Day 8: O Cebreiro to Triacastela

The march continues and foot traffic is on the rise. One must complete 100 km to be a true pilgrim eligible for a certificate from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where St. James is presumed to be buried. This town, Triacastela, and the next, Sarria, are about 100 km from the finish line.

Today, we descended the hills. The remaining route will be relatively flat. 87 miles to go.

Check out this tree...It's a Chestnut tree, over 800 years old and still bears fruit.

How's that for inspiration?

Here is the official Camino guard dog...

There are lots of farm dogs on the Camino. They only get upset when hikers go the wrong way!

Sometimes my feet feel like this:

That's it for today. Another big hike tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Day 7: Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro

Our lucky day! Turns out transporting the backpacks and all those Sunol hikes helped us skip right up the Big Climb! We left early and arrived early, so we were able to grab a room. It's the best room we've found, so far....but there's no WiFi there. The whole village is rather off-the-grid. This post will be brief, I'll add more later. The scenery is top-of-the-hill majestic. Here's a peek.

Here are a few more...

O Cebreiro is a historical landmark more than a real town. There are rounded dwellings with thatched roofs representative of the original settlers 1500 years ago. These dwellings were used until the 1960s and have always been part of the pilgrimage route.

These tiny flowers are everywhere at the higher altitude. Curiously, they have no stem.

My favorite light dinner, octopus and a glass of white wine.

Last but not least, the daily stats. We have covered 100 miles!

Day 6: Villafranca del Bierzo to Vega de Velcarce

Another easy day. We cruised a few miles closer to the Big Climb up to O Cerbeiro. Once we reach it, we're in the Glaicia region of Spain.

The Big Climb consists of 3 flat miles then 4 miles to ascend almost 2,200 feet. We are having our bags transported there, not lugging them.

Today, Friday, we are hanging out in a B&B in tiny Vega de Valcarce. It's a short deviation from our plan due to lack of reservations. But this place is a small community that looks out for itself. During lunch at the local bar, a young family stepped in to show off their one-month-old baby. A group of pensioners began an intense card game, with the slightly younger generation circling the action. We  wandered the town during siesta hours. Another town elder was tending to his huge, immaculate garden. He used one tool to weed and the other as a cane. Locals passed by and stopped to chat.  At dinnertime that bar is the hangout for Caminers and locals.  On the terrace were tables of Scotts, Irish, a lady from Korea and we Americans. Inside, the Vega-ns gathered. While we were at dinner, our host placed coffee, fresh bread and snacks in the kitchenette for us. We've been to a few towns that are like Venice: so picturesque, but locals are only around for the tourists. This is not one of those towns.

Using every word of Spanish Google Translate and I could muster, we managed to arrange for our heavy packs to be delivered to the next stop. It's funny how our Spanish hosts will speak more and faster when they realize we don't understand at all.

Day 5: Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo

Back in wine country! How refreshing. It was a relatively flat hike today through beautiful landscape. We are getting smarter about our hikes each day. Today we began at 6:30 am to finish before the afternoon sizzle...and so we are not the last to stumble into town. There was time to check in, shower and thoroughly enjoy the local daily menu. Whew.

Early morning departure:

 

We often see tiny, old churches. They mark the entrance to each town. They are thick-walled, tiny-windowed, just another old, unassuming local church, serving the small nearby community. Some have sculptures on the doorframe or small statues nearby. Today we ventured inside...

Can't judge a church by its cover.

Here is an artifact: an old wine press.

More local sights...

This region specializes in mencia grapes.

Here is what 11€, $13, per person gets you: gazpacho (not pictured because I was too hungry), fried fish, salad, bread, wine, slab of tiramisu, and all the time you want to hang out at the plaza. Tax and tip included.

Day 4: Foncebadón to Ponferrada

Today was a bruiser: 17 miles. Over 6 of those miles we descended 3900 feet of rocky terrain. I wish I could have enjoyed the refreshing scenery more, but I was focused on protecting my ankles. Each day presents it's own challenges.

Achy feet aside, we acheived the highest altitude on the Camino Frances at the Iron Cross, where we each left a stone brought from home, per tradition. According to Wikipedia, that symbolises the port left behind.

We also sauntered through Molinaseca, another impressively preserved village...a little larger than a village. It must have been very wealthy in medieval times.

We arrived at Ponferrada, a fairly large city. The city castle still has a moat and drawbridge. Exploring this will have to wait, however. Tonight we're just going to grab a beer and some local tastes.

Day 3: Astorga to Foncebadón

The scenery is becoming more hilly and interesting. About 50 miles in and still NO blisters! I've adjusted my pack to fit more comfortably and we are learning how to stay hydrated and pace ourselves.

The housing situation is also more interesting. So far, we've winged it, without reservations. Apparently, the Camino is getting crowded and/or the options are dwindling. Today, we could not get a private room. We are bunking true Albergue style...so much for sleep. Anyway, it is clean, nice bathroom and cheap: 10€ each.

Lesson learned. We've booked the next few days. We met one of the people from the first night, Billy from Boston. He clued us in on how to get the best rate and confirmations we can trust. Not being proficient in Spanish can be a problem, even though people are almost always trying very hard to accommodate us, we're not sure about details.

Picture time:

Santhosh on today's Camino

Today's scenery

One more collage...

Stay tuned

Day 2: San Martin to Astorga

Wow. Today the pack seemed to weigh a lot more.

We trekked through the medieval town of Orbigo. People were kind and friendly.

Breakfast was cafe con leche grande and Spanish tortilla, an egg and potato cake. Good fuel. Check out the odd bird (chicken?) Pecking around the cafe garden.

Astorga is another a picturesque town with interesting sites. There's a chocolate museum, closed Mondays. Today is Monday. There's also a bishop's palace designed by Gaudi.

However, the best parts of the hike are the kindness of strangers and meet ups with other hikers we've passed, or been passed by, on the Camino.

Day 1! León to San Martin del Camino

Success! The miles look about right, but it was pretty flat. Not too sure about that elevation calculation.

At first the route was elegantly marked... 

 Then there was the Battle of the Caminos...

Then there were no signs whatsoever. But we knew that as long as we followed the highway, we were going in the right direction.

Finally, we arrived... somewhere in Spain...where there is a nice hostel, Albergue Santa Ana. We're tired, but up for more tomorrow.

This albergue, like most, have dorm-like rooms and private rooms. Showers are shared. Hopefully, we can find private rooms as we go. Dinner was served family style. We met a few fellow pilgrims. I'm looking forward to crossing paths a few times in the coming weeks.

León

It starts here. Tomorrow morning. At the Catedral de León. Built in the 11th to 12th centuries.

 But which way to go? Oh. That way.






We'll pass Gaudi's Casa Botines as we set out.

Just a hint. Ask how big the portions are BEFORE ordering.
I'm glad we've had these days to adjust to the time zone and the Spanish schedule. Lunch is after 1 pm. Restaurants start serving dinner at 8pm. Stores actually close on Saturday afternoon and stay closed on Sunday!

Landed in Madrid

Sept 14

Made it with smooth flights in 12 hours. Our jet-lagged selves checked out Madrid, a little. That's Puerta del sol. It's at the very center of Spain.

These are not hiking shoes, but it'd be fun if they were.

Tomorrow morning it's on to León, where our Camino will begin.

The Plan

Thanks to an online Camino Planner, godesalco.com, and invaluable help from our friends, Manuel and Carol, we have a plan. We think it's a good plan. What could go wrong? That's the adventure!