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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    112116 C Danzas de Muerte frescoes, uncovered in the 70s during a restoration of the chapel.21According to Google, the American crab is an invasive species here.

    Plan B for the day

    2. Juni in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Lots of rain, thunder, and lightning, from late afternoon yesterday in Ruesta and almost nonstop until I arrived in Javier/Xavier after 18 km (and about 400 m) of either walking in mud or in streams of water. But once you are totally wet, you don’t get any wetter.

    I slept really well, and didn’t even hear the French woman who gets up to walk every morning at four. Don’t ask me why. At 6, someone’s alarm went off, and after coffee in the common area, three of us set out together at 7. It was nice having company for the first 11 km, where the Camino split off from the road to the Javier castle. My hotel is right across from the castle, and the people are so nice. Family owned and family run. Even though it was only 1130, I was up in my room in no time.

    Everything was soaked, and I rejoiced in my private room with bath. Albergues on rainy days are quite the challenge. When I went to charge my phone, a notice popped up, saying that the connection was wet. And that it couldn’t be charged. That freaked me out, but within a couple of hours it was fine and has recharged.

    The rain stopped while I went to visit the castle, which is the birthplace of Saint Francis Xavier, founder of the Jesuits. Supposedly born inside the castle. There is now a basilica built into the wall of the castle, and every year there is a pilgrimage (the Javierada) with 5-7,000 people arriving on foot. I didn’t know that St. Francis spent the last 11 years of his life as a missionary in Japan, China, and India. He died and is buried in Goa. While I was visiting the castle, a group of Japanese tourists came through and they explained that this was a very important visit for Japanese Catholics.

    After my castle visit, I pivoted to Plan B. I had hoped to walk a 12 km loop to a spot called Peña del Adiós. But the rain started and stopped several times while I was getting my wikiloc tracks downloaded on my phone. The forecast is for rain all afternoon, though I’m sure it won’t be continuous. The woman in the hotel knows the trail and says it will be pure mud and flooded in many spots. She suggested I walk down to the pueblo, where there is a canal walk with a gravel path that extends for several kilometers out into the forest.

    I had a great goat cheese salad in the hotel restaurant, took a long walk on the canal and around town, and I have just stuffed my shoes with newspaper on the hope that they will be a little drier in the morning. I’m not going to look at the weather forecast, but I will send lots of strong cyber hopes for decent weather.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    2
    1112121112

    Anarchism is alive and well

    1. Juni in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I woke up this morning to see that one weather app predicted 90% chance of rain in the morning, and the other had a low prediction of rain starting at 8 PM. And in the distance, I heard thunder.

    But the rain held off. It was a pretty flat walk, with no more than 300 m elevation spread over 28 km. Just one stiff up and down to a Hill town in the middle of the stage. It was very humid, but thankfully the sun was behind a lot of cloud cover, because there was very little shade.

    I’m in an albergue in the town of Ruesta. Or better said, the ruins of a town. When the Río Aragón was dammed to make a big reservoir, this was one of the several towns expropriated. But after all the residents had been relocated, the plans apparently changed, because the water does not reach up this far.

    The Camino had to be rerouted when the reservoir was built, and this empty town became the perfect spot for an albergue. The government turned it over to the.CGT, an anarchist workers’ union. They reformed a few of the houses for the albergue and restaurant, but the rest is just falling down. I walked up to the 11th century tower, where the Moors were beaten back.There’s a nice view of the reservoir from that spot, and a good vantage point to see all the ruins of what used to be a lively village.

    The albergue is the only game in town, so here I am. I’m in a room with one French woman, two Spanish men, and a French man. Two of the three men tell me they snore a lot. I guess I will try the earplugs, but I am resigned to a long night of little sleep.

    The food is surprisingly good in the restaurant, and I have had a big three course meal.

    There are three other rooms filled with pilgrims, but I am the only English speaker. Lots of French and Spanish, and one Argentine guy who works in Spain.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    11I apparently have not yet gotten the hang of the selfie angle.2221

    Short day to Arres

    31. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    The typical Spanish breakfast underwent a sea change about 15 years ago. Tostada, toasted bread, is still the most common food item. They still serve it with butter and jam, but olive oil and chopped tomatoes is almost always on offer. The puréed sauce I had this morning was delicious. For years, pan con tomate has been a staple Catalán breakfast, but it has spread nationwide and is very delicious. It is even more delicious when there’s a piece of good jamón serrano on top.

    It was hot today, but there were a couple of bars open for cold drinks. The bars had lots of people this morning because there was a cyclist ride through the mountains — 3000 cyclists riding 150 km from Huesca and back. Some of the guests at my little hotel last night were put off, because they would not be able to get on the road for several hours in the morning. But it didn’t affect the two walking pilgrims. We didn’t walk on the road where the race took place, but we frequently crossed it and sometimes could see it from above. They shouted Buen Camino to me when we coincided, and I shouted “ánimo” back to them.

    No matter how short the day, if it’s hot at the end and there’s a climb, I’m going to feel it. Walking into the little bar in this cute hillside town felt almost as good as walking into the restaurant yesterday after one of the hardest walks I’ve ever done!

    There is a very iconic albergue in this town, and I got my sello. This was changeover day so there were 4 hospitaleros and 4 people sleeping there. I joined in for the tour of the church, which has a very rare 16C baptismal font — square!

