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Camino del Norte
  • Susan James
sept. – oct. 2024

Camino del Norte

Una aventura de 43 días de Susan Leer más
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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    2Small paths, big roads. We walk it all.
    Logging gum trees for paper pulp. We walked quite a long time on muddy logging roads.Getting closer...The last big climb to get to our hostel. It was steeper than it looked in this picture!An old 5" key for our room, which we couldn't get to work anyway!1Home sweet home1The raftersOur horreos.1We ended the day with a lovely rainbow.1And a beautiful sunset from our "terrace".1Moriah on our tiny "terrace".1This is one of the "windows" that can we can un-bar... if it were warm enough!1

    Avilés to Muros de Nalón

    26 de septiembre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    We slept in this morning since Moriah has not been well. We left our accommodations at 10:00 and debated whether we would walk or bus. It was raining and the prediction was thunderstorms all day. Still, we headed off and, though it rained off and on all day, it never poured hard. Because we left late, we didn't get to our hostel until almost 5:00. We walked 14 miles.

    Our hostel is very interesting. We requested the private room for two, even though it had a shared bathroom. Our room is actually an horreo (pronounced "Oreo".) Moriah wrote about them yesterday, but for those who are not following her link, I will point out that horreos are rooms on stilts that were built outside homes many years ago to house grain and extra produce. Being on stilts kept the vermin out. So basically we are staying in a rustic "cabin" with two little dim lights. There are some large "windows" that can be "un-barred", but it's pretty chilly out so we're just hunkering down in here. We can't close the door all the way or we'll never open it from inside. The bathroom is in the main building, so it won't be fun in the middle of the night going down all these concrete steps. The last two steps to our room are concrete blocks probably a foot high. This is, indeed, an adventure... albeit and overpriced one. It will be remembered as the one time in our lives that we stayed in an horreo!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    3The places that people are from who have stayed at last night's hostel.
    Another rainbow, an advantage of our rainy days!2Just before our refuge from the storm.3Our refuge.2These expressways were REALLY high.1One arrow we couldn't miss. 😁11A welcome sight (our accommodations).

    Muros de Nalón to Soto de Luiña

    27 de septiembre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    We were a bit discouraged when we left this morning (after listening to the wind howl all night and anticipating thunderstorms), but are more upbeat now that we have rested and cleaned up and done laundry. Our day was only 10.25 miles, which was nice, but it did rain off and on all day and we were on some muddy paths in the woods. At one point we stopped to sit on a stone wall under an horreo and eat our snacks, and about the time we were ready to move on, the sky opened up. We were quickly getting soaked, so we went back to our overhang and hung out until the worst of it was over. We were not excited to repeat our "soaked to the skin" experience.

    Part of our better attitude is that Moriah is feeling better, and I have seen a professional who helped me without telling me (or even hinting to me) to stop walking. People here are very supportive of the Camino. It's a part of the culture (and religion) here.    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1
    Perfect conditions for buffoons, but we were in the wrong area, so we contemplated the waves instead1

    Soto de Luiña to Canero

    28–30 sept. 2024, España ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    This has been a difficult day. We are sitting at the train station right now, hoping the schedule is correct to take us the rest of our way into Canaro. Our estimated distance today was going to be pushing the limit of what I should be doing with my feet, and then we made three wrong turns. The first was in the dark this morning when we unintentionally started up the mountain route instead of the coastal route. It is no longer recommended because it is unmaintained, overgrown and without services. A man we visited with later said he did it one time and it was "terrifying". He said he met a German woman who was beginning to panic, so he just panicked along with her. 🤪

    We are now in our accommodations. I told Moriah I was sorry I wimped out and she pointed out it was actually being wise. We walked 16.4 miles and it would have been over 20 had we not taken the train. We actually had to walk another 30 minutes after getting off the train. In spite of it being a difficult day with too much mileage, too many missed markers, and continual ups and downs, it was beautiful weather and lovely scenery.

    I'm back to wearing my boots for various reasons.    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    Heading out.
    1An uprooted tree to make things creepier!2The beginning of sunrise1And it only got better!3Getting closer...A washing area from the 1800s, restored in 2000.1This evening1From our balcony.

