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Camino de Santiago - Frances
  • Traveling Devols

Camino de Santiago - Frances

A 45-day adventure by Traveling Devols Read more
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  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    14

    Bercianos del Real Camino

    September 29, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Today was rough. Not just for us but seemingly for everyone. We gathered at the bar at the end of the day, which is customary, and multiple friends were looking for alternatives to make this better and to help ease the pain. For many that means hopping a bus to the big city of Leon and regrouping. We are hoping that a shower, good night’s sleep and ibuprofen will help our mood.

    Today was also sad as we had to say goodbye to an awesome Irish couple and 3 wonderful Brits as they had completed “their stage”of the Camino and hopped a train for home. We have learned that it is not unusual for Europeans to take a week vacation and walk the Camino in stages. They think we are crazy for doing it all at once but understand the cost to fly from the U.S. or elsewhere in the world multiple times makes it cost preventative to do it any other way.

    I didn’t like this idea of new people jumping in, mid-stream, to the middle of “our” Camino in their freshly laundered clothes with their silly upbeat attitudes. But what I found was they infused new joy into our journey. They were a delight. And in just 4-5 days they became favorites of everyone around them. Camino Angels? I think possibly so.

    So to Barry and Sonya from Dublin and Dave, John and Chris from England, thank you for brightening our days with great conversation and companionship. We will miss you as we journey on.

    Buen Camino.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    1

    Reliegos

    September 30, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    I guess a good night's sleep without the cacophony of a room of snoring maestros is a good thing because today was a great walk. It ended up just shy of 13 miles along a quiet country road. The path was tree lined with a tree planted every 10 feet on the edge of the path for all 13 miles. The longest row of trees I have ever seen.

    The weather has been cool in the mornings; 36-40 degrees most days. That makes us walk at a pretty good clip when we start off. Today we averaged 3.2 miles an hour and got to our albergue plenty early. It is run by a brother and sister and is maybe the nicest we have stayed in. They are super friendly and focused on you enjoying your stay. When they purchased it, each room slept 12. They decided fewer was better and changed the 4 rooms to sleep just 2 each. Our room is large with 2 balconies and a table and chairs with a great view of all the pilgrims going by.

    The people you meet on the Camino is one of it’s greatest gifts. Today we played leap frog with Ju from Arizona, had a great talk with Steve from Texas who just retired as an ER doctor, met Mechail, a nice young lady from Louisiana and reconnected with Emily who we had not seen since Logroño. Having a common experience seems to open people up to conversations quickly and making new friends is easy.

    Tomorrow we head into León for two nights. We are excited to see one of Spain’s great cities and we hope to check up with other pilgrims we haven’t seen for a few days.

    Buen Camino    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    2
    212

    León

    October 1, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We started out from Reliegos about 7:30am after Mary, the owner of the hostel, made us good coffee and gave us a pastry and banana for energy. The hike into León was a little under 16 miles with a wide range of changes and variation.

    We noticed yesterday that the landscape had changed from brown to green and today was even a bigger change. We clearly have moved into a different environment and are moving from the flat agricultural region back into more hills. After a week of flats we are looking forward to the change.

    Our walk was really quiet up until the last couple of miles as we started into the city. León was a bit of a shock to the system after days of quiet. It is much larger than Pamplona or Logroño and may take a bit to get used to. We are here for 2 nights for a little down time and exploring before getting back to the solitude of walking.

    Buen Camino    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    2

    Rest day in León

    October 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 45 °F

    We had a good rest day in León. We caught up with friends, did a little resupply and failed at getting more cash. It is very risky putting your ATM card into a machine here as it may not come back. This happen to a friend and she had to wait in the town until the bank opened to get her card back. The bank was closed for two days! 🥴

    We stayed in a quirky hostel with a great view of a fountain located on a major roundabout. Yesterday there was a major festival in town that brought people from every region within proximity of Leon. The parade lasted forever with each region marching behind a giant flag of their providence. The parade ended at the cathedral where all flags were left around the perimeter of the cathedral. We watched most of the parade from the streets but when it was never-ending, we realized we could watch it from the window of our hostel since they paraded right past the fountain. It seems every time we are in a major city, it is during a festival.

    We didn't think we were interested in touring yet another cathedral but are so glad we toured the cathedral in Leon. The stained glass in this particular cathedral is absolutely amazing.