    I slept in the albergue about eight years ago and very much enjoyed the hospitality and the camaraderie, but when I hit 70, I decided it was time to leave the albergues to the next generation. But all of us who walk owe a great debt to the organization that runs this albergue, HOSVOL. They are dedicated volunteers who fight to preserve the best of the camino. If I can stay awake for two more hours, I will go to watch the sunset with all of them.

    Tomorrow’s forecast says rain, but not till noon. I’ll have to walk early.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    1111

    Jaca to Santa Cruz through Atarés

    30. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    One of my hardest walking days ever. I left Jaca at 6:30 and got to my little hotel in Santa Cruz at about 3:30. I spent a good two hours at the monastery, getting an ice cold Aquarius in the new monastery, and then gawking and admiring the old monastery. When I picked up my backpack at the ticket office to start walking again, the two staff wanted to ask me what life under Trump was like. That led to a half hour of animated discussion, disbelief, and commiseration.

    I did finally leave the monastery at about two. It took me an hour and a half to walk 4 km. It was steep, and Rocky, though not dangerous. I just went slowly. But I was wiped out when I got here. The restaurant was closing and they would squeeze me in, but the thought of eating a meal in my stinky sweaty clothes without a shower was more than I could bear.

    But in addition to being one of the hardest days, it was also one of the most beautiful. Views of what’s left of snow in the Pyrenees, lots of shade in the forests, lots of babbling streams, but the trail was very tough. Not so much for its steepness, though it was steep, as for all the rocks and the erosion made by torrential rains this winter. Lots of “ hopping“ across streams on slippery rocks, which more often than not wound up with me getting one or both feet in the water. But I am not complaining, it was glorious.

    In Atarés, more or less the halfway point, as I was checking my phone to see what a Forum friend had recommended I do when I got to a river crossing, all of a sudden my phone went berserk. My wikiloc tracks disappeared, and somehow I called the facility where Joe is living. I had a moment of panic until I realized that I was the one who had made the call, and they were not calling me. I had a nice little chat with the nurse who said all is well, and on I went.

    I was really dreading the rocky descents, but yesterday in a WhatsApp with a forum member who is a few days ahead of me, he mentioned how he uses a patella strap under his kneecap. The last time I had bad knee troubles, I used a compression knee brace, but it didn’t help and I think made things worse. So last night I ran to the pharmacy and bought one, and Eureka! My wonky knee is in good shape even after so many rocky and steeply descending kilometers.

    Tomorrow I have a very short day, about 16 or 17 km, so I am going to stay and have breakfast in the hotel at eight, and start walking around nine. Unheard of for me. The temperatures are supposed to be in the high 30s/low 90s, so a late start might not make much sense. But the idea of sleeping in and having a real breakfast is too good to pass up right now!

    The little town that I’m in, Santa Cruz de la Serós, is the site of a convent that was affiliated with the monastery up in the mountains. Since it’s a horribly rocky four kilometer path between these two places, I’m not sure how much contact they actually had. But Santa Cruz has its own beauty of a Roman church and is perfectly situated with mountains on several sides.

    I am soaking my feet in the river, and will stay up past my usual bedtime, because the restaurant in the hotel doesn’t open until 8:30.

    My wikiloc tracks are in two separate pieces, but the total is about 25 km with 1000 m up and 1000 m down.

    https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/catedral-…

    https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/atares-mo…    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    21211

    Into Jaca

    29. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    25 km with almost nothing but descents— awful for my knees!

    There were some beautiful parts, some so-so parts, and some sunny and kind of barren parts. Basically the camino follows the river and meanders up and around to a couple of cute towns. I’m in the very pretty little town of Jaca, with its cathedral, Vauban fort, and a couple of Romanesque churches.

    I had a weird encounter when I was walking through a wooded section with lots of criss-crossing hiking and biking trails. A cyclist came up a hill towards me, and when we were about a block away, he got off his bike and started tinkering around with his gears. Then he pulled his bike over to the side of the trail and flipped it so that it was perpendicular to me and the trail. I thought that was kind of weird, and when his hand went to the waistband of his cycling shorts, I said in a loud voice: “que sepas que voy a gritar.” (Just so you know, I’m going to shout/scream.). He hopped on his bike and off he went! This has happened to me 6-8 times on Caminos over the years, but this was the first time I was able to stop it from happening!

    Then, just a few kilometers further on, a man was just standing on the side of the trail. I thought it was a really bad luck day for me. But when I got closer, I saw he had an apple in his mouth, a water bottle in one hand, and a phone in the other. I felt pretty confident that I didn’t need to shout.

    We’re starting a three day heat wave, so I will be leaving early tomorrow.

    My tracks for the day:
    https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/canfranc-…    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    126151415

    A beautiful walk into Spain!

    28. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I am so ecstatic and very relieved to write that I made it and loved it, landslides and all. I left at 6:30, and at 11, I was in Spain. For me, the much harder part was the descent to Canfranc Estación. All downhill, half as many kms, and it took me more,than two hours. I have to be really careful with my knees, stepping sideways most of the time. I go very slowly.

    The walk was glorious. Cool and sunny, what could be better than that! The ascent was steady, but not so steep that it felt like climbing stairs. Just a good continuous ascent. The path goes through lots of old farmsteads, which are now abandoned, through lots of forest, and when you break out into a meadow— there are the Pyrenees right in front of you!

