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LIVE from the Camino Albertagirl on the Levante

Albertagirl said:
I am just trying to find my way around.
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How is the waymarking?

Albertagirl said:
My two tracks on my phones: old and new, seem to have been disagreeing with each other.
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Do you mean you have two different tracks?
Or that you have one track, and they appear to be different now, on your new phone?

You could always start over. This site has tracks for all routes in Spain and has been recently updated, in June. Downloads are easy and don't take much time, even on a slow connection (I tried here where it's super slow). I have OSMand and they show up automatically, but I don't know how it works for Maps.me.

Hang in there, @Albertagirl! You're culivating grace and grit!
Buen camino petegrina!
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Albertagirl
you are one amazing woman and that’s for sure

Here I am at the airport and almost ashamed that I was not able to face The Ingles alone when I see what problems you have faced ..and overcome them.

still, this is my first solo walk and and I still feel a little pride dare I say that I managed it without any hassle
next time though” himself” will be accompanying me!!
best wishes and good luck for the rest of your journey
Annette
 
VNwalking said:
Do you mean you have two different tracks?
Or that you have one track, and they appear to be different now, on your new phone?
Click to expand...

Hi @Albertagirl
You’re getting there !
I use maps me also - I had the Dutch file (with tracks to all routes) downloaded on my phone for last year; but they weren’t the most current at that time. Maybe., as VNwalking says above - they are better now.
As I had not been prepared for my Levante section from Toledo due to a last minute (Covid related) switch…. I was ‘faffing’ about a little and couldn’t access the levante guide. A forum
Member @Josefus ‘unzipped’ the kml files for maps me & sent the tracks to my email. So kind .
I ended up with differing tracks too.
Mostly, I followed the new ones; also to keep battery use down ., I had my wifi & data off and phone set on airplane mode. I could still hop in to maps me using gps to check if I was ‘on track’ if I hadn’t seen arrows or was concerned. I found that the direction was pretty easy to guess in most instances.
I wish I was there with you now. It’s really great walking where you are now. Although you are probably getting used to being alone by now. I found it made me feel stronger. So you are probably getting into your stride — but it would be good to have someone there to bounce your thoughts off .
Peregrina2000 is probably giving you heaps of ideas on accommodation (behind the scenes - she did that for me too).

By the time you finish this camino . You’ll be feeling like you can fly .. I was mainly concerned about your mood now and how you were finding the walking itself. Is your pack okay ?

I’m following you closely - we’re all so impressed at your tenacity.

Buen camino
Annie
 
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My pack is too heavy. My back and shoulders hurt most of the time. I try to ration my pain medications, adjust my pack, and keep on trucking. That is how my days go.
 
Hi Albertagirl,

I admire your determination, but it does not seem that you are finding much joy in this route, under these circumstances. It is easy for us from afar, at our desks or armchairs, to cheer you on. But perhaps when you reach Avila, it would be wise to consider other route options that will allow more security and contemplation.

Best wishes, whatever you decide!
 
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I want to add my few words of encouragement. You have been planning this for such a long time, and everyone looking in at your thread is so willing for you to make it, and enjoy it. I wish you a safe and buen camino till the end.
 
kirkie said:
You have been planning this for such a long time, and everyone looking in at your thread is so willing for you to make it, and enjoy it.
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Absolutely. But sometimes one needs to know when to change courses, and that decision should not be unduly influenced by the cheering spectators!
 
Albertagirl said:
My pack is too heavy. My back and shoulders hurt most of the time. I try to ration my pain medications, adjust my pack, and keep on trucking. That is how my days go.
Click to expand...
Its hard to enjoy it as much when you’re aware of pain. I know you are an extremely experienced hiker; both in walking quiet camino routes and in your own country but hope you are not being too hard on yourself.

@Albertagirl - you are probably determined to walk every step, but give some thought to C clearly’s caring and well intended post.
I know none of us want to give in. But maybe you could arrange a taxi up to the high point after your stop at San Bartolomé de Pinares . On my stop there I was talking to a local who was heading to Ávila the next day and offered me a lift but I really wanted to walk it (into Âvila) .. I did take her up though on dropping me at the top of what looked like a really steep exit from that village. She dropped me off at the gate near the top of the climb. No shame in getting a little help. It was such a nice walk to Ávila from there. She wouldn’t accept any payment. She commented that she had to go there anyway. Something about post …hmm. Maybe you could ask at your lodging if there is anyone heading to Ávila and see if you can arrange to have your pack sent to your accommodation for a fee?


