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Camino Frances

September - Oktober 2023
  • Charlotte Birch
Avec Mary Beth Murphy Weiterlesen
  • Charlotte Birch

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    One of two statues marking the geographical halfway point of the Camino Frances
    Statue of a Knight Templar in Terradillos de los TemplariosArco San Benito in SahagunFormer Franciscan monastery where we got our half-way compostelaOur half-way compostela

    Sahagun

    27.–28. Sept. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Short day (about 10 miles), ending on the early side in Sahagun.

    Highlights: We hit the half-way mark (geographically) of the Camino Frances. An old Franciscan monastery, now museum, offers half-way compostelas for those who visit, so naturally we paid the entrance fee.

    In an earlier town (San Nicolas), we happened upon an artist of sorts who offered colorful wax stamps in lieu of the usual ink stamp for our pilgrim passports. So, we have two lovely souvenirs from an otherwise uneventful day.

    Enjoyed lunch with Debra and her friend Patty (from Dallas) and officially met another familiar face--Brian, from Portland, Maine, who we will likely see tomorrow as we are both staying at the same place, a hotel near a truck stop!    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    1

    The truck stop stage

    28.–29. Sept. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Not many pics. Roadside walking was more of the same yet still very pleasant since it was low 70s, with a clear blue sky and a light breeze.

    One stop along the way was a very large, clean, friendly albergue, where we saw the ladies from Scotland, a guy who has harnessed a golf bag carrier to his hips in order to transport his pack, and an ambulance take away a pilgrim in some kind of distress.

    If we were homesick for the US, tonight might have cured us. We are staying just outside a small town (El Burgo Ranero) at a motel attached to a truck stop with a 24-hour diner on the first floor. Very American vibe. Nice to be able to order up a hearty burger and chips at 3 pm. The town itself is small and plain, with adobe-style clay and brick homes and buildings.

    Ran into Laguna Beach guy again. His name is John. Biking the Camino for the 4th time but following the same stages as walkers to savor things, and also to keep pace with a friend who is jogging the stages as training for a marathon. I'd say most people we meet are doing the Camino for the combination of physical challenge and communal hospitality. Not as many seeking salvation or indulgences😄, but definitely a few working through some grief.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    View of local church from rooftop terrace of our hotel in Mansilla
    Sunrise hitting the church in El Burgo Ranero as we walked out this morning.String of bodegas in ReliegosBodegaBodegaBodegaWith Monika from San Fran and Barbara from Nova ScotiaView of a street in Mansilla de las MullasA bottle for each of us -- don't worry; only drank half at most!First course: fried asparagus rolled in hamSecond course: chicken fajita - delicious!The indoor dining room of our old casa (taken from upper floor window).

    Mansilla de las Mullas

    29.–30. Sept. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Hola, familiares y amigos. Today was just like yesterday as far as distance, views and weather goes.

    Enjoyed seeing some active bodegas (wine cellars built into hillside) as we passed through Reliegos. Arrived in Mansilla in time to check in, enjoy some tapas with Monika (from San Fran) and Barbara (from Nova Scotia) before heading to a three-course lunch at our own hotel: 1) Fried asparagus wrapped in ham; 2) chicken fajita; 3) Greek yogurt with honey and pecans. Still can't get used to the idea that they set a bottle of wine at your table to drink as much or little as you want. All-included price was 15 Euro.

    Eating at 3 is really perfect. It's lunch and dinner in one and you don't have to go to sleep on a full stomach. Help me remember this when I get home!

    We are excited to get to Leon tomorrow for our first two-night stay. Will look for an outfitter store to fix or replace one of my walking poles that randomly broke today and otherwise to restock, refuel and relax.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    Medieval wall around Mansilla as we left this morning
    Forest just outside Mansilla wallThat feeling when you get to your destination city but still have an hour's walk to your hotelEntrance to our hotel, a converted monasteryHotel Real Colegiata San IsidoroHotel Real Colegiata San IsidoroA festival in Leon began today with a procession we know nothing about!More processionMore procession, with a falcon!A nonstop stream of people walked up down the main drag as we ateLeon Cathedral at night

    Leon

    30. Sept.–2. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Ah, finally--we are someplace we get to stay for two nights! And it is a beautiful hotel (also a converted monastery)! Could never get a room this luxurious in a city in US for this little ($135/night, split two ways).

    Walked four hours with just a 20-minute stop. Learned when we got here that yet another festival will be underway tomorrow. We saw a procession tonight and large swathes of people passing by our restaurant where we had dinner, but we haven't figured out what the festival is about.

    Looking forward to seeing the Leon cathedral on the inside tomorrow.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    Leon CathedralBasilica de San IsidoroBasilica of San IsidoroCasa Boutines by architect GaudiDelicious lunch at Casa Daniel

    Leon, Day 2

    1.–3. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Toured the Leon Cathedral today and it really is stunning in its scale and amount of detail. It has nearly 1,800 square meters of stained glass windows.

    As we stepped out into the cloisters, people were gathering for Las Cantaderas, a traditional ceremony celebrating the end to a mythical practice whereby the Asturian kings annually gave 100 maidens to the Muslim caliphs as payment for something. (Not sure what--I think the tradition is essentially based on ancient disinformation!) This is part of the weekend's whole Fiesta de San Froilan, which had the streets packed yet again today with crowds, processions of ginormous flags and a fair number of bagpipes. (BTW, were you aware of the Celtic/Iberian connection? I wasn't but it's a thing--look it up!)