    Until about a week ago, the recommendation was to take the first five kilometers along the road, because of landslide damage. The damage is still there, but a Camino Angel has painted green blazes on the rocks to take you through the most manageable parts. It was very slow going for me, even though someone who had gone through a week before said it was “very easy.” I’m guessing he wasn’t in his 70s. But I didn’t fall, or have any bad slips, so I was feeling good.

    When I got to one of the meadows before the pass, I saw a man poking around in the grass with a stick. We said buenos días (even though I was still in France), and it turns out he lives nearby and comes to this area to hunt for setas (wild mushrooms, which I love). He explained how he finds them—it involves finding a spot with a slight ridge that allows the grass to grow high, and the setas will be hiding underneath. He told me that his nose is so well trained that he can smell them now, but it is definitely at the end of the season so he didn’t have any to show me.

    At the Spanish border, I did meet another peregrino. He has been walking for weeks and says there are never more than two or three others at the albergues. So I don’t expect to find too many more.

    Confession time- I had decided that if I arrived late in the day at Canfranc Estación, I would just go to one of the hotels in town. But that if I arrived early enough, I would see what the rates were at the fancy place in the old train station. My starting point in these situations is the price we paid two years ago in high summer season at a Best Western on the interstate near Aspen. Our flight to Denver had been delayed, we couldn’t make it to our vacation rental, and we were lucky to find a place to sleep. I thought the price was highway robbery, so if I come across an exceptional place in that same price range, I figure it’s a bargain. So in I went. It is a very beautiful place in the restored train station.

    The food in their café (not their 1* Michelin restaurant) is fine and reasonably priced. I’ve had ice delivered to my room for my knees, I’ve wrung out my clothes in the thickest towels I’ve ever had on the Camino, so I am in pretty good shape.

    The station itself has a very interesting history. It was started in the mid 1800s, with the idea of opening the border with France. France, however, was not interested. But finally in the early 1900s, a treaty was signed with France to make the tunnel and the connection happen. But then came the first world war, and then came the Spanish Civil War.

    When Lee and I walked the Aragonés, more than a decade ago, the station was in total ruins. We were able to walk all around and poke into different nooks and crannies. It was kind of creepy. We learned that several years earlier, a French taxi driver, who was obsessed with this station, had found a huge cache of documents, corroborating the then rumor that this had been the way in which Germans had sent through tons and tons of gold seized from the Jews. From there, the gold made it to the marketplace, where it bought arms for the Germans, thanks to Franco’s help. And here it is today, a fancy hotel.

    Here are wikiloc tracks for the day:

    https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/urdos-to-…    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Another travel day

    27. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    One more day before I will finally start to walk. I don’t think I’ve ever taken this long to get to my starting point!

    Today started with a bus ride to Jaca. Two more bus rides to get (FINALLY) to Urdos. I went to the tourist office to check up on the schedule for the second bus to France. She told me that I would have a two hour wait in Canfranc station and not get to France until after five. A friend from the forum had told me about a good Taxi, so I sent a WhatsApp and got a reasonable quote.

    I have wanted to visit the Art Museum in the Cathedral since I last walked through Jaca and had found it closed for a holiday. Like the museum in Barcelona, it houses Romanesque frescoes from several rural churches. This involved the “strappo” technique— if I understood the information panels correctly, some kind of dampened linen was spread over the painting, and then somehow they lift it up, move it, and reapply it to the new wall. This sounds very complicated.

    Even though I will be back here in a few days, I decided to seize the opportunity and visit the museum. There were some amazing frescoes One originally had four rows of paintings on the church walls, depicting the life of Christ in chronological order. There were also some beautiful Romanesque virgins with child.

    I arrived in the small town of Urdos, which now has two closed hotels and one small open hotel. There is also a pilgrims’ Albergue, but I opted for the hotel. I did get my first stamp, and also met the man who runs the the pilgrims’ gite, along with the man who is taking it upon himself to remark the route after last year’s landslides. They tell me it is all walkable now, no need to take a detour on the extremely narrow road. For that, I am very grateful.

    I am a bit nervous about tomorrow, to tell the truth. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have such a rough day on the first day of walking, but I really wanted to “cross the Pyrenees” (ok, I know that’s hyperbolic). The sign says it’s four hours 20 minutes and 12.5 km to the mountain pass at the border. What they don’t tell you is that it’s also 1000 m up! I doubt I will get there in four hours and 20 minutes, but I’m not in a rush. A Forum friend who just walked this route a few days ago told me that I would want to stop to take a picture every few steps anyway. Looks like good weather, fingers crossed.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    Inside the post office
    11My hotel--I'm a sucker for these places in old buildings!124

    Day of errands

    26. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    The historic center of Zaragoza, like most Spanish cities, is defined by narrow maze-like streets. It’s always fun to see that the journey between two places on Google maps is much shorter for walkers than for cars.

    Errands usually require going out into the more modern parts. I plotted out a route that included the post office, the Vodafone store (SIM card for cell phone), groceries, and a pharmacy. Not only did I need to buy my favorite sunscreen, which is only sold in pharmacies, but I realized this morning that I had left my thyroid medication at home. The trips to the post office, grocery, and the Vodafone store were fun and uneventful. But the Pharmacy…

    In days gone by, I could always get prescription drugs without a prescription. I never asked for anything outrageous, and I’m sure the pharmacist just believed my story. But this year, I had quite the adventure. After three or four pharmacies, one suggested that I go to a clinic, see a doctor, and get another prescription . I tried several, but no luck. For one, I needed an insurance card, for another, it would have to be tomorrow. The third, the public urgencias, was mobbed. I am a very lucky peregrina, because I decided to go to one more pharmacy just for the heck of it. And I was lucky! The pharmacist told me that any doctor was going to have to just take my word for it (tests would show a normal thyroid), so she decided that she could too. I told her repeatedly that I did not want to put her at risk, but she assured me there was no problem. I learned later that if she gets caught, it will be a €3000 fine. I am sure inspections are much more frequent in the big cities, so if this happens again, I will make sure to go to a pharmacy in a small town!

