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El Camino
  • Stewart Warrilow

El Camino

67-dniowa przygoda według Stewart Czytaj więcej
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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Fontenay Le Comte

    3 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    "La marche n'est pas autorisée sur cette route!", the lady called from the car window. As I walked over to her I explained I was English and couldn't speak French. It gave her some context and it gave me some time to divine the essence of what was being said. She repeated it but this time she made a walking action with one hand and wagged her finger with the other. I wasn't allowed to walk on this road. "But I am walking to Thiré" I said. She gave me the same message a third time accompanied with a shrug of the shoulders and, what felt like, a mocking laugh. Then she drove off. Outside of the hotel, that lady was the only person I spoke to until I reached Fontenay.

    But Fontenay is a pretty oasis in this green desert. I have walked for fourteen miles without seeing another pedestrian. Plenty of cars, a handful of cyclists but no-one with their feet on the ground. In that time, I hadn't seen a shop and the only water I'd seen was being used to spray fields. From tomorrow I'll be following an official route so at least I'll have the worry of jaywalking lifted. Still, walking south of Nantes takes a lot more planning than when I was walking in the North. The temperature is over thirty so plenty of water is a necessity. In the North I would stumble across a tap somewhere or take from the river. That's not an option here. That said, this certainly has more of an adventure feel to it and it makes you appreciate places like Fontenay

    The place I stayed at last night was in the tiny village of St Juire. It was run by a mother and daughter who were constantly bickering but in a light hearted way; plenty of hands on hips and eye rolling followed by a wink and a laugh. I had planned to eat at the bar in the village but this was closed because of problems with the plumbing. The nearest alternative was a six mile round trip and there was no taxi service. I asked if I could get something delivered. Only on a Friday was the answer. The pizza man does weddings on a Saturday, takes Sunday and Monday off and delivers to other villages the rest of the week. So it was me and my last sachet of Aynsley's cous cous for tea. Unfortunately, I had lost my spoon in my panic to get away from Jeff Goldblum's house so my only cutlery was a credit card. Yet another first!

    Photos - the oasis that is Fontenay, you know it's hot when sunflowers look like this, my view for most of the day, a pilgrim's silhouette...walking poles, parasol, and freshly laundered underwear pinned to his back to dry.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Benon

    4 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    For the last four days I've been walking through the region Vendée and it's been the hardest walking of the trip so far. However today I crossed to a département called La Charente Maritime and it's like being back in the France I enjoyed so much. The villages have a centre with a church, a bar and a general stores, rather than being a string of houses and barns, there are shady avenues, and there are people who walk and smile and say 'Bonjour!'. It's great to be back!

    I'm having conversations again too, three today. One lady on a bike kindly told me I was going the wrong way and I needed to go back. I explained that I was going straight to my accommodation because it was too hot to be out for long. She told me I must follow the path to St Jacques, I needed to go back to Maillé and ask at the bar for directions. I could see she wasn't going to take any flannel so I agreed and headed back to the bar. As soon as she was out of sight I went back to taking the direct route, a little nervous in case I saw her again.

    I had a great chat with a guy who was really interested in the route I had taken. He spoke in English and I in French. He wanted to know my route but he was super picky about my pronunciation of place names. He wouldn't let me continue until I'd copied him to his satisfaction. It took me ages to get past Saint-Juire-Champgillon! For all his pickiness, it was the best French lesson I've ever had. We shook hands and he wished me luck "mon ami".

    Photos - the curious nineteenth century clock/bell tower of Benon, the oversized twelfth century Romanesque church in Maillé, a reminder of home...a canal, the fortified church of Courçon, it's hot, a signpost!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Surgères

    5 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    I need to do a better job of washing socks. They were drying in the top of my rucksack so that each time I turned my head, or the breeze changed direction, I would get a hit of dessicating seaweed. I'll add that to the life lessons I'm picking up, along with don't pack slugs in your rucksack.

    Last night's stay was lovely. I had the choice of paying thirty euros for a family centric camp (with Kidz Klub and karaoke) or fifty euros for a room. I fancied getting some sleep so I went for the latter. A young couple had converted their garage into a room to rent. It was all pretty new and super chic with bare stone walls and a sauna. The thing that did it for me, though, was that she had put a bowl of fresh figs in the fridge so that I had something refreshing when I arrived. I also had her homemade magdalenas. Deeelish!

