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The Camino Revisited 2018
  • Rosie Marzouk
  • Rosie Marzouk

The Camino Revisited 2018

We are off to walk the Camino in Spain again, this time starting in Pamplona and finishing in Finisterre, 42 days of walking, with some rest days interspersed. Week first in San Diego visiting Michael’s family, and 6 days in San Francisco on return. Read more
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  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    1Setting moon
    First sighting of livestock1Market in Mansillas de las Mulas

    Another great walk - in the cool!

    September 25, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We are now at Mansilla de las Mulas, a small town ( but big enough to get lost in!) and I am trying to have a fresh start in my thinking, as this is where I had my ghastly encounter with bedbugs 5 years ago, and I am inclined to shudder when I think of this place. Well so far all has been totally different...it is a beautiful day, sunny but cool (finally), we are staying at a different hotel - very welcoming and clean, wifi seem excellent, and all seems perfect. Last time it rained, the woman at reception of the little casa rural was very grouchy and said there was no wifi (wouldn’t give us the code anyway), and our memory is very negative.

    So we left this morning at 7.55 in the COLD. It was 7° and I had a t-shirt under my shirt, but soon put on my jacket, which I kept on till we arrived at 12.30 - 19.5 kms later! So hard to remember that 2 days ago it was unbearably hot in the afternoon at Sagahún! Anyway, autumn seems to have started, and hopefully will stay, as we had a lovely walk, again on a path next to a country road, very peaceful and still in the wide open spaces...photos just can’t capture the scope of the scene. More corn now, and we saw our first cows (or animals of any sort actually).

    When we left it was again just light, and there in front of us was a huge full setting moon....quite spectacular, and a few minutes later it slipped out of sight, and the rising sun appeared behind us. Magical. But today people preferred to walk in the sun rather than the shade. When we arrived here we again got lost trying to find the hotel, partly because there was so much activity and bustle...it is obviously market day, and instead of arriving to a sleeping town having its siesta, there were people and stalls everywhere, not just in the square, along the streets, women with trolleys, fruit, veg, cheeses, and all the other clothes and bits and bobs of markets. One kind man tried to help us find our way, but sent us in quite the wrong direction because he didn’t know the hotel, but kept following us worrying...very kind..when we did find it having asked the checkout girl at a supermarket we found the hotel closed, (but we could see our bags inside!) so we happily went and had a beer and some tapas, and the kind man saw us there and was relieved that all was well!

    Hotel seems very good - modern and clean, and they let us use the washing machine and our stuff is drying on the line now. Clean and ready for León...we entered the actual province of León just before Sahagún. It will be a reasonable walk there tomorrow, but with the usual stresses of entering a city, but we remember it as fairly straightforward. We have booked a restaurant for tomorrow night to celebrate Amr’s birthday, the same Michelin Star place we went for his 60th!! It will be great, but we have the same problem - we have to wait up till 9.30 pm which is the earliest time....this is definitely our bed time these days, but we will stay up and have a ball. It is a small place, and last time it was full by 10 pm...Now off to explore the town with new eyes...    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    Walls of Mansilla de las Mulas
    3Birthday haircut

    Addition to Mansilla de las Mulas

    September 25, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    I just have to add briefly our afternoon...we went out to explore...it is so funny - this town which was bustling and so busy at 1 pm when we arrived, had now gone to sleep...shops shut, and streets empty - no sign of any markets. The only people visible were pilgrims, now cleaned up and having a look round...you can tell them by the many different languages, and the comfortable sandals, or après-walk shoes they are wearing! So we wandered a bit, went over the bridge (where we will walk out tomorrow morning) and saw the 12century walls, or what is left, and enjoyed the town. Such a total,contrast to last time.

    AND then as we were going back I spotted a pelluqueria caballeros - a men’s barbershop....it was open and Amr has had his birthday Haircut!! And a very good one. We had a discussion about it, and she (it was a youngish female barber) persuaded him not to have a 2 all over, but to have a little longer on top...etc.etc...anyway result is good, and he looks perfect for his Michelin dinner!! So that was fun..Then we finally ended up at dinner at a restaurant near the hotel (included in our deal of half board) and have just returned from a good meal...off to bed. And another plus, our bed tonight has 2 pillows each!!! Heaven!    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    In León, city life for 2 days!

