• Ourtravels
  • Kat Domingues
  • Javier Domingues
  • Ourtravels
  • Kat Domingues
  • Javier Domingues

El Camino de Santiago

St. Jean Pied de Port France to Fisterre spain. Planning for 830 kilometers. On foot. Les mer
  • Olmos de Atapuerca to Burgos

    15. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    It was a fairly easy 12.3 mile walk today into the beautiful city of Burgos. It seems to be a very friendly town and we were greeted with many "buen cominos" from the people on the street. The cathedral is spectacular and I look forward to visiting it mañana (on our DAY OFF😁) We're treating ourselves to 2 nights at the Mesón del Cid hotel. It's beautiful.
    M.
    Les mer

  • Burgos Spain, and zero day

    15. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    12 miles today, started with a big climb and finished with a multi-mile walk through the big city.
    Its funny, after miles and miles of walking through beautiful countryside, I really enjoyed walking in Burgos today. Sometimes I miss the hustle and bustle. It changes my mindscape.
    We take a zero tomorrow...no walking, but laundry👍🏼
    I'll try to post some tourist impressions.

    May 16, tuesday:
    It was quite a luxury to wake up to a buffet breakfast this morning. Spain loves its cured meats, and I think I tried them all 🐖. And great coffee.
    It was nice to know that I didnt have to walk anywhere. We went to Decathlon again (by taxi) to pick up some more warm layers. We were not prepared for the cold and wind, it was 39° F this morning and while we all had appropriate clothing and could have "made do" it was just as easy to be comfortable with a few additions.
    We may have spoken about our success with food. Just about every meal has been amazing. Today, on a whim, we ducked into a little Japanese noodle house and were blown away by the freshly prepared lunch. We asked ourselves "if you had to pick the worst meal we've had so far, which would it be?" And we all agreed that we would really have to work at figuring it out. So many experiences of the smallest kind are really creating a great camino. It doesnt make the walking any easier, but its not supposed to.
    Kathy, Melanie and Javier did some sight-seeing and I laid around listening to podcasts, a great day for all.

    Sunday's post from altapuerca got munged by an app update, but they wisely re-updated today and all is well. So if you are using the Android version and are having problems, update your app in the play store.

    A funny thing. Melanie was taking a picture of me, kathy and jav, as i was taking a picture of kathy and jav as kathy was taking a picture of jav. And none of us was aware of the other. See if you can spot the 3 photos.
    The camino provides.

    Posted by Jim
    Les mer

  • Burgos day # 16

    16. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    Well today was a much needed day of rest for all.Kathy and I hiked to the top of Burgos Castle and had a great view of the beautiful city of Burgos and later Kathy,Melanie and I toured the Cathedral of Santa Maria, what great architecture and so much history of this Spanish region. Tomorrow it’s back on the Camino!!
    Javier
    Les mer

  • A day in Burgos

    16. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    We all slept late this morning and met for a lovely buffet breakfast on the first floor of our hotel at 8:15 am. I'll try to remember to take pictures of it tomorrow. After that, Jim and I headed out to do laundry while Kathy and Javier toured the castle. Having clean clothes is such a pleasure. As Jav says "it's the little things".😊 None of us were prepared for it to be as cold and windy as it is so we've been wearing most of our clothes every day. We then paid a visit to the local Decathlon store and bought a few more layers. Decathlon was followed by a delicious Japanese lunch. Big bowls of ramen and yakatori were just the ticket! The showpiece of Burgos, it's spectacular cathedral, was the perfect way to end the afternoon. The upcoming days on the open plain of the Meseta that we were expecting to be baking hot will instead be cold and windy. Hopefully, the wind will be at our back and help us along our way. 🌬️
    M.
    Les mer

  • Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

    17. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 41 °F

    Wow! Today's walk was so much more pleasant than I was expecting. It was chilly and windy but the sun was shining all day. I was very comfortable with my layers and the 12.3 mile walk was mostly level and easy. The scenery was beautiful, of course. I keep forgetting to mention the cuckoos. We've heard them every day for the past week. Jim replies to them 😁 We had a delicious lunch when we arrived and will probably go out for dinner later. Hornillos is a very small town with a few albergues and bar/restaurants. One of the way signs we passed today had the following words graffitied on it:
    "We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us"
    M.
    Les mer

  • Hornillos a blustery day

    17. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 43 °F

    An easy walk, a quick stop along the way for a snack. Wonderful accommodations, a delicious stew for lunch. Running into our amigo José at our Hostel. A hot shower, nap and now a lovely dinner with live jazz music 🎵 The Caminó definitely provides. Life is good, blessed and grateful as always.Les mer

  • Hornillos del Camino

    17. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Beautiful walk today, a warmup for the renowned "meseta". A shadeless oven in the summer and a windswept icebox in the winter. Either way a several day--relentless-- test of your mind and spirit.

