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LIVE from the Camino The French Way - NobleHiker Chronology

jpflavin1 said:
The bird you saw was a stork. I am surprised you have not seen them before. They are usually all over the cliffs by Najera. The walk to Hontanas was probably a muddy slog. It is one of those places you do not see until you are there.
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Thank you. I don’t know birds well. I see huge nests but don’t usually see the birds. I have always assumed those birds lives near large bodies of water.
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
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,-
Nobody likes milks and beers, especially Belgian Trappist.
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
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,-
24 Apr 2022

The rain stopped the evening before. The wind also died out overnight. 7:05am we were out of the door. The sky was clear with only a few high clouds, promising a great day ahead. We counted about 12 pilgrims ahead of us in the distance.




The stretch from the Ruinas del convento de San Antón to Castrojeriz was particularly beautiful with the trees lining the street to town.

Ruins


Road to Castrojeriz


Catrojerz Church


We wanted to get some milk but it was only 9:15am, so all the restaurants were still closed. We did have some fun at the football table.



As soon as we got out Castrojeriz, we made a climb up to a step hills. The view looking back was great but…a quarter of a mile away, we were treated with a magnificent painting of the Spanish farms.

This must be the beginning of the Maseta.


We passed Itero de la Vega at 11:30am and worked out way to Boadilla de Camino at 1:15pm. By this time, we were out of water so Nobody wanted to stop for a beer. We stopped at the Juntos Albergue de peregrinos and had a beer at a cute backyard. The owners were a couple from the Netherlands. The lady, a trained interior decorator, set up a cosy backyard with a colorful porch. This would be a great place for a crawfish boil.



The beer was good. The sun was warm. We could stay for hours here. But, the Camino was calling us. We said goodbye to the owners and headed back out.

By this time, we only saw four pilgrims on the Camino ahead of us. From Boadilla de Camino, we walked along the Canal de Castilla toward Frómista. The canal seemed narrow but we spotted a boat moored just outside of Frómista.

We got to Frómista at 3:00 pm. There were some sorts of festivals going on. We heard canon shots in the town. An air slide was set up for the children to play. Town folks were enjoying the festive warm afternoon. We sat watching the children playing, while Nobody enjoyed a beer.

The sun was still up high, and we were not ready to stop yet. So we marched on through the next couple town. We reached Villalcázar de Sirga at 6:20 pm.


The market was opened so we bought foods for dinner. We found a bed at the Albergue Don Camino. There were five other pilgrims at the place.



Today was a great walk after the cold, windy, and wet day yesterday.

Buen Camino

Cost for today
1. Two beers a crackers: $5.08 (4.69 EUR)
2. Foods for dinner and breakfast tomorrow (bread, sliced pork and smoked ham, two cans of tuna, a litter of milk, and a beer): $8.23 (7.60 EUR)
3. Bed: $13.00 (12.00 EUR)
 
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Crawfish boil? Are you from Louisiana? Just getting back from a boil! I Appreciate the updates!
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
vaiciusc said:
Crawfish boil? Are you from Louisiana? Just getting back from a boil! I Appreciate the updates!
Click to expand...
I’m guessing Austin, Texas from the ‘hook’em Horns’ cap.

I worked with a bunch of Texans many years ago. Amongst their many admirable qualities; tolerance; cultural sensitivity, ability to laugh off any passing offence - they were never hard to find in a crowded bar. They saw me as their interlocutor with anyone or anything ‘not Texan’ - which wasn’t their best ever decision.

I also learned that the plural of “y’all” is “all y’all.”
 
Great stuff Noble.

Hook’em
 
25 Apr 2022

A few other things to report.

The right leg got better. What we found causing the pain was the sock. We had the habit of wearing long socks but had them rolled down. When we did that with tight socks, they choked that part of the leg above the ankle. Once we unrolled the sock, the pain slowly went away.

We also went through the first pair of socks. They wore right through the sole. The wet shoes could have caused the socks to wear faster. Whichever the cause maybe, we needed a new pair. We hope the remaining pair last to the next large city.