C clearly said:
But sometimes one needs to know when to change courses, and that decision should not be unduly influenced by the cheering spectators!
Click to expand...
@Albertagirl
I doubt you are someone who is reacting to cheering spectators- but know that we aren’t trying to pressure you in any way & C clearly is seeing both sides (clearly ! as usual ).
Maybe instead of trucking along you could bus a stage?

Whichever choice you make in the next few days ..
Buen camino & take it gently.

Edit: I’ve attached a pic showing the little red car that gave me a lift up the steep exit from San Bartolomé. You can see she knew exactly where the crossover was on the camino. There is a gate on either side. The arrow on lower left of pic is showing exactly where you pick up the trail.
 

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Good morning Albertagirl.
I hope at least you are sleeping well.
Besides physical and mental stress (neither of which is insignificant), what is this camino teaching you, and would that be any different if you got yourself to Avila and gave yourself a few days of physical respite, time to sort out your logistic and tech challenges, and the space to consider if it'd be a good idea to take a different way forward.

Stress can be transformative and redemptive, or it can just lead to more distress. And only you know which of those is happening. If you're not sure, some quiet reflective space is what will support clarity.
 
Thanks to all for expressing concern. It is difficult to know what is the best way to appreciate my camino, not missing anything, while doing appropriate self-care. If I take another pill or another bus will this be a better pilgrimage? Maybe. I shall consider the question. Camino blessings for all,
Albertagirl
 
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For those of us who follow and support Albertagirl, the suggestion to move to a less challenging Camino has come up a few times ( I also sent a pm to that effect). I guess for many a Camino is a time to recharge ; away from the stresses of daily life a time to focus on spiritual needs/ contemplation. The simple rythym of walk, eat, sleep, with some camaraderie of fellow pilgrims, gloriously scenery, historic sights is irresistible. The ease of life is so appealing.

Albertagirl is having some challenges, and we feel her pain. Her strength and resilience is admirable. There’s things to be learned from her struggles, and I am very grateful that you continue to share this experience Mary Louise.
 
For those of you who are interested in what I am planning to do next, I am planning to take the early morning bus from San Bartolomé to Avila, to spend a couple of days relaxing and sorting out a few things. I know that you all wish me well. Albertagirl
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Albertagirl said:
My pack is too heavy. My back and shoulders hurt most of the time. I try to ration my pain medications, adjust my pack, and keep on trucking. That is how my days go.
Click to expand...
A good reminder to me as I sit debating items. If debatable then I am going to try to leave it! Hope you are okay.
 
I remember listening to you on one of the zoom meetings and you telling us about your plans and your knee surgery. Back then I thought that you were setting yourself a serious challenge, having read through your thread, I can see that you were. I have great admiration for your strength and persistence. Buen camino
 
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I am moving on. After yesterday i n Zamora, I walked about 20 km today, and am now in Montamarta. Today's walk was a delight, except for my heavy pack. Pain in my neck and shoulders is easing and I love the fresh morning air in the uplands above Zamora. I am in no hurry and I seem to find 20 k. about right. There's a restaurant with rental accommodation near the end of the town and I seem to have got in trouble by asking for a room there. The woman in charge of the facilities informed me that I was to have her home for the night and made it clear that she was not pleased. However, her family decided, and I guess they need the money. When I arrived, they were feeding a whole bus load of people, and the wonder is that they all ate it. I'm not sure how far I'll go tomorrow- that depends on sleeping spaces available closer to Santiago, prices, etc. I am sure that I shall be moving, and enjoying it. And "Buen camino" to all today's pilgrims.
 
Albertagirl,
All your readers and camino friends will be so pleased to read this update.
It is good to learn that your recent walk was a delight and that you are confident that you will enjoy tomorrow.
Stay safe and Carpe diem!
 
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VNwalking said:
Excellent news, @Albertagirl!
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‘Attagal Albertagirl - I’m so happy to hear from you & know you’re okay.

