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Mei - Juli 2023
Walking the Camino Frances Baca selengkapnya
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  • 45hari
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  • PelancongCamino
    Hari 21

    Day 20, Carrion to Terradilos

    12 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today’s walk wasn’t a favourite, to be honest. It was long (26.7 km) and less than wondrous. We walked for extended stretches without much visual stimulation - the sky was overcast and the flatlands on either side of the path somewhat monotonous. Though there are always the wildflowers and the birds.
    We left our lovely monastery hotel around 7am, keen to stock up on extra water because we knew the first opportunity to refill was 17kms away. Bizarrely, the cold tap in our room was spewing warm water this morning. We asked the guy at reception if he could provide us with cold water - but he filled our bladders with warm water too. We passed a drinking water tap on the road and it was hot too. I have no idea what was going on with the local water supply!
    7km in, we were delighted to see a van selling breakfast - in my case green tea, freshly squeezed orange juice and toast with olive oil and tomatoes. All delicious. Janice and Sheryl joined us. Day after day, we set off at different times from different accommodation yet always seem to reach the food stops within 10 minutes of each other. Fiona and I had two more stops before reaching Terradilos. 3km short of our destination, on our final stop, we met up again with Rachel who has been ahead of us but is sharing a 4 person dorm with us tonight. Each bed cost 13 euros so we’ve bought the fourth one to avoid having to share with a stranger. It still seems odd to me that you could end up sharing a room with a man you’ve never seen before. And there is always the fear of the loud and erratic snorer.
    The afternoon brought the usual thunder storm - just hope this pattern of morning sun interspersed with cloud followed by afternoon rainstorms continues for us. So far, it has allowed us to finish our walk just before the downpour.
    Tomorrow Fiona and Rachel are taking a different route from me - they’ve chosen to walk the old Roman road which is described as desolate but beautiful in my guidebook. Though that sounds wonderful, I’m going to take the more commonly walked Camino path because there are lots of warnings about how hard the Roman road is on the feet and I am, of course, rather feet-obsessed. Since we’ve got a long day whichever route we choose, I’d rather not risk the tougher one. It means that tomorrow night I will be staying on my own in a dormitory and going on to Leon ahead of Fiona on Wednesday. I feel quite nervous!
    And despite all my precautions a little blister has appeared between my toes. Not the worst place for a blister but I just don’t know how it got there. Ah well, must get the sewing kit out again, I suppose.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
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    Hari 22

    Day 21, Terradillos to Bercianos

    13 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I’m feeling a bit under the weather this evening - I’m afraid I’ve got a stomach bug - so will make this a short one. This was the day we passed the Camino’s halfway point at Sahagun, having walked 250 miles. Our only stop here, apart from a coffee shop, was the monastery which issues a certificate to say you made it halfway. We had a little look round at the monastery which contained some beautiful and moorish-inspired murals. Much has been lost but what remains is exquisite.
    Today’s walk began around 6.45 in cool, misty conditions. Rachel walked with us and although she and Fiona kept stopping for me to catch up with them, the pace they set was faster than I was comfortable with. Yesterday Rachel had tried to teach us to use our poles to do Nordic walking but my lamentable lack of coordination made this a tall order for me. I am still trying!
    After Sahagun I said goodbye to Fiona and Rachel as they set off for the Roman road. I needn’t have worried about being lonely. Nick, a former serviceman, and Paul from Derry walked with me the final 15 kilometres. Tomorrow morning they are picking me up at 6.30am.
    I’m staying in a four bed dorm but there are only currently only two of us here. Pearl, my Canadian roommate and I had dinner together, along with some of her friends. I’m worried that I began to feel quite queasy during the meal and fear my stomach isn’t right.
    I really hope I will wake up feeling better tomorrow. I was utterly shattered when I got here this afternoon and could have slept for the night when I had a nap. Fingers crossed that a really good night’s sleep will cure me. We have done a run of long walks and I am looking forward to getting to Leon tomorrow evening where I will stay 3 nights and recuperate.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
    Hari 23

