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Covid Camino 2021
  • Laurie Reynolds
  • Laurie Reynolds

Covid Camino 2021

A 35-day adventure by Laurie Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 6, 2021
    Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
    1

    First travel day

    September 6, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a 15-month hiatus, the longest I’ve gone without a Camino since I started walking in 2000, I am heading out. I had a lot of doubts about whether it was the right time, but Spain is one of the highest vaccinated countries in the world, I have N95 masks, I will sleep only in private rooms, and I will eat only outdoors or in my room. Some may think this sounds isolating and solitary, but it is exactly what I need. In fact, about a month ago I had to break the news to two dear Camino buddies that I was backing out of our tentative plans to walk together. I just wanted to walk alone.

    I picked the Salvador/Primitivo, even though I’ve already walked this route 3 times, because it is beautiful, slightly remote in places, mountainous, and will get me into Santiago in about 17 days. I couldn’t plan on a longer camino this year, but I’m hoping I can at least get to Santiago. And then if things are fine at home, I will walk into Santiago, hop on a bus to Braga, Portugal, and walk another short Camino, the Geira, back into Santiago. But I am at least hoping to make it to Santiago once.

    After a brain freeze that led me to think that tapping on the mute button was the way to UNmute, and panicking because no one could hear me when I did that, I was fortunate to have Clare at the ready in British Columbia to patiently talk me through it.

    Now one hour till boarding the Iberia flight to Madrid. Hopefully no more phone crises. Let the Covid isolation camino begin!!!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Made it to Leon

    September 7, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Well I wouldn’t say I had the best of luck today, but I am here in Leon and very happy about that! The flight from Madrid arrived early, and we zoomed through immigration. Then there was no wait at the health check where they looked at my vaccination card and then another tiny line to show the QR code. This is a breeze, I thought. About a half hour from feet on the ground till I exited the airport.

    Then my luck took a turn for the worse. I got on the intra-airport bus to go to the post office in Terminal one so I could mail my duffel bag up to Santiago. When I got there, I learned the post office was closed because of Covid. Oh well, I headed back to Terminal 4 to get a cup of coffee, but first I checked about my bus at the ticket office outside. There I learned there was an earlier bus leaving three minutes later, but there was no time for me to change my ticket and get on it.

    Then I learned I could not get back into the terminal without a boarding pass. So I had a two hour wait at the bus stop without being able to get my first Spanish café con leche. At least I was outside. But don’t think I could take off my mask because the regulations require one inside and out in urban areas.

    Amazing what a shower can do. It’s a beautiful city and I’m glad that I’ll be here all day tomorrow when a friend who lives about 50 miles away comes to see me.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Leon at night

    September 7, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I’ll bet I have walked through Leon at least seven or eight times. Many Caminos intersect here or near here— The Francés, Madrid, Salvador, and Vadiniense are the ones that come to mind. But when you’re walking through, you have to go to bed early, and you don’t get to see the city at night.

    So, since I am taking a jetlag day tomorrow, which I rarely do, I thought I would spend tonight walking to some of my favorite monuments to see them lit up. Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, those are just a few adjectives that come to mind. Since I slept a few hours on the plane, I’m really not too tired, so carpe diem. Beautiful buildings are beautiful at any time of day, but at night they are really special. Even a favorite little cheese store looks magical.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Jet lag day in Leon

    September 8, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I had a really nice day in the historical center of Leon. I visited the cathedral with its stained glass windows, which are in my opinion the very very best. I also went to San Isidoro, the Romanesque pantheon where all the Leonés kings are buried. Amazing XI C paintings all over the ceiling -last supper, Cristo Pantocrato, a sweet 12-panel depiction of the months of the year, just beautiful but no pictures allowed. But it wasn’t a totally touristic morning. I also had to buy fruit and yoghurt for my walk and my Spanish phone card.

    In the afternoon my friend Rebekah, who lives about 80 km from here, drove over for lunch. It was really really great to see her. After she bought 500 candles for her little church in Moratinos, we went to a very delicious Japanese restaurant. Reb had to head home during a rain, and I ducked into the Leon municipal museum, which covers human habitation in Leon from the very beginning, starting a hundred thousand years ago.

    WhatsApp works extremely well for free video and audio phone calls. When the wifi is weak, the video fades out but it’s been great so far.