Albertagirl said:
I love the fresh morning air in the uplands above Zamora. I am in no hurry
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It’s wonderful ! You’ve got the world on a string! (As the song goes ). Seeing a few more people about too I’d guess; but the ‘best’ bit is that you’re in ‘no hurry’ and thus can really soak it up. Those fresh mornings bring the smiles.
Buen camino
 
What do I see?
It has been four years since I first walked the Via de la Plata. Walking out of Zamora yesterday was fascinating. As I reached the city boundaries, there was that truck stop on the right where I had gone in for coffee four autumns ago. The worker was new. She gave me too much change and was surprised to get some back. Very close to there was the turn-off on the right where I left city streets for the day. A couple of small towns, farmers preparing the land for the winter, inspired me. A farmer with a small tractor was harrowing. He was my inspiration for the day. I found myself singing a harvest hymn over and over: "We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land... ." Eventually I reached Montamarta, my goal for the day, and found a place to settle in for the night. Just before bedtime, I walked up to where the camino route leaves the street at the edge of town: "There it was!" Across a dry pond at the edge of the village was a hill rising out of what would have been water in a wet season. And on the hillside- the church, as clear in my memory as if I had seen it yesterday. I am walking on familiar, and hallowed, ground.
 
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VNwalking said:
@Albertagirl, it's a lovely thing to read of your ease, after the challenges of the Levante. Do you think it's mostly the familiarity allowing that, or is it something else as well?
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Well it is both, but is also the delight of the surprise. I did not remember the specific location of each item until I saw it again. I had not thought about the church on the hillside since I last saw it, four years ago. In particular, I did not go up the road looking for that church. I went there looking for the beginning of this morning's walk so as not to get lost in the pre-dawn dark. This is seeing a familiar location which had been entirely forgotten. Both a special delight and a sense of being at home.
As for why I am more comfortable on the Via de la Plata than on the Levante, I don't really know yet. I suspect that I was struggling on the Levante to walk distances which were too great for me, physically, with too heavy a gear load. And I met some great people there, too.
 
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Albertagirl said:
I went there looking for the beginning of this morning's walk so as not to get lost in the pre-dawn dark. This is seeing a familiar location which had been entirely forgotten. Both a special delight and a sense of being at home.
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Gosh, this sounds delightful.
What you write sounds like the embodiment of the last stanza of The Four Quartets. Lovely.
 
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I am moving along: last night, after a long and tiring day, I stayed at Dónde Victor Luna in Granja de Moreruela, a lovely, spacious Casa Rural where the owner went out of his way to hook up a heater in my room. It is getting cold, it is getting dark. When I walk, I am warm. When I stop, I hope for a warm afternoon. But I rarely stop: tonight in Tabara, where I have made a reservation. Tomorrow I don't know. As far as I know, Santa Marta de Tera, where I stayed on my previous VdlP, has closed its albergue and has no other accommodation. I wonder if it has any sort of taxi service?

Edit: Víctor has assured me that the albergue in Santa Marta de Tera is open for pilgrims, although they cannot make a reservation. I am now planning to stay there tomorrow night. It is a great albergue. Don't miss it if you are passing through.
P.S.: A man with a gun over his shoulder just waved to me as he walked past the rest stop where I am making this edit.
 
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Good luck with your ongoing çamino, it's really interesting following your progress. Stay safe.
 
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It seems that the VdlP portion of this year's walk is full of adventures. Today was the same. I started from Granja de Moreruela rather later than usual, as it is Sunday and bars were open later for breakfast. My walk was fairly normal until after I crossed the Rio Esla on an old stone bridge. Directions soon became unclear, urging me to move uphill, into the Dehesa: hours of walking in a general direction with only a couple of yellow arrows painted on trees and many visible footprints to suggest that I was going in the right direction. I kept on trying to match the tracks on my phone with what I was seeing around me, and finally I left the Dehesa and appeared exactly where I should be by the map: at the gate of Finca Val de la Rosa. But my adventures were not done for the day.
Eventually I reached Faramontanos de Tabara. A helpful local woman tried to describe a simple way to walk to Tabara. But when she left me to get on with it I immediately regressed to following the instructions indicated on maps.me and shown on the route markings. Otherwise. I would have missed my second adventure of the day. At the time, I certainly wanted to do so. It all started with the sheep bells. I looked right to see what this sound was. There was a very large flock of sheep in a field a little way off from the right side of the road. But what instantly caught my attention were the half-dozen very large Spanish sheep dogs which were leaping soundlessly over the weeds between the flock and myself, heading in my direction. As they approached, they all began to bay for my blood. I stood still, looking away, saying nothing, grounding my walking stick. In the background, I thought I heard a brief whistle. I began to move away, very slowly, from the still baying dogs, which continued to follow, but came no closer. Finally, the shepherd appeared and spoke to the dogs, which went back silently to the flock. He pronounced my behaviour as totally appropriate and said that the dogs were just making a noise, not really threatening me. That's not how it felt to me. We had a long conversation. I think that he may have been lonely, out in the field with the sheep and the dogs. Personally, I could have done without the dogs' interest in me. Maybe I can get through tomorrow without adventures.
.
 