    Today we are off to Villavante, hope to have more photos and updates tonight.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    21

    Villavante

    October 3, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    Today we set out from León back to the quiet countryside. Somehow each of our city visits have happened during big annual festivals and they are just packed. The festival in León drew from every town and village in the region and it was wild. Getting back to the solitude of walking was pleasant.

    Our walk took us along the straightest and flattest path we have walked on the whole trip. The Meseta clearly did not end at León. We also past the 300k marker meaning we have now walked over 500 kilometers of our 800k journey. Amazing.

    We had great company walking with Sara and Andrew from Australia the entire day, and ended up in a wonderful country home renovated from an old mill built over a stream. The owners are amazing; they gave us a beer when we arrived, then did our laundry, brought us wine later in the afternoon, made an awesome dinner and will have breakfast ready for us in the morning. We feel totally pampered. And to think we thought we would just get a bed for the night.

    Tomorrow will be more farming country slowly taking us into the foothills. It will be interesting to see what the next few days reveal to us.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    1

    Murias de Rechivaldo

    October 4, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Variety was the reward for our day. After a week of crossing the Meseta, today led us along an ever changing path with ups and downs, quiet villages, changing crops and into Astorga; a larger town which of course was at the top of a steep hill. Today’s 16 miles went quick up until the last 5k into Murias de Rechivaldo which was a pretty hot walk at the end of the day.

    This comes after an great night at our country house where we were just plain pampered by Mercedes the owner. This was a unique night with just seven people at the albergue. Most of the dinner meal came from their garden with a nice pumpkin soup, great tomatoes, walnuts from their tree, and of course that Rioja red wine.

    Tonight we are having a pilgrim’s meal at our albergue owned by a German who walked the Camino and left his job as a chemical engineer to support pilgrims. We will be off tomorrow for the start of a steady climb back into the hills.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    211

    Rabanal del Camino

    October 5, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Today was an uneventful, easy 10 mile walk into Rabanal. We didn’t even break a sweat and got here early enough to just hang out and relax. Last night we had a lovely albergue but neither one of us slept well so it was nice to have an easier mileage day and perfect temperatures for walking.

    We have been walking a lot with Andrew and Sara from Melbourne. Australia. We are usually booked at different places for the night but always meet up to walk and eat together during the day. They are the best and we are already sad to think of having to say goodbye to them once we reach Santiago.

    Typically we only book our albergues one day out but as we are nearing the end, and the Camino gets busier, we have mapped out our days in advance and booked ahead to the end. It has taken on a different feel knowing where we will be so far in advance. That feeling of living in the present moment is fading and the finish line is looming out there within our grasp. It is hard to process the thought of having achieved this bucket list goal we set for ourselves nearly 10 years ago. What an undertaking it has been to plan, train and finally do. We are hoping the final stages will be kind to us.

    Buen Camino!    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    1

    Molinaseca

    October 6, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Today was the longest, most brutal downhill of our hiking careers but happy to report we lived to walk another day!

    Today was extra special as it was the day we placed our special rocks at the foot of the cross at Cruz de Ferro, which is the highest elevation on the Camino. It is customary to travel thus far on the Camino with a rock/token with meaning. It is symbolic to carry this weight/burden and surrender it there, at the foot of the cross. It certainly came with all the feels.

    Today was filled with great food, great friends, good weather, a challenging walk, amazing villages and memories to last a lifetime.

    Buen Camino ❤️🇪🇸    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler

    Villafranca

    October 7, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    We started out early today knowing it would be a long one. We broke 20 miles which seemed totally out of reach a month ago, now it seems almost normal. We are still amazed at the beauty of watching the day awaken while walking through sleeping villages in this amazing country.

    As we entered the town of Ponferrada we stopped across the street from the Templar Castle and enjoyed breakfast at a coffee joint that would be a perfect fit in Chico. As we headed out of the city, the Camino took us through the “good part of town” and we got to see some beautiful properties. This was a big change from the many farming villages we have been walking through.

    About ten miles in, we stopped for lunch at a last ditch place on a very busy street, very tired and hot. The owner took us through the building to a patio in the back that was a total oasis of shade and quiet and served us a great shrimp and avocado salad. Today was a complete win for food!

    From here we headed off for Villafranca to find ourselves walking in a region of rolling hills, covered with wine grapes, showing their fall colors. We had barely seen anyone we knew for the entire day so it was a treat to run into Sara and Andrew in the last town before Villafranca. It was sad to leave them and head off to the next town.

