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Camino Frances
  • Nicole Crook
  • Nicole Crook

Camino Frances

A journey across Northern Spain in the footsteps of pilgrims under a field of stars to the crypt of St James (Santiago). Baca lagi
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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    2

    I would walk 500 miles..

    11 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 17 °C

    And I would walk 500 more.. Bloody rubbish. You'd have to be insane. 500km is bad enough. Passed the 500km mark. That's 500km until I get to Santiago.

    Spent some of the morning in the Museum of Human Evolution. There were some of the diggings from Atepuerca but they were all in the dark and no photos allowed. They have evidence of homo species in the area for 1.3 million years, not just 600,000 like I said the other day. The museum was very modern and well done. They had a mock up of Darwin's Beagle and it's journey. I didn't realise he'd sailed to Hobart. They had some interesting artefacts, particularly skulls of various homo species both much smaller and much larger than ours.

    After some lunch I headed out of Burgos and into the Meseta and walked 14km to Rabe de las Calzadas.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    2
    2122

    La Meseta

    12 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☀️ 18 °C

    After the Pyrenees, the Meseta is the most talked about part of the Camino Frances, potentially because people hate it the most although some love it too. I have made it to La Meseta.

    Meseta translates as Plateau although people talk about it as the plains. People also talk about it as though it's flat but today was far from flat and the ups and downs were no less torturous than before.

    I met a Catholic priest from the US last night who was walking with his wife. We had a discussion about all the river rock on the path and my suggestion that it had something to do with a Spanish sense of humour and Catholic suffering requirements for a pilgrim. Luckily he agreed with my assessment.

    I digress, again. So far I think the Meseta is a table plateau (given my altitude is around 900m) which has been eroded in plenty of places to create the valleys and unlike the previous Camino sections, the towns are hidden in the valleys near the water sources.

    In summer the Meseta is hot, so hot pilgrims die here and this year many, many pilgrims had to skip this part of the Camino due to Europe's heat waves. Today we had a cool morning breeze but this afternoon was hot enough for me. This is wheat country and now that harvest is done the plateau is an endless grey and straw colour. The soil is grey and where they have started plowing, full of rocks. In most part it's still the ends of the cut wheat.

    The Meseta will be my home for more than two hundred kilometres and take me through Leon and out the other side. As mentioned before, this is the most often skipped part of the journey. Today I would happily have jumped on a train to Leon so time will tell.

    Two ladies staying in tonight's Albergue are both from Arizona. The albergue is in the middle of nowhere on the plateau. It reminds them of the deserts at home. It's a fairly empty Albergue tonight and I find it interesting that an Aussie and some gals from Arizona feel at home in the middle of nowhere. Many people on this planet do not.

    I think I've finally found Spanish flies. Bugger. Though it does make me feel like home, or at least the years of my life I spent on the mainland. Another reason to love Tassie, so few flies.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    21

    Change of plans

    13 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 19 °C

    After walking another fairly short day, 11km, I've finally come to the conclusion that my body is not coping very well with this sudden activity. My ankles are now playing up, possibly due to insufficient support walking in sandals. I've been back in my walking shoes for a couple of days but that hasn't saved them and no matter how short I walk, they continue to get worse, not stronger.

    The Meseta also presents some challenges because it is more remote and has less flexible opportunities for buses, taxis, short walks, etc. So today I've decided to catch a bus to Leon tomorrow accompanied by a bunch of Canadians. My feet need rest again, there is no more hoping another short day will wear them in.

    There are only some locations on the Meseta that I can even access transport to Leon and it would take me three days to get to the next one by which time I could be creating permanent problems rather than a temporary one.

    Given the pace I'm going there's still plenty of distance between Leon and Santiago to keep me busy into November. I'll reassess after a day or two in Leon, where I've booked a spa hotel to help rejuvenate. Whatever walking I can do, there are lots of short day options after Leon.

    Today I passed the ruins of a convent and walked through a river valley full of autumn trees. It was the perfect weather and a gentle breeze blew. This evening I'm in Castrojeriz, another hill town full of character and history.

    I was treated to a really yummy pilgrim dinner of salad with hommus, vegetable paella Palencia style (noodles instead of rice), roast chicken and chocolate mousse. I certainly don't miss cooking dinner.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    2141

    Not another...cathedral

    15 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 20 °C

    A few hours on a bus to Leon and a two days of rest hasn't made it any clearer how this journey will end. You all like a bit of mystery and suspense though right.

    An hour and a half of soaking in a spa and sauna was definitely a good use of my time and I had the best night of sleep afterwards.

    I've been a good girl and tried my best to rest up in Leon. I've stocked up on drugs and ankles supports and found some warmer clothes as mornings and evenings can be chilly and hopefully I'll be back in the mountains soon.