You sound in a nice groove, Albertagirl.
These Spanish sheepdogs are intimidating - as they're meant to be. Good you just quietly stood your ground.

No adventures? Be careful what you ask for...I think I hear God chuckling.
Buen camino, peregrina!
 
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Is this the church?
 

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It actually started with the ambulance pulling up to the door as I arrived. But I saw no one getting in, or out. The adventures are catching up to me today. I have been in the albergue in Santa Marta de Tera for hours, with no sign of a hospitalera and two painters at work in the hall. Now they are gone for the day. Still no sign of a hospitalera and I have decided that i must eat. So I am in a nearby bar while there is no one in the albergue, with the door propped open and my hiking pack inside. I am told that is the usual easy way for a late-coming pilgrim to get in.
Tomorrow I am going to Vilar de Farfon. I am hoping for a quiet day. But I won't be surprised at anything.
 
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Are you at Venta Medievo? Looks very nice!

Venta Medievo, C. Carretera, 97 in Santa Marta de Tera - Restaurant menu and reviews

I recommend you to visit the restaurant 👨‍🍳 Venta Medievo. Find more about this place with Restaurant Guru App.
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It is cold here in the albergue in Santa Marta de Tera. I am alone here: a warm blanket for heat and the only heated bar will not be open for hours. I am not feeling great- you don't want the details. I am about to crawl out of bed and see if I can find any useful medication. If it helps I should be in better shape in couple of hours. I have food to eat and a short day today to one of my favourite albergues near Villa de Farfon. Wish me well.
Edit: For anyone who might be interested, One year ago today, my left knee was replaced by a functioning left knee. Both knees now complain a little occasionally, but work just fine.
 
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2nd ed.
Albertagirl,
I hope that as the day progresses you soon feel better. Take care and do take it easy.
 
Well I did feel better, and enjoyed the morning very much, walking through the fall colours. But at the end of the day I had a fall, while trying to access the road over the dam. I twisted my better knee and my glasses were broken. My host drove me to a clinic, where I got stitches in my face, and he worked on fixing my glasses, which should be wearable tomorrow. I have noticed that my next couple of days will be short, which is good. My stitches should come out after the first week. But who knows what will happen next?
 
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2nd ed.
I am lounging lazily in the only available accommodation near Mombuey. It will be Nov. 1 in a couple of days and families in Spain come together to put flowers on family graves and remember those family members who have died. Like other Spanish holidays, this often requires travel for them to come together. I have used the excuse of needing accommodation to justify the cost of a double room. There will be flowers all over Spain for a week or more. It is getting cold now and I wish that the heat would be turned on. But it is a lot warmer than last night's unheated stone hostel. I have discovered that wearing multiple layers of clothing in the cold mornings lightens the load of what I must carry, so there is a hint for late season pilgrims. So long as I can find a warm bed at night, I am happy.
 
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Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

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Albertagirl,
It is wonderful to read that you are comfy tonight and happy in your warm bed!
May your next weeks continue to be good ones also.
Take care and stay safe.
 
I am in Puebla de Sanabria, getting a couple of days' rest in a hotel and trying to arrange for the necessary repairs on my face required by my fall a few days ago. At lunch, the chef asked me what happened to my face, so I told him about my fall. I was tempted to regress to childhood and tell him that I was born with it. The weather is cold and rainy here and there is no heat in the hotel and lukewarm water in the bath. But I am (mostly) in out of the rain and I don't have to walk with my pack in this weather. As soon as I have had my face seen to, I shall take a bus to Órense and begin the official conclusion of my camino there, probably on Tuesday. I love the landscape here: hills all around. But I suspect that I would love it even more with the sun shining.
 
Albertagirl,
Sorry to learn of your fall. Do try to have you bruises etc. checked ASAP.
Glad to read that you have a place to stay and rest during this long weekend.
I so admire your tenacity.
Hopefully the sun will shine soon again.
 
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mspath said:
Albertagirl,
Sorry to learn of your fall. Do try to have you bruises etc. checked ASAP.
Glad to read that you have a place to stay and rest during this long weekend.
I so admire your tenacity.
Hopefully the sun will shine soon again.
Click to expand...
The heat is on! The heat is on in my bathroom for the first time since I arrived in Spain. I don't understand it. This must be the cheapest hotel in town and the heat is on! Maybe it's just habit: the end of October, the time change this weekend, and the heat is on in my bathroom, and in my bedroom (I just checked). It is pitch dark outside at just past 7:30 but why should I care: The heat is on!
 