    Day 22, Bercianos to Mansilla

    14 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I think this counts as my most challenging day yet. I went to sleep early but was really not well during the night and had to do a number of emergency trips to the bathroom - not ideal
    In any circumstances but especially awkward when you are sleeping in a dormitory full of strangers. One of my roommates, Pearl, told me she didn’t hear anything and I do hope she wasn’t just being polite.
    I’d arranged to meet Nick, Paul and Mike (Pearl came too) at 6.30 so was up early but threw up before I left and once, embarrassingly, on the road.
    The team were absolutely lovely and Mike, who was walking with me at the time of my embarrassment, was an absolute gentleman for the rest of the walk. His conversation kept me going. Two Italian men who were passing at the time were also extremely solicitous. They were trying to offer advice but we were struggling to understand each other. They walked on a bit and then returned with a paragraph on Google translate with their suggestions.
    Despite feeling a bit wobbly I managed to walk the 27 kms to Mansilla de las Mulas. There didn’t seem to be a lot of choice but to keep walking because we were in the middle of nowhere and I knew I didn’t want to stay there.
    I was hugely relieved to arrive in Mansilla but as soon as we got there Nick found out that there was a bus to Leon in 10 minutes (and several hours before the next one) so I didn’t have time to see Fiona before I moved on.
    Rachel joined us in taking the bus but Fiona wanted to stay to swim at Mansilla. And unlike the rest of us, she does not want to cheat by skipping the harsh walk along the highway into the city.
    In Leon I checked into my lovely room and slept for ages while half listening to the Archers omnibus. In the evening I got up, had a bath and met the others. I felt a lot better. However I decided to play it safe tonight so left them to eat without me and went to a supermarket where I got myself bread, cheese, a banana and a coke for dinner. There’s lots of life in the street below me and Leon seems a lovely city - I’m hoping to be on top form tomorrow when Fiona arrives.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
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    Hari 24

    Day 23, rest day in Leon

    15 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I woke feeling so much better than 24 hours earlier and enjoyed the luxury of sleeping until 8 and then dozing for another hour. I was sorry to say goodbye to my room in San Martin hostel which had been such a refuge when I felt ill but we had another hotel booked for the 2 nights I’m spending here with Fiona.
    The new location is at the back of Leon’s magnificent Gothic cathedral. I met up with Rachel and Mike to visit it this morning - bumping into Fiona who had just arrived heroically from Mansilla as we went in. The cathedral is simple and wonderful and flooded with light from the most stunning stained glass. The side chapels were much less elaborate than at Burgos and included a rare depiction of a pregnant Mary. I absolutely loved it - both internally and externally it is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. Apparently it had suffered some baroque ‘improvements ‘ including a heavy dome and a gold altarpiece which obscured the stained glass. The later structural alterations had undermined the integrity of the building. In the 19th century it’s survival was in jeopardy but thankfully restoration work was successful and, among other things, the original altarpiece reinstated.
    I met up with Fiona at the hotel where we both did some washing and dried it on our perfectly positioned sunny balcony. Very satisfying.
    And then we visited the Gaudi museum, Casa Bottines. This was another great building with excellent information on display. The diminishing size of the windows on the upper storeys, for example, was apparently carefully calculated to ensure similar levels of light in all parts of the building. I’m struggling to describe the furniture which was quirky and fluid and somehow delicious.
    This evening we went out to celebrate Nick’s 65th birthday. In fact there were two other pilgrims also celebrating birthdays in the same bar. After a deal of searching for a restaurant to suit all tastes we opted for an Italian in Plaza Mayor. Tomorrow our little group breaks up and, from now on, all the others will be a day or two ahead of us. Rachel and Mike are taking a bus 35kms along the route and will walk to Astorga from there. Nick and Paul will set off walking and reach Astorga the following day. We are staying in Leon one more night and pacing ourselves quite gently so may not be in sync with the others again though we hope to overlap in Santiago!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
    Hari 25

    Day 24, still in Leon!

