The city was originally founded by the Romans around about 2000 years ago. They left a few lasting legacies, including a bridge, Roman baths and a beautifully preserved (or perhaps very well restored) City Wall which goes right around the city centre. I’ve been fascinated by this wall since we arrived here, and have spent a lot of time walking around its perimetre, walking on top of it, going through its gates and up & down its stairs. For someone who comes from such a young country as Australia, it’s amazing to see something so old AND in such good condition.

The Romans left their mark in other ways too – one of the small plazas in the city was probably the site of the original forum, and the cathedral was built over the foundations of 2 earlier basilicas.

This post is a work in progress – will post more when I get time

We had originally got a round blue tub, but it was a bit too small for Greg’s feet, and even though the pink tub was larger, being rectangular meant it was easier to fit in his rucksack and carry.

Of all the things we tried for our feet – adhesive strapping, voltaren tablets and ointment, shoe inner soles cut to support the arches of our feet – I think that soaking them in cold water for at least 10 minutes was the most beneficial. When we did it at lunchtime, our feet felt like they had in the morning before we had walked 10 or 15 kms.

That pink tub had other uses as well – we did our washing in it because it held more water and clothes than little hotel bathroom sinks, and when Greg got sick … well, that’s what he got sick in. It saved him a few dizzy dashes down the hall to the communal bathroom.

I lost track of the pink tub at the hospital – trying to keep an eye on our 2 backpacks and Greg was about as much as I could manage at the time. I hope that tub has found a new home somewhere nice, and that its new owner appreciates it as much as we did!

Soaking my feet in the pink tub

When we started our walk, I hadn’t done anywhere near enough training – it was cold and wet at home and I had too much else to do, and lots more excuses for why I couldn’t walk for quite a few kms at a time with a heavy rucksack. In the end, I don’t think it really mattered. After the first week or so, I got used to the distances and to carrying an extra 12 kg, and once my feet settled down, walking 25kms became just what I did every day. And I was always happy to spend the day walking, I never thought ‘oh, I don’t want to do this today’, although I was glad of our 3 rest days when we took them in large cities.

I’ve gotta say, that as someone who spends most of her life sitting in front of a computer screen, who hates sport and isn’t really all that interested in physical activity, walking 680kms while carrying a 12 kg pack is something I’m pretty darn proud of. I’m fitter than I have ever been, and thinner than I’ve been in quite a few decades. And I’ve got this tan that looks great … until you look at my white ankles and feet.

We have seen some beautiful parts of Spain, and met some great people. The friends of the Camino who helped make our journey a success, and the pilgrims we met along the way were all interesting and all had a tale to tell, and a story to share. It was always good to bump into people we had met earlier on our Camino, and to catch up on their travels since we saw them last.

As we drove along the motorway to the hospital a couple of days ago, I realised how lucky we had been to spend those 5 weeks walking – we really got to see what that part Spain was like, compared with zooming along in a motor vehicle. Every country looks the same from a motorway.

The food. Ah, the food. I could, and probably will, write a whole post or even a whole blog on Spanish food. Some of it was incredibly good, some of it was utterly forgettable, but eating out every night was a novelty and a lovely change from the usual ‘what’s for dinner?’ at home. I keep finding Spanish cookbooks (or actually, I think they find me) that I want to buy for myself and to stock on my website.

So for now, we’ll keep on posting on this blog. The current plan is to stay here in Lugo for a couple more days, then go to Santiago by bus (and I can tell you now, it won’t be the same as if we had walked all the way), fly to Frankfurt for the Book Fair as we had planned, then fly home from Munich on October 12th as planned. By then, Greg will hopefully have recovered enough that the flights won’t worry him too much, and we’ve really just got to get home to our real lives, our businesses, our families, friends and to Daisy the cat!

So, here are a few words about food…

Autumn started in the northern hemisphere early last week and now wherever we walk we see ripe wild fruit, berries and nuts, and cultivated food crops are being harvested. Last weekend marked the start of the grape harvest, and people are busy picking, selling and storing their crops. As we walked out of Cacabelos a few days ago, we saw an old man wheeling his wheelbarrow full of pears and potatoes in to town, followed closely by another old man carrying a basket of walnuts. People have set up roadside and pathside fruit stalls and yesterday we followed signs for ‘frambuesas’ (raspberries) to the courtyard of a house that had a little table with punnets of raspberries and redcurrents and an honesty box. Those red berries were delicious!

What has really amazed us is how green the countryside is, so late in the season. At home it’s all turned brown by early autumn, but here everything is very lush and the grass is high.