The sun is shining. This morning I went to the local Centro de Salud and confirmed that I can return on Tuesday to get my stitches out and the damage to my face seen to. Later on Tuesday, or on Wednesday, I shall move to a different hotel, which is where the bus to Ourense leaves from. When I get to Ourense will be time enough to sort out the rest of the walk to Santiago. For now, I am enjoying my rest and the lovely scenery of the hills.
 
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Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
It was a very busy week here, and I missed this origin-post on your current travails. I hope you are healing well, that your glasses are functional, and that the knee will cooperate for the walk from Ourense...
Buen Camino, AB
 
Resting, warm and dry and, hopefully, well fed and ‘watered’ and surrounded by beautiful sunlit hills …
A well-earned interlude … and some peace….

Reading your posts, it’s amazing how you just keep ‘bobbing back up’ …
Where others might well throw up their hands in despair, you just keep picking yourself up again and turning to meet the new day.
A strong will, courage, faith and determination are your hallmarks, peregrina!

Go well, speedy healing, and may your angel walk beside you
 
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VNwalking said:
Rest and heal well, @Albertagirl.
I hope when you get there the hills of Galicia welcome you with sunshine and a wind at your back.
Buen camino!
Click to expand...
At the moment, there is a fall of heavy rain here in Puebla de Sanabria. I don't need to go walking in the rain today, but I do need to eat. There is a bar here, which provides adequate breakfasts. But it is a fair walk to any other meal and I don't know if even breakfast is available here on a Sunday. Sooner or later, I may need to pull on all my rain gear and stagger out reluctantly into the downpour. It reminds me, vividly, of my walk on the Invierno in the fall of 2019.
 
Albertagirl,
Is there any possibility that the bar or your host who is aware of your condition might telephone for a meal to be brought to you? Several local restos in PdS on Google maps note that take-out is available.

Do continue to take care and try to stay safe.
 
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Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
VNwalking said:
Good idea!
Click to expand...
Actually, it is thanks to my walk on the Invierno that I am very well provided with rain gear: boots, rain pants, rain jacket with hood, Tilley hat, and pack cover ( not needed to go out for a meal). Today is All Saints Day, a fiesta in Spain (the holiday is on Monday) so I am planning to treat myself- for a late lunch, then back to my hotel for the evening. I have to hang around here until I have been seen in the clinic on Tuesday, so I am beginning to get restless. Fortunately, the restaurant where I ate on Friday is close enough, if I don't get lost, and the food was good. I shall be glad to be in Ourense on Tuesday or Wednesday, where there's more scope for seeing the sights than there is here.
The rain has just become a downpour, but I shall remain indoors for a few hours, so am feeling a little smug: me in here and the rain outside. Apparently, there is rain all over Spain, so I am glad to think of the dry areas being watered. I think I can keep myself dry enough. Thanks for all your good wishes.
 
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I appreciate thoughts of a train service. A companion who was walking the same routes as I told me about going to the local train station to discover that there were two different train stations in different locations and neither was of use to him. This sounds so typical of my experiences that I am afraid to try. I fear going in the wrong direction and having to start again in Zamora. And I really like Zamora.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Albertagirl said:
I am afraid to try. I fear going in the wrong direction and having to start again in Zamora. And I really like Zamora.
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Well, since you have to hang out til Tuesday, you could take trains here and there to see where they go. (Not serious)

I've been through PdS on the train, coming from the Santiago direction, and the station's a ways out of town.

There's a bus every day at 2:45PM
And three trains, also in the afternoon, a bit before 3, a bit before 5, and 8:15 at night.
So RometoRio says.

You are not alone in the rain. Compassion for those on the Portuges:
This is from my Windy app (displaying my time, not yours). It plays that forward, using predictive weather modeling. If you want to check it out yourself, it's easy to access online without messing around with downloading apps.

Professional weather forecast

50+ weather layers, weather radar and satellite
www.windy.com
 
As I wander out of the window onto my private balcony to look at the sky, it appears to be about a third clear, as the wind blows away the thick clouds. Maybe I shall nap for a bit, then prepare to go out for my Sunday dinner. This long rest is wrecking my walking discipline. Someone else makes my bed and tidies my room (and cooks my meals). And I love it.
 
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Like a few others, I am finally catching up with your journey. Sorry for your injuries. I noted you injured your knee too. You had knee replacement(s) as I recall. Assume if you are continuing on to SdC they are OK? Do put your health first and stay safe.
 
