Adventure on Camino Francis

Hi there! I’m off to hike the famed El Camino de Santiago—Europe’s longest and most storied pilgrimage route - starting September 3. I’m taking the Francis Route that starts in SJPDP, France and takes me over the Pyrenees and down into Spain. もっと詳しく

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旅行の開始
2022年8月31日
Adventure on Camino Francis 旅行者
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日1
2022年8月31日水曜日 11:08
☀️ 25 °C
海抜: 42 m
アメリカ Noroton Heights 41.101078, -73.51051341°6’4” N 73°30’38” W
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All set for the big trek!
2022年8月31日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
All packed and ready to go! My pack weighs 12.5lbs - will lead a minimalist existence for the next couple of months. I’m taking a flight to Paris and then a train and bus to St-Jean-Pied-De-Port (SJPDP), France, where I’ll start my trek.もっと詳しく
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旅行者You are awesome! So excited to follow you on your journey…. From the comfort of my couch 😁
2022/08/31返信する
旅行者😆
2022/09/01返信する
旅行者Haha, Happy to oblige!!
2022/08/31返信する
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12いいね
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日3
2022年9月2日金曜日 16:10
☁️ 22 °C
海抜: 177 m
フランス Béhérobie 43.169418, -1.25417143°10’10” N 1°15’15” W
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1 8 1 3
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
2022年9月2日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Arrived yesterday. Train from Paris to Bayonne and then a bus to SJPDP. Spent the first night at a farmhouse and second at a B&B. Both inn keepers are super friendly and helpful. Had community dinner with friendly peregrines. What an international crowd - Brazilian, Danish, Aussie, New Zealander, German, British, Swiss, American and French. All under the same roof - many together in a dorm. Except for 2 of us, the rest were under 30.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Great pictures!
2022/09/02返信する
旅行者 Awww you look so cute!
2022/09/02返信する
旅行者Amazing photos!
2022/09/02返信する
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10いいね
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日4
2022年9月3日土曜日 8:47
⛅ 16 °C
海抜: 308 m
フランス Saint-Michel 43.142628, -1.24148343°8’33” N 1°14’29” W
2 3 2 1 2
Camino Kickoff !!
2022年9月3日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Day 1 to Borda - was an absolutely beautiful climb to Orisson! I went from singing “I’m leaving on a jet plane….” to “Heaven, I’m in heaven….”
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旅行者 Yay!! You look so good
2022/09/03返信する
旅行者Surprisingly, I felt v good! Considering I only got a couple of hours of sleep due to jet lag hitting me!
2022/09/03返信する
旅行者Beautiful weather for hiking!
2022/09/03返信する
旅行者Yes! Overcast and quite cool.
2022/09/03返信する
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15いいね
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日5
2022年9月4日日曜日
⛅ 26 °C
海抜: 868 m
フランス Bois d’Orisson 43.101433, -1.23873743°6’5” N 1°14’19” W
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2 1 4 3 1 2 4 3
Over the Pyrenees - From France to Spain
2022年9月4日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Day 2 to Burguete - This was a toughee!! About 14 miles slow uphill to 2500’ climb and then a fast descent. I took the longer route that was a little less steep coming down - still felt it on my knees 😀
The day before was also 2500’ climb - but in 5 miles and no descent. I much preferred that.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Absolutely stunning!
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者Wow this is gorgeous!
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者 There was a fierce 50mph wind blowing almost all day. Not cold, so very bearable.
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者I don’t know. Quite like that fierce look.
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者Haha!
2022/09/05返信する
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8いいね
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日6
2022年9月5日月曜日
⛅ 22 °C
海抜: 1,362 m
スペイン Roncesvalles 43.034981, -1.29117543°2’6” N 1°17’28” W
5 2 2 1 1
An easy day…
2022年9月5日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Day 3 to Bizkarreta - I couldn’t find a place to stay tonight in Zubiri so booked one in Bizkarreta which is only 9km from Burguete. As I meandered my way to Bizkaretta, I found the cutest little town, Espinal, on the way so stopped for photos and a coffee.
Bizkaretta is also nice, but not much going on here and couldn’t find any restaurant open. Luckily the Inn keeper made a delicious meal for 9 of us pilgrims.
I’ve been listening to Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and todays trek was the perfect setting for it!もっと詳しく
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旅行者Such Spanish hospitality!
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者Yes!
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者 A few days back I learned, thanks to bumbling along in Wordle, that the corner masonry blocks are called quoins. Now they are everywhere in your pics. 😂
2022/09/05返信する
旅行者You learn something new everyday! Now I know it too 😀
2022/09/05返信する
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日8
2022年9月7日水曜日
⛅ 26 °C
海抜: 470 m
スペイン Plaza Consejo 42.812496, -1.64410142°48’45” N 1°38’39” W
5 1 1 2 2
Made it to Pamplona!
