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Category Archives: Camino de Santiago
The End of the World
Posted by on 29 April 2010
At the end of the world (as it was when Earth was flat…) Finisterre, there are a lot of green lizards sunbaking. BUT, even more fascinating, at the end of the world there is a fairly large rock which someone has spent a lot of time carving the word ´PANDO´ into. Clearly someone was waiting for me. And! The last town I stayed in before arriving in Santiago was called San Marcos. Coincidence? I don´t think so! Has the Camino changed me? It´s definitely made me a little more humble 😉
So I arrived. But only to Santiago on foot. The arrival was a bit strange, really. Santiago is fairly big so there´s a bit of a trudge through urban sprawl before you arrive in a huge plaza adjacent to the magnificent goal, the Cathedral. And it really is amazing. Huge. Anyways, a photo might better describe it… I was excepting a bit more of a welcome party, but instead of any such thing, the trickle of pilgrims got lost in the many busloads of people who had come to absolve their sins by walking through some arches and kissing a sarcophagus. One can only do this during a Annus Sanctus, which 2010 happens to be. I can tell you that I too waited two hours for a moment with the remains one of Jesus´ best mates, and I am now free of sin. Well not now, but I was then… For a moment. The walk should be penance as well. But I don´t see the fairness in a 70 year old doing the Camino for the first time get´s all THEIR sins forgiven – I suppose I´m in credit? But I digress, I was awarded the Compostella and had a moment of pride before heading to mass. Man that went ON. And on and… I was close to fainting. And the seats in the cathedral appear to be reserved for people who have come to Santiago on a day trip. BY BUS!
Then it was time to fiesta. Santiago might have a pretty important cathedral in the Catholic realm, but the place is teaming with bars that stay open til 8am. And they are full. Any night of the week. A group of us who had started the Camino alone had decided to finish it as a group, and so we had pretty big party even before the party. After a days rest, when the time came to pack my things and set off for another three days to Finisterre, I had severe anxiety pangs in my tummy, and played with the idea of perhaps maybe catching the bus. Truth be told, I still don´t have complete feeling in the toes on my right foot, 6 days on… When I broke the news to the other Babylonians (everyone was ESL and there was no common first language) I was supposed to be walking with, there was an obvious sense of relief and four of us decided to hire a car and cut the three day walking journey into a more manageable hour. We stayed in Finisterre for 2 nights, met another crew, ended up making a bonfire on the beach (both nights) and enjoying the sunset over the Atlantic. I also had a swim (during the day).
[I can’t change the orientation of some of the pics. Grrrr!!!]
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- Entering the final autonomous community on the Camino, Galicia
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- Us in a mirror
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- Ubiquitous yellow arrow
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- This rocky path had water cascading down. Beautiful
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- Looks like a sample… But it’s a liquor. And a staple in Galicia
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- My feet had had it…
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- The welcome party had a TV camera…
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- Standing at the back for the Pilgrim’s Mass
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- … while the bussed in tourist comfortably sit. Ok they look less able, but they only walked from the car park!
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- The Cathedral de Santiago de Compostella
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- Queueing for 2 hours for a 2 second audience with St James
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- Holding an eager sinner back…
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- Lunch in Finisterre (known as Fisterra locally)
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- Also drove to Muxia… Significant cos the boat that was to take Santiago back to Palestine turned to stone and rests here. Don’t quote me.
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- No more walking… (word press won’t let me turn this pic around…)
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- Name. Carved in stone. At the end of the world…
I´m in Madrid now, and should probably go and enjoy it. So far, it´s AWESOME. Love it. So, Just quickly, if you asked for a shell, I combed the beach in Finisterre, and have one for you. In fact the process was somewhat addictive and I have quite a few extra.
Albergues
Posted by on 16 April 2010
Wow!
I am feeling so much better. I was having a bit of a downer with the shin splints, but they have miraculously subsided and are now barely noticable. I managed to avoid drugs and ditched the compression socks the day after the last email. Phew.
I have now made it to Ponferrada, which is, according to diffferent sources, 211, 205, 202, 230, or 200km from Santiago. No longer satisified with a 20km day (usually have this done by midday), I´m sure to finish within 8 days. When I reach Santiago, I´ll be awarded a Compostella at a special mass in the cathedral. Depending on source, I will have done about 800km (not including the accidental detours, nor the many kms exploring all the amazing places we pass through. THEN, I will walk to the end of the Earth, Finisterre, to throw the scallop shell that Brookegave me pre trip into the Ocean. I´ll also pick a few for anyone that may like to return one for me at some stage. That will total about 900km. Mas o menos.
