David's Camino

Wow.  We have arrived. And by way of a total surprise, Mary - who basically told me to come on the Camino - and her fiancé, Simon, were there to greet us  Most of the afternoon has involved drinks with them and one or two other people I've met along the Way.   And we're planning drinks and food this evening. I'm going to add more in tomorrow's post.  For today, that's all I can say.

An Albergue with a pool, but it's rather too chilly to use! 19km left.   That's pretty unbelievable. A really good meal yesterday with Ben.   After checking in and a rest we went back about half a kilometre and down quite a steep hill to the restaurant, and decided to order a bottle of wine to drink before and during the meal.   It was a bit early to eat, and we understood the waitress to say that the kitchen didn't open until 6. So shortly before that we decided what to eat, then found that we'd misunderstood - the kitchen was closed from 6 to 7.   More wine was consumed - and we moved inside as it was getting cooler. When we did get food, though, it was very good, and plentiful - a plate of cold meats, grilled octopus, and scallops.  The climb back up the hill felt justified. Today we were off out into an initially dull morning at about 8, and found breakfast half an hour or so later in Arzua - Ben went f...

Ribadiso seems to be a small but prosperous place almost entered dedicated to the Camino! So this was the first day walking with Ben!   He arrived yesterday evening after a short panic as to exactly where the bus left from Santiago airport, and then another as to exactly where to get off in Palas de Rei.   A stroll up the hill to the place we were staying, a quick beer at the bar opposite, and a session on the things I've learnt so far about Albergues, the Camino etiquette etc! Today we didn't rush out early but started at about 8.  It had rained steadily much of the night, and stopped just about as we started, but there was still a lot of cloud and it was fairly dark.   We had breakfast about 7km along, the places up to there not being open, and were slightly surprised to find egg and bacon on the menu (must be Ben's influence - though he had egg and chorizo). The plan for today was 26km, and we did a little more, using a coupl...

This turned out to be a good day to be going nowhere - it's rained steadily and at times heavily most of the afternoon! Yesterday afternoon and evening were spending mainly looking round the town - which to be frank doesn't take that much looking round! - and at the Pilgrim Mass in the Church, which was very enthusiastic and welcoming.  Then there was dinner - octopus is a Galician speciality - and the sunset! Today I've mainly just been restful, reading and doing the Guardian crossword.  I've had forays out for breakfast and lunch, but the town isn't the most exciting place for those either.  Perhaps adjusting to the timing of the pilgrim flow, places open early (if at all) in the morning then close and don't open again until mid afternoon; the siesta here seems earlier and longer than most. I'm looking forward to Ben getting here later!

I've arrived at Palas de Rei, which is where Ben is due to meet me tomorrow. It's not a very big town but big enough to have a good reasonable range of shops and cafes.  So I've got quite a peaceful 24 hours to look forward to.  Yesterday afternoon brought something of a coincidence. I'd arrived at the alburgue and selected my bed for the night, and then other people started to turn up. One of them was Jimmy Lee, who spoke with an English accent so we started to chat. He was telling me that he had walked some of the new English Camino which starts at Finchale near Durham, and mentioned that he had been to University at Durham. The next natural question of course was 'which college' and it turned out to be Castle (University College, for the uninitiated). So what are the chances of two Castlemen separated by some 30 years meeting up at an Alburgue in a small village in Northern Spain?   We ate at the Albergue with Toby (from Holland) and M...

A stay selected because it was part way between Portomarin and Palais de Rei.  Ben is due to arrive in Palais de Rei on Friday, and I've booked a two-night stay there for tomorrow and Friday.   Which meant two really rather short walking days from Portomarin.  This place is small, rural and apart from one farm seems entirely dedicated to the Camino. Yesterday afternoon in Portomarin was busy! The town itself is popular and the main streets are flanked with restaurant tables. And I was hailed several times by people I recognised and who knew my name; I have to confess to not always remembering theirs, but they come back to me after a bit!    This morning was chilly, misty and damp. The change since Sarria which was noticeable yesterday was unmistakable today.   It's downright crowded at times - in fact most of the time!  Coming out of Portomarin you cross a bridge, and it was a stream of people; not quite Oxford Street but it f...