    I took a quick tour of Leon cathedral just because it was obvious from the outside that it had so very many huge stained glass panels that I couldn't really miss.

    Leon is also a attractive small liveable city with a nice river and old town centre, plenty of history, art, culture and good food.

    Tomorrow I'm bussing out of the suburbs and trying a short walk to my first stop, with more hopefully manageable walks planned for a few days heading for Astorga. We shall see how that goes. Hopefully my ankle won't get worse. At this rate I'll never make it to Santiago on foot but I'll have fun however far I get.

    I figured out I've walked 280km on the Camino so far. I need to do roughly that again if I'm going to finish on foot. Luckily it was always about the journey, rather than the destination.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    11

    On the Road Again

    16 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 19 °C

    After a breezy 20km bus trip where I waved at the weary pilgrims walking along beside the road, I alighted in Villadangos and walked the final 5km to today's hostel, also along the road and a corn field. My feet and ankles twinged and groaned at even this minor attempt but we arrived in a mentally and physically stable condition, hopeful of achieving a 10km day tomorrow.

    While legend has it that pilgrims bodies (at least ones of average fitness) adjust to the walk by Burgos, almost everyone I saw today looked tired and sore and slow. The Camino is certainly an endurance challenge if that's what your looking for.

    In the distance are the slowly approaching mountains which will see the end of the Meseta and the beginning of Galicia. They are several days away but will be a constant companion this week.

    It was windy and cool walking today, though not unpleasant. I have been lucky so far with rain but this week there are many patches of rain forecast and I suspect I will get very wet more than once. In Leon I stocked up on a couple of warmer bits of clothing in preparation for the cooler, wetter days ahead.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    2241

    On the trail of Don Quixote

    17 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 17 °C

    Don Quixote is a 16th century Spanish Literary classic about a would be knight and his side kick Sancha. Hospital de Orbigo (which is a town, not a hospital) is the sort of town the mythical Quixote may have travelled to attend a jousting tournament. The jousting fields have been in use next to the long cobblestone bridge for centuries and tournaments are still held here in 2022.

    Legend has it Don Suero de Quiñones and nine other knights, his friends, defended the Hospital de Órbigo bridge for a month against any knight who wanted to cross it. The bridge witnessed up to 700 combats in which knights from all corners of the Peninsula, Germany, France or Portugal participated. The chronicles speak of a single deceased, a Catalan knight who received a spear to the eye. This was all a display put on for a king to win the hand of a woman and so the tradition of a jousting tournament here was born.

    The whole fairy tale was exactly that, with no written evidence of the event until at least 150 years later. Cervantes then immortalised the tales by referring to it in Don Quixote.

    Tonight I find myself in the cutest of accommodation with a comfy rocking chair and a nice hot shower, after a stroll through the rain this morning.

    "he who's down one day can be up the next, unless he really wants to stay in bed, that is..." Don Quixote    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    11123

    Hospitales

    18 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 21 °C

    On the Camino Frances we find many references to hospitals or hospitales. There are hospital ruins, Paradors turned into hospitals and modern day hospitals of course. Some towns had several mediaeval hospitals for pilgrims and many were very large. It didn't make sense that pilgrims were always sick and it turns out that the origin of the word links closely to hotels and hostels.

    The words hospital, hostel, hotel and hospice all derive from the Latin hospes which became the mediaeval hospitales meaning lodgings for a traveller. Hotel developed from Latin through the French hostel while hospice is directly from the Latin. The meaning of hospital has changed over time. Originally meaning hostel, in the 15th Century, it became a home for the needy, then an education facility for youth before arriving at it's current usage also in the 15th century.

    Hotel developed from hostel in French to mean more of a home or mansion for the rich before becoming today's hotel. Hostels morphed into university and school accommodation in the 17th century.

    The words hospitable and host also derive from the same Latin word hospes meaning guest and came into common use also in the late 16th century.

    The development of the English language has always been complex being a combination of a variety of Germanic dialects (Anglo Saxons and Vikings), and then strongly influenced by French derived from Latin thanks to the Normans. In Spain there are many language similarities given Spanish is also a Latin derived Romance language like French.

    Today's walk was another short one bringing me to the edge of Astorga which I will explore tomorrow. After a storm overnight, the sky was blue, the walk was through forests rather than by a road, and the earth has turned a deep red supporting olive trees again. The Cantabrian mountains are getting closer. There was a pilgrim stop with refreshments available for a donation and a guitar playing singing Spaniard.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    1
    113

    Via de la Plata

    19 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol 🌧 12 °C

    After a short stroll I moseyed in to Astorga, which has been a Christian centre in Spain since the time of the apostles and became a Roman stronghold as well. Astorga is where the Camino Frances joins the Via de la Plata, otherwise known as the Roman Road which is now a popular alternate Camino route. Astorga is also where many Spanish start their Camino.