    This is a beautiful city. Lots of pretty plazas, tons of cafés. In one, there was a lovely display of “Jotas de Flores” — figurines, decked out in flowers, each one posed in a step of the traditional Aragonés jota. I ate my lunch outside in a tree-filled square in a very cute place. How lucky am I?

    Even with the help of the very nice guys at reception, I have been unable to buy a bus ticket to Jaca for tomorrow. That meant another trip back to the intermodal Station (the ticket office for the bus was closed on Sunday morning). I probably would have been fine buying the ticket on the bus, but it was only a 45 minute walk each way. Yesterday I walked 13 miles according to my phone, and today I was at a paltry 6, so I needed to up my game!

    On the way back, I walked along the river, which was really nice, and then met up with a Forum member for a coffee in late afternoon. Lots of great Camino Chatter and instant connections. It was a great day. I’m sitting out in the main Square watching the people and eating a pizza. Tomorrow, I hope to make it to my starting point
    In France.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    Atocha train station
    Cibeles1DEI in Spain 😁Tío Pepe has movedPlaza Mayor1Aljafería Palace5Roman walls2Basílica del PilarRoman water channelsRoman theater

    In Zaragoza

    25. Mai in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I arrived in Madrid at 5:30 this morning, and by 6:30 I was in Atocha Station. Since I couldn’t change to an earlier train, I had a couple of hours to walk around the center. I walked a loop — past the Prado, Retiro Park, Cibeles, Sol, Plaza Mayor. The city was showing the results of a long Saturday night, with lots of alcohol-related trash, and a fair number of inebriated people sitting on the curb or stumbling along. In some small plazas, the botellones (BYOB outdoor gatherings) were still going strong.

    The train to Zaragoza left exactly at 9:27 and arrived about 7 minutes early. As I was walking into the center, I passed what I knew must be the Moorish palace turned regional legislature and offices. It was open for a visit, so I hopped in line, paid my two euro senior citizen fee and enjoyed a walk around. Since it is currently being used for offices and meetings, the restoration may have been a little aggressive. But some of the rooms have that delicate lacy stonework, and the mihrab is pretty much intact.

    My hotel is very close to the basilica, which commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Santiago in 40 A.D. I dropped my backpack off at about 12:30 and spent the next couple hours walking around the historic center — visiting the Roman sites (Forum, baths, and theater), admiring a couple of mudéjar churches, and walking along the river. Since it’s Sunday, there are tons of people out and about, walking, sitting in plazas, drinking vermouth, playing with their children.

    I’ve showered and washed my clothes, had a cold drink in a plaza, and am now holding my eyes open so that I can stay awake till 7 or 8 and then hope for a good night’s sleep. Since no self respecting Spanish restaurant will serve a meal at 6 PM, I am just going to get a salad in the hotel. And then –SLEEP!    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds
    2

    Flight to Spain

    24. Mai in den USA ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I’m in Charlotte, soon to board the flight for Madrid. My backpack got pulled for inspection at TSA. But it was the baggie of instant coffee and not the hiking poles that caused concern. After they tested it for explosives, I went right through. Everything went fine till we landed in Charlotte and found we were trapped on the jet bridge. The magnetic door stopped working and wouldn’t recognize the employees’ PIN numbers. When we finally were released, I started to get into that relaxed, copacetic, camino mindset.

    I walked my first Camino in 2000, to celebrate my 50th birthday and to prove to myself that I was not going to slide into decrepitude without a fight.

    25 years later, I’ve walked a Camino almost every year, and I’ve hit another major marker. 75 years old, entering the 4th quarter. I look forward to my annual Caminos, revel in the self-sufficiency, the solitude, the physical challenge, the natural beauty, the ancient architecture, and I wanted to make this year special. So I’ve decided on a route with a lot of mountains. But I knew I should have a Plan A and a Plan B. There’s no doubt my body is not what it used to be, but I don’t want to give up on myself either. I wanted to have a Camino with lots of mountains, but I am not so sure about my ability to climb them! So…

    I have spent many hours researching routes, mountains, alternative routes, castles, monasteries, and alternative routes to the alternative routes. I have good information, good GPS tracks and I can make decisions based on how my body actually feels when I’m walking. If I can’t do it all, I won’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

    Based on last year’s Camino and some Camino walking in Lisbon in October, I am fairly optimistic that a good day for me is 28-30 kms with 600-800 m elevation. We will see what I find out when I start walking, though!

    I am going to start in France, in a town called Urdos, which is one day over the border and gives me a good mountain day into Spain. From there, the Camino Aragonés (hopefully with a few detours for castles and monasteries) to Pamplona, and from there on the Camino Viejo till I get to the point where I will hopefully cut things a little short to go meet my son and grandson in Oviedo. I am approaching this entire Camino with the open mind of wait and see and don’t push yourself.

