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AlSal Camino Santiago
  • Alec Brown

AlSal Camino Santiago

A 60-day adventure by Alec Read more
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  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Santabáñez de Valdegleisias

    May 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Met Luis the Mexican, sitting in the sun outsde the front door of the auberge. Ended up telling him my family story, starting with the fact that I'm part Mexican. His story was that he left Mexico for a job that could pay enough that he could build his Mum a house. He wanted to marry his girlfriend but he had to do that for his Mum first. He'd been told he could save enough in three months to do it but it took three years of hard graft in a fish can't in Alaska to do it.
    Came home built the house married the girl and moved to LA where her family was living, was going to take her back to Alaska, but she fainted the day before they were due to leave - she was pregnant - so they stayed in LA. He started driving trucks, bought his own skiptruck and three skips, now has three trucks and seventy skips, with his son's working with him in the business.
    He offered to go with me to Durango if I ever wanted to go.
    Very friendly hostelero, but middling average pilgrim dinner.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    Santa Catalina de Somoza

    May 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Lovely courtyard. Met Kim and Mary-Jane from Canada, and Ingrid from South Africa. Grumpy hostelero wouldn't let us have glasses to share Ingrid's bottle of wine, but turned out to be friendly later and made us big fat bocadillos for the next day's early start breakfast. Out the door by 6.15 and chilly.
    Wonderful oasis stop - place run by David. He said he does it for God. Hugely generous and beautiful spread of all sorts of food, and all for donation.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Ponferrada

    May 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Easy walk down the hill to Ponferrada via very pretty village on a river Molinesca. Pleasure to pick ripe cherries from the side of the road. Into Ponferrada with a very impressive Crusader castle. Had to find a power transformer to replace the one I forgot to grab on the way out of Santa Catalina. Very helpful tourist information person and friendly tourist shop person helped us out. Tourist shop person sold us new stamp books and then gave us a little yellow arrow badge each. And we found the shop to buy the power supply really easily.
    Christina picked us up to take us to her home town Viana.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Acebo

    May 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Very chilly early start as big day ahead climbing up to Cruz de Ferro then dropping down to Acebo.
    Very welcome coffee stop at El Ganso to warm our hands. El Ganso supposedly had no albergues but actually had two, so lesson for us there. On up to Rabanal a very pretty village for coffee stop two then Foncebadon another lovely place for coffee three and sit looking out over a broad green valley. Chatted to Irish walkers who couldn't gui where I was from. On to Cruz de Ferro and bumped into Ngaire Button from Christchurch.
    Not as significant a place as we'd hoped - the atmosphere spoilt by pilgrims clambering all over the mound and taking selfies. As we were.
    Great unexpected break stop for coffee at Manjarin. Funny we Scotty dog Susky the vet short husky chased a bike barking then flopped down tired after the big effort
    Long rough climb down. One walker popped a knee. We were ok but glad to get our auberge.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Viana de Bolo

    May 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    To Christina and Jason's place for much eating and drinking. Friday out for tapas and bar crawl, home after midnight. Saturday sleep in then huge lamb roast lunch (including the head, which Christina's uncle and his wife's sister shared half each). Long siesta then dinner at a beautiful bodega in hills, with dinner starting at 10! Ate pig's ears and octopus. Another sleep in then lunch in Portugal! Christina dropped us off just outside Ponferrada on Monday to restart our walk.Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    Cacabelos

    May 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    To Cacabelos from Ponferrada after Christina dropped us off. Easy walk. Stopped for wine tasting. Quite a wodge of people walking along but soon spread out. Bought a bag of cherries along the way so we didn't have to pick cherries off the trees along the way. Great to be here for cherry season. Earlier than home.Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Vega de Valcarce

    May 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    25.6k day but bowled it easy. Away by 6.45, pre-dawn light, cool but no wind - very comfortable walking conditions. Easy climb up through beautiful rolling country covered in vineyards. Welcome stop for first breakfast at Villafranca del Bierzo then second at Trabadelo. Walking along quiet road beside a lovely stream all the way into Vega del Valcarce, staying in the municipal auberge -first time and first time no booking. Nearly missed out on beds as auberge had to close a room due to solar panel leak. All good though and spent a very restful afternoon by the river, soaking feet, picnic with beers.Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Linares

