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Camino
  • Joanne Stewart
  • Joanne Stewart

Camino

An open-ended adventure by Joanne Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 16, 2024
  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Day two to Zubiri

    September 19, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Uncle Michael and I leave the monastery and walk at our own pace to Zubiri. Many of the pilgrims I pass tell me they have met another Scot on the road. Yes, I say, that's my Uncle Michael! I managed a swim in the river at the bridge in Zubiri. Fantastic after a hot and sweaty day. Are you sure? The water is really cold, I am told by some young Americans, and we have heard there is a snake in the water. I think it will be OK I say, and maybe I can catch the snake 🤣🤣.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Off to meet Dad in Pamplona

    September 20, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Michael decides it's best that we walk separately today. Hopefully due to walking pace and not my line of chat 🤣🤣 This works well and Michael and I stagger into Pamplona fairly close together and meet up with Dad. He arrived earlier and has already been exploring for most of the day. We check into our very fancy artistic accommodation, right next to the cathedral and manage a slow meander round a few blocks, imagine how it would be for the running of the bulls, catch a bit of a concert in the street and a hearty dinner. In bed by 9pm. A festival is kicking off in the street, I watch from the balcony but subdue my impulses to get involved and retire to bed ready to get ready for all 3 Camino Celts caminoing tomorrow.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler
    11

    Pilgrim blessing

    September 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Walking with both Dad and Uncle Michael today which was a privilege and a joy. Was great to be part of their conversations. It was a long old day though, we were all getting slower in the afternoon, making slower and slower progress through a series of closed up dustry villages. Any cafes always seemed to be 200m off our track and a 200m detour was unthinkable. Entered Puente la Reina at a snails pace with some blatant outright lying from me about how many meters till our accommodation. We all attended a pilgrims mass that evening, which ended with a blessing of the pilgrims where we all received a memorial necklace from a fine figure of a Spanish priest. It was presented and hung around our necks am we proudly received them like we were being awarded an Olympic medal. 🏅Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Father and daughter

    September 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Early morning sightseeing with a quick group photo of the 3 of us before dad and I wave goodbye to Michael before taking a 9 minute bus up the hill to our starting point. It is interesting to see how many people are catching bus, train or cab for bits of it and "doing the Camino their way", which is one of the Camino's main mantras. A other great day of walking finishing in Estella. We struggle to find food as we are not in sync with Spanish opening hours but after a circuit of the centre we discover our apartment is literally next door to a bar which has cold beer and Spanish football on the telly, which is perfect. We find some dinner at a lively pilgrim place, (where we saw but did not yet meet, a very chatty Gabby) then back to our bar for a night cap and then bed.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Rabe de las Calzadas

    September 29, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Great day, into and out of the beautiful city of Burgos. It was a long walk in but the sun was shining on Burgos today, some kind of marathon event was taking place, music was playing and the streets were lively, people were friendly and the whole city had a happy vibe. I toured the palace, soaked up some sun with a glass of wine in the main square, did some leisurely sight seeing then carried on my merry way.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Getting close to halfway

    October 1, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Shorter day today, 19km, as my feet needed a rest. Long sleep till 7.15 and bacon and eggs for breakfast. Really social day and a proper bed in a large attic room of a relatively swanky hotel. Flute concert in the church and communal dinner. Hopefully early start tomorrow and 25k.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Early morning stop after great night

    October 2, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Got up early after convivial stay with amazing hostel (proper beds!!!!) run by owner called Eduardo. He seems to run everything this village and is probably the priest, doctor and mayor as well. Great communal dinner with loads of people I had met over the past couple of days and loads of new faces too. It was a proper hotel but with a beautiful dorm in the attic and overflow augergue next door. In the morning telly was on in reception with news of Iran Israel bombardment. Set off in dark and mild rain and got ridiculously and unnecessarily irritated by pilgrim behind me with extraordinarily bright head torch. Tried running like a GI with my pack to get away from shiny pants so I could keep my night sight but then finally decided to chill the fuck out. Made it to Formista as it was getting light. I had noticed when walking into Burgos a lot of the local old boys had been ordering a strange brown drink early in the morning. So when I stopped for an orange juice and toilet stop and old boy ordered one I asked for one of what he's having. So I am either going to power on till lunchtime like a superhero or be asleep in a field by 10am 🤣🤣🤣Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Carrion up the Camino

    October 2, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    A pleasant walk in lightish but increasing rain this morning, some political discussion, and some over sharing from me after my breakfast shot, with Judith from Minneapolis. Took an extended break from the in reading rain in a cool and relaxed albergue which was run by an artist with paintings and painting equipment all around, some huge naked sculptures, inquisitive geese, donkeys and some more political discussion with Pedro (Portugal, cycling) and Constantine (Germany). After 2 hours realised rain was not going to be accommodating and made a speedy 10km trudge through the deluge with Ben (London / Falklands) to Carrion de Los Condes. Our sanctuary was an old convent or orphanage with tiny clean single rooms, aging and fairly bossy nuns and, most importantly, a plant boiler room to dry shoes. Laundry, beer, best beef ribs ever and then bed.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    My feet dont hurt!