    Only one more plane ride to go, the long one! Tomorrow, I hope to sleep in Zaragoza.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCaminos Aragonés and ViejoLaurie Reynolds

    Camino 2025 starts tomorrow

    23. Mai in den USA ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Tomorrow morning I will start out for Spain. From Madrid, I’ll take a train to Zaragoza. I’ve decided to spend a full day there, just to decompress a bit before walking. The last time I was in Zaragoza, walking on the Ruta del Ebro, I had been bitten by bed bugs and spent my afternoon washing clothes, spraying the bag, fun things like that. So it will be nice to have a rest day there, though I know I will be chomping at the bit to get walking!

    For more than 20 years, I have used the same horribly banged up and now filthy backpack. It is no longer made, but it is the pack I adore. I bought a new Osprey a few years ago, but at the last minute just didn’t want to change. So it has been sewn, duct-taped, and re-sewn. BUT — thanks to my sister, I got an unused, spanking new Mountainsmith Ghost pack on E-bay. The $100 price was a steal!

    Tomorrow off I go with a new pack, but an old body. More than on any other Camino so far, I am acutely aware of my aging body and uncertain about how it will perform. I have followed along with other peregrinos in my age bracket and know that flexibility and acceptance are the coin of the realm. The important thing for me is to be on the Camino, and if I can’t go as far as I hoped, so be it.

    Off tomorrow on a 6:00 am flight from Champaign.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    4

    Last day in Santiago?

    16. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The question mark is there because Iberia workers have announced a partial work stoppage at the Santiago airport for today and tomorrow. In my opinion, it is totally justified. The nearby airport in Vigo is closed for runway repairs. Many of the flights have been diverted to Santiago, but there has been no increase in staffing by the big cheeses at Iberia. The workers are stressed and overworked, and they are only asking for more help to be brought on. It looks like there have been some concessions made, and today’s strike apparently only involved the cancellation of three flights. So I am mildly optimistic that my flight will go tomorrow morning as scheduled to Madrid.

    I’m glad to have had this day here, because I did have a lot of last-minute shopping to do. I was also able to have a nice long coffee with Ivar (who owns the Santiago internet forum). And I enjoyed having more time with Faith in the Pilgrim House. It always seems like I need her help. A few years ago she helped me take a Covid test online. In spite of how stressful it was, it did get me onto the plane! Another year she gave me a pair of walking sticks for me to take to Finisterre because my Z poles had broken. This year she brought me some duct tape to try to piece together the fraying fabric on my 24-year-old backpack. I was afraid that some of the baggage handling equipment might catch one of the little holes and just rip the whole pack open. Imagine how happy I was when an Australian pilgrim offered to undertake the repair job. She obviously knew what she was doing.

    The afternoon has been kind of flat, just wrapping olive oil in bubble wrap, packing up, and the very last of my shopping. It’s not that I get a lot, it’s just that I’m very indecisive and take way too long to figure out important questions like which T-shirts to get which grandkids. And I decided to go back to my favorite bean and spices place, as well as the cheese store down the street. So I have a lot to take home! For those who like beans, this place has a huge selection of beans all from Spain. Lentils, white beans, and the garbanzos that I just love. The cheese store is owned by the cheese maker, so I always like to buy few of their really good Gallego cheeses. Unlike one of my dear Camino friends, I am not a fan of the tetilla cheese, but I tasted a few others and got some really good ones today. One I especially liked was a blue cheese that was not quite as creamy as La Peral (my all-time favorite Asturian cheese), but was yummy. End of food tutorial.

    I can’t believe it was five weeks ago that I arrived in Spain. These Camino walks are so medicinal (in a good way). Though my body is definitely tired, and I know it was time to stop walking, it’s a positive high-five-giving kind of exhaustion.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    2

    A few nighttime updates

    15. Mai 2024 in Spanien

    Who could ever tire of walking around Santiago at night? So beautiful.

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    2

    In Santiago

    15. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Well, today I got a 6am bus from Muxia back to Santiago. From 8 am till 8 pm, I was on the move. I’ve just sat down in a vegetarian restaurant, and the food looks fabulous. It’s called A Porta Verde, and I will let you know.

    I have walked all over town, visited the Pórtico de la Gloria (I knew that photography was prohibited in the Pórtico, but I thought it was OK in the Gelmirez Palace —after innocently taking pics of some of my favorite civil Romanesque carving, I was told it was prohibido but that I could keep the fotos), I went to Ivar’s office, I’ve started my olive oil purchasing (yikes, have prices risen!), I got my compostela (no wait in the pilgrims office at about 6 PM, after more than 2000 compostelas had been issued), bought bubble wrap, went to my favorite frutería, and have met three forum members in different places. Not necessarily in that order.

    The one sad event came in the late morning. I went up to the market and headed straight for my favorite little booth selling lots of canned Galician products — sardines, bonito (a special tuna), etc. The place was locked up. I asked the butcher in the next stall if she knew anything about the owners. I had met them about 15 years ago, and I went there every time I came to Santiago. About 10 years ago, the woman told me that her husband had dementia, and I got regular updates every time I got to Santiago. The butcher told me that the husband has died and that the woman has gone to A Coruña to live. No more Conservas de Galicia.

    My pictures are for my peregrino friends who will recognize all the spots, except for maybe my favorite frutería, where I got 4 clementinas and 4 mandarinas for 65 céntimos.