    Our plan was to eat in Villafranca's city center before heading to our hostel and the surprises kept coming. We ran into Sherry and Bryan, from Georgia, who we had not seen since León. We thought they were a day ahead, so it was fun to see them and have dinner together. During dinner, thunder started booming and the sky opened in a downpour! So much for getting to our place dry. Peg was wishing we had left earlier as we were going to get soaked walking the 1 kilometer to our place. Just then I got a text out of the blue from the hostel saying it was raining really hard and asking if we wanted them to come get us. We were going to arrive at our destination dry after all! The Camino provides!
    It was a good day.

    Buen Camino    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    11

    Vega de Valcarce

    October 8, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    After putting in a 20 mile day yesterday, we had a much shorter walk into Vega de Valcarce. The town looks to be a bit more upscale with nice, well cared for homes. Even though it is small, there are 3 banks. Considering many villages don’t have a bank, I think that says something 😂.

    The walk in reminded us of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. The air was moist and cool, everything was green, and it was just peaceful. It was a big change to some of the busy road walking we did yesterday.

    It is Saturday and with the short 11 mile walk, it feels like a day off. We actually took a siesta for the first time. Speaking of time, it has been an adjustment. We have learned that during Franco’s reign he set the time zone to Central European time, as he didn’t get along with the British, even though Spain is west of England. This explains why the sun doesn’t come up until around 8:30am!

    Tomorrow we have the second highest climb of the trip, so a quiet day should prep us well. We will likely start off early, about 7am, so we only have an hour and a half in the dark 😂.

    Buen Camino    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    11

    Liñares

    October 9, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Today was supposed to be a very challenging 2500+ foot climb which was going to be a challenge, but it turns out the hill wasn’t the big challenge of the day. We started out about 7am which would mean hiking in the dark for an hour and a half as the day awoke. All good so far…

    The first section was full headlights along a very quiet mountain road with only a couple of cars. The locals are pretty used to this but likely think we are crazy. As the sky started to lighten, we realized we were in a magical green countryside with cows eating in quiet fields and super quaint villages. We grabbed our classic Spanish breakfast at a stone albergue and then started the climb. Yes, it was steep but it was a walk through a wonderland of deep green forests with moss and fern laden stone walls lining the way. The path continued to a ridge with a small church at the top. It was absolutely one of the best days of hiking in my life.

    From here, there was a few miles to the summit and the village of O’Cebreiro with nine remaining pallozas, or round houses. They are thought to be over 1000 years old. A very special place.

    I was amazed at the ease of our climb today. Either over a month of hiking has conditioned us, or the fact that we found our first switchbacks in Spain made the climb seem easier than anticipated. I just imagine some young whipper snapper Galician engineer, trying to prove himself, say “why go straight up the hill? Some switchbacks could save energy!” That’s my thought anyway 😂.

    And now for the true challenge of the day. We are staying in the village of Liñares where we booked an albergue a week ago. Turns out there are two Liñares in Spain and our booking was in the Linares hundreds of miles away. So no room for the night and some of our luggage was set to go to a place that isn’t even on the Camino 😢. Well, they say the Camino provides and it does. The Camino Liñares only has one place to stay and they had just two beds left! AND they got on the phone and found our bag. To make it all better, the two people in the beds across from us are our new super friends Sara and Andrew. The Camino continues to provide and amaze.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    11

    Triacastela

    October 10, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Today started off like most days with a predawn wake-up trying to be really quiet while getting our stuff together in a dark room of eight sleeping people, using a red headlight to pack. And then out the door which locks behind you. There was only one small difference today, it was raining outside the locking door so no turning back once the door shut behind us.

    Walking in the rain, in the dark, by headlight is a different experience. You have a bit of tunnel vision with your rain hood drawn tight, and the light dancing off the rain. We had about an hour until we could see color in the sky and a very steep, slick climb to make. At the top of the hill a bar was open serving up great coffee and a fire burning in the fireplace. It was busy with pilgrims looking to warm up and dry out. While we joined the crowd, the sky brightened and the rain lighten up and we spent the next few hours walking through another Hallmark card wonderland. After our big climb yesterday, most of today was downhill and an easy stroll with beauty everywhere. I thought yesterday was amazing but today topped it!

    We also saw more locals today. In the Meseta region you would walk through a village and not see a single person. Since being in Galicia we are seeing more people and much more activity. In one village, we had an older lady brave the rain to share pancakes, that she sprinkled with sugar, with pilgrims as they walked past her house. It was a very touching moment and just made the day more special.

