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Kevin EslerKevin Esler
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Expatriate Australian retired software engineer Read more Bedford, Massachusetts
  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Salceda to Lavacolla

    October 23, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    2nd last day, 19.3km, worst weather yet. Sloshing wet feet for 6 hours. 460m ascended, 680m descended.

    It was rainy and windy at breakfast time so we delayed departing till 8:30 when visibility was sufficient without a headlamp.

    Then it was head down and walk through some appalling weather: rain with very few breaks, and wind gusting very strongly at times. In some of the eucalyptus forests the wind roaring through the trees was thunderous.

    Speaking of eucalyptus, we saw some very large, both in diameter and height, older growth stringybark trees, especially in the latter half of the walk and near the airport.

    We’d had a good breakfast so decided we’d cover 10km before stopping to eat. In the end it was at Amenal at the 13km mark that we stopped for coffee and a somehow disappointing bocadillo de jamon. Had been hoping for a burger or spaghetti bolognese but the cook was off duty.

    From there it was a 2km muddy creek of a track up to the Santiago airport runway, rising about 100m vertical.

    The Camino took us round the end of the runway and wandered along for a while till we reached our hotel, the Garcas, in Lavacolla, about 11km from Santiago cathedral. Tomorrow’s walk is also expected to be a rainy one, but it will be shorter.

    Now to find some way to get our boots somewhat dry. A shakedown in the bathtub followed by inverting them on top of the heating convector on the wall looks promising.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Boente to Salceda

    October 22, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    21km of mostly beautiful rural paths and an hour of rain.

    We planned for an early start to enable us to avoid possible rain patches with strategic coffee breaks. Down to the bar for 7:00am breakfast and found the place in darkness. We returned to our room to pack up and be on our way and found breakfast in full swing at 7:30 as we went down to leave.

    So refuelled we walked in darkness with a headlamp for 40 minutes until first light. For 8km the Camino followed a country path below overhanging trees up and down across several small river valleys until our coffee and cake stop in Arzúa.

    Arzúa also gave us access to an ATM to replenish cash and a farmacia for blister dressings and Vitamin I (ibuprofen). It would have been nice to check out the weekly street market but rain was predicted and we moved on.

    Leaving Arzúa through unpaved country lanes we encountered more of the eucalyptus groves we had seen yesterday. There are 400k hectares of Aussie eucalyptus forests in Galicia. Saw some fine old Stringy Barks.

    We stopped for a lunch of empanadas at Casa Do Hórreo in Ferreira just 3.5km short of our destination for the day. It started to rain and continued quite heavily for an hour so we stayed under cover for dessert and coffee. With no letup in the rain we donned our ponchos and walked on in the now easing rain and continued onto our accommodation.

    Now after dinner we are drying wet gear for tomorrow’s predicted downpour.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Palas de Rei to Boente

    October 21, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    21km in good weather with just a short shower of rain.

    The weather forecast had been dire so we were expecting another drenching. Grateful it didn’t happen.

    We had a good breakfast at a bar in Palas de Rei and put our heads down and cranked out 10km or so while the good weather was with us.

    Stopped for café cortado and cake at O Leboreiro. Then pressed on expecting rain at any time.

    By 14km we were in need of a proper refueling and had arrived in Melide so we stopped for a lunch of pizza.

    Melide looks like a pretty busy center but we didn’t linger. A km or two beyond the town the rain started falling so ponchos were deployed.

    But it rained lightly and only for about 30 minutes. Not enough to wet our feet.

    Eventually the ponchos were stowed and we walked on to our destination of Boente. It’s a pretty small town. The pensión is very good. We will dine here too as other options are scarce,

    There were lots of eucalyptus trees in the forests we walked through today. Some were quite old and large stringy barks.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Portomarín to Palas de Rei

    October 20, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    27km and soggy again.

    The rain in Spain falls mainly in Galicia. And the rain in Galicia falls mainly on Kevin and John.

    An excellent breakfast at our Portomarín hotel and an increasingly late sunrise meant we didn’t get walking until 8:15 and it was still dark. We also knew from the great Spanish weather app that we would be in for rain from midday.

    We walked through the full length of Portomarín then across the river accompanied by the most pilgrims we had seen leaving predawn. Most will have started their Camino yesterday in Sarria which at 113km is the closest starting point at which pilgrims can obtain the Compostela.

    We climbed steadily from an overnight 400m to around 600m when it started raining and continued steadily for three hours as we climbed to 720m. Seeking some respite and warmth we called into Casa Mariluz in Agaete for the restorative effects of Galician soup.

    On the track again we briefly experienced the heaviest rain of the day before the sun reappeared and thawed us out as we completed the last 8km into Palas de Rei.

    Like yesterday we had 3.5 hours of quite heavy rain while walking. But the soup break fortified us for further trudging, and the sunny conditions late in the day lifted our spirits and made a small start on drying out sodden footwear.