    Canero to Villapedre

    29 de septiembre de 2024, España ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    This day was bookended with a beautiful sunrise and a beautiful sunset. As usual, we left in the dark, on wooded paths. Sunrise is not until about 8:30 now. It was warmer today than we've been experiencing, though nothing extreme. It was a pretty day and we walked 12.8 miles. I think it's a mental thing, but I'm always worn out when we arrive at our destination, whether we have a long day or a short day!Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1A church in the early morning.
    Not everything we pass is pretty.A large cemetery.3Now that we saw that lavadero yesterday, we have seen more today.4Bread delivery, just like mail delivery!1Home sweet home.1The inside of the door to the reception area.1Churros con chocolate!

    Villapedre to La Caridad

    30 de septiembre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    This has been pretty easy day. I have more energy than when we arrived yesterday and we have gone out to eat and we'll go to the grocery store later. Moriah pointed out that our nice hotel here only cost three Euros more than the horreo, which sounds "horrible".

    This was a pleasant day for walking, overcast and not too hot. We walked 12 miles. At one point a little dog came barking and bearing down on us, and jumped Moriah and scraped her leg. I I swung my poles a little and it ran off. We walked a few more yards, realized we had missed a turn, and went back. The dog was barking at us again but when we started back to our missed turn it quieted down and went back to its house. Maybe it was just watching out for us!

    Rain is expected tomorrow, which we are not happy about. But this is the Camino, and you take whatever comes.

    (Later) There is a festival going on here. The grocery store was closed but we were able to eat churros and chocolate at the festivities. This is basically like the county fair and doesn't have any regional/cultural feeling. We'll wear earplugs tonight!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1Moriah always remembers to turn around and see the sunrise. We're always walking away from it!
    31The dark blue on the horizon is a storm cloud on the coast, not blue sky!About to walk the bridge to Ribadeo.1From the bridge, looking forward.From the bridge, looking behind us.2That bridge seemed a lot longer when walking across than seeing it from a distance!1

    La Caridad to Ribadeo

    1 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    We were fortunate to beat most of the rain today. We will probably not be so lucky tomorrow. There was an optional coastal route that we debated taking, but because of the rain and because of the extra distance on my foot, we chose not to. As it was, we walked 14 miles, and because we couldn't find a place to eat, we only stopped once for about 5 minutes. We did finally find a very small grocery store that sold some local apples and onions. We chose the apples.

    When we crossed the long bridge into Ribadeo, we entered Galatia, the last of the regions we pass through. (Basque, Cantabria, Asturias, and Galicia) That was a big milestone for us!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1Pretty "socked in".
    A tiny one-family lavadero.More emphasis on Mary than on Christ.2The rain let up enough to actually get a picture!1Almost to our accommodations.Trying to dry everything.2Almost everything in our packs was wet.3

    Ribadeo to Villamartín Grande

    2 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    This was a day of milestones: 1) We officially moved into Galicia, 2) we officially left the coast, and 3) we officially began our fifth week.

    We walked 12 miles, all of it in the rain. As Moriah put it, "Somewhere between a drizzle and a downpour. " As was the case once before, we were soaked to the skin. We talked all day about how we would wash and dry everything we owned, and were shocked when we arrived and discovered they only had a washer. Since that would at least spin out the water, we chose that option. The nice young lady that worked here whispered to us that she would take our laundry home to dry it. It gave us a new lease on life.

    I was worried about food today, because we only knew of one place to eat along the way, and when we got there it was closed. Fortunately, we found an open cafe later and were able to get huge bocadillos that fed us for two meals, thus allowing us to wait until the 7:30 Pilgrim's Meal. Although it was late for us to eat dinner, it was delicious and we enjoyed visiting with the other pilgrims.    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    An ominous beginning.
    4Lourenzá cathedral11The view out our window.1Hospederīa Santa Catalina of Mondoñedo.A water fountain across from the cathedral.1Mondoñedo cathedral.

    Villamartín Grande to Mondoñedo

    3 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    There was no rain predicted today, but starting out we had our doubts that we would avoid it. But the weatherman was right and we walked 11.5 miles in good weather.