2022年9月7日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Day 4 and 5 Pamplona - Had to make up for the easy day before - walked 32 kms from Bizkaretta to Pamplona - with some significant climbs and a serious descent! Luckily I ran into a woman who had done this route before and she knew where to find the elevator that takes you up to the walled city of Pamplona. Saved me about a hundred steps up 😀. Spent 2 days in Pamplona to recover from it!
Having listened to Hemingways book en route and to the vivid description of the 7 day bull festival I decided to check out the bull ring. They had a self guided tour with photos and videos of the whole process including the famous bull run. I’ve added a video of a small section of their show.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 I like the path!!
2022/09/07返信する
旅行者Amazing!! Really made up…
2022/09/07返信する
旅行者20 miles! Wow, you rocked it! Enjoy the sights.
2022/09/07返信する
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日10
2022年9月9日金曜日 18:41
☀️ 24 °C
海抜: 490 m
スペイン Cirauqui 42.675751, -1.89226242°40’33” N 1°53’32” W
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2 3 6 1 2 1 2 3 2 1
Pamplona - Puenta La Reina & Cirauqui
2022年9月9日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Day 6 and 7 in Uterga and Cirauqui - This was a beautiful hike. First a significant ascent to Perdón Peak walking along gigantic windmills overhead and then stopping to take pictures of the monument of the Santiago Way which depicts a group of pilgrims from different periods crossing the line of windmills. Very iconic. After a very steep and rocky descent (that almost killed my knees) stayed last night in a cute Albergue in the town of Urtega.
Left early this morning and had a much needed breakfast and coffee in Puenta La Reina. Admired the 13th century doorway of the Santiago church and crossed the Arga River over a beautiful Romanesque bridge to get to tonight’s Albergue in Cirauqui.
Cirauqui is a beautiful medieval village perched on top of a mountain. The path to Cirauqui goes through recently harvested grain fields, vineyards and several fig trees growing along the side. The albergue overlooks the Romanesque church at the top of the hill - just one more final climb for the day!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 🙌🏾
2022/09/09返信する
旅行者 Magnifica!
2022/09/09返信する
旅行者 iOS tried to autocorrect “dogsbody” 😂. Not in the business of expanding vocabulary 🙄.
2022/09/09返信する
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日12
2022年9月11日日曜日 21:49
⛅ 28 °C
海抜: 425 m
スペイン Estella-Lizarra 42.670849, -2.02876542°40’15” N 2°1’44” W
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1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 3
Estella
2022年9月11日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Day 8 and 9 Estella - Arrived here, in Estella, yesterday via Lorca and Villatuerta - small towns with prominent churches. The walk was quite uneventful with the usual ups and downs through fields and of course laden fig trees, olive trees and grape vines.
Today I wandered around Estella and saw it’s beautiful old buildings. The tourist office is in a Baroque Palace and the town museum that houses the works of Gustavo de Maeztzu is in the former Romanesque palace of The Kings of Navarre. There were also two churches to see after climbing 100s of stairs - and being a Sunday, everything was only open from 11:30am - 2pm! Needless to say I had a busy afternoon!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Hope you slid DOWN the banister 😁
2022/09/11返信する
旅行者 That’s a lot of steps!
2022/09/11返信する
旅行者 Beautiful!
2022/09/11返信する
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10いいね
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日14
2022年9月13日火曜日 15:53
⛅ 26 °C
海抜: 500 m
スペイン Sansol 42.55415, -2.26774242°33’15” N 2°16’4” W
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2 2 2 1
Villamayor de Monjardin and on to Sansol
2022年9月13日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Day 10 Villamayor de Monjardin and Day 11 in Sansol - From Estella to Villamayor was a nice 11 mile walk past the Iratxe monastery, on the side of which is a popular fountain that dispenses water and/or red wine. I could only take a sip of this - too vinigery for my taste!
Villamayor is a small town and I stayed at a wonderful Albergue run by volunteers from various countries - a German, 2 Italians, 2 Dutch and 3 Americans. I stayed in a dorm with bunk beds with 2 Korean women, one Swedish girl and one Canadian man who snored all night! But the dinner was amazing! The volunteers set up tables on the terrace overlooking the Romanesque Church and distant vineyards. 21 pilgrims and 8 volunteers from about a dozen or more countries ate under a sky threatening to rain, along with the thunder and lightening! Managed to finish before the heavens opened up to pour out the much needed rain.
Soon after dinner we were invited to a meditation and prayer session. We came together in a low cavernous room set up with low sofas and cushions and dim lights. Mint tea was served. After some spiritual mumbo-jumbo and meditation we sat around and everyone recounted experiences on the Camino. It was very nice, peaceful and very, very friendly - a special Camino experience.もっと詳しく
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旅行者I was wondering about the photos… relieved that they are coming…
2022/09/13返信する
旅行者😀
2022/09/13返信する
旅行者 What’s going on with the knee?
2022/09/13返信する
旅行者My osteoarthritis acting up! It’s the extra weight of the backpack, so for a few days am having my bag transferred….