    Today was a short walk as my planning was thrown up in the air when one of the sites I was planning to camp at turned out to be a naturist resort. But it's given me time to see pretty Surgères and its eleventh century Romanesque church and reconstructed castle walls. It will also give me the chance to rest a pain I have developed today in one of the muscles by the ankle. I'll see how it feels in the morning.

    Photos - Surgères church and castle walls, shady avenues are a blessing in hot weather, magdalena anyone?     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Saintes

    6 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    So last night my shin/ankle became painful enough for me to be limping quite heavily. I was becoming concerned I was going to have to call it a day. This morning it was a lot better but still sore. I decided to get the train to cover the 26 miles to Saintes. That way I would be in a town with good transport links and I would be able to rest for a couple of days.

    Tonight I'm staying in a refuge for pilgrims. It's a mixed dorm with kitchen and bathroom. It's actually part of the church of St Eutrope so I guess it's Medieval. It has tiny doorways and Romanesque arches and the wall at the head of my bed separates me from the basilica!

    Saintes is lovely and certainly worth visiting for the day if you're passing. It's quite small but full of history and sits on the River Charente.

    Photos - the arch of Germanicus, two photos of the still in use Abbaye des Dames, the market, the tomb of St Eutrope... Pilgrims have been visiting the tomb on their way to Santiago since Medieval times so this was a 'must see'. St Eutrope was sent to convert the Gauls in the third century but was martyred in the process. Last photo is the church of St Eutrope.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Saintes II

    6 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I saw a guy delivering illicit parcels to the prison prison here. I was walking towards this man who was hurling things at this large building . My first thought was, "Flipping heck mate that was a good throw, I think it went over!" My reading of the situation was that he was seeing how high he could bounce a ball off a big building. But nothing bounced back. And then I thought he was a bit old to be playing games like that. As I neared I saw his edginess and that he wasn't throwing balls at all. I looked on the map and sure enough it was the town prison. It felt unreal that this was happening in the middle of town in broad daylight. He briskly walked off when I got my phone out. If only he knew I was only on Google maps.

    I had to be out of the place I was staying early so I ended up doing some laundry in the first sink I found. Unfortunately it was the park's public toilets, and there was only one sink. This meant that if someone wanted to wash their hands I had to lift my washing out of the sink. It only happened a couple of times but it doesn't half make you feel humble.

    I feel like my leg is fixed so I'm heading for Royan tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

    Photos - The river Charente flowing through Saintes, Saintes cathedral, the church I slept to last night. Sitting on "our bench".     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Royan

    8 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    It's a long, hot walk from Saintes to Royan!

    Royan was one of the last pockets of Nazi resistance in the second world war. The French government believed that there were only enemy soldiers and collaborator civilians in the town so the Allied forces bombed it off the face of the earth in 1945. The town was reconstructed in concrete and I think they have made a great job of making a beach look ugly. I wouldn't recommend staying.

    Tomorrow I will take a ferry across La Gironde and start the Atlantic coastal path. I can't wait!

    Photos - I didn't take many photos today as I was walking along busy roads, through bare fields and retail parks. The main photo is Royan from the marina. The others are Royan's concrete cathedral (which was built in only three years), and the winner of the most ostentatious, redundant railway station award. This railway station was neither near to a population nor was it near a railway. It is currently being used as a jumble sale megastore from what I could see.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Le Gurp

    9 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    It's an unfortunate name for a beach. My legs felt tired after yesterday's effort and the heatwave continues so I stopped at the campsite behind Le Gurp beach.

    On the way here I got talking to a guy called Patrick who lives on the river I crossed on the ferry and who has done parts of the walk I'm doing. He was full of advice but generally about places I've already visited or ones I'm not going too. I didn't care, his enthusiasm was infectious. The best thing he said to me was that the worst part of the whole walk that I am doing is central France. It was good to know that, maybe, the most challenging bit was over.

