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.

It was about a 5km walk before we found a bar Judy could have a coffee, and we could have a break. It was a nice sunny position, where we could stay warm. We walked though little villages that mostly seemed to be running dairy cows. One village (Padornelo) that had three houses in it, one of which was empty.

We had a short steep walk up to a bar, and we found Franz, who we have been bumping into for weeks. The last time we saw him was the Leon Cathedral.

We stopped for lunch at another little dairy farming town Fonfria, where a woman was running a little cafe by herself. It was good food, clean, and shows how lots of people in other little spanish camino towns could make a living as well.

After Fonfria it was relatively flat to Biduedo, after that the dreaded downhill began. Judy has posted before about walking downhill, but let me remind you, its hard on the feet. Even with walking poles to lessen the shock, 7km continuously downhill is difficult.

We made it to Triacastela, finding on the outskirts a 800 year old chesnut tree. We made it at about 5pm. We found the restaurant in town that had the most people in it (others were empty), and had a Menu del Dia (menu of the day) for 10 Euros each, which was nice.

leaving O’Cebreiro in the morning

the view north from O’Cebreiro

another pilgrim statue that occur often over the Camino de Santiago

the menu choices at a bar we passed

an 800 year old chesnut tree

We passed though  Vega de Valcarce, finding not one but two Supermercados (supermarket /convenience store). Getting closer to Santiago we find more and more Albergues and shops. It is very different from 300km back on the Mesata where we struggled to even get a baguette. We went 2 days once before we could buy bread.

We stopped in the sun for some Internet access, and then continued on upwards. We made it to La Faba for a rest. Later on about 1.5 km from La Faba I realised I had left my walking poles outside the shop where we had stopped at La Faba. I walked back, to find only one walking pole left. Some pilgrim is walking the Camino with one of my walking poles.

It was incredibly green. The hillsides are covered in green grass, grazed on by dairy cows.  We got to O’Cebreiro, leaving the Junta of Leon y Castillo, which we had been traveling through for weeks, and entering Galecia. The rest of the day was sunny, but as soon as the sun was covered in cloud, it was cold.

Judy buying books on eBay

leaving the A-6 highway, many metres above us

Cows in Herrerias, in the main street

Judy climbing towards La faba

The view from O'Cebreiro 1330 metres

monastery at O'Cebreiro where we stayed. Ours is the room with washing hanging out

We walked downhill into Villafranca del Bierzo, passing the castle. We found our way to the Plaza Mayor (main square) and found a nice cafe, when we got lunch (although at the time we thought it was still mid-morning).

After lunch we headed out of town up the Valcare valley. We are gradually working our way up to crossing another mountain range, this time only 1,330 metres at the highest. This afternoon it was getting as close as we could to the start of the real climb. We followed the N-VI which was actually a very quiet road, as it passed under several times the A-6 Autovia (highway).  We stopped at Pereje for a medicinal icecream (icecreams are cheap in Spain). We had another rest in Trabadelo where Judy donated her half kilogram book to the local Albergue, for someone else to read.

Eventually after what seemed a long day, after about 5:30pm we made it to the Albergue at La Portela de Valcarce.

Green hills of grape vines outside Villafrabca del Bierzo

Houses by the river at Villafranca del Bierzo

Looking back at Villafranco del Bierzo

vegetable garden by the side of the road

We spent a bit of time in Ponferrada, finding important things like coffee, a pharmacy, an ATM and an open bakery. And even though it didn’t open until later in the morning, we had a look at the magnificent 12th Century Templar castle. It has recently been extensively renovated and opened to the public. Any kid who loves castles and knights (ours both did) would be in their element there.

This weekend seems to have marked the start of the grape harvest. After we left Ponferrada, we walked through several little towns with vineyards between them, and there was a steady stream of tractors towing trailers full of grapes to the local co-op. Lots of other harvesting going on too, although we’re a bit puzzled by the crops of corn that has been left to rot in many places.

We’re staying at Cacabelos tonight, a town of around 6000, with many bars and cafes, although it was a bit difficult finding anywhere that actually served meals earlier than the usual 9.30pm. There are always plenty of people sitting at tables outside the cafes and bars, but on closer inspection, they are all just having a drink, none are actually eating.

