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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Made it to Santiago

    June 30, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today was rainy off and on, but since the stage was so short I was able to sit out the occasional downpours in one cafe or another. So when I arrived in Santiago my feet were nice and dry. I really don't mind getting wet except for my feet. I have had a couple of days' walking this year when I really felt like I was walking on a sponge. It's not a lot of fun to take off your shoes and wring out your socks and then have to put them back on still sopping after the break. So let's just say I've been kind of a wimp these last few days.

    Ann and I both left around 7 with plans to meet at the cafe directly behind the Plaza San Lázaro. We walk at different paces on the hills, and I have learned that it is really annoying to someone slogging up a hill to know that her pal is waiting up at the top and will probably take off again as soon as the two have seen each other. So I thought I had plenty of time and wound up sitting inside during all the rain. That meant that poor Ann arrived about a half hour before me and though she's too nice to say it, she was probably a bit perturbed to have pushed on through the rain to "catch up with me."

    In any event I know we both enjoyed walking in together--with the endless stream of humanity pouring into Santiago, all strangers to us, the companionship was good.

    I have walked into Santiago many many times. Sometimes it's euphoria, sometimes flat, sometimes bummed out -- but this has to be the weirdest entrance ever. I knew the cathedral would be in scaffolding, but I wasn't prepared for the rest. As we went through the arches, the bagpipes were playing, but no sooner had we dropped our coins in appreciation than he closed up shop. Then as we entered the square, we saw lines of soldiers, and two tanks, I kid you not. Some sort of military celebration was taking place and we were just in time for the salutes, the marches, and the music. It was all very disconcerting.

    I had trouble finding a cheap room but booking.com led me out of the historic core to the "real" city. I'm in a very nice pension,28 €, about 12 minutes from the cathedral but in a very different world. I actually got a good menu del dia for 9 €, unheard of up in pilgrim-land.

    This afternoon Ann and I will go visit a German friend who lives in Santiago, and then tomorrow I'll start my last three days of walking.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Pedrouzo with thousands of others

    June 29, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I am glad I have slowed down to walk shorter stages, because that means that I have been able to stay with my three new friends from Madrid and Ann.

    The 20 km from Arzua were not the most spectacular but most was pretty countryside. There are now thousands of pilgrims, lots of Spaniards, lots of large groups of jubilant teens. And a few old coots like us who have been slugging along for weeks.

    I have managed to stay totally dry these last few days. Since I'm walking short stages and there are so many bars on the camino Francés, I've just popped into a bar or a bus stop shelter every time the rain started to fall.

    The town of Pedrouzo where we are today has a total of 2000 beds, and not one is empty. Crazy, what will happen in high season? Tomorrow into Santiago. Can't believe it.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Arzua

    June 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Well this was another uneventful day. I left the monastery at about 7:30, knowing I had only 21 km to walk and no big hills or descents. Feels kind of decadent since my earlier stages were so much longer and harder, but my body is kind of winding down and hinting that it wouldn't mind stopping.

    The day was windy and alternated between brilliant blue skies and short hard rain showers. We had the luxury and the luck of being right outside a bar for the first downpour and right next to a covered bus stop for the second. Right before we arrived in Arzua, it started again but by then we were just a hop, skip and a jump from town. The walk was pleasant enough through very typical Galician countryside--rolling hills, lots of green, very rural. Luckily there are still some parts of the walk that haven't been "improved" by the government. For some reason they pour crushed rock on lovely wooded trails and call it an improvement.

    Wow how this place has changed. When Dana and I stayed here in 2007, there was one albergue and one old hotel. Now there are st least 15 albergues and lots of pensiones, etc. Even our old charming Hotel Teodora has doubled or tripled its size.

    Culture shock is inevitable when you leave one camino with an average of 40 pilgrims per night to the camino Frances with hundreds and hundreds each day, if not thousands.

