Began the walk on Saturday, 18th August, 2012.
Day 1: Walked 28 km/17 miles from Saint Jean Pied-de-Port in France across the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain. A warm, sunny and clear day and the landscape was magnificent. A few hours into the walk I heard a strange rush in the skies, almost surreal, looked up and saw dozens of Griffon vultures soaring above on the mountain thermals. With 1,800 pairs in the region this is the largest Griffon colony in the world. On the highest plateaus were the Manech sheep, known for their milk and Ossau Iraty cheese.
This being the first day and not knowing what to expect, it was a strenuous walk, physically demanding and complicated by trail conditions, many and often steep variations in altitude, and, with only three water points on this stage, serious lack of water. Crossed the French-Spanish border very unceremoniously over a cattle grate. 12 hours from door to door. I should have taken a friend's advice and broken the stage in two and stop for the night, 8 km/5 miles into the walk, at Albergue d'Orisson. Remaining: 770 km/479 miles.
Is in Zubiri, Spain, on Day 2. Walked 22.1 km/13.7 miles. Very agreeable trail conditions on natural pathways, mostly downhill, and pretty scenery. Recovering somewhat from yesterday's unexpectedly tough start-off both in terms of distance and duration. It reminds me that life begins at the end of the comfort zone. A few rain drops and sometimes overcast skies in the afternoon kept the temperature down, though still warm at around 35 C/95 F. A late arrival to Zubiri meant that all beds were taken in the municipal hostel, so I slept on a mattress in the adjacent jai alai sports hall. It turned out to be a better arrangement than sleeping in a bunk bed in one of the jammed sleeping halls. With only six people in the sports hall it was quiet and had lots of fresh air in the big space. Remaining: 741.9 km/461 miles.
Day 3: ReachedPamplona USA 's Deep South this ought to be a walk in the park. That's almost true but really not! Was amused to see many one-day walkers from the surrounding cities in clothes in the traditional bright red color of the Navarre Pamplona Pamplona
Day 4: A day of rest and sightseeing in Pamplona, a beautiful city. Enjoyed hanging around Plaza del Castillo with its restaurants, cafés (particularly Café Iruña with its magnificent and sumptuous interior) and band stand.
Day 1: Walked 28 km/17 miles from Saint Jean Pied-de-Port in France across the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain. A warm, sunny and clear day and the landscape was magnificent. A few hours into the walk I heard a strange rush in the skies, almost surreal, looked up and saw dozens of Griffon vultures soaring above on the mountain thermals. With 1,800 pairs in the region this is the largest Griffon colony in the world. On the highest plateaus were the Manech sheep, known for their milk and Ossau Iraty cheese.
This being the first day and not knowing what to expect, it was a strenuous walk, physically demanding and complicated by trail conditions, many and often steep variations in altitude, and, with only three water points on this stage, serious lack of water. Crossed the French-Spanish border very unceremoniously over a cattle grate. 12 hours from door to door. I should have taken a friend's advice and broken the stage in two and stop for the night, 8 km/5 miles into the walk, at Albergue d'Orisson. Remaining: 770 km/479 miles.
Is in Zubiri, Spain, on Day 2. Walked 22.1 km/13.7 miles. Very agreeable trail conditions on natural pathways, mostly downhill, and pretty scenery. Recovering somewhat from yesterday's unexpectedly tough start-off both in terms of distance and duration. It reminds me that life begins at the end of the comfort zone. A few rain drops and sometimes overcast skies in the afternoon kept the temperature down, though still warm at around 35 C/95 F. A late arrival to Zubiri meant that all beds were taken in the municipal hostel, so I slept on a mattress in the adjacent jai alai sports hall. It turned out to be a better arrangement than sleeping in a bunk bed in one of the jammed sleeping halls. With only six people in the sports hall it was quiet and had lots of fresh air in the big space. Remaining: 741.9 km/461 miles.
Day 3: Reached
Day 4: A day of rest and sightseeing in Pamplona, a beautiful city. Enjoyed hanging around Plaza del Castillo with its restaurants, cafés (particularly Café Iruña with its magnificent and sumptuous interior) and band stand.
What's in a name? The Camino de Santiago from Saint Jean Pied-de-Port in France is sometimes called the French Way, or Camino Francés. Its English name is The Way of Saint James. More interesting is the German name Sankt Jacob Weg because it points directly to where the trail and my destination got their name from: Jakob in old Spanish is Iago, so Saint James a.k.a. Jakob a.k.a. Iago becomes Sant Iago. Santiago! Voila!