    Photos - A cloud at the beach, Le Gurp beach (I think this is only the second time I have dipped a toe in the Atlantic Ocean), leaving Royan by ferry, market in Soulac, Soulac's Notre Dame de Les Fins de Terres. This XII century church was an important stopover point for pilgrims. However the shifting dunes partially buried it and it was only fully recovered in the 1800s.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Hourtin

    10 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I must look really odd on a campsite. I haven't even got a tent. Last night, it was just me in a sleeping bag liner on a blow up mattress with a take away pizza. Everyone else had tables, gazebos and fairy lights, never mind their tents and camper vans.

    The guy on the pitch next to me turned up late and woke me up with his car headlights. I fell asleep soon after though, while he was still putting his tent up. I woke up again at 1.30 because the temperature had dropped quite a bit. I got my quilt out. Then the wind started picking up so I got into my bivvy bag. Then bang! Something hit my head. Then my body. I realised the wind was blowing the pine cones out of the tree. I pulled the bivvy bag and quilt over my head for protection. It actually got so bad I thought I was target practice for some kids or drunks so I popped my head out to check. The only people out were headlights man and his partner. Their tent resembled Tibetan prayer flags in the strong wind and they were trying to make it look like a tent again. He had his headlights on, of course. It started raining. I got hold of my stuff and took shelter in the toilet block. However , it soon passed and I returned to my pitch to get some sleep. By the time I was back, headlights man was packed and gone. Obviously a newbie to this game.

    Photos - Hourtin plage, the tortuous sand paths I walked today, gaiters -essential for keeping sand out of your shoes, WWII Nazi motorbike paths. The Nazis built these so that they could get around the forest quickly. There are lots of WWII reminders along this coast including memorials of failed Allied operations and beach defences. I never realised this part of the world was so actively involved.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Two lakes and a canal

    11 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Last night I slept by the side of the path. There were a series of thunderstorms but, after a month of getting it wrong, I finally managed to stay somewhat dry. Anyway, there is no street lighting and this morning I could see the lights of glowworms amongst the pine needles. They are like tiny white, Christmas tree lights on the slow fade mode. Amazing creatures.

    I met a couple who have done FOUR caminos. They had walked to Santiago from Lisbon and Puy in the south of France but I couldn't make out what the other two starting places were. They were lovely but the conversation of the day goes to two ladies from Marseille. We had the usual chat and I was asking about Marseille when one of them (who was already obviously the joker of the two) slaps my shoulder with the back of her hand and exclaims "Marseille" with a fair bit of gusto. Then she starts doing sequences of what looked like shoulder presses, followed by clapping and cheering, followed by half squatting and swinging her arms like a primate! Her friend was laughing with her face in her hands. I was totally bemused. Eventually I pretended to understand what she meant, laughed and said fantastic. Soon after we went our separate ways, me still chuckling. It was only later I learned that the rugby is being played in Marseille! Why didn't she just say so? I'm pleased she didn't because it was hilarious and she totally made my day

    Photos - I could have taken a thousand photos today; it has been a beautiful walk. Hourtin lake at sunrise, the canal linking the two lakes, Lacanau lake.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Audenge

    12 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today I ate a Jesuit for breakfast! It's layered pastry with a little bit of custard and an almond crust in the shape of a Jesuit's hat, apparently. I don't know what a Jesuit's hat looks like but I know the cake version is delicious. I wish I'd taken a photo but I bought the last one and I was starving.

    Last night was a humongous thunderstorm again but this time it continued to rain most of the day. I even got dressed in the rain! On the few occasions it stopped raining, my legs became an all you can eat buffet for flies and now they, my legs, sting like crazy. The rain was so heavy at one point that a van driver asked me if I wanted a lift. It was tough turning him down. Maybe next time.

    Photos - the first photo has to be the rain, the second is the canal looking eerie in a rare dry moment, and finally the lighthouse at Le Porge. There are loads of inland lighthouses here. A lot of them look quite industrial but I thought Le Porge looked pretty even in the rain. The strange thing is that it is six miles inland!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Sanguinet

    13 września 2023, Francja ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    I love walking in this part of the world. Pine tree after pine tree can be boring but straight paths and no cars means you can really relax. Except for the flies, that is. I think word has gone round in Flyville that I am the local blood delivery guy. The flies did a great job on me yesterday but took it to a new level today. My legs are a mass of itchy bumps and my face looks like someone's donned a blindfold and given me Botox and fillers. I just hope it settles down soon.