    May 24, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Good sleep marred by selfish people having noisy conversations and packing noisily at 6am. Sadly confirmed the stereotypes associated with their nationality. I got up and went to the kitchen, when I got back sometime head turned on the light - despite Sal still being asleep. They said they didn't notice her - in other words they didn't look - but did not apologise.
    Lovely walk up the valley alongside a busy stream and lush green meadows bordered by mature trees then up through the mountains through forest and well made though sometimes steep tracks. Stops in various places for coffee/ food - croissants, choc croissants, empanadas. At one stop - Las Herrerias - as we walked in we met two seemingly stray white horses grazing by the roadside. As we approached they suddenly took off , trotting away down the end of the village. Once we got there - after coffee - we found them being saddled up , ready to carry pilgrims up the hill to O Cebreiro. The horseman whistled to get other horses to come to get saddled.
    On the way up we met Heidi, a professor of biology and Joe, a pastor or priest can't remember which, from North Dakota and Montana respectively. Another coffee stop, at La Faba, because the place and the view were so pretty, and we didn't want to waste ay pretty: no pretty left behind.
    In O Cebreiro we met up with Heidi and Joe again, the two Kiwi women we had met previously in Calzadilla de la Cueza (I think) and Rebecca from Chicago. Good to catch up with all and shared a yummy lunch of octopus (pulpo gallego) and chorizo bocadillo.
    Easy walk a few k's down to our auberge in Linares.
    In the 'couples' bunk room with Thomas and Anneka from Sweden. Thomas was brought to Sweden as a child, in the seventies, by his parents fleeing the military coup in Chile.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To A Balsa

    May 25, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Slow start but easy walk mostly downhill. Beautiful view down into cloud-filled vslleys. Blue sky all day. Stiff climb up to a great cafe overlooking the value below, had a huge old dog - one of the bull mastiffs used to guard sheep - wandering about trying to cadge food. Lovely walk through farmland and forest - some of the nicest tracks and views so far - but a long downhill, down to Tricastella. Met up with Heidi and Joe and the American family (Court?). Joe shouted us lunch! He asked that we think of him when we cross the bridge at Portmarin.
    Walk from Tricastella to A Balsa easy and gorgeous through quite country lanes. Watched a farmer walk slowly to check his cattle. (They leave the bull in with the cows - what's that about?)
    A Balsa is a tiny rundown Hamlet of maybe 20 people max and that's probably generous. The auberge is the only significant thing apart from farming, plus an English painter - obviously eccentric. He wasn't in his studio but we spotted him sunbathing in a deck chair. We didn't call out as we reckoned the was a good chance he wasn't wearing anything.
    The auberge is a classic. Stone. Wooden bunks. Stone shower. Stone basins. Very filling veg food.
    Great forest hammocks.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Gonzar

    May 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Late start - sleep in he he. Then breakfast at our auberge but being first stop after Sarria lots of pilgrims stopped in as well as lots of friends stopped in: Joe and Heidi, Miriam and Jill, Jill the Aussie with round glasses, Keith the chippie and Taryn, and Sarah who met and ate three meals with yesterday, and Denis' sister, who shared the sad news that Dennis' wife passed away while they were traveling together in France.
    Crowds early on - a wagon train of people. Spread out a bit later, but lovely walk through to Portmarin.
    After Portmarin got hot. Nice climb up through the forest but the path ended up following the road. Long and straight and pretty boring. Arrived hot and tired but cool place here in Gonzar. Built out of an old farmhouse. Huge beams holding up the floor. Our room is on the lower level, and given the lingering agricultural smell, we suspect it was the sheep and cow byre.
    After we got in, huge thunderstorm and pouring rain yay good for all the vege farms and the Portmarin hydro dam.
    Massive dinner. Ate too much and drank a fair bit as usual.
    Met Nils the Dane obsessed with Icebreaker and Kirsten the German who loves working at the tax office.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To San Xulián

    May 28, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Had to walk a k in the mist for breakfast coffee and bumped into Ngaire. Lots of coffee stops but yay few peregrinos. Why? Starting about 8ks ahead of the mass staying at Portmarin was good. And even with multiple coffee stops the blob never caught us. We're only 3.2k out of Palas de Rei ( the big stop) so maybe we'll get caught tomorrow.
    Highlights: misty morning; buying a round of soft white cheese from a woman through her kitchen window; mythic looking cow with huge horns (vaca cachina) , dogs and roses, bun with jamon and our cheese in a lovely park just before Pala de Rei, which was a bit average.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Arzuá