    Feeling slightly better and less discombobulated. I will get to Santiago in two days, spend Friday night there, and then walk, I think, to Muxia in 3 days. Then back to Santiago for two nights before my flight home. One thing that could disrupt that plan, however, is an ongoing sporadic bus strike. We will see.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    A night in an ancient monastery

    June 27, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    So today I am not feeling frightened or nervous, just kind of flat. Five us walked together (4 single women and one guy) into Sobrado dos Monxes, a town with a Cistercian monastery with 13th century origins. What's now standing is mostly from the 16th century onwards, and there is a much improved albergue. When Dana and I slept here 10 years ago, it was a hygienic disaster. Now there are decent and clean beds, clean hot showers, but tons more people than when we were here. This is good preparation for what we will find tomorrow when we get to Arzua and the Camino Frances.

    After a very nice lunch with ten other amigos, the topic turned to tomorrow's lodging. Turns out three of them had had a hard time finding a place, and the rest of us hadn't even started looking. Half an hour and many phone calls later, the rest of us finally found something. Same thing for the next day. I did have a reservation in Santiago but I had to cancel because I am a day behind. So things are unclear but I do have a bed for the next two nights!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In A Roxica

    June 26, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I don't want to alarm my family and friends (I am FINE and unharmed) but it was not a pleasant morning.

    This morning I left the Albergue around 7, about ten minutes after a single Spanish peregrina left. The camino goes along the national highway N-6 for about two km and then turns left into a wooded area where there is an old church. I was about 5 minutes before that turn-off when I saw the Spanish woman running back towards me. She was crying hysterically. A masked man had pointed a gun at her and told her to get down on the ground. She offered him all her money but he repeated the threat. She took off her mochila and threw it on the ground and took off running. She runs marathons so she knew she could outrun him, and she thought to herself-- he's not going to shoot me in the back. Luckily she was right.

    I was with her and the police for a while. The Guardia Civil is involved and she will file a denuncia. When we got back to the point where it happened, her backpack was right where she dropped it and untouched. She is lucky but I'm sure it will take a while to get over.

    I walked for the next few hours with several pilgrims who came up while we were with the police. But they stopped for the day way too early for me, so I went on by myself. I think it's like what people say about falling off a horse, you just have to get up and do it again. I did feel a little nervous but realize that's not rational. By the end of the walk I was feeling more confident and able to focus again on my aching tired feet. Though it's easy to fall into panic or fear, I keep telling myself that the rational response is that this is one of a miniscule number of bad incidents on the Camino, and that I am surely safer walking alone in Spain than I am walking alone in many places I frequent. Hopefully, I will get back into the swing of walking alone and loving it.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Baamonde

    June 25, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today has been one of those low days. First the three German boys in my lovely albergue room got up at 5. I couldn't go back to sleep so at 5:45 I got up, made some coffee and was walking by 6:45. It was actually not a bad start time since I had 35 km to go today. Not much elevation, so I thought I'd be fine. But by the time I got here, I was dragging.

    Leaving the lovely Albergue, I turned the corner to find that what had clearly once been a narrow grassy green tunnel had been bulldozed and filled with crushed rock. Gripe#1. Then a few hours later I arrived in Vilalba, a little less than halfway. It is an UGLY town. Gripe# 2. The guy at my coffee stop put fake crab, melted cheese, and ham in my tortilla sandwich. Gripe#3. From there, it was 18 more km with a lot of asphalt and sun, and nowhere to rest. Gripe#4. Then I told myself to stop griping and enjoy the day. And there were some gorgeous chestnut trees, one of which had a little plaque saying it was 700 years old!

    Finally, on the outskirts of town, a Spanish couple passed me and seemed pretty unfriendly. A Portuguese couple came up (you can see I am dragging if everyone is passing me) and I walked with them into the Albergue and the explosion started. The Portuguese guy took one look at the unfriendly Spanish lady and started cursing her out. There must have been a big conflict of some sort that triggered his outburst. It was a bit tense but luckily the woman checking all of us in put them at opposite ends of the Albergue.