Day 5, stage 4: Walked from Pamplona to Puente la Reina. Distance 23.5 km/14.6. Day.one of the summer's warmest days in the region - approaching 40 C/104 F. Physically demanding due to the heat and a long climb to Alto del Perdón. Beautiful views over the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges, though upset by the hundreds of newly erected wind mills spoiling an otherwise pristine countryside. Is scarring the magnificent land God gave us really the price we must pay to get renewable energy?
Day 6, stage 5: Puente la Reina to Estella. 21.9 km/13.6 miles. Passed through vineyards interspersed with olive trees in gently rolling farmland with beautiful villages. Have finally figured out how to adjust the backpack's harness and seven straps for the optimal position, weight distribution, and balance. Was amused by some walkers' remarks about the villages' location on hard-to-get-to mountain tops and had to give them a history lesson: They were built there for defense purposes.
Day 7: Resting in Estella. The municipal albergue is one of very few that allows stay-over, which I needed after of a couple of bad nights ruled by snorers. Attended evening Mass in the Church of San Juan Bautista with its magnificent golden altar.
Day 8: Walked stage 6 from Estella to Los Arcos, 21.1 km/13.1 miles. The day started with overcast skies and light drizzle that soon cleared and made way for blue skies and very pretty clouds. Some of the most beautiful landscape so far with splendid views of vast, stubbled grain fields. Cool weather made it possible to divert the attention somewhat from the temperature and the water situation and enjoy the scenery. This was a very lonely stretch with just a few walkers. Checked in at Hostel Isaac Santiago administered by very caring and hospitable volunteers from a Flemish confraternity. Remaining 653.7 km/406.2 miles.
Thinking is my busiest activity on the Camino. Busier than walking. Walking 798 kilometers/
496 miles alone is a rare and a wonderful opportunity to do what humans should do a lot more: Think. Critical thinking. Reasoning. Uninterrupted, concentrated and for a very long time. Socrates said "The unexamined life is not worth living." Many of life's events come to mind and past decisions put to a severe test with the simple question: "What was he thinking?". The too frequent answer is scary: "He wasn't!".
Day 9: Walked stage 7 from Los Arcos to Viana. 17.4 km/10.6 miles. Temperature much lower, i.e. in the high 20s C/low 80s F, so bearable. Lovely landscape, impressive views, beautiful villages. Checked in at the very nice Andrés Muños municipal hostel, originally a monastery, with garden terrace overlooking the valley and Logroño in the distance. The wine gets cheaper as La Rioja province gets nearer. Ultreya!
Day 10: Walked stage 8 from Viana to Logroño, at 9 km/5.6 miles the shortest yet in realization that El Camino is not a race, should not follow a script or a guide book's recommendations, but be what suits the individual. This is the only way to understand and live El Camino, its cities, towns, and people.
Day 11: Staying an extra day in Logroño, so had to change hostel (the municipal hostel again allows only one night's stay), but the manager at the first hostel was helpful and arranged reservation of a bed and backpack storage at hostel number two. Took a local bus to Bilbao - a couple of hours away - for a day trip and visit to the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Gehry's exciting architecture and masterful play with titanium sheets to make the roof look like a giant flower.
Day 12: Walked stage 9 from Logroño to Navarrete. 12.7 km/7.9 miles. A short walk today but did not want to take the chance that there was no bed in the next town's small albergue, and Nájera is too far away. The weather has cooled down considerably. The daily blood sugar need now easily met by the blackberries and excellent Rioja grapes along the Camino. Saw the first of many wire fences along El Camino with hundreds of crosses made by wooden sticks or strips of bark attached to the fence. Checked in at a private, small, uncrowded and very nice hostel. Relaxed with more Rioja and olives in a tapas bar on the pretty village square below the imposing 16th century Church of the Assumption.
Day 13, stage 10: Walked from Navarerrete to Nájera, 20.4 km/12.7 miles, under grey skies and occasional light drizzle. The cool weather made the walk quite easy. Rioja's vineyards are everywhere in sight as confirmation that some of Spain's best wine awaits ahead (free with the pilgrim supper!).
Walking El Camino is a very private, personal and quiet experience. Even couples sometimes walk separated - often several hundred meters apart. It's almost like they have agreed: "No offense, Dear. Nothing personal, but I need to be alone. I need to think".
Day 14, stage 11: Walked from Nájera to Santo Domingo de Calzada, 21 km/13 miles. Beautiful cool day under a mostly sunny sky making it possible to keep a good pace. The vineyards have given way to gently undulating farmland covered with bright, yellow stubbles from the recent grain harvest. The views are magnificent! The modern, near-ghost town of Cirueña, with the most life around the golf club house, is a stark reminder of the Spanish real estate market gone terribly wrong. Visited the beautiful cathedral with the Domingo Garcia's tomb (and the coop with cock and hen). Saint Dominic is one of El Camino's legends. Visited the beautiful adjacent museum.