    About 4 kilometers from the village we are staying in, we stopped for lentil soup and coffee and waited for a downpour of rain to past. We played a few hands of cards and then made a push to the end with more mind blowing scenery. Tomorrow we are off to Sarria and will be getting close to the last 100 kilometers of our walk into Santiago.

    6 days left of walking this Camino….    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler

    Sarria

    October 11, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Another beautiful day for a walk. Early in the morning, while it was still dark, we came across an old stone house with the windows all aglow. It was right out of a Thomas Kincaid painting. It turns out it was an art gallery. An Englishman had lived there the past 15 years and produced amazing art pieces that he displayed and sold to the Pilgrims that passed by. We ended up buying a print, some postcards and then he did an original drawing in each of our Pilgrim Credential Passbooks. It was nothing short of magical.

    We proceeded walking through the damp, green forest trails that really do remind us of Oregon. The small villages have a little more activity in this region than other parts; mostly dairy cows. At one point today we got caught up in a herd being moved down the road to their pasture by the 80+ year old farmer and his wife. She was adorable and I think was fully aware of the delight she was bringing to the Pilgrims that had to “wait “as we all took loads of photos and videos! It was something special for us “city folk” 😂

    From Sarria, we have just over 100k to finish in Santiago. This is the point you have to start walking from in order to qualify for the “Compostela” when you reach Santiago. Many Pilgrims start their journey here to walk the bare minimum to qualify, so we are expecting bigger than usual crowds tomorrow. Those of us who started about 700k ago will try not to judge…

    Buen Camino!    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    2
    21

    Portomarin

    October 12, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Today held a gift, a milestone and a discovery. The gift was the walk. It was a gift, for all the work we have put in the previous weeks, to walk with strength we never could have imagined in such a beautiful area of Spain.

    We hit the milestone of 100 kilometers left before we get to Santiago. That means we have covered over 700 kilometers or 435 miles so far and have less than 60 miles to go! I am so impressed by Peg, covering all this without a single blister, failed joint or muscle and without a complaint. She has just killed it.

    The other thing this milestone brings is a lot more people walking. In Europe, taking a week off and covering this 100k is a very common undertaking. At the albergue we are in today there is even a large group of high school kids doing it. BTW, I have included a photo of one of the three dormitory rooms (rooms separated by curtains)
    in the albergue to give a sense of the hostel life. This facility sleeps 130 people. It could be a long (loud) night 😳.

    And now the discovery. As I walked, I thought of this post and how to describe our day. I soon realized I was out of adjectives. I have used amazing, wonderful, peaceful, awesome, magical, hell Peg even use mist-ical which isn’t even a word. Today I realized there is no way to describe this adventure, you just have to do it and experience it for yourself. Each day we complete the four Camino tasks of walk, eat, wash and sleep and we learn and discover more about ourselves and others in doing these four basic things. But the only way to fully comprehend it is to live it.

    Buen Camino    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    21

    Palas de Rei

    October 13, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    The foot traffic out of Portomarin this morning was pretty crazy. We were expecting way more Pilgrims but it was still shocking to what we are accustomed to. The new Pilgrims on the trail stand out with their shiny new shoes and their fancy hiking clothes. We are somewhat envious of the newness of their Camino spirit, and their outerwear, but then we watch them struggle with the hills and tend to their new blisters and realize how thankful we are to be past that stage. Don’t get me wrong, we still ache all over at the end of the day and live on ibuprofen, but we are not shocked by that reality anymore.

    With 3 walking days left, it is easy to get in your head about finishing. The realization that 1 misstep could take you out of the game consumes my thoughts and at times I find myself almost marching at a slow steady pace in order to make sure each foot placement lands without injury. Thank goodness there is always so much to see in order to refocus your mind.

    It was another beautiful day in Galicia Spain. Perfect overcast skies for hiking, beautiful flowers to look at, lots of cows and great trails. How will we ever say good-bye to all this?

    Buen Camino ❤️🇪🇸    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    2

    Ribadiso de Abaixo

    October 14, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    With just three days left until Santiago we started off at a bit slower pace today. As we walked by headlamp in the dark I noticed a lady walking without a light trying to follow others. At one point I looked back during a rocky downhill to make sure she could see the path and then offered to walk with her in the dark until the sun came up. And that was the kick off for a wonderful day for the three of us walking together.