    September 26, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We left Mansilla de las Mulas just before 8, before sunrise, after a delicious breakfast, and with a very good feeling of this town at last. Our hotel was good too - we were completely independent...once we were let in initially and passport checked and key given and told where to have dinner and breakfast at a lovely little restaurant round the corner, and given the front door code, we never saw anyone again...just came and went, and departed this morning having left the key and our bags (which have reappeared here safely).

    It was again cold when we left, and I was contemplating buying gloves my hands were so cold! The big moon was there again, but today it didn’t set till long after the sun rose....and by about 10 the sun started to be hot, and we did get hot and sweaty and removed jackets before too long. We walked for 19 kms, along the road for a while, then across the countryside for a while, but when we should have crossed the highway on a pedestrian overpass, it was closed and there were arrows for a “Camino deviacion” which led us up hills and through a village, and finally we found ourselves on the highest hill around where the communication towers and satellite dishes are before we came steeply down a stony track back to the highway and another bridge over it, and we were back on track....we feel sure that this deviation didn’t need to be so arduous! Someone who thinks pilgrims should suffer obviously planned it...

    Anyway, we walked into León, a beautiful city, and very proud of itself, its cathedral, its produce and everything Leonese. We found the hotel quite easily (!) and it is in the old centre, and very atmospheric with wooden beams, stone...a lovely place for 2 nights, and 4 pillows!! Our bags had not yet arrived (we arrived about 12.30) so we went out for a drink and food, still sweaty and had a walk around to get our bearings. A beautiful day, and market day in León on Wednesday in the square by the cathedral. Garlic was €2 a kilo, and Manchego cheese was €5 a kilo...

    Now back at the hotel, bags here, washed and changed, and have to last till 9 pm when we walk to Cocinandos, our special restaurant for tonight, a 15 minute walk from here. What a treat...it’s almost 4.30 now, we will last without crashing...will be giving a special report on the dinner tomorrow.

    Not sure about the strength of wifi so will just post the words first. The best wifi always seems to be at the most modest places, and this is pretty fancy!    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    1The ox meat course
    Pigeon caesar saladRhubarb dessert

    Report from León - Part one

    September 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today is our rest day, a non-walking day, in this beautiful city. But first I will mention the fabulous dinner last night. We had booked Cocinandos online...it is the restaurant we went to for Amr’s 60th 5 years ago, and again it didn’t disappoint. We managed to stay up and hungry till 9.30 which was quite a feat, and had worked out how to find it, about a 20 min walk. It is a very small restaurant- probably only seats about 20 people - and there is just a degustation menu (for €45 a person, plus €20 for matching wines, which we did)....amazing value compared to Sydney, or many places, but in France we experienced similar value for Michelin Star restaurant.

    Anyway, we found it quietly perfect. The kitchen is open, so you can see the painstakingly careful preparation of the dishes. They had a menu in English for the day, but some things were lost in the translation ...but we got the gist. There were 6 courses, and as usual at first I wanted more and by the end i was getting too full! Highlights were: tempura zucchini flower stuffed with cod, squid with potato blackened by cooking in the squid ink, a “Caesar salad” with pigeon instead of chicken and mustard ice cream, a small steamed bun with ox and caramelised onion....and fig ice cream with sheep cheese, and something delicious to do with rhubarb, though we couldn’t be sure where the rhubarb was (communication was a bit disjointed but they were emphatic that rhubarb was a rare thing to cook in Spain...we wondered if it was what we know as rhubarb! All delicious, and the wines amazing too. We found we were familiar with the areas mostly, which they liked, and we had a great red from the Bierzo valley where we will be walking through in a few days, and where we saw them grape picking last time.

    Will post this as part one, as we are about to go out again for the afternoon, having spent the morning exploring and a wonderful visit to the amazing cathedral. Report on that to follow.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    This does do justics to the magnificence
    Cloisters of cathedralSide of cathedral - facade has scaffolding!