J Willhaus said:
Did I see you will be a hospitalera soon in Najera or did I dream that?
Click to expand...
Yes, you saw that. I shall be a hospitalera in Nájera from the middle of November to just before the end, when I must head for the airport to go home. I shall have help, but I do not know how much.
And I did twist my knee when I fell. I is not functioning at 100%, but it is functioning- better when the weather is warm and dry, which can never be guaranteed in Galicia. I expect to be relatively back to normal soon, if the rain holds off.
 
Albertagirl, Sorry to hear of your injuries. It is apparent your are a trooper as you are continuing your journey. I think other people might have given up at this point especially with bad knees and your fall. I have been watching a fellow Named Stuart on youtube. His vlog is called Spain speaks, he has been commenting on the sky rocketing price of energy in Spain, so that is probably why there is not heat or hot water in your accommodations.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery

Many places in Spain, even private rooms, economize on heat…especially during the day, when they do not expect people to be there. If one of us was under the weather on a given day after arrival, we would ask them to put it on, and offered to pay extra. Sometimes, we would arrive in early March and there was no heat in the entire place, and it was snowing outside! But this did not happen frequently..
 
J Willhaus said:
Actually some places on the Camino advertise two rates, one with and one without heat. Don't know what the heat situation will be like in Najera.
Click to expand...
I was a hospitalera in Nájera in 2019. The albergue was fairly warm, but my little cubicle, inside the dormitory, with windows, and ventilation, directly into the dormitory, was very stuffy and barely breathable. It was private only as much as I could keep my door locked, and had no external ventilation. The other cubicle was occupied by a married couple, who did have external ventilation (a window). I don't know what it is like after the recent renovations. I know that the Nájera albergue is municipal. I am less concerned with the heat and more with ventilation.
 
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I have been following this on the Spanish news. Apparently, a lot of the power is wind/electrical and the charges to users have been raised repeatedly and significantly. Only very recently have they begun to go down.
The advantages of a private bathroom with warm water for bathing are obvious. I have brought my own plug, and use it when I need a soak and the water is hot.The recent arrival of hot water in the hotel is much welcome. Not all day, of course: mornings and evenings.
 
Besides not being heated most old buildings in Spain, Portugal and even France are not insulated. Never take a bed or bunk against an outside uninsulated wall in winter.

For more on dealing with winter cold see this earlier post
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I have worked a couple of albergues with variable heating situations. Hope you have the ventilation and heat you desire now and through the end of your Spanish odessey.
 
Thank you for suggesting the option of taking a train to Ourense. I have tried to search Puebla de Sanabria to Ourense for Tuesday, to go to Ourense in the afternoon, after my medical appointment. According to Renfe, I cannot go by train directly to anywhere from Puebla de Sanabria on Tuesday. I am hopeful of getting a bus to Ourense that afternoon, if my appointment is not delayed. There's currently space on the bus.
 
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Tomorrow is a Spanish holiday so not sure if that is impacting the site or schedule.
 
@Albertagirl It seems that they have built a new station for Sanabria on the high speed line. If you search for Sanabria Alta Velocidad as the departure station then you will see 3 trains on that afternoon. However the station is someway out of town and back in the direction of Zamora (Estación Sanabria AV
https://maps.app.goo.gl/RAxj4KwyrcxYec869) so I think you are wise to stick to your bus plan.

 
The problem is that I cannot stick to my bus plan for Tuesday. Any plan for me to travel anywhere on Tuesday depends on my having concluded my medical appointment first, and I have no control over that. I have been told to line up outside the Centro de Salud at 9 am Tuesday morning. The doors will open and the medical staff will look at me and tell me what time to come back for an appointment. When the appointment is over, I shall have to guess whether I have sufficient time to carry myself and my pack to the bus stop for Ourense, which is about a half hour's walk away. At that time, I shall not have a hotel room booked anywhere, but I have been intending to walk to the hotel where the Avanzabus stops to pick up passengers for Ourense at 14.45. If I know before my appointment that I shall be finished too late to get the bus that day, I could arrange for another night in my present hotel and walk to the bus stop the next day. Would a taxi to a train to Ourense be possible? I want to get moving, but I feel that I have little control.
 
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My thoughts are that you see what time your medical appointment actually is and then get a taxi afterwards regardless of whether that is to the bus stop or train station. If the bus time has passed then you still have 2 train options in the late afternoon and mid-evening so as long as you have accommodation sorted in Ourense for the evening of 2nd then you can get back on track. My memory of Ourense is that the train station is across the river from the main part of the town so may involve a further walk or taxi to any accommodation. The train station is 7km outside of Puebla by the way.
 
