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The Camino - phase two.
  • Phils TravelBlog Spain

The Camino - phase two.

Phase 2...The Central part of Spain. The Meseta. Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 21, 2018
  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    1The Cathedral in Burgos
    The trip out of CastrojerizThe road ahead on the mesetaAn old bridge along the way from the 12th century.The Albergue in BoadillaAnd finally....sleeping quarters for the night....$12!

    Castrojeriz to Boadillo Del Camino

    September 21, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Hola from Spain! I have been here three days but for a few reasons which include being up for 30+ hours getting here and limited WiFi....I haven’t posted until now. I arrived in Madrid on Thursday morning and after a bus ride and a 9 hour wait in Burgos, I arrived in Castrojeriz....a small town out on the meseta that I walked to last April & May. I arrived around 7 pm and ended up sleeping in their empty wine cellar. It was that or in a hot bunk room with 12 other people. The wine cellar was 20 degrees cooler and I had the place to myself. I have a great sleeping bag and pad so it worked well....slept like a baby. I got up and left around 7am which this time of year is still dark here. I made it to Boadillo Del Camino around 2pm and booked into an albergue. That is it for Friday’s travels....thank you for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    1Sunrise on the Meseta! I already had 4K behind me.
    Big farm country out here.Not a lot to see...A little entertainment for tonight in front of the Albergue.And...lodging for the night.

    Boadilla to Villacazar de Sirga

    September 22, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    As I write this I am at a cafe/bar in Villacazar. I checked into an albergue that runs on donations. It is a decent place run by a religious order but they have no WiFi. I had a group meal tonight with everyone who was staying there...pasta, salad and wine. A great time with people from France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Guadalupe. I met a guy today that has lived on the Camino for 11 years....he, survives by working in albergues. He loves it. Tomorrow, I forge ahead, not sure of my next town. I have done the math and only have to walk 9.84 miles per day to finish in Ponferrada and have enough time to get back to Madrid to catch my plane home....very easy. I have met a guy from Bar Harbor and a couple from Litchfield thus far. It is still very hot out here on the meseta...around 90 degrees at midday but again, not really an issue except for a shower is an absolute must when you arrive at your destination. I am working on some videos....hopefully by tomorrow afternoon. Take care and as always...thank you for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    Just after breakfast in Carrión de Los Condes
    1Hot, dry and straight ahead.1An oasis with a cold beer and a fantastic chorizo sandwich.The Meseta at its finest.Finally after a hot long day....your destination.Lodging for the night.

    Villalcázar to Calzadilla la Cueza

    September 23, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    So, it has been a few days since my last post for a few reasons. Mostly, WiFi issues and time but I am more focused at the task of completing the 150 miles than taking photos. Maybe because I am more used to it here and being on the meseta, there is not so much to see so I just put my head down and walk. I have some video but I have been unsuccessful in sharing them...having an issue uploading them. But, this day, I left Villalcázar and walked to another small town. It was a 15 mile walk through high heat and a lot of dust on the old Roman road. I finally made it into town around 2pm....did laundry, showered....the usual stuff. I had a fantastic dinner with 4 ladies from Western Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Finland. I ended up sleeping outside next to a huge stack of hay bales...a great peaceful night under the stars. Thank you for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    A view from my haystack bed as the sun was setting.
    And another...I guess the path is to the right?Ahhhh....the beloved Meseta.1Saint James marking the halfway point of the Camino.And finally....lodgings for the night.

    Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagun

    September 24, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Another dry day but cooler because of a decent breeze. I left Calzadilla after a good nights sleep outside. The walk was the usual meseta scenery. I arrived in Sahagún at around 2pm and checked in to a very nice Hostal with a private room. The Hostal itself was great the town was not so great. Sahagún is a mid sized Spanish city that has not a lot of life and no decent restaurants at least that I could find. It reminded me some of Lewiston so I ended up eating at my Hostal....a decent pilgrim meal but nothing amazing. That’s it for my Monday....thank you as always for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    On the trail..Leon up ahead.
    The great casa rural I stayed at.This was a foot soak place with ice cold water.It is not always great scenery...Just a reminder I guess...1The view from dinner last night...

    Sahagún to Leon

    September 25, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Hello from Spain once again. As I write this, it is Friday morning and I am getting ready to leave Leon. This post covers the past 3 days of travel. I left Sahagún Tuesday morning and ended up in a very small town with a great Casa rural...a small hotel run by a great couple. It is undoubtedly the best place I have stayed on the Camino on either trip. I walked the next day to the larger town of Mansilla De Las Mulas or “The City of Mules”....however, I never did see a mule there. I stayed in a small albergue and cooked dinner there with some other travelers. Yesterday morning I walked into Leon. Walking into and out of Leon was a personal goal for me as I bused into the city back in May. It is hard to explain but when you walk many many miles with people and then you hop a bus, it just doesn’t feel right. Which is one reason I came back....I just had to do it “right” this time. This trip has had more meaning for some reason. This past spring, I spent more time seeing sights, taking photos, posting in my blog but this trip has been more about the walk itself and some personal connections. I walked from the last town to here early in the morning with a 75 year old South Korean woman who shared that her brother was taken away to fight the North Koreans and was killed back in 1951. She was crying during the story....people share things like that here for some reason...kind of the magic of the place. As I walked into Leon yesterday, an old woman was sitting on the Camino path. She reached out to me and held my hand for a couple of seconds, smiled, looked into my eyes and nodded as if to say that I was doing the right thing by walking the Camino. It only lasted a few seconds but I doubt that I will ever forget it. I have rambled long enough...time to get on the trail. Thank you as always for checking in.Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    The old bridge into Hospital de Orbigo.
    Along the highway in the early morning.Coming into one of the many towns along the highway.2Another view of the bridge into town.Hospital de Orbigo...not a lot here.Hospital de Orbigo.