    León Part Two

    September 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We have had a beautiful and quiet day. Lovely day, sunny but not too hot or cold when you aren’t walking, and despite a thunderstorm warning on the weather app (which also had sun and 0% precipitation, so don’t know what it was talking about).

    So we set off leisurely at about 10 am, had a little look around, and then spent quite a long time visiting this amazing cathedral. I had always thought I liked Burgos cathedral more, but today I think I have changed my mind. (I wasn’t in a very good space here last time, having just been bitten by bedbugs, and with a blistered foot)...it is a magnificent building...tall, simple, pure gothic, built in 50 years in a town of 5,000 residents. The stained glass windows are stunning and rival Chartres, and it leaves you with a feeling of calm. We also visited the cathedral museum and cloisters. Afterwards, we had a lunch of my special favourite - chiperones a la plancha - baby calamari on the grill, and went back to the room for a relax, collect kindles which we read in a nearby park....a true rest day.

    We miraculously ran into several of our Camino “family” during the day which was lovely and ended up having dinner tonight with 6 of us (more chiperones, and salad!! - they are divine). But before that we had a tour of the Gaudi palace here, one of the 3 Gaudi buildings outside Barcelona. Extremely interesting, and our guide was a passionate enthusiast, and well informed and entertaining. So the cathedral and Gaudi were the only cultural things on the agenda today, otherwise we rested and had downtime...very therapeutic. I have to confess that my shoulder has been giving me a bit of grief...the magic cortisone injection before I left didn’t last long, but with pills it is manageable, and feels best when walking and active...just can get uncomfortable at night. All the walking legs, feet, knees and hips work very well.

    Tomorrow we set off again, a 22 km walk, but not too demanding we hope. But have unpacked my sticks again, as it will soon be more hilly. Off to sleep..    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Hot walk to Villar de Mazarife

    September 28, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Well it seems our cold spell has ended...it was cool as we walked out of León this morning, but we knew it would heat up and it did...it was a 22+km walk and after almost 2 hours of walking through the boring outer suburbs of León we went on a very exposed track across easy terrain, but not spectacular scenery. Sometimes it was not unlike Australian countryside ...you wouldn’t have been surprised to see a kangaroo....except the scattered trees were usually oaks, not eucalypts. Anyway, we are here, in a small Hostal called Tio Pepe, washed and clothes on the line. Many of our Camino family are here, but at the moment it is unwinding and downtime. Sadly I think we are now out of sync with Melanie and Jim as they are on another route to Astorga, our destination on Sunday and will be a day ahead of us....this is what happens...

    No pictures of the walk today, but I might find some more from León, but maybe not as the wifi is very weak. It is Friday today, and they are setting up stands everywhere in the main plazas of León, and we realise that this weekend it will be the huge festival that we struck 5 years ago (as we were there on a weekend) with parades, and huge banners from all the localities of León province, and the associated chaos! I am not too sad to miss it this time, though Amr would probably have embraced it!

    This has been the first of 9 days of walking till we get to O Cebreiro, where we will again spend 2 nights.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    Countryside this morning
    Trout fishing in the riverLong medieval bridge

    Easy walk today, into Hospital de Órbigo

    September 29, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    It was only a short walk, 15 kms, today, but we left at 8 am to catch the beautiful cool morning air, as we knew it would be a continuation of the unshaded road from yesterday afternoon. But it is so different in the coolth of morning! It is light at 8, but pre sunrise, so we soon had the magic of the rising glowing pink ball of the sun behind us. And the road which had been endless and rather tedious yesterday took on a very different light...it was dead flat for about 10 kms, and must still be the end of the Maseta, but different from the past week. We now pass by many corn fields, some beets and alfalfa, and a few cows. Tomorrow we will be into the hills on our way to Astorga.

