Camino de Santiago - A typical day

We usually woke up between 7-8 and organized our things.  We would then have breakfast either at the Alberque or a  nearby cafe.  We then started hiking between 8-9.  Hiking leaves a lot of time for reflexion and passes surprisingly quickly.  We usually hiked for 3-4 hour then stopped for lunch, stretching, and took our boots off.  Spain's meal schedule was a bit hard to adjust to at first. They offer very little food choices in the morning (mostly toast and coffe, neither of which I am a huge fan) and eat lunch and dinner very late. After lunch we hiked for another 3 hours or so before we took another break to stretch  and eat a bit more.  We usually finished hiking  between 4 and 6 pm. The days began to have a similar rythm and it may seem suprising that is was very relaxing (mentally) to not have lots of decisions to make. Walk all day, eat when we are hungry and stop at night after we were tired or finished a section.

Camino de Santiago - Day 21

Hoping to get to Santiago tomorrow we decided to make it a long day.  We planned 32 km for the day.  It was expected to rain so we pushed hard and covered 12 km by 11:00 am. The weather cleared and the day went smoothly until around 25 km when aches and pains slowed progress.  We arrived late to find the Alberque where we planned to stay closed.  No big deal except that we had sent a backpack ahead.  So we headed to the next bar to call about the bag and have a beer.  Once Rachel found out where the bag was I (Solomon ) ran back a kilometer to retrieve it. We found out from the bartender that there was another Alberque just down the road.    

Hum interesting.. horse with message of encouragement, man playing celtic flute, and creek bubbling.

Grapes

Beautiful gardens are common

Camino de Santiago - Day 20

Eirexe to Melide - 23 Km

The weather today was cloudy but fairly warm with no rain. This was a very nice change from the rest of the week! The scenery was enjoyable and much of the same as we have  been experiencing the last two weeks. We walked through Eucalyptus plantations, over old stone bridges, down rocky paths through the woods and along the roadside.

We have 51 Km left of the Camino and plan to finish in the next two days of hiking!

As we near the end of our Camino experience it is interesting the things that start to feel exciting that normally we take for granted.  Here is my list of things I am excited for (I will check with Sol and see if he feels the same):

Clean sheets made from fabric - When sleeping in the Pilgrim Albergues we are ususally given disposable sheets that are similar to a cheap hospital gown. They crinkle and dont stay put! Urg. Real sheets will be so lovely!

Real Towels - Solomon and I both have light weight, small microfiber towels. They dry amazingly well but are seriously tedious. Think of drying your whole body with a dishcloth.

A Real Bra- I sent mine to Santiago and have been wearing a sports bra for three weeks.  Sorry, TMI?

A queen or King Bed - Tired of bunk beds.  We have had some real beds too but still too many bunk beds.

A kitchen - I am ready to cook some of our own food.

So as to not sound spoiled or ungrateful - these are really truly not complaints. I think these are all part of having a real experience while hiking the camino. However, I am looking forward to enjoying things that I have previously taken for granted and ready for a change of pace! (haha - traveling faster than a snail will be fun too!)

This city street has more tractors than cars

Resting feet near eucalyptus plantation 

Tunnel of trees

A typical Alberque's bunk beds

Camino de Santiago - Day 19

Mercadoiro to  Outskirts of Ligonde - 23.5 km

We spent much of the day walking through mountain fields lined in stacked stones.  This region gets considerably more rainfall than many of the areas we have passed through so is quite lush and green.  The landscape looks much like what you might imagine fields in Ireland would look like.  It turns out that this area was actually settled by Celtic tribes and still retains similar foods and Celtic folk music. Spain is amazing in its diversity of culture along with many distinct dialects and cuisines.   We feel so lucky to be here and are having a great time but we're also ready to be done hiking. It is starting to rain much more and temperatures seem to be cooling quickly.

