Réinitialiser la recherche
Camino 2024
  • Karin Jooste

Camino 2024

My Camino buddy, Mariette and I will walk the Camino Ingles and then continue onwards to Finisterre and Muxia. En savoir plus
S’abonnerAperçuCalendrierPartagerPartagerListe de choses à faire
Les plus récents en premier
  • Début du voyage
    26 septembre 2024
    Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur

    Last training walk in Australia

    22 septembre 2024, Australie ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Mt Martha and The Briars. Last walk before leaving for our Camino!

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    2

    Melbourne Airport

    26 septembre 2024, Australie ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Checked in and having a glass of vino and lunch. Ready to go! Next stop, Singapore.
    P.S. Only 1 thing forgotten so far - my stainless steel water bottle. Oh well, 'the Camino will provide'.

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur

    Charles de Gaulle airport T3

    27 septembre 2024, France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    In transit on our way to Spain. Flight delayed by 6 hrs so we have a 12 hour layover at CDG. What's a girl to do? We have time & money for shopping but very limited space in our backpacks. So I'm thinking maybe diamonds or something 😉En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    2

    In transit - @ Santiago de Compostela

    27 septembre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We stayed in the most delightful little Auberge (Last 12k) last night. Right on the Camino Frances trail! Arrived at midnight after around 45 hours in transit.
    We got up early and had a little walk around the tiny village, took a few pics of the auberge and the tiny church across the road, where we got our first sello (stamp). Back to the auberge for breakfast and chatted to a Canadian lady on her last few kms of the Camino Frances. We asked for advice and she said: take your time, don't rush and remember to look back often, for a different perspective on how far you've come. Good life advice as well, methinks.

    Then had to walk with our backpack and daypack for more than 1km to the bus stop. That was enough, so happy we booked a luggage transfer service! Now at the train station in Santiago de Compostela, waiting for our train to Ferrol.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    View from the train, arriving in Ferrol.Kilometre 0 of the Camino Ingles.11

    Ferrol

    28 septembre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Ferrol is a little coastal city, with most economic activities focusing on boat building, and of course, tourism. We arrived by train, which is such a stress free and comfortable way to travel.

    After dropping off our luggage, we headed to the harbour area and spent a balmy afternoon exploring, getting a stamp in our Credentail at the tourist office, and then walking the first few kms of Camino Ingles, back to our hotel. Pretty boring start to the walk on city roads and losing our way and having to retrace our steps.

    Dinner (tapas) at Meson Mateo around the corner from our hotel and back to our room to prepare for our first 'real' day of Camino walking.

    Travelling is ultimately about learning, and here are a few lessons we have learned on our journey so far:
    - we are truly spoiled by customer service in Australia, especially in the hospitality industry. What would take seconds in Australia, often takes 3 to 5 minutes here. We saw this at the airport in Paris the other day and same here in Spain. I order a ready made roll and a cup of herbal tea. 30 seconds in Australia, right? In Europe, about 5 minutes of fiddling. So the lesson is; and we are works in progress on this: patience is a virtue.
    - locals often just stare at you blankly when you ask something in English. So, learn a few phrases to get around. 'Vino blanco seco' is a good one on a hot day. And when the time comes for payment, 'seperato' is another handy phrase when going Dutch.
    - taxi drivers are usually grumpy old men, but are ultimately very helpful. A smile (and a friendly 'gracias!') goes a long way.
    - Here in Spain you need to be alert and watchful. My vino blanco seco disappeared while I was waiting patiently 😉 for about 3 minutes after it was placed on the counter before paying. Sigh.
    - When ordering an alcoholic drink in Spain you generally get a little snack with it, usually involving potato and pork. Very civilised.
    - Technology, if used sparingly and appropriately, is a wonderful thing. After we got lost yesterday, I used the View on Map feature in my Buen Camino app which showed our current location, and the Camino Ingles route clearly marked, which enabled us to get back on track.
    - Culture is everything. Tapas; in Australia would normally involve a charcuterie board style of nibbles. In Spain: yea...NO. Locally (in Ferrol) it leans towards what we know as loaded fries. A small plate of chips with a meat dish on top, often with a fried egg on top. It doesn't look appetising at all. Once we wrapped our head around this difference, it tasted pretty good. Lesson: don't knock it till you've tried it.