    So we arrived here at Hospital de Órbigo by about 11.30, despite a refreshment stop along the way. We sat at a shaded bench near the famous bridge and ate lunch and wandered round a bit till our room was ready and bags arrived. This long and famous medieval bridge (13th Century, built on an earlier Roman one) we remember well, and our hotel room again looks out over it! Except this time it is a glorious day...our photos from last time were in the rain. So we will have a lovely quiet afternoon reading and relaxing. And the wifi seems good...a relief after the very variable and weak one from yesterday which kept cutting off when everyone was using it. I finally sent photos I wanted to send yesterday and will hope for success with this, plus more photos. This is a lovely little town on the river Órbigo, we even saw people trout fishing as we walked over the bridge, and I see trout features on menus here quite often. And of course it had a hospital for medieval pilgrims.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    Mountains in distance
    2LunchAnother amazing cathedralAstorga down below

    Amr's birthday! - now at Astorga

    September 30, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Today we left at 8 am as usual at the moment...the sun rises tomorrow at 8.20 so our departure time may get later as we don’t like walking in the dark. It was chilly and we had jackets for the first hour or so...a very pleasant 18 km walk, we chose the slightly longer option which went across fields rather than a path beside the road. We are now definitely into the rolling hills leading to the mountains which we cross in the next couple of days...I think they are the Montes de León. But though we climb, I think it is fairly gradual, and we are already at quite a high altitude (800metres) and eventually rise to 1500 in 2 days. The whole Maseta is a plateau really.

    The hardest part of today’s walk was arriving...we had seen the city from the distance, and it felt like an ever increasing distance as we walked towards it...and when we finally really did get near we had to enter via a really steep path up through the city walls...but once here all was well, it is a really beautiful city. - walled and contained...with the usual sprawl outside. And of course it has a huge cathedral, and the famous Gaudi palace, which is now a museum and is directly outside our hotel room window. Lovely hotel, flags and perfect room. There is a chocolate factory here, but closed before we could visit - so we just bought some chocolate! There are many local pastries, and the chocolate is a big feature too. We think chocolate came from the Basque areas, which were famous for early making of chocolate, and we aren’t very far away from there.

    Anyway, after the washing ritual we went to the main plaza and had a yum celebratory birthday lunch of salad, chiperones a la plancha and beer!! To keep us going till dinner at 8 pm. This afternoon we did visit the cathedral again, but mainly relaxed. Many of our Camino family here and we have run into some as we wandered. Last night had great dinner with our Canadian friends, Brigitte and Janette (different from the Canadian sisters!) and Jessica who is from Boston and who we have known for quite a while now too. About half a dozen of us arrive in Santiago on the same day (October 15) and we plan to have a celebration together! All good! Off to dinner soon.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    1Gaudi palace from our window
    Ayudamiento in Plaza MayorInside cathedral

    P.S. for Astorga

    September 30, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    I just have ro add a little about our perfect birthday dinner! Our deal is to have half board at the hotels in these small towns, which means we have dinner there...it is quite a fancy restaurant, but we get the menu del dia, or the peregrino menu,which gives choices of entrée, main and dessert, bread, wine and water, but not the full a la cartel menu. It is usually pretty standard stuff - good hearty food, but not gourmet. Well tonight it was chef quality, and made it special...we started with a soup with chickpeas, cod and spinach, then Amr had an amazing fish dish and I had crepes filled with goat cheese and jamon and salad garnish...all out of the usual range, so delicious and special for a birthday dinner. No photos of it as neither of us had our phones..but may add other Astorga photos, as wifi good!Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Easy uphill - now at Rabanal del Camino

    October 1, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We left Astorga at about 8 as usual, but in very cool air - I don’t know what temperature but it made my hands ache for a while, otherwise lovely. (I have checked the temperature for leaving here tomorrow morning and at 8 it will be 4° - definitely a day for layers)...anyway, today was a day that looked pretty uphill, but my memory was that it wasn’t too bad, and fortunately that was correct - we did gain altitude, but so gradually that you barely noticed you were going up...we gained almost 300 metres, but it wasn’t painful, and we walked through just lovely countryside. We are suddenly amongst the mountains, and the views are so different...trees are mostly pines and oak, but not tall forests. And little villages every now and then. It did feel hot after walking a few hours, and you are always very happy to arrive at the destination..the distance today was about 20.5 kms, which was amazingly less than the 22 they told us!