    P.s. I am eating my wok bowl and it is very good. Lots of vegetables and great seasoning.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    111

    In Muxia

    14. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    I have walked from Finisterre to Muxia (or the reverse) at least 5 times. 30 km, 600m. This time it was hard. The ascent at the end was a killer for me. If I’m lucky enough to walk this route again, I will split those 30 km in half. The little town of Lires, which used to have one old pensión and café, has had a small camino explosion.

    The weather was fine, with a little drizzle as I left and a few drops as I arrived. But nothing in between. I took a detour to the Lires beach, hoping the bar would be open, but it wasn’t. So I sat on a bench, looking out at the beautiful water, chomping on some nuts and drinking water, instead of my longed-for Fanta de Limón.

    I wasn’t feeling particularly social when I arrived, and after a good lunch alone of sea bass and razor clams, I walked out to the church on the rocky point. It’s a spectacular setting. The waves were ferociously pounding on the rocks and the tide was so high it would have been dangerous to walk out on any of them like I usually do. So I just sat, with the wind blowing like crazy and contemplated. The end of another walk —it always happens. No profound revelations after this month of walking, just a sense that life is good and that I am extremely lucky to have been able to walk another beautiful camino.

    It’s raining here and it looks like sunset will happen behind a thick veil of clouds. But I’m not disappointed because this has been a really full camino.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    34

    To Finisterre

    13. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    This was thankfully a very short day of walking. About 15 km. Every step in the rain. I left at about 7:30 and I just kept walking till I got here. I was very much hoping to be able to see the coastline. Except for my very first Camino, I have always walked into Finisterre from Muxia. The main reason I chose to walk into Finisterre first this time was to have that nice long walk along the beach. I got that long walk along the beach, but I wouldn’t describe it as nice. Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be.

    I had no idea what time it was when I rang the bell of my small hotel. It’s a family run place, and the owner was there cleaning rooms. In spite of the sign on the door that said check in at 4 PM, she very kindly looked at her books and said I could go up to a room she had just cleaned. But, she said, I’m sorry that that the bathroom floor will still be wet. I burst out laughing, since I was a walking puddle, and after a few minutes of a puzzled look, she too burst out laughing.

    It seems odd that after hours of walking in the rain, standing under a shower is the thing that appeals the most. But unlike when you’re walking, the water is hot, and when you step out of the shower, you have a towel to dry off, and dry clothes to put on!

    One of the reasons I had decided to do such a short stage today was because I had wanted to go up on the “back roads“ to the lighthouse. There are some sacred rocks, which apparently cured infertility, and also the ruins of a hermitage from early Christianity. I was just about to accept the offer of a nice lunch with a few people I had met, when the sky suddenly seemed a bit brighter. Feeling lucky, I decided to go up to the lighthouse instead.

    If you can believe it, there were about three hours of glorious sunshine. I was able to walk the entire planned 10 km loop. When I got back to town, the sky was dark once again. I was very very lucky. I am not going to push my luck and will forego the chance of a decent sunset.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1

    To Cee

    12. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    This was originally going to be a short day. 15 km. Down to the coast. Not much elevation. But yesterday afternoon, after hearing Michael, Flavia, and the hospitalero go on about how beautiful the waterfalls at Ézaro were, I did some Wikiloc searching. I found tracks that would take me from right where I was, past the Piedra Cabalgada again, to Ézaro’s ocean overlook from up high, down to the Falls, and then over to my original destination, of Cee. It added 10 km and a couple hundred meters of elevation to my original plan, but it was well worth it.

    I have now earned the Triple Crown of waterfalls on my Camino this year. This one has the distinction of being the only waterfall in Europe (or maybe in the world, but that’s not been confirmed) that falls directly into the sea. I was glad to arrive midmorning, because the eight parking spots for buses were empty, and only a handful of cars were in the lot. I sat on a rock, ate some frutos secos, drank water, and just listened and watched as the water crashed down. Very peaceful.

    The route was a lot of forest track, kms on some untraveled roads, a couple of kilometers through some dense woods, and only a few on a wide shoulder of a fairly busy highway. I really enjoyed it. In one small village, the woman who was getting her cows ready to be milked told me a story of emigration that fits perfectly in the statue I saw yesterday. She is trying to keep the family dairy farm going, but she says it is very hard work without a man, though she has a brother who helps out when he can.

    I’m in a small hotel in Cee, a coastal town at the head of an inlet. Its restaurant was pretty highly rated so I didn’t waste time walking around and looking at menus. My first zamburiñas in a long time! After lunch, I went down to the beach and small harbor and then decided to continue along the water to the next village, Corcubión. Since it is Sunday, there were a lot of families out and about.

    The weather today was cloudy and cool. Perfect for walking. I’m hoping the forecast for a few days of rain is wrong, but oh well.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    111113

    To Logoso (30 km, 550 m)

    11. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I knew I was getting a visit from Michael and Flavia at my destination, so that put some pep in my step. For the first four hours, we were engulfed in mist, so there wasn’t much to see. But the time went quickly because I was walking with a few different people.

    I had a coffee break in an albergue’s café, where I ran into Grigor from Slovenia. He was describing Some sort of NGO work he was doing, and then said “I am a lawyer.” I said “I am too!”. At the table over from us, someone shouted — oh no, I’m a criminal! Well, it was funny at the time.