    October 4, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    An early start and shortish day of 23km. Through Sahagun (which I found out later was the halfway mark) with it's prolific street art and then the road less travelled, dry and dusty detour to Calzadilla de Los Hermanillos. Arrived surprisingly early so had an afternoon nap instead of looking around the village. Realised that this was first time in ages my feet have not been hurting. Great political and personal chat over dinner with lovely lady from Australia. This trip involves lots of free therapy! 😄Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Big 30km day

    October 5, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Later start after bacon and eggs to keep me going for 30km. Not the most exciting of days but still definitely feeling easier on my feet. Actually had some fairly aching muscles today rather than just having my feet scream at me. Looking forward to meeting up with the girls tomorrow or the next day.Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    When the sun rises in the west

    October 6, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Most mornings I am up an hour or so before sunrise. The first hour or so I walk under the stars with the sky slowly lightening. As we are always walking towards the west, it is only when I remember to turn round that I finally see the yellows and pinks of the sunrise spreading across the sky behind me. This morning, after a quick double espresso in a bar in Puerta Villarente, the skies had no moon or stars as the expectation is for rain (possibly for the next 5 days, but best not to dwell on that). Today the lightening sky was ahead of me. These are the lights of Leon approaching 12 km ahead. Like any good Catholic girl I am hoping to reach Leon Cathedral in time for 11am mass. I spent most of the time listening to a podcast on the Bhagavad Gita. A nice little mix of cliches, cultures, ancient spritualities and modern technologies 🤣🤣

    Met loads of people I knew in the square outside the cathedral and was great to be sociable after a fairly lonesome couple of days. After this was a wet and boring 20km trudge to meet Maz and Dalia which fortunately will never have to do again!    Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Wet but wonderful day

    October 9, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Was expecting a wet and miserable climb up a mountain but ended up being a joyful, but still wet, day. Unexpectedly met up with some previous Camino family! Had left my wet weather gear in the auberge just before the wet weather was forecast to start but was given a rain jacket by somewhere passing Spaniards and then fashioned something serviceable out of a bin bag from a bar 🤣🤣Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Cacabelos says yes

    October 11, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Ponferrada to Villafranca de Bierzo.

    Early start out of Ponferrada in the dark and heavy mist. Walked with Nancy who had had a nasty fall the previous day and was taxied to hospital. She is a nurse and was impressed and grateful with the help and treatment she had received for free. The taxi driver even called her later to check in on her. We passed a marker showing we had less than 200km to go. We are back in one country and finished the day with a gorgeous detour through various wineries to Villafranca and a room with cotton sheets and my first towel for weeks as I lost mine on week 1!!! A happy day 😄Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Planning the ending

    October 15, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Early morning walks in the dark are the best. The kilometers just fly by as you stride along blissfully unaware whether the squish underfoot is an empty chestnut casing or a cow pat. Watching the darkness slowly lighten as the sun finally rises behind you. Or on many other occasions watching the darkness barely change as the night turns into slightly less dark mist and rain 🤣🤣Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Newcomers at Sarria to liven things up

    October 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Because I am not stopping at the main stages I seem to be having quite sociable mornings and then mostly solo afternoons where I only encounter a couple of people. Today started with breakfast of coffee and yesterdays Santiago cake with the group of 4 ladies I stayed withe last night. Then on the road from Melide I encountered a cast of characters including Clay from Philadelphia who was doing with his mum in memory of his Dad who had always wanted to do it, a chap from Venezuela who I keep running into who was doing it in memory of his mum who died 7 months previously. He tacked the Camino onto competing in a 100km race in the mountains in Catalonia which he completed in 14 hours and 50 mins and came 2nd in his age category, fair play!! Tony who is an old Brunel guy who is going to introduce me to some old alumni and Edrika from the Czeck Republic who started in Bayonne and had done the North Coast route which is apparently waaay harder than this one 🤣🤣. Gorgeous solitary walk this afternoon to A Salceda and beautiful heart attack fatty dinner with German guy I keep encountering in the afternoons as we have same idea about staying off main stages. Saw a comet trail before trying and failing to take some arty shots of the moon. Then straight to bed in a room with just one other woman so didn't even need my earplugs, a rare treat. All the hostels now seem to be using codes to get in instead of having a 10 or 9pm curfew, so it is nice to be treated like an adult again, although I am still in bed before 9.30 😃Read more

  • Joanne StewartCaminoTraveler

    Disastrous loss

    October 18, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Disaster has struck! Because I did not actually use them last night and left them sitting beside my bed, I finally lost my most treasured possession, the earplugs given to my by my Uncle Michael at our first stop in Roncevalles. This means that I will now get to enjoy the aubergue dormitory auditory experience with its orchestra of snoring, grunting, farting and occasional argument in its full and unsuppressed glory. Oh lucky me!

    A shorter hike today, only 18km and I take it easy with loads of stops,one of which had the best bacon and cheese bocadillo yet. This takes me to A Lovacolla which means that I will only have 10km to go tomorrow morning to make the final stage to Santiago. A load of folks meet for drinks in the rain. D and Marilyn arrived later as they were feeling ultra strong today and did another huge walk, which means we can walk into Santiago together tomorrow which will be the perfect ending. Everyone is demob happy knowing that we are so nearly there. Lots of hugging, laughing and a few people are getting emotional already. A Spanish girl practically dances off to do a further 5km this evening, but we are all more than happy to have another Calimocho, adinner and then bed, again bunkbeds with little curtains which makes the whole experience so much more civilised.    Read more

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