    I will share more pearls of wisdom as the journey continues 😊    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    1Locals leave helpful signs outside their properties.View from our roomThe ponte (bridge) over the river Deume.

    Ferrol to Pontedeume: +-24 kms

    29 septembre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our first full day of walking on the Camino. I wore my Oxfam 2024 t-shirt as a nod to my fellow Oxfam team members (Amanda, Helen & Mike) who have been so supportive and cheered me on over the last few years. I have learned so much about walking gear, nutrition to fuel my body and tricks to take care of my feet while walking, from them. And above all, to have fun and enjoy the moment while walking. It has all led to this!

    We left our hotel in complete darkness. Our head torches came in very handy. We knew from the guidebooks that the walk out of Ferrol is very uninspiring as most of it is through industrial areas. At our age, our eyesight is precious, and we didn't want to waste it on ugly scenery.

    It was lovely to walk while dawn was breaking. I bought 2 of John Brierley's Camino guides a few months ago and they are incredibly useful. He walked most of the Camino trails and wrote guidebooks for most of them. Pilgrims love his guides as they are very light and concise: route maps showing elevation and distances and very short listings of accommodation, sightseeing and dining options along the way.

    The Camino Ingles has been rerouted substantially over the last decade or so, and now has a lot more road walking, including through many suburban areas. Brierley goes back to the original routes, with delightful forest walks and meandering lanes through quiet rural areas. We are so happy for this guidebook. Of course, straying off the beaten track means getting lost as well, as it isn't clearly marked anymore. My trusted Google maps just showed us the general direction to keep on walking.

    Spanish people are an industrious lot. They don't believe in gardening that much but all of them have veggie patches and sizeable orchards. We saw many Kiwi fruit trees, apples, grapes, lemon and fig trees. And the forests we walked in all had hedges upon hedges of berries. At the moment cranberries & blackberries seem to be the berries in season. We couldn't get close to pick any, as the bushes have very sharp thorns.

    Spaniards also keep livestock in the larger suburban gardens; horses, sheep, chickens.

    Back to the Camino- we decided to bypass Neda and took the pedestrian bridge towards the outer suburbs of Newcastle, on the way to Fene. The bridge was scary as it was very high above the water. From the bridge we could see a beautiful old stone building with lights on, and decided that could be a restaurant or cafe. We were wrong - it was a luxury hotel with only one guest staying for the weekend. They are in shut down mode; on Thursday this week (3.Oct) they will close for the winter, to have a rest and do maintenance on the hotel. The lady of the house seemed reluctant to engage with these 2 old chooks but eventually agreed to make us coffee. We got chatting and she offered to give us a stamp in our pilgrim passport and in the end refused to take payment for the coffee. Our very first Camino angel!

    So, yesterday was Sunday and we learned another hard lesson. Vitually no shops or cafes are open! So we finally had breakfast, lunch and dinner at 5pm at a local bar after arriving at our destination. We were starving! Pizza was all they had on the menu. It was delicious. We then rewarded ourselves with a pistachio gelato. Good work, team!

    Our digs are in the old town of Pontedeume (we try and book accommodation as close to the Camino trail as possible). The old town is quiet with cobbled stone lanes and beautiful old stone buildings, churches, forts and plazas.

    I post my Relive video here, not sure if FindPenguins will create a clickable URL for it:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vMv8prZjRNv

    Rain settled in early evening. A grand first day.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Leaving Pontedeume... Plaza Real 50m from our hotel
    1Spider web with raindrops1Arriving in Betanzos

    Pontedeume to Betanzos: +-23km

    30 septembre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    BIG day with lots of uphill and downhill walking. Our feet are starting to feel the impact of the daily grind.

    We had a cool day with lots of drizzle. Perfect for walking. A bit of mud here and there, expecting more in the two days to come as there is 100% chance of rain predicted for the next 2 days.

    We were walking on the main 'official' trail today and saw lots of Camino pilgrims. People are very friendly, but we didn't chat too much as the walk was a bit challenging.

    Again beautiful scenery; we feel so privileged and blessed to experience it for ourselves. A highlight was a Camino rest area for walkers with tables outside, a tiny Cafe with tea, coffee and snacks. It took me way too long to order 'one tea with milk and black coffee' in Spanish. 😄 It was great to get out of the rain a bit and hear happy chatter in different languages.