    Sunrise is late— not till 8 am. I am glad I have my headlamp because I am programmed to leave early. 38 km tomorrow and there are a few ups and downs. Since I haven’t walked since 2019 it remains to be seen how much of my Camino power I’ve lost. Tomorrow will be the test.

    Early to bed and early to rise. Can’t wait to walk tomorrow!!!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    2

    First walking day!

    September 9, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Last night I was like a 10-year-old trying to get to sleep on Christmas Eve. It just wouldn’t happen. I’m sure I got a few hours sleep though. After a cup of instant coffee (caffeine is the desired ingredient more than taste), at about seven I put my headlamp on and headed out. Sunrise is about 8 am now!

    It was a great walking day, cloudy at the beginning and then cooler and breezy towards the end. Leaving big cities is usually not so much fun, but there is a dirt path along the river that took me from the parador all the way to the first town about 10 km out. I have seen one other pilgrim, but he was going to stop in the town before I did. Lots of other people out on the trail though, all wearing masks and all saying Buen Camino to me.

    In the woods I found another great use for my mask. I put it on to keep the gnats out of my nose and mouth. Then when I got too hot, I would take it off and leave it off until a gnat either flew into my nose or my mouth. Then I would put the mask on and start the drill all over again.

    I didn’t remember this stage as being so difficult. I knew it was about 38 km, with maybe 400 m of elevation gain. But I was dragging at the end, and then I realized that the last time I did this stage I was five years younger and I had been walking for three weeks.

    I am walking through mining country and now that the coal industry isn’t totally shut down in Spain, the towns that are left behind are really suffering. So sad.

    After a shower and clothes wash, I met up with Ender, the Salvador angel who started it all. The first time I walked there was very little marking, and he took care of that along with a guidebook. We had a good Camino Chet.

    Tomorrow is the most beautiful mountain stage, I can’t wait and the weather looks good.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    MOUNTAINS!!!!

    September 10, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today was 7 kms shorter than yesterday but with 1100 m elevation gain (that’s a lot for me and more than twice yesterday’s). My GPS tells me my “moving time” today was 2minutes more than yesterday so I guess it all evens out. But I did stop a lot more today. There were two separate mountain segments, with a little town in between, but I took my rests up in the mountains, basically gaping and not believing that I was here. It was one of those days that was really exhausting, glorious, and fulfilling all at the same time. My favorite!

    On the walk today I thought about things that were different from my last walk here. I came up with a few things that I spend more time on now and things I spend less time on now.

    Less time.
    Number one —no time spent eating blackberries because they aren’t ripe. Last time I gorged myself and stopped about every 2 feet.

    Number two— no time spent standing paralyzed by barking dogs who are running towards me. Now, I just keep walking, not even batting and eye when one kept circling me and barking.

    Number three— no time spent trying to avoid livestock that is standing in my way. I just walk straight through and they will move or not. But so far not one has attacked me.

    Now for the things I spend more time on.
    Number one— I spend way more time getting up and moving again after a rest.

    Number two— it takes me at least twice as long to descend than it did five years ago.

    Number three— it takes me a lot longer to convince myself that I should not take the road shortcut, but rather should go up or down and around to avoid the road. There were a couple of times today when I was mighty tempted, but in the end I stuck with the Camino path!

    Maybe tomorrow I will ponder more weighty things.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
    21

    To Pola de Lena

    September 11, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I am now lighting candles for eight people. I am not religious, but there is something very centering about lighting candles and then sitting there quietly thinking and sending good thoughts. Yesterday I was in a (much reformed) Romanesque church. Wide open (unusual) and with real candles instead of electric lights (very unusual). I felt very connected, and I remembered that when my mom was dying, three of my camino amigas who were walking all lit candles for her along the way. It meant so much to me.

    Today’s 27 km were much harder than I expected. My pal Ender had given me some new tracks for this stage, a few changes here and there, and he asked that I try them out. Well where I thought the changes were, the route seemed familiar, and then on a long downhill road walk that I remembered well, I saw his tracks take me off the road. After making such a big point of never turning down the opportunity to go off road, I was sort of already committed. Well, it turns out that Ender sent me the wrong tracks. The 5 or 6 km that deviated from the road were very pretty, but there were sections that required every ounce of concentration and care to make sure I got one foot in front of the other. Horrible ascents, and the descents were just as bad. Ender didn’t mean to give me those tracks, because it’s a path he hasn’t yet navigated himself. I can’t imagine making this the official camino route without a lot of work on the surface.