After the first blister on the second day, we had two more. But they were all gone now. The feet seemed to hold up well so far.
Apparently, Kentucky caught on. If you drive I-75 from Louisville or Lexington up to Cinci, you will pass by Florence. Look up a photo of what the city did with the water tower. I think about the South whenever I drive by Florence.
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
25 April 2022

After we walked for a few days, we forgot what day of the week it was. If we were not logging in to write the notes and checked the weather, we would not have any need to log in at all.

Today was the first full day we walked entirely in the Maseta. We got up at normal time: around 6:30am to get ready. We left Tasca Don Camino Albergue at 7:20 am. This place used to have a restaurant too. But the restaurant part seemed to have been closed. We had leftovers from last night but decided to save it for lunch. We were treated with a beautiful sunrise.



The Camino stretch here was straight like an arrow. It was lined with small river pebbles. All the water was gone. There were about five pilgrims ahead of us until we got to Carrión de Los Condes.



Similar to the days before, most pilgrims planned their stops at a larger towns because they tend to have more facilities. Carrión de Los Condes was the same. We found an open clothing store and bought a new pair of socks. We had never spent $5.00 for a pair of socks. The one we bought was way more expensive. Anyhow, it was the price of convenience. The shop owner wanted 26.50 EUR for a rain poncho. We passed hoping we could find something less expensive in Leon.



We met Pien (we hoped we spelled her name correctly). Pien was from the Netherlands but she had lived in Brazil and Suriname. Her father was a civil engineer who traveled to South America to help building ports. We walked together for a good two hours, talking about various topics. Pien did not know that rubber used to come from rubber trees and they do have similar characteristics as synthetic rubber made from petroleum. She had a very interesting theory about life in Brazil and why Brazil had not been able to take advantage of the available natural resources.

We came to a picnic area and stopped so Nobody could have a quick snack.



We ate canned sardines, drank milk, and ate a couple dates from a fellow Ex-Texas.

We saw her eating dates from the container. We made a comment that most Westerners, especially American, do not eat dates. Dates were more Middle Eastern. She laughed and said she was not typical American. She had an undergrad from UT Austin then medical school in UT San Antonio. A very smart young lady.

After Nobody finished the sardines and I finished the milk, we said goodbye to Pien, knowing we would probably never see her again.

As we walked and enjoyed the midday sun, we could not help but trying to compare the Meseta with other places which we had been. We ended up thinking the Meseta was similar to Southern Iowa. Every year, in about July, the people of the great State of Iowa organized the RAGBRAI. It was a week-long bicycle ride across the State of Iowa, from the Missouri River on the West to the Mississippi River on the East. A rolling party on two wheels. The route changed every year. Southern Iowa was more rolling hills, like the Meseta, while Northern Iowa was flatter. Walking the Meseta definitely reminded us the warm summer day riding and eating our ways through Iowa: pies, ice cream, turkey legs, and pork chops.

One other thing which we noticed walking the Meseta was that we saw no cows. Not one single cows. Of all the lusty green and the good soil, we thought the Meseta would be perfect for plating alfalfa and raising cattle. We were so wanting a smoked brisket right about now.

In the distance to the North, we could see the snow capped mountain range. We assumed the Camino Norte would be in that mountain range.



We reached Moratinos around 2:45 pm. The town must had a knitting festival as we saw knitting samples hung everywhere in the town center.



From Moratinos through the next twos village before very quiet. Most pilgrims had turned in at the albergues along the way. We were aiming for Sahagún, so onward we marched. At this time, several mountain bikers were passing us at very high speed. There was only one pilgrim ahead of us. We arrived Sahagú at 5:50p.

We could not find a bed in there different hostels. We ended up with a private room at the Hostal Alfonso. It was at 5:05pm.

After a shower and resting, we went looking for food. The convenience store just a few steps from the hostal had what we needed. We bought our foods and sat at a table in front of the store. By the time we finished, Nobody and I put away three cans of tuna, half piece of sausage, an apple, an ice cream, and four beers.

We had milk but decided to save it for breakfast. The warm afternoon in front of the store, watching the kids playing was a great way to close out the day.

Buen Camino



Also we found a nail clipper in the same store. We were quite happy to be able to clip Nobody’ nails.

Costs for the day:
1. A pair of socks: $12.86 (12.00 EUR)
2. Dinner (four beers, three cans of tuna, half piece of sausage, an apple, an ice cream, and a liter of milk for tomorrow, and a nail clipper): $12.11 (11.30 EUR)
3. Bed (breakfast included): $36.43(34.00 EUR)

We would probably change our strategy going forward: don’t come late into a large town. Stop at the smaller villages before or after. We will see it this would work.
 