    We checked into Pensión San Marcos and it is just great: modern clean and comfortable. They cater well for pilgrims with an urgent need to wash and dry stuff. Oodles of clothesline space in the sun, and heating radiators in the room that are turned on !!

    The pensión is massive, discreetly scattered over several buildings just a block or two from the middle of town.

    Based on Google reviews we had dinner at Pulperia A Nosa Terra. The kitchen opened at 7pm and the place is just a tiny bar so we cleverly squatted at a table at 6:20 and had a cleansing radler before requesting a menu. Dinner was very good. Kevin satisfied his craving for pulpo (octopus) and John had pork tenderloin prepared nicely, washed down with a good temperanillo, crepes, espresso. The place seemed to be very well run by just 3-4 people. Terrific Galician food.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino
    1

    Sarria to Portomarín

    October 19, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    A 25km day with lots of rain.

    We left our pensión at 7:45, surprised to find it was not raining. The forecast was 100% certain about lots of rain. We had no sooner sat down in the first bar we found for breakfast when the heavens opened. It was torrential and sideways at times in the strong wind. Alas it was much the same when we’d downed our juice, toast and coffee so we donned the ponchos and headed out into it. It continued to rain, and very heavily at times, all morning. Some of the tracks leading out of Sarria were turned into creek beds. They improved outside the city limits a bit. In these circumstances, resigned to having sodden feet all day, we put our heads down and cranked out 12km without a break.

    Pilgrim traffic was noticeably heavier due to those beginning their trek at Sarria. So much so that there was a line out the door at the coffee place we passed as the rain cleared. We walked on a few hundred meters and stopped in a shed containing vending machines, and tucked into a KitKat and coffee. From then on there was little rain and we were able to appreciate the beautiful countryside: more lush green cow country, with a tiny village every few kilometers. About an hour later we stopped at a very nice bar at Brea and had something resembling lunch.

    Along the track we met some of the usual suspects, Lisa from Portland, and Paula (a.k.a Hot Wheels) and her 3 fellow Hoosier pals (Hoosier = person native to Indiana). We took pictures of each other at the milepost indicating we had exactly 100km to travel to reach Santiago.

    One other stop for a drink at a nice bar in Mercadoiro before covering the final 6km or so to Portomarín. There was quite a steep descent just before reaching a very high bridge over the Miño river leading into town.

    We checked into our Pousada de Portomarín. It’s a grand old place, a former Parador, built in the 1960s. Relieved to find our wet feet had no blisters, we took care of some washing and boot drying and headed downstairs for the usual couple of cleansing radlers.

    This place has a restaurant where we will dine and breakfast, thus avoiding any unnecessary walking.

    We were happy with the ponchos’ performance today. They felt a bit clammy in the heavy rain but everything under them remained quite dry.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Triacastela to Sarria

    October 18, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Shortish walk today just 17.9km. There was a bit of vertical nonsense though. Mostly through cow country again. These are all dairy herds I think.

    (While I think of it we had a top notch 3 course menu del dia last night up the street at the Complexo Xacabeo. 12€ each. A very well run establishment.)

    Leaving in the dark as usual after breakfast at our pensión, Casa David, we climbed steadily for a couple of hours up past San Xil. At the peak we were up 400 meters.

    The rest of the walk was a steady descent of 628 meters to Sarria.

    We refueled with some snacks from the vending machine in the village of Montán.

    We stopped for lunch at Pintín where we had the local version of a meat pie: not bad.

    About 3km on a dirt track beside the road to enter Sarria.

    The weather was cool, dry and sunny with occasional periods of very strong winds.

    We quickly found our digs in the Pensión Rua Peregrino.

    This is a fairly big town but definitely rural. We heard cows mooing a kilometer or so from our pension. You can also smell cow stuff from the middle of town when the wind is right.

    We will run a few errands when the shops open later.

    We are now about 113km from Santiago. We expect to cover it in 5.5 more days. Many people just walk from here to Santiago. We are expecting heavier traffic due to those joining the route here.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    O Cebreiro to Triacastela

    October 17, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    A tough mostly downhill 22km day, our first full day in Galicia.

    We had a good breakfast in the bar at Hotel Cebreiro and were on the road soon after 8am. Dawn is at 8:45 now so we used a lamp for an hour or so.

    Weather was cool and misty and once there was light to see everything was lush and green.

    The halfway mark was at Fonfría. The walk to there was some down and up on a very good path of hard packed dirt. We ate some lunch at what seems to be one of the new Galician government run albergues. Very modern and spacious.

    From there it was quite a steep drop into Triacastela. About 600m vertical over 11km distance. The path was good, no loose gravel or shifting rocks, but still it was painful by the end.

    The weather was what we’d heard is typical of this province. Misty, low cloud, breezy with occasional rain. We both needed the ponchos for an hour towards the end when the rain got more serious.

    As we were approaching Triacastela we were astonished to meet the fast walking lady from Indiana we’d dubbed “Hot Wheels” when we walked into Pamplona with her and her 3 friends, way back early in our trek. There was great hilarity all round.