We passed the 600km mark of our Camino today – less than 200kms to go now.

Walking past the Molinaseca albergue (in the dark before dawn) we found a row of bunk beds outside the Albergue. It was only about 2C at the time, so anyone sleeping on them would have had a cold night!

Looking down to Ponferrada at dawn

Ponferrada Castle - 13th Century Templar Castle - straight from Disneyland!

Copper downpipes in Ponferrada!

Looking back to the mountains we crossed over in the past few days

Only 195km to go to Santiago!

And from then on it was all downhill, but not in a good way.

Walking downhill is always more difficult than walking uphill. Loose stones can pull your feet from under you, and no matter how you approach it, long periods of walking downhill are really hard on the knees and toes. We both use our walking poles on downhill paths, and I’m sure they have saved us from a few slips and slides.

We walked through several pretty little villages, and saw a few more on the mountains on either side of us. Mostly stone buildings with black-painted slate roofs.

We had intended stopping at Ponferrada this afternoon, but by the time we reached Molinaseca, 8kms before Ponferrada, our knees were so shaky that we decided to call it a day earlier than we intended. We have done just over 20kms, and descended 950 metres today. We have one more high climb and steepish descent to do in a couple of days, then after that the terrain doesn’t seem to vary much more than a couple of hundred metres at a time, all the way to Santiago.

Judy at La Crus de Ferro leaving stones brought from Australia

Where we are now - about 8km east of Ponferrada

Judy walking towards the summit

The view from the mountains - Ponferrada in the distance

the Camino path dropping into Acebo, a mountain village

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

Tomorrow more climbing upwards.

Dry stone wall at Murias de Rechivaldo

a building made out of dry-stone, or at least very little mortar at Santa Catalina

We had a good nights sleep at the Ana Albergue, with not many people sleeping in the main room, and those wanting to leave early doing so quietly.

We set off at 8:15am, just after dawn, heading towards Hospital de Orbigo. Unfortunately the first 7km were still along the N-120, with lots of traffic. We got into Hospital de Orbigo, and crossed the Medievil Puente (bridge) built in the 13th century replacing an earlier Roman bridge. We obtained some lunch supplies, and when leaving bumped into Matt, a New Zealander we had last seen at dinner in Pamplona three weeks earlier. It is amazing how we keep bumping into pilgrims we thought had traveled way ahead of us, but we have caught up with.

We left Hospital, moving through Villares de Orbigo (ice cream stop), and then for lunch at Santibanez de Valdeiglesia. Judy is still having problems with a big blister on her heel, that has expanded up her ankle, so she spent time trying to improve things.

It was then an afternoon walk over the hills (away from roads!) until we got a great view of Astorga and the mountains behind Astoga. The mountains interest us, because over the next 3-4 days we are going to have to climb over them. We have been walking on relatively flat land for so many days, we wonder if we still have hill climbing muscles left

We slogged through suburbia (always tiring at the end of a day) into the old city of Astorga. We are staying in the main square (Plaza Mayor). We did 24.5km today.

Walking in cornfields towards Hospital de Orbigo

Looking towards Astoga in the distance, and the mountains we have to climb in the next few days

Things start to get busy at 7pm on Plaza Mayor Astorga - view from our hotel balcony

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

It was the darkest ever we have started our day, with many pilgrims using headlight torches to see.

We knew we had only 24km to walk, and that we were walking to a nice hotel room we had already booked in Leon. We got breakfast in a bar in Mansilla de las Mulas, which we would not have even seen if it wasn’t by chance seeing someone walking away from it with a bag of bread. It looked dark, and closed, but on closer inspection it was open and busy. Spanish retailing for you again, lots of pilgrims would have walked 100 metres away on the camino, and never known anything was open in town.

We got back on the road following the N-120 road, which we have been following or crossing for many days. Later in the morning we found an irrigation channel flowing with nice cold water – too good an opportunity to soak our feet.

We found a shelter at Arcahueja with a water fountain, and had lunch. We crossed a busy road that had previously been a dangerous crossing for pilgrims, that now had a nice new bridge.