    As soon as I had climbed a few steps into the old town I was greeted with a gorgeous manicured park set at the top of the old city walls. These walls were originally built by the Romans though they have been raised and rebuilt in the Middle Ages and only small parts of the Roman wall remain at the base. The wall was 2.2km long, 4-5m thick and enclosed an area of 26 hectares although not all of it remains today.

    I decided on an extra short walk today so I could explore Astorga and also stay out of the rain which bucketed down from lunch time. Luckily I was busy exploring the Baroque Cathedral and the 19th century (virtually modern) Bishops Palace built by the famous Spanish architect Gaudi. Most photos are almost all of the Palace with only a cloister shot from inside the Cathedral and a couple of external shots with the palace and cathedral which are next to each other. After siesta, if there's a break in the rain, I will head out to find some famous Astorga chocolate.

    Tonight I'm back in a hostel although it's a bit special as there are no bunk beds and the owner is Brazilian and so is the pilgrim dinner tonight. I've chosen the bed next to the only opening window as I find I'm very partial to fresh air when I'm sleeping in a room with twelve other people.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    3

    Back in the Mountains

    21 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 12 °C

    Tonight I'm sleeping at 1400m and have left the Meseta behind and made my way into the mountains again. The days are colder and drizzly but so far my timing has been good with only light rain while I've been out on the trail. Fonceban, my place of rest tonight, is known for being covered in either snow or fog so I've been lucky to see the view this afternoon.

    I am in an area of Spain that has slightly different architecture and is quite remote by Spainish standards. It's expected to rain everyday for the next ten days so the warm Spanish weather is behind me now.

    I had a lovely dinner and conversation with new pilgrims friends last night and met up with several ones I've previously met tonight. It is still close to impossible to have a quiet dinner to yourself even if you wanted to.

    I haven't had the camera out much again.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    2
    22111

    Mountain Mists and Knights Templar

    22 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol 🌧 11 °C

    After some quiet days, today was full of adventure - a misty mountain, burdens released, a loco taxi driver and the mythical Templar knights.

    As is customary, the Camino continues to provide the answers I need. A few days back I was wondering if I could make it to Cruz de Ferro, the Iron Cross. At 1504m, it's the highest point on the Camino, and the legendary spot where is pilgrim leaves their pilgrim stone and their past burdens behind. There was no problem getting to the Cross, the issue was the descent
    afterwards, which is known as the hardest on the walk, a brutal 8km on loose slippery rock. This part of the walk would have destroyed my ankles and ended my Camino. But a few days back I'd met a lady who was determined not to miss the cross because she was carrying blessed rocks and ashes from home. She told me about the Camino Angel Luis the taxi driver who is the go to man for taxiing the descent.

    With Luis booked to fetch me off the mountain at midday, I set off up the mountain about nine. I should have left later but it wasn't raining and the sun was rising and briefly shining so it seemed the best time to go. The rising sun over the valley was an absolute delight.

    I have carried from home a very small white river pebble from the Douglas River at Bicheno to leave here on the mountain in honour of the Spainish people who have been my generous hosts on this journey. So I said my thanks to Spain and left my rock on the very large pile on the mountain. I don't feel I have too many burdens to leave on the mountain, but I do hope the seven or eight kilos I've lost on this journey so far will stay in Spain and never return. Probably not if I have a Brownie Gelato for dessert.

    Luis, the wise mountain taxi driver, had encouraged me to walk a few more kilometres through the mountains and agreed to pick me up from the home of Tomas, the self styled last Knight Templar, and sole inhabitant of the village (more suitably the hovel) of Manjarin. By the time I reached Tomas, who clearly wasn't in on the secrets of any hidden Templar riches, the mist had set in and the rains had come. Tomas, being the most sociable mountain hermit I've ever met, opened the door to his wood shed and gathered in passing dripping pilgrims for a chat. While not a single English speaker passed while I was there, I managed to communicate that Taxi Luis was coming and picked up a few more customers that made my taxi fare a bargain. I watched pilgrims come and go (I was their for a while as I had set out too early and had no phone reception to hurry Luis up) as Tomas encouraged them to stay on the road and off the slippery rocks.

    The added bargain of some Spanish speaking passengers for my taxi ride was that Luis chatted endlessly to them and not me. Yesterday when he also gave me a lift, we couldn't drive more than five kilometres an hour because he was too busy chatting to google translate and playing it to me the entire drive. Out of that I did pick up that a Google review would be greatly appreciated and having done that I was his favourite passenger today. Some of today's photos were taken by Luis who insisted on stopping the taxi for every photo opportunity. We also managed to pick up my friend Anna from Arizona on the way down the mountain as well.