    16 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    This has been a day of cultural gems. I went out for a walk at 7.30 this morning and wandered around admiring Leon’s street art and marvelling at the council’s efforts to ensure the city was blooming - wish we could emulate both at home.
    Our first proper activity was a visit to San Isidoro’ Basilica, an 11th century Romanesque church built while the Moors were in charge. I loved its austere beauty.
    From there we went to the adjacent museum (where we weren’t allowed to take photographs) and we were bowled over by the largest collection of medieval books I’ve ever seen, the highlight being a 10th century bible annotated in Arabic.
    I did sneak a picture of a wonderful 10th century crucifix which made me want to return to Leon on a art history holiday. The tour kept the best until
    last - The Pantheon of Kings - a chapel with amazing medieval murals on both walls and ceilings. I was so frustrated not to be allowed to capture any images!
    My next visit was to the museum attached to the cathedral which contained works of art which had at some period been displayed in the cathedral itself. Again, the building was amazing and the art works beautiful and thought-provoking. I spotted another image of Mary pregnant (perhaps I’m wrong that this is very rare).
    We went to mass in the cathedral chapel and then struggled to find an early dinner. My stomach is still a bit dodgy so I needed to be cautious but Fiona was ravenous and frustrated that all vegetarian restaurants were closed until 8.30. We settled in the end for a cheese sandwich (practically all I’ve eaten successfully for three days) at our hotel.
    In the way of things in this part of Spain, we then stumbled on some dancing women in the street in traditional costume. Maybe because it’s Friday?
    Our final huge treat was a concert at the cathedral which allowed us access to it at night and provided us with a sublime end to the day. The concert performers were a wonderful
    organist and a woman who looked like she’d been a thalidomide child playing the pan pipes. The purpose of the concert, according to the programme, was the inclusion and promotion of disabled musicians. Both performers were superb and it was very special to hear the cathedral’s very fine organ. Although we are now worryingly late going to bed I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
    Hari 26

    Day 25, Leon to Villar de Mazarife

    17 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    So, today we were on the road again and it felt like a Monday morning as we set off. We passed Leon’s rather wonderful Parador and then gradually left the splendour of the city behind us as we moved into the suburbs. We stopped for breakfast at a place called La Virgien del Camino which reminded me of Tolworth, with its high street dissected by a dual carriage. I suspected it had been built at a similar time when the car was still a marvellous novelty. We stopped at its parish church, a brutalist building which was surprisingly serene inside and austerely beautiful outside. Its baroque altarpiece really worked in an otherwise plain interior.
    From there we took an alternative route which got us away from the road. The landscape was still flat, confirming that we haven’t yet left the Meseta, but at times looked a bit more like England with oak trees scattered through heathland.
    The most notable feature of today’s walk was the weather. Our usual mix of cloud and sun had been replaced with full and relentless sunshine. From about 10am it was quite hot and made a relatively easy walk feel harder.
    Among the few diversions were a series of ‘hobbit houses’, dwellings built into the hillside to guarantee a cool interior in the baking heat. They are hard to photograph because most of the house is below ground but you can see their chimneys poking up behind the front door. It’s difficult to be sure if anyone is still using them but they certainly don’t look abandoned.
    We made good time to our destination, a nice albergue where we have our own room (shared bathroom) and have the promise of a vegetarian meal tonight. After a welcome beer we washed some clothes, found the supermarket and had a lovely hour-long nap. Happy days!
    Dinner was veggie paradise - a salad, soup, vegetarian paella and a crepe with strawberries and cream for dessert. All much appreciated. We spoke to a Spanish artist who was travelling from Leon to Finisterre with his 24 year old son, an Australian couple and a Canadian family - a man with his 11 year old daughter, 14 year old son and his brother. It was a very nice evening but I wish I understood Spanish because much of tonight’s conversation was out of my range.    Baca selengkapnya