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Hi NobleHiker and Nobody,

I‘m thoroughly enjoying your experience on the Camino and your regular stories are both interesting and amusing. It’s putting me in the mood for my Camino in September, start date still to be decided. I note your daily food intake and can’t help but thinking you must be on a diet, beer excepted of course.

Are you trying to be quite strict with your eating and do you feel you are well fed ? I can see myself having a regular protein bar with the amount of calories burned with all that walking.
 
26 April 2022

The individual room brought a quiet evening. The four beers also helped. We woke up well rested. We had a bowl of cereal and a banana for breakfast. It got bright outside so we headed out at 7:30am.


Expecting a long stretch of uninspiring farmlands, we wanted something to occupy our mind so we determined to look for cows. That was our mission of the day.

We were by ourselves most of the morning with only a couple pilgrims ahead.



We got to Calzada del Coto at 8:30am. No cows yet. But we saw a stone house with a nice front porch being built, looked like something we could build when we are retired. Nothing fancy, just a place where we could call home and welcome the children and our brothers and sisters.



We continued forward, passing Beciaños del Real Camino at 9:45 am. Still too early for a break. So we continued on.



Reaching El Burgo Ranero at 11:15 am, Nobody wanted a drink, so we stopped at the La Costa del Adobe for a beer and a sweet. The sweet was something between a banana pudding and a pie, quite tasty.



After finishing our sweet and the beverage, we headed on out Reliegos. Still no cows.

At around 2:45pm, we reached Reliegos.




Time for another snack and a beer.

As soon as we got out of Reliegos, we found our cows, not many, but cows nevertheless. We were estatic.



We reached Mandillas de las Mulas at 4:50 pm. At this time, dark cloud had moved in, and a few rain drops had started. Not wanting to end the day with wet clothes, we decided to stay here.

We found a bed at the Albergue El Jardin del Camino. Here we met Yaacov from Israel. Coincidentally, we saw a small synagogue in town. We told Yaacov about the synagogue and took him to it. Afterward, Yaacov and us went to a shop to buy foods and came back ate together at the albergue.

We closed the day after the meal,

Buen Camino


Cost for the day:

1. Beer and sweet: $4.68 (4.40 EUR)
2. Beer: $2.13 (2.00 EUR)
3. Beer and smoked ham: $4.42 (4.15 EUR)
4. Foods (bread, wine, sausage, apple, lip palm); $5.85 (5.50 EUR)
5. Bed: $12.77 (12.00 EUR)
 

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Camino wristwatch
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
@JimG59,

We are glad that you got something useful out of our notes. As you have noted, our food intake seemed random but they were not. Our diet was built on the following foundations:

1. Carbohydrates, lots of them. The beers were one of the best sources. It was no coincidence that beer had been called liquid bread by the Germans. Then, of course, the bread itseft.

2. Protein, lots of them to rebuild the muscle,. The milk were the quickest and easiest way to get protein. Canned sardines and can tuna were supplements. We would had raw eggs but they come with higher risk,

3. Water. Both beer and milk provided much of them. We also got water from drinkable sources along the route.

4. Minimizing indigestibles: This was more from the practical point. What the body does no digest, the bony needed to expel. The more indigestibles one consumes, the more often one needs expel them. As one walk along the Camino, expelling indigestibles are not very convenient.

We do take one multi vitamin pill daily to supplement what milk does not provide.

We could use some vegetables and fruits; but they would be against our rule #4 above.

We hope this will help you planning for your Camino.

Buen Camino
 
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26 April 2022 notes about banking

On 17 April, we made a cash withdrawal using our US ATM card at an ATM of a small local bank. The bank charged a hefty fee.

Yesterday, 26 April 2022, we made the same size cash withdrawal using the same ATM card at a Santander ATM. As we carefully followed the instructions, we discovered the mistake we made with the transaction on 17 April which caused the high fee. The mistake was that when the ATM asked us if we wanted the transaction to be performed in EUR or in USD, our answer on the 17th was USD. Effectively, we accepted the currency conversion rate of the local Spanish bank. Usually, they add a markup on top of the rate.