I don't think that I have ever booked a taxi in Spain. I travelled on one a few days ago, when coming to Puebla de Sanabria. But the taxi was booked by someone else in the albergue where we stayed the night before and I. just agreed on and paid my fare. Of course I have booked much accommodation in Spain over the years and I know where I want to stay in Ourense. But the cost on booking.com for Hotel Irixo is now about four times what it was when I first chose it for my stay in Ourense.
As for the taxi, I must figure out where to leave my backpack while at my medical appointment then get it and find a way to get a taxi to pick up myself and the pack and take me onward to my next train or bus. Yes, all this is obvious, if you know how to do it. The time limits around the medical appointment are what make it problematic for me. And the question of where I am going after the medical appointment. I think I shall have to wait until I know the time of my appointment, then sort out the rest of it. I am wanting to move on, but I could make it all simpler by accepting that my obvious choice is between getting the bus to Ourense, if I am in time, or staying another night here.
 
There's actually another option. Why not just move on now and have the stitches removed in Ourense? Perhaps the holiday would make that more of a challenge, but is there any special need to stay up there when you could be soaking that twisted knee in a hot spring?

As far as the taxi is concerned, it's easy. Just ask someone at the place you're staying to ring for you. They will know who to call - you don't need to do it yourself.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
It has seemed that there are so many complications that I have been focused on managing the medical one first. It is a ten minute walk from my hotel to the Centro de Salud and I can go there at 9:00 am tomorrow to arrange to get the stitches out and the injury seen to. I really don't want to start again and I have no idea what delays may arise in Ourense. It is possible that whoever looks at my face tomorrow will conclude that it is a five minute job to finish it and just pull out her scissors. One way or another, I expect to have this done with tomorrow and to be able to go on. That will be a great relief.
 
Totallh understandable.
Albertagirl said:
It is possible that whoever looks at my face tomorrow will conclude that it is a five minute job to finish it and just pull out her scissors.
Click to expand...
May it be so!

Albertagirl said:
That will be a great relief.
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Yes, I can only imagine.
Well. One step at a time.
Stitches.
Bus.
Then whatever's next.
Buen camino, Albertahgirl.
 
The train situation is a bit confusing.

But if you miss the bus It turns out there ARE train options, just not from the closest station to town:


Train numbet details from Puebla de Sanabria Alta Velocidad (AV) Station:

Here's the address for that screenshot:

Puebla De Sanabria Llegada station | SNCF

View departure and arrival times, information and services at Puebla De Sanabria Llegada station
www.sncf.com
Click on each listing and you get more info and booking options.

Anyone in town - from the staff at the hotel to the folks at the clinic - will be able to tell you how to get there. And the probably know who the taxis are too. You only need to ask.
 
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3rd Edition. Vital content training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
I went for a long walk this morning, trying with no success to find the new train station. Eventually I gave up land went back to town. If I am in time, I may get a taxi to the train station to get one of the later trains to Ourense.. However, I might get the 14:45 Avanzabus to Ourense. I really need to get moving- hopefully to Santiago before the snow falls.
 
VNwalking said:
Anyone in town - from the staff at the hotel to the folks at the clinic - will be able to tell you how to get there. And the probably know who the taxis are too. You only need to ask.
Click to expand...

The new station is somewhat out of the centre, as is the case in many smaller Spanish towns. Well, that is my impression after many Caminos.

So true @VNwalking what you say about asking locals. Remember the times when we were walking ( or sometimes pausing ) on the Vasco Interior and people stopped because they thought that we might have got lost.
 
SabineP said:
The new station is somewhat out of the centre, as is the case in many smaller Spanish towns
Click to expand...
Albertagirl said:
I went for a long walk this morning, trying with no success to find the new train station.
Click to expand...
It's a number of kilometers out of town - at least that's what the maps tell us. At least you got some exercise.

Albertagirl said:
If I am in time, I may get a taxi to the train station to get one of the later trains to Ourense..
Click to expand...
Given your lack of success finding the station yesterday, this is a wise move. Getting there early enough to find the correct platform is essential. It's only a two minute stop. And running to catch a departing train? Goodness. What could possibly go wrong*??
*I took a flying tumble on the Sahagun platform doing just that. Ask @Sheffield James. Not recommended.)
 