Checked in at the large Albergue Casa del Santo, operated by the Spanish Confraternity, with chicken coop in the garden for the fowl that take part in the cathedral's exhibit. Noticed with joy and hope for a good night's sleep that the hostel had an assigned room for snorers. Got a bed in the non-snorers' sleeping hall but, alas, the check-in procedures failed, the hall was full of snorers, and what was to be a quiet and restful night turned out to be anything but. Spared the donativo.
Day 15, stage 12: Walked from Santo Domingo de Calzada to Vilamayor del Río, 17.1 km/ 10.6 miles. The morning was chilly and windy but soon the sun started to warm and with the clouds painted a beautiful farmland scenery. Left Rioja Province and entered Burgos Province but the wines are still very good!
A fellow pilgrim I have met a few times commented on my always white clothing. I haven't thought of it and will admit: White socks, light beige shorts and white Jockey T-shirt. All-cotton, light clothes are very comfortable to wear, they absorb perspiration, are easy to wash after a day's walk and dry enough next morning to be put away in the backpack without making everything else damp. White clothes deflect the sun and are cooler and they help keep a clean body! Helpful experiences from living in the tropics and sub-tropics.
Day 16, stage 13: Walked from Vilamayor del Río to Villafranca Montes de Oca, 16.8 km/10.4 miles. Another cool, windy morning with grey clouds and it was lunchtime before sun and warmth came back. Walked through Belorado in the early morning hours and found it full of young people still partying and the town trashed from bullfights and village festivities the night before. A rare sight in an otherwise sober and very clean country. Glad I didn't stay in that town last night! Checked in mid-afternoon at a converted 12th century pilgrim hospital, now a lovely combined albergue and three-star hotel that allows albergue guests full access to the hotel's fine amenities. Soaking it in! Summary: Walked 249.9 km/155.3 miles (not adjusted for climbs), remain 539.2 km/335 miles.
I am impressed with the general standard and overall condition of the Camino's hostels, municipal as well as private. It took me some time to figure out the good quality: Because 2010, just two years ago, was a "holy year", i.e St. James' Day, July 25, is a Sunday and pilgrims walk El Camino in far greater numbers than usual, most hostels were renovated, refurbished, repaired, repainted, re-everything for that occasion. And the Pope came to Santiago de Compostela which drew even more pilgrims. So everything pilgrim related along El Camino was given a "brush-up" and extra attention. Everything still looks good.
Day 17, stage 14: Villafranca Montes de Oca to Castañares, 31.1 km/19.3 miles. The longest distance on El Camino so far, definitely extreme, but the weather and conditions were right: partly cloudy, cool, dry, wind from behind, and mostly downhill. A bit frustrated with map not showing some important details, lack of Camino signs, a few wrong turns, and concerns about water. Very lonely: saw only three other hikers (lost them somewhere behind me) and five bicyclists. Most uninteresting one-hour approach to Castañares (a suburb to Burgos) along the Burgos Airport security fence and through industrial areas.
A few kilometers from Villafranca into Montes de Oca is the Monumento a los Caidos, a stark monument to the fallen caidos during the Spanish Civil War. With Burgos, the seat of General Franco's government until 1938, not far away, this region saw some of the fiercest fighting during that war.
Day 18, stage 15: Castañares to Burgos. An easy and short 6.9 km/4.3 miles morning walk through Burgos's suburbs, though Camino signage missing or lost in the clutter of big city traffic directions. The selected downtown auberge would accept only one night's stay (planning two nights here), so went for a hotel. Kicking up the feet.
Day 19: Relaxing in Burgos, sometimes referred to as the Gothic capital of Spain, a very pretty and architecturally rich city with a magnificent cathedral.
It is easy to meet other walkers on El Camino, though it is entirely up to each person to decide how little or how much conversation or interaction it leads to. If you happen to be on the same schedule as another person or small group, it is very likely that you meet again in the next few days, maybe even several times until Santiago de Compostela. But one's privacy is always respected and meetings rarely involve more than exchange of pleasantries or a single lunch or dinner together.
Day 20, stage 16: Walked 20.1 km/13 miles from Burgos to Hornillos del Camino. After several partly cloudy days with a strong and cool wind, today was warm, calm and sunny. Spanish summer is back. The trail was relatively flat so I made good progress to Rabé de las Calzados before the climb to the alto meseta, or high plateau, with fine views of the surrounding valleys. The municipal albergue in Hornillos del Camino was full and I was for the second time assigned a mattress and floor space in the local jai alai hall. Only a dozen other guests in the big space. Not a bad situation considering the packed, small sleeping halls in the albergue.