    All in all it was not a 5***** day but that happens. I also think my body is running out of gas slowly. But after a shower and the therapeutic hand washing of clothes, all seemed much better. And imagine my delight when I learned that in the bunk next to me is my Australian friend Ann. We had split up a few days ago when she had foot problems. She is walking again and is feeling good.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In albergue heaven

    June 24, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Leaving Mondoñedo, I couldn't find the new official route-- a forest track that is 6 km shorter than the "complementary" route. So I wound up walking the first 18 km almost entirely on asphalt. The views were very nice, the temperature cool, not too much sun, so I really can't complain.

    Until recently I wouldn't have had much of an answer to the question--what is your favorite tree? Since walking in the Bierzo in late spring a few years ago, I have fallen in love with chestnuts. And on today's walk there were many--not as ancient as the ones in the Bierzo where new trees grew out of enormous dead trunks, but beautiful. And when they are in bloom with those long cream colored buds, the smell is sweet and pungent. It was great.

    In the first town of Abadin there is a private albergue that gets good reviews, but I had been alerted to a new Albergue in a restored old stone home about 6 km further on. I think this is probably the nicest Albergue I have ever stayed in, though Casa Carmina last week comes close.

    The owners bought this several hundred year old home four years ago, gutted it, and renovated it all themselves with the help of friends. They've left as much of the original as possible, including the stone oven, some beams, slate, some huge granite vats, etc. The showers are really hot and the water pressure very high- no lukewarm drip on a dirty tile floor today! It is just beautiful, in the middle of nowhere with lots of open yard and lots of shade with reclining chairs.

    Fingers crossed that the owners are successful with their labor of love, O Xistral. I will sing their praises at every opportunity!!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Changing it up in Mondoñedo

    June 23, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Had a terrible sleep last night. Lights and noise in the albergue till after 11, lights and noise starting at 5, and lots of snoring in a stinky room in between.

    I had planned to walk 32 km with two of my little group today but last night I got an email from a Spanish friend who has an albergue (two actually) on the Camino Primitivo. He has most of the day off, lives about 80 km away from here, and has never visited this very pretty little city (with its own cathedral to boot). When I also realized that I was getting a tickle in my throat, it just made sense to get a pension here in Mondoñedo. So after a 9 km walk, a cafe con leche with my buddies, we said goodbye. We all know that's just the way the camino goes, but we were a great little group.

    This feels like a day off, which is not a bad idea for me. And this town is very pretty!!!!

    There is some confusion about whether the new "camino oficial," which is 6 km shorter (not trivial) and up in the monte is a good idea or not. We got a lot of hype from the hospitalera last night, saying it was treacherous and should be avoided at all costs. Lucky me -- I will get a first hand report from my buddies who went ahead. I'm betting it's perfectly fine, but I will take their advice if they say it was rough.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Lourenza

    June 22, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This was a 28 km walk with two fairly steep ascents. We have left the ocean behind and are now walking in Galician countryside--very green, lots of little hamlets with stone buildings, cows and pigs everywhere.

    We left at 7 from our pension. I had had a coffee with my electric coil but the two guys had not. About 9 km into the walk we ran into two guys with a donkey. They were going to put in bean poles for their bean crop. Here's an interesting tidbit--a high percentage of these famous Asturian beans,fabas, are actually grown in Galicia. The guys told us that they take care of the crops, and at harvest the Asturian bean buyers come over to Galicia to buy their beans. Under EU regulations, all that the label has to show is where the product was bagged, Not where they were grown. So most "Asturian beans" are actually from Galicia.

    After our bean chat, these two told us there was a bar 400m off the camino near where we were standing, but nothing on camino for the next 15 km. So we reluctantly took this detour for a coffee and a bocadillo.

    There were quite a few people on the camino today. A bus load of Austrians who were picked up by a luxury bus, in addition to the smattering of people we've seen this past week.

    All day it was misty and foggy but no rain. We are in the municipal albergue in a room with 10 beds. It's an ear plug night.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Afternoon trip to Playa Catedrales

    June 22, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    One of Galicia' most visited beaches, this spot is about 18 km from Ribadeo. A coastal walking path is available, but a group of 8 of us opted for the cab option. At 15€ each way, and four in a cab, it's a very quick and affordable way to get there.