Yesterday, we answered a similar question with EUR; thus, the transaction was done in EUR. The currency conversion rate used was one our Credit Union applied, which was market rate without markup. This saved us almost 9%, very significant. We hope the information help our fellow US pilgrims. We don’t know if pilgrims from other countries would see the same thing.

Buen Camino
 
I know this has been said before. In regards to ATM-Debit cards, I recommend you open a High interest (ha ha ) savings account with Charles Schwab. They will refund, at the end of the month, all ATM fees from any Spanish bank.
 
Camino Ready, Backpacks, Boots etc
3rd Edition. Vital content training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Man o man, those pictures of the beautiful blue skies make me miss the camino so much(more than usually?). Thank you for sharing!
 
27 April 2022

Nobody drank too much wine last night. We literally passed out as soon as we got to our bed after eating with Yaacov. We did not remember how we got to our bed. It was the upper one.

We got up at around 6:30 am thinking we would have a hangover headache. We didn’t. Must be the Spanish box wine.

We only had half a loaf of bread left over last night so we decided to munch on that while we walked instead of eating breakfast. We left the albergue at 7:25am. The weather was warmer today, probably at 8-10 Celsius when we stepped out. There was a light mist in the air, from the late rain last night. Forecast called for a 30% chance of late afternoon rain in León.

Early morning out of Mansilla de Las Mulas



There was five pilgrims ahead of us. As we approached the free rest area just before Puente Villarente, one stopped there. We continued on, still seeing the other fours in the distance ahead.

The next two villages (Arcahueja and Valdelafuente) were forgetful as there were much industrial and small mechanic shops in this stretch of the Camino. By this time the temperature reached 18 Celsius.

We approached the last hill before descending into León at 10:25am. The first thing caught our eyes was a Carrefour. We immediately stopped in for some foods and gear change.

We bought a new pair of reading glasses to replace one broken yesterday. We still had the spare pair but we did not want to not have good reading glasses.

We discarded the pair of cotton short and bought a pair of nylon trousers. We learned that the having two pairs of trousers would be better than one pair of trousers and one short. This was because when the trouser was wet, we could not sleep in them. We slept in the short a couple nights. Some albergues did not provide blankets. Our blanket was not thick enough to sleep without long pants on.

We got an extra T-shirt as having only one T-shirt caused us to have to wear damp T-shirt a few time because it did not dry overnight. We now had two T-shirts and one long sleeve undershirt.

We also got a belt. The shoestrings we had been using were fine. But when our fingers got cold, it was quite challenging to try to unknotting the shoestrings.

For foods, we got bread, sliced smoked porks (they sliced them from those hung on the ceiling), two bananas, a coke, and an orange juice. We ate at the table within the Carrefour. We probably spent 30-45 minutes in the Carrefour.

From there, we made our way toward the old city center of León, collected two additional stamps on our passport: one from a church, and one from the tourist guides by the river before the old city.

We reached the tourist district of León at 12:15 pm.

We red about León before we got to Spain, but we were surprised at the beauty of León. There were so much to see.




We walked around until 2:00 pm, then decided to save the rest of city for another time. We headed out, taking the Northern route.

Similar to the approach, the Camino going out of León was forgettable suburban cityscape. We only passed by four pilgrims on the way out.

We reached Villadangos del Páramo at 6:05pm and decided we had walked far enough for the day.

We stopped and got a bed at the Albergue Municipal de Villadangos del Páramo. Jorge and Margarita welcomed us to the recently built facility. It was modern, clean, and bright.

We went 50 meters down the street to get foods for dinner. We got a link of sausage, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, and two beers. Margarita told us that they got milk and fruits.

We cooked the sausage and the eggs then had dinner with Jorge, Margarita, Matin & Christopher (from Poland), and Ishay (?) from Israel.

We were treated with a rainbow before bed.


Buen Camino

Lights out. We will tally the daily cost tomorrow.

Cost today

1. Gear changes (t-shirt, trouser, reading glasses, belt) and lunch (bread, cured ham, bananas, orange juice, coke): $29.14 (27.72 EUR)
2. Food (dozen eggs, a link of sausage, bread, two beers): $5.69 (5.41 EUR)
3. Bed: $12.61 (12.00 EUR)
 

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NobleHiker said:
We got up at around 6:30 am thinking we would have a hangover headache. We didn’t. Must be the Spanish box wine.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is something very forgiving about Spanish wine!