    We arrived in Betanzos about 4pm, and struggled a bit with Google maps taking us to 3 different places before we finally managed to arrive at our pension. Right next to the Cathedral on the square. We should have known! We took great care in planning to stay very near the Camino, even if it means we pay a little bit more.

    We were a bit more successful with food today. We had breakfast at our hostel, lunch on the way, and dinner at a little restaurant across the square.

    The Spaniards eat much later in the evening, around 9pm. So we have to take what we can get. Tonight it was Spanish omelette - omelette with potatoes. Sounds boring but was surprisingly, very enjoyable. With of course, a glass of wine.

    The next stage of our walk has very limited dining opportunities, and we bought a sandwich, yoghurt, cheese and an apple for lunch to take with us tomorrow.

    Stunning day, but very tired.

    Here's our Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqgx3GBRGv    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Water point. Just look at that walking stick! 😍My favourite pic of the day xoI adore these stone buildings. Pondering the hands that stacked these stones so long ago..11This poncho is literally the best thing ever 🤩

    Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma: +-27km

    1 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Started early again, but not until we had a cup of coffee from the local Cafe downstairs from our pension. It should be said that I'm not normally a coffee drinker but I'm open to new ideas. Then off around the corner as dawn arrived with stall holders setting up in the plaza of the cathedral.

    I'm not going to sugar coat it: today was a very challenging day. It was spitting all morning but solid rain set in around lunch time. My shoes and socks were soaked and I developed a blister under my little toe. My rain suit worked well, no complaints there.

    The trail itself was beautiful, and uphill most of the way, with much walking through forests and country lanes, and yet one more scenic diversion thanks to Brierley, which was very off the beaten track. How lucky are we to enjoy his legacy, keeping the original Camino tracks alive, that have been wandered for hundreds of years. Sadly John Brierley passed away 2 years ago. His daughter is continuing his work by keeping his guides updated.

    We are so surprised at how green everything still is, we were expecting a lot more autumn colours; we have seen very limited evidence of autumn or winter so far. It is a joy to walk through the forests though, the paths are lined with many beautiful trees, including chestnut trees. Currently they are dropping their bounty with hundreds of thousands of chestnuts lining the paths. We have also seen a few fungi today, we suspect because the area has seen some rain over the last couple of weeks.

    We walked through a few tiny hamlets today and stumbled into one delightful Camino themed cafe around lunchtime. We had already had our picnic lunch by then, but enjoyed a glass of Coke which supplied a much needed caffeine boost for a brutal uphill section just after. I'll post the Relive video and you can clearly see how we had to turn around at some point, back to the cafe, to retrieve our walking poles 🙄

    The rain slowed us down and we arrived much later than expected at our accommodation. The town Hospital de Bruma was named for the first pilgrim hospital on the Camino. It is a beautiful stone building that is now used as the public albergue. Hospital de Bruma means Hospital in the Mist. Very apt name, especially today!

    I am thankful today (and every day) to have Mariette with me. She is such a calming presence and so easy to talk to. Together we figure out solutions to any issues that arise, and it is so comforting to have her with me, especially when trying to follow Brierley's trials and getting lost along the way.

    Dinner was great. The little restaurant in this tiny village has a set menu each day: today was a delicious vegetable soup and bread for starters, chicken (or pork) and potatoes main meal and ice cream for dessert. And a full bottle of wine between the 2 of us for 18 Euro per person, for the lot.
    At last, real food!

    Here's our Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vevYpZDYdJq    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Apples and chestnuts strewn along our path.Walking into Sigueiro

    Hospital de Bruma to Sigueiro

    2 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Spain is currently in the grip of a massive weather system; spin-off of Hurricane Isaac. With it comes rain, rain and more rain. It's relentless. I see on other Camino Facebook groups everyone is affected.

    We started walking in pouring rain in semi darkness after waiting too long for dawn to break. It kept raining all day with a break at around noon for 2 hours. I'm thinking the Camino is trying to teach us this lesson: go with the flow, resistance is futile.

    We still had gorgeous scenery. We are now at a higher elevation and touches of autumn are finally visible. Earthy colours (muted reds and yellows and greens) are sprinkled everywhere.