    We had found tide information on line and we're lucky that the next low tide was at 9 pm. It's very important to go at low tide. Since sunset is at 10:15, we had plenty of daylight. We got there around 8 and quickly understood why this place is so popular. In summer they limit access with a ticket system. We read that the limit on the beach at any one time in high season is 2,000. Before the tickets, the crowds reached an unimaginable 10,000! For our visit, there were people there, but nothing close to a crowd. It was a pretty great way to end the day.

    One of our little band of four is hoping that another day on the bus will be good for her feet and that she will be walking again soon. We are headed for a town about 28 km and one killer hill away.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Have arrived in Galicia

    June 21, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We took a long detour today, and we walked to at least five or six amazingly beautiful beaches. This is just a gorgeous part of the country. We ran into several other pilgrims, a couple of young Americans who had just graduated from college, a Spaniard trying to find her way, and then a smattering of French and German couples.

    Each beach was more beautiful than the next, and we had a hard time picking out our favorite. At one of them, we met a very nice couple from the area. They insisted on sharing their food with us, and wanted to know all about the Camino. It was a really nice day. The entrance into town is not so nice, because it consists of walking over a bridge that is about a mile long. But here we are, and no surprise, the weather has changed. Rain is in the forecast, but we have had such a large number of beautiful walking days, that it would be really selfish to complain about a little rain now.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Very hot in La Caridad

    June 20, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This was a hot 25 km walk (32 C= high 80s F, I think). We left a little later than usual as well, 7:30, which took its toll later in the day. First a coffee stop at about 8:30, then a boots-off bench rest stop in the small city Navia, and then a sit in the shade and go buy 3 liters of Aquarius at a gas station shorter break as we geared up for the last little bit.

    This morning as we were leaving, Ann decided it would be prudent for her to take a bus rather than walk. That nagging feeling when you want to walk but know that you should not avoid the shooting pain. We thought we might not see her again. About an hour later we got a phone call from her, saying she had decided to jump ahead to our destination and had reserved us a place in the nice private albergue.

    She was there when we got here, having already made great progress on our dinner. Angel Ann! Hopefully tomorrow her foot will be better.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Otur

    June 20, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Good day, with a stop at 9 for coffee, and then a few hours to enjoy the former fishing village, current tourist town of Luarca.

    I am really impressed at how much of the camino has been moved off road. We had very little pavement and even though we didn't spend much time on the coast, there were lots of forest paths with occasional glimpses of ocean.

    A Brit, Chinese, Australian and American walk into a bar... surely there is a good joke here. I first met Alan as Paco and I were leaving Oviedo to return to the Norte. About an hour in, we kept catching glimpses of a guy a bit ahead of us and when we got close enough to talk, learned he thought he was on a different Camino. When we got to Avilés, we pointed him to the bus station and thought that was goodbye. Next day at our coffee break, who do we see but Alan!

    Percy is Chinese, a young guy studying Spanish in Barcelona. His English and Spanish are flawless. Though I've had many Chinese students, I've never felt comfortable asking them too many questions, but Percy welcomes them. We are all learning a lot about China. Ann, a retired school administrator, is about 7 years my senior. She is kind and calm. Her asthma keeps her a bit behind but she wants to walk alone anyway so we all just meet up at the end. There you have it, our little band of four.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Cadavedo

    June 18, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    It just doesn't get any better than this. The four of us left the apt at about 7. After a km or two, the split came. Ann opted for the lower route, and the rest of us decided to try the mountain route. About 3000 ft total elevation gain, they told us, so not a trivial undertaking.

    It was so well worth it I can't even begin to explain. What an amazing walk. The hospitalero in Soto de Luina had been kind of discouraging about this alternative, but it is well marked, never extremely steep (except for one short rocky descent) and has unmatched views over the coast.

    We are once again in an apartment for four and all of us are quire happy. Tomorrow onward    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Soto de Luiña

    June 17, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We had a very short beautiful day today. Only 16 km, but we made it a little longer by taking a detour out to the beach where we had a long cafe con leche break in a gorgeous setting.

