Fares Ismail
Fares
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (2017), Invierno (2017)
This post is long overdue.
I finished my Camino in Muxia on September 6th after starting in sjpdp and everyday since I've said I need to write this post. But I guess the moment I got back home, I got distracted with the million little things you don't have to worry about on the Camino.
Ill try to keep this short and simple.
TL;DR section will be here in bold:
On day one in saint jean, I had this little notebook where I wrote stuff on... and I remember writing that the best part of my day is the people I meet. This was also the reason why I was worried about walking the Invierno.
I was also worried about the lack of physical guidebook... There is one pdf guide on the forum resources section, but I told myself that 39 pages cant possibly be enough...
Starting Leon and maybe Astorga, the number of pilgrims started to increase drastically. Not really a bad thing but I began appreciating the idea of a more solitary Camino.
And so in Ponferrada, after Albergue de Peregrinos San Nicolás de Flüe to the right, I visited a hut for the amigos del Camino de Santiago. I went looking for some resources that might perhaps help me even more. The man was extremely helpful. He showed me the guidebook thats on this forum and told me it was pretty much all I needed.
He was right.
And so the next day I switched to the Camino de Invierno. One of the best decisions Ive taken! when people ask me what was my favorite section on the Camino, the Invierno is the obvious choice.
Switching to the Invierno is very easy and straightforward. after Albergue de Peregrinos San Nicolás de Flüe, take your first left (200m after the alburge), cross the first pedestrian "bridge" and then cross the old bridge and mojons and arrows will guide you from here.
The guidebook usually tells you where to go left and right... but I found that the road was very very well marked and that some of the details in the guide were perhaps not necessary.
I chose the 9 days plan. but other who might have more time than I did can do the Camino in 10-12 days or ever shorter days (the guidebook does a really good job at detailing all those info)
Day One: Ponferrada to Puente de Domingo Fluorez
Long day. 2 climbs one to the Castillo de Cornatel and the other to Las Medulas.
The Castillo entry is 2 euros. no free entrance for pilgrims but it is really worth seeing. the view from above is spectacular. some people also opt to skip that part due to the climb up.
After the castle, in Borrenes, Bar Casa Marisol offers meals. It was the first bar that was open starting Ponferrada. The bar owner was so nice, she even packed me a small snack for later on the road.
Dogs on that day were particularly many! Some were not chained. the most remarkable dog was in Villavieja. That dog (horse?) stood in the middle of the street and started barking. unchained. I stood there for a good 3 min waiting. eventually I started taking small steps and passed right by him. This trick worked every time! you might also need to tap both sticks with one another to scare the dog off a little bit.
I might talk a lot about dogs but that's because they terrify me (or at least used to). I don't think anyone should take a different Camino due to a fear of dogs because they're really not a problem!
People along the road were so generous and always willing to help, fill up your bottle of water or even offer some snacks! often without me even asking!!
In Las Medulas theres a nice ice cream place, the owner and her son were really helpful! and the ice cream was pretty refreshing. I kind of developed an obsession with ice cream on the Camino.
In Puente de Domingo, I stayed in La Torre, a nice hostel with comfortable rooms with private showers. 18 euros pilgrim price (not 20). I wanted to try the menu del peregrino, but my "short nap" turned into an overnight sleep :/
Breakfast the other day was simple but good.
I might have been wrong about this being short and simple :/
Ill try to post the rest as soon as possible
I finished my Camino in Muxia on September 6th after starting in sjpdp and everyday since I've said I need to write this post. But I guess the moment I got back home, I got distracted with the million little things you don't have to worry about on the Camino.
Ill try to keep this short and simple.
TL;DR section will be here in bold:
- My favorite section of my Camino.
- Invierno people love dogs, some don't really like to chain them
but they're all bark and no bite - Very very well marked, sometimes the markings are redundant (reminds me of the french way)
- Bars are not as common. A lot of fountains were dry. Carrying 1.5L and some food is advised.
- The kindness and generosity of the people on the Invierno never ceased to amaze me.
- The Invierno is a solitary Camino but It makes for a wonderful experience.
On day one in saint jean, I had this little notebook where I wrote stuff on... and I remember writing that the best part of my day is the people I meet. This was also the reason why I was worried about walking the Invierno.
I was also worried about the lack of physical guidebook... There is one pdf guide on the forum resources section, but I told myself that 39 pages cant possibly be enough...
Starting Leon and maybe Astorga, the number of pilgrims started to increase drastically. Not really a bad thing but I began appreciating the idea of a more solitary Camino.
And so in Ponferrada, after Albergue de Peregrinos San Nicolás de Flüe to the right, I visited a hut for the amigos del Camino de Santiago. I went looking for some resources that might perhaps help me even more. The man was extremely helpful. He showed me the guidebook thats on this forum and told me it was pretty much all I needed.
He was right.
And so the next day I switched to the Camino de Invierno. One of the best decisions Ive taken! when people ask me what was my favorite section on the Camino, the Invierno is the obvious choice.
Switching to the Invierno is very easy and straightforward. after Albergue de Peregrinos San Nicolás de Flüe, take your first left (200m after the alburge), cross the first pedestrian "bridge" and then cross the old bridge and mojons and arrows will guide you from here.
The guidebook usually tells you where to go left and right... but I found that the road was very very well marked and that some of the details in the guide were perhaps not necessary.
I chose the 9 days plan. but other who might have more time than I did can do the Camino in 10-12 days or ever shorter days (the guidebook does a really good job at detailing all those info)
Day One: Ponferrada to Puente de Domingo Fluorez
Long day. 2 climbs one to the Castillo de Cornatel and the other to Las Medulas.
The Castillo entry is 2 euros. no free entrance for pilgrims but it is really worth seeing. the view from above is spectacular. some people also opt to skip that part due to the climb up.
After the castle, in Borrenes, Bar Casa Marisol offers meals. It was the first bar that was open starting Ponferrada. The bar owner was so nice, she even packed me a small snack for later on the road.
Dogs on that day were particularly many! Some were not chained. the most remarkable dog was in Villavieja. That dog (horse?) stood in the middle of the street and started barking. unchained. I stood there for a good 3 min waiting. eventually I started taking small steps and passed right by him. This trick worked every time! you might also need to tap both sticks with one another to scare the dog off a little bit.
I might talk a lot about dogs but that's because they terrify me (or at least used to). I don't think anyone should take a different Camino due to a fear of dogs because they're really not a problem!
People along the road were so generous and always willing to help, fill up your bottle of water or even offer some snacks! often without me even asking!!
In Las Medulas theres a nice ice cream place, the owner and her son were really helpful! and the ice cream was pretty refreshing. I kind of developed an obsession with ice cream on the Camino.
In Puente de Domingo, I stayed in La Torre, a nice hostel with comfortable rooms with private showers. 18 euros pilgrim price (not 20). I wanted to try the menu del peregrino, but my "short nap" turned into an overnight sleep :/
Breakfast the other day was simple but good.
I might have been wrong about this being short and simple :/
Ill try to post the rest as soon as possible