    We also walked though what seemed to be an ancient enchanted forest, and I imagined it looking exactly the same 500 years ago when peregrinos were walking the same paths on their way to Santiago. Trees covered in green moss and lichen, with ivy twirling itself around tree stumps. Apples and chestnuts scattered everywhere.

    Local Spanish people often leave tubs of apples outside their gate, and the walkers delight in them. The produce is not as photogenic as we are used to in Australia, but it's organic and it's fresh. The apples are so crisp it sounds like an explosion inside your head, when you bite into them.

    Rain kept going all day and we had very few opportunity to duck into cafes to try and escape it. We had a simple, lovely lunch about halfway : toast with tomatoes, and a separate bowl with hummus and breadsticks. Way too much food but we needed the carbs for energy.

    By 3pm we couldn't wait for the day to be over. Our bodies and feet are sore and in need of rest. We should have booked an extra day in Santiago before starting the the Camino Finisterre but we will continue on. Only 16kms to go to Santiago. Can't wait to get there.

    Here's our Relive link:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vRO7949gPKq    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Family reunion in Santiago de Campostela.
    1View from our window

    Sigueiro to Santiago: +-16 kms

    3 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    The last day of our Camino Ingles. We set off early, in complete darkness (just after 6am) to enable us to get to the city before lunch. We thought it was going to be a cruisy day, but surprisingly, had a few unexpected hills to climb.

    Thankfully, the rain stayed away for the day. We were walking in fog for most of the day, which kept the air cool and gave our last day of the Camino Ingles an almost mystic quality. It was great to arrive into the suburbs in foggy weather, as it softened the harsh lines of the city. The noise was a bit of a shock to the system though.

    For the few hours of daylight walking; we appreciated the stunning greeney before arriving into Santiago. Still very much the same scenery, quiet forest walks with lots of running water now visible after all the rain.

    We arrived at around 11am in the cathedral plaza, under the guidance of a single piper. Lots of emotions, mostly relief! Also very proud of us for completing this walk. One down, one to go.

    It was wonderful to hold the Compostela certificate as proof of our walk in our hands. Hats off to the pilgrims office in Santiago with incredibly efficient service. I was #514 (just after 11am! 😳) for the day and the process was very smooth. We spent a few hours in the afternoon to prepare for our second walk that starts tomorrow; Camino Finisterre. Visit to a pharmacy for more band-aids, supermarket to buy yoghurt for breakfast, and the biggest challenge of it all, to get a newspaper to use as stuffing for my wet trail runners.

    We wish we booked another day in Santiago, as our bodies and feet are tired and in need of a rest.

    Then, the best part of the day: My cousin, his wife and daughter (Piet, Jeanette and Michelle) walked the Camino Frances and also finished yesterday. We caught up for dinner (after walking around for at least half an hour to find an open restaurant) and spent a wonderful night together, exchanging Camino and family stories. And here's an example of how small this world is: Michelle teaches at a school in Pretoria, and her school principal is Marriete's (my Camino buddy) husband's cousin! 😲

    Here's our relive (not quite the whole day, as I forgot to turn it on at 6am):
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vJOK5EQj95q    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Mushrooms on a tree trunkOld houses beautifully maintainedSmall personal silos in every garden for corn storage.1

    Santiago to Negreira: +- 24 km

    4 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We bid farewell to Santiago after dropping off our bags at the post office to be transported to our next destination. This service is a life saver. We carry our daypacks with water, rain gear, hats etc with us, while the rest of our luggage is forwarded to our next destination.

    No rain today but apparently tomorrow it'll start again with a vengeance, until the end of our Camino Finisterre.

    It was a foggy morning and we soon left Santiago behind. This new trail is quite different from the Camino Ingles. It is clearly a more affluent demographic, and we see far fewer ruins. People spend more money to maintain the old buildings, or build new ones. We saw a number of manicured gardens, but they are few and far between.

    We walked up a number of steep hills and down again to many tiny villages, some postcard perfect with ancient houses, beautiful rivers and lovely landscapes.

    Mariette and I both struggle with our feet at the moment. They are tired and sore and a few blisters are forming. We headed to the pharmacy as soon as we arrived in Negreira. Thankfully, while on the Camino, every pharmacy has at least one shelf of foot care products. No shortages here.