    The rest of the day was up and down through the countryside, green and peaceful. When the first two of us arrived at our destination we had to decide whether to look for a private place or go to the "very basic" albergue (usually code for "old and dirty"). So I scoped things out and found a very nice building of tourist apartments. Two bedrooms, bath, kitchen, balcony and living room. 70€, which turns out very reasonable for four of us. A little more than the 5€ charge for the albergue, but well worth it.

    After shower and washing clothes, three of us decided to walk the couple of kms out to the beach. Another gorgeous spot. Now we will cook dinner and have a lovely sleep. Tomorrow there's a mountain alternative that we have to rest up for!!!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    In Muros de Nalon

    June 16, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    What a great day, even though too much of it was on asphalt. We have met some very nice people, Brit, Chinese, and Australian, and Paco was very sad to have to leave.

    25 km down to the beach and up to the headlands, down to the river and up into the hills, through a few towns, and there we were. A lovely Albergue, really nice.

    After washing up and changing into clean clothes (the Albergue washed our clothes for a few euros), we had a quick grilled sandwich and then hopped on the bus to go visit Cudillero, a little touristy village on the coast. So pretty, hidden in a cove, lots of climbing up and down.

    We had a great time, and then Paco had to head for the airport. He called a cab, we all piled in, and he dropped us off on his way to the airport. It was so great to see him, we had a really good time.

    So now here I sit in my Albergue in Muros de Nalon, enjoying the wonderful albergue. Tomorrow off on a short 16 km walk to Soto de Luiña maybe with a coastal detour.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    ... in Avilés

    June 15, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    My good friend Paco got to Oviedo a little before me yesterday, and we had time for a nice long walk around a beautiful park near David's old stomping grounds. Then for dinner, a plate of Asturian cheeses, YUM!

    This morning we hit the road around 7. We met a British guy walking, and after a while we realized that he thought he was on a different camino! We enjoyed walking with him to Avilés but he has now gone in search of the Camino Primitivo.

    Today's walk was quite nice. It was about 29 km with not much more than several hundred feet elevation gain. Nice countryside, very quiet roads. Even though the last 5 kms or so were along the side of a busy road, it was infinitely better than when Dana and I found ourselves on the side of a truck-filled route.

    Avilés has quite a nice historic core. I was actually surprised at all the nice squares and plazas. After another plate of Asturias cheeses, I'm now ready for bed. And very glad to be back on the camino.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Heading back to the camino

    June 14, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Almost there! I am in the Madrid airport and my flight back to Oviedo leaves in a few hours. I had a great meeting in NYC and am so glad I went, even though it was a pretty crazy thing to do.

    I didn't have much time to enjoy NYC but did have some good meals and saw some very close friends too. So all in all, it was a great little break.

    A good friend from Madrid will meet me in Oviedo tonight and we'll walk together for two days and then he heads back to work. Can't wait to be back on the camino.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Oviedo memories

    June 10, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Walking to the bus station I went past the Woody Allen statue and remembered being here with Joe and my parents. This picture is for you dad. 😍

    And now I'm at the bus station waiting for the bus to the airport and remembered when David got off the bus from Cangas here, and we had a grand time together. Love you guys.Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Getting ready to leave Oviedo

    June 10, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    How I love this beautiful city. But visiting here and living here are two different things. My camino friend Helena, who is from Lisboa, has married an Asturiano and has found it next to impossible to "break in" and be accepted. And if she can't do it, no one can! But as a city for tourism, it can't be beat. Obsessively clean public places, beautiful old core and a museum or two. The statuary in the streets is like no other city I've seen. A Botero, a Woody Allen look alike(he fell in love with Oviedo while filming Vicki Cristina Barcelona), and many others. The cathedral is going the way of many in Spain, now charging 6€ (4 for peregrinos) for entrance.

    Yesterday I noticed that the mesh on the top of my shoes was starting to rip open. But since this is Spain, where many people still repair things, no problem. The friendly zapatero down the street from my hotel came up with an ingenious solution. 3 hours and 9€ later, my boots were good to go.