Yesterday I walked from Astorga to Manjarin, an abandonned village at 1500m. Shin splints aleviated, I took off up hill and down dale at a strapping pace. I climbed every mountain, forded every stream and arrived to find an isolated albergue at the top. My guide said that the place had no heating, no showers, no toilets and that it was ´very basic´ as in medieval times. This was mostly true, there was a fireplace, and many places to act as a toilet (most Spanish bars don´t have toilet seats anyway, except in the classy towns, like Astorga and ors…). The hospitaleros provided us with dinner: salad, pasta with meatballs; and breakfast.
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- Abandoned village
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- Mountain hut, alt. 1451m
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- “Breakfast” in Manjarin… We on the left are slightly more perky…
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- Ferran and Mie
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- Mountainous mist
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- Group dinner in Ponferrada
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- Wine country
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- … before getting totally drenched!
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- Lonely, early start in Calzadilla de los Hermanillos
A note on ´breakfast´ I think they use the term far too generously here. Today´s breakfast was coffee and a plate of biscuits with jam. There are variations. Sometimes there´s this weird dry toast, suitable only for canapes IMHO, or your might get a magdelana (kinda like madeira cake). Anyway.
I was gonna write more about the differnent Albergues I´ve stayed in, but my time is almost up. Tonight´s has a washing machine!
Hope all´s well at home.
Love
Mark
xx
Terrain in Spain
Posted by on 13 April 2010
I didn't say much in this blog, so the photos are somewhat unrelated... Long, flat road on the way to Atapuerca.
For the last week I´ve been on the plain. Fortunately, it hasn´t rained.
Crucified shadow. Inappropriate?
The walk has gotten a little harder (mentally…) and I´ve now got SH(IN SPL)I(N)T(S)!
This extremely cold spring is supposed to heal pilgrim feet...
I´ve just had a massage that I think was free, but I have´t yet walked out of the room that I had the massage in. I have bought a pretty sexy compression sock, and some hardcore Ibuprofen that I´m a bit scared to take.
... pilgrims, having immersed their feet in these icy waters are said to have a pain free walk from this point on.
So back to the plain. I have to say this part has been pretty constant. Flat and often a long straight line. An 18 km stretch with little topographical change proved quite the mental and physical challenge. The destination happened to be about 5m below the area of flattery so it wasn´t visible until 200m before. Me and the 4 people I was with actually jumped with joy when we started to see the roofs of the town below. We had run out of water, and despite it being only 15º, we were all sunburnt after having peeled down to our shorts and tees (in the morning it was scarves and beenies).
Big walk today. After 36 km, decided to try to push out 40km without knowing if the seasonal albergue was operational. This sign was a relief.
Since I started walking (I passed the halfway point yesterday) the trees/plants have started to shoot leaves. I think Spring is a pretty good time to do this. By the end, all the wild flowers will be out and the wheat will be a bit taller. Apparently the wind will make waves appear on a green ‘sea…’
I’m struggling struggle to remember stuff to write cos I´m taking in soooo much each day. Not least I´m having to have deep conversations in Spanish with only a 100 word vocabulary.
Halfway (depending on how you look at it). I don't like my hat. (It is WordPress' fault that this photo is on its side).
To answer some common questions:
*I´d love to set up a blog and add photos i´ve taken (4/1/2011: here it is, 8 months late!), but none of the computers have usb ports, so it´s too hard.
* I managed to push out a couple of 40km days and got ahead of fat, old (did i mention loud, snoring?) smoker. I also managed to get to the Correos (Post Office) at Leon to collect (from one window) my excess weight, and post (from another window) it on to Santiago. Again a 15 day deadline, but completely doable…
* I have made heaps of friends, and now know people in front and behind me. The reunions I´ve had with people I´ve only known for one or two days are really comical. There is so much emotion after you´ve walked all day after saying a big goodbye maybe two or three days ago, only to meet up with a new (also exhausted) friend!
18km of topography like this.
That´s it for now.
Love M xxx
Socks and thongs.
Posted by on 4 April 2010
THE Puente at Puente la Reina
Some wemaining Woman Woad
Some of the scenery
Yes, it has come to this. After a 30km trek (not much if you consider I´ve seen the same fat 60 year old chain smoker in EVERY albergue I stay in – it is my personal challenge to pull away from him tomorrow…) I can´t bear to keep my hiking boots on, and so slip into the flip flops at the end of the day. But´s it´s oh so cold, even when sipping a glass of Rioja (80 cents!!!). So I´ve had to blaspheme and resort to wearing socks with my thongs. Fortunately, I´m surrounded by cultures that find this combination acceptable…
Path there of.