    Arriving at our destination of Ponferrada, Anna and I had lunch beside the Knights Templar Castle before parting ways again.

    The valley in which Ponferrada sits is beautiful, surrounded by rugged mountains in all directions. I'm glad the rain eased up enough this afternoon to see them all. I find the geography fascinating. As I approached these mountains from the other side slowly over a few days, they didn't look very big. In the Meseta I was already at an altitude of 900m and it rose quite gradually to the summit at 1500m. But in Ponferrada my altitude is under 600m and the descent was rapid so the mountains look much taller and more rugged from this side.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    11

    Castillo de los Templarios

    22 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 24 °C

    The Templar Castle in Ponferrada was occupied by the Knights of the Order of the Temple from 1178 until 1312 when the Order was disbanded. They protected pilgrims crossing the Iron Bridge over the Rio Sil.

    This would have to be my favourite piece of significant historical architecture on the Camino so far.

    Prehistoric remains have been found here that date from the first Iron Age. The Templars reinforced the walls and built additions to the castle. They left some legends behind including the existence of a passageway to a nearby castle.

    In the 15th century the castle was extended and the New Palace built by the Count of Lemos including the construction of many of the walls, towers, parapets and the entrance that remain today. The older castle sits at one end of the site.

    In the last century, since the site was declared a national monument in 1924, the Ponferrada Council has sort funds for restoration which have resulted in progressive spaces for exhibitions and conferences within the castle walls along with safe exploration of the castle. These modernisations and updates have been tastefully done and make the castle something that can be enjoyed by the community and visitors today.

    The New Palace, which has been extensively restored, contains the Templum Libri which contains ancient texts, maps and manuscripts from as far back as the 11th century. This is the first examples of ancient non-religious manuscripts I've seen on this European visit and I do love a good library.

    The castle also managed to highlight the magnificent setting of the valley and mountains which could be seen in the distance in every direction.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    1112

    Detour

    23 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 12 °C

    Pick the authentic Camino messenger?

    You meet a doctor who listens to your injuries and pains and says " That shouldn't cause permanent damage. You can probably push through that. Disclaimer - I'm not a foot specialist."

    You get the following text from one of your Camino family. "I've found a bus that stops 4km from O'Cebriero. My host in Villafranca says there's a bus along the whole Camino after O'Cebriero so no more expensive taxis"

    Within the same hour you get the following text from another one of your Camino family
    "I’m half way through to O’Cerebro. It's brutal. If you could bypass this mountain, I highly recommend you take the bus. The weather is for ducks."

    A black cat in a Templar Knight's hovel insists you stay an extra day and that it is unsafe to go near any mountains.

    Clouds float past in the shape of a resort in San Sebastian with free foot massages and a swim up bar. A Templar Knights awaits to transport you through a portal back to summer.

    Ok the first three were authentic, the last two may be the result of the margarita I had with dinner.

    The Next Morning...

    I caught another bus, this time to Lugo which is not on the Camino Frances.. I have made it to Galacia, the last province on the Camino. It is beautiful here apart from and because of the endless rain. Autumn is in full swing and everything is green and gold and red. Rain is forecast every day for the next two weeks. The buses passed by beautiful mountains covered in beech forests but seen through the sideways rain squalls I was happy to be on the inside.

    I have skipped ahead again. My Camino journey is morphing naturally into just Nic's journey. I am keen to explore the beauty of Galacia more so than the trails of the Camino. I am keen to experience the Spainish culture more so than the pilgrimage culture. I feel my days on the Camino are coming to an end but that I am finding the freedom to explore without any preset expectation except those core goals which have always been just to move, to go slow and simple, to continue learning and to live in the moment.

    I sit in a bar in Spain, where drinking alcohol seems a prerequisite to being fed, waiting for my accommodation to open. After siesta there is more than 2km of original Roman wall, still completely intact, in which to circle the old city and stroll away the afternoon. If this is not the definition of slow and timeless, I am lost.

    Tomorrow I am meeting a friend at the beginning of the last stage of the Camino Frances. I may then walk a couple of days in the rain to experience the villages of Galacia. Who knows, maybe the sun will shine for a while.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    1

    The Compostela

    24 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 16 °C

    I took the train from Lugo to Sarria, the beginning of the last section of the Camino Frances. I had a date with Jill, my Camino Angel from way back in Cirauqui who was the stranger who gave me a little blue pill. for my swollen feet. Jill finished her Camino journey in Sarria today so we had dinner and celebrated the path and the way.