    The extra hours spent on those Kilometers meant that I arrived after closing of the beautiful ninth century Santa Cristina church. I could have waited for 2 1/2 hours for it to open up again, but I was still 5 km from my destination, and I decided the best idea was to walk on.

    I am in a very nice family run pension, the Payareta. Private room, bath, and breakfast just 20 €. Once again, after a shower, I feel totally refreshed and ready to walk around town .    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Taxi trick

    September 11, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Once I was showered and had my clothes hanging to dry, I decided I had plenty of time to hop into a cab and go back to visit the inside of the church. Though it was hard to find a free taxi on a Saturday afternoon in a small town, after several phone calls and the help of a hotel clerk (not my hotel) a driver appeared.

    It was just as beautiful as I remembered, and the señora with the keys was the same as the last two times I’ve stopped to visit (One other time it was closed for reforms). The Señora always used to just leave her phone number on the door, and you could call her whenever you got there. If it was convenient for her (she lives about 200 m away) she would come open it. I don’t know if this is a Covid change or what, but the church is now on a regular schedule.

    Anything that is still standing from the ninth century Is bound to be impressive, and this little tiny church meets that standard. It used to be adjacent to a monastery and a palace for the Asturian king, but both of those buildings disappeared. Apparently all of the stones can be found in the walls of many houses throughout the area. Thankfully they left the church in tact.

    I’m not very good with the architectural terms, so the pictures will have to suffice. Awesome .    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Plan B

    September 12, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I had some more new tracks to follow. There is a very dangerous narrow road that goes for 4 km between two little towns. These tracks were an alternative, not yet officially marked, that went up and around the monte. They were difficult to follow with a lot of undergrowth. I was forced to give up and in the end I took the bus into Oviedo. With 27 kms to go at about noon, I would have been crazy to keep walking. I have a sore glute muscle because I slipped but I am fine otherwise.

    So now I have some extra time in one of my favorite Spanish cities, Oviedo. There are fiestas going on, so it is very lively here. I had a good meal outside, and will not have to wake up early tomorrow. I will spend tomorrow here as I had planned anyway to see my friend.

    This is very unlike me —to hop on a bus and totally miss a stage. But since all my reservations are set because of Covid, I really had no choice. No way to move things around. My camino pals tell me that I just need to be flexible and forget about feeling bad. At least I’m on the camino!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Fun in Oviedo

    September 13, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    This was a great day with visits to the pre-Romanesque churches (900s!!!) I love them so much. After visiting both the Naranco sites and San Julian de los Prados, Helena and I had a great lunch in the old part of town. Things are really changing in staid old traditional Oviedo when you can get a poke bowl for lunch!

    We had so much to catch up on since it had been three years since we last saw each other. We wound up staying up much later than was sensible for someone starting to walk the next day, since I think it was after 1130 when I got to my room.

    We also met up with a Forum member from Maine who decided to stop walking in Oviedo because the Salvador had done him in. We had a nice long chat, while sitting in the main square with the Cathedral in the background. He also gave me a Covid test kit that I can use to prove my Covid free status before coming back to the US.

    Here’s hoping it won’t be three more years till I see Helena again!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    First day on the Primitivo.

    September 14, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I was planning for a 25 km day, but when I saw the sign pointing 3 km downhill to another pre-Romanesque church, San Pedro de Nora, I couldn’t resist. Good thing it was early in the day, or I wouldn’t have gone.The Señora who lives next door has the keys, and she was very happy to let me in, though the real beauty is from the outside. It’s right next to a river, and it’s gorgeous.