2022/09/13返信する
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日16
2022年9月15日木曜日 19:03
⛅ 23 °C
海抜: 410 m
スペイン Teatro Bretón de los Herreros 42.465046, -2.44861242°27’54” N 2°26’55” W
1 1 1 7 2 4
From Sansol to Logrona
2022年9月15日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Day 12 and 13 in Logrono - The Albergue Palacio de Sansol turned out to be an amazing place. It was a 320 year old palace lovingly restored by the current owner, José Maria. His family had owned it in the early 1900s and then sold it. Jose bought it back for €30,000 in the 1990s and more recently spent a millón euros to restore it into a really charming albergue.
The pilgrim dinner was cooked by Jose and consisted of a watery soup of what looked like celery to me - but turned out to be artichoke stems. I was among the 5% that didn’t particularly like it (it needed some masala). Luckily there was a twenty-something sitting next to me who was starving and had my share - so was not wasted. This guy is an aspiring actor from LA - so we took a selfie I can show off one day.
The next morning, yesterday, I reluctantly left Sansol - I had such a nice room, I wanted to hang out - and made my way to Viana, the halfway point. That path, all 11 kms - was a complete knee buster - there were seriously steep climbs and descents all the way to Viana. At Viana I found I had caught up with all my dinner friends who had left at 6 am because there was a bull festival happening in town and they were hanging out waiting for it. I watched the fireworks and the procession with them but didn’t wait for the bull run because of the timing. I had another 10km to get to Logrono.
Logrono is a vibrant town. One neighborhood is devoted to tapas/pinchos bars and people hang around there snacking and drinking. Nobody eats dinner till 9 or 10pm. The town has a beautiful cathedral, Santa María de Palacio, and I got a much coveted stamp in my pilgrim passport - the lady at the tourist office said that it was hard to get.
Last night, as I sat outside with a glass of red Rioja, some of my Sansol friends showed up and we ended up having more wine along with some a amazing but weird tapas. Surprisingly the 2 glasses of wine didn’t give me a headache!
I spent 2 nights in Logorno. And btw, I’ve completed a hundred miles walking the Camino….もっと詳しく
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旅行者Congrats on 100! Love the photo descriptions—feel like I’m there with you.
2022/09/15返信する
旅行者👍🏽
2022/09/16返信する
Just what we’re having! We have cheeks and feet too! Miss you! [Juliet]
2022/09/15返信する
旅行者Haha, you certainly have some cheek!!
2022/09/16返信する
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日18
2022年9月17日土曜日 20:02
⛅ 18 °C
海抜: 500 m
スペイン Arroyo de Pozuelo 42.418148, -2.73501342°25’5” N 2°44’6” W
1 5 2 1
To Naverreta and Najera
2022年9月17日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Day 14 Naverreta and Day 15 Najera - Left fairly early from Logrono and reached Navarrete before noon. Didn’t enjoy the walk because I miscalculated and didn’t have coffee till I got to Navarrete. Needless to say, the day was a bit joyless. Sections of the trek were along a noisy road and I couldn’t listen to my book, so listened to and sang along Bollywood music instead!
Today was fun, and I’ve stopped for the night in Najera - which turned out to be better than I expected after I crossed the River Najerilla. I’m staying in this old Albergue that is close to the Monastery of Santa María la Real that was consecrated in 1056. There’s a festival in town and loud music and bands everywhere. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep tonight.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Ferdinand?
2022/09/17返信する
旅行者😀
2022/09/17返信する
旅行者 Ferdinand!!!
2022/09/17返信する
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日19
2022年9月18日日曜日 7:55
☁️ 6 °C
海抜: 539 m
スペイン Hormilla 42.416813, -2.76208742°25’1” N 2°45’44” W
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2 2 3 4 2
Ciruena and Granon
2022年9月18日, スペイン ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
Day 16 in Ciruena and Day 17 in Granon vía Santo Domingo de la Calzada - the all night party in Najera kept all the pilgrims awake. Luckily I could turn my deaf ear to it and get some sleep. The cafés that were supposed to open at 6:30 am did not (open) and we had to get our caffeine in Azofra which had crowds of pilgrims at all their cafes. I found my friend Annika from Switzerland (she told me that she had walked from Geneva to Santiago about 12 years ago). The entire walk to Ciruena yesterday was very pleasant. I had left fairly early and reached Ciruena, a quiet, sleepy village by 11 am. I had plenty of time to wander around - past the little church and have a glass of local red wine and soak in the atmosphere of this cute place. Dinner at the Albergue was communal and the owner had made a lentil stew with vegetables and sausage - it hit the spot!
This morning I left Ciruena late. I didn’t want to disturb my young room mate so stayed in bed till 6:30 am. The owner provided fabulous hot coffee and a light breakfast. Reached Santo Domingo by 9:00am and everything was closed. They too had pulled an all night party - even the tourist office was closed. I found Santo Domingo to be somewhat elitist - some very important looking people were bustling around and a bunch of expensive looking cars were parked in the plaza. The Santi Domingo church is the first church I have come across that charges for visit. Couldn’t get in through the normal entrance - it was closed for the special event - but slipped in with some other people for a quick look.