    They say that entering the meseta is the second phase of the camino, the first phase tests your body physically, the second, the meseta, challenges you mentally. Much is said and written about how to prepare for the camino. While walking, I dont think about it much. We are all in great spaces for our individual experiences and looking forward to every moment, come what may.

    Somehow today we had perfect meseta weather; sunny, breezy, clear skies, temps in the 50's. We are prepared for the worst it can throw at us, but pleasantly surprised to be gifted such perfect weather. We have high hopes for the next week.

    Arriving at our albergue at around 1 pm gave us time to have a great lunch at a local place.
    I think I'll stay in tonight while the gang goes to dinner at 7.
    All in all, another perfect camino day

    Posted by Jim
    Les mer

  • Castrojeriz windy but peaceful

    18. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☀️ 45 °F

    I walked most of the day by myself, praying for my friends and family especially my hubby because he was not enjoying the cold. I walk knowing how blessed I am to be able bodied. We all went to the bar across the street for cold beer and snacks while doing laundry.
    I then spent the afternoon sitting outside in the sunshine by myself and then walked to the market.
    We shared a pilgrim meal and met people from the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Taiwan just to name a few.
    We’re now all settling down the four of us in the attic of our Albergue for a good nights rest.
    Hasta mañana 😴
    Les mer

  • Hornillos to Castrojeriz day 18

    18. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 50 °F

    Today’s walk from Hornillos to Castrojeriz was a tough one for me all this cold and windy weather has been tough on my joints but that is part of the journey and realization that it’s not always going to be pleasant ,but we push along and realize how lucky we are to be on this wonderful adventure
    Saludos for now
    Javier
    Les mer

  • The first part of the Camino, from St. Jean to Burgos, is said to be about challenging your body and certainly I feel that my body is coming to terms with the daily physical requirements. The second part, from Burgos to Astorga, is said to be about opening your mind. I'm beginning to understand what this means to me. I look forward to days of processing thoughts, feelings and emotions. Physically, today was an easy and beautiful walk. We started with a lovely breakfast at our Albergue. The brother of the owner photographs pilgrims and we were surrounded by his stunning pictures. Our walk was cold and windy but sunny and I was very comfortable. There is a castle on top of the hill overlooking Castrojeriz that dates back to the 800s. All in all, another wonderful day on the Camino.
    M.
    Les mer

  • Castrojerez, Spain

    18. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    A wonderful walk from where we were last night to where we are today.
    It was breezy and cool, but we layered up and carried on. (Great t shirt idea).
    We will participate in a communal pilgrim dinner tonight, our first since Orisson. We are excited to take part. More on that later.

    Posted by jim
    Les mer

  • Frómista still windy

    19. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 43 °F

    We had breakfast at our Hostal before starting our journey this morning. We knew we had a long climb but we all tackled it like champs, so when we got to the top I played the Rocky theme song for Jav and I.
    We all layered up for the wind and it blew all day long. Thankfully it looks like it’s just going to be cold tomorrow. We are making great time each day even with our little breaks, 15.50 miles is very doable for all of us now.
    We’re staying at a great place, our host Mila is an Angel and we enjoyed our Menu of the day right next door.
    Once again “Life is Good” and tomorrow will be a “Good Day for a Good Day”
    Les mer

  • Castrojeriz to Frómista day # 19

    19. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    Today’s walk was a windy but pleasant 15.5 mile walk with the only big climb being just outside of Castrojeriz overall a good day, I’m still looking for a warm sunny day but as The Rolling Stones said “ you can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you’ll find you get what you need “
    Hasta Mañana 💤
    Javier
    Les mer

  • Frómista, Spain

    19. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    The picture is from our accommodations last night, we shared a 4 bed attic space in an albergue. Yes, we each had a single blanket.
    Finding places to sleep has become a major effort for us. So kathy, melanie and javiers hard work has paid off. We have booked about 5 days out, but each day gets harder and harder. 🤞

    Today was Another Windy Day. Not as cold as yesterday but our mileage was greater today (about 15.5) so we have our own "feels like" index.
    Today we started out of town with a mile long climb. What a way to limber up! We are truly on the meseta now, lots of flat, windswept agricultural land. Plenty of power generating windmills and many fewer villages in-between. Our bodies have adapted to the daily requirement and for me, 15 miles seems like the new sweet spot...anything less seems like a short day and anything more seems hard. We'll see if that number rises with our travels. We have passed 200 miles and are closing in on half way!