    Both Jill and I were much more interested in our journey's themselves, in the towns and villages we tramped through, rather than our destination. Jill had planned all along to end her journey in Sarria because Sarria is where the Camino can change. It is where hundreds of Spanish start their Camino and it is known for being crowded and being different.

    The Spanish start in Sarria because the requirement to be able to officially complete a Camino is to walk 100km to Santiago. There are many Camino routes to Santiago but of them all, Sarria to Santiago is the most popular. If you walk the distance when you arrive in Santiago you can be awarded your Compostela, the officially certified evidence of the completion of your pilgrimage. I think it absolves you from your sins, an added bonus for some.

    When walking the Camino, you are given a passport or Credential in which you can collect stamps. These stamps are proof that you have walked the Camino. Prior to Sarria you require one stamp a day but after Sarria two stamps are needed to convince the officials that you walked, not taxied or bussed.

    The name Compostela derives simply from the city of Santiago de Compostela but Santiago is St James in Spanish and the Compostela refers to a field of stars guiding the original farmer to the discovery of the bones of St James, now entombed in the Cathedral in Santiago.

    So even though I've walked about 350km, I don't currently qualify for a Compostela. If I want one, I have to walk ever step from here to Santiago.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
    23

    Chestnuts and Acorns

    25 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 14 °C

    I headed off from Sarria at dawn (which is about 8.30am here!!). The weather forecast had improved giving me a morning with a lower chance of rain and the temperature was significantly warmer than back in the mountains a few days ago.

    I was keen to get on the road and see a bit of Galacian countryside seeing as it had looked pretty gorgeous from the bus and train the last two days.

    As soon as I found the track about 500m from my hotel I was impressed with the amount of people walking. There were much larger groups of people than before and lots of Spainish chatter. You could spot all the newbies in their shiny trail runners and unworn ponchos.

    From the minute we left town Galacia did not disappoint. The path meandered by a bubbling brook, the birds twittered and twirped and the excited Spainish giggled and groaned up the first hill.

    As the morning went on the rain came, mostly a drizzle but later a few downpours. Galacia, at home with the rain and crowds, provided much bigger, well covered cafes with yummy food and ample opportunity to rest.

    The meandering way, the softness underfoot, the moss covered stone fences, green pastures, horses and cows, and autumn in it full glory invoked thoughts of Ireland. It was one of the prettiest days of the walk so far with the added bonus of rolling hills rather than breathless climbs and steep descents. The views were also inspiring.

    The way was lined with chestnut trees and oaks leaving chestnuts and acorns in the muddy roadside. These big trees also blocked some of the rain at its worst. I pulled into the nicest modern hostel I've seen in my usual sore but not agonising condition. Ten kilometres to Portomarin tomorrow. Taking it a day at a time.    Baca lagi

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    Thoughts from another Pilgrim

    26 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ☁️ 17 °C

    My walk continued today along the rolling Galacian hills to the town of Portomarin on the Rio Mino. I'm not feeling particularly insightful but this Camino description by another pilgrim resonates with me so I thought I'd share.

    "Being a pilgrim on the Camino is a curious thing. You walk with many others, and you also walk alone. You make instant friends and build bonds with pilgrims, yet you seldom learn their last name. You walk day after day with pain, and forget it all while sitting around a cafe table sipping wine and laughing with other pilgrims, waiting for the kitchen to open at 7pm(or 8pm!), so you can EAT! You walk miles, in the early morning darkness without breakfast or coffee, and it feels normal. You sleep in bunk beds and share bathrooms with many other people, and are grateful to have a hot shower and a place to lay your head at night. Sometimes you cherish the camaderie of other pilgrims, and sometimes you crave solitude. You walk through indescribable beauty, and also trudge under a merciless sun or through cold rain. You carry fruit or snacks with you at all times, because Spanish shop keepers decide their own schedule. You eat more bread & pastries and drink more wine or cafe con leche than you ever imagined, and still lose weight. And every day you wonder why you are doing this, and every day you give thanks that you can.

    Credit - Donna Mast    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara
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    22

    Caminoed Out

    27 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 18 °C

    I've walked 360 km on the Camino Frances but the time has come to wind up my official Camino journey and do some less specific wandering in Europe for a month. After three days of walking in Galacia I struggled to make it to my next accommodation. In reality I continue to be able to walk only ten to twelve kilometers a day and today, as well as the next several days, around 15km is required to get to the next suitable accommodation.

    So today I've pulled the pin. I'm pretty happy with my 360. I've never done anything like that before. While it's only about half of the full Camino Frances, I saw all the best bits, and the reality is I just wasn't fit enough to do it all. No big surprise there. I'm definitely fitter and lighter than when I started so that's all good.

    Also I've arrived in eucalypt plantation country, I think I've seen that somewhere before. It's one of the things pilgrims like most about this section, the smell of gum trees.