    When we got to Lourenzá, we stopped in the cathedral to see it and to have our "credencials" stamped. When Moriah asked if we could sit in the church, she was told that it would cost 5 Euros! We were stunned!

    We are staying in the "Hospedería" (think "hospitality", not "hospital"), connected to the cathedral in Mondoñedo. The building dates from the 16th century and was originally built as a seminary to train priests. It is now used for accommodating people like us, and also as a home for retired priests. They make it clear that the chapel is always open if you need a moment of private prayer, I assume at no extra charge!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    116th century door. Modern locking mechanism.
    1Leaving town.11113Our breakfast spot.1Lunch!1Our cabin.33The hostel3Our cabin2Communal dinner

    Mondoñedo to As Paredes

    4 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    We had an interesting beginning to our day. When we got to the reception area leaving the building, Moriah dropped our key in the slot at the same moment I was about to open the door. However, I couldn't get the door unlocked! That's when we saw the sign that read, "Attention: Open the door before leaving the keys." We were locked inside a quiet, seemingly deserted 16th century building. Fortunately, we had passed a man at the elevator and Moriah remembered which door he had entered, so we went in search of him. We found an elderly priest fixing his breakfast, explained our dilemma (thanks to Google Translate), and he let us out. I felt guilty that he had to walk those long hallways with his walker, but he was very cheerful and kind about it.

    We walked 12.3 miles and took the mountain route, which was the steepest climb on our entire Camino. We were dreading it, but took it anyway because it was 3 miles shorter. As it turned out, it wasn't as bad as we had anticipated and we were glad we did it.

    We walked for quite a while with a young man from Switzerland who we have met repeatedly along the way. We had quite a discussion about our faith, when we realized we were all Christians. God has given us many opportunities to share or faith with people of all backgrounds.

    We expect rain tomorrow and for the rest of our walk. Tomorrow should be a shorter day, though.    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    4Wet, cold, and needing something warm to drink!

    As Paredes to Vilalba

    5 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌧 66 °F

    This was a short day of 9.37 miles and, although it rained the entire way, it was not unbearable. But it did limit our taking pictures! After gaining elevation yesterday, we are now staying on a high plateau and not returning to sea level for the rest of our walk. Thus, although there are some ups and downs all day, the terrain is pretty gentle compared to most of the stages we have already walked.

    Moriah worked at evening out our days to make them similar (shorter) lengths, but the next two days will be longer than we would like. Again, it's because of accommodations. Because of these longer stages and because of the swelling in my ankle, I'm going to have my backpack transported for these two days, a luxury we haven't taken advantage of thus far. I may get spoiled! Moriah made these arrangements for me, which was not easy. If she wasn't doing this for me I would just have carried my pack!

    We told the woman working here that we would be leaving at about 7:00 tomorrow and she was stunned. She described it as "noche" (night). Cultures are certainly different!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1Leaving Vilalba.
    1Time to turn the headlamps on!1We have passed lots of chestnuts for this entire walk.2A cemetery.11We think this stone structure might have been a burning pit.2A much appreciated meal.1The KM 101 Restaurant (situated 101 before Santiago de Compostela!99.99 km to go!12"The choir"."The church"2My pack made it to our hostel! 😁

    Vilalba to A Pobra de Parga

    6 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Even though this day ended up to be 17.5 miles, it was not as unpleasant as we had anticipated. The rain held off until shortly afternoon, which gave us over 5 hours of walking before it started. It didn't begin to rain really hard until later in the afternoon, shortly before we arrived. We were soaked, but at least we didn't have to walk wet through all day.

    This was a landmark day for us because at Baamonde we dropped below the 100 km mark to Santiago de Compostela. That is the magic number that is required to be walked (not bussed!!!) in order to receive your certificate ("Compostela") at the end. We now really feel like we are on the final stretch. Just four more days.

    We are tired of bocodillos every day, so in Baamonde we found a restaurant that served a delicious thick soup of "carrots, onions, garlic, uh... whatever is from our garden."