    Lunch was a delicious baguette with salami and cheese. Dinner was a cheese omelette and Mariette had a salad. Still no great choice on the menu when you try to eat before 9pm but the food we manage to get our hands on is always top shelf.

    Our albergue had a laundry so we also squeezed in a much needed wash and dry cycle before bed.

    I made a Relive but only remembered to turn it off about 3 or 4 hours after our arrival 🙂
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqX9Z7zKov    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur

    Negreira to Maroñas: +-21 km

    5 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    'The Camino has provided.' Rain. The Camino provided LOTS of rain. It's relentless!

    It poured most of the day. We had a few hours with less intense rain but it didn't stop. Scenery was still great, though.

    I was expecting to end up with lots of blisters due to increased friction in wet socks, but was mostly fine. I have one small blister on my big toe but will work with it before we start walking tomorrow.

    My cousin Piet's wife Jeanette introduced us to the joy of Compeed. It's patches and toe 'sleeves' made of silicone. Absolute game changer. I bought 2 sleeves for my little toes and no more problems! Dankie Jeanette 😍
    Once we get to civilisation again, we will buy more.

    Also thankful today for Gortex. Gortex shoes and Gortex rain suit. The shoes weren't that effective today but the rain suit kept me pretty dry. Our trail runners are now stuffed with newspaper and drying in front of the fire in the albergue restaurant. Talking about restaurant, we had a hearty 3 course 'menu of the day' dinner, including wine, for Eu 13.

    We chatted with a Dutch lady at dinner. So far we don't socialise that much, as most peregrinos are Spanish speaking, but on our walks so far we have spoken with a couple of Aussies, Dutch, Scandanavian, quite a few Canadians, and one person from England. They are all very entertaining in their own way.

    Mariette and I walk on our own sometimes for a bit of me-time and today being so rainy we each walked at a speed we felt safe at. There was lots of mud, many puddles and we had to balance ourselves with our walking poles not to slip and fall over!

    It was a very challenging day and as I was plodding along, I was wondering if this moment was trying to teach me something. 'Keep on keeping on'? I don't have an answer yet.

    Here's our Relive:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vPv4dP5K33v    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Our digs last night; Casa Pepa.
    View from our room.Lunch!Geraldine

    Maroñas to Olveiroa: +- 13kms

    6 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today was a much easier day: the rain eased off a bit and wasn't pelting us like yesterday, and we had a much shorter distance to cover.

    We met a few very interesting people today. First an older couple from Norway; the husband is about to turn 85 and his wife, 79 years old. They had just completed the Camino Portuguese from Porto 😳 (which is 320kms long) before starting the Camino Finsterre! And here we were patting ourselves on the back for completing the Camino Ingles (about 115kms) before starting the Camino Finsterre! We are both humbled, delighted and inspired by them. They started walking 23 years ago and love it, they have done major walks across Europe including a very tough one in Norway.

    Then we also chatted to a Belgian man who had completed the Camino Primitivo before starting the Finisterre route. We know the Primitivo is considered the toughest of all the Caminos (along the northern coast of Spain) with treks through valleys and mountains. He was telling us it was absolutely freezing in the mountainous parts of the Primitivo, and he found it very challenging. We could see he was in low spirits; he was questioning why he was still walking, with all the rain we are having on the Finisterre route. I felt so sorry for him and did my best to encourage him to keep walking to Muxia and to take a few days' break to recover. I didn't have the heart to tell him that my weather app predicts solid rain until at least next weekend.

    I guess that is the beauty of walking with a friend. We are each other's support all the way. Not once have we considered giving up, even yesterday, which we agree was our toughest day (mentally) so far.

    Then we also met up with the lovely Dutch lady we saw at dinner last night; Geraldine. She is walking 2kms further than us today but we are pretty certain we'll see her again. We found the same thing on Camino Ingles. You tend to meet up with the same people every day.

    Today's walk was great; because it was so much shorter. Our feet are in good shape (to be expected) and we have time to dry our gear before tomorrow morning, when we set off again.