Continued on to Granon. It’s a small cute town with a church and central square. Had dinner in the one restaurant along with other pilgrims.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Yum!!! I want a croissant
2022/09/19返信する
旅行者 But did she catch up to you or did you catch up to her?
2022/09/19返信する
旅行者 Didn’t know it was rare. We see them here regularly. Welcome to flyover country 😀. It’s water vapor condensing at cruising altitudes. Not too common a sight if you are near a major airport would be my guess.
2022/09/19返信する
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日22
2022年9月21日水曜日 18:08
☀️ 21 °C
海抜: 957 m
スペイン Villafranca-Montes de Oca 42.390134, -3.3081142°23’24” N 3°18’29” W
1 2 1 1
Belorado and Villafranca Montes de Oca
2022年9月21日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Day 18 in Belorado and Day 19 in Villafranca - in Granon I had stayed at a ‘Casa Rural’. These are private homes
where the host rents out rooms with or without attached bathrooms. In this case I had a private room with an attached bathroom. The price was €50 which is expensive (😀) but it came with the free use of a washer, as well as morning coffee. While I prefer to stay in a private room I have found that it is fun to stay now and then in a shared room or even a dorm. This way you meet some interesting people and share a communal supper. A bed in a dorm can cost as little as €6 - and that is primarily in a municipal albergue where they don’t take reservations - and the early bird gets the worm - which is why some people leave the albergue at 6am or earlier. Last night in Belorado I got a bed in a private albergue. It cost €12. Initially I didn’t like it because there was no place to hang out washed clothes and no place to stretch and do my morning (minimal) warm up exercises. But I met a woman who had just moved from CT to VT, a young Korean woman and another American woman who had gone to a boarding school in Jaipur because her father had been a polo player. She wants to work for Babli at her ‘glamping’ farm - so I’ve introduced them via WhatsApp.
The trek from Granon to Belorado was quite unremarkable. I’m now in the Burgos region and passed through a number of villages and they all had churches and center squares, but none of their cafeterias were open and I hardly saw anyone but pilgrims. Except in the town of Redecilla del Camino where a man was roasting peppers “pimiento morrón” and a group of people were removing the outer skin. These are canned and sold. When I say roasted I mean charred.
Yesterday my knees were really hurting so I booked a room in Villafranca - just 12 kms away . This morning the people in my dorm left really early so I was able to stretch and warm up properly. Lo and behold my knees were fine today. I forgot to mention that I had met this guy, Steve, a couple of days ago from Austin, Texas. Turns out he is an ER doctor who grows his own turmeric and ginger. He gave me a few of his home made gelcaps of turmeric + pepper and told me to buy more in Burgos - an anti-inflammatory prescription for my knees! I’ve been having those tablets since yesterday - so perhaps that helped too.
Villafranca is a very tiny village but has a few albergues, a casa rural and one fairly fancy hotel. I’m sitting at a bar that is frequented by truck drivers - there’s a bunch of trucks parked outside, I’m not sure how they maneuvered through the tiny streets. I wish I spoke Spanish and could talk to them. Next time!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 How did you like the raisins in the salad?
2022/09/21返信する
旅行者 Flan with… walnuts?
2022/09/21返信する
I knew the wine would be good!! [Juliet]
2022/09/21返信する
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日23
2022年9月22日木曜日
☀️ 23 °C
海抜: 953 m
スペイン Atapuerca 42.373783, -3.50003742°22’26” N 3°30’0” W
1 1 1 2
Atapuerca
2022年9月22日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Day 20 - Atapuerca is the site of several limestone caves that contain the earliest evidence of humans in western Europe—fragments of a jawbone and teeth date to over a million years ago.
I left Villafranca early-ish and my knees were feeling great. I was able to climb up through the thick Oak and Pine forests at a quick pace. Passed through a few beautiful towns and reached Atapuerca in the early afternoon. I bumped into a few pilgrims and spent a pleasant afternoon drinking red wine and eating olives - outside a ‘cantina’. Sitting there under the trees, I felt as though I was in a scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - remember when they are in Bolivia? There was nothing else to do. I had no wifi - I haven’t mentioned it, but I’ve had cell phone issues - apparently although I have enough data leftover (140gig), I am out of roaming on my French SIM. So for the last 5 days have had to rely on wifi. I’ll get a Spanish SIM in Burgos.
Tomorrow - on to Burgos!!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Looks dee-lee-shus!
2022/09/24返信する
旅行者 nice!
2022/09/25返信する
旅行者 love the birds!
2022/09/25返信する
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日25
2022年9月24日土曜日 19:50
⛅ 12 °C
海抜: 876 m
スペイン Plaza Mayor 42.343178, -3.70091142°20’35” N 3°42’3” W
2 1 1 2 4 1
Burgos!