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I am a little concerned about finding the new station and purchasing a ticket. A fellow pilgrim on the Levante arrived here when I did with the intention of taking a train from there to Zamora. Eventually he gave up and found travel options through Bla Bla car. Does anyone know if it is possible to pay one's fare on the train?
 
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Spanish rail stations are run by ADIF and the station you want is in Otero de Sanabria. See link. It's about 6.3km away and south east of Otero - not in Otero

Adif - Información de la estación - Sanabria AV

Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF)
www.adif.es

If you are booking a ticket you can do this on the Renfe site and choose Sanabria Alta Velocid

Three trains today to Oursense @ 14:56, 16:58 and 20:15
 
After an interesting hour or so at the Centro de Salud this morning, I went back to the hotel to pick up my pack, then walked over to the out of town hotel where my bus to Ourense will be stopping at about 14:45 this afternoon. I should be in Ourense in good time and have booked a couple of nights in Hotel Irixo. For some reason, the cost has been decreased from what it would have been yesterday. I just hope there's a seat on the bus for me. But this doesn't strike me as busy holiday weather. My gear is still dripping from this morning's walk to get here. I don't yet know the way to walk from the bus station to the hotel, but as the hotel is very central I'm sure I can figure it out. Having pestered the lot of you for some days, I am recovering my confidence. I look forward to the rest of my pilgrimage. Thanks for everything.
 
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Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
In answer to your question, for future use, generally yes, you can buy your ticket onboard. I did this once when I arrived at the station as the train was on approach, staff waved me onto the train, and the conductor sold me a ticket when he did his rounds. He was quite nice and also patient with my Spanish efforts. I checked Renfe’s website just now and it confirms that: “Exceptionally, you can pay for your trip, seat type or extend your travel on board the trains that allow it.”
 
Here I am in Ourense and I am wondering what I am doing here, besides getting rained on. I really should go out and get something to eat, but the weather has gotten dark, as well as wet, as I was settling in. Perhaps the young man at the desk could advise me as to where to get meals in this neighbourhood. I don't know what in this town is worth spending my day on tomorrow. Perhaps the archaeological museum and the cathedral. I hope that they are not closed on Wednesday.
More later, as I really should eat. By the way, my face is almost back to normal, now the stitches are out.
 
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Now that I'm in Ourense, I am trying to replan my walk to Santiago, starting from Ourense tomorrow. I am unsure both of distances and of accommodation. It has been a long time since I walked this route to Santiago and many things have changed. Should I plan on staying in Cea tomorrow night? Is there anywhere to stay? This concern for accommodation has followed me through this pilgrimage and continues to cause anxiety. Assuming that I cannot walk more than about 20 km a day any bright ideas for the next few days? I have from Nov. 4th to 11th to reach Santiago, the nights of the 11th and 12th booked at San Martin Pinario, then off to Nájera on November 13 to begin my two weeks as a hospitalera in the municipal albergue. If I could schedule it, I would prefer arriving in Santiago on November 10th and having a third night in San Martin Pinario. But my reservations are only for the 11th and 12th. Currently my concern is for Nov. 4 ( leaving Ourense tomorrow) to Nov. 11- arrival in Santiago and overnight at San Martin Pinario. I will not be walking by way of Oseira, since I believe that the monastery albergue is closed. There are various good hotels etc. where I have stayed along this route. The challenges are spacing and availability. Any bright ideas?
 
Albertagirl said:
Should I plan on staying in Cea tomorrow night?
Click to expand...
You can call them :

Cea Pilgrim's Hostel - Casa das Netas​

Address: C / Santo Cristo, s / n
Type: Shelter
Management: Xunta
Responsible: Orlando Torres López
Keys:
Telephone: 988 282 000
Mobile: 600 878 289
e-Mail: Web: http://www.concellodecea.com
Click to expand...

Albertagirl said:
This concern for accommodation has followed me through this pilgrimage and continues to cause anxiety.
Click to expand...
That's obviously what you've been given to chew on during this camino. Finding ways to acknowledge anxiety without believing every tall tale it spins is incredibly freeing.

In your shoes, I'd be noticing the vulnerability, and walking without much of a plan anyway. There may be seasonal closures by now - so allay any uncertainty by phoning to see what is open ahead, and adjusting accordingly.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Thank you for this. I have stayed in the Cea albergue previously. But the last that I heard it was closed. I wasn't sure why. Maybe the opening is part of the Xunta effort to get its albergues more widely open. I note that the online information is in Gallego, which could be another challenge.
 
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