    Emotionally, speaking for myself, I'm always happier in my own head, its a safe place for me, so the relentless solitude of the camino hasnt sparked any revelations yet. I'm just open to the ebb and flow of thoughts, ideas, creativity and the odd earworm (like repeating "raindrops keep fallin on my head" in cadence for hours. 🤪) . But I'm handling the monotony very well and I remain upbeat and positive. This is still the trip of a lifetime.
    Oh, and we are eating well and the wine is good.
    Les mer

  • Frómista to Carrion de los Condes

    20. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    It was a long (12.5 mile) day of one foot in front of the other with intermittent stretches of trying not to be blown over by the wind. My amazing husband walked most of the way on my right to protect me from the gusts. The sky was amazing today. So blue with white puffy clouds. For some reason I don't have many pictures but I know Kathy does. Very early on we came across two young national guardsmen who were there to watch out for pilgrims like us. They were at a fork in the road and were happy to talk to us about the differences between the two routes. It turned out that they had stamps for our pilgrim passports and Kathy and I signed their book. I wonder how many people walk by without speaking to them. I finally gave my first necklace to someone today. For two days we've seen a pilgrim picking up trash as he walks. His labor of love spoke to me. He was clearly touched by the recognition and removed his hat so I could place the medallion around his neck. I was moved to tears.
    Arriving at our apartment in Frómista was so welcome. They had very generously provided a large bottle of water for each couple. I know Jim described our lunch experience so I won't repeat it. I LOVE that the four of us can make our own fun so easily. I'm looking forward to cooking dinner in our little kitchen tonight. There really aren't any words to describe what a heart opening experience this is.
    Les mer

  • Frómista to Carrion de los Condes day#20

    20. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Today’s 12.5 mile walk started out cool temps but no winds 🙏,The walk was fairly monotonous and flat,you could see the road ahead for what seemed miles,every day brings a new ailment in your body but we just keep pushing on and when we finish that first beer 🍺 is the best ever again!!
    We’re back at it tomorrow until then
    Javier
    Les mer

  • Carrion de los Condes

    20. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    It was a 12 mile day on a very straight path that paralleled a highway.
    I mean dead straight.
    Roman road straight.
    The surface was in great shape, but it's endlessly straight nature played tricks on my mind.
    All I could see was a place I could never get to.
    I started the day with an ankle pain which claimed most of my attention during the early part of the day. I eventually Ibuprofined it into submission and plugged on.
    It was intermittently very blustery along the way and all I could do was try to walk on the upwind side of Melanie to provide her some amount of wind blockage.

    We made it into town about 1 pm an checked into yet another wonderful apartment, 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room...its almost a shame we'll be here less than 24 hours.

    We walked downtown in search of lunch before the witching hour of 2 pm. We eventually found a nice little place full of both locals and pilgrims where the service made the beer taste 100% better. Kathy ran up to the market and came back with an armload of snacks and we had a perfect lunch and a lot of laughs. A perfect way to decompress. Another trip to the market and we brought home lots of stuff to make dinner tonight... After a nap of course.
    That 2€ bottle of rioja will be a great end to a wonderful day.

    Posted by Jim
    Les mer

  • Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de

    21. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F

    Today we walked on a road without end. It really seemed that there was no horizon! It was an optical illusion of course but a little disconcerting nonetheless 🤔 Thank you Kathy for the delicious pastries to start our day and thanks to the pop up café that came at exactly the right moment. There are so many varieties of wildflowers that I've lost count. The yellow ones filled the air with their sweet fragrance.
    I walked by forget-me-nots and took time to remember those who suffered and those who did not survive the Armenian genocide.
    Tonight we are staying in traditional pilgrim accommodations, dormitory style bunk beds and a large shared bathroom. Beds are getting very hard to find and tonight we're grateful for what we have.
    M.
    Les mer

  • Terradillos de los Templarios

    21. mai 2023, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Today was a great day, I walked to a bakery this morning and bought a few items for breakfast before we started our journey. We knew we had 15.50 miles ahead of us and for at least 10 miles we’d have no place to get water. To our surprise we hit mile 4.40 and there was a little cafe so we all stopped and enjoyed coffee and fresh OJ. While sitting there our hermano Jose showed up, he gave me his shell necklace and all of us patches for our backpacks. One of those special moments on the Caminó.
    Around mile 10 we stopped to eat our sandwiches we made and then continued our walk.
    I need to add I’ve walked the last two days in my Birkenstock’s and Injinji socks and my feet feel fantastic. I was getting some heel pain (plantar) and it’s now disappeared.
    It was a beautiful day the sun was finally shining and there was a gentle breeze. Jav and I walked quite a while with Jose and then sat and had a cold beer with him at our Albergue.
    We’re staying in a room with four bunk beds and a mattress on the floor. Quarters are tight but we grateful to have a place to lay our heads.
    We shared a nice meal with Jim and Melanie, I had some wonderful pumpkin soup. We all enjoyed and will be turning in early. Buen Caminó ❤️
    Les mer