As it's two years since I walked the Camino Frances , I thought it was a good time to add the photos of my journey and some excerpts from my journal. I hope you enjoy them.
Day One: 10ks around St Jean Pied de Port
Pilgrim passport receiving its first stamp.
Outside my first hostel Beilari.
Shared accommodation with 2 ladies.
Buen Camino 👣👣
Day Two: 25ks Roncesvalles Monastery Pilgrim hostel, my bed for the night. The long climb up here. Snow at the top. All going well and meeting lots of interesting people from all over the world.
Day Three:
Roncesvalles to Zubiri. 18:5ks
Snowy start to the day, but good for walking.
from Spain not France, we’ve already walk well over 25ks before this sign, so maybe it will be 800+ by the end!
Day 4 Zubiri to Pamplona
Another wet cold day..
Following the sign.
Village for the next coffee stop in the distance.
Basque Country signage.
According to the guide book “it was easy flat walking day”.. someone must have added those hills since 😂
Lunch stop, it was bucketing down.
Mary Lynn birthday.
Old and newer houses.
Yesterday I had a rest day in Pamplona. Although I still walked about 10ks around the city. Lots of narrow streets and easy to get lost (I didn’t) I managed to find a post office and a Orange (mobile) shop to do what I needed.
The weather wasn’t particularly great and my photos are a bit dark.
They seem to be doing a lot of renovations on different buildings. Mind you the bull ring certainly is a dirty looking building.
Pamplona to Uterga 17:5kms
Rained most of the day.
This is the hostel I stayed at and I treated myself to a private room.. no snorers, heaven!
Lots of wind turbines on the hills.
Uterga to Maneru, 15ks
Such beautiful greenery today. Most of the walk was flat until the end of the day. Then it was all uphill for two hours.
Not quite the way I wanted to be. Slight slip coming down a hill yesterday. No walking for three days, so I’ve bussed ahead to Burgos for some r&r.
This is Catedral de Santa Maria one of the largest and oldest in Spain. Although quite spectacular the opulence is overwhelming!
Tardajos to Hornillos, great walking day.
Walking with my new Irish mate Miriam.
Huge stork nests.
Colourful buildings.
Green fields.
Hornillos in the distance with lots of pilgrims on the path. 👣👣
Burgos is really a beautiful town.These trees are called Plane trees, they prune them right back Ready for an amazing coverage of leaves.The Carousel was made in 1900.
Nice canal de Castilla walk today from Boadilla to Poblacion. Overcast but mainly dry.
Some black pudding with red peppers.
Old door with a small hand knocker.
Farm building.
Irrigation system.
San Pedro church and the round one is San Martin consecrated in 1066.
Lock gates.
April 24th
Wifi has been okay for everything except photos.
So I have put a few days together.
Boadilla to Poblacion
La Finca Hostel very nice evening meal spent with Irish, Spanish and English pilgrims.
They didn’t do breakfast though so we walked into the next village and enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Hotel Amanecer. Someone had built a mini village in the garden!
Lunch stop at Carrion de los Condes.
We went to the supermarket and bought ham, cheese, bread and fruit. Then had a picnic in the park. We then had a walk around town before catching a taxi the last 5ks.
Moratinos to Sahagun Monastery.
Interesting hill in the village of what looked liked something out of the Hobbits. Actually they are Bodegas which is the traditional way of the village to store their food and wine.
Dinner was huge and shared with two German men. One who shared my room and thought it was okay to answer all his calls on his mobile loudly!
Sahagun Monastery was amazing. €10 for a two bed room with en-suite 💕
The two brothers that ran the place Bernard and Daniel were really interesting to talk with, I say talk, but Bernard spoke French and Daniel Spanish, Miriam and I a combination of Irish, English and my version of Australian 😂but we managed an hours conversation!
Before dinner we went to the Pilgrims Mass and were treated to a special service for 11 of us pilgrims.
Where the local congregation prayed for our safe travel. Very moving.
April 25th
I’d like to share with you all an update I’ve just posted to my Camino group.
So where will I start.. from the beginning I suppose.
My Camino hasn’t been what I had planned
My original thought plan was to do the 100ks from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.
Yet, in my stupid stubbornness I went ahead and committed to St Jean Pied de Port start, because I wanted to say I climbed the Pyrenees. Which I did in a round about way. The mountain was closed, so we had a detour around and up the Pyrenees.
No regrets there, as that night at Bellari was something I’ll remember for ever. Thank you to the two Joseph’s. It’s also where I met my first Camino family Cynthia, Marcia, you were my rocks.
Knowing my capabilities, I walked until 5k short of Roncesvalles and called a taxi for that last bit. I have no guilt in that.
Onwards I marched, meeting a lovely lady called Kathleen and we walked together for a long time.
I was enjoying seeing Irises along the way, I knew my Mum was with me. She always bought me Iris flowers or crockery with Iris on them.
I even got two butterflies following me for awhile, so I know Ian and Mum were with me at that time.😢💕
I conquered hills and rocky roads and was really enjoying my Camino.
Until just before Estella and down I came.... ankle, hip were so bad I had to bus onto Burgos. Where after x-rays and doctors etc I was told to rest and not walk for at least 3 days.
So back on the road I go heading towards Tardajos, where I meet my next fellow walker Miriam from Ireland. Together we travel over a 100 kilometres to Sahagun.
Where here I have to really address my blister on my heal. It’s huge and painful. To add to this I have developed the worse cold I’ve ever had.
My decision now will alter the rest of my journey. I’m too sick to keep on going the full journey, and at 67, I know my body and health issues.
Whilst I have had time to recoup in Leon, I’ve also had time to reflect.
My original plan was from Sarria, so that’s where I’m going. I will train from Leon to Sarria and start my Camino again from that last 100k.
I have enjoyed every moment and even though it hasn’t gone the way I wanted, I think it’s gone the way I need.
I look forward to you all following my final 100ks 👣👣👣👣
To all the wonderful people I have met along the way, keep on enjoying your Camino
Buen Camino 👣👣
26/4/2019
A small walk around Leon.
My mate Antoni Gaudí and I just sharing our architecture drawings!
Lots of statues around town.
Some beautiful old Roman Roads.
A walk through some of the amazing parks in Leon.
April 29th
Arrived in Sarria ready for the last 100+ks
A walk around Sarria.
Ordered a piccolo (small) pizza, I’d hate to see a large!
Parks, gardens and buildings.
Enjoying a bit of sun on my still puffy eyes.
Killer steps, photo taken halfway down.
Party time in the street last night.
Same street this morning.
Purple fluffy towels a luxury for me after my sea to summit camp towel.
May 3rd
Walk, eat, walk,eat,sleep my daily routine but oh what scenery I have passed and stopped at.
My feet are getting used to 15-20k days. In fact today I got so carried away, I walked 5k past my Albergue for the night!! So I taxied back the 5k. Tomorrow, I can taxi forward to where I stopped,and start from there.
Down to double figures now, 62ks to Santiago 👣👣
The journey has come to and end after arriving in Santiago de Compostela on May 7th.
What a great journey I was lucky to have, before Covid changed the world.
Maybe I'll be lucky to return one day.