A common and somewhat scary sight on El Camino is the many, maybe around 100, memorials and markers to pilgrims who died on their walk. Some are large enough to suggest that it is the actual above-ground burial place. They are unusual because only a religious or pilgrim route would have such memorials. They are scary because of the number of memorials. Is walking this dangerous? Were many of the pilgrims in such poor health that it was likely that they would drop dead on the way? Do some Christian pilgrims walk the Camino to seek healing for their illness but die? Or do they have premonition about their death?
Day 21, stage 17: Walked 20.2 km/12.6 miles from Hornillos del Camino to Castrojeriz. The Spanish summer weather is back with a vengeance and temperatures in the mid 30s C/mid 90s F. A fairly easy day on the high plateau with great valley views and moderate elevation changes. Very quiet, no sounds except from my own feet and the occasional jet airliner passing over high in the sky. Status: Walked 329.1 km/204.5 miles. Remain: 460 km/285.8 miles.
Day 22, stage 18: Walked 19.2 km/11.9 miles from Castrojeriz to Boadilla del Camino. Another relatively easy day with cool morning and walk across the vast Tierra de Campos. Attended evening Mass in the 16th century parish Church of Santa Maria.
Still resisting what too many walkers do: Ship the backpack between overnight places by courier service. The inner journey on the Camino invites one to take inventory of many things in life, including separating needs and wants. Similarly, the outer journey should be with needs only and not loaded with wants: Clothes for a several weeks, mouthwash, moisturizing cream and books that for money never get on the pilgrim's back and conveniently shipped and delivered at the next destination.
Day 23, stage 19: Walked from Boadilla del Camino to Villalcázar de Sirga, 20.9 km/13 miles. Friendly, level walk along Canal de Castilla and rio Ucieza. Met very few pilgrim walkers and almost no bicyclists. It is really quiet out here. Spent time in Fromista to admire Iglesia de San Martin. Consecrated in 1066 it is one of the finest examples of pure Romanesque architecture inSpain
Day 23, stage 19: Walked from Boadilla del Camino to Villalcázar de Sirga, 20.9 km/13 miles. Friendly, level walk along Canal de Castilla and rio Ucieza. Met very few pilgrim walkers and almost no bicyclists. It is really quiet out here. Spent time in Fromista to admire Iglesia de San Martin. Consecrated in 1066 it is one of the finest examples of pure Romanesque architecture in
Day 24, stage 20: 23.7 km/14.7 miles from Villacázar de Sirga to Calzadilla de la Cueza, a curious Klondike-like community way out in the Spanish sticks. Last night's rain and thunder and partly sunny skies kept temperature down for a very long walk lacking shade and water. This is a stretch of the original Roman road still intact after 2,000 years of use. With only a half-dozen other walkers in sight and no-one within earshot this was the perfect day to solve all the world's problems. Had a productive debate with myself and all my ideas were accepted unopposed.
I knew it would be a daytime challenge to walk El Camino, so it came as a surprise that there was a bigger nighttime challenge: the inconsiderate walkers one meets at the municipal albergues and even at some private hostels. Most of the walkers, by far, are very nice and friendly, but there are some bad characters in between (mostly middle-aged male Spaniards). Because of the Camino's generally very different daily schedule and sometimes frustrating routines, - certainly not what one is used to at home, who knows why these angry people are walking El Camino in the first place? It seems that the love of man and one's neighbor, the kindness and courtesy so strongly promoted on the Camino, are severely tested and sometimes thrown in the ditch.
Day 25, stage 21: 22.9 km/14.2 miles from Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagún. Had a confusing start because of lacks of details on guide map and waymarks for the recommended woodland trail and ended criss-crossing over plow fields before picking up the roadside senda where I started an hour earlier! Passed the halfway point on the journey to Santiago de Compostela. The countryside changed only little from flat to lightly undulating. Good walking weather: The sun was out all day, but the humidity low. Stayed in the very nice Monasterio Benedictinas, maintained by voluntary Madres Benedictinas hospitaleras, for much needed sleep, peace and quiet.
Why are there so many taxi companies in Sahagún, a relatively small town? Walkers who must break their walk (or give up!) call a taxi from this town to be brought to the train station, one of the few along the pilgrim road.
Day 26, stage 22: Walked an easy 17.7 km/11 miles from Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero. The weather continues to be very favorable for the Camino walkers. With the provincial capitol León not far away, the gradually encroaching roads and rail lines, some newly finished but not yet in use, are reminders of the constant and mostly unfriendly clash between nature, history and man. Even between the 2,000 years old Roman road walked by Emperor Augustus (and now me) and the new, close-by four-lane highway with speeding cars, buses and trucks. Noticed that the church towers in El Burgo Ranero have spires. All village church towers till now have had flat tops, so I wonder what event in Christianity or history created this new building style.