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    Hari 27

    Day 26, Mazarife to Hospital de Orbigo

    18 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Today life really felt like a bowl of cherries! Or a hatful - picked by our fellow pilgrims in the garden of our lovely albergue. On the Camino people are always saying it’s about the journey, not the destination. However, today it really was the destination which made this day so very special.
    We arrived at our albergue and were greeted with a cup of delicious herbal tea (the herbs grown in the garden). Lunch involved a lot of ladder-climbing in pursuit of the ripest cherries and was a social, happy affair. Fiona and I had bought gazpacho and were eating it when our fellow pilgrims joined us, shared our crisps and provided hatfuls of cherries.
    Later in the afternoon a fellow guest led an hour- long yoga session (with a little help from Fiona). And before dinner we were treated to a ‘sound bath’ held in honour of the founder of the albergue who died a year ago tomorrow. It’s hard to describe what this was - we lay on the floor while someone played Tibetan sound bowls. It may sound strange but it was deeply serene and meditative and felt like another significant spiritual moment on this pilgrimage. Afterwards, he offered to play the bowls on Fiona. I know this sounds stranger still, but a few of us volunteered to experience it too and it was really affecting to feel the music resonate through you.
    Next up was the most wonderful vegetarian meal in the garden polished off with cherry cake. One of the special things about this place is that it is a donativo - you only pay what you can afford for the food. The accommodation cost 13 euros. At the end of the meal the cook talked about the founder and how the three of them who worked with him had set up an association to continue his vision of looking after pilgrims after his death. She cried and was comforted by a lovely German woman called Ramona who had visited in 2016 and remembered him.

    Earlier in the day we had met Ramona, who we’d bumped into a couple of weeks ago and she said she’d had a couple of difficult days, had wanted to return to Albergue Verde today but they were full. When we arrived I asked if there might be a spare bed and they said they had one bed left so I sent her a WhatsApp and reserved it for her. She was delighted and very sweetly, said that we had been her Camino gift today. It was nothing at our end but very satisfying to have helped make someone happy.
    Another bonus today was being introduced to Nick, a vegan chef from Hove, who is helping out here. He shared a vegetarian map of the Camino which has set us trying to book up vegetarian places for the days we still need bookings for.
    Oh, and I have successfully walked without taping up my toes. I took the risk this morning of wearing a new pair of socks or, should I say, gloves for the feet.    Baca selengkapnya

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    Hari 28

    Day 27, Hospital to Astorga

    19 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    This afternoon we reached Astorga - this means we have roughly walked 520 kms and have about 270 kms to go. Every milestone we pass on the road seems to contradict the last one (and often your mileage increases as you progress) so all estimates are provisional.
    Today’s walk was the last of the Meseta and the landscape is softening and becoming more verdant. As always, there were wildflowers in abundance for most of the route. The entrance to the city was circuitous - it involved the most annoying railway crossing I have ever seen which we reckoned added a kilometre to our mileage.
    Astorga feels like an unremarkable city after the marvels of Leon and Burgos. I found it hard to love its cathedral which seemed second-rate after Leon.
    However, it has one absolute treasure in the Gaudi Palace which justifies a trip to the city all on its own. It was absolutely beautiful! And, inside, with its vibrant light was reminiscent of Leon’s cathedral. Most of today’s photographs are attempts to capture its combination of modernism and medievalism.
    In terms of people, we are bumping into a new group now. In the plaza at Astorga we met Brad who I had spoken to at Verde yesterday. When we stopped for coffee we met Ramona again. And this morning at breakfast we were fascinated as Georgie and Ben, an Australian couple, told us they’d retired even though they are both in their mid-forties. After a career in finance Ben said they had enough money to keep them going until they were 100 (though they insist they are not at all rich) so have decided to ‘live their life’. They have an 18 and 22 year old at home. G&B bought a camper van in December and started travelling, let their children know they’d decided not to return for Christmas and when they did get home, planned the Camino. They are now walking at their leisure - their only deadline a yoga retreat at the end of July! Fiona and I wondered if we were doing something wrong in our parenting!
    Tomorrow we head for the hills. We can see them now on the horizon and although I fear my hill-walking muscles have disappeared, I am excited to see new and, dare I say it, more interesting countryside!    Baca selengkapnya