    Heading to the bus station after a good cafe con leche and then onto the first flight of the day.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    ... in Oviedo

    June 9, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    This was a much-better-than-expected walk into a big city. Knowing that it was 26 or 27 km, and wanting to spend the afternoon in Oviedo and with my dear pal Helena, I got going at 7.

    With one coffee break and going at a pretty steady pace and off and on with two French walkers, I was in the hotel before 1.

    The route has changed since I last walked it, and it is much improved. Only the last couple kms are through commercial outskirts and there is s lot of off-road walking. That's unusual for stages going into cities. All pleasant enough, though of course it doesn't hold a candle to any of that amazing sea walking I was doing just a few days ago.

    Got here to see that the top of one of my shoes is ripping open. I took it to a zapatero who told me he was pretty sure he could fix it enough to get me into Santiago. Lucky I got here today because he is closed tomorrow.

    Now I have a five day break from walking. I am going to leave a lot of my stuff here in Oviedo and will stay in the same place when I return. My pal Paco from Madrid is flying up to walk for two days with me so that will be the 15 and 16. Lots to look forward to!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    In Vega de Sariego

    June 8, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Ok I am a wimp. I only walked 17 or 18 km today. I was whooped from the earlier days. Danagrina, you and I walked ten more kms and wound up in that hotel where the tv was showing a program about Michael Jackson and bees.

    I left the albergue around 7 am, knowing that the church at Valdedios only opened at 11. So I took my time and was glad to see that the route had been brought off the main road. I got to the church complex-- this is a 9C church with a 13C -17C monastery --at about 10 am. So I had an hour wait before I could visit the church. As I was sitting there, boots off, three nuns walked towards me with big bags for the garbage. I was surprised, because last time I had been here there were monks. Turns out the monks have left and the nuns have replaced them. The albergue is now spotless, clean sheets, etc. Just a coincidence maybe but I suspect it has to do with the change from monks to nuns.

    After the hour tour, which was great, I left at around noon. The steep 300 m ascent just about took it out of me, and when I arrived at the albergue inVega de Sariego, I decided to stay. Tomorrow will be 26 flat asphalt kms to Oviedo but I really appreciated the early stop today. And there is a bar with a great 10€ menu. I'm sharing a room in the albergue with a few other women, so let's hope there are no more men arriving.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Villaviciosa

    June 7, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Ok this was another very long day, almost 40. But it was beautiful and included a surprise visit inside another pre-Romanesque church.

    I left Ribadesella around 7 and a few hours later passed the donativo albergue in Vega. What a great spot, with a pretty beach down the road. It looked like a great place to stay, but I had only been walking for a couple of hours. Bad timing on my part. But I did have the good luck of meeting Sam and Barbara, a mother son pair from Austin, and we wound up walking together all day.

    No off-camino coastal alternatives today, but the camino took you along the coast a fair amount. More gorgeous sea views. In the town of Isla we turned inland, and after Colunga there were st least 10-12 up and down kms through the countryside. At some points there were mountains on your left and ocean on your right.

    After taking a boots off rest after Colunga and despairing of ever finding a bar to get something cold to drink, we walked into Priesca. In this tiny little hamlet, there was a stunning new albergue La Rectoral right across the way from the 10C pre-Romanesque church. The albergue had a soda machine and the church windows were making us wish we could get inside. But the Spanish woman nearby told us to go ask somewhere else for the keys. I think she heard Sam and me talking about the beautiful windows and how much we wished we could see the interior, and suddenly she found that she had a set of keys. Wow is all I can say. It was great.

    From there the 10 or so km to Villaviciosa were pretty much a slog, but we have made it, have walked around town and had dinner, and are headed to bed. I am sorry to say that Sam and Barbara will be heading in a different direction tomorrow because we had a lot of fun today!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Ribadesella

    June 6, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Another 35 km day. It's a little too long for my liking, those last few kilometers into town are really a slog. But the walk was really good, spectacular in many places. I took a little detour to get back to the coast, and that added another 4 km or so to my total. And of course it's a lot slower walking carefully over and around rocks than on a forest path or along the road. Not to mention all the time it takes to stop and gaze at the crashing waves or rocky coast and take yet another picture.