    Leon to Hospital de Orbigo

    September 28, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Hey from Astorga, Spain. I left Leon on Friday morning. I had a 4or 5 mile walk through Leon and the industrial areas just to get out of the city. The days walk was abreast a major highway heading west...pretty much the major truck route from Leon to Astorga...so, not a lot of scenery. I ended the day at the municipal albergue in the town of Villadangos del Páramo. It was the usual bunkroom accommodation and a pilgrim meal. I left around 730 in the morning...a bit more of a pleasant hike as now I am out of the meseta and heading into the hills again. I arrived in the town of Hospital de Orbigo and had to decide to hang there or hike the 16k to Astorga which is a larger city. I decided to stay put as the room situation did not look good for Astorga that night. Another albergue but in a 4 person room which is better than a 20 bed dorm. I pretty much hung out with my roommates for the afternoon...two guys from Australia, and one guy from Germany who pretty much lives out here. Dinner was with two Australian women who I run into each day who wound up in the same albergue. That’s it for now....thank you as always for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    1A tribute statue to pilgrims.
    On the way to Astorga...more hills now.1Much better than the highway...A cross with Astoga in the distance...Almost into Astorga.The Calle Mayor...or the “main square”in Astorga.

    Hospital de Orbigo to Astorga.

    September 30, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Hello from Astorga. I left Hospital de Orbigo around 8 this morning and arrived in Astorga around 2pm. The going is getting more hilly and I hit the Cantabrian mountains tomorrow. I have covered 120 miles and have only 32 left to go until I reach Ponferrada which is my stopping point...but between Astorga and Ponferrada is one of the highest elevations on the Camino. I will hit it’s peak on Tuesday morning at 1500 meters or 4900 feet which makes it just shy of Mt Kahtadin. And then the steady decline into Ponferrada which I will walk into on Wednesday morning. Everything is going well, knees and feet are feeling fine and am handling the miles much easier than last trip. As I write this, I am at a cafe off the main square in Astorga. I am going to close this out and go find some dinner. As always, thank you for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    On the way today...
    A little hamlet along the way.Part of today’s trail.Part of Rabanal del Camino.And again...Rabanal del Camino.My bungalow for tonight.

    Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

    October 1, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Hello from another small town in Spain. Thank you for all of your “likes” and comments. Tonight I find myself in Rabanal del Camino. I left Astorga at around 730 this morning in the dark. The walk here was around 17 km’s or 10 miles or so. I arrived around 2pm. I stopped at an albergue and asked if I could sleep in the field outback but the Spanish lady who owns or runs the place led me to my own bungalow. I think that she understood that I didn’t wish to be in a bunkroom but didn’t want me outside in the cold. It is getting down to 35-40 degrees at night here now. It is pretty sweet at only $17....a queen bed and my own bathroom and shower.....rustic but still pretty sweet. I have been spending my evenings and walking some days with two Australian women, Chris and Deb. They are a lot of fun and Deb and I have a bantering relationship as she is a retired nurse. Another Australian guy...Barry...who is a vineyard worker from Southern Australia was also in the mix tonight. I seem to run into and have lunch or dinner with a guy from Bar Harbor, Jay and his Australian friend Theresa from Australia as well. Tonight was dinner and a mass of Gregorian chants at a great church here in town. Rabanal del Camino is one of the nicest towns I have stayed in on the Camino. It is getting late here...lots of hills tomorrow....thank you for checking in!Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    On the way to Molinaseca
    The mountain town of FoncebadonAn oasis with the best watermelon...Looking down on the town of El AceboThe bridge into Molinaseca1A great view from my room in Molinaseca

    Rabanal to Molinaseca

    October 3, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Hola from Spain. I left Rabanal on Tuesday morning. I walked with my friends, Jay, Theresa, Chris & Deb the whole day. It was a very arduous day as we hit the highest peak and came down the other side into the town of Molinaseca. It was an interesting day not only because of the elevations but the temps started out in the 30’s and ended up in the 80’s by mid afternoon. Molinaseca is a great Camino town...one of the best actually. My friends treated me to dinner as a send off....a great evening. Wednesday morning I traveled with them to their next stop as they are continuing on and I am leaving for home. They are great people I am missing them. I only knew them a week and a half or so but it is much different now that they have gone ahead. That’s it for now...I hope this finds everyone well.Read more

  • Phils TravelBlog SpainThe Camino - phase two.Traveler
    The Templar castle in Ponferrada
    Pretty amazing...As I write this...And the castle...again.Ponferrada

    Molinaseca to Ponferrada

    October 4, 2018 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    As I write this, I am sitting next to the Knights Templar Castle in Ponferrada which is my end point. This phase of the Camino is over after 150 or so miles. I will spend the night here and travel to Madrid in the morning. So, a small hotel in Madrid tomorrow night and catch a plane home Saturday morning is all that is left. It has been a great trip and I met great people along the way. I managed this trip much better as far as keeping my feet healthy and the whole planning part of things. There are a lot of people from the United States, Western Canada, Australia and Germany out here...I saw more of these nationalities then any other this trip. I really only met two people that I didn’t care for and both were obnoxious entitled women from Cape Cod. The French people that I met this time along the way were great! As always thank you for checking in and I will see you all soon. Thanks!Read more

    Trip end
    October 6, 2018
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