    I was a bit stressed earlier because I was heading into a town but had nowhere to stay. Fortunately I read a blog where the writer mentioned a pilgrim's gite. A bit of research and a call to the Tourist Office and I'm now nicely settled into my gite. It's basically a bed in the corner of a village hall. The toilet and shower are outside and have a fine cross section of spiders. I'm genuinely grateful that the town provide a roof because accomodation is next to non-existent here. The only gripe I have is that it adjoins the church which marks the time every fifteen minutes with a bell loud enough to even annoy me.

    Photos - Sanguinet sits on this beautiful lake. Such lakes seem to be two a penny here. The beaches are all natural and I'm yet to see a busy one. The next photo is the church I'm listening to, then it is the view I had for a lot of the walk, the river Eyre and, finally, it was cold and misty this morning.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Forest

    14 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    So this guy tells me that I started walking in the largest forest in Europe today. I thought I'd been walking in a forest for the past few days but he said they were different forests. This was the biggest! I had to fact check him. And he's wrong. But I am walking in the largest man made woodland in western Europe. A lot of this area used to be marsh until the 18th century. In fact, the shepherds used to get around on stilts when this was marsh. I guess the sheep must've had floats or paddle boards. Anyway, since I left town this morning, I have walked over 20 miles and I have only seen trees until my campsite, which is surrounded by trees!

    By the way, the ringading church I slept next to last night was also illuminated. I only discovered that when I turned my light off to sleep and I could still see clearly.

    Photos - Forest! Tomorrow will be better for photos     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Half way (I think)

    15 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Just to give you some context, I'm writing this while sheltering from a downpour, pressed against a wall of a church in a town called Bias.

    So, I think I'm half way through my journey. I passed a "1,000KM to go" sign today. I had a very rough idea that the whole thing is 2,000KM and I know I have less than 100 miles left in France so halfway feels about right.

    The campsite I stayed in last night was a four star one and had a bar so I took advantage and had a few beers with a pizza. The barman drove to get my pizza because the chef didn't turn up. It was stone cold when it arrived but I thought that it was really good of him to do that. The effect of the whole night was that I slept a lot longer than planned so my whole day has had a lazy feel about it. I sat down in Mimizan (where Coco Chanel used to holiday) and had pain aux raisins with orange juice for breakfast whereas it would normally be a banana with what's left of yesterday's baguette whilst walking. Maybe I'm celebrating the half way mark with a chilled day.

    I was let down by tonight's campsite so I'm going to wild camp in the forest. It's going to rain but at least that means I can please myself how far I walk the rest of the day.

    Photos - 1,000KM to go, the Templar church of St Paul en Born, the beautiful lake at Aureilhan, the UNESCO world heritage bell tower in Mimizan (this has links with the pilgrimage route I'm following but I don't know why), the church in Bias that I'm pressed against (photo taken before the rain).     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Messanges

    16 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    After I uploaded yesterday's post I got lost in a forest with no phone signal, temporarily lost my walking poles, had to shelter from torrential showers, walked until nightfall, put up a shelter in the dark, and slept through a lot of rain. I should have posted later!

    Anyway, I walked parallel to the Atlantic Ocean today and didn't see it once. However, I did see lots of cork trees but it's not quite the same is it? The thing I did see which was super was a wedding cavalcade. The bride and groom and, what seemed like, all the guests had decorated their cars and we're driving along with horns blaring, waving and enjoying being part of the celebration. It was so simple but lovely. I stood at the side of the road laughing with them and applauding (I got a few thumbs up and applauds in return). Such a simple thing but heatwarming to see.