    Plus!! We arrived at the albergue pretty early and knew we were booked into a dorm room, which we don't enjoy that much as there is very limited space. As I handed my card over to pay, I asked if they maybe have a twin room available ( I checked booking.com last night and there was nothing) and yes they did! We were elated, as it includes our own bathroom as well. Brand spanking new.
    The Camino has provided yet again. 'Ask and you shall receive'.

    Lunch was at the albergue, a massive salad. It's been a good day.

    Here's our Relive:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vjYV5z2Yq    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Our Norwegian friends and Mariette plus an American pilgrim.on the right.
    The fork in the road to Finisterre and Muxia.1First sunshine and blue skies in DAYS!Walking in to Cee.3Feet prep every morning.

    Olveiroa to Cee: +- 20km

    7 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    We had lunch and dinner at our hostel yesterday and decided to mix it up and have breakfast at another venue in the tiny little village. There we bumped into our Norwegian friends! They were going to take the bus to Cee today as the wife has a blister that is out of control.

    So we walked into a thunderstorm this morning, which was a bit scary. We even contemplated abandoning our walking poles (lightning hazard) but then remembered we had a very steep downhill walking into Cee and we needed them to stabilise ourselves in case of mud. So on we walked with our poles, at a very brisk pace. All about risk management and OH&S.

    It was very windy. Thankfully I had a rope and a carabiner which I tied around my waist to prevent me and my poncho looking like a flying nun.
    Even though the weather forecast was for terrible weather all day, by 11.30am the wind had blown all rain and clouds away. Sunshine at last!! We finished our day in beautiful weather. Our hostel is a bit Spartan so we went out for a pizza and burger.

    Full on rain predicted for the rest of our stay in Spain so we will arrive in Finisterre tomorrow in the rain. We will probably postpone the 5km walk to the lighthouse (kilometre 0; ie the end of the Camino) until Wednesday. The weather will determine.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    1
    Leaving CeeWhoo!!First view of FinisterreScorpion fish for lunchMy room for the next 2 nights

    Cee to Finisterre: +-14 km

    8 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We have arrived in Finisterre, but haven't walked to the lighthouse (Faro) at the end of the world yet. Nearly there!

    Today's walk started off as dawn was breaking. Well we think so, we couldn't see the sun but it wasn't in complete darkness.

    It was a bitter-sweet walk and we were savouring every step, even when we were again, challenged by rain. Very much the same landscape, beautiful forests, hills and a few flatter, open stretches in between. Lots of running and standing water everywhere.

    We didn't see any of the regulars today, but there is a grumpy Norwegian lady (we have been seeing her for 2 days in a row) who's been barking orders at everyone to get out of the vista as she was trying to take photos. Today I just kept on walking. Enough is enough.

    Our first view of Finisterre was spectacular. We came round a corner and there she was, being pelted by rain just like us. 🙃

    We arrived around noon and walked straight to the harbour area where we found a lovely little restaurant and had fish for lunch. Finisterre is a little fishing village and well known for fresh seafood. Mariette ordered sole and I tried scorpion fish for the first time. Delicious.

    Finisterre will be our base for the next 2 nights. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment and have been astounded how lovely the owners are. Their daughter insisted in picking us up at the restaurant after we finished lunch, then took us to the post office to pick up our baggage and delivered us to the apartment, showed us around with a promise to pick us up again on Thursday to deliver our luggage back to the post office.

    Dinner was at a restaurant 50m from the apartment, which we were thankful for as it was raining very hard.
    There was only one item on the menu: fish and salad, which we were pretty happy about. The restaurant is in winding down mode as they will close for the winter season in 2 days.

    Tomorrow: the lighthouse and off to the tourist office to get our Fisterrana certificates.

    Here's our Relive:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqowAj2Vyq    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    1Finisterre lighthouse. At last!
    Photo: Mariette le RouxIgrexia de Santa Maria. On the way to the lighthouse.Finisterre harbour1And here we are xoFinsterre iconic lighthouse.A bagpiper welcomed us to the lighthouse.Kilometre 0!Let's drink to this!Galician style cod. Delicious.2

    To Finisterre Lighthouse: +-7km return

    9 octobre 2024, Espagne ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    We completed the Camino Finisterre today. It feels like a dream, can't believe we did it!

    We patiently waited this morning for the weather to clear. It was foggy and spitting this morning but was forecasted to clear by mid-afternoon. Dealing with Hurricane Kirk at the moment. It seems they are coming through fast and furious.