    I’ve talked to more people on this first day than I did on all of the days on the Salvador put together. A rough head count is 18 or 19 people! So the Primitivo is crowded. Lots of ups and downs, and I can feel the difference of the three years between this time and last. But it’s beautiful. I met an 80 yo Spaniard this morning, so I’ve got some more years I hope!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Singing in the Rain to La Espina

    September 15, 2021 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    My GPS says 33km and 1077 m elevation gain. I believe the kms but not the elevation. I think that’s way too much. Anyway, in spite of the rain, it was really a pretty good day. When I woke up at around six, I saw that it wasn’t raining. So I decided to have a quick cup of coffee in my room (thank you Clare for that wonderful coil) so I could take off a little earlier, rather than wait for breakfast in the hotel. That was a good decision, because I had the first 3 1/2 or four hours with no rain. Lots of ups and downs, lots of pretty green valleys, but lots of fog so it was hard to see. Luckily since this is the fourth time I’ve done this route, I have pretty clear memories of the beautiful countryside. But it would be nice to see it!

    The rain started at about 11, it was very gentle at first but by about noon it started coming down hard. As a good Camino friend has pointed out, once you are totally wet you don’t get any wetter so there’s really not a problem walking once you get soaked through.

    I took a rest in Salas before the last 6 km, knowing that there were some pretty steep ascents. I found a nice looking place with tables under an awning, but unfortunately the café was closed for a weekly rest day. I stayed at the table and ate some stuff out of my pack which is always a good idea since it lightens your weight.

    For anyone who’s walked the Primitivo, you know that a stop at Bodenaya is required. I would have loved to stay there, but because of Covid, I resisted. David is one of those old school hospitaleros, who really believes in the Camino and what it does for people. We had a really nice talk and I was sorry to say goodbye.

    Clothes are washed (whether they will ever dry is another question), I am showered, and I’m heading out to buy some more fruit and nuts for my pack. Looks like the next few days will all have rain, but I long ago stopped worrying or complaining about that!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Cloudy but no Rain -to Samblismo

    September 16, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    I woke up to a much better forecast than what I had seen last night. No rain in the forecast!!! 31 km and another 700 m elevation so I am getting in the swing. But I can see that the pace that’s comfortable for me this year is slower than the last camino. Not surprising I suppose.

    Today was just beautiful. Lots of forest walking, lots of spectacular views over the hills. Even though the clouds hid the mountains in the back, it was still a really beautiful walk.

    I am now in an albergue in the middle of nowhere. My first Albergue but I have a private room. Meeting the typical international crowd —German, Czech, Brit, and Dutch today. But the majority of walkers are Spanish. That has never been the case on my earlier walks on this route, but I think many people are staying close to home.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
    11

    Hospitales in the Sun

    September 17, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    I had my first communal dinner last night, in a big room with a window and door wide open. It was fun and the food was great. So nice not to have a dinner with french fries and other greasy stuff. Javi makes it all, including the bread. It was the best bread I’ve had since arriving in Spain. And he’s a very nice guy. Anyone who is going to walk the Primitivo take note— Samblismo is the place to go. It’s right at the split for Hospitales.

    Today’s walk could not have been better. About 30 K and 1000 m of elevation, so it wasn’t a walk in the park. But it was beautiful, sunny the whole way until we got to the pass. A thick fog rolled in, and we could only see about 10 m in front of us. But as we started down on the other side, it all cleared and was lovely all the way to Berducedo. I had four more kilometers to go to get to La Mesa, but I decided to have my daily Kas de Limon and a handful of nuts. Unfortunately, just as I sat down to enjoy it, it started to rain. And it rained hard the whole way here. I am in a private room, worth every extra euro I have spent above the Albergue price. The hairdryer alone is worth it.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Dry but cloudy — I’ll take it!

    September 18, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    I left early, headlamp in the dark, and in a few minutes came up on someone taking off his raincoat. He said it was fine for me to tag along behind till daylight, and we were halfway through the descent to the dam when some light timidly tried to push out of the clouds.

    Lots of us had left early because of the forecast for rain, but happily it never materialized other than about 15 minutes of drizzle. The route goes through an area where there were bad forest fires a few years ago, and it still looks pretty bleak. The dam has a functioning hydroelectric plant, but there are many abandoned buildings and machinery dotting the hills around. I usually find dams and reservoirs pretty depressing, but this one was even more so than usual.

    Crossing over the dam means the start of the ascent, which was steep. But today’s total of 700 m is less than previous days and more than most of what’s coming up. So I’m a happy camper, especially when it’s added to the short day’s total of 23 kms.