    Photos - The fountain at Mâa. This is called pourut because it stinks like rotten eggs. It is reputed to cure ulcers and trembling children so it can't be all bad. The next photo is the laundry at Mâa. Their clothes must have stunk! The velodysee is a cycle path that runs along the entire Atlantic coast (I think). It's been my constant companion so I had to get a photo. Finally, the heather has been a welcome relief from the green of the forest.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Labenne

    17 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    So I was talking to a guy today who walked from Arles to Santiago a couple of years ago. The conversation was all in English which was lovely. Anyway, we were talking about walking and France and then he asked me about my planned route. He pretty much told me that I would hate two thirds of it because there are too many other pilgrims. This puts me in a quandary because on Thursday I'll be at the fork in the road where I have to make my decision so I have some thinking to do.

    I also met a really funny lady who was telling me about the times she had planned to do the camino but never did. She decided at the end of the conversation that she will try to do part of it next year,on an electric bike. Basically, she liked the idea of going to Santiago but didn't want the effort of getting there under her own steam.

    Very quickly...I used one of those bread vending machines today and I can say they are the bee's knees....I was accused of trying to steal my own phone at 2am this morning but that's a long story and it all ended happily.

    Photos - the weather has been quite wet today so not many today. The first photo is my first view of the Pyrenees (you'll have to zoom in) and the second is yet another storm brewing.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Bayonne

    18 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Being back in a town is quite a shock, after walking through forest for a week, and I'm already wanting to be back with the trees, which is a bit of a scary reaction.

    I'm staying in a pilgrim hostel with a German, a South Korean, and three French. I was disappointed the South Korean guy hadn't walked but I hid it well.

    The French lady who volunteers at the hostel speaks a little English and Spanish so we've been talking in all three, often in the same sentence, and it works really well. She's trying to get me to walk through Portugal next!

    Bayonne is surprisingly small but the centre is very vibrant and pretty. It is the capital of the Basque region in France so it has a bit of a Spanish vibe. They have bullfighting here, there's tapas in the bars, and there's an Irish pub so you could think you were in Spain.

    I found out today that as well as being famous for its ham, it is also famous for its chocolate. After Spain started to eradicate Judaism in 1492, many Jews hopped across the border to Bayonne. The Bayonnaise limited the trading options available to the Jews so they became experts in making drinking chocolate and today's fame grew from there.

    Photos - Bayonne is impossible to photograph as the rivers are too wide and the streets too narrow but I've tried.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Saint Jean de Luz

    19 września 2023, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The nationalities at breakfast were French, German, Spanish, South Korean, and British of course. Then, soon into my walk, I got talking to a guy who was born in Morocco, nationalised in Italy but who now lives in France. I felt like I'd visited six countries in the space of one mile! I have spent a miniscule proportion of my time talking to people but they have definitely been the best moments, like diamonds in a gold ring.

    It was dark and damp when I started walking and the rush hour(s) was just ramping up. It wasn't the prettiest walk through the conurbation but I still delight in seeing posters in another language or the queues at the boulangeries and stuff like that. I passed through Biarritz, which was not as pretty as I'd imagined, and then BOOM! I was in Switzerland-On-Sea. There were hills (very steep to walk up), green pastures, timbered houses, a mountain backdrop, but also this amazing ocean. This area is drop dead gorgeous! OK there is a reason the pastures are green and I am seeing it in full blue sky bloom but I can imagine it looking equally beautiful in a storm. I'll probably feel different after a few days of walking up and down those conversation killing, knee buckling hills while the rain is running down my back, but at the moment this area is highly recommended. Or maybe I should recommend the Basque country on the Spanish side because a French guy agreed with me today that France is very expensive.

    Photos - I really had to edit these with an axe because I took too many...the coast, Bidart (most houses here look like that (timbered, white and maroon), man jumps off cliff, the old laundry, a beautiful lake in the middle of the conurbation.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    España

    20 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I was a little bit disappointed there is no sign to say you're entering Spain. You walk across a bridge, over a river, and then posters and signs are in a different language. And that's it. I was expecting a bit more but hey ho.

    Tomorrow I start on the final path to Santiago and I was starting to get pains in my tendons so I've invested in a new pair of shoes. I've also got my hair cut which is a bit of a trauma for me in the UK nevermind abroad. I tried to get it cut in France but they wanted me to make an appointment and I'm more of a cheap and cheerful walk in guy. I found a place in Irún with prices on the window and zero pretence so I went for that. I told a German guy I was talking to about it and he joined me and we're both out unscathed. It was really no big deal. I just need to wear a hat for a few weeks.