    We explored Finisterre a bit this morning and visited the tourist office in town and received our Fisteranna certificate after the necessary checks.

    On our way there, we saw our Belgian friend again. He looked happy to see us and seemed very relaxed and in a much improved frame of mind; he completed his walk via Muxia to Finisterre, yesterday. He returns to Santiago tomorrow and then back to Belgium the day after.

    Finally, we set off for the lighthouse at 4pm with beautiful blue skies.

    We arrived at kilometre 0, just before the lighthouse around 5pm. We are very happy but a bit dazed by it all. We had a celebratory glass of wine at the pub next to the lighthouse hotel before walking back down the hill.

    Dinner was Galician style cod at a restaurant at the harbour, then back to our apartment to pack as we catch the bus to Muxia mid-morning tomorrow.

    Friday we are off to Santiago again for the day and Friday night we fly to Paris for 2 days before returning to Melbourne on Monday.

    We are asking ourselves what will we do now? Already, today it felt strange not to be up and about at the crack of dawn, packing our bags and prepping our feet for a long walk. It felt so luxurious to be able to stay in bed a little longer.

    We are planning to keep up our fitness levels though, and are already thinking of another Camino next year. Whether it will happen, time will tell.

    Here's our Relive of today's short walk:
    https://www.relive.cc/view/vMq5gPYp4QO    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Muxia. View from our albergue room.
    American tourist with her compinion Constance Joy.Last stop in Finisterre. Batidor, our favourite cafe.Note the little details, a porcelain cover to keep the mug of tea hot, and a tiny slice of cake!Muxia lighthouseMuxia..spectacular location for a church; sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin.Split stone monument reminder of oil spill from tanker Prestige. It led to the movement Never Again.Santiago de Compostela - homage to the pilgrims' feet carrying them across far lands.Parador, Santiago de Compostela1Cathedral in Santiago. We had fantastic seats.Dos Reis restaurant in the Parador hotel.Lunch!Table linen

    Muxia and Santiago de Compostela

    11 octobre 2024, France ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    We had a wonderful last 2 days in Spain.
    Originally we planned to walk to Muxia over 2 days after arriving in Finisterre but shortly before leaving Australia, changed our itinerary to rather have two rest days in Finstere and then take the bus to Muxia instead.

    Our lovely host picked us up at our apartment in Finisterre, and dropped us off at the post office to forward our luggage to Muxia. We walked to our favourite little cafe to have breakfast while waiting for the bus. We then decided to buy tickets to Camariñas instead - a little place that is famous for maintaining old traditons - making handmade bobbin lace. We bought a couple of small examples each and had lunch there (met an interesting American lady in the middle of a diabetic meltdown and helped her to get some food into her) and then took the bus back with her to Muxia.

    Muxia is a beautiful little coastal town as well. Some peregrinos choose to end their walk here so there are quite a few hostels and restaurants. We managed to get an open restaurant at 7pm and had another scrumptious seafood dinner.

    The next morning we caught the 6.15am bus to Santiago and had a laid back morning in Santiago while waiting for the pilgrim mass at noon. We deliberately decided to wait until our very last day and the end of both our caminos to attend. I had never been to a Catholic mass before and wow this was spectacular! And, lo and behold, the botafumeiro was brought into action. Usually this is saved for special occasions like Easter and Christmas but organisations or individuals can pay around $500 and they will then do it. It is a silver thingamajig that hangs from the ceiling that has some sort of fuel with smoke in it and this is pulled by a team of 9 men so it swings to and fro in the cathedral, while some person is singinging and the organ fills the cathedral space. Quite spectacular! Definitely the highlight of the trip. I took a video and will try and figure out a way to share it.

    I researched the purpose of the botafumeiro and here goes:
    According to the Cathedral, the purpose of the Botafumeiro is: “To symbolise the true attitude of the believer. In the same way that the smoke from the incense rises to the top of the temple's naves, so must the prayers of the pilgrims rise to reach the heart of God.