    Tomorrow we leave Asturias and enter Galicia!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Hill fort

    September 18, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This is my fourth time on the Primitivo. Every time I have wanted to visit the Bronze Age hill fort about 5 km beyond the typical stopping point. So this year since I’m sleeping only in private rooms, I saw my chance! There’s a little casa rural right there near the excavations! So I made my reservations, walked on through Grandas, and got to Castro only to learn that the hill fort is closed for renovations!!!

    Oh well, the museum was open and it was great. Showing how the hill fort went from Bronze Age to Iron Age to Roman. That seems like such an abrupt change that is hard to get your head around. But this Castro was “Romanized” and has a small villa.

    When I left the museum, I saw an “elderly woman” (aka someone about my age) who was sitting out on a bench. We started to talk, and she told me that she was the owner of the land where the Castro was discovered. She was growing wheat on the land and one day her brother found a spoon there. An ancient spoon it turned out. From there about a half hour of stories about how the archaeologists worked on her land and they eventually sold it in the early 1990s for 2,000,000 pesetas. I love these encounters, ending with the señora telling me that life is a gift and it’s short. Don’t we know it.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Short day to A Fonsagrada

    September 19, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    This was just about as perfect a Camino day as you could design. Nearly all off road, through a few picturesque hamlets, two serious ascents (with only one slightly steep descent), blue sky with puffy clouds. Maybe a little short but all in all it was A-ok. 21 km, 650 m elevation. (I guess I wasn’t paying attention when I said there would be no more big elevation days, but this wasn’t so bad). The only slightly frustrating part is that you can see the town, strung out along a high ridge, from about 15 kms away. And you never seem to get any closer.

    I arrived pretty early, which was not planned. But the nice meson, where I had hoped to take a long rest with a snack, did not open until an hour after I was there. So I just kept walking.

    I am in the region of Galicia, which seems to get all the buzz about being green and beautiful. But for my money, Asturias is much prettier. Since it is more prosperous, the little villages are prettier and better maintained. But more than that, there are way fewer eucalyptus trees. I won’t start on my anti-Eucalyptus rant, but I do not like those trees!

    There are two very well-known pulperías here, so I will go and have some pulpo (octopus). I do like it a lot, but only for about five or six bites. I must be quite the connoisseur because I’ve been told that my assessment of good and bad is spot on. It has to do with the texture — there is a perfect sweet spot between not too mushy and not too chewy.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    Up and down in Galicia

    September 20, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This was a beautiful walk, except for a few kms in a logging forest, and with a lot more elevation than I remembered. Wikiloc tells me it was 34 km and 920 m up. Five years ago that was a walk in the park —this year I was dragging when I finally got to my destination. I deliberately went an extra 8 km beyond the “normal” stage so that I would have a short day into Lugo tomorrow.

    I have yet to come to that promised “end of huge elevation gains”, but I just take it slow and steady and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This morning on one particularly steep ascent, I came across an old man who was walking slowly up the hill. I tried to talk with him a bit, but I don’t know whether it was his lack of teeth (I only saw two) or his very thick Gallego accent, but my comprehension was limited. Every now and then I heard the word Camino or Santiago, but that was about it. When I finally got up to the town at the top, I asked the woman in the bar about this elderly gentleman. She told me he makes the 3 km walk up and 3 km down every day, rain or shine. In his rubber boots and holding a big stick for support. And there I was in my fancy trail runners with my expensive hiking poles, huffing and puffing as much as he was, or more!

    I’m staying in a real hotel tomorrow in Lugo, and I am very much looking forward to a shower that is bigger than 2 or 3 square feet! Not a complaint mind you, since I am already at the pilgrim luxury level of having my own private room and bath.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    A short day into Lugo

    September 21, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    By 1:00 I was in my hotel and washing clothes. I will have all afternoon to enjoy this beautiful city. The walk was much nicer than I remember it, and I am assuming they have taken huge chunks off the road and put them on gorgeous little green tunnel paths.

    At about 12 km along the way, I came to a point where the arrows offered a choice to take on an extra kilometer and visit the church at Soutomerille. I had done that once before, long before there was any announcement of the option, and when I got there the whole church was covered in overgrowth. So I decided that this fancy little sign must indicate that someone had bothered to cut away the brush so the church would be visible.

