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  • TravelerThe Beauty of Moving Slowly
    Day 13–14

    Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Good morning pilgrims.

    After being transported back to yesterday’s pick-up point in Belorado, I was on my way again at 8:00am. The walk out of town took me past a number of murals for which Belorado is well known.

    On the outskirts I met Rod from the Gold Coast and we were able to walk together through Tosantos and Villambistia, as far as Espinosa. Rod lost his wife last year and is here, in part, to sort things through in his head. We talked and listened to each other a lot.

    The morning was crisp but not too chilly, ideal for walking. I kept thinking that I would take a break before heading up the steep climb out of Villafranca, but I thought that if I stopped it might be more of a challenge to get going again. So, I just kept on walking, albeit slowly, up this huge hill that seemed to go on forever. When I reached the top, I thought that I’d see how far I could go without a break. As I continued across the tops of Alto Mojapán and Pedraja, I thought that I’d try to reach San Juan. In the end, I ambled into town for a well-earned coke, but I don’t think there is a need to repeat that exercise before I reach Santiago.

    The walk out of Villafranca was one of the toughest gradients so far and a couple of trail bike riders who passed me were forced off their bikes a little way past me and had to start pushing their transport. Across the top I passed through oak forests and pine plantations which was a nice change in scenery. When I reached my final destination, I discovered that Belgium Frank had a heart turn on the way up the hill. Luckily, medical assistance and a hospital were close by so he was able to be checked. A sobering reminder that this can be a tough walk.

    There didn’t seem to be as many people around today and I keep hearing stories of booked-out accommodation ahead. I think a lot of pilgrims might have taken transport into Burgos in the hope that they could get ahead of the crush. San Juan is a very small village with a population of around 20. There is a sizeable church, an alburgue, and a couple of bars, and that’s about it.

    While having a drink this afternoon, I got to know Fabian and Welle from Switzerland. Their Camino this year finishes tomorrow in Burgos. Tonight, it will be the pilgrims’ menu before an early start to Burgos in the morning.

    Thanks for following along so far everyone, and “Buen Camino.”

    Efren’s video of today’s walk can be found by clicking on the link below. Efren walks to Ages which is about 4kms past my stop for today.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c1g7MOoAQc&amp…

    Distance today: 24kms
    Total distance travelled so far: 259kms    Read more

  • Camino Norte
    Day 27

    Arzúa - Rest day

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Anxious nights sleep worrying if we can contact family. Woke to find slight improvement. Hotel has acquired a generator so electricity is back on in hotel. Water back on in bathroom so we can wash and flush the loo again 👍
    Cold breakfast provided by hotel.
    Internet and mobile connection returned by 9.30 am, so contact made with home - phew!
    Full power and communication resumed to town at 12.30 😁

    Spent the day resting our feet as much as possible.

    Town full of walkers from 3 Caminos which intersect here (Francais, Norte and Primitivo). Volume of people a bit overwhelming after the serenity of walking the Norte.

    Short look around the town - lots of places remain shuttered following power loss. When the number of people got too much, we retired to a bar and planned the next 2 days, which will take us to Santiago 🥳🥳 and possible future plans.    Read more

  • TravelerMy Camino
    1113111114
    Day 5

    Borda to Roncesvalles

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Today was long and hard but stunning. By the time the shuttle got me to Borda to begin, it was 9:30 - really late to be starting today's long trek. The first nine miles or so were straight uphill. The wind was brutal, making it impossible to stand upright. And it was blowing against us the whole way up. Just when I thought I couldn't go on, there appeared a little oasis - a food truck with a charming proprietor in a jaunty French beret. Everyone passing by stopped to rest and recharge. A little ways on a stone cross marked the turn off the roadway and up a mud and rock path. The wind got stronger the higher we climbed and it got harder to fight forward against it. A grassy hillside was a welcome rest stop, and I reached it just as two French ladies got up from showing their rears to the mountains and cursing the Pyranees!

    Finally I reached the Col de Lepoeder, which the French claim as the highest point on the Camino (the Spanish beg to differ). The views were truly magnificent and serene, seeing God's handiwork stretch out for miles in every direction.