    We passed a pretty old church on the woods and there was a group of four French women quietly singing. It was a lovely, sacred moment, even though we didn't understand the words!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    Hope for some sun.
    The rain finally stopped!1The little rucksack I bought at the Asian Dollar Store

    A Pobra de Parga to Sobrado dos Monxes

    7 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    This was a difficult day. It rained continually for several hours and we were soon drenched through. When we thought it couldn't get any worse, the wind began to blow! Plus the temperature was 52 degrees. This stretch had very little in the way of services, so there was really no place to stop and warm up. (The place we stayed last night sent us off with a sack lunch, which was a first. Maybe they knew it would be difficult to find food.) We finally found a cafe to buy hot drinks and warm up. When we left, the rain was letting up, and our last few miles (of the almost 16 we walked) were better weather.

    My ankle was less swollen when we arrived in Sobrado than it has been for several days. I attribute that to not carrying a pack, so I am going to have it transported for the next two days.

    We took very few pictures today because of the rain, so not a lot for you to see! Just use your imagination. 😳    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1
    1Maybe our boots will dry out this time!

    Sobrado dos Monxos to Goimil

    8 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

    It was another rainy day, though it wasn't as miserable as yesterday. This was probably primarily because, although it rained most of the day, the conditions weren't quite as extreme. Also, we prepared better for the day: leggings, balaclavas, gloves. A nice fire going here (and a washer and dryer) have helped to lift our spirits!

    Tomorrow is looking like it will be pretty unpleasant, but as usual we will take what comes!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    Hanging out where it was dry!
    1Where it wasn't dry!1Bundled up and ready to leave.1Grapes in October!This river was swollen and rushing.7Evidence of the storm.More evidence.2First toenail fell off this afternoon. At least two more to follow.5Now that we're almost done, I'm willing to show my feet. They are a mess.12About 10 miles!

    Goimil to Santisa

    9 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    This has become a different day than we had planned. It's 10:30 in the morning and we haven't left our accommodations yet because of the weather. Pounding rain and strong winds. The possibility of flash flooding and falling tree limbs were the deciding factors. Everyone else here is also waiting it out. Electricity has been off and on. Hopefully this afternoon will be better, so we changed tonight's accommodations so we didn't have as far to walk. It will add some distance tomorrow, but that was a short day anyway. Everything worked perfectly: open room where we needed it, the ability to cancel our booked room, and even the ability to have my pack transport changed just as the driver was arriving to pick it up. Plus, someone to do all this in Spanish for us!

    (Later) We stayed at our B&B until after 11:00 and then walked for 10.8 miles, much of it in the rain. We are so glad we waited out the major part of the storm. We passed downed trees limbs, lots of debris, and some angry, rushing water.

    Tomorrow is our LAST DAY OF WALKING!!! We think we have about 10 miles to Santiago de Compostela. We may even arrive without rain. 🙄 We are excited to be almost done!

    Now that our trip is almost over, I'm including some pictures of my toes. (Now that it's too late for anyone to fuss at me!) Moriah said I need to include a note that says "Graphic photos! Use parental discretion."    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1We made it! It took us 37 days.
    We thought this might be the only sunrise we would see this morning...2... But we got this.10km to go!1First view of the city.1In the middle of this picture you can see our first view of the top of the cathedral.The streets get narrower.2As you near this entryway you can hear the bagpiper.2We were told, "When you hear the bagpiper you're almost there."14My Compostela. On the bottom it adds "Vicarie Pro (On behalf of) Nathan Joy James".Our spartan, but serviceable, apartment for three days.1

    Santiso to Santiago de Compostela

    10 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    We made it! It was so satisfying and very moving to walk into Santiago! As we estimated, it was about 10 miles to get here this morning. (We have walked another 3+ miles within the city.) Although we had rain off and on this morning, it was not raining when we got to the cathedral. The only thing that was not perfect was that Nathan was not with me, which made me cry.

    About a third of the way here our route merged with the French Route ("Frances"). The Northern Route ("Norte") is much less traveled and the alternate that we took the last four days was nearly deserted. Because of that, it was shocking to suddenly be surrounded by LOTS of pilgrims. It sort of spoiled the solitude of our own walk, but of course it's not all about me!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1
    2The Botafumerio. More about this if we see it in use.This is for Isaac. Quite the pipe organ arrangement!3Our fancy dinner.