    What a great decision, with several ancient chestnut trees as a bonus. One, according to a plaque, is at least 400 years old. And the church has a window that has been dated to the pre-Roman times. So it all was definitely a worthwhile detour.

    Lots of people walking these days and the weather is super. Sunny and 66 degrees in Lugo.

    I am off to walk the Roman walls before lunch. It’s about 2 km around and the walls are in tact. The guy who checked me into my hotel said they are the only fully intact Roman walls in the world. And the only ones that have free access 24/7 and no charge.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Afternoon in Lugo

    September 21, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Well there was a lot for me to do. First I walked the Roman walls and occasionally felt like I was intruding into someone’s private space as their windows opened onto the path.

    Then a real splurge for lunch at a place called Paprica. I got the menu del dia but even so it cost more than my hotel room. But my hotel room is very cheap. 😁 I have walked in Galicia many many times, but I have never really tried all the seafood specialties. So I am making up for lost time.

    In the afternoon my main objective was to find a new shirt to replace my dear blue shirt, whose right shoulder has been ripped open by the backpack strap. Not surprising after ten or twelve caminos. But I went from store to store and found nothing. So I called it quits and went to a few Roman sites in town.

    Lugo is a beautiful city with a lot of life. I was talking to Joe from a cafe in the plaza Mayor and he could hardly hear me.

    Weather looks good!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    The long way to Friol

    September 22, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Since the Camino Primitivo joins up with the Frances in a few days, many pilgrims look for alternative routes to keep them off the Frances and its crowds while still getting them closer to Santiago. The Camiño Verde is one of those, end it goes over to Sobrado de los Monxes,, where it joins the Camino Del Norte.

    I have the GPS tracks, so what could go wrong, right? The first thing that happened was that I didn’t turn the track on and missed the turn off. So I found myself still on the Primitivo. That was actually quite all right, because I wanted to go to see a third century Roman crypt or bathhouse or sanitarium (no one knows exactly what it is), and it is accessible from either the Primitivo or the Verde. It was nice, because I walked with a couple of people I had met before.

    Santa Eulalia is an amazing site, with unrestored paintings of all different sorts of birds and floral motifs on the walls. Really wonderful.

    Taking my GPS tracks for the Camiño Verde, I followed them quite well till they took me off the road and into a grassy field where no real track was visible. To make things more interesting, a big German Shepherd started running towards me and barking. So I quickly backtracked and went out onto the road. Taking the road rather than this track would add about 6 km to the day, but I did not fancy encounters with dogs and overgrown tracks. As I started forward on the road, which Google Maps showed would take me into Friol, two more huge dogs started bounding towards me. I turned around and saw a shepherd, obviously the owner of the first dog, with his goats. I went up and asked him about how to best get to Friol, and he told me the path was not in very good condition. Lots of overgrowth, some sharp descents. I quickly made up my mind to do the roundabout road route. And luckily those other dogs belonged to an elderly couple out on a walk.

    I hadn’t exactly counted on 30 km of road walking, but I’m here and in good shape and really loved that Roman/pagan building.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Second day on the Camiño Verde

    September 23, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Wow the second day bore no resemblance as our transition from the Primitivo was completed in Sobrado dos Monxes.

    Yesterday in Friol I met a nice Dutch woman who had walked the obviously much better Verde route from Lugo to Friol. We had dinner together and I was fascinated to learn all about her job as a card dealer in a big casino. You just can’t stop meeting interesting people on the Camino!

    We started out together this morning, and the walk went from one lovely green tunnel to a lovely pine forest back to another green tunnel and then through some Meadows. It was just gorgeous. We arrived at Sobrado dos Monxes, which has an Albergue in a very old monastery. I wanted to continue on a few more kilometers and wound up in heaven. The Abeira da Loba was built on the ruins of the house of the owners’ grandparents. Super modern, super echo, just absolutely a wonderful place. There’s a very nice albergue upstairs but I’m in one of the oh so comfy private rooms.

    I am going to go out and lie in a hammock, but not until I finish the weirdest post-walking task I have ever undertaken. I am sitting on about five ice cubes. For the last few days I’ve had a bad pain in some muscle that must be in the middle of my butt, but runs down through my leg. And when I stumble on or kick a stone (not infrequently,unfortunately) the pain shoots up. Yesterday with some ice and anti-inflammatory cream, things got much better. So I’m hoping for some equal improvement today.