    But then came the long walk back down out of the Pyranees. I'm not gonna lie, the downhill part almost did me in. But Ikept getting glimpses of the monastery where I'd be staying tonight, and that kept me going. I sure was exhausted when I got here!

    I met up again with Vanessa and Terry, the Episcopal priests, a nice volunteer washed and dried my filthy clothes, and I had a fun dinner with Claire and her mother from Australia, Gabby from Germany, and a bunch of rowdy Frenchmen.

    I ended the day with the Pilgrims' Mass, a beautiful service at which the priest blessed us all. I'm exhausted but ready to do it again tomorrow!

    Steps: 34,565
    Miles: 14.63    Read more

  • Jayme PorkolabJayme’s Camino Portugués
    3
    Day 27

    Day 24 - First walk in Spain

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”—-1670’s English proverb

    My first day walking in Spain from Tui to O Porriño For the most part, it was a pleasant walk on cobblestones paths and bridges presumably built by the Romans. As the hours progressed into the afternoon it became hot and humid. With the sweat dripping down my back and seeing remnants of the horses who are taking pilgrims by horseback, I thought of this old English proverb above. Because at that moment, I felt like a beggar throwing wishes out into the universe for a horse!

    Walking out of Tui the path winded up and down cobblestone streets in the historic area. I stopped at the Santa Iglesia Cathedral and picked up a second credential, since my first one is now full. Funny how this worked out, I now have one for all the places in Portugal and this one will have stamps from the places I stop in Spain.

    On my walk today I ran into a fellow pilgrim that I had first met in Alvaiázere Portugal on April 12th, Yves from France who carries a backpack and pulls a trolly with more supplies! It’s always nice running into pilgrims you have previously met.

    At lunch I saw one of the German girls from 2 nights ago when I stayed on a farm. She said her traveling companions were racing through the Camino, sometimes going over 20 miles a day. And it hit her that she was missing all the beauty, so she bid them farewell and is walking alone at a much slower pace.

    During a beautiful spot where several pilgrims were taking a break, I snapped a photo of a young male pilgrim napping under a tree. Later when I saw him again. I showed it to him and he laughed. I have something to show you, when I was having lunch, he had done a sketch of me unbeknownst to me. He said it’s a hobby. I’ve attached a pic of it.

    The auberge I’m staying at has built in bunk beds with little curtains for privacy. Several women I met today happen to be staying here. But most importantly they have laundry facilities. It’s the simple things!    Read more

  • Camino de Santiago
    1121
    Day 9–10

    Chasing Don Quixote to Corauqui

    Yesterday in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Long day. 15.44 miles with a 2K elevation gain. We climbed out of Pamplona to Alto Del Perdon. A high ridge and long accent (and then descent) with windmills and a well known, to Camino travelers at least, metal sculpture.

    One of the many reasons I chose to walk The Camino was to honor some friends whose lives were cut short. Today turned out to be Susan Snodgrass day.
    Susan was our dear friend in CO. She was a marathon runner and all round amazing athlete from Florida and loved to hike. We climbed many 13K mountains and at least one 14K together. She was an expert at identifying CO high mountain wild flowers and especially loved the purple ones. We were blessed to know her and looked forward to seeing each other every year but life had other plans as it sometimes does and we lost her just after her 62nd birthday.
    Today, as I was really feeling the struggle and pain of the miles and constant climbing I began to notice purple flowers along the path. First, tiny ones then larger ones mixed in the verdant fields of barley and wheat growing along The Way. I realized my struggles were insignificant compared to what she must have endured and that motivated me to keep moving.
    We miss you Susan but know you’re with us every step of The Way.    Read more

  • TravelerThe Beauty of Moving Slowly
    Day 12–13

    Santo Domingo to Belorado

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Wow, what a day.

    It was a beautiful start to the day – crisp, clear and fresh as I left Santo Domingo de la Calzada. There were contrails from planes high above in the air and rolling fields of wheat in every direction.

    The villages were appearing regularly and that helped the morning go quickly. I spent a bit of time walking with Bill from Brisbane, who is approaching retirement and wondering what to do with the rest of his life. I’m sure he’s going to figure it out by the time he reaches Santiago. The scenery was beautiful, and it also allowed me to spend some productive time in my head for the first time. It’s only been the last few days that I’ve started to feel that I’m getting into the rhythm of the Camino and I’m feeling very comfortable.