We’ve spent the last week or so walking in the mountains, where the winters are long and cold. Huge stacks of neatly split firewood are being stored, food is being preserved and there seems to be more activity than usual in the little villages we walk through. Pimientos (red capsicums) are being char-grilled prior to canning, beans are drying and then being stripped from their pods, the last of the season’s tomatoes are being coaxed to ripen.

I’m completely recovered from whatever it was that slowed me down yesterday (thanks for your ‘get well’ messages) so we left the auberge at the pre-dawn time of 8am, knowing we would be walking higher and higher for most of the day.

We passed through a couple of small villages, El Ganso and Rabanal del Camino, which seem to owe their continued existence to the Camino – quite a few abandoned buildings with several auberges, a church or two, some houses and not much more. Pretty villages with stone buildings, and spectacular views of surrounding mountains, and down into the valleys below. Just out of Rabanal we met our friend Linda and we walked for the rest of the way with her today.

We walked 17kms today, climbing from 1100 to 1450 metres by the end of the day’s walk. There are snow markers on the road, so I guess they have white winters here. Tomorrow we’ll be at the highest point of our Camino, at around 1530 metres. We’re staying at an auberge which has pilgrim accommodation plus private rooms, so after our woeful night’s sleep last night, we’re in a private room tonight.

Advertising for the local Albergue outside Rabanal del Camino

the main street of Rabanal del Camino

Judy and Linda walking up towards the 1400 metre level at Foncebadon

We had a couple of stops on the way out of Leon, popping in to a bar so I could boost my caffeine levels, and a couple of $2 shops (called ‘Bazaars’ here and usually run by Asians) in search of rubber thongs for us both which we found in our sizes at the second Bazaar we tried. Our foot problems continue, although we both seem to be relatively free of tendonitis. Greg has sore toes, and I have a whopping great blister on one heel. I performed a minor operation on it as soon as we got into Leon to drain it, but to my intense annoyance, the fluid reaccumulated. So I have decided to just leave it along and keep it covered. It’s a bit squeezy in my boot with 2 pairs of socks, several layers of dressings and sticking plaster and the blister itself, but we still managed 27.5kms today, so we’re doing okay.

We had intended to only walk 22kms today, to ease ourselves back into ‘pilgrim mode’ after our day off yesterday. I think we probably still walked 7kms or so, just doing the usual stuff we do in large towns when we stop there (er, shop, eat and visit places of local interest). However when we got to our intended destination, the hostel we tried was full, so we decided to just keep walking to the next town. Wow, how quickly things change – if that had happened a couple of weeks ago, I probably would have had a hissy fit and melted in a puddle on the floor. It means we don’t walk so far tomorrow, so it’s all good.

Camino Guide markers in Leon. What a bad idea!. These markers stick above the pavement level, so they are a trip hazard. How many little old ladies have broken their hips on these?

San Marcos Pilgrim Hospital - now converted into a 5 star hotel

Walking along the N-120 at La Virgin del Camino

We had our usual whinge about pilgrims who wake up ridiculously early and walk for hours in the dark, and she made the most insightful comment we have heard about the Camino, which sums it up perfectly.

‘The Camino is like life – some people race through it, some people take their time, but we all end up in the same place.’

A fairly quiet day today, 21.5 kms on flat, straight paths. We had to wear our rain gear – raincoats and pack covers – for most of the day, although it only rained intermittently and even then it wasn’t particularly heavy.

We do have a reason for celebrating today, however. We passed the halfway point an hour or so after setting off this morning. 400kms! We celebrated by eating cupcakes for breakfast by the side of the road.

We wandered through a few small villages where the site of a passing pilgrim may well have been the highlight of the day. Yep they were really small and really quiet, but interesting for the mud brick builder (to those who don’t know us well, that’s Greg, not me) as many of the buildings are built from mud bricks, rammed earth or cob. Some are in extreme disrepair, and some are being renovated or repaired.

Tonight we’re staying at Sahagun, which is where the Camino de Madrid joins the Camino Frances (the French Camino, the route we’re doing). Tomorrow we have a 30km day planned, then a slightly shorter one on Sunday when we walk into Leon, and a rest day on Monday.

PS For our loyal readers who are following us each day, please check back to Day 20 Hontantas to St Nicolas. It took me a little while, but I have now added some text to Greg’s photos.

Having cupcakes for breakfast - celebrating 400kms and half-way!

a mud brick (adobe) building being given a brick veneer

walking in the rain and cold towrds Sahagun

What we do all day, following the yellow arrows.

Despite having a lovely room on the top floor of the little hotel in Hontanas, with its own skylight and a very clear night sky, we ended up being a bit short on sleep because the nearby church bells struck every hour, on the hour. I heard them every hour between 2 and 7, and by 7am I was just ready to get up and start walking, dammit!