    May 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Lots of lovely woodland walks. Drag of a walk from Ribadiso de Baixo up to Arzuá - hot and dusty and Ribadiso looked great, Sarah said she had a great time and went for a swim and the volunteers attached a small scallop shell amulet to each guest's shoes.
    By contrast our place was devoid of character and we ended up choosing a really bad dinner, which left me with a lots of stomach discomfort. Add to that a woman demanding that the Aircon be turned off leaving the whole dorm steaming hot all night so neither of us got much sleep.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To O Pedrouzo

    May 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Another lovely walk through woodland and past lush green meadows. Very tired feeling like shit the whole day. Caught up with various Camino friends along the way, including Sarah, Laurie, Margot, Stephanie and Megan, pinecone couple from Roumania.Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Santiago

    May 31, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Much better today after good sleep. Easy happy walk in, second bkfst with Megan, Stephanie and Julia.
    Not big crowds going in and another lovely forest walk right into Santiago.
    Had to leave the three women behind as they got stuck with some people who'd promised to wait for them.
    Walking up through the town Sal spotted our auberge so could check in easy. Walked up the hill through the old town, down through the arch past a Galician piper, and out into the plaza in front of the Catedral.
    Hundreds of people dotted about and through them comes Dirk and Rich, probably the two friends we would most want to have meet us.
    Rich with his friend Michelle, which set our minds racing, but it wasn't that at all.
    The Catedral and plaza was stunning, lots of tears and joy and relief finally to be there where hundreds of thousands had been before and the place of all the hundreds pictures. Far far more wondrous than the pictures and the spontaneous outpourings of joy were a delight.
    Met Thomas and Annika again.
    Picked up our Compstella quick and easy - very smooth process.
    Went to the pilgrim's mass and watched the botofumiero swing
    Tapas with Dirk but we closed down quite early - prob still getting over Azura.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    Santiago Second day

    June 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Farewell to Dirk - facing scary prospect of being compared with The Russian. Planning meet with Rich for our Finisterre walk.
    Missed out in second night at auberge. Bummer. Accepted we had little option but Plan B (stay at Ngaire's with all the social commitment complications that entailed). Walked out of the auberge and bumped into Ngaire.
    Hung out around the plaza and environs. Trekked down to the train station and sorted out our tickets to Barcelona, met up with Sarah and her hubby Tony the surfer, shopped for nibbles and wine for later. In the afternoon searched out Ngaire's place. Turned out to be right beside the Catedral! Ngaire have up her double bed for us but downside was we were on the plaza with all the dinner/party noise and all night donging from the Catedral bells, but it was worth it it for the proximity. Nice late afternoon/evening in the apartment with Ngaire (her friend popped in for only a minute) and Rich. I took Rich out for a beer and we met up with Heidi, Joe and the American family, while Sal was stuck with Ngaire, which was disappointing for Sal. We three went out later and enjoyed the band playing under the arches. Went to bed and stopped enjoying the band playing under the arches till bloody midnight.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Negreira

    June 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Day one of walk to Fisterra.
    Lovely misty morning making for magical views of Santiago in the dawn light. Easy walk up and down through verdant hill country.
    Stunning ancient bridge and flour mills.
    Great auberge - towels! Lots of room. Bottom bunks all round. Shared pasta dinner - first one since St Jean.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Lago

    June 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Had to book for this one as it was the only auberge - no wonder - Lago is barely more than a group of farm sheds. Good place to stay though. Met Bianca the glass half full kiwi. Teamed up with Katarina the Swede. Found the owner of an ininji tie sock we picked up in a cafe early in the day. Very good buzz out of that as the woman was most pleased and surprised to be reunited with it.Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Cee

    June 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Easy walk, met and walked with Hannah from Jersey off to meet her boyfriend hopefully fiance at Fisterra.
    Lovely auberge - hosteller Guzmann a very calm and peaceful man, runs the auberge with his wife and child and two old dogs living on site, for more then 11 years.
    Went for a swim off a lovely deserted beach right beside the town - Hannah pointed out later the sign that said swimming prohibited. Oops.
    Pizza dinner on the beach was just right. Still very few locals on the beach.    Read more

  • Alec BrownAlSal Camino SantiagoTraveler

    To Fisterra

    June 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Last walk of our Camino.
    Strange feelings. At Santiago elation and at having made it, this time a much quieter feeling of satisfaction and completion, winding down. Less wild sharing of joy and enjoying others joy, more internal warmth.
    Whole trip mixed emotions as Rich needed a lot of support from us both but it meant I had to share Sal's attention and even felt a bit left out at times.    Read more

    Trip end
    June 9, 2023
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