    So we are here, washed and fresh and cooling off - though, now that we are no longer walking I realise it is not very hot at all, and am about to go and get my fleece to put on...as it feels cool even at 3 pm! Tomorrow is the day many people worry about as we ascend again to 1500 metres, the highest point on the Camino, including the Pyrenees!! But again, I think it is fairly gradual, maybe not as painless as today, but ok, and the hard part is the descent...continuous downhill on uneven loose stones...this time we are stopping for the night half way down the descent, which will be bliss! So it will be about 15 kms tomorrow, and then another 15 on to Ponferrada the next day. All good...Jessica from Boston has just walked in, so we will prob see her for dinner unless she has other plans (already eaten, or bought food to eat)...others are here but staying in other places, and probably, like us, aren’t too keen on venturing out again to find people...this is a small village, so not a huge need to explore...feels like kindle time!    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Spectacular day - over the mountains

    October 2, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today has been magical. We left Rabanal del Camino just before 8, almost light, within minutes the light changed and the sky was rosy, and the sun rose about 8.20. And it was cold! My hands again ached and I dreamt of buying gloves, but soon all that forgotten as the day warmed up. We are now high in the mountains, and we climbed even higher to the highest point of the Camino Francés - even higher than the crossing of the Pyrenees. But the climb, like yesterday, was not arduous, and the scenery so stunning, that we hardly noticed the ascent. In about 2 hours we reached the Cruce de Ferro - the high point where people leave a stone brought from afar, and have photos taken! From then on we walk along the top, about 1500 metres for quite a while, then finally there is the descent down the other side. It has been a cloudless day, and the views amazing. When we start the descent you can see Ponferrada, tomorrow’s destination, in the distance. SO glad it is not today’s as it is for quite a few people!

    The descent is difficult walking...loose stones, constantly having to watch the ground and not the vista! We were very happy to be staying at a little village - Acebo - which is half way down the descent. This is also half way to Ponferrada which is perfect. So we are all set in a small casa rural, La Rosa del Agua, and have caught up with Jessica and Janette, and will have an early dinner at about 6. All is peaceful and good. Kindle time.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler
    1Early morning
    Approaching PonferradaThe castleOur room

    In Ponferrada, down in the valley

    October 3, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Before describing today I want to say a few more things about yesterday that I forgot to mention. So many little things happen, that I forget when writing...first, I have to say that when we left in the very cold morning, the frost everywhere on the grasses, ferns...white everywhere was quite amazing. But the one funny thing that Amr wants me to say is about a Spanish woman, a peregrino, middle-aged, who was just ahead of us when a cyclist came hooning along our track, which was rather narrow at the time...well she was furious (as we were too - they should use the road at those times) but she yelled at him, then delivered a tirade in very rapid Spanish to Amr about the rudeness of cyclists etc etc...glad it was Amr, but he only caught the gist of course...when she finally stopped and found we were Australian she still spoke rapidly in Spanish, but then asked for English lessons about phrases...”a wonderful day”, “a difficult Camino”...quite funny...but we struck her again this morning, and this time we were on the downhill climb to Molinaseca and she passed us and turned and held her finger to her lips and indicated how peaceful the silence was, just birds....then she said “las mujeres...” yak yak...meaning the women we had all passed were chatting constantly and being irritating to her! Thank goodness we were OK! People yakking a lot can disturb the peace, but that is all part of it...they are having a good time, and you are never near people for long. Also, must mention dinner last night. We went to the little restaurant near our place and had a great meal...just a peregrino menu, but for the meat course Amr and I both had rabbit with almond sauce and it was delicious. Today in Ponferrada we saw a fish dish with almond sauce, so it must be the thing round here.

    Anyway, to get to today - we left at about 8.10, and walked 16 kms to Ponferrada. We thought it would be fairly easy and not too long, but the first 8 kms to Molinaseca were quite demanding downhill...we had forgotten how long that was (and were very glad we hadn’t had to do it yesterday afternoon)...so we stopped for refreshment, and set off for the last 8 kms and also forgot how long and undulating that was - you can see the city, but have to walk a couple of hours to reach it....