2022年9月24日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Day 20 and 21 in Burgos - Arrived in Burgos at about 12 noon on a Friday. I had gotten a reservation for just one day at the Hotel Norte y Londres but begged the woman at check-in to find a way for me to stay here for 2 nights. She did and I was overjoyed! I loved Burgos from the get go. And the hotel, though simple and quite spartan, is right in the middle of the town center. I met up with friends for a fabulous vegan lunch and then headed over to the Cathedral with a friend.
The Burgos Cathedral is the most stunningly beautiful cathedral I’ve ever seen. The massive structure is Spain’s oldest Gothic cathedral, the third largest in the country, and it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. Despite that and it’s stunning beauty, apparently it remains a ‘hidden jewel’ in Spain’s northern region.
I took a zillion photos and have posted a few here.
Apparently Burgos' most famous resident was El Cid. He helped in the reconquest of Spain from Moorish hands - remember the film? He was born in Burgos and there are many sites connected with his life. In the main square of the city stands this statue.
One set of friends including Purvi and Steve left this morning but I ran into a few others that I had gotten to know and had a really nice dinner with them. One of them was heading back to the US and gave me her sleeping bag. I hadn’t gotten around to buying one - and it’s gotten cold very suddenly. I think I’ll need it!
I’ve posted a lot of photos and will caption them in the next day or so. Tomorrow I’m planning to walk 20 miles.
Hope I make it!!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 magnifique !
2022/09/24返信する
旅行者 Sistene chapel like
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旅行者 vow
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日28
2022年9月27日火曜日 18:50
☀️ 18 °C
海抜: 806 m
スペイン Villalcázar de Sirga 42.316502, -4.54243542°18’59” N 4°32’33” W
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Meseta Part - 1
2022年9月27日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Days 22 to 24 (Castellanos de Castro, Boadilla del Camino, Villalcazar de Sirga) - the Camino is classified into three sections. The first tests (and may break) your physical well being, the second the mental and the third your spiritual. I am now at the start of the second phase and I can attest to the first. My knees were problematic right through phase 1. I would start off ok every morning but then go into a shuffle where I had to use my arms and the hiking poles to take the weight off my knees by early afternoon. Luckily I decided that I had to do something to fix them - and I did. Most mornings I get up early and do some stretches, muscle flossing (google it) and squats. Gradually the knees have improved, better every day. The last three days I’ve been on the meseta and I’ve walked 30, 29 and 18.5 km respectively with some ease. Today I found 18.5 kms easy and reached my destination at 1pm - really surprised myself.
Everyone says the meseta is boring and difficult to traverse. I have found it to be quite ok so far. Each day I’ve started off at a fast pace for the first third and then dropped off to a slower pace. For example this morning I set off with these two Aussie guys - pilgrims, and went 10kms to Fromista at a very brisk pace to see the amazing Church of Saint Martin of Tours in Fromista and then have a second breakfast at a lovely little cafe in the church square before continuing on slower. Tomorrow I am walking with a Korean gentleman who I met at the local grocery store in Villacalzar de Sirga. He too is going to walk the 32 kms to Terradillos. Hope I make it!!
As you can see from the photos - the towns, the churches, the countryside are starting to look similar. Perhaps this is why people get bored on the meseta. I have a few more days of this and will tell you how I feel as the days go on. I think I just love to walk, and hope that feeling stays with me.
More next time!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 The beautiful sky makes up for the bleakness of the landscape
2022/09/27返信する
旅行者 You look better than ever
2022/09/27返信する
旅行者I have my waist pack under the jacket - hence the bulky stomach!
2022/09/28返信する
旅行者I didn’t even notice!
2022/09/28返信する
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日31
2022年9月30日金曜日 18:23
⛅ 17 °C
海抜: 852 m
スペイン Arcahueja 42.566502, -5.50311242°33’59” N 5°30’11” W
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Meseta Part - 2
2022年9月30日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Days 25 to 27 (Terradillos de Los Templarios, El Burgo Ranero, Arcahueja) - well folks you will be happy to know that I’m at the end of the Meseta. I have 10 kms to Leon tomorrow morning - it’s the weekend and shops close early afternoon on a Saturday and then don’t reopen till Monday and I need to shop. I need to get some gloves, a warmer jacket and a headlamp for early morning. It’s gotten quite cold and sunrise is later and later - and will be more so after Leon.
Yesterday I passed the halfway point to Santiago in Sahagun and received my halfway certificate. Today I completed 283 miles - it’s a total of 480 miles to Santiago - all on my two little feet! I do plan to continue on to Finisterre and Muxia which will add another 100 kms or so.
You’ll also be happy to know that my knees are just fine now and I’ve been doing 18 - 20 miles per day for the last 6 days or so - hence the progress. I have never been happier! I think it’s the endorphins- they’ve really kicked in. I will slow down a bit after Leon so I can enjoy the scenery etc. I think 12 - 15 miles should be my limit.