Day 27, stage 23: Walked El Camino's longest stretch with no water fountains and little shade, 18.8 km/11.7 miles from El Burgo Ranero to Mansilla de las Mulas. Brilliant weather: sunny, few clouds, low humidity. Vast, flat, agricultural land only broken by the Monteros de León in the distant west and Cordillera Cantabrica mountains (an extension of the Pyrenees) in the far north. Pulled out the iPod nano for the first time and realized that, with no distractions and hundreds of miles still to walk, this is the perfect setting to listen to and concentrate on great music. Thank you J.S. Bach, King's College Choir, Mozart - and Steve Jobs. Walked 453 km/281.4 miles. Remain 336.1/208.9 miles.
Many Camino walkers decide not to walk from Mansilla de las Mulas to León and take the bus instead. This to avoid walking through the uninteresting industrial and retail suburbs of León. I do not agree with this selective smörgåsbord approach to walking El Camino.
Day 28, stage 24: Walked 18.6 km/11.6 miles from Mansilla de las Mulas to León on this 28th day - and the end of the fourth week. This near León, the provincial capital, the Camino was either along a busy road or through the city's spreading urban blight, even a Repsol filling station, so a lot of distractions and little pleasure. Messrs. Bach, Mozart and Jobs provided much needed comfort most of the way.
Day 29: Resting in León. The old city is beautiful, the Cathedral magnificent and, like the city's other old churches, impressively restored to its original glory. Attended evening Mass in one of the many Cathedral chapels.
Found this León hotel room notice and possible clue to why tens of thousands of unemployed Spaniards eligible to work anywhere within the EU are stuck in Spain:
"Soliciten el mando a distancia del televisior en recepción. Request the control distantly of the television in receipt".
Translated: "Ask for your television remote control at the Reception".
Day 30, stage 25: Walked from León to Villar de Mazarife, 22.2 km/13.8 miles. The exit from León was as uninteresting as the entry, but with businesses closed for Sunday all was quiet, even the roads. The silence continued into the relatively isolated countryside with surprisingly few walkers and almost no bicyclists. Maybe the Camino hordes have begun to go home. Except for a few patches of grain, corn and vegetable, the land seemed inhospitable and uncultivated.
Day 31, stage 26: Walked from Villar de Mazarife to Hospital de Órbigo, 14.1 km/8.8 miles. Today and tomorrow are some of the few days where the distance between the only overnight facilities available makes it difficult to decide how far to walk. You either walk a very long distance in one day, or you break it up and walk shorter distances in two days. I chose the latter - better safe than sorry. The weather was nice, partly overcast and cool, the terrain mostly flat and agreeable but the scenery unimpressive. Remaining distance to Santiago: 295.3 km/183.5 miles.
Day 32, stage 27: Walked from Hospital de Órbigo to Astorga, 18.1 km/11.2 miles. A gentle climb into pretty hills in very unspoiled land, some with small patches of wine now being harvested, made for a good day. Mostly overcast skies kept the temperature down and the forecasted rain didn't come. The soil - and the road - is very stony around here; not kind to farmers or walkers. Though far into the walk, I tried to solve the everyday problem of inadequate breakfasts and practical snacks with the first purchase of a big package of fiber biscuits. From a backpack weight point of view it is not practical to carry food for several days, even a package of biscuits, but the lack of proper breakfasts is really getting to me!
For many Camino walkers and pilgrims access to the Internet is important, particularly if the walk is more than a couple of weeks. Wi-Fi (pronounced wiffy in Spain) is critical for that purpose and, amazingly, it is everywhere on the Camino. Albergues, hostels, restaurants and bars, even in the smallest hamlets, offer free, fast and stable Wi-Fi connection. Unlike some very prominent, public and busy places in other parts of the world where one would think free Wi-Fi was a given, such as most airports and train stations, fancy restaurants, even some public libraries. But be careful what electronic communication device you bring. Not even an iPad or other tablet is light when it must be carried across Spain!
Day 33, stage 28: 21.4 km/13.3 miles from Astorga to Rabanal del Camino. After a brief morning visit to Astorga Cathedral, continued on the Camino in brilliant weather - clear, crisp and cool after overnight rain showers. A gentle climb with pretty views all around into the Monteros de León. A good pace - and tomorrow's much steeper climb in mind - allowed an early arrival at the Refugio Gaucelmo - and the last bed at this famous monastery and confraternity administered by the London based Confraternity of St. James. Interestingly, it only accepts peregrines who carry their own backpacks. Hard work still has its rewards! Attended evening vesper in Iglesia de la Santa Maria XII offered by Austrian Benedictine missionary monks in Gregorian chant, as for the last thousand years. Though the monastery and albergue are exceptionally well managed and maintained, there was no way to keep the snorers out. In the middle of the night I dressed, walked downstairs to a reading room, slumped over a table and got a few hours sleep.