Camino de Santiago - Day 18

  Hospital to Mercadoiro 24km

It was another long day.  We started on the outskirts of a medium sized town.  When passing through town we saw a sports supply store.  We decided to go in and look around because I (Solomon) had been considered getting some new shoes.  We thought their was no chance they would have a pair in his size.  However it turned out they had a pair of Salomon trail running shoes on sale in his size.  The prices were so good Rachel ended up getting a pair too.  With new shoes we both felt some improvement but there are no miracles.  Feet continue to be our greatest challenge.   We finished the day late at around 6:00 exhausted after a long day in mountainous terrain.  We are getting close to the finish with only 4-5 days left and are looking forward to some relaxing.  :)

Camino de Santiago - Day 17

It rained intermittently all day. We seemed to get very lucky and dodged all the heavy downfall as it would begin and stop while we were in cafes.  The terrain was beautiful as we walked down from the mountain top through farm pastures lined with rock walls.  Miles passed quickly as we walked and had interesting conversation with Tom whom we had met the previous day.

Camino de Santiago - Day 16

We decided to make the day a rest day.  A day to reflect and relax.   We decided to add some random photos.

Camino de Santiago - Day 15

Vega de Valcarce to Fonfria - 24.5 km

This turned out to be our longest day.  With the time change hear we got out early to begin the long climb back up the mountains.  We would climb over 3000 ft by the end of the day.  The scenery was very beautiful but the trail was also steep. The weather started off overcast and cool but as we maintained steady progress up the mountain we became hot.  By the time we got near the top weather cleared and we enjoyed amazing views across wooded mountain valleys. Feeling good we pressed on but at some point the wheels fell off the wagon and we crawled into a wonderful little Alberque tired and sore.

Camino de Santiago - Day 13

Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo 22 km

Today was a long day which started out very foggy in the city.  We walked all morning through traffic trying to get out of the city.  When we eventually got out of town the sun broke through and we walked through beautiful vineyards in rolling terrain.  It took 15 minutes for us to go from wearing down jackets to t-shirts.  We happily walked late into the afternoon with birds chirping and sun shining.

Camino Frances Map

Here is a map of our route! Our journey started in Burgos. Right now we are just short of Ocebreiro. I'm excited about how far we have come! I think we have around 170 km to go!

Camino de Santiago - Day 14

Villlafranca to Vega de Valcarce- 16 km. We decided to have a shorter day today because we are both a bit sore from yesterday.  We had thought that things would be getting easier by now but we're still feeling tired and sore at the end of the day. The day  started a bit overcast but the sun came out in the afternoon.  The mountains are beautiful with the trees changing color. The walk was mostly near the road which was a bit annoying but it was scenic as we passed between the mountains.   We finished the day early in a small but very scenic village. The owners of the Alberque where super nice offering us some of their food.  

Camino de Santiago - Day 12

Acebo to Ponferrada - 17 Km

Today we hiked down the mountain to a larger town = 60,000 people.  The mountain trails were beautiful but rocky and technical to navigate. Legs and body feel good but our feet get so sore, especially on the super rocky terrain.

As we neared Ponferrada we had some crappy walking through the suburbs and on the roads. This was a rude awakening after hiking up and down the beautiful and quiet mountain passes for the last few days. On our way into town we stopped at a farmacy and picked up some blister stuff, electrolyte mix for our water bottles and sunscreen. The sunscreen reminds me to mention that we have had only two rain days and lots of sun! We are so lucky! It is cold in the morning and we wear our down jackets but strip down to tshirts by the afternoon.

So finally arriving in Ponferrada, we arrive to amazing views of two church steeples and a castle. The guidebook described that the castle was built and inhabited by the nights templar, who was in charge of overseeing the safety and well being of pilgrims on this same route a thousand years ago! We took a very speedy tour of the restored castle (they were closing in an hour). Solomon was literally running to see the various attractions. It was amazing! The castle was built in the early 1100s.

We have a nice place tonight overlooking the castle with a very rare bathtub for soaking sore legs & feet!!!

Tomorrow we hope to have recovered a little bit after a shorter day today. Many people that started a few hundred Km before us are regularly doing 20-30 Km. We have are averaging a little bit shy of 20 Km but hope to be getting acclimated to some longer days soon to make up some time.

Camino de Santiago - Day 11

Rabanal to Acebo 18km

It was a beautiful day walking up and over the highest point on the Camino (5000 ft) We gained over 2000 ft of elevation.  We had amazing views throughout the day.