    Finally, I had a very special moment this morning. A young French boy asked me if I was walking to Santiago. I said yes, his face lit up, and he ran to tell his mates. A really small thing but it made my day.

    Photos - Irún was obliterated during the Civil War so it's not photogenic hence I took a photo of the main square. Yesterday was my last night in France so I drank my first and last bottle of wine there. Unfortunately a slug marred the occasion slightly by crawling up the bottle. The fifteenth century Chateau D'Urtubie is the last chateau I'll see for a while and the last photo is St Jean de Luz this morning. It's a charming town.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    San Sebastian - Donostia

    21 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I'm shattered. I set out from Irún with my German companion, Yannis, at around 7am. We hadn't been walking long when the road started ramping up and Yannis has legs like stilts so I was having to push to keep up. We stopped briefly for photos and then the rain hit. The hill we were climbing was only 650 metres high but the wind and rain made it feel very remote. I was so glad I wasn't alone. We caught up with a Spanish guy, Alfonso, who tagged along with us as Yannis led the way. It was tough. So tough that at the first bar we saw, after the hills, Alfonso bought us all a drink. There was still plenty of walking ahead but it was so good to be sitting and chatting (as best you can with three nationalities) and not out on the hills.

    The rain continued until we reached San Sebastian and I was ready to drop. We had to leave Alfonso as he hadn't booked into our hostel. It was hugs all round.

    Yannis, who is a chef, is cooking tonight. I guess we should be out eating in San Sebastian but the hostel is warm and dry and bed isn't too far away. And, anyway, we haven't really got the right clothing to be in the town. You can smell the money here whereas we just smell.

    Photos - The rain restricted photo opportunities so there's only San Sebastian cathedral, sunrise, Yannis and Alfonso on the hills.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Zumaia

    22 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    I felt cold last night but I was sweating. My legs were weak. I was nauseous but not sick. I feared I was going to be stuck in the super chic San Sebastian while looking like a tramp and not having the energy to converse. I hardly slept a wink. I don't know how but thankfully I had the energy to pack my stuff, dress in my still damp clothes and head out into the dark morning. And walking alone, at my pace, was the perfect medicine. Predawn San Sebastian was beautiful and empty.

    I did soon meet another pilgrim though. I don't know where Dominic learned his English but every other word was swearing. We caught up with a Cordoban after a short while but Dominic takes no prisoners when it comes to walking so it was just the two of us after a few kilometres. Not a bad thing because I think the Spanish chap was struggling with either Dominic's heavy French accent or his liberal sprinkling of swear words. Dominic is a freelance photographer from Annecy who has walked all over the world (including six years in India) and is full of anecdotes but also very inclusive when he's talking. I wished he was English so that we could have talked for longer. I think I had exhausted his will to converse in English when we met with a couple of French pilgrims and so I left the three of them.

    The day was getting better. I wasn't feeling feverish now, I'd met and left Dominic, and now I was free to enjoy the Basque coast alone. It's like Devon and Cornwall without caravans but, perhaps, with more rain. Every turn in the path reveals a photoworthy view and each town proudly promotes the Basque (Euskara) culture. And the Basques are proud! When I checked in today, I thought the lady had written the date incorrectly, the 23rd instead of the 22nd. She told me 23 is the year and it goes at the front because that is the Basque way, English and Spanish do it their way. I wasn't going to argue. I have to have a witness sign my pilgrim pass each day. She signed in green and red on a white background, these being the colours of the Basque flag, and made sure I was aware of the significance!

    Photos - my view tonight, a Basque language sign for 763km to go, it's so hilly here the streets have escalators, San Sebastian this morning.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Markina-Xemein

    23 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    "I would've shouted if I knew you were British!" she gasped as she walked through the gate that I was holding open, her husband close behind. "I wouldn't have heard you anyway" I replied.