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  • PelancongCamino
    Hari 29

    Day 28, Astorga to Rabanal

    20 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we left Astorga with few regrets - it felt like one of the least welcoming towns we’ve stayed at. The countryside became much more appealing - softer, greener and hillier - almost as soon as we left town. Today’s 20km walk was steadily uphill but the incline was so gradual that the ascent felt miraculously easy.
    We stopped for coffee at a little village called Santa Caterina which, with its geranium boxes and roses, would not have been out of place in the south of France. Outside the village I was intrigued by the ruins of old cottages - something we haven’t seen this before. Fiona was quite taken with some of the buildings for sale.
    During the mentally idle hours of walking I found myself thinking about the saying ‘taking the rough with the smooth’ and considering its literal meaning as I navigated some fairly stony paths with my new blisters (yes, I now have two new arrivals). I also remembered that when I was a student, Peter Campbell, the father of my good friend, Jane, said some of his happiest moments were spent marching during national service. It made absolutely no sense to me then but 40 years later I think I get it. The simplicity of repeatedly putting one foot in front of another seems to make me happy too.
    Today’s stop is at Rabanal at a donotivo hostel run by the Confraterity of St James which is based in London. The volunteers are English and provided tea and lemon drizzle cake in the garden this afternoon. I have thought about volunteering here myself another year. The village is very pretty and feels quite English. This evening we heard Gregorian chant at vespers at the simpler of tiny Rabanal’s two churches. It was led by two Benedictine monks - we were told the lead chanter had been called away because of an emergency but the monks who remained did pretty well as far as I could tell.
    Dinner was with Anna from Canada, Brad from Louisiana, Ramona from Germany and Lyn from the Netherlands. Not a brilliant meal but nice company and a lovely end to a lovely day.    Baca selengkapnya

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    Hari 30

    Day 29, Rabanal to Riego de Ambos

    21 Juni 2023, Spanyol ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I didn’t sleep as long as I would have liked last night - I didn’t get to sleep until past midnight, partly because of noise in the dormitory and partly just me. Nonetheless I woke early and was up by 6am. We had a slow start and left Rabanal a bit later than usual - it was nearly 8 before we hit the road. We began the day, unusually, with a leisurely breakfast. The English volunteers at the Confraternity hostel provided tea with bread and marmalade in the kitchen and I loved it! I have been missing breakfast.
    The day began with a 7.5km climb to Cruz de Ferro (elevation of 1490m) the site where modern pilgrims place stones. Fiona had brought one from home and placed it at the foot of the iron cross and I think it was significant for her. Lots of other people seemed to be there just for the photo opportunity and I found this place less moving than other people I’d spoken to had suggested.
    As we started to walk downhill the sky cleared and we enjoyed the first wonderful views of a day that delivered hour upon hour of beauty. It was so refreshing to be back in the grandeur of the mountains surrounded by heather, birdsong and trees.
    The walking was pretty hard though. The long descent to Riego, where we are staying tonight, was tough going - we were walking on a mixture of bedrock, shake and dirt tracks. I was very grateful that we were doing it in dry weather (despite some threatening clouds) because I wouldn’t fancy it in slippery conditions.
    Eventually we arrived at the tiny village, still in the mountains (elevation 929, population 40) where we are sleeping tonight. We’re staying in a family enterprise which provides beds and the only bar or restaurant in the village. After a wonderful nap (didn’t want to wake up) we went for a little walk, picked more cherries and then settled for dinner on their terrace. The young man who looked after us clearly thought we were bonkers to want to sit outside but we insisted and held our nerve through a curious light shower which was accompanied by warm evening sunlight. We ate salad, padron peppers, bread and a plate of goat’s cheese, the usual (v nice) hard sheep’s cheese and walnuts washed down with red wine. It was delicious.
    We are now planning an early night.    Baca selengkapnya

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