Day 34, stage 29: Walked from Rabanal del Camino to Acebo, 17 km/10.6 miles. An adequate (very rare) breakfast prepared by the wonderful refugio volunteers was what was needed for this relatively short but strenuous walk across Montes de León. Cool temperature and a brilliant sky made it possible to enjoy climbing to El Camino's highest point (at 1,505 meters/4,940 feet this is 55 meters/183 feet higher than the Pyrenees crossing) - a gain of 355 meters/1,182 feet from Rabanal - and descend to Acebo and admire the view of the mountains and valleys on the way. Blooming heather and early Fall colors added to the splendor of a deep-blue sky. Kept a really good pace all the way and beat most of the other walkers on the "race" for a bed in Acebo.
A group of French walkers created a ruckus in the sleeping hall in the middle of the night when a woman found a "leach" in her bed. It turned out to be a bedbug, which can be unpleasant but are common. I said something like "If you don't like bedbugs you shouldn't be on the Camino", which probably kept the woman awake the rest of the night. Fine; she was a snorer.
Day 35, stage 30: Walked from Acebo to Ponferrada, 17 km/10.6 miles. The Camino descend from Montes de León continued through several pretty villages, clearly distressed by Spain's lousy economy, a sagging Camino trade, and partly abandoned by its inhabitants looking for work elsewhere, Sadly, many houses are falling into disrepair. In contrast, the valley and tall mountain sides are breathtakingly beautiful in their early Fall colors. The outskirts of Ponferrada and the pretty valley - with a micro-climate mild enough for orchards and vineyards - quickly gave way for bland suburbs and a town sadly blemished by graffiti. Remains: 208.7 km/129.7 miles.
Sore feet and legs seem to be on everyone's mind, and blisters and creams and bandages are topics of many conversations I stay out of. My theory is probably not popular: The more you cared about your feet before the walk, i.e. with pedicures, foot baths, creams and lotions, the more likely you are to develop problems when the pamper stops and the feet get beaten on El Camino. I haven't had a foot treatment in years and have no leg or foot problems on the Camino.
Day 36, stage 31: Walked 23.4 km/14.5 miles from Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo. It took almost two hours' walk for the landscape to shake off Ponferrada's impression. The Bierzo valley's warm climate allows impressive wine production, which dominates the agriculture. Warm, sunny weather confirms how ideal this place is for wine growing. The harvest is in full swing. Plenty of ripe grapes along the Camino helped getting a good sugar rush when needed. Villafranca is the last stop before the strenuous walk across Sierra de los Ancares to Galicia province. A light drizzle set in at dusk.
Day 37: Resting in Villafranca del Bierzo. Weather a bit wet with light showers, but better to have rain on a rest day than walking the Camino.
For someone who has always thought it looked silly to walk around with earphones sticking out of the ears, it has come as a surprise how much I like my iPod nano and listen to music while walking. Two reasons: It breaks the monotony of hearing one's foot steps, and walking allows me to listen without distractions. Listening to music, except in a concert hall or church, is almost always done while doing something else, which is really an insult to the composer and the performers. Like reading a book with background music is an insult to the author. A very long walk like El Camino is the next-to-perfect setting to listen to one's favorite music with the attention its composers and the performing artists deserve.
Day 38, stage 32: Walked 15.5 km/9.6 miles from Villafranca del Bierzo to La Portela de Valcarce. A relatively short walk but starting with an immediate and steep 400 m/1,332 ft. ascent out of Villafranca into the Sierra de los Ancares mountains. This is ideal land for chestnut forests, which are everywhere. Later, what goes up must come down! Chose the scenic and remote Pradela route to avoid passing and following the noisy roads through the valley. The new A-6 four-lane highway, built almost parallel to the N-IV, may have reduced the traffic on the secondary road and made it safer for walkers, but the overall noise has increased to an annoying level audible miles away. The mountains and valleys are beautiful but badly scarred by man's quest for progress: The A-6 highway and hundreds of electricity pylons and their crackling power lines. Checked in at a hostal in anticipation of all-day rain tomorrow, i.e. staying put.
Day 39: Hunkered down in La Portela de Valcarce while a low pressure with lots of rain passes.
Day 40: Still in La Portela de Valcarce with the tail end of a big low-pressure system passing through. Weather definitely improving but skies not clear yet. The private hostel is comfortable, the staff friendly, the single room with private bath is comfortable, clean and quiet. But all little consolation for the wet and cloudy weather and uninteresting location near the N-IV highway and a busy truck stop.