    Then we stumbled into the Pensión Casa David and got cleaned up after a harder than expected day.

    Now for a cleansing radler and a laundromat session.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino
    2

    Trabadelo to O Cebreiro

    October 16, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Elly, our host at El Puente Peregrino, is an excellent and creative cook and she fed us and our Danish friends Penny and Frank a beautiful meal last night. Red lentil curry, Shakshouka, and chocolate brownies all accompanied by vino tinto of course. Elly also left us a basket of goodies for a predawn breakfast.

    Today was another big contrast.

    We spent the first four hours walking up the Valcarce river valley. We walked along the verge of a quiet road which has mostly been replaced by a motorway we could see in the distance. The river in a steep sided valley was rarely more than 20m from our path and it’s sound was a relaxing backdrop.

    We passed through a village every couple of kms and stopped for lunch at Las Herrerías, 12km up the slowly climbing valley.

    In various places small herds of dairy cows grazed in the riverside meadows, their cowbells tinkling peacefully..

    After Las Herrerías the final 7kms to O Cebreiro was dramatically different and physically demanding. We rose 800m in altitude sometimes climbing along narrow rock strewn paths with 13% slope.

    Towards the end of that climb we crossed the provincial border into Galicia, our sixth and last province on this camino.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Cacabelos to Trabadelo

    October 15, 2022 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    An 18km day in cool cloudy conditions. A great walk today.

    We didn’t leave till just after 8am, correctly predicting that there might be a bar open by then. So we had a good breakfast before hitting the road.

    The walk was in 2 halves.

    First half through beautiful undulating vineyard country. Just a lovely few hours to Villafranca del Bierzo.

    Along the way we found the plant that is so pleasantly aromatic. Seems to be wild fennel that grows like a weed here.

    Villafranca del Bierzo is a beautiful town, at the confluence of the Burbia and Valcarce rivers, surrounded by very steep mountains.

    We had coffee there and bought sandwiches to go, for a later lunch along the track.

    The second half was all along a little used road that followed closely the Valcarce river upstream toward the north-west all the way to Trabadelo. All the way we could hear the burbling sound of the rapidly flowing stream, never more than 15 meters away. We stopped to eat our sandwich in a very quiet village called Pereje.

    After reaching Trabadelo and getting settled we were very pleasantly surprised to bump into Lisa from Portland whom we had met on the first day back in the Pyrenees and a for few days after that. We’d assumed she was days ahead but it turns out she became quite ill with a lung infection way back in Estella. Some days in hospital and a few slow days of recovery meant she had just now caught up with us.

    We all had a good yarn and will likely dine together in O Cebreiro tomorrow, assuming we survive the climb of about 900m.

    Good dinner and early night tonight. We’re in the Pensión El Puente Peregrino which is very good.

    The Danish “Team Camino” are also here with their valiant little doggo.    Read more

  • Aussie Brothers’ Camino

    Molinaseca to Cacabelos

    October 14, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    A 23km day in very fine weather and the way was quite flat, so a welcome change from yesterday’s more vertical ordeal.

    Nothing was available for breakfast in Molinaseca as we left our room at 7:30 so we just marched straight for Ponferrada, 7km away, with dawn breaking along the way. The route avoided some extensive eastern suburbs by skirting the south edge of the town, often with houses on our right and open fields on our left. Along the way we noticed a pleasant scent coming from the vegetation we were passing: slightly peppery and a bit sweet. We’ve noticed it before in the morning walks. A fellow pilgrim thinks it may be wild fennel.

    On arrival at the first bar in Ponferrada we stopped for a coffee and muffin. Also there was Saskia, a Dutch pilgrim we’d met at Ingo’s albergue a couple of days back. After coffee we followed the Camino right through town, admiring the castle as we passed by. On the far side of town we had a second installment of breakfast at a very peaceful bar near the church of Our Lady of Compostilla (not a typo). From there it was about 6km on streets and roads through various small settlements till we opted for a sandwich and cold drink at Camponaraya.

    We finally got back on a dirt path as we exited that town and the final 6km was rather pleasant through some well treed undulating vineyards, some of the vines quite old.

    The day had become quite warm so we sat down for a pre-checkin radler in the shade outside our hotel, the hotel Saint James Way. After getting settled and cleaned up we returned for another drink and discovered that Saskia was also staying here, as was a Danish couple who had also been at Ingo’s albergue, Penny and Frank.

    We all got chatting and ended up dining together in the hotel restaurant. Penny and Frank are traveling with a very intelligent well trained little female dog called “Camino”, of the Papillon breed. She apparently walks all the way with them, and with the normal canine toing and froing, probably does twice the distance that her owners walk. Dogs of that breed are known for their long distance capabilities, Frank told us.

    It turns out that Penny, when about 19, was a backpacker in Australia and had picked asparagus in Cowra, NSW to make some money while there. Likely we will meet them all again as we are all aiming to reach Santiago about the same time.    Read more

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