    Now I don't plan to just lie around on the beach eating pizza for a month, I do plan to keep walking and getting fitter but with a bit more flexibility than the last six weeks.

    I'll bus to Santiago de Compostela tomorrow, the official end of the Camino, then I'll head to the Galacian Coast where I plan to stay in one place for three or four nights and explore.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara

    My Camino Family

    28 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol 🌧 16 °C

    Given you are now all Camino informed individuals, you may have a few outstanding questions about my Camino which I hope to answer over the coming days.

    Firstly I'd like to talk more about Camino families. Many people are inspired to do a Camino, particularly the Camino Frances, as a way to meet and make new friends. A traditional Camino family is a group of people from several different countries that meet early in the walk and end up travelling all the way to Santiago together. Apart from making new friends a Camino family is a group with whom you can share your journey and reminisce for years to come.

    In reality many types of Camino families form. Most common would be groups of people that fluctuate in size where people drop in and out, catch up, stay behind, go faster or slower but generally bump into each other a lot and possibly organise to walk into Santiago together.

    I met quite a lot of groups, usually three or four people, who met each other on the first night at Orisson hostel with the tradition where everyone introduces themselves. I'd highly recommend staying at Orisson if you're fit enough to do 20km a day and a Camino family is something you're looking for.

    I also met quite a few people who had made a Camino family at the start but that had ended somewhere along the Way as some people finished, some got injured and some went their own way.

    I met a group this week who had formed a Camino family just ten days before and were planning the rest of the walk together.

    I have mentioned the term Camino family a few times in these writings. Given the nature of my journey it wasn't something I expected to find nor something I was looking for. Being a bit of an introvert, I'm not sure I could have coped with the intensity of a traditional one anyway. I might have run away screaming for peace and solitude.

    I did swap contact details with a few people and meet and enjoy a good conversation with many more. Some I saw on and off for a few days or a week. That will always be a memorable and important part of the journey.

    But to my surprise I feel I did make an unexpected Camino family, one I can talk to about my journey and share the highs and the lows. And that Camino family is this group. I never expected to have so many people interested in my escapades, this was originally just going to be an update for a few family and a friend or two.

    You've been full of support and encouragement and unlike the solo travels of my youth, I've hardly felt alone and certainly have plenty of opportunity to share. And sharing does make the world a better place.

    Thanks for coming on this journey with me.    Baca lagi

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  • Nicole CrookCamino FrancesPengembara

    The Way of St James

    29 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol 🌧 15 °C

    Arriving in the home of the bones of St. James (or technically the "rediscovered" bones - I mean lucky set of bones to get a whole cathedral dedicated to them and just a few pilgrims visiting over a thousand years or more), I was all worn out. Probably because I slept like ... the previous night or had too many "vino tintos" waiting most of the day for the bus, but sure, we'll put it down to the emotional exhaustion at the end of a pilgrimage.

    After a good night's sleep I had two goals, to see historical Santiago and buy some new non-pilgrim clothes. I headed off with my usual optimism, leaving my now fairly stinky rain jacket at the hotel.

    After walking a block it started to drizzle and by the time I reached the cathedral I owned a new umbrella. I took the obligatory "thank god I'm finished" photo in front of the cathedral as shared with you all earlier and at least I wasn't using the phrase inappropriately.

    I was aiming for the pilgrim's mass but was a little early and wandered the narrow ancient streets full of souvenir shops and the ever present pastries.

    I then headed into mass to be quickly reminded, with somewhere between 500-1000 pilgrims a day still arriving in Santiago and only three masses, that made for a very crowded church. After the first ten minutes I came to the conclusion (especially with not a stained glass window in sight - what were they thinking) that my two prior Catholic masses in this lifetime where probably enough and I should give my squished spot at the back to someone more appreciative or at least more indoctrinated. There was a chance my "unprayerlike" thoughts about the achievements of the Catholic church mightn't be adding much power to the pilgrim's blessings, and those pilgrims at least deserve their blessings. I exited quietly by the side door and noted the queue of people still trying to get in. Ticked off the good deed for the day as well.

    My writings today require a special shout out the the Spanish Halloween decorators club. I think they are winning the contest, probably in rebellion against the Inquisition and all the murdered witches. Galacia itself was previously (before the Romans and Christianity and the Moors and Islam) a Celtic culture. Yesterday was Spanish school's Halloween dress up day which was equally impressive.

    Tomorrow I'm heading off to spend a week on the Coast of Death. More on that in the first episode of the new series - Beyond Nic's Camino.    Baca lagi

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    When the World was Flat

    30 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 15 °C

    May I just say that the very blue skies of my title photo for today is a rarity rather than the norm and at the same time the Atlantic Ocean (odd writing that when the Pacific so dominates your life) was putting on a nice display of windy at the same time. But I digress, again.