We called in to see a small albergue in the ruins of San Anton Convent, then found breakfast a few kms up the road at Castrojeriz and bought some supplies for lunch at a little supermarket, then started a long slog up a hill. Fantastic views for miles at the top, and a fountain with a long trough that we soaked our feet in for a while. We met a Canadian couple, chatted for a while with them  and discovered that it was the wife’s 60th birthday that day. What a great way to celebrate a special birthday, walking the Camino.

Michelle, the hospitalerro at Rabe, had made a point of telling us all about St Nicolas, a very special little auberge at Puente Itero, and she encouraged us very strongly to stay there if we had the opportunity. There are only 12 beds but after hearing Michelle describe it, we decided to try and stay there if we could. It was ‘only’ 19kms from Hontantas which meant another short day, but we were prepared to walk extra later on to make up the distance if it meant that we got to stay at St Nicolas. I’m not sure if it’s the same St Nicolas as the one we associate with Christmas, although staying there was certainly like a very special gift for us.

This place has been giving pilgrims shelter and sustenance for since the 12th century. It fell into disrepair and has been restored by an Italian Confraternity, which usually also provides hospitalleros to run it, although when we were there the hospitalleros were a Spanish couple with 3 children from Burgos. There are only 12 beds, which is why we thought we might not get in, but the night we stayed there were only 4 of us plus Alberto the hospitallero – his wife Anna and the kids had gone home to Burgos after dinner. There is no power at this auberge, but there is a gas stove and plenty of running water, all of it cold. There is a building with bathroom/kitchen behind the main stone building and it has a solar-powered light. We did our washing by pumping water from the hand pump in the yard, then I spent a lovely hour or so sitting in the sun in an alcove in the south-facing wall which is currently a mass of roses and other flowers in bloom. The bees were working hard all around me while I read, of all things, a book about the collapse of the Lehman Brothers bank in the US, which was one of the direct causes of the current GFC.

We ate dinner by candlelight, then after dinner the kids played chess and checkers against Greg and the other pilgrims, while I sat with Anna and she told me how to make a proper Spanish Tortilla di Patata while we drank grappa. It was definitely the best auberge we have stayed at and an unforgettable experience. I’m so pleased we made ourselves slow down so we could do it.

Ruins at San Anton

Doing the Camino de Santiago by Donkey

The hill we had to climb out of Castrojeriz

looking back at Castrojeriz

Saint Nicolas

Our bunks at Saint Nicolas

Pumping the water out of the well to do washing at Saint Nicolas

Judy in the garden ay Saint Nicolas

Saint Nicolas in candlelight

So we slept in this morning until the outrageously late time of just after 8am, messed around on the internet reading emails and checking out important stuff like Spain’s time zone (Greg will post more on this later, stay tuned folks). We Skyped Greg’s mum and dad from just outside the hotel and were able to show them a bit of the nearby Cathedral and other bits of local scenery. We ambled off to breakfast at 10.30, wandered around the Cathedral which is truly magnificent, and had lunch at 3pm. It’s a good thing we’re not spending our entire trip in such relaxed holiday mode or we’d both be morbidly obese, but it’s nice to spend a day like this every now and then.

Our Belgian friends Jan and Christl are going home tonight and came to visit us. I’m sorry they are finishing their camino and hope they get to come back and finish it next year. Quite a few of the pilgrims we have met are finishing in Burgos, and in the days ahead it will be interesting to see who we meet up with again, and the new friends we make.

On Saturday night we stayed at a small parroquial (parish) refugio in the church grounds in Viana. We climbed up and up the stairs to the little reception desk, hoping there were a couple of spaces for us, because the other, larger auberge in town had triple bunks! The welcome we received from the hospitalleros (wardens/hosts) was the warmest and friendliest ever, and as an added bonus, they had room for us. We knew instantly that we would like staying there. 14 pilgrims slept on mattresses on the floor in 2 rooms, and shared a meal prepared by the hospitalleros. We went to mass at 6pm, then back to the auberge for dinner. The meal itself was quite simple – green salad, huge vat of pasta with a tomato-based sauce and yoghurt for dessert, but it was prepared, served and shared with such kindness and generosity of spirit that I will remember that evening for a long time, maybe forever.

The next night we stayed in Navarette in a hotel on the outskirts of town. Our guidebook mentioned that the bar Deportivo had good tapas, which sparked my interest, and Greg went hunting online to see if anyone else had written anything about it. Someone had said that they had the best meal of their camino there … and so did we. Well, so far, but it will be hard to beat.