But what the recent speed has done is to catch up with several friends and I’m really happy about that. I’m supposed to be dining with 3 groups in Leon on Saturday. These include my Indian friend from Boston, the family from CA that gave me a sleeping bag, the Aussie guys that I walked with a couple of days ago, my young Korean friend that invited me to a chicken dinner at her Airbnb in Burgos and Tony from Tasmania who plans to have a Camino reunion at his home. Not sure how I’m going to handle this group in Leon. Although some of them know each other I may have to have dinner twice. Today I walked again with Peter, the Korean guy who I met in Villacalzar de Sirga a few days ago. He lives in Vegas. He’s doing the Camino for his daughter who died of COVID in the first wave, at the age of 33. I’m going to invite him to dinner with the some of the others.
I never realized I’m so social, I really get along with all these people. But there have been times when I’ve distanced myself from people. Like the American couple that kept on with “honey this” and “honey that”. I had tacked on to them yesterday in the early morning because they had a headlamp. But he was so overly solicitous and worried that she would fall into a ditch when she was chatting with me that after a while when they bumped into a friend, I took off.
I’ve been a bit lax about writing and posting daily because when I walk these long distances I average about 3 miles an hour plus stops for food, sights, photos, and just to rest my legs. Then when I get to an Albergue, I check in, shower, wash my clothes, plan and make reservations for the next day, chat with Sunil and anyone else from home that wants to chat and then hang out with other pilgrims and have a drink and then dinner. Sometimes I am in a dorm and share a room with folks that fall asleep at 8:30pm. At other times I don’t have a wifi connection. So it does get tough to upload photos and write something. However I have realized that I forget things very quickly and all these Spanish town and Albergue names merge into one another. It helps to have this blog to keep it straight. You may notice that I added the names of the towns I stayed in at the top of this blog and also the last one.
Today I’m staying in a hotel in a Leon suburb. Since they cater to the general public and not just pilgrims their restaurant doesn’t open till 8:30 pm - and I’m starving! Anyway this has given me time to update you all. Next post from Leon!もっと詳しく
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旅行者You walk as fast as i run!
2022/09/30返信する
旅行者😀
2022/10/01返信する
旅行者Haha
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日33
2022年10月2日日曜日 22:08
⛅ 14 °C
海抜: 855 m
スペイン Parque Del Cid Campeador 42.598789, -5.56827442°35’56” N 5°34’6” W
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Leon
2022年10月2日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Days 28 and 29 - Leon. I can’t decide which town I like more - Burgos or Leon! There is a 7 day festival going on to celebrate the patron Saint of Leon. My hostel is right on the main street through town and all day there are parades going past my balcony and all night people are partying - loudly! I feel that the Spanish don’t care about money and work - they make sure they have fun, and I really like that about them.
The cathedral in Leon is absolutely spectacular! From the outside it looks beautiful and on the inside it is breathtaking. There are stained glass windows all around at three levels. And what’s amazing is that from the outside the stained glass windows are not at all obvious.
The other really nice experience was the Casa Botines designed by Antoni Gaudi in 1892. It now houses the Gaudi Casa Botines Museum - devoted to the architecture and construction of the Casa Boutines as well as some history around Gaudi and his works. I never realized what an architectural genius he was and how prolific.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Would be more interesting as a baraat with a few mods.
2022/10/02返信する
旅行者 That got interesting quickly.
2022/10/02返信する
旅行者 The stained glass is quite something!
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日34
2022年10月3日月曜日
☀️ 26 °C
海抜: 823 m
スペイン Hospital de Órbigo 42.463589, -5.88217842°27’49” N 5°52’56” W
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Hospital de Orbigo
2022年10月3日, スペイン ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Day 30 - Walked 35 kms today from Leon to the town of Hospital de Orbigo. It was a brutal walk - almost all the way on the sidewalk along a highway. My knees were shot by the time I reached this place. It was a warm afternoon and I was out of water. At the outskirts of town I fell upon the water fountain. Aaaahhh!
Being me, I signed up for a ‘free’ historical guided tour of Hospital de Orbigo . This very cute 20 something explained the story of the knight who had to charge with his lance and break 300 lances of challengers in order to win his lady love. This event was staged on the bridge leading into town.
The town is very pretty and I stayed in a cute Albergue. I met a humanitarian nurse, Brenda, who walked to Astorga with me.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Was it formerly a barn?
2022/10/05返信する
旅行者 Definitely safer that way on horseback…
2022/10/05返信する
旅行者 Google maps should offer such alternatives for routing.
2022/10/05返信する
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日36
2022年10月5日水曜日 15:00
☁️ 10 °C
海抜: 1,506 m
スペイン Foncebadón 42.488804, -6.3615242°29’20” N 6°21’41” W
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Astorga and Rabanal Del Camino
2022年10月5日, スペイン ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Day 31 in Astorga and Day 32 in Rabanal - it was a short walk to Astorga, 17 kms and then Rabanal, 20 kms. Astorga is a gem of a town. It’s a small town where locals of all ages gather in the town square to eat, drink and just generally hang out. I mostly sat in the square - plaza España and drank wine with Camino friends. I also visited the local cathedral which is quite imposing but doesn’t really compete with the cathedrals in Burgos and Leon.