    When the world was flat, the Romans believed that the western most coast of Galicia, the furthest most western tip of Europe, was the end of the world beyond which there was only mythical other worlds hidden by the setting sun.

    So pilgrims came to walk, not only to Santiago, but to the Atlantic to see the edge of the world.

    Today, as in times past, many pilgrims extend their walks to Finisterre, derived from Latin, meaning the finish or end of the earth. Cape Finisterre is the final goal to watch the sunset into the Atlantic as a symbol of the end of your journey.

    There is some historical evidence that the walk to the coast long predates the pilgrimage to Santiago and may have been part of the prior Celtic culture. This part of the Way was documented in the earliest known pilgrim guide, the Codex Calixtinus which was written in the 12th century.

    Walking to the Cape was never part of my plan but visiting was. I took the morning bus from Santiago and enjoyed a long and winding road past Finisterre to Muxia (pronounced Moo-shia) where I am spending the next week wandering, reading, contemplating the meaning of life (as all good pilgrims are required to do post pilgrimage) and possibly writing in this blog thing on occasion.

    All you need to know about Muxia so far is my little apartment has the most comfortable bed I've had el Camino and that it's great to have hair conditioner and razor blades again. And salt and butter, I've missed them too.

    One of my photos is a hint that the Camino has been calling you forever, you just couldn't interpret the message. Another photo is an indication of the sometimes very unclear Camino markers which are supposed to show you the Way.    Baca lagi

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    There's Something about Muxia

    31 Oktober 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 15 °C

    I'm in love with Muxia. Only time will tell if it's a fleeting and fickle love or one that will last a lifetime. I've only been here 24 hours but it's got its little 'pulpo' octopussy tentacles wrapped firmly around my wrists. Not firmly enough to try eating that stuff mind you.

    There's something about Muxia that brings out the child in me. I think it is the many paths to explore, both within the little village and across the surrounding countryside, and the moodiness of the shipwreck coast, the ancient mysteries and the windy wild hilltops. Maybe it's the freedom of being far from home with no responsibility that really brings out the child in me or the freedom to live in my imagination for longer than usual!!

    Of course, I've got to spend a week here by myself without any company (except the bus load of pilgrims that turns up every day that I can find I want to) so my love may change more to just moody by the end of the week.

    Today I wandered east out of town along the Camino path back towards Finisterre. The wind blew, the sun shone and I could see many paths ahead to explore over the coming days both along the beach and over the hills.

    I wandered through town where I got lost in the many alley ways and narrow streets lined with beautiful stone buildings and ugly contemporary ones. I gave thanks that the one local bakery appears to be a panaderie with bread and not much else rather than a patisserie or some other dangerous example like a chocolaterie.

    And I wandered west to the end of the world as they knew it, and discovered a magical little peninsula with a lighthouse, two churches, some monuments and an abundance of character and views in all directions.

    I tried to find the way to the top of the rocky hill at the end of the Peninsula to give you a bird's eye view of this quaint little place jutting out into the ocean on its own little peninsula. I didn't succeed but I did find a secret pathway, climb a big steep rock and find my inner child. I did feel that a Spanish abuela might yell at me from her casa on the hill and tell me I was not allowed to go that way. Maybe I'll find the right path tomorrow.

    I borrowed the first photo from the internet until I figure out how to get to the top of that hill near the cross.    Baca lagi

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    Costa da Morte

    3 November 2022, Sepanyol ⛅ 16 °C

    The Costa da Morte is a section of Spanish coastline in Galacia along the Atlantic Ocean and is otherwise known as the shipwreck coast.

    Thirty years ago Darryn and I chose to stay on the Costa del Sol, the sunshine coast of Spain, much further to the south in Andalucia. It was a little later in the year, maybe early December and we'd been camping our way around Europe in our old Volkswagen Golf. Sick of a tent we decided a couple of weeks in an apartment and in one place was a good idea and we rented a place called Costa Banana. It was long before the days of booking.com or Airbnb so I can't remember how we found it, only that it was a bargain and that we loved those weeks in Spain.

    So this week I once again find myself on the coast of Spain, renting a cute little apartment, this time with the much fancier name of Pousadas Marinieras. Again I am here after travelling for a few months, in need of staying in the same place for a little while.

    The Coast of Death has been welcoming ghosts for a very long time and seems to have continued its practice up until very recently with more than 150 shipwrecks, many in the last century. Approximately 25 ships of the Spanish Armada where wrecked here in the 1500's and English navy ships also found their home at the bottom of the ocean nearby. More recently in 2002 the Prestige sank off the coast spilling thousands of tonnes of oil and creating the worst ever environmental disaster for Spain and Portugal damaging bird and sea life along the coast for more than 1000 km.