    I had a nice long lunch with my good buddies, and afterwards we walked up to see the Pedra Cabalgada, which is a rock positioned so precariously on top of another rock that you can’t believe it won’t fall. But it hasn’t yet. We also walked down to the nice river and enjoyed catching up on the last two years since we had seen each other. All in all, very nice day.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    1

    Day 1 to Finisterre

    10. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I am feeling the effects of the advancing years. Every other time I’ve walked to the ocean, I’ve always stayed in a place about 4 km further than where I am today. It was a good idea to stop here, the Albergue Rectoral de Mamede. Private rooms are a bit pricier than I’ve encountered so far, but it’s nice, has hot water, a comfortable bed, and good places to hang the clothes outside to dry. My GPS shows 31 km and 800 m of ascent, so it wasn’t too shabby of a day.

    I left Santiago later than usual, almost 8 AM. This was because San Martin Pinario has a big buffet breakfast included in the Pilgrim price, so I thought I would take advantage and have some fruit salad, orange juice, toast with tomatoes and olive oil, it was glorious.

    I had not remembered the two pronounced climbs in today’s stage, but I will definitely remember them going forward. Another sign of advancing age! Thankfully, the last nine km were almost all shady, because the temperature was over 80 F (28 C) in the afternoon. Though that’s not extreme, it is hot to walk in the sun.

    One of the prettiest little villages anywhere on any Camino that I’ve seen is Ponte de Maceiras. An ancient bridge with a very full river, rushing underneath it, several old mills, an old church, and some beautiful stone houses. It’s always a good place to take off your shoes and soak your feet in the ice cold water. Someone had beat me to my favorite spot, but he graciously moved over so we could both fit.

    Leaving Negreira, I always stop at the sculpture dedicated to emigrants (Galicia had a huge number in the late 19th and early 20th century). I spend a few minutes sitting on a bench near there and thinking about all of the people in generations of my family who left their home country because of economic necessity. And that of course leads me to think about the millions of people who are suffering that same fate right now, for all sorts of reasons.

    There are lots of people walking to Finisterre. Predominant nationalities seem to be French, Italian, and US. There will be a group dinner for anyone who wanted to sign up, and since we are essentially in the middle of nowhere, I assume many will.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    12134

    Arrived in Santiago!

    9. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    I had a very short day today, less than 20 km, so I didn’t set an alarm and slept till after seven! By 8:00 I was on the way. Chatted with a lot of people, both people walking, and people out and about. As you get closer to a big city, you are bound to run into all sorts of people who are using the same space as you are to get to their own destinations. It’s sometimes a rude awakening to realize that not everyone who is out there is walking to Santiago! I had a particularly nice long chat with a woman who was planting potatoes. She had a daughter living in Illinois, but she was sure she would never go that far from home to see her. Luckily, her daughter comes back at least once a year.

    I was so happy to be able to finally visit the Colegiata de Sar, a beautiful 12C Romanesque church ear Santiago, which had buttresses added to keep it standing in the 14th or 15 century. The part of the cloister that remains is really beautiful, and I’m glad I got to see it. Free for pilgrims!

    This Camino crosses the bridge close to the spot where the terrible train accident happened. It’s been many years, but there are still memorials up there. So many lives at short.

    When I arrived in Santiago, it was pretty clear it was a holiday. Lots of music, a few parades, tons of people (but there’s nothing unusual about that). As I was watching a little band playing traditional Gallego instruments, I turned around to a tap on the back and saw it was Faith! We had a good long chat, and I’m thinking that on my return to Santiago, I may take her up on her offer of the Pilgrim House debrief. I’ve never done anything like that, but think it might be enlightening.

    Since I am leaving Santiago tomorrow to walk on to Finisterre and Muxia, today is more of a regular day than a celebratory ending. That will come in good time.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1
    11

    Mosteiro de Carboeiro

    8. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Promptly at 4:30, José Manuel picked me up. A very knowledgeable and garrulous man, he was not content to take me only to the monastery, but also took me to a huge pazo (estate) and several scenic lookout points. But for me, the prize was the monastery.

    I had the church all to myself, and it was beyond what I had imagined. So many intersecting and overlapping arches, the high vaults— it gave almost a gothic-y feeling of soaring space (sorry, I really don’t know what I’m talking about, but that was the impression it gave me). No human figures on the capitals, but lots of very intricate plant designs. I was very happy that I had spent a lot of time outside yesterday, and today my focus was just on the beautiful interior.

    I learned that Enrique Iglesias made a music video in this church, and it scandalized the church authorities. I watched it, and I have to say I am shocked. Since the monastery is owned by the government, the church had no input, but there was a lot of controversy

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m3We7p78XTo

    I am ending the day sitting out on the terrace of my Casa Rural, eating a good salad, and feeling very grateful.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    2

    Another day, another detour!

    8. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Pico Sacro (Sacred Peak) has an important role in the Saint James story. It is told that when the two disciples bringing St. James’s body from the holy land arrived in this part of the world, they spoke with La Reina Lupa. (a pagan queen). She told them to bring the body up to the top of Pico Sacro, with the nefarious plan that the dragon in residence would take care of the intruders. Thanks to divine intervention, however, the dragon was killed. Reina Lupa converted to Christianity and some say she is also buried in the cathedral in Santiago.

    I have seen Pico Sacro’s recognizable shape from afar many times and from different directions on different caminos. This was the year to get up to the top. Pico Sacro is only a few kilometers off this Camino. Once again, I am grateful for Wikiloc . I found a track that did not involve backtracking, but made for a perfect little bump out and back to the Camino route.