Cistern thought to date back to Islamic Spain. And my shadow.
Me having erected my own cross, in deference to Semana Santa (holy week) and the Camino de Santiago
It´s been a while since I last wrote. At least it seems so. I have trouble remembering where I stayed the night before, so I´ll refer only to the recent past (basically now). I managed to escape the published stops and am staying in a little town called Grañon. The Albergue is in the bell tower of the town church, and cost is donation only 🙂 It´s cool. I was generous. I´m on a pilgrimage. Though the donation box does say “leave what you can, take what you need.” A risky strategy considering some of the people I´ve met.
No shoes in the pilgrim's quarters!
Multi-lingual blessing before dinner.
Dinner and breakfast is included in the donation and all the peregrinos (pilgrims) will eat together at a long table in the chuch, a la Harry Potter. The girls have to cook and the boys have to wash up. My talents are wasted here.
Dinner time, Grañon
With difficulty, I managed to post a good portion of the weight in my bag from Pamplona to Leon. I only have 10 days to get to Leon before I don´t know what happens to my stuff? There I have to collect it and post it again to Santiago. Kinda annoying, but it was the best I could manage with my limited Spanglish.
Nos pies.
A final note on Semana Santa (Easter Week?). It would be an understatement to say that it´s a big deal here… I´m sure most of you may have seen pictures of the processions of people dressed in KKK costumes carrying Jesus on the Cross? It´s pretty spooky. I was in Legroño on Thursday and the local Semana Santa procession is a purple cape with conical head thing with holes for the eyes… They even have cute kids sizes.
Spooky easter parade through Logroño, capital of la Rioja.
Credit running low. Gonna try and push out 40ks tomorrow. Now I´m off to be blessed by the locals before dinner.
Love
Mark x
PS. The tapas bars in Legroño (capital of La Rioja) are awesome!
Pamplona
Posted by on 28 March 2010
Hola!
I have managed to safely cross the Pyrenees AND continue walking after the ordeal! I say ordeal, but the experience was spectacular. I had two obstacles that made crossing the pass a little harder than it ought to be: 1) my own fault, I am carrying far too much for this trip. 18kgs, to be precise, when the recommended weight is 10% of one´s body weight. That leaves me 11kgs over, and 2) it was incredibly windy in them thar hills. So windy, in fact that, with the excess weight of my bag, it was at times impossible to take even one step forward without waiting for the gust to ease.
Ascending the Pyrenees
Orrison rest stop, 8km in, 500m up. Closed for two more days.
Close to the top...
Getting cold on the Route de Napoléon
The view was amazing though, and I stopped up the top to make a sandwich with some roquefort and pur porc sausage that I´d bought in St Jean (on bread with little bits of fig, yum!). Photos will have to describe the rest. The Internet at the hostels can be quite expensive.
Roncesvalles was the destination after the Pyrenees, we arrived at 3 and the hostel didn´t open until 4. There is nothing else in Roncesvalles (other than some churches, a bar and a monastery- no houses?), so we sat, sore feet, sore backs, sore legs, and waited to ´check in.´ Later that evening me and the other ´pilgrims´ joined in the bar to eat the 9 euro pilgrim menu. Bean soup, beef stew, and a tub of yogurt with wine and bread… was ok.
Accommodation on the first night...
My friend "Ko from Korea" out in front.
On leaving Roncevalles, I jettisoned a baton (walking stick that I´d purchased only the day before) an airline blanket, a belt, and a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. This was not enough, and after purchasing food for 2 days (nothing open in Spain on Sunday, I was told – have since found this not to be true).
Ko approaching Larrasoaña
I have kinda met a group of people and we have walked together for the last 2 days, still with heavy pack, thought some of them seem to be in such a rush, and tend to race each other out of bed, and then speed along at pace. In keeping up with them, I have missed a bit, and so will fall behind tomorrow. I will be posting a good deal of weight from my pack to Santiago. I will make do with a lot less, and have a much more pleasant walk I´m sure. I don´t´care how much it costs me to send my stuff on, my shoulders canna cope no more, I will be waiting at at the doors of the post office tomorrow morning promptly at 8. It´s been 62 kms with hardcore heavy bag. I feel I´ve earnt the right to wear the same pants day and night for the next 30 month.
Camp in Pamps
I am now off to check out Pamplona with some fellow pilgrims and yah. Early start tomorrow.
Love Mark
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