The bar Deportivo is located on the top square in the street above the main street, just below the church. They do have excellent tapas, which can be eaten either inside or outside at tables on the square. However the little restaurant behind the bar is the real jewel in the crown. 2 little rooms with a total capacity of around 20, plus a tiny kitchen where all the magic happens. 3 course menu del dia with wine for 12 euros each – what a bargain, especially considering that our worst meal of the trip so far, in Estella, was a plate of 2 fried eggs swimming in oil, ham, chips and bread that cost us 9 euros each.

At bar Deportivo Greg had Chickpeas with Spinach, Slow-baked Pork with Tortilla and Arroz con Leche (Rice with Milk, ie Rice Pudding), and I had Green Salad, Pimientos stuffed with Fish and Arroz con Leche which Greg ate most of ‘cos I was so full. Okay, so anyone reading this, especially anyone who has been to Spain (waving to Barbara & Bryan), will probably be thinking at this point that there’s nothing too special about the dishes I’ve just described, they’re pretty standard Spanish fare. True, but a few added little extras transformed the ordinary into something else altogether. The green salad had a centrepiece of half a peach topped with a tuna/onion mixture, drizzled with a balsamic glaze and scattered with large flakes of sea salt so every few mouthfuls I’d get a crunchy taste of salt which offset the sweetness of the peach. Yum. The pimiento with cod was served in a creamy squid ink sauce. I haven’t eaten that dish before, so I’m not sure if that’s the standard presentation, but it was delicious. The Arroz con Leche had fresh cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Anyone planning to spend a night in Navarette should definitely consider having a meal at Bar Deportivo.

Today we walked our longest distance so far – 25km from Belorado to St Juan de Ortega, which has a population of 20, with one auberge attached to the church, with a bar/restaurant next door. We were a bit worried that we wouldn’t get a bed at the only auberge and as it turned out we scraped in by the skin of our teeth, and we’re sleeping on mattresses on the dining room floor, but that’s okay with us. Better than walking, or in Greg’s case limping, to the next town which is 4km away. I shouldn’t have mentioned how good his feet have been, ‘cos this morning his right foot started giving him trouble. I think it’s tendonitis, so have rubbed it with Voltaren gel, strapped it up with wide tape, and he’s taken Voltaren tablets and now we’re hoping for the best.

We walked through several villages this morning, then did a lot of climbing this afternoon, mostly through forest. We hit a high point of around 1170 metres, and St Juan de Ortega is situated at 950 metres. Tomorrow we are walking to Burgos, the big smoke. Population around 170,000. 

A not so good bit of the Camino - walking along side the N-120

I’ve never thought much about my feet – they’re a size 7, they wobble in high heels and they get cold in winter. Until now, when I have this crazy expectation that my 2 feet will carry me and my 12kg rucksack 800kms to Santiago de Compostella …. and beyond!

So now I’m being nice to them. I’m wearing a very well-worn pair of Columbia hiking boots that cost me a fair bit of money 7 years ago. Walking 20+ kms a day is not the time to wear in a new pair of boots. Every morning I go through a little routine to try and avoid blisters and other damage to my marvels of pedal engineering. I’ve mostly been successful, but have still managed to collect 4 or 5 blisters on various bits, mainly on the sides of some smaller toes. Greg, through good luck or good management, has completely avoided any problems so far. However, our Belgian friend Jan has just got some blisters after walking for 11 days, so they can strike anyone, anytime.

As an aside, the hospital in Logrono – 160km from the start of the Camino Frances (the French Camino which is the route we’re following) specialises in foot injuries – extreme blisters, tendon, ligament and joint damage – you name it, they’ve seen it all thousands of times. Anyone in a health profession wanting to specialise in feet shoud think seriously about spending time at Logrono to get experience.

So, back to my feet. Every morning I smother them in Vaseline (marvellous stuff!), then put on 2 pairs of socks, a thin pair, then Explorer socks. Then my boots. At the end of the day, as soon as we have a place to stay, the boots and socks come off and I inspect my feet for further damage or improvement. There are a few bits of Compeed (kind of a compressed, padded bandaid), but they’re pretty good otherwise. Especially compared with other feet we’ve seen – some are covered in sticking plaster or bandaids. On our second evening in Pamplona we were having dinner in a restaurant, sitting near a large group of people. We thought they were pilgrims but weren’t sure until I glanced under the table at their feet – covered in bits of Compeed, bandaids and sticking plaster – yep, they were pilgrims. We ended up joining them and had a lovely evening in spite, or perhaps because of, our sore feet.

