de Aroursa to Pontecesures

    6. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Boat ride to Pontecesures (from “Amare Turismo Náutico” web site):

    This route Xacobea Del Mar De Arousa Y Río Ulla is also known as La Traslatio, the name given to the transfer of the remains of the Apostol Santiago from Jerusalem to Santiago De Compostela.

    At the beginning of the route, we see mussel rafts, wooden platforms on which this precious mollusk is grown.

    Continuing our journey we find the Brinas Islands, the Malveiras and the Cortegada Island, islands belonging to the Atlantic Islands National Park, where some of the 17 cruceiros are located that form a unique Maritime River Way of the Cross world to Pontecesures.

    We will see the first crossings and then we will enter the waters of the Ulla River. We will pass through the towns of Bamio, Catoira, Valga and Dodro until we reach Pontecesures.

    During the rest of the journey we will observe the rest of the Cruceiros, the Catoira Towers and the Viking ships accompanied throughout our route by incredible landscapes and nature.

    A route in which the tranquility and a landscape that seems to be from medieval times will make us arrive full of strength to face our last stage of the Camino de Santiago.
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  • Bus ride to from Negreira to Cee

    9. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Helen and I successfully caught a bus to our next destination for a 2 day rest in Cee.

    Once in Cee we came upon their Sunday market which was amazing and we spent a good part of the day roaming through the market where they had everything from women’s clothing (including an underwear/bra booth) to shoes, blankets, and their beautiful bed pillows (which I would have loved to buy but don’t fit in my backpack).
    Helen bought an awesome outfit and I a blanket.
    Once we booked into our hotel room, we found it was awesome and the beds so comfortable.
    We did our laundry and had a few drinks and before you know it it was 10pm!
    It was a lovely day off.
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  • Cee to Finisterre

    11. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    After going into the church in Cee and lighting candles, I thought everyone had moved onto the path and were ahead of me so I tried to catch up with everyone.
    Only once I finally caught up to Joyce I found out everyone else was behind us! So we stopped for a tinto verano at a pub at the beginning of the long beach to Finisterre.
    It was a nice day!
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  • 60th Birthday walking to Lires

    12. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I had a wonderful 60th birthday on the trail.
    Started with coffee in bed brought by my friends and companion travellers.
    Next we went to breakfast at our Albergue and the 2 hosts in the kitchen made me a breakfast banana dolphin on a plate with a candle and written in chocolate “Felizidad”.
    We then walked to Lires, which was 14km, and got to our beautiful albergue at 3pm.
    We had a few tinto de verano and an awesome meal and vino tinto along with olives and lupinis on our terrace.
    At 8pm we went down for dinner and more vino tinto.
    It was a beautiful day! ❤️
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  • Last day on the Camino - Muxia

    13. juni 2024, Spanien ⋅ 🌫 16 °C

    Decided to opt out of the day of walking and Helen and I spent the morning at the beach in Lires and took a cab to Muxia where Mary, who was walking, was there to greet us!
    We spent some time exploring Muxia and went to an evening mass at 7pm.
    In ending this Camino, I must say it has been one of the most difficult Caminos of the 3 I’ve done. Of course a lot due to my foot issues, but I also struggled a lot emotionally.
    With my mother in law passing away on the 27th of May whilst I was away❤️, and the upcoming anniversary of Peter’s death ❤️ on the 17th of June, and all of the “firsts” of going through this past year, this Camino has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least.
    Turning 60 while away was a highlight for sure as I knew I wanted to be away for that, and I’m so grateful especially to Mary and Helen for making it such a special day ❤️❤️
    And it was so nice to have Joyce and Kamala join us in Santiago to make our trek to Finisterre and Muxia a “Party of 5”!!! (even if Helen and I bused and taxied some of the way…… just because we can!!)
    We are back to Santiago today at 11am to overnight, and then my journey back home to Kamloops will begin.
    After 4 weeks of being away, I can say that I am ready for home and my familiar surroundings ❤️❤️❤️❤️.
    Goodbye to the Camino de Santiago again… 😊
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  • Slut på rejsen
    16. juni 2024