    We popped into a couple other must-sees, minus the tours: the Basilica of San Isidoro, and Casa Boutines by Gaudi. Then we escaped the crowds by snagging a table at Casa Daniel the minute it opened and enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing and filling lunch. It's hard not to eat a lot when lunch and dinner are three-course meals. Good thing we will be walking it off on tomorrow's 15-mile hike to San Martin del Camino.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    More wine cellars on the outskirts of Leon.
    A long our walk: Basilica de la Virgen del CaminoRoadside path with plenty of trucks speeding by

    Nothin' Special Day

    2.–3. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Welp, this was certainly the most unphotogenic, uninteresting walk of the trip. Left Leon and walked an hour through an industrial area and suburbs, then more Meseta along a busy highway till we got to our hotel. Roughly 15 miles total.

    We are staying in another place that is half hotel, half hostal, which exposes you to more pilgrims--a good thing. Lovely backyard with pool and a great breeze blowing.

    Reconnected with Brian from Maine (we dined with him in Sahagun and have seen him other places), and we are sure to see more familiar faces tomorrow night in Astorga. Looking forward to that and to more interesting scenery (and more mountains, soon!) as we leave the Meseta behind us.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    Puente de Orbigo
    Medieval bridge in OrbigoView of Astorga in distanceAstorga cathedralChoir section of cathedralGaudi palace, across from our hotelGaudi's Bishops Palace

    New Scenery + Astorga

    3. Oktober 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Ahhh, a welcome change of scenery and a beautiful, sunny day to boot.

    Didn’t take a lot of pics myself because my phone is on the fritz. In fact, I’m using MB’s phone to post this and will be relying on her photos going forward. Just hoping my phone can give me five minutes a day until I land at IAD.

    I think we walked about 15 miles, mostly through gentle hills, farms and woodland. Plenty of towns to stop in en route, including Orbigo, with with “one of the longest and best preserved, medieval bridges in Spain, dating from the 13th century,” according to our guidebook.

    Staying tonight in a small city called Astorga, which boasts several churches, a cathedral and a Gaudi building known as the Bishop’s Palace, which is just beautiful--one of our favorite sites so far. Astorga is also the start of an area associated with the Maragato culture, which we will learn more about as we walk.

    Had a lovely b-day meal on the town’s main plaza with MB and Brian (Maine). Excited for the mountains tomorrow!    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    Walk to Rabanal
    Lunch at cafe in Rabanal, with a beautiful dog who is hiking Camino with his owner in backgroundRelaxing after a hearty bowl of spaghetti carbonara plus a sangria (or two)Rabanal del CaminoCocido Maragato, a deconstructed stew

    A gradual climb to Rabanal

    4.–5. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    A beautiful day up gentle mountains to a quiet, charming village called Rabanal del Camino. Upon arriving, we resisted the urge to check in and instead sat at a recommended cafe and had a good, one-course meal that hit the spot.

    There is a Benedictine monastery run by Germans here that offers a 2-night silent retreat, complete with Gregorian chants, vespers and compline. We aren't staying there but thought it was cool enough to mention in case anyone is planning their own Camino.

    Had a classic regional dish for dinner--Cocido Maragato. Joe and Leo would have loved it. A lot of slow-cooked meats (plus cabbage and chick peas). A bit too much for us but very tasty and glad we tried it.

    Tomorrow is a big day, when we climb to the highest point of our route and then (the hardest part), descend steeply to Molinaseca. Excited for the view we will earn!    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    San Nicolas Church, as seen from our Casa's balcony in Molinaseca
    Cruz de FerroBrian, from Portland, Maine, who is staying at .any if same hotels as usOld friends, beautiful hike, gorgeous day!2The reason I want to stop eating beefEntering MolinasecaCasa San Nicolas, Molinaseca

    Molinaseca

    5.–6. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    A fabulous day, and one of our hardest, too!

    Left at *dawn* (8:50 am) and the sun rose as we walked up the mountains. Clear skies and temps that climbed quickly from 50 to upper 70's. Stopped an hour in for breakfast then kept going till we reached the highest point of the whole trip (5,000 feet above sea level). On our way, we stopped at the Camino icon Cruz de Ferro, where pilgrims leave rocks or other items signifying the reason for their pilgrimage.

    Up was relatively easy. Down was the hard part. A town halfway down the mountain was super charming--we spent an hour+ there to *let the dogs out* (go barefoot ) and refuel with freshly made spinach, feta and pesto crepes and our trusty Radlers! Then more rocky downhill hiking that made us especially thankful for dry weather and hiking poles.

    Glad to be back in towns made of stone and wood (instead of clay) and surrounded by mountains. So, so pretty.    Weiterlesen

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  • Charlotte BirchReisenderCamino Frances
    Castille de los Templarios in Poferrada
    Walked with Monika from Molinaseca to PonferradaGuess I am taller than the average Medieval knightWalking through town with the lunch crowdLaundry dayDinner from the supermercado

    Ponferrada

    6.–7. Okt. 2023 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    A tiny walk (5K) this morning to Ponferrada, where we are enjoying a "nearo" (near-zero) day. Ran into Monika as we headed out of Molinaseca and learned more about her fascinating life (she has lived on 6 of the 7 continents, and the outlier is NOT Antarctica!).

    Arrived soon after the Knights Templar castle opened and toured it. (The photos don't reflect the sweaty palms we had peering over the walls of the very high parapet.) After that, we collected our luggage and took our stinky clothes to a nearby laundromat, missing the lunch hour (something we've gotten good at). Rather than wait till 8, we went to a very large supermarket a block away and bought ourselves a hotel picnic, which at this point is a welcome change from the somewhat monotonous pilgrim's menu.

    A few more random notes:

    1) It took us four weeks but we have finally learned to walk more slowly, and I've found it's much more pleasant to listen to the sounds of a slower gait.

    2) The flies/bees here have been as omnipresent as the graffiti. We are making peace with that, casually scooping them out of our beverages without pausing our conversation. Still, we wonder why so few places invest in screens. 🤔    Weiterlesen

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