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Haley Camino 2019

May - July 2019
Camino Del Norte, Spain Read more
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  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    One day on the Norte

    June 28, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    While most of Europe, and the rest of Spain, are sweltering under a deadly heat wave, were still enjoying sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s to mid 70s. Apparently the mountains we’ve been skirting for many days are holding back the heat wave.

    We had very little elevation change in today’s walk from Cadavedo to Luarca, which was most welcome to our legs! Yesterday we went down and up 7 times, about 70-100 meters each time.

    Fans of the Camino like to say, “The Camino provides,” meaning that what a pilgrim needs (not wants!) will somehow appear. It’s become kind of a joke. But sometimes it seems to be true. This morning, as we came to a yellow arrow showing a turn off our road, an older lady appeared and motioned for us to go a different way. That way would be much shorter, less climbing, go through that overpass, turn right, follow the signs... all of which turned out to be a great trail, past an old church and cemetery.

    Here are some pics that will show you what our day was like —    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Serendipity

    June 30, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Nine days and 81 or so miles ago, we stopped at a roadside bar/cafe for a Coke and coffee and croissant in the town of Vega de Sariego. A man was sitting outside the bar, having a bottle of sidra, pouring it from high up as is the custom. We exchanged hellos and he wished us a “Buen Camino!”

    This morning we stopped at a bar/cafe in the town of Tapia de Casariego, the halfway point of today’s walk, for C&c (Coke & coffee). As we were leaving the cafe, I turned around, thinking maybe I should take a picture. And there was that same man, walking out of the bar we’d just left.

    We looked at each other wide-eyed. “I saw you days ago at a bar near where I live!” he said. I asked if he was walking the camino. No, he was simply visiting the beaches near Tapia with friends this weekend. He spoke good English, and asked, “What is that word? Serendipity?”

    Later today we walked with D’Mari from Flagstaff, who grew up in College Station and Waco; she’s also lived in Beaumont, Boerne and San Marcos TX. Lots of serendipity on the camino today.    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Arrows and Signs

    June 30, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Though we now use GPS or another app (Wise Pilgrim) to navigate, we still rely on the yellow arrows and other markings laid down for pilgrims to follow.

    They appear on homes, telephone poles, sidewalks and walls. Some are tiles, some are pretty elaborate and some are hand painted.

    Some are easy to spot, some not so much. And just when you think maybe you took a wrong turn, there’s an arrow!

    Here’s a sampling.    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Eucalyptus

    July 3, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We’ve been walking through forests of eucalyptus for weeks, but in Galicia it seems there are few trees other than eucalyptus. The leaves on the young trees are a soft jade-like green; they almost seem to glow among the older trees. As the trees mature, the leaves become long and thin, and turn a darker, duller green.

    We’ve passed many areas where swathes of eucalyptus have been clear cut, and new trees planted. Turns out these trees are very controversial on the Iberian peninsula.

    Since it was introduced in the 1860s, eucalyptus has become the most important tree in forest economy, especially for paper pulp. Insects don’t like eucalyptus, and they discourage mosquitos, but that means fewer birds in the forests. Eucalyptus grows quickly, a boon to areas that had been deforested. But they also consume great amounts of water, and they push out native species. And the development of large-scale tree farming has threatened the small-scale family farms and social bonds of communities throughout Spain and Portugal.

    Their scent is not exactly piney, maybe more like menthol, cool and refreshing, especially for tired peregrinos slogging uphill!    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019
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    More pics

    July 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A few more pics from the past few days —

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Paradores

    July 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Beginning in the 1920s, the Spanish government began buying up historic structures such as military monasteries and palaces and converted them to hotels in order to preserve them and to build up the tourist industry. There are now more than 90 Parador hotels scattered across Spain, offering high quality lodging and cuisine.

    I spent one night in the Parador San Marcos in Leon three years ago, to treat myself after 9 days of walking on my first Camino. The only one we came across this year was in Vilalba, so we treated ourselves on Thursday night. While many Paradors include important historic structures, this one had only one medieval tower, with a very nice hotel adjacent. Funny thing was, we saw at least 5 other pilgrims who were staying at the hotel. So much for the suffering of poor pilgrims!    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Three days to go!

    July 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We just finished walking 20 miles!! That leaves us just about 60 kilometers — 37 miles — to go to Santiago. We’ll arrive in three more days, on Tuesday, and the weather looks great — very different from our arrival last year, when it was pouring rain and we lost our way in the last 1-1/2 miles through the city.

    We left the mountains early in the week, misty, drizzly days of walking through forests of eucalyptus, pine and fern. That’s Galicia! But wonderful walking weather in the 60’s. On Thursday we finally saw the sun again, a welcome sight!

    The countryside is rolling green hills with small farms of corn, vegetables and oats. The homes are of stone, stucco or brick, often clustered together in small hamlets. This is dairy and beef country; Galicia accounts for 40% of Spain’s total dairy production.

    Now we see crosses to mark the way of St. James, many of them quite old, with Mary on one side and Jesus on the cross on the other. And mysterious, mossy stone walls lining the paths, walls that would be right at home in Ireland. The local style is to group thin flat stones vertically instead of horizontally, cut so that they reinforce each other.

    We’ve also crossed bridges built hundreds of years ago. It’s a gentle, green countryside of soft paths and not a few pilgrims — more than we expected to see.

    Almost forgot — we also finally saw two storks’ nests!

    Here are pictures from the last few days.    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Onward through Galicia

    July 8, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Our drizzly mornings finally gave way to cloudy, cool days. I still have to wear my long-sleeved shirt when we start out in the mornings.

    Galicia draws many comparisons with Ireland in terms of weather and geography. And it’s widely believed that Celtic peoples settled Galicia. The Romans ruled here for many years, as did the Moors. The “discovery” of St. James’ remains in a marble ark in 813 sparked the Christianization of Galicia and the reconquest of Moorish-held lands by the Spanish Christian kings.

    The country we’ve walked through is lush and green, with rolling hills, soft paths through eucalyptus and pine, dairy farms and corn fields, mossy ancient walls and centuries-old crosses marking the Way.

    Saturday night was party night in Sobrado. The party started at 10:00 and went on until 3:30, including live bands. So we didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. But Sunday we walked only 7 miles and stayed at an albergue/pension in a small town. The owner is Maribel, a very sweet and motherly lady who couldn’t do enough for us. She fixed us a delicious dinner, insisting that we keep eating long after we were full, and kept teasing our Dutch housemate, Peter, that he looked too serious, “like a German!” She was especially perturbed that flies were coming in and landing on the food, and she kept after them with her fly swatted. She showed us a postcard she’d received from some French guests, addressed simply to “The Fly Killer, Boimorto, Spain.”    Read more

  • TravelerHaley Camino 2019

    Santiago!

    July 10, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Monday was our last day before arriving in Santiago. It was also the day our Camino del Norte merged with the Camino Frances. We stopped at a bar just before that point for one last quiet break. Good thing we did, because every bar after that was jammed with people. The camino looked like a parade, lots of school groups and teens. And we stopped short of the town where most people stop for the day, so we enjoyed a quiet night.

    Tuesday was one of the nicest days we’ve had — sunny and 70 degrees. What a difference from last year, when we walked into Santiago in a pouring rain!

    The entry point to Santiago is Monte de Gozo, a park with a huge Albergue and sculptures. One sculpture depicts two pilgrims overlooking the city. I was too tired to find this statue when I walked 4 years ago, and last year in the rain we didn’t feel like looking for it, so this year we made the effort (photo below).

    We arrived in the square about 2:30, feeling great!    Read more

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