We made it into central Leon, at an early 3:30pm.

Where we are on the Camino - at Leon

Spanish dance/rave party still going at 7:20am (still dark). There seems to be no noise enviroment laws in Spain!

Greg soaking his feet in the cold water of the irrigation channel

A Pilgrim statue in Mansilla de las Mulas

A new bridge for pilgrims, replacing a previously dangerous road crossing out of Leon

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.’

We left Sahagun at dawn (8am now) , and after wandering around the town centre of Sahagun, we found no shops open. It frustrates us the spanish attitude to retailing. In some little villages you will find an enterprising retailer who opens his shop early, and its packed with pilgrims buying supplies, food, cafe and more. However in the larger towns there is often nothing open before 9am, well after most pilgrims have left. So a hundred or so pilgrims left Sahagun this morning without any supplies for what for most was going to be a long day, walking past closed shops.

We needed to walk 30km + today, because they was a place to stay at 17.8km, (to short, putting us behind) or do 30.5km, and stay at Reliegos. We did 10km to Bercianos del Real Camino and did look for a shop that was meant to be there, but no luck, we continued on. It was cold and overcast, but no rain.

Another 7.5km got us to El Burgo Ranero, where we found a very helpful english speaking girl at the church who stamped our credentials and directed us to the Plaza Mayor (main town square), where there was a shop, and a fuente (water fountain), and seats, and the sun had come out to shine on us.

We got out our blue bowl and did our feet soaking in cold water, knowing we had 13km more to do. After a nice lunch, we headed of towards Reliegos, knowing there was nothing to stop at in between.

We met on the way Otto, a Nuclear Physist from Germany, how had restarted his Camino from Sahagun, which he had stopped at a couple of years ago. It was a long drag up to Reliegos, with our feet aching well by the time we got there. We were lucky again, we got in just, with the hospitalerro turning away 5 bike riders after we got in. However we did note that another walker was let in later, confirming that they treat walkers more favorably than bike riders.

We got a bed in a big room with mattresses on the floor, and had dinner at the local Bar Gil with Otto.

the long 13km long stretch to Reliegos

the overflow sleeping room at Reliegos (the main rooms with bunks were already full)

our pilgrim credentials - we need these to get into albergues, and get them stamped at every place we stay

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.

We left Saint Jean Pied du Port in France three weeks ago today.

We left our hostel room today at 9:00am (without breakfast) aiming for a 23km day. We headed up the road towards Carrion de los Condes, along the same boring track alongside the road. Arriving we found an information booth where a young lady told us where to find the Ferreteria(Hardware shop) and a Panaderia (Bakery) for breakfast.

At the Ferreteria we bought a plastic bowl to soak our feed in cold water. This treatment has been so good for our tendonitis, that we decided carrying a big plastic bowl around was not completely crazy.

While at the bakery we bought (for breakfast) Chocolate croissants, apple triangles, Baguettes(for lunch), and a cold Pizza slice (for Judy). We then went to a Supermercado (Supermarket), which is actually the size of a small convenience store in Australia, and got more supplies.

The reason we needed all the supplies is we had to do a 17.5km section with no towns after Carrion.

We left town, stopping to pick up water at a fuente (water fountain), and try soaking our feet in our new bowl. We followed a narrow country lane until it became a gravel track that covers an old Roman road built 2000 years ago, and still in great condition. The Roman road is built above the flood plain, and is constructed of 100,000 tonnes of rock that was brought in from elsewhere. Even though we are at 850 metres the area is very flat, covered in wheat fields.

It was a mostly cloudy day, which threatened to rain, but never did. We are both still suffering from foot problems. Judy with a new blister on her heel, and me with a couple of sore toes.

We made it to Caldadilla de la Cueza, looked at the Albergue with 100 beds in 2 rooms, and decided to hotfoot it to the luxury of the hostel.

