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The ABCs of the Camino de Santiago
I can’t believe it has taken me more than two years to write/post this. But it did. Rather than berate myself for taking so long, I choose to think of it as answering two questions I hear frequently: 1) Tell me about that Camino thing you did, and 2) What did you do during COVID […]
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Day 24: Armenal to Santiago de Compostela. We Arrive Oct. 3, 2019
The host of the gatehouse drove us back to the place at which we had ended our walk the day before. It sports the best name of an alberque/bar for its location: Kilometer 15. (See the sign above Donna’s head.) We left early, in low clouds and mist, just as the sun was peaking over […]
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Day 23: Arzua to Armenal (Sooo close, with one more sleep to go)
After that grueling, record-setting trek into Arzua, we looked forward to a “normal” day of about 20K. We were hyperaware that we were just one sleep away from Santiago, and I think that’s why our photos from the day were such a variety of scenery, terrain and people. We wanted to make sure we got […]
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Day 22: Palas de Rei to Arzua (28K?)
The Long Day That Got Longer and Longer We left the rectory relatively early (again, early for us) knowing we had 28K (17 miles) to go, according to the walking notes. Our walking notes had always measured the distance from our lodging to the next destination. Or so we thought. Maybe it was from town/village/city […]
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Day 21: Portomarin to Palais de Rei (Sept. 30)
A 24K Day with a Pleasant Surprise Here’s how our mental math worked. Anything under 20K (12.5 miles) was a short day. A short day meant we might arrive by 3 pm, which meant more time for the hand washed laundry to dry. And writing time for me. And sangria for both of us. Anything […]
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Day 20: Sarria to Portomarin (Sept. 29)
SIG Alert on the Camino Between Sarria and Santiago Donna and I stayed in a hotel in Sarria, and when we went down to breakfast, it was difficult to find a seat. We saw two banquet-style tables and thought it might be for family style seating, which we have enjoyed as a way of meeting […]
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Day 19: Triacastela to Sarria (Sept. 28)
The End of the Camino as We Knew It Is the Beginning of the Camino for Thousands Glory, hallelujah–we woke to warm, dry boots and no rain in the forecast with supporting physical and visual evidence out the window. As I mentioned, part of our routine every morning is to double check the online weather […]
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Day 18: O’Cebriero to Triacastela (Sept. 28)
The DayWe Whined. We have a system in place. The night before we read the weather and get our hiking clothes out and ready to throw on in the morning. We usually double check the forecast first thing in the morning to make sure we have enough layers on our bodies and then any extras […]
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Day 17: Villafranca to O’Cebriero (Sept. 26) 31K
This was our longest, my hardest day EVER. We were leaving the wine country and heading up a river to the top of the world as we know it. The first 20K (12 or so miles) was mostly flat and followed the river. Gorgeous. The last 10K (6 miles) were essentially straight up rocky forest […]
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Day 16: Ponferrada to Villafranca (Sept. 25)
Today we head for the hills and valleys. The Bierzo Valley wine making district to be specific. Walking through a city is not our favorite thing, but Donna and I thoroughly enjoyed the vineyards. Until we “hit the wall” and were just ready to be done!