    Though these coastal paths are usually fairly obvious, they are not well marked, so I was very glad to have the GPS. A Spanish friend sent me all the tracks for the coastal detours on this Camino and I couldn't have done it without them.

    So by the time I washed clothes and showered it was after 4pm, so once again too late to eat lunch in a restaurant. That's a real negative aspect of arriving so late. You can't eat lunch, and you certainly don't want to wait up until they start serving dinner. So I'm having another store-bought dinner -- gazpacho in a box, two spinach and cheese empanadas from the pastry shop, a red pepper, and an orange. Not terribly exciting or gourmet, but it'll fill the belly! Oh yes and a local specialty sweet of some type.

    The red building is my hotel for the night. 30€ special for peregrinos! That's not bad but about 10€ more than going rates in other less touristy parts of Spain!    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds
    1

    Llanes

    June 5, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Today I had expected to walk about 30-32 km. What I didn't factor in was the additional kms from taking the coastal options. And the time it would take me to do some careful stepping in some kind of precarious situations. At one point I walked over a natural rock bridge from headland to headland with the ocean below. That was a bit dicey. By the time I rolled into Llanes it was 4 pm. With a 7:15 am departure and just a couple of boots-off rests on the coast my GPS clocked 36.5 km. But I am so very glad to have taken the coastal option. I wouldn't have wanted to do it without a GPS though.

    Llanes is a pretty town on the coast. I had been planning to go to the albergue but as I wound my way through the old town, I came across the Posada del Rey. And wouldn't you know it, they had good pilgrim prices!! After showering and washing clothes, I took an hour or so walking around the historic core, buying food (I arrived as the lunch hour was nearly over, kitchens were closing, and nothing will open back up till 8:30 or 9, so it's dinner in the room).

    I was so happy to finally find real candles in the church (not electric ones) and lit five --my mom, Meara, Jamie, my family and all my camino friends who have shared parts of this with me. The church was quiet and peaceful and though I am not usually the contemplative type, I left feeling at peace.

    I have to be in Gijón on Friday, four more days walking. Looks very doable but you never know.    Read more

  • Laurie Reynoldscamino 2017Laurie Reynolds

    Serdio

    June 4, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    It was pretty obvious some rain was going to fall today, the only questions were when and how much. I left the albergue at around 7:15 and immediately saw the highway that took a straight shot 11 km to the town of Comillas, which is a touristy town with a Gaudí building , some nice old half timbered houses with tons of flower pots, a nice beach, etc. The camino would be a few km longer, but it has the advantage of going through little villages and not on busy roads. I did the first 9 winding around on the camino, even went down to a beach and up to the headlands again. But when the rain started and I crossed the highway where a sign said 4 km to Comillas, as opposed to 6 on another little winding back road, I took the main road.

    In Comillas I went to the bar I remembered where we had tortilla española, the Bar Filipinas. They weren't exactly ecstatic to see me come in dripping from head to toe but when I told them I had eaten great tortilla here 10 years ago, they softened. After a long rest trying to dry off a bit and wait out the rain, I started out in a little drizzle. The 10 km to San Vicente alternated with different degrees of raininess and I was thoroughly sopped as I got close to town. But the walk was frequently alongside the coast and I was glad to see that there were many people enjoying the weather way more than I. There were surfers everywhere, and I could hear shrieks of joy as the waves came crashing in. Finally, around 1pm, I dragged myself into San Vicente, and the rain stopped as I came across the long long bridge into town.

    I had already decided that I wasn't going to go to the town's albergue, where we had been so poorly treated. I knew there were a few pensiones and hoteles up the hill on the way out of town, and as I walked through what was increasingly better weather, I decided to keep on to the next town 7 km away, where there was both an albergue and a casa rural. Guess which I picked?! 28 €, bed, dinner, and breakfast. My boots were soaked, and the lure of a bed with sheets just proved too strong. I have walked out to see the Albergue, which is in the old schools and currently being painted, but truth be told I am glad to be where I am.

    This 32 km day was not the easiest I've ever walked but I am fine and hoping the weather will soon change.    Read more

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