Camino de Santiago - Day 10

We started the day in Astorga by visiting the cathedral.  It's truly amazing that almost every town in Spain has an incredible church.  Astorga also has a palace designed by Antonio Gaudi. I knew he was famous for his work in Barcelona on the "Sagrada Familia" but i dis t expect to see so much more of his work while we are traveling in the north. What a nice suprise!

After touring in town we then headed out to begin our journey through the country.  It was mostly uphill through the scenic countryside.  It was much greener than some of the previous areas.  We had breakfast in a small town after hiking for a few hours. We ran into a new friend, Stephanie, who is from Dublin. She is here alone and wanted to walk with us so we spent the afternoon chatting and hiking.

  We arrived in the beautiful town of Rabanal tired but very content. At this point our legs are very well adjusted to the miles but our feet usually force us to stop before the rest of our bodies are tired.

Camino de Santiago - Day 9

Today turned out to be a super rainy day.   Although it was a shorter hike we slogged through the rain the whole way.  Early in the day there was some road construction that had turned the path into a mud soup. The clay was slippery underfoot and stuck to our boots.  Once we got out of the mud it began to really pour down rain.  Our cheap ponchos were being overwhelmed and we were getting cold when we came upon an oasis of sorts.   Half way to our destination there was an amazing couple who were helping pilgrims by providing food, drink, and a warm fire.  It felt like heaven so we lingered for quite a while, possibly too long because we had a hard time getting going again. We arrived in Astorgas tired and wet and found a place to stay at San Javier Alberque run by a church.  It's warm here and we are happy to be out of the rain. We covered about 12 kilometers today.

Camino de Santiago - Day 8

We started today in Mazarife had breakfast at the hostal and started walking as the sun rose. We had another 20 Km day. We stopped a few times along the way and had coffee & some food. Our feet are feeling a little better today and I think our legs are also getting used to the walking.

We are thinking of getting some treking poles. Lots of people use them and I orginally had thought they were ridiculous and totally unnecesary. However, it looks like the terrain will be getting much steeper with some challenging down-hill sections. Both Sol and I agree that we would WAY rather climb up than go down. The steep down-hill sections are so hard on the knees! You work hard going uphill but it seems way easier for some reason. I think the poles help take some weight off your knees & back when climbing. Also - we have sadly had some scary encounters with Dogs. Twice in one day we were run down by Pitt Bulls that turned out to be friendly, albeit horribly behaved. In any case, having a large dog run at you when you are not sure if it is nice is terrifying. Today I had a German Shepard come after me while Sol was trying to grab a rock or stick. It was growling loudly and I was super scared. Luckily it had on a muzzle. The owner said the dog wasnt friendly. You think? How about a leash???!!  Yikes!  In any case, I would feel much better if I had a pole to swing at studid dogs! :)

We arrived tonight in a nice, sleepy little town and are having fun talking with people we are meeting. It is really fun to get to know lots of other people and share stories from along the way. Sol and I had a beer and a snack this afternoon as dinner is served at 7 and we were hungry!

This experience so far, even though very challenging, has been super rewarding. We are meeting amazing people and are lucky enough to have the opportunity to slow down and enjoy Spain at a very slow pace! It is amazing what you can observe and notice that you would otherwise miss in a car or train!  I personally feel really proud of the meeting the physical demands of walking on tough terrain all day with a pack. It is amazing how light and free you feel at the end of the day when you drop your pack!

We are hoping to arrive in Santiago some time around the beginning of November.

Camino de Santiago - Day 7

Today we traveled from Leon to Mazarife on a walk that was roughly 20 Km.  Even after resting some yesterday, our feet are so sore! We are lucky to not have horrible blisters like some people but it is amazing how sore your feel can get from walking all day on rough terrain and also carrying a heavy pack.

We arrived in Mazarife and had a wonderful experience in our hostal.  All of the guests (12 or so of us) sat around the fire and introduced ourself. It was an amazing group of all ages and nationalities. One couple had walked from Switzerland. A few ladies we had met on our very first day.

The "hosteleros", hostel owners, were absolutly lovely! You could tell they loved what they did. We were served a four course meal family style together in the hostal. It was the best food we had since arriving in Spain.