You are demonstrating that one doesn't need to pack for every eventuality because you can always buy what you need in Spain.
 
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.
We ain't heard nothing from Nobody since Saturday........hoping you both are good.
 
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.
28 April 2022

Today started out usual enough. We made ourselves breakfast with the eggs we got last night. Nobody wanted them turned over easy. We also had a couple glasses of milk from the albergue. We said thanks to to Jorge and Margarita for their hospitality and headed out at 7:30am.

The temperature was even warmer today than yesterday. The air was moist. We could see the mountains/hills in the distance ahead.

The stretch from Villadangos del Páramo to San Martín del Camino, and to Hospital de Órbigo was along a major road. We did our best to ignore the noises. As our minds wandered, Nobody asked,

“Why did they hang that upside down?”
“Hung what upside down?”
“That, on the wall.”
“You meant the horseshoe?”
“Yah! They never hung it likes that in Texas.” Nobody insisted.
I wasn’t sure what the answer was so I pretended I didn’t hear the last comment.


So we continued on, minds wandered. Then Nobody asked,

“Do you know what sports are played on grass?”
“Yes, many of them are.” I answered thinking I knew the answers to this topic.
“Football?” Nobody asked.
“Of course, both American football and Spanish football.” I answered, quite certain I got the trick question.
“Tennis?”
“Sure.
“How about basketball?” Nobody followed.
I laughed, “No, basketball is played on wood floor or concrete. Hard surfaces.”
Nobody grinned, “Then you don’t know what you are talking about.”



Nobody 2 : 0 Me

“Wanted to play again? Why does a monkey climb the tree?” Nobody asked.

I wasn’t about to go 0 : 3; so I practiced selective hearing. And went “Look at that. It is 12:20pm. Let’s find something to eat.”

Nobody did not know that trick. So, we stop at the Casa de Los Dioses to have a drink and snacks. There was no beers; so we drank lemonade. Nobody had a couple hard boiled eggs. I had two plums. We were admiring the bohemian look of the place. We also thought that the terrain and the trees in this area looked so much like the TX hill’s county, the area near Johnson City.



Finished the break, we started descending into San Justo de La Vega. We could see Astorga in the distance.



We reached Astorga at 1:40 pm. The temperature go to 20 Celsius by this time. We were both thirsty and hungry. So we went got ourselves a couple beers, bread, and meat to make our lunch. We sat on the bench in the middle of Plaza España, ate our lunch, enjoyed the warm sun, and people watching.
A group of bikers on fat-tires had just arrived. We had seen this same group the last two days. They did not ride fast, and they stopped very frequently. We saw many more pilgrims on bikes in the Meseta compared to the section before Burgos.



After lunch, we made our way out of the city at 2:10pm. We reached Murias de Rechivaldo about an hour later.

Here, we met up with Caterina from Sicily. Either she didn’t understand us or she was too young. She were the first person we knew not knowing anything about Al Pacino and The God Father.

Caterina was a nutritionist, specializing in naturally fermented foods. Such a specialized space, Nobody thought. She got seven day left but she really wanted to get to Santiago de Compostela. She was planning to take a bus the next major town to go forward a few sections. Caterina gave Nobody a small jar of the food she made. We saved it for dinner tonight.

We said goodbye to Caterina at Santa Catalina de Somoza. She stopped there while we continued on. We were the only pilgrim on the road by then.

We reached El Ganso at 5:00 pm and decided to stop here for the day. We found a bed at the Albergue Gabino. There was not much to see from the outside. But once passed the small store front space, the albergue was very cozy inside. There were two older Korean pilgrims there (Sue and her nephew).

After cleaned up, we went down to the store nearby to get a beer, a couple oranges, a liter of milk, and a small bottle to replace the reused plastic bottles we had with us since the start of the Camino.

We drank the beer, ate the oranges, saved the water and the milk for breakfast. We also ate the small jar of food Caterina gave us. It was sweet with some sorts of beans in it. It would have been good with toast.

We ended another great day of walking.

By the way, why the monkey climb the tree?