The boring Camino de Santiago track out of VilalCazar

Shopping at the Supermercado in Carrion de los Condes

Greg carrying the new bowl, plus the usual drying washing

The 12km Roman Road

Arriving at Caldadilla de la Cueza

After a great nights sleep in Saint Nicolas church, and a candle-lit breakfast we set off as the sun was rising at 8:00am. We set off in cool overcast conditions, again nice for walking.After not managing to find a bakery (panderia) in Itero de la Vega, we continued on. We crossed a canal (canal pisuerga) on the way up to another (not very high) hill, although we are still walking at around 850 metre level.

We dropped off the hill down into Boadilla del Camino, which had nothing open, and seemed deserted. The track joined Canel de Castilla, and we followed along it for 3km which made for a change of scenery.

Eventually we reached Fromista, a fairly touristy town (bus loads of tourists seemed to be working their way though). After much walking past many restaurants I eventually found a bakery, and bought 2 baguettes. After lunch we both soaked our feet in the fountain, our new cure for our feet problems.

We had done nealy 18km, but we knew we had to do at least another 13km. There is a long stretch of 17.5km with no towns or Albergues tomorrow, so it was either walk 30+km today or walk 30+km tomorrow. So it was off up the road along a somewhat boring trail that followed the road. The cloud cover thinned, and it started to get hot. We stopped at one roadside stop where we soaked our feet in the fuente (water fountain) to keep our feet going. We passed a young italian man, with a polish girl, who was having tendonitis problems as well (we had talked to him about it yesterday).  There are a lot of people on the Camino suffering it.

We eventually made Villacazar de Sirga at 5:15pm. We booked a hostel room, which had a big bath, that we both soaked our feet in cold water.

Puente Itero Bridge

Judy soaking her feet in the fountain at Fromista

Walking along the Canal Del Castilla

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

Some of the things we have observed about people riding the Camino de Santiago by bike.

1. They travel in groups, rarely individually. Sometimes in groups as large as 10.

2. They often do not warn people they are going to pass people.  This cause you always to be expecting a bike rider to suddenly appear. We have been walking side by side, and had a bike rider pass between us with no warning!

# Bike riders passing on a narrow track on the Camino de santiago. The road was only 100 metres away, and we ended up rejoining it, but they had to ride now the track, forcing pilgrims to stop to let them pass.

A thread on a Camino forum about Bike Riders here

Leaving around 10am we left Burgos stopping for breakfast a a bakery along the way. Leaving Burgos was much nicer than entering Burgos. We walked though a park, past a gaol, and soon we were back in the country-side. We stopped for Lunch in Tarjardos. Walking from Tarjardos to Rabe, we met Maria, who gave us advice on the best Albergue to stay in at Rabe.

We are staying at the Santa  Marina albergue, after walking a mere 12km.

Sitting outside the Albergue writing the blog

Judy's white feet

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.

It was cold walking, but after about 5 km we found a bakery for breakfast and cafe americano (coffee) at Atapuerca. We fired up the laptop connected to our wireless broadband and booked a hotel for Burgos for 2 nights, hoping that a days rest might cure my foot problems. Off we went for a climb over another 1050 metre hill (we had started at 900 metres), for a great view of Burgos in the distance. We stopped for lunch in Orbaneja eating our Bagette that we had bought that morning (finding out that it was yesterdays bake), having it with Pate (Judy) and leche condensa (condensed milk) for me.

We then entered the suburbs of Burgos, for what was a hot, long exhausting walk through the industrial areas of Burgos. We eventually got closer to the city centre to find a bike race about to start in Burgos. The Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos, the roads were closed off, and we almost got caught within the track.

At 5:30pm we finally made it to our hotel – after starting at 7:15am. A nice sleep in tomorrow and rest day.

Greg booking a hotel room on the netbook in a park

Burgos in the distance

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

It rained in the morning, but by the time we left at 9:00am it had stopped and we had a great day of cool walking. The temperature never got above 20C. We seemed to meet a lot of pilgrims on the trail today, and when we got to Santo Dominigo at a bit before 4pm, the first Albergue was already full. We are staying at the Hostel run by the Nuns at the back of the albergue. We did 23km today.

some white wine we bought for dinner at 69 euro cents - about a $1 Australian!

Greg carrying a baguette for lunch.