    The 360 views are pretty great, and I could definitely make out the Santiago Cathedral spires. I was surprised to have the place all to myself, but enjoyed a couple of mandarins and some nuts while sitting on a stone on the top and rotating to change the view every few minutes.

    From there to today’s destination was only a few kilometers. Since tomorrow is a big holiday in Santiago, I stocked up on a few groceries before heading to my Casa Rural. I did not know until last night that the Ascension is a huge deal fiesta in Santiago, second only to St. James’ day in July.

    The casa rural is a beautiful place, Casa De Casal. The home has been in the family for many generations, and Patrícia’s father and mother converted it into a Casa Rural. They have a huge amount of land, because her father had been a commercial flower seller, selling flowers to all the stores in the province. It’s a beautiful and very restful place. It’s not normally the case that I am showered and done with washing clothes by two, so I can enjoy the grounds in the sunshine and admire the many shades of green.

    16 km and 524 m of ascent. From one nice Casa Rural (Quinta das Maceiras) to another.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1

    A very full day to San Miguel de Castro

    7. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    There is a 12th century monastery about 6 km from the town where I stayed last night, the Mosteiro de Carboeiro. There is also a very popular waterfall (one of the two longest in Spain) about 6 km from the monastery. And with my favorite GPS website, Wikiloc, I was able to find a trail connecting the two.

    When I left town this morning, I wasn’t sure where I would end up. And those first 12 km, to the monastery and the waterfall, were just glorious. A couple of unexpected Romanesque churches along the road, a monastery in ruins at a bend in the river, and then the trail to the waterfall. With the amount of rain the past few days, the sound of rushing water was with me the whole way. And then the waterfall- just wow.

    After a snack and a long break watching the water come pouring down, I had to figure out what to do. With the help of Google maps I found a way to reconnect with the camino without going back to where I started. This put me in a good place to reserve a room in a casa rural that was about ten kms beyond where I had slept last night. So I am in the Quinta das Maceiras, in the little hamlet of San Miguel de Castro. I am only about 25 km from Santiago, but I am not going very far tomorrow. Because I very much want to visit the inside of the monastery, and it was closed today. So tomorrow I’ll walk a short stage and will get a taxi to take me back!

    This was one of those days that I had gauged correctly and ended with me being pretty well drained. I like that feeling —not total exhaustion and ready to drop, but overjoyed to arrive and take off my pack and shoes. 29 km and about 700 m are my new max!    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    11

    A gentle day of walking

    6. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    That’s about the best way to describe the 24 km, 300 m walk in the cool temps, partly sunny. It was just about perfect— leaving Lalín on the beautiful river walk, then merging onto the Camino Sanabrés in Laxe, finally seeing lots of others. I didn’t have rain or flooded paths, just long stretches of those Galician “green tunnels,” sometimes wide enough for a car to drive through, other times narrow and hemmed in by ancient moss covered stone walls.

    I had snippets of conversations with about 5 or 6 people — a yoga teacher from the US, a German banker, a very young Swiss pilgrim, and several members of a self-described “posh camino” group who are spared no luxury or comfort (and I am not being critical, really).

    The highlights of this stage for me are the 10 C Taboada bridge and the 13 C church nearby, with a carving of Samson killing the lion (though I think the story is that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands, not that he lanced him from on top of a horse). The weather was nice, so I was able to sit and enjoy both spots. Lots of lollygagging today!

    I have some wiggle room to play around with over the next few days since I did a couple of longer days than I had anticipated. It will be fun to figure out.    Weiterlesen

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  • Laurie ReynoldsVía Serrana and El InviernoLaurie Reynolds
    1131

    To Lalín — wet again!

    5. Mai 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I must be losing my strength — only 22 km and 350 m, and I was dragging and straggling by the time I got to Lalín at about 1:30. Part of the reason was no doubt the rain. Though it never got torrential, it was relentless. So much mud and water to navigate undoubtedly slowed me down, but I was surprised when Wikiloc told me it was only a 22 km stage

    In spite of the rain, this was a beautiful stage. The predominant color was green, and the predominant sounds were twofold – water and humming. The water came in all sorts of sounds — trickling, gurgling, rushing, roaring even. At one point I could see four different not-so-little lwaterfalls converging into a river, which was high and moving fast. In fact, some of the bridges I walked over were almost underwater.

    And the humming was the sound of the milking machines that came out of all of the dairy farms. I have never walked this stage without seeing at least one person leading cows to pasture. But today they were all being milked, I guess. I saw several milk collection trucks throughout the day, so that confirms my suspicion that everyone was getting milk ready for market.

    The weird display paying homage to Franco and Juan Carlos is still there, but gone are the many plasticized pages describing the owner’s lawsuit against someone, I was never sure if it was the government or a neighbor. Maybe it has been resolved.

    As I was coming into Lalín, I was remembering the excellent meal I had here years ago. And since it’s Sunday, I was expecting there to be all sorts of great options for a leisurely Sunday lunch. After I washed clothes and showered, I headed out in search of a good restaurant.

    Imagine my surprise (and disappointment) when I learned that every restaurant in Lalín booked for Mother’s Day lunch! I have found a decent tapas place, though, and I’m a happy camper.

    Everyone says it won’t rain tomorrow — may it be so.    Weiterlesen

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