Day 41, stage 33: Walked 20.1 km/12.5 miles from La Portela de Valcare to Hospital de la Condesa. Some early morning mist burned off quickly and gave way to brilliant sunshine. Past days' rain had cleared the air and the visibility across the mountain valleys, back over Castilla y León and into Galicia province, was unlimited. The landscape was spectacular but the trail also demanding and required several stops on the 700 m/2,345 ft ascent to regain the breath, admire the view and take pictures.
El Camino is a very long walk and generally in the same east-to-west direction. One soon gets used to seeing one’s own shadow in front in the morning hours, first very long, then getting shorter and gradually turning to the right before disappearing behind oneself in the afternoon. One is rarely in doubt about the direction toward Santiago
Day 42, stage 34: Walked 17km/10.6 miles from Hospital de la Condesa to Triacastela. Found out that a fellow albergue guest (a rude, middle-aged male Spaniard) had stolen my guidebook before he left very early in the morning. A cool morning with mostly overcast skies - some of the clouds, viewed from above, covered valleys deep below like whipped cream. Another ascent to 1,337 m/4,479 ft., over and then down the impressive slopes of Sierra do Rañadoiro. The sun broke through before noon and allowed pretty views of the Galician mountain village of Triacastela. This is genuine Galicia country with obvious roots in Gaelic culture. Notice the similarity of the two words. Triacastela even has a bagpipe and drum street band. Remaining distance to Santiago de Compostela: 135.5 km/84.2 miles.
Day 43, stage 35: Walked 21.5km/13.4 miles from Triacastela to Sarria. Low-hanging clouds quickly evaporated in the morning sun and revealed some of the prettiest mountain slopes and valleys yet. Galicia's Sierra do Rañadoiro is the first obstacle to be hit by winds that traveled across the Atlantic and now dump their moist, making this part of Spain very wet, lush and green. But not arable because of the topography and poor soil, so grassy cow fields, shrubs, and lots of trees, particularly chestnut, oak and poplar, dominate.
Sarria, 126 km/78 miles from Santiago de Compostela, is the last major town outside the 100 km/62 miles radius from Santiago - the distance that entitles a walker to the Camino certificate. And it is the last town outside that perimeter with rail and bus service. Sarria is therefore the starting point for a lot of Camino walkers: Tourists, those for whom religious faith and Christianity are inconveniences, those who walk the Camino for fun and to find new friends, for inexpensive food and wine, to escape a troubled everyday life at home, those who need to check off a destination on their bucket list, an item on the "Been there, done that" list, or on the list of "[Pick a number] Things You Must Do Before You Die". I call them the 100 kilometer "pilgrims".
Day 44, stage 36: Walked 21.5 km/13.4 miles from Sarria to Portomarin. Another very fine day with clear, blue skies and low humidity. Perfect for a long walk. The 100 kilometer minimum walk to earn the Camino certificate, Sarria being just outside the limit, has brought a lot of new faces to the Camino. The green landscape is now distinctly Galician and strongly influenced by early Gaelic settlers, i.e. with cattle (not seen since Navarre), stone houses, and centuries old stone walls along the Camino separating grazing and crop fields and farmers' land. Irish walkers should feel at home.
Day 45, stage 37: Walked 22 km/13.7 miles from Portomarin to Palas de Rei. October arrived shrouded in fog so not much to see out of Portomarin. Just as well; the near-deserted warehouses, fertilizer and animal feed plants were seen best in the mist. Up the mountain the fog hugging the trees in the oak and pine forest added appropriate mysticism to the Camino. It was near noon before the sun burnt off the fog and revealed the pretty, high ridges and surrounding mountains. The second half stretch along, but mostly on a paved, secondary road with almost no traffic made it possible to keep an excellent pace. The 100 kilometer "pilgrims" were out in droves, but their pedicured feet couldn't beat my tried and proven. Status: Walked 712.5 km/442.8 miles; remain: 64.5 km/40.1 miles.
Day 46, stage 38. Walked 15 km/9.3 miles. "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain". Maybe so, but Galicia does get its share. The day started in Palas de Rei well and dry under grey skies, but soon showers with light rain moved in. Happily, long stretches of the walk were through dense forests of oak, chestnut, eucalyptus, pine and fern - strangely all in one, only interspersed with small fields of blooming heather and thistle, so very pretty and good shelter. Eventually had to pull out the rain jacket - for the first time. Not a bad record for such a long walk. But spoiled by good weather till now and disappointed by gloomy skies and no sunshine I decided to stop in Melide. The 100 kilometer "pilgrims" were busily asserting themselves with obsessive talk, if not with each other then on their cellphones. The "Buen Camino" greeting, an established courtesy among Camino walkers, seems unknown to these newcomers and even startles them when offered. I'll teach them before Santiago! Had both lunch and dinner at the hugely popular Melide pulperia Exequiel with the regional speciality, octopus pulpo.