    We are now down in the Bierzo valley, and the climate has changed drastically! It is HOT again...we found our very nice modern hotel, showered and went out to explore a bit, but after a bite to keep us going till dinner (again chiperones a la plancha!) we have retired back to our room to escape the afternoon heat! And it will only cool off to about 12° overnight...so no jackets tomorrow. Ponferrada is a lovely city...a Templar castle (which we toured last time), and great old town with narrow streets and squares. We will probably meet Brigitte, Janette and Jessica for dinner, as we are all staying at the same hotel, El Castillo.

    Tomorrow’s walk is about 24 kms through the valley, and is the day last time when we saw the grape harvesting. Today on a hill we saw some picking going on, so who knows, maybe we’ll see it again. We will check the vines to see if they are still laden with grapes.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Beautiful walk through the Bierzo valley

    October 4, 2018 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    It is now 9 pm and we have now had dinner...usually I write up the day on arrival, after showering, but today I just relaxed and finished my book. And there was no huge incentive, as the wifi here is extremely weak, as we are down in the valley, and everywhere has bad reception I gather. However, I will write the words and go down near the dining room and see if it will upload...

    So we are now at Villafranca del Bierzo, a picturesque town, with many huge churches, set on the side of a hill. And we are staying at the end of the town as we leave tomorrow, near a bridge over the river, with a view from our window of the water...we left Ponferrada just before 8, and soon got into step with Janette and Brigitte which was lovely. We accidentally walked along the road out of town, not the “picturesque “ way, but we were not unhappy, as it was urban sprawl wherever you went really, and this saved us 2.5 kms!!! But once we left town, it was a spectacular day...through lovely little villages, and finally up through the vineyards of the Bierzo. This is where we saw the grape harvest time, and we saw that exact spot...no picking there today, but we could see activity on hills around. And today again was a cloudless bright day...cool for the morning, but certainly did heat up as the afternoon wore on. But it was so breathtaking we hardly noticed, just a beautiful panorama everywhere. (Last time it was misty until afternoon, totally different scene!).

    At about lunchtime we stopped at a small town and had a really good lunch with Janette and Brigitte...pimientos de Padron, and patatas with blue goat cheese dip. The potatoes were freshly finely sliced and fried...looked like potato crisps, but oh so different, and the blue cheese was hot and amazing! A highlight!! Then we went on, reinvigorated, and walked through the vineyards till we finally arrived at Villafranca.

    After the showering procedures, (and leaving a bag of our filthy clothes to be washed and sun dried for €8!) we had down time, then went to the plaza Mayor where the girls, plus the Canadian sisters (Judy and Dorothy ) were staying...we had lost them for a couple of days..and we had a pre dinner drink. Then we went back to our casa where we have dinner included, and had one of the best meals of the Camino so far!! Highlight being peppers stuffed with cod....it was just amazing!! And when Amr mentioned that we had been here at the hotel 5 years ago she immediately withdrew the carafe of wine she was bringing for us and replaced it with a good bottle of Bierzo!! How nice!

    All so good! Don’t feel as tired today as yesterday (probably was the strenuous downhill), even though today was almost 24 kms. Tomorrow we have chosen the easier flatter path, which I think is wise, and it is only about 15 kms. We did the alternative over the top route last time, which had spectacular views, but feel this time we’ll be conservative! And the next day, we truly have a climb to the little Celtic village where we spend 2 days...so we’ll save our strength for,then. Not going to try to send the spectacular views of today yet...will send them probably tomorrow when hopefully the wifi works, but hope to send this now.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Cool walk through the valley

    October 5, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we had an easy, cool walk through the valley - 14.5 kms or so - and have ended up in a lovely hotel in a sweet little village, Ambasmestas, in the next valley after Bierzo. We took the easy option - last time we climbed a challenging ascent and had an amazing walk on the top of the mountains, looking down into the valleys - but 5 years on we decided to be conservative and it also was beautiful...we followed the road beside a little river in the shade...the sun doesn’t reach there till later...beautiful trees...many, many chestnut trees with their yellow-green prickly balls, and poplars...so it was pleasant and easy, and we reached our hotel by midday.