Today I arrived in Rabanal early afternoon. It is a beautiful town - everything is made of stone - house walls, the roads, fences etc. After lunch I went for a wonderful ‘deep tissue’ massage that totally relaxed me and relived the knee aches. In the evening I went to hear Gregorian chants in the local church and then a really good pilgrim dinner with friends. The next few days are supposed to be more challenging. Tomorrow there is a very steep descent in the last 10 kms - about 3,500’. My knees are going to take a beating.
I could get used to this life - wake up early, pack my 5 things into my back pack, walk many kms, arrive and check into Albergue, shower, wash clothes, eat, drink wine, meet up with friends, sight see, and go to sleep. Repeat the next day.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Oooh boy. I see the old Deepika rule changing from “buy one thing/ remove one thing” to “don’t need this/ take it all away”. As much as you are already not a materialist (excepto los vinos), will you find your homes oddly cluttered? 🍷
2022/10/06返信する
旅行者Sounds like the perfect life! Maybe get yourself some knee tape to relieve pain?
2022/10/06返信する
旅行者 It really is Don Quixote country!
2022/10/06返信する
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日37
2022年10月6日木曜日 8:55
⛅ 9 °C
海抜: 1,422 m
スペイン Foncebadón 42.490937, -6.34147542°29’27” N 6°20’29” W
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Molinaseca
2022年10月6日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Day 33 - I made it to Molinaseca! It was only 25 kms but there was a major descent in the last 10 kms that rattled my knees. This was after a climb of about 2,000’ through some beautiful mountain terrain and beautiful villages. While I had liked walking through the plains (the meseta) I was surprised at how happy I was to be back on the mountains. I walked with Dr. Steve - the ER doctor who grows his own turmeric and ginger and makes his own potents using natural ingredients, including some special mushrooms. We stopped for a wonderful breakfast of fried eggs, toast, fresh orange juice and coffee - normally if you stop at a cafe in the morning you just get coffee with tortillas which are made with more potatoes than eggs along with bread. Cruz de Ferro is the highest point in this mountain pass and many people bring a rock from home that they leave here. It signifies the release of some load or emotion. Since I don’t have either 😜, I just shot a photo of Steve depositing the rock his father gave him many years ago.
Dr Steve admitted to me today that he has on 3 occasions used ibuprofen to reduce inflammation. So guess what? I’m going to have 2 Advils today so that my knees are ready for the 32 km hike to Villafranca tomorrow!
This evening I sat and calculated how many days I need to complete the journey to Santiago and realized that if I follow the traditional stages, I only have another 9 days to Santiago. After that I have 2 weeks to hang out in Santiago and make the trek to Finisterre and Muxia. The last couple of hundred kms have gone by fast!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Views are good…cuter cousin😍
2022/10/07返信する
旅行者 This is stunning!!!! Holy Moly! 🥴
2022/10/07返信する
旅行者 At the speed at which you have been walking the ldst
2022/10/07返信する
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日38
2022年10月7日金曜日
🌙 10 °C
海抜: 518 m
スペイン Villafranca del Bierzo 42.606453, -6.80930442°36’23” N 6°48’33” W
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Villafranca Del Bierzo
2022年10月7日, スペイン ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
Day 34 - walked 32 kms from Molinaseca to Villafranca. Passed through the town of Ponferrada, I didn’t realize it was such a nice town with the ancient (Knights of the) Templar Castle, church and fortifications. I will have to return to this town next time and spend a couple of days here.
It was a beautiful walk through vineyards with mountains in the back, but didn’t leave early enough so was walking in the hot afternoon. It hadn’t rained for many weeks so the ground was dry and dusty. Got into the beautiful town of Villafranca quite late in the evening and clouds had rolled in and there was some dramatic thunder. I had booked a room in a Hostal that used to be a monastery, very austere but full of character. My Aussie friends Rod and Jamie invited me to visit the cathedral and then (3) drinks but as soon as I was about to leave the Hostal, it started to rain hard. So I didn’t get to do any sight seeing at all! Just a lot of wine and food! Villafranca will also have to be visited again!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 🦋
2022/10/08返信する
旅行者 So meta…morphological.
2022/10/09返信する
旅行者 The original extraction juicer. I spent 5 minutes reading the Spanish and trying to translate before I noticed they had kindly done a Google translation on the right. 😀
2022/10/09返信する
旅行者 ♥️
2022/10/11返信する
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日40
2022年10月9日日曜日
☁️ 21 °C
海抜: 665 m
スペイン Tríacastela 42.75544, -7.24302342°45’20” N 7°14’35” W
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O’Cebreiro and Triacastela
2022年10月9日, スペイン ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Day 35 O’Cebreiero and day 36 Triacastela - Left Villafranca early for the 18 mile walk to O’Cebreiro. The last 10 kms of the route was one of the steepest, second only to the climb over the Pyrenees at the beginning of the Camino, but there were some stunning views along the Varcace valley that could not be captured by camera - although I tried. The valley is steep and narrow and heavily wooded with pine and chestnut so quite shady. Some of it reminded me of walks in Uttrakhand. Half way up the climb I stopped at a cute (and very welcome) restaurant for a fabulous meal and made the mistake of having a glass beer - bad choice because I still had a significant climb! Ran into the Aussies when I was at the tail end of the climb. Passed a pleasant half hour chatting while herds of cows passed right behind us. And then on to destination for the night.