    I'd noticed her as I turned to close the gate. She was running, or making an effort to run, up the steep hill while waving three quarters of a stick of bread. I realised immediately the bread was mine and I guess I should've walked down to meet her but I'd just climbed that hill and I wasn't going to repeat the feat for seventy cents worth of bread.

    I had passed the two of them moments earlier. I said something in Spanish and they smiled at me blankly so I guessed, wrongly, they were German. Then I must have caught the bread, which was attached to the outside of my pack, on a branch and the bread broke off but the lady very kindly returned it to me. It was then I discovered they were British, from Manchester. We had a chat and went our separate ways. That was the first face to face chat in English I had had for over a month and it was great!

    I'm staying in a hostel run by Carmelite nuns tonight. The town where it is sited, Xemein, was the scene of a battle in 1936 during the Civil War. Reading the various notice boards really brings home the bravery of the people of this small town against the Spanish and German fascists.

    Photos - today's wonderful path through the hills, a chapel for sailors with a suspended boat, outside the chapel with a great dog, Deba is so steep it has escalators, the Roman road into Deba     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Guernica/Gernika

    24 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    One of the first three questions you ask when you meet another pilgrim is "Where are you from?" Imagine my surprise when the guy I had breakfast with said "Wigan." I thought he didn't sound like he was from Wigan but thank god he didn't give me a chance to say anything because it was only when he said he'd flown from Stockholm that I realised he had said Sweden! By chance we ended up walking together and it turns out he is a professional storyteller! He basically entertained me (including buying me a beer!) until we had to part in Gernika.

    The second surprise I had today was when I was talking to a guy from Dublin. He had met a couple from Manchester the previous day and they told him about this nutter they'd seen who had walked from Wolverhampton!

    Photos - this mural in the town is the only reference we could find to the Fascist bombing of Gernika, a cool pilgrim statue in Gernika... yet another picture of the countryside here... the village of Bolibar (Simon Bolivar's family, who successfully fought for South American independence and who has Bolivia named after him) were from near here and he has a museum dedicated to him in the town...this donkey was just so cute, and very noisy, I had to take his photo...where I am staying tonight and the view from here.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    The walk to Bilbao

    25 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    A few days ago a lady acted as my ears when I was having hearing problems whilst registering at a hostel. It was so kind of her and, today, I got to repay a little bit of the favour when she was struggling on the walk to Bilbao. This was her last day on the Camino because she can't get more time off work. It was 32 degrees with little shade, hilly, and she had various aches and pains from walking day after day. I offered to carry her stuff but she was determined to see it through. So we just walked together and talked, for about ten hours, until we reached her accommodation. Ten hours is a long time to talk to anyone but she was such an educated and considerate person that the favour from me turned into a privilege for me.

    The Swedish guy I met a couple of days ago, and got on with like a house on fire, also leaves the Camino tomorrow so I'm a little bit down.

    I'll spend a day in Bilbao and regroup for the rest of the journey.

    Photos - First peek of Bilbao, a Swedish bloke and a French Canadian walking the wrong way after the first beers of the day, this area is staunchly Basque separatist and they don't hide it!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Bilbao

    26 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Narrow streets with elaborate iron balconies or broad, sunny avenues, fast walking suits or sitting on apartment steps in t-shirt and shorts, green grocers or supermarkets, stand up bars or plush restaurants, the Guggenheim or street art... I could go on. Bilbao has it all for me. I loved it and would go back but I need a good sleep!

    The local government are very astute by investing in art. It's boosted the economy and the population have access to many different works of art, a lot of which is in the street.

    Photos - the Guggenheim (you really have to walk around this amazing building to appreciate it), Maman by Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons' Puppy, surrounded by art in Bilbao, one of the many bars that enjoyed my custom.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Stewart WarrilowEl CaminoPodróżnik

    Bye Bye Bilbao

    27 września 2023, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Photos - Bilbao's incredible transporter bridge. You might have to magnify the image but the suspended, white carriage is carrying cars and passengers across the river!

    A subway in Bilbao...waiting to cross the road...a statue in honour of the German Cornelia Fischer who lost her arm while saving Jews from the Nazis and who had to flee to Spain...the very pretty harbour at Castro Urdiales which is where I am staying tonight. Czytaj więcej

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