Portomarin has a history - it was a town by a Roman bridge over the river Miño.   Then the river became the site of a reservoir, which drowned the town - and the whole place was moved up the hill, complete with rebuilt medieval buildings!   So it all has a fairly clean and new feel. Last night's Albergue was quite remote, which meant that everyone had the meal on offer.  It was a noisy, talkative and sociable occasion.  I found myself next to Christophe, from Lyon, who has walked the Camino from his home town through France and Spain (in installments), and had reached 1700 km in total!   I have an invitation to go to Lyon and then with him to Le Puy en Velay sometime.  (And once again, after a conversation in mixed English and French, all the Spanish has gone again!).   Further down the table were Denise (whom I've mentioned several times) and Linda (ditto), both of whom are in Portomarin tonight. Now that I'...

Barbadelo is a tiny place - basically a couple of Albergues, a church which was once a small monastery, and a farm or two. Yesterday's visit to the monastery at Samos was interesting - but the tour was entirely in Spanish and delivered in a quiet and quick voice.   Google translate could keep up with some of it, and I've been to monasteries before so could fill in some of the gaps from wider knowledge - but I did think they could increase the impact a lot by printing some of the tour details in other languages rather than relying on a single monk! The cloister paintings - mainly 20th century reworkings of more ancient ones after a fire in the 1960s - are quite impressive.  So is the reredos, which is made entirely of chestnut wood. After a meal at 6 I went to Mass in the monastery church; Patrick came too.  It didn't quite qualify as the fastest Mass I've ever heard but it was close!  Mass started at 7:30 and was o...

Samos is the home of the sixth-century Monastery of San Xulián de Samos - he's San Julian in Spanish, but the Galician spelling seems to be the standard here!   I'm staying at the Monastery's 'external' hostel - so not in the monastery, but across the road! Today's walk was really very solitary, and not too long (about 16.5km); which gave me the time and space to appreciate the beauty, despite the occasional showers.    I left at 8; no need to hurry - and everyone else where I was staying was having breakfast before leaving, so I saw no-one else until I reached Triacastela, 7km on and about 550m below where I'd started.  One of the villages on the way down has an 800 year old chestnut tree! Triacastela was quite busy; I had a leisurely breakfast (and solved the Guardian Monday cryptic in 20 minutes!) and went on.   As I was just about to leave the town Steven (the one from Macau, not the one from London) dashed out f...

As planned a shorter distance today, only 17km. But that involved a couple of climbs as well, first the remaining 130m on the Castille side of the mountain, then down a bit, then up again to the Alto de Poio at 1335m (just a few metres short of the height of Ben Nevis).   In fact the three of us then walking together chose an alternative route immediately after the top, which avoided the road and took us about 45m higher, so we ended up higher than Ben Nevis. Yesterday afternoon after the early arrival at La Laguna I had time to relax, get washing done, and see several people I'd seen before passing through, including Francesco whom I'd met way back in León and had thought was well ahead by now. Patrick (from Australia), whom I met in Astorga and was also staying at La Laguna last night. New faces were Steve, originally from London but now living in Portugal, and Stephen (confusingly) from Macau, who studied for 4 years in London. Also passing by we...

Well, today's walk went quickly! Granted it was only 18km, but there was the little matter of 700m of climb as well.   The guides describe this as 'difficult' - but it's not difficult by (say) Lake District standards; it has several very steep bits but the surface is generally very good.  Also I was up early; the usual susurration of people quietly getting ready for early starts was louder than usual, and I was thoroughly awake before 6, so off at 6:30, and breakfast by 7:15 in a cafe attached to a truck stop which the Camino actually passed straight through.  The nearby town had a pilgrim statue at its entrance... Onward to Las Herrerías, which has an almost alpine feel to it. By now the way passes through fields of cattle, with cowbells.  In one was a cow with a calf still slightly unsure of its legs, so not far from new-born.  And there's the option of using horses for the climb! (I didn't). So onward and upward; and t...

And this is where George and I part ways - at least for the present. He wants to be in Santiago by the 28th; I have Ben coming to join me walking as from the 28th, so I want to be about 70km from Santiago at that time. He needs to keep the pace up, and I need to slow down for a few days. It's been good walking with him (well, some walking: I'm faster than he is but he starts earlier!) since we met at Villamayor de Monjardin, and for almost all of that we've been in the same places overnight. We'll meet again in Santiago - and there are outline plans for George and his wife to visit England sometime! Today's walk started early (for me) again. After leaving the urban outskirts the way crossed an area of woodland, almost eerie in the gathering daylight. Throughout the morning rain threatened and at times broke through - never enough to get out the waterproofs but enough to merity small light umbrella. Indeed getting out the umbrella seemed to stop...