Filling water bottles at the fuente (water fountain)

Judy got pan (bread) from the local bakery, and we found a nice seat in shade outside the cementario to have late breakfast.  The camino path didn’t quite follow the guide we had, and we spent a long time walking along a path next to the freeway. We had taken about 3 litres of water between us, but we were to find that this wasn’t enough. So many pilgrims take very little water, maybe 500ml for 8km of walk in hot sun. We heard a story of 2 american girls that just took cups to drink out of every fuente (water fountain). If its 8km between fountains though you can get into trouble, as they did. Too many pilgrims skimp on carrying water to save weight, and do not appreciate the dangers. We were asked on this stretch for water from another pilgrim.  It must be because we come from Australia, and appreciate the dangers of not enough water.

We made to Najera at 4pm having walked 17km.

We headed out across the plains towards Logrono. It was Sunday and almost everything in Logrono was closed. We now see how walking on concrete and roads is so much harder on the feet than walking on dirt paths. Walking across town was hard on the feet. It was warm again, but we did get some shade from the buildings.

We stopped for an ice cream (and cafe for judy) at a kiosk at the Planto de La Granjera.

The afternoon was hot again (30C) as we walked up the hill towards Navarette. We had booked a hotel room in Naverette, which we need to do every few days so we can get a decent nights sleep.

We had tapas and dinner at Bar Deportivo, which was fantastic, well worth the 12 euros each for 3 courses. Total distance 23km

the concrete walking track leaving Logrono. The track is so hard on the feet that thousands of pilgrims have worn a track in the dirt next to the track

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

It was raining, yet very humid and warm.  Eventually after an hour or so it stopped, but remained cloudy, and humid (about 25C)

Bridge at Puenta La Reina

We had lunch at Cirauque, a nice hilltop town. We spend lunchtime talking to Edith, a New Zelander, who was doing the Camino for the 2nd time.

Cirauqui in the distance

The weather turning hot and sunny again (as it seems to do nearly every afternoon), and it was a hard slog to Estelle. We did not arrive at Estella unti 7:15pm.

The path up to Alto del Purdon - with Wind Turbines on the ridge

The whole ridge is covered in Wind Turbines, and there was  a monument to pilgrims at the top.

We continued down the other side, standing clear occasionally to avoid the mountain bike riders that are also doing the Camino (although much faster than us).

Along the side of the paths are lots of plants, including Blackberries, that as we get further west, are more likely to be ripe.

Judy had a cafe solo grande (long black coffee) in Utegra, and we detoured to Eunate to see an octaganol church that was linked to the knights templar.

We had lunch that we carried with us, and then continued via Obanos, and then to Puente La Reina, where we had a buffet dinner. The was the first buffet dinner in Spain, as normally thay operate on a fixed 3 course menu. Total of 17km for the day.

About 3:15pm in the afternoon we reached Zariquiegui, having done about 11km. It is a very nice privately run Albergue, that provided accomodation for 10 euros including breakfast. They also did dinner for 10 euros which was great around the big dining table.

Walking out of Pamplona with washing drying on the rucksack

A couple of blogs and forums with useful infomation on spanish broadband are The Laptop Junction with information on the bleeding edge of traveling with a laptop, and the prepaid gsm forum, which will probably have new deals.

UPDATE:

Well we have been using Yoigo for about 2 weeks and it is working well. Only once have be blown our 100Mb download limit, and that was when we were stationary for one day. We have been charged 2 Euro a day, which is the current deal with Yoigo if you recharge more than 20 Euros. We have had mostly fast broadband with only a few out of the way places giving us only GPRS, or sometimes EDGE. GPRS has been more common in the mesata – between Burgos and Fromista. However GPRS has been fine for email, especially if we use the Flock brower rather than Firefox.

You can check you remaining balance on MyYoigo, and we successfully recharged our account online at Yoigo

UPDATE 2: We completely lost mobile broadband between Santa Catalina de Somoza and Molinseca. we could pick up an EDGE signal, but it either would not connect or would not stay connected. Once we got down the mountains to Molinaseca we got back to full rate mobile broadband.

Greg outside The Phone House Pamplona

Old city of Pamplona - lots of people about at 7:30pm

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.