When we walk, we prefer to walk on dirt, gravel or grass surfaces, which have more ‘give’ than concrete, paving or asphalt. Wherever possible when walking on hard surfaces, pilgrims will walk on the dirt beside the road or footpath. We often find ‘pathways of desire’, which are either shortcuts or softer tracks worn by the pilgrims who have walked before us.

Walking poles help ease the load on our feet too. Having 4 points of pressure instead of just 2 will take a bit of the load off our feet. Until today, we didn’t use our poles when we walked on paved roads through towns and villages, but we did today and while the ‘tap, tap, tap’ sound is a bit irritating, if it eases the load on our feet, it’s worth our while.

I’ll just add a couple of other ways of dealing with large blisters, and hope most sincerely that no one reading this post ever has to resort to either of them. I have actually used the first technique on myself, mostly out of interest and for research purposes. Blisters that are big and have a large fluid sac can be drained with a needle and thread. Use a sewing needle that has been sterilised by pouring boiling water over it and thread it with white cotton. Insert the needle into one side of the blister, and bring it out on the other side, drawing the thread through. Cut the thread off close to the eye of the needle and leave the rest of the thread in the blister sac. The fluid in the sac will drain out along the thread. When it’s all drained, cut the thread close to one side of the blister, then pull the remainder through and discard. Dress blister with Compeed, bandaids, whatever your dressing of choice.

The other, more radical way of treating bad blisters is to apply Tinc. Benz. Co. I don’t know much about this, other than that it hurts like hell, although it is apparently very effective, if you can stand the excruciating pain. Sorry folks but my quest for knowledge in the name of research doesn’t extend that far, so I’m not planning on trying the Tinc Benz Co treatment out on myself

Judy's feet before the walk

We seemed to walk uphill a lot today, gradually gaining altitude – we’ll be walking at 1500 metres again in a few days. We’re currently at 770 metres. The countryside has changed from the vineyards of La Rioja region to the vast wheat fields of Castilla y Leon.

Lots of cyclists passed us today, and there seem to be a lot staying at the aubergue we’re at tonight. We’re doing the pilgrim thing tonight, after the last 3 nights in hotel/hostel rooms, and staying in a room with 16 others in double bunks. We know we’ll be woken early by the early morning ‘plastic bag shuffle’, but we need to make an early start tomorrow to walk a couple more kms than we’ve been doing, and leaving early is our best chance at getting a bed at the other end.

Judy taking a "path of desire" (a shortcut) across a wheatfield

a sign showing us the details of the Camino de Santiago over the next 400km crossing Castilla y Leon

Last night we stayed in a brand new aubergue in Los Arcos. Albergue Casa de la Abuela opened on September 1st and we were its first Australian guests. Most of the other pilgrims staying last night were cyclists. Centrally located at the corner of Calle Major (the main street in any town or village) and the Plaza de la Fruta where the gorgeous 12th century Iglesia de Santa Maria de los Arcos ( Church of St Mary of the Arches) dominates the square, the aubergue was originally the current owner’s wife’s grandmother’s house and is over 150 years old. It has an excellent kitchen for any pilgrims wanting to cook their own  meal – we don’t, one of the joys of this trip is eating out every night and not worrying about gaining weigh! http://www.casadelaabuela.com We wish the owners well and hope their albergue does well for them.

We met up with our new friend Edith and a Belgian couple for a reviving pre-dinner drink, then joined them for dinner at a local restaurant – 11.5 euros for 3 courses including wine, water and bread. Great food, great company and good service. We asked the waiter about several dishes on the menu that we weren’t sure about, one of which he explained by pointing his fingers above his head and saying ‘Playboy’. Yep, it was rabbit.

Judy at the Wine Fuente

Greg and judy at lunch Vallamayor

Fuente de los Moros

PS My feet hurt. A lot.

We left Zubiri about 7:30am.  We got breakfast after walking 5km at Larrasona.

It was warm. We stopped to look at a 13th century church at Zabaldica, and climbed the bell tower to ring the bells.

After that it was the hard hot slog through the suburbs of Pamplona. We arrived very tired looking forward to our rest day.

We meet other pilgrims as we walk and greet each other with ‘Buen Camino’ – good journey. Most pilgrims we have met so far are German or French, with a few Austrians, Swiss and other European nationalities among them. A couple more Australians, several Americans and one New Zealander. It’s nice to hear a familiar Australian accent every now and then.
Last night we stayed at a small Refugio at Orisson, in a room with 2 German women and our own bathroon. Tonight we’re in a huge Refugio with maybe 100 beds in one dormitory. We feel lucky because we got 2 lower bunk beds next to each other. There’s a long queue for showers. Welcome to the pilgrim life.