O’Cebreiero is a very cute town that apparently used to be a dairy village and is now a tourist hotspot. Ran into my friend from Vermont - Ginny, and had dinner with her. Somewhere along the way she had taken a bus to catch up. I also ran into Josh who has moved to Burgos from Florida. His wife had done the Camino several years ago and loved it so much that she decided to move here. She teaches English at a local primary school.
Today, day 36, was similar with hilly terrain, there were some steep climbs and descents with a final steep descent into Triacastela. I walked for a while with the Aussies and Dr Steve and had dinner with a bunch of friends. It’s a small town and all the pilgrims had gathered outside this one restaurant that had seating all along the road.
Tomorrow I’ll be in Sarria - from there it’s just 100 kms to Santiago!!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Beautiful!!
2022/10/09返信する
旅行者 Beautiful tree! It’s sad we lost these to the blight here in the states
2022/10/10返信する
旅行者you are really pepping it up. i guess just 5 more walking days to Santiago.
2022/10/10返信する
旅行者 The craftsmanship. It’s sad how American is such a throwaway society.
2022/10/10返信する
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日41
2022年10月10日月曜日
☁️ 19 °C
海抜: 429 m
スペイン Fafián 42.775826, -7.4024542°46’33” N 7°24’9” W
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Sarria
2022年10月10日, スペイン ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Day 37 - The much anticipated rain started early morning. It was light so I set out fairly early. Somewhere along the way my Aussie friends caught up with me and I raced along with them and made it to Sarria in about 5.5 hours - a distance of about 13 miles, initially a climb and then a decent. Some parts of the walk were very reminiscent of the areas around Devanya in Uttrakhand. There was a very cute artists studio in the middle of nowhere that looked like the old stone buildings in Devanya.
Did I mention that the number of pilgrims has increased by at least five fold. There are now hoards of loud people looking fresh and clean-clothed. People that started the Camino a few towns before Sarria. Gone is the peace and quiet we old timers are used to. There are lines at all the cafes. Luckily, since the lot of us that started at the beginning have gotten fitter over the days and miles - we can race past them. And if we start early, we can be ahead of the crowds.
As we approached Sarria the rain picked up and we dashed into a coffee shop to warm up a bit. I then ran a few errands and stopped for a bite. As happens on the Camino - sometimes you keep running into the same people. This German guy Carsten, to whom I had once remarked that I see him at least once a day, walked in just as I was finishing a huge hamburger and was on my second beer. So I chatted with him at this warm friendly bar while waiting for my friend Ginny who had organized the apartment we are sharing tonight.
Given the hoards, it’s getting harder to find places to stay, so we sat down this evening and planned and booked shared facilities till Santiago - Hurrah!もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Beautiful!
2022/10/10返信する
旅行者 What an amazing location. Realize it’s the same building from the previous photo ❤️
2022/10/10返信する
旅行者 🤣 I’m throwing away my pedometer.
2022/10/10返信する
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日42
2022年10月11日火曜日 14:11
⛅ 20 °C
海抜: 389 m
スペイン Portomarín 42.806877, -7.61769342°48’25” N 7°37’4” W
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Portomarin
2022年10月11日, スペイン ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Day 38 - Yesterday I had gotten a bit wet in the rain and my shoes had gotten completely soaked! So in Sarria I found a pilgrim equipment shop and looked for shoes similar to what I was wearing. I didn’t find those , but I found a pair of comfortable Keen sandals. I wore those today and they seemed to work fine on the slopes. It was another beautiful walk today, about 14 miles in my brand new Keens. Initially there were hoards of people - because remember I told you that a lot of people join at or near Sarria ? So I walked really fast to get ahead - practically running at times. This paid off and about 6 miles into it I was able to pass most of them and find a wonderful cafe for lunch - a cafe that didn’t have lines. Then stopped in Vilacha, the village just before Portomarin and had a beer at this really cute villa with a courtyard. The owner is Italian and this is his summer home and he runs a bar-cafe. In the winter he lives in A Coruña, a coastal town. I’m quite fascinated by people that have moved from other countries to Spain…and at the same time it amazes me that more people are not moving here. 😀
Oh and I forgot to mention that it’s my birthday today and my two friends Ginny and Steve took me out to a fancy dinner. They also got me a gift - a silver chain and pendant with a Camino shell. ( Yes Anand, I did get an unexpected gift).もっと詳しく
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旅行者Happy birthday, my intrepid mommmmyyyy 🎉🎂🥳
2022/10/11返信する
旅行者 Beautiful!
2022/10/11返信する
旅行者 Beautiful!
2022/10/11返信する
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