Tally costs for the day

1. Bread and coke: $1.47 (1.40 EUR)
2. Lemonade, eggs, plums: $1.58 (1.50 EUR)
3. Lunch (2 beers and hams): $3.15 (3.00 EUR)
4. Evening snack (beer, oranges, water, milk): $6.30 (6.00 EUR)
5. Bed: $10.50 (10.00 EUR)
 
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Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
Is the Cowboy Bar open in El Ganso? You should have passed it when you came into town.
 
Rj7797 said:
Man o man, those pictures of the beautiful blue skies make me miss the camino so much(more than usually?). Thank you for sharing!
Click to expand...
There are wet days too. We had two so far. But you won’t see a photo when it rains. . Perhaps, we will remember to take one.
 
Camino wristwatch
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
29 April 2022

We got up at 6:30am, preparing for a day in the mountains. Nobody downed the liter of milk. Sue, the Korean pilgrim, insisted that we take two of her energy candies. We headed out at 7:40am. We circled back the street to see if the Cow Boy Bar was operational per J Wilhaus’s request. The morning air was cool but dry. We knew at that time the temperature would rise quickly.

The Camino was relatively flat going in to Rabanal de Camino. There were four pilgrims ahead of us at the time.



As we approached Foncebadón, we started into some serious uphill climb. We caught up and passed the mass in the mountains. The lust landscape at we saw a few days earlier was replaced with dried brushes and smaller Spanish oaks (?).

At 10:50 am, we arrived at the Cruz de Ferro. It was a beautiful spot, completed with rest shelter. There were six other pilgrims taking photos and placed their rock there. Nobody took a few photos and we left.

No ascending yet, there was still lots of up and down with the rocky trail toward Riego de Ambos. We noticed that the red tiles had been replaced with black slates, and the style of the houses had also changed.



We reached Molinaceca at 2:35am. This city was beautiful, with a medieval bridge.



The two candy bars from Sue turned out handy. We munched along with water and felt pretty good. Ponferrada was insight.

The approach to Ponferrada was tortured. We approached the city from the east; but the Camino kicked south to Campo and took us almost to the Southwest part of the city. After about an hour, we crossed the river from the south and arrived at 4:45pm.

We found a bed at the Albérgue San Nicolás. After a quick shower, we went to town to find foods.

We had three beers, two sandwiches, and an apple from the Día. Also three tangerines for tomorrow. We could not find tuna for Nobody so Nobody settled with two different kinds of sliced hams. One thing we learned was that the deli section of the supermarket here in Spain had all kind of wonderful meats. Some of the smoked hams and salt-cure pork quarters were so delicious. They were great to made sandwiches from. We went for several days on different kinds of deli meats.

We spent a couple hours at the Plaza Ayuntamiento, eating our foods and watching Spaniards in their beautiful outfits, strolling around on a Friday afternoon.

We liked the atmosphere a lot. We did not see this often in the States.

Buen Camino

Tally cost for the day:
1. Foods for dinner: $8.03 (7.60 EUR)
2. Bed: $10.57 (10.00 EUR)
 
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30 April 2022

The bed we had at the Albergue San Nicolás was in a small room, two bunk beds per room. We had two Spaniards taken the lower beds. We were on on of the upper bed. The other was Nien, Chinese Australian. One of the Spaniards got up and went through his stuff all night. It seemed that he looked for things. We barely had any sleep at all. Then about 5:45am, he got up and went at it again. We gave up trying to stay in bed. So we packed up and left right at 7:00 am. As we got out, we saw Nien. So we walked with him. He started in SJPP on April 1, took several days of in each large city.

We had beautiful weather again, and it seemed warmer yet. At around, 9:00am, we got to Camponaraya; and we were already down to our last layer. A group of pilgrims from Switzerland were in theirs shorts and T-shirt as we passed them going up the hill out of Camponaraya.


We noticed a significant changes in the houses of this regions compared to where we were the last two weeks. The red tile roofs were replaced by black slates. The houses here seemed larger and of later periods.

About 10:00am, we got into another beautiful area full of vineyards. We saw a great house up the hill, reminded us the little house on the prairie, except this wasn’t a little house.


By this time, Nien had to lower his pace as the hill hurt his knees. Nobody wanted me to stop a gentleman from the Netherlands to take a photo of his hitchhiker. This hitchhiker did not