Camino 2024

September - October 2024
  • Karin Jooste
My Camino buddy, Mariette and I will walk the Camino Ingles and then continue onwards to Finisterre and Muxia. Read more
  • Karin Jooste

List of countries

  • Spain Spain
  • France France
  • Singapore Singapore
  • Australia Australia
Categories
Backpacking, Culture, Friendship, Hiking, Nature, Photography, Self discovery, Sightseeing, Spirituality, Wellness
  • 36.5kkilometers traveled
Means of transport
  • Flight36.4kkilometers
  • Hiking38kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
  • Train-kilometers
  • Bus-kilometers
  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Skiing-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • 20footprints
  • 20days
  • 244photos
  • 16likes
  • Last training walk in Australia

    September 22, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

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

  • Melbourne Airport

    September 26, 2024 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 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'.

  • Charles de Gaulle airport T3

    September 27, 2024 in 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 😉Read more

  • In transit - @ Santiago de Compostela

    September 27, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 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.
    Read more

  • Ferrol

    September 28, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 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 😊
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  • Ferrol to Pontedeume: +-24 kms

    September 29, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 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.
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  • Pontedeume to Betanzos: +-23km

    September 30, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 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
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  • Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma: +-27km

    October 1, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 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
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  • Apples and chestnuts strewn along our path.Walking into Sigueiro

    Hospital de Bruma to Sigueiro

    October 2, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 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
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