    Then, a very quick lunch at the Parador (converted monastery next to the cathedral) and then off to the airport for our flight to Paris. Realised later I lost my wrist watch on the airport bus. Oh well, another lesson not to attach too much value to earthly goods.
    A truly spectacular day and a great way to wrap up our trip to Spain.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    La Tour Eiffel
    Flash of autumn along the banks of the SeineLouvre. Winged Victory of Samothrace. Magnificent.Louvre. Venus de Milo.LouvreCrepes for lunch!Seine at Ile de la citèMarche Saint-HonorèMarche Saint-HonorèJardins TuileriesJardins TuileriesPicassoPicasso cubismMonet mural in Musee de L'OrangerieJardins Tuileries

    A weekend in Paris: Day 1

    12 octobre 2024, France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We arrived in Paris on Friday night and went straight to the hotel. Lovely place, Hotel Printemps. Very near a Metro station in a leafy, quiet neighbourhood.

    Saturday was full-on. First we went to the Musee L'Orangerie, awesome. One part of the gallery was designed by Monet himself, to display massive panels of his waterlillies. Unlike anything I have ever seen and definitely recommended. Almost more impressive was a temporary installation: private collection of Heinz Berggruen (the collection now belongs to the German government). He focused on modern artists like Picasso, Matisse and Klem with an astonishing number of Picasso paintings, before and after his cubism period.

    Then we wandered around in the Jardins Tuileries and after that to a street food market Marche St Honorè with beautiful colours, flavours and textures.

    Lunch was a crepe with Nutella and strawberries 🤤

    In the afternoon we had a guided tour through the Louvre. The building is almost more impressive than the art itself! I am not joking when I say there were tens of thousands of people. It was just mind blowing, have never seen so many people in my life. I thought this was the off season! There was a crowd at least 50 people deep in front of the Mona Lisa. I just strolled past, and refused to be part of that circus. There were so many artworks to enjoy and appreciate instead.

    We also booked a quayside dinner on the Seine and then a boat trip to take in the Paris sights at night. The dinner was fine (the service not that fantastic) then a wait of about 40 minutes in the rain with sooo many other people to do the boat trip that ended up being changed due to the Seine almost in flood after all the rain over the past few weeks. At least the Eiffel Tower looked beautiful.

    We got home (at the hotel) at about 10.30pm and fell into bed. Long day on our feet!

    Photos to follow, doesn't upload on hotel wifi for some reason.    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
  • Karin JoosteCamino 2024Voyageur
    Beautiful Sacre Coeur.Dalida, a very famous French singer from the 2nd half of last century.Inside the Sacre Coeur.MontmartreMontmartreThis is the cafe where Amelie worked.The only vineyard left in Montmartre

    A weekend in Paris: Day 2

    14 octobre 2024, France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Breakfast at the hotel and then we zoomed off again on the metro for the day. First stop; Jardin du Luxembourg with a beautiful palace and De Medici fountains. A wonderful hour or two walking while people watching and viewing art work in the gardens, people sailing remote control sailboats on the lake, even a French band playing in the rotunda.

    Then walked across the Seine to catch the metro to take us to Montmartre. We passed the Notre Dame along the way; renovations still in full swing. We viewed project photos and were gob smacked at the extensive damage. Reno's have been ongoing for 4 years with planned completion date of December 2024.

    We arrived at Montmartre at the Anvers station; ie at the bottom of the hill. So, the tens of thousands of people who visited the Louvre yesterday, all descended upon Montmartre on Sunday. Unbeknownst to us, it was the harvest festival this weekend. Hundreds of food and mostly wine stalls lining the streets around the Sacre Coeur. We were queuing for about 20 minutes just to walk up the steps to Montmartre.

    We decided if you can't beat them, join them. Lunch was raclette and a glass of wine. Then we spent some time wandering the streets of Montmartre, taking photos and just taking in the sights and enjoying the atmosphere.

    We tried to attend Vespers at the Sacre Coeur at 4pm, for the beautiful music; but there were so many people walking through and talking constantly; that we gave up and left.

    We joined a walking tour at 5pm with a very colourful French lady who told us many interesting facts about the area. Thoroughly enjoyable.

    We hopped back on the Metro and were back home at 8pm. Dinner was a Croque Monsieur. The rest of the night was spent packing and getting ready to leave for the airport (to fly back to Melbourne) first thing in the morning.

    Paris was a great way to end our Camino holiday!    En savoir plus

    Voir la traduction
    Fin du voyage
    15 octobre 2024