How low will some 100 kilometer "pilgrims" sink to obtain the Camino certificate? By taxi between restaurants, bodegas, churches, any place that will stamp their "Credencial del Peregrino". Shame on them!
Day 47, stage 39: Walked 13.5 km/8.4 miles, mostly downhill, from Melide to Arzúa, the last major town before Santiago de Compostela. The dry, sunny weather was back and allowed a pleasant walk through the beautiful, hilly landscape dominated by small forests and corn fields. A fourth wine grape has appeared on the trip: Mencia. With also Navarre, Rioja and Berzio this is a relatively small region for four distinct grapes. The villages and hamlets along the Camino are now more frequent and clearly benefiting from the larger number of walkers this close to Santiago. Pilgrims and farmers are the only contributors to the local economy, so albergues, bed & breakfast places, restaurants and bars are important businesses here. So are the souvenir shops, which before were an extension of a bar with a few trekking poles, scallop shells and a half-dozen Camino related trinkets, but have now transformed to Chinese "bazaar" shops. The ever present television in restaurants and coffee shops hasn't changed a bit: Soccer and game shows rule!
Lost and never found: With very few personal belongings on a long journey, one remembers losing a few essentials. A handkerchief was left behind in my room in Villalcázar de Sirga, a nail clipper is somewhere on the approach to León, and a small tube of cold sore medicine is somewhere in the outskirts of Santiago.
Day 48: Walked 39 km/24 miles on this last day; the longest day stretch on the Camino. Started a bit late out of Arzúa as I wanted the morning fog to burn off. It did and the walk through eucalyptus woods with gullies and deep cuts along corn fields was very pretty. The 100 kilometer "pilgrims" were everywhere - some even bused in to a convenient starting point. O Pedrouzo was the initially planned stop for the night, but feeling good and with excellent weather why not move on and avoid the scramble to find a bed in this tiny village? Good decision. I had the Camino almost for myself all afternoon! Curiously, the medieval pilgrims' strongholds and facilities, the churches, the monasteries and hospitals, even the Christian symbols, seem gone. Even the Coca-Cola sign has replaced the Christian cross as the most common fixture. Santiago appeared late on the walk. Except for the approach light installations at the airport, maybe a plane or two taking off from a runway you can't see, two big television company compounds, and a steel processing plant, you wouldn't think you are anywhere near a big city. Then, walking out of the forest, down the hill, suddenly Santiago is there in the valley! Modern looking, nothing pretty and far from the venerable place I had expected. After another hour or so through suburbs I reached the old town, the huge cathedral to honor the great St. James, and the end of all Europe's Caminos.
Completed Camino Francés that began 798 km/496 miles away in Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port in France. Today's walk was stage 40 which reminds me of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke where Jesus, after being baptized, fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean desert.
Day 49, stage 41, October 4: Walked less than a mile from my hotel to the huge Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela for the standing-room-only pilgrims' 12 o'clock Mass, which is how pilgrimages have ended in this city for about 1,500 years. It was moving to see hundreds of pilgrims entering the cathedral and finding a place in the pews with their backpacks and trekking poles, obviously arrived in the city within the last hour or so on the last stage of God knows how long a pilgrimage. There were also the 100 kilometer "pilgrims" and scores of other tourists to whom the Mass was a show, just another expression of a 2,000 year old hoax that won't go away. And there were all the Thomases thinking something like "Can this many people be wrong?"
In the opening minutes of the Mass, the celebrant read a list of nations from which pilgrims arrived the previous day.
Watched in awe as the eight red-robed tiraboleiros sent the botafumeiro, or censer, with about 40 kilograms of charcoal and incense soaring through the cathedral vaults. Went from the cathedral to the Oficina de la Peregrinacion to get my Compostela, the official certificate in Latin of the completed pilgrimage.
On October 7 I took the bus from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and, according to ancient custom, tossed the scallop shell I had carried from Saint Jean Pied-de-Port, attached to my backpack, into the Atlantic Ocean. I returned to Santiago on the same bus.
Some serious Camino pilgrims walk these 90 kilometers/56 miles to Finisterre to "complete" the walk. Yes, in the old days a lot of pilgrims walked the last stretch to "the end of the world", but it was before much was known about the world, at a time when most pilgrims had never seen an ocean, so standing at the edge of what was thought to be a flat earth, in God's cathedral, and tossing the scallop shell into the ocean became the symbolic end of El Camino. My pilgrimage, with millions before me, ended in Santiago's cathedral.
I walked El Camino without any mental "baggage" and did not expect a conversion, revelation or epiphany. Besides being a nice, long walk in the country, the pilgrimage was intended to be a spiritual and religious affirmation and, through critical thinking, a confirmation of already established faith, opinions and ideas. On all accounts it was a success.