    Santiago de Compostela (Friday)

    11 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We began our day by going back to the pilgrim office to have some things corrected on our documents. My Compostela had my name listed as Susannam, which they told me was the Latin form of Susan. Having looked it up, we felt like it should end in an H not an M, but they told me it was the accusative form. Far be it for me to argue Latin with them! Also, the starting date on our distance certificate indicated we started on May 9th instead of September 5th, a confusion between the European and American dating system. They printed us new ones.

    We took a tour of the cathedral and its museum, which was very interesting. My conclusion regarding Catholicism versus evangelicalism is that Catholics do better with architecture and evangelicals do better with worshiping God alone.

    We did lots of browsing and wandering in the old City around the cathedral, and ended our evening with a special celebratory dinner, thanks to Jeremiah and Lydia.

    Now that we have officially ended the Camino, we only walked 8 and 1/2 mi today. 🤪    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    We wondered if those ropes would be used!
    1My corrected distance certificate.

    Santiago de Compostela (Saturday)

    12 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

    The highlight of our day was definitely to see the Botafumerio swing at the 12:00 mass. The Botafumerio is the largest incense censer in the world and swings nearly to the ceiling of the cathedral. It is about 4.5 tall and weighs well over 100 pounds. It used to be used at most masses (or maybe it was the Pilgrim masses, I'm not sure), but now is only used on holy days or when a group pays for it. They never tell ahead of time if this is the case, so you have no idea when you go to mass. Moriah and I went in quite early and literally got the best seats in the house for viewing it.

    The pulley system was replaced in 1604, so I was hoping it would hold since we were right below it. Apparently it has flown off in the (far distant) past!

    This incense burner has swung since the middle ages. Incense is a part of Catholic worship, of course (Psalm 141:2), but the practice is also tied to needing to cover the smell of unwashed pilgrims in the middle ages arriving from across Europe, and to hopefully stop the spread of diseases like the plague.

    Tomorrow we will bus to the western coast of Spain (Atlantic Ocean) to Finisterre/Fisterra. More on that tomorrow!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero
    1122For my boys.2Tiramisu! We had to do something while waiting for the bus!

    Finisterre/Fisterra

    13 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    We had a nice day traveling to the coast. (Finisterre is Spanish and Fisterra is Galician.) The name refers to the end of the Earth, which is what the Romans considered it. In medieval times people thought that the edge of the Earth was out in the Atlantic Ocean and if you went too far, you would fall off. We picked this day for this outing because the weather was supposed to be beautiful, and it was. We had neither the extra days nor the inclination to walk it (5 days), so we took the bus which was about five and a half hours round trip. I was stunned when we got there because, although there was water, there was no view of open ocean. Instead, we were at the end of a bay. It turns out that you have to walk the rest of the way! It was about four and a half miles round trip to the tip of the peninsula where the lighthouse is. At this point four and a half miles is no big deal, but it was unexpected. All in all, it was a good outing to end our trip.

    On another subject, toenail #2 fell off this evening!    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero

    Santiago to Madrid

    14 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    This was our last day in Spain. We traveled by train from Santiago to Madrid, a trip of about three and a half hours. It was amazing how the terrain and the vegetation changed as we left rainy, hilly, lush Galicia and approached the flatter and dryer region of Central spain. I told Moriah it looked like eastern Montana.

    We are settled in a hostel for the night with free shuttle to the airport in the morning. Unfortunately, we leave out of different terminals, Moriah to the U.S. and me to Bulgaria, so we can't spend the morning together.

    This is the end of our Camino adventure! Thank you for joining us as we traveled. I'm sure it was less painful for those of you reading this than it was for the two of us! 😂    Leer más

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  • Susan JamesCamino del NorteViajero

    Madrid Airport

    15 de octubre de 2024, España ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    One last picture. Looking out the window at the airport reminded me of Great Falls, complete with a "butte" (though not a real one) and trees along the Missouri River.

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    Fin del viaje
    15 de octubre de 2024