    The peoples of this area have long been seafaring and local food is strongly influenced by the sea. The gooseneck barnacle is the prize morsel of Muxia and barnacle collection is a local tradition and art form.

    Apparently the Virgin Mary came here to Muxia in a stone boat that did not sink. She came to help St James convert the locals to Christianity. The stones of her boat are still here on the coast along with the churches built in her honour.

    Of course this wild wet coastline reminds me in many ways of home.    Baca lagi

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    Adios Espana

    7 November 2022, Sepanyol 🌧 18 °C

    After a lovely relaxing week doing very little in Muxia, I hopped on a bus back to Santiago, then on to Porto in Portugal. I've a week here before flying to Rome to be with Maddie.

    In Muxia I did find time for some Atlantic sunsets and wandered the local seaside.

    I've landed myself a nice little apartment to base myself in this week. I haven't had such luxury the whole trip.

    The drive to Porto was partly along more of the magnificent Atlantic coast and through the cities of Vigo and Braga. The landscape was beautiful and green with steep coastal hills and deep blue harbours.

    The minute we crossed the Portuguese border at Rio Minho the architecture changed. Houses seem all to be painted white and the churches also. The church steeples and designs differ greatly.

    Arriving in Porto I felt like I stepped out of the alternate reality I been in for two months in Spain and back into the real world, or maybe just back into a modern city. My first stop was an updated Sim at Vodaphone which I found in a shopping centre near the bus stop. While I visited many cities in Spain I always stayed in the historic heart and barely left them. I haven't been in a shopping centre at all. I could have been in Melbourne again. Apparently the most populous city I went to in Spain was Pamplona at approximately 200,000 people so no wonder Porto at 1.3 milliion seems a bit like stepping out of a time machine. Wait till Rome next week.    Baca lagi

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    Bem Vindo a Portugal

    8 November 2022, Portugal 🌧 17 °C

    My first day of exploring made me glad I'd just walked a Camino. Porto is not a flat city. The river has carved a great canyon in the landscape and the coastal hills are ever present too. The walk from the river back to my apartment will give me a good daily workout.

    I wandered the streets and alley ways and found some good viewing spots looking over the Rio Douro. Pastry shops abound yet again, outshining even Paris in my opinion but don't tell the French.

    I was reminded that the first day in a new country one must pay particular attention to important details such as how to cross a road safely. One must determine if cars actually stop at pedestrian crossings and under what conditions, whether green means green like at home, or just that it's a slightly safer option than red. In Portugal people use the crossing regularly despite what colour the light is and cars quite happily drive across when the green walking light is on as long as they aren't too close to you. Then you have to work out if public toilets might exist and if you have to pay for them, what times shops open and close and how to catch a train or bus. That's without the whole need to speak another language today. Now I'm just speaking to the Portuguese in Spanish like I was speaking to the Spanish in Indonesian.

    And google has now decided to show me everything in Portuguese despite me resetting it to English ten times which makes googling anything somewhat painful. The joys of modern travel. Of course these days I can snuggle up in bed at night and buy a ticket to a river cruise or a bus tour for tomorrow without needing to speak another language, find a tourist office or wander around at all. And despite the fact that I'm travelling to five countries, I don't have to change currencies like we did years ago.    Baca lagi

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    On the Rio Douro

    10 November 2022, Portugal 🌙 16 °C

    A beautiful sunny day dawned and I decided to behave like a real tourist and tackle the hop on hop off bus and six bridges river cruise.

    Porto has two sides. It's a UNESCO World Heritage listed cityscape including the Luis I Bridge with the two levels of train and road, the Italianate monestary and the river setting itself. Porto looks beautiful from the river and the riverside runs all the way to the ocean. You could walk, ride or electric scooter for miles or take a tram. There are gardens galore and historic sites, churches, alley ways, cafes and port wine by the barrel load as well.

    Yet everywhere there are old ruined buildings. Old stone buildings crumbling, decrepit factories on the riverfront, lines of falling down homes up the cliff faces. It would make an excellent set for an apocalypse movie. You think in these times with the value of the land on which these buildings sit, that they would have been replaced with modern homes (although the cliffs and heritage issues would provide some challenges) . I'm not conversant in the current or past economic situation in Portugal except to compare with how obviously lucky we are at home. The gift of travelling yet again. There is also building work everywhere and cranes in every direction so maybe that investment has started. Porto is certainly a city of much future potential and has been historically, and is currently, a popular destination for retiring or escaping British subjects.

    The photo of the statue of the people looking out to sea is a memorial to a storm when 150 local fisherman were lost.    Baca lagi

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