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Camino de Santiago

August - October 2023
This is my long awaited (and Covid-delayed) pilgrimage along the Camino Frances - an ancient pilgrimage route across Spain. Read more
  • 16footprints
  • 4countries
  • 52days
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  • 11videos
  • 17.2kkilometers
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  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    Day 1

    DC to Frankfurt

    August 15, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    My flight in United Polaris from DC TO Frankfurt. We were delayed nearly 3 hours! After a more than 1-hour boarding delay, they finally allowed us onto the plane only to have us sit on the runway for over another hour. Thanks to the weather it was a fairly turbulent flight. By the time we arrived in Frankfurt, which may be the ugliest airport I’ve ever seen, they delayed us again, only to force us to disembark on the tarmac and then bus to the terminal… More on Germany to come 🙄Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    211
    Day 2

    A most frustrating travel day!

    August 16, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Oh my! What a day! My flight from DC arriving 2 hours late really threw a wrench in my plans. I’d intended to go to Heidelberg today, but I just didn’t have enough time. So, I bought a ticket to go into Frankfurt - but the Germans aren’t big on multi-lingual signage, so I got on the wrong train. I ended up in Mainz, the home of Johannes Gutenberg. I toured the cathedral and the Gutenberg-Museum. With a lot of difficulty in buying a return train ticket (even the Germans were having trouble with the machines!), I made it back to the airport following a train delay. My flight from Frankfurt to Paris boarded on time, but apparently thanks to late arriving luggage we left about 45 minutes late. The AC kept turning off and the plane was full of kids and people with an averse reaction to deodorant. For two hours done kid kicked the back of my seat while others screamed at the top of their lungs. Due to the late arrival, I missed the last train from CDG to Reims. So now I had to find a different method to get to Gare de l’Est and then to Reims. The bus just never came - so I called an Uber - despite the 50€ price tag. We got caught in awful traffic, and it looked like I wouldn’t make my 8:58 pm train. But Uber Steve drove like hell and got me there with 8 minutes to spare. My platform was the next to last, of course. Fortunate, the train (like everything else over the last 2 days!) was delayed, so a bit of breathing room. I’m on my way to Reims now - late, tired, stressed. But I’m going to make it at least! Sipping champagne tomorrowRead more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    21
    Day 3

    Champagne & Cathedrals, Part 1

    August 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Last night’s arrival into Reims felt quite late. Finally arrived at my rented apartment around 10pm. I pretty much collapsed at that point after about 36 hours of travel. But today was spent indulging in the finest Reims has to offer! My first stop was Champagne Ruinart - a wonderful tour les by Amandine. Smart, funny, a fantastic guide. Amazingly, and for the only time on this trip, the group was all Americans. After leaving Ruinart, I grabbed a quick lunch - the French can make a sandwich! Baguette, lettuce, tomato, a bit of tuna, and sliced hard boiled egg! Amazing! I toured the St Remi Basilica. Massive and beautiful! From there I visited Veuve Clicquot! Is there anything more inviting that that beautiful yellow?? I bought a stupid and heavy souvenir, but I love it. I had planned to visit Pommery, but the champagne was too heavy, so I returned to the apartment before making my 2mile walk to GH Mumm (pronounced Moom). Good tour, but excellent tasting! The Mumm RSRV is fantastic! I quickly made my way down to Notre Dame de Reims - a cathedral larger than Notre Dame de Paris and where many of France’s king were coronated. I collapsed back at the apartment after a quick run to the grocery store! More tomorrow!Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    1
    Day 4

    Champagne & Cathedrals, Part 2

    August 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    I decided to let myself sleep an extra hour and take a later train to Epernay. It was a lovely ride through historic vineyards of the finest grapes in the world. After arriving, I strolled down the splendid Avenue du Champagne! What a dream! First stop was Champagne Mercier, with their famous train ride through the caves. The tour was supposed to last two hours but instead took half the time, so I stopped in the garden at Perrier-Jouet to try the famous Belle Epoque! After finishing my glass, I made the less than two minute walk to the biggest house, Moët & Chandon. Lovely tour and net nice people from the Netherlands and a lady from just outside of Baltimore! Back up the street to Champagne Venoge. I was the only person on the tour, but my wonderful Italian guide Antonela made it a wonderful experience! She gave me lots of extra activities to do as well! Feeling pleasantly buzzed, I made a quick stop at the Museum of Champagne before strolling down to Eglise Notre Dame de Epernay. After lighting a candle and taking a quick look around it was back to the Avenue and my final stop at Champagne Boizel. I enjoyed my tasting in the company of a lovely Australian couple. By this point I’d eaten little more than a few slices of baguette so I remedied the problem with a bag of Doritos from the train station vending machine, before boarding my train back to Reims! What a day!!Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    2
    Day 5

    Too many trains!