    Wonderful day of 32 kms and about 400 m elevation. My sweet spot is a few kms and a few hundred meters lower than last camino, but I’m still chugging along!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    End of camino

    September 24, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I walked about 16 km, making it into Arzua where the Norte joins the Frances. And in about 5 minutes I saw more pilgrims than I had seen in total from the whole Salvador and Primitivo. And then I decided that my body was just not cooperating. My self-diagnosis (along with the online help of a few friends) leads me to conclude that it’s piriformis syndrome.

    So after two or three days of occasional bad pain, I decided it was foolish to continue. I am right outside Santiago, but my main goal was to get there and then go south to Braga in northern Portugal to walk a new (for me) route —the Geira. Walking into Santiago on the Camino Frances is always fun but it was not my primary purpose.

    Since I only have 10 days to walk the Geira route, it seemed silly to spend a few days resting on the hope I could walk at least some of it. So, hard as it is to do, I am cutting it short. I have had to do this once before, in 2008 I think it was, and I know it is going to leave me deflated and bummed out. But if this means I can count on 12 more years of caminos till the next problem, I’m all in favor!

    I know one person who will be happy about my decision, 😄 though I’m sure he’s not glad about the circumstances.

    So now I have to cancel many reservations, figure out how to get to Madrid (trains are all full for days and the bus is not much fun), spend a couple of days with my BFFs in Madrid, and change my flight. I am assuming I’ll be home on Wednesday or Thursday.

    I do know that I need to pay more attention to the fact that I’m no spring chicken and that I have to cut back the distances of my walking days. No more 40 km days for me next time!    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds
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    From Santiago to Madrid

    September 25, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I woke up in O Pino and wasn’t sure exactly what to do. But that muscle or nerve or whatever it is was not happy, so I decided to take a taxi into Santiago. Lest you think it was a wasted day, I was able to see two good friends, Faith and Bostjan. One of them lives in Santiago and the other, from Slovenia, was walking, a different camino but had an injury and had had to stop.

    It was a really weird feeling, being in Santiago, but not really being one of the “in crowd.” I was kind of an interloper, a cheater, not a “real pilgrim.”

    My first order of business was to pick up the duffel bag I had sent up from Leon, which was waiting for my October arrival into Santiago. Unfortunately, I will never have an October arrival into Santiago. Next, time to take my online Covid test. It was very stressful, and took several hours, but finally the magic of Faith and the Pilgrim House made it happen.

    From there, I met Bostjan, and we had a quick reunion, but then I had to get to the airport. Taxis were nowhere to be found, and finally a taxi driver going off his shift took pity on me and drove me to the airport in his private car. The fixed fare is €20 and I tried to give him €30 for his generosity, which I thought should be repaid, but he absolutely refused it. The generosity of people is just astonishing to me.

    I am heading to Madrid, and will spend two days there with my dear dear friends. I have a flight home on Tuesday, and have pretty much made my peace with the end of this Camino.    Read more

  • Laurie ReynoldsCovid Camino 2021Laurie Reynolds

    Sunday in Soto

    September 26, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today was family day with my friends in Soto del Real, with the unexpected bonus that the two (now teenaged) kids came with us for a long lunch outdoors in a local restaurant. As a newly appointed EU prosecutor in a unit dedicated to intra-EU fiscal fraud team, my amiga had many fascinating stories about the first few months of her appointment. She really feels like she is doing something worthwhile and for the greater good. And Paco, as always, had many fascinating local government law issues to discuss. Maybe a limited audience, but it is exactly up my alley and we finally stopped talking at 10:30 to turn on the news to see what was happening in Germany.

    Usually when I visit, we are able to take some beautiful long walks in the mountains that start about four minutes from their house. But today it was just a few baby steps to soak up the sun and see the views.

    I have a good friend who arrives in Madrid tomorrow morning to start the Camino de Madrid. We will probably connect in WhatsApp. I feel like I am passing the baton but am still a bit bummed at how it all turned out. But as many of my Camino friends have already told me, the thing to do is to start planning my next Camino!    Read more

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