    We learned Monica is a young 70 year old, newly retired nurse from Australia. She is quick to point out she is Swiss but ended up in Australia because of love "or what she thought was love". We spent the day strolling the amazing countryside of Spain, knocking out almost 17 miles, made easier because it was shared with a new friend.

    Totally out of the blue, nearing the end of this great adventure, who knew we would still be meeting new and interesting people. At the end of the day, Monica bought us beers, we met again for dinner and (hopefully) will walk out of town again tomorrow morning in the dark. Not sure who saved whom this morning but we are grateful for the opportunity to be a friend and make friends on this journey.

    2 more days of walking.
    Buen Camino.    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    111

    O Pedrouza

    October 15, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Today was 15 miles in the misty rain most of the day. In Portland, they call that a “dry” rain. It doesn’t really prevent you from doing anything, in fact you barely get wet, it’s just kind of annoying.

    Today was an “easy” walk. That must be due to the 6 weeks of constant walking we have put in. Up and down hills that are a struggle for the new Pilgrims are rather quite easy for us. But that is not to say we don’t end everyday with sore feet. My shoes are definitely at the end of their life.

    It is supposed to rain for the next week or more so walking across the finish line in Santiago tomorrow is going to be a wet one. We would love to complain about that but we feel so fortunate to have had nearly perfect weather for this entire trip.

    12 miles left. Santiago here we come.

    Buen Camino. ❤️🇪🇸    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler

    Santiago

    October 16, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

    We’ve done it!!! Cold, wet and windy but a great day spent walking in hard rain and time with special friends. More details tomorrow.

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    123

    Santiago - The Day After

    October 18, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    It is our second day of recovery in Santiago. Honestly two days is all you need. Not that your body has recovered physically from the days of walking, but you have met up with all your “Camino family” by now and emotionally you need to move aside and let the incoming Pilgrims have their moment in the City.

    It is nearly impossible to describe this whole experience. In trying to gain perspective, your mind naturally tries to find other life experiences to compare it with. The only thing in my life I can begin to compare it to is childbirth. You can read about it, educate yourself, prep and train for what you think is ahead but in the end everyone has their own, unique experience.

    Everyone who makes it to the finish line has done it in their own way and on their own terms. Their pilgrimage is personal to them. Just like labor and delivery, it really doesn’t matter if you were alone in a cab or had an entire medical team to aid in the process. Whether it was natural or a c-section with an epidural, the end result is (typically) filled with insurmountable joy and your memory of all the drama and trauma fades over time and you are left with a feeling you could never imagine possible. Which is why some crazy people choose to do it more than once 😉.

    I predict we will be unpacking our thoughts and feelings for quite sometime. So don’t be surprised if when you ask us how our trip was, we look a little shell-shocked and perhaps a little speechless. All we know for sure, at this moment, is we will miss the morning coffee and the afternoon wine.

    Thank you for the grand adventure Spain!
    Buen Camino ❤️🇪🇸    Read more

  • Traveling DevolsCamino de Santiago - FrancesTraveler
    1
    11

    Field Trip - End of the World

    October 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 63 °F

    To celebrate our last full day in Spain we headed out for a field trip to the End of the World. We had a wild lightning storm last night and headed to the pick up spot for the bus tour in the rain. We thought it would probably be a quiet rainy day on a bus looking out the window. What a surprise we had!

    We really didn’t know much about the tour other than the destination. Our first stop was to Ponte Maceira. It was a great stop with threatening skies that waited until we were back in the bus to open up the floodgates. Then we headed for the coast and to our surprise, as we started the drive down to the ocean, the skies cleared and we had perfect weather for the rest of the day! It was really an unexpected treat.

    We stopped at a site with the only waterfall in all of Europe to fall into the ocean. Then we were off to Finistere, a.k.a. the End of the World. It is one of two sites some pilgrims continue onto as another pilgrimage from Santiago. Then we went to Muxia, the other site which is actually further west and the most western point in Spain (and I believe Europe). The church in Muxia set on the rocks overlooking the ocean and was simple and beautiful. The day turned out to be a very special end to our time in Spain.

    When we got back to Santiago the skies went dark again and it looks like they may give us another show tonight.

    Tomorrow we leave this country that we have traveled over 500 miles through at roughly 3mph. It’s amazing how much you notice and how differently you can absorb everything you see when you slow down and really take it all in. It has been an adventure of a lifetime and we are so very grateful we were able to accomplish it.

    ❤️🇪🇸    Read more

    Trip end
    October 19, 2022
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