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  • Day 66

    Sevilla

    April 2, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    10 weeks later (!) ... some photos of our visit to the Real Alcázar and our wanderings on day 3.
    This is a very impressive place and the gardens are at least as interesting as the palace itself. The afternoon's tapas at Bar Europa (based on another trusted recommendation) were a delight.

    All in all, we had an enjoyable and break. There were lots more things that we could have done and seen, but lazy was what we needed this time.
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  • Day 2

    Day 2

    January 28, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Another day of wandering and eating, in slightly warmer temperatures than yesterday.

    Damian opted for a walking tour around the city, which was much more enjoyable and informative than yesterday’s open top bus. My marathon training plan had a 10 mile run for today, so I did my own version of a city tour. I ended up running alongside the Sevilla half marathon for a few miles, which added some much needed motivation. I felt a little guilty when spectators started cheering, though!

    We met up again around one and strolled along the first few hundred metres of the Via de la Plata, before crossing the bridge to Triana, We struck it lucky again with food, thanks to another food recommendation. A huge lunch of delicious tapas at Casa Remesal.

    We’re resting now in our hotel - Palacio Pinello in the old town. It’s very nice. A restored old building with lovely staff.
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  • Day 1

    Arrived in Sevilla

    January 27, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Our flight from Dublin took about two and a half hours, so we arrived in the city around lunchtime. We had a coffee stop and a little wander before dropping our bags in the hotel.

    After that we took another little stroll, this time to check out Elizabeth and Kevin’s tapas recommendation - Lola por Dios. A great little place, with a very lively atmosphere and super tapas.

    We decided to do an open top bus tour to get a sense of the scale of the city and where everything is located. Not one of our smartest ideas! A waste of money, to be honest - but c’est la vie.

    We were very tired and cold by that point, so we went back to the hotel for a siesta. Dinner was at Casa Robles (thanks Laurie for the recommendation) followed by another wander to soak up the Saturday night atmosphere. Life is good!

    Why did I think that Seville would be warm in January? It’s really cold 😊
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  • Day 19

    Resting in Ribadesella. Where's the sun?

    September 30, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Narrative to follow

  • Day 18

    Adiós, Llanes

    September 29, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    And so ends another long walk in Spain. We fly home on Sunday and need some rest and recovery time before jumping back into work and our other commitments. So rather than walking 31kms to Ribadesella, we took the train and checked into a hotel for two nights.

    After a little stroll around the town, we indulged our new favourite Camino pastime - a long and leisurely menu del dia! We'll do some more exploring this evening and hopefully meet our Camino buddies for dinner.
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  • Day 17

    Colombres to Llanes - 26.7kms

    September 28, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The Colombres albergue turned out to be fine, and nine of us had dinner in the nearby Mexican restaurant last night. Good food, great company and a fun evening.

    We kind of underestimated today's walk. Compared to some of the previous days' exertions, the estimated 23kms sounded pretty easy. We set off with fairly basic food and water supplies, thinking that we'd reach Llanes by lunchtime and possibly even go a little further.

    When we saw that there was a GR coastal alternative to the 'official' route, we were delighted to take it. And what a beautiful walk it was, with spectacular ocean views and forest shade when we needed it.

    Things got a bit tricky on what should have been the final 4 or 5 kms. We continued to follow the GR arrows and went up, up, up, initially on the road and then on an off-road trail. The views were fantastic, but there was no shade whatsoever and although we could see Llanes far below, it didn't seem to be getting any closer. We eventually realised that we'd missed a right turn somewhere, but a quick check of the GPS maps told us that our trail would eventually join the road route to Llanes. It all turned out fine - there was even a shady glade and a covered church porch when we really needed to get out of the sun. And although water fountains seem more scarce in Asturias than in Cantabria, Damian spotted one on the way into town.

    We abandoned any plans to walk further and checked into the Casona del Peregrino albergue. It has private rooms and a washing machine. Life is good!
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  • Day 16

    Colombres - a long and hot 28kms

    September 27, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today was a long day and the weather was hot, hot, hot! However, there were lots of pleasant distractions along the way.

    Reflecting on the past few days, the coastal alternatives were amazing and I'd do them again in a heartbeat However, taking a different path can lead to a disconnection from other pilgrims. And since we had already parted company with lots of folk in Bilbao, we've been getting to know a bunch of 'new' people over the past few days.

    As on the Primitivo last year, English speakers are in the minority on this Camino. We were delighted to meet J. from England this morning and to walk with him to San Vincente de la Barquera. He started in Santander and will cross onto the Camino Lebaniego today. He plans to continue on Vadiniense and if his money doesn't run out, he'll keep on walking - perhaps on the Salvador and Primitivo. What a wonderful plan!

    It was also a lovely surprise to see M. from Barcelona who we last saw in the albergue in Markina.

    We're in the Colombres albergue, along with almost everyone we met today. It's a forgettable kind of a place, but we were all much too tired to be fussy. There are about 20 of us here.

    Tomorrow we'll walk to Llanes or Poo. Our big priority will be to find a place with a washing machine!
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  • Day 15

    21.5kms to Comillas

    September 26, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    It was good to do a shorter walk and to arrive in Comillas in time for a menu del dia. This turned out to be a marathon lunch, as they somehow forgot about our order and brought us a plate of patatas bravas as an apology. We then had the other three courses, plus the complimentary green teas to apologise again! All of this was quite funny as we hadn't actually complained - we were too tired and relaxed to notice how long it was taking to bring the food.

    Our accommodation choice today was based entirely on its proximity to that menu del dia. We're in a pension. I'm not even sure of its name. We'll walk around the town later and I'll hopefully have a swim.

    This was a pretty straightforward walk today. Nothing difficult or spectacular. I called into the San Pedro church near Oreña and the man there seemed delighted that someone took the time to visit. There's a sello and a Camino information board.

    Over the past few days I've seen quite a few posters about the Camino Lebaniego and a pilgrim in a bar in Santander was singing it's praises. So many Caminos .....,,,,,
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  • Day 14

    About 31kms to Santillana del Mar

    September 25, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We made it! This was a day of contrasts: mind-blowing coastal views, a calm forest trail and an awful lot of road-walking. It's good to have arrived. We've checked into a a cute little pension - Hospedaje Angelica. Nice double room for just €36.

    Looking forward to exploring the town and getting some dinner later.

    More details to follow.
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