    It is a lovely place, and our room has its own balcony where we intend to spend the afternoon reading and relaxing in the sun. The weather has been unbelievably perfect...there are some showers predicted for tomorrow afternoon, but we can hardly complain. We haven’t had any rain since the first half hour walking out of Pamplona!! Tomorrow we do the big climb up to O Cebreiro - an ascent of roughly 700 metres - but it zig zags up and our total distance will only be about 14 kms. Then we have 2 nights there, so a rest day on Sunday. Off to relax!!    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Climbed the big mountain, now in Galicia

    October 6, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Well we have done it!! Climbed the biggest ascent of the Camino, and are now in O’Cebreiro for 2 nights! From Amr’s Apple Watch, our statistics for the day are: 14.2 kms, and we ascended 720 metres! Considering that, we both feel pretty good....And the other amazing thing is, the weather prediction was correct...it did cloud over during the morning but was high cloud while we were walking, and we had the stunning views...and the showers didn’t start till about 2 o’clock (we arrived at 12.30) ...in fact it is just heavy misty droplets, but the whole surrounding 360° views are whited out. This is an experience for us, as last time we were treated to perfect weather, so now we see what this top of the world often looks like. And the good news is that tomorrow it clears up (in fact the precipitation is meant to stop later this afternoon) and by tomorrow afternoon and Monday when we walk out all is sunny and beautiful again.

    So we set off around 8 this morning in 7° cold, with jackets and layers, and mainly kept them on all day. It did get a bit hot sometimes in the sun going uphill, but basically remained cool and comfortable. It was a long constant uphill walk, but the views became increasingly more spectacular as you ascended which was the reward, and we just plodded slowly.

    We are staying at the same place as last time...very nice and comfortable room. Dinner is included, and instead of having to wait till 8pm, we have to eat any time before 8.30...perfect! After showering we had a lunch of pulpo a la Galega, and a glass of Alberiño- both specialties of Galicia...all is well, and looking forward to a day tomorrow of total relaxation. It is cold!! Goes down to 3° and maximum of about 11°...suits me...out come all the fleeces! Will publish this now and then try for photos...I got yesterday’s ones off, but as more people arrive it may be more difficult..we’ll see.    Read more

  • Rosie MarzoukThe Camino Revisited 2018Traveler

    Day of rest on top of the world

    October 7, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We are having a day of total relaxation here in O Cebreiro....altitude is 1330 metres, and it is cold. This is the thing about the Camino this time - the fluctuations from hot to cold! I can’t believe that only on Wednesday we were so hot in Ponferrada that we went back to the hotel to escape the heat...then we arrive here on Saturday and freeze! It was about 3° this morning, and with a smart wool layer, a fleecy turtleneck, a shirt and a down jacket I am only just warm enough...and I have bought some gloves for the early morning walking, as it looks as if it will be cool for a while. Even though, it may warm up a bit more in the afternoons once we are down from these heights.

    So we leisurely went to breakfast at about 9 this morning. It was still misty and foggy, and a whited out view mostly, with just little breaks where the sun was peeping through and the cloud was burning off. This continued during the morning, and now it is blue sky and perfect 360° panorama! Amr and I went for a walk up the hill overlooking this little village, so beautiful. It is a very small place, and quite a place for tourist buses...being Sunday we saw several groups arriving and being taken through the village. They probably weren’t around long enough to see the view transform. However, they would have admired the Celtic stone and slate houses, and the 9th century church - beautiful and simple.

    As we were returning from our walk there on the path were Judy and Dorothy, the Canadian sisters, who had just walked in! Great reunion and just chance! And then, also happenstance, up walked Jessica who had also walked in this morning. So we are back in step, and will probably be more or less in sync now till Santiago. We celebrate by having a bit of lunch together....went to a restaurant up the street which was very busy with locals having Sunday lunch. Now we plan to take our kindles up and sit on the hill in the sun...it will just be warm enough to be enjoyable!!

    Must also mention that we are enjoying the Galician food...last night had the delicious cabbage and potato soup...we see the tall cabbages in vegetable gardens everywhere...like lea lettuce...they just pick the leaves and the stems grow taller and taller as more leaves grow. We will have more tonight.    Read more

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