    August 19, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Today was a day of travel! Closed up the apartment and grabbed an Uber to get me and my massive luggage to the train station. It is guaranteed that in France whatever train you need to be on is down stairs, across, and upstairs. Always. And your train car will also be the farthest away. Got to Paris only to find myself at the tail end of the platform and rushing to catch the metro to get from Gare de l’Est to Gare Montparnasse. I made it, but the walk through the station was exhausting and hot! Long tunnels, a million stairs… Made it to my seat only to have my nose start bleeding for no known reason. Fortunately it stopped quickly and I settled in for what was supposed to be a 4-hour trip. Constant delays on this trip meant we arrived an hour late into a very hot and humid Bayonne. I stumbled to my hotel where I was met with the news that I had 2 reservations - one of which I didn’t make. Not sure what happened there? I never left the hotel again that evening. Just packed and repacked, enjoyed the air conditioning and the lovely rainfall shower head. Took a nap. Packed some more. Bayonne is a noisy city on a Saturday night - but I was tired and slept well… Not many photos today - too much train time!Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    111
    Day 6

    At the Starting Line

    August 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Well, I’ve made it to St Jean Pied-de-Port, the starting point of my Camino! I had a lot of hesitation today, a lot of nerves. I felt intimidated by my fellow pilgrims - they all look so confident! Waiting for the train in Bayonne was the worst. But once I got to SJPP, it was better. Checked into my first hostel, got my giant extra bag ready to be shipped off to Santiago, checked in at the Pilgrim’s office, picked up a pin for my backpack, and drank a glass of sangria. Much to my surprise, my gite (hostel) was offering a communal dinner tonight, and all vegetarian! It was really lovely. Nice to meet so many other pilgrims. It’s 9pm and nearly everyone is in bed. I’m the only one not doing the full distance to Roncesvalles tomorrow, but am instead breaking up my first day over the Pyrenees. Send me good thoughts, send me prayers, cheer me on - whatever you feel is right - I certainly do appreciate it!!Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    1
    Day 7

    Day 1 - St Jean Pied-de-Port to Borda

    August 21, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    My goodness! What a day! I knew it would be a challenge, but I didn’t realize how much of a challenge! The trail ascended about 700 meters over 8 kilometers! The forecasted heat never really appeared, so the day was spent walking in a very dense fog. The beauty of the Pyrenees was shrouded all day. Auberge Borda is truly lovely, with a fantastic host, and good people. After arriving I was able to chat with my fellow pilgrims, enjoy a 4 minute shower, wash my laundry, and enjoy a short siesta before dinner. We had a very nice communal dinner, and are all settled in for the night. Bedtime seems to come between 9 & 10pm on the Camino. I guess I’ll get used to that?Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    Day 8

    Day 2 - Borda to Burguete

    August 22, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    What a difference a day makes! We woke this morning to a spectacular sunrise! Yesterday’s fog had cleared and we were fortunate to enjoy amazing views the entire day. This was another tough day full of really strenuous climbs. Early on I was with my friends from last night, but soon met up with a group of Texans from Houston. Absolutely lovely people, and I really enjoyed walking with them. They made me feel at home amongst their group. All my friends stayed n Roncesvalles, but I trudged on to Burguete, to stay at the Hostel Burguete - Hemingways’s home in Basque Spain. It was nice to have a private room for the night, but I’ll be glad to be back with friends!Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    211
    Day 9

    Day 3 - Burguete to Zubiri

    August 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    It’s so freaking hot!! And we all knew it was going to be hot. I woke up this morning at 5, but needed to repack after completely messing up my gear last night. I had planned to leave by 6, got all my stuff packed up, backpack on, etc. and trudged downstairs to leave. There was nobody at reception, so I decided to forgo getting my stamp and hid my key away at the desk. I headed for the front door and found it locked, and it looked as though it needed a key to be unlocked. Defeated, I trudged back upstairs and settled back into my bed to write a blog post. A while later I heard rumbling downstairs and decided it was time to try again. This time, a man appeared at reception, took my key, and gave me my stamp. I asked about the locked door and proceeded to show me that it was easily unlocked… Ugh! I started out on my trek, alone for the first hour or more, until I ran into my Danish friend Betina. We walked together for a while until she absolutely crushed me on some hills. We eventually met back up and finished the walk together. It was an absolutely treacherous walk - 385m up and 750m down on trails made of jagged rocks and shale. In Zubiri, sitting my the river in the shade, I ran into Kate, Simon, and Grace. We enjoyed the cool river and then trudged to our albergue. It was so hot! And it’s still hot. But a lovely evening with old friends Luke and Zé who I met in SJPP, and new friends as well. Beautiful dinner at Albergue Suseia, with Sara rye most amazing host. Tomorrow is supposed to be hotter, and another 20k to Pamplona. Early start again.Read more

  • MainelyStinaCamino de Santiago
    14
    Day 10

    Day 4 - Zubiri to Pamplona 🥵

    August 24, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    The forecasted high in Pamplona today is 107° - so I thought the only way to survive was to start out early. Everyone walking to Pamplona today from my Albergue (Albergue Suseia - amazing!!) agreed to get up at 5am so we could start walking early. I was the only one… I had a quick breakfast and was on my way by 5:50 (I need to get faster in the morning!) I walked in the dark for the first hour, which was tough because the terrain was pretty challenging. There were still a lot of ups and down today - which is, I suppose, just the way this trail is going to be for a while (forever??) I can feel myself getting stronger. But the heat is really zapping. Even getting in around noon it was still really tough - well over 90° at that point. But two bits of good news: tonight’s albergue actually has air conditioning! And the temps are expected to cool significantly over the next few days. I toured the amazing cathedral, had drinks with friends, and am now relaxing before dinner. I’m about 67km in, so closing in on the 10% completion mark. Getting there - slowly, bit by bit, and step by step.Read more

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