    The villages came and went and there seemed to be a lot more pilgrims around today. Maybe it was because there were several stretches where you could see a long way ahead and the Way was populated with the colours of the backpacks of pilgrims from all over the world. I stopped at a few churches as I went along, but I’m still having trouble with the extravagance of the altars in the Spanish churches, seemingly at odds with the peasants and farmers who would have had to finance these structures in times gone by.

    I finally reached Belorado and had trouble phoning my accomm, which is off the Camino path, and which was meant to be picking me up. I went to one of the stores for a drink and then the problem started to make itself clear. For some reason, there is a power outage across Spain and Portugal. It sounds serious. I found Johann and Franck, from The Netherlands and Belgium, who were sure it was a Russian intervention on the power system for Europe. They could be right! I finally made contact with Anna from our accomm and she arranged to collect me from the church in Belorado.

    While waiting for my pick-up, I watched a line of pilgrims at the nearby Albergue as they queued for a bed. Leah from Germany was in the crowd and I reconnected with her after a few days of having not seen her. The ‘bed race’ from each alburgue to the next makes life difficult and I can’t see how those involved can enjoy their Camino when they’re racing to the next town just to get a bed for the night. I’m hearing stories that accomm is becoming particularly tight as we progress along The Way. Bill from earlier in the day is having his daughter and wife organise his accomm ahead of him and he told me that there is nothing available ahead for the next couple of weeks. He has to walk to San Juan tomorrow and then take a cab to Burgos in order to find something. I also ran into Lucky Sakamoto again and he had another 13kms to go to Villafranca this afternoon for his accomm. His story is the same in terms of no available accomm. It pays to have all that organised.

    Anyway, we arranged our pick-up for the accomm and Anna our host was most apologetic about the situation. It happens that there are about half a dozen Aussies and Barry, an Irishman, here tonight and we all told her not to worry. Because there is no power, dinner is being prepared by Anna’s mother in her home on coals and we all couldn’t be happier. At least they had beer and a G&T that kept us happy. The place I’m staying at is off the Camino and, as we stood outside the accomm having a drink, we could look to our left and right and see the whole village, pretty much. It's going to be one of those nights, I think. As it turned out, the power was restored in time for a shower and then dinner. These are the things that happen on El Camino.

    Belorado is a nice little town that is holding on to its heritage past. Along the Way out of town, there are brass plates along the road with the footprints and handprints of famous people. I know Emilio Estevez’s (Writer, Director and Producer of the movie The Way) plaque is here somewhere, but I settled for Miguel Indurain, a famous Spanish cyclist.

    Today, I crossed into the province of Castille y Leon which is the largest autonomous region in Spain. I will spend quite a lot of the Camino in this region as I travel through the Burgos, Palencia and León provinces. Tomorrow, I’m off to San Juan de Ortega and only two days to Burgos.

    Efren’s video of today’s walk can be found by clicking on the link below.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy9xaSSBGPY&amp…

    Distance today: 23kms
    Total distance travelled so far: 235kms

    Buen Camino, db    Read more

  • Tina u. Uwe auf Womo-TourEspaña 2025
    Day 93

    Peñíscola 3.0... Der Strom-Blackout

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Montags ist Markt in Peñíscola... und gegen 12.30 zurück am Womo bemerken wir, dass der Strom im Camp ausgefallen ist.

    Da wir autark sind und den Strom des Camps nur nutzen, da er inklusive ist, machen wir uns erst keine Gedanken. Der Kühlschrank läuft jetzt auf Gas, alles ist okay.

    Später am Strand wundert es uns, dass das mobile Netz tot ist. Da es nicht nur schwach ist, sondern total offline, beginnen wir uns langsam zu fragen, was los ist.

    Auf dem Weg zurück zum Camp sehen wir, dass die Tankstelle nebenan dunkel und geschlossen ist. Campingnachbarn bestätigen später, dass auch fast alle Geschäfte zu sind... oder zumindest dunkel, da ja auch die Schließsysteme ohne Strom nicht funktionieren.

    Da unsere Verbindung zur Außenwelt ansonsten lahmgelegt ist, schalten wir das TV ein und suchen uns einen Nachrichtensender, der ein paar Minuten später den Blackout auf der Iberischen Halbinsel verkündet.

    Eine komische Atmosphäre begleitet uns für den Rest des Tages: Unwissenheit kombiniert mit gechillter Gelassenheit.

    Gegen 21.00 Uhr gehen die Laternen im Camp plötzlich an... wir haben den Strom wieder. Bis das mobile Netz wieder funktioniert, ist es Mitternacht.

    Heute, am Dienstag, ist alles wieder okay. Was bleibt, ist die erschreckende Erkenntnis, wie abhängig wir uns gemacht haben... und wie angreifbar wir sind.

    Und die kleine Beruhigung, wie nützlich unsere Autarkie ist. So lange wir nicht tanken müssen, können wir es eine gute Weile aushalten.

    PS: Die Fotos sind vom Markt und vom Strand... und von der wunderschönen, leuchtenden Bougainvillea, die bei uns nebenan blüht.    Read more

    See translation
  • Camino de Santiago
    2
    Day 8

    Last day in Pamplona

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    What a great day it was! Had coffee and breakfast at Cafe Iruña - an old Hemingway haunt at Plaza del Castillo under blue sky and a warm sun with a local man playing an accordion from a park bench on the plaza. Then spent our ‘rest’ day doing a little laundry in the morning then walking 6 miles around Pamplona on avenues and narrow streets, a little shopping and a stop at the Farmicia for extra strength ibuprofen and sunscreen.
    A really weird thing happened a little after noon. The power went out in the entirety of Spain and Portugal for about 4 hours. Trains stopped, people stuck in elevators, every traffic light in the entire country was out, cash registers non operational and on and on. Luckily, cell service had backup power so it worked. In all of it, folks still gathered at small sidewalk cafes to sip wine or have a beer and chat with their neighbors like they do every day. Just had to pay the old fashioned way - without a credit card. (exact change helped)
    A finally, pasta dinner to load up on carbs for the miles ahead tomorrow.
    Life is good!    Read more

  • Kati T.Hola und Olé
    22
    Day 2

    Angekommen im Ferienhaus

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Die Ankunft war etwas schwierig. Seit Stunden kein Netz ergo keine Navigation. Als wir das Haus finden, die Lösung. Massiver Stromausfall auf der gesamten Iberischen Halbinsel. Heißt kein Strom, kein Wasser (da Brunnenpumpe), kein Internet, keine Restaurants offen. Und hungrig ...
    Erstmal ein langer Spaziergang zum herrlichen Strand. Wir werden bei Sturm sandgestrahlt. Geschwitzt und paniert finden wir heute aber doch noch einen winzigen Supermarkt mit frischem Brot. Also gibts im Garten entspannt Tapas mit Rotwein.

    Der Stromausfall auf der gesamten Iberischen Halbinsel dauerte übrigens mehr als 18 Stunden!    Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerCamino Mixto
    Day 21

    Hospitalera Day 13 Part 2

    April 28 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Well, that was an adventure! Apparently all of Spain and part of Portugal was without electricity! The rumours in our small village expanded on that, with speculation that power was out in almost all of Europe and even Turkey!

    We were actually better off than most, I guess. We have gas power for our stove and hot water. So pilgrims could have a hot shower and we still had our afternoon tea, ☕️ with water heated by the stove instead of the electric kettles. Restaurants were open with a limited menu, as long as you could pay with cash. Our local tienda was open, also for cash transactions.

    Apparently in Astorga all shops and restaurants shut down completely when the power went out. Here it was business as usual - except no phone internet, or lights. And no way to charge the phone. I am very grateful for our situation here in Rabanal.

    The worst was being unable to find out anything about what was happening. So we just speculated, and bonded over candlelit dinner and fireplace chats.

    As usual, we had some interesting pilgrims. There was Valentin and his dog Aria. Aria had to sleep in the garden but Valentin got a bunk.

    Regine and her daughter Coline started their Camino in Sarria, walked to Santiago de Compostela, then turned around to walk back home to Belgium! 🇧🇪

    There was a young woman from Hungary who is walking the Camino in 17 days! That’s about 50 km per day. And less than half the number of days I used!

    Everyone went to bed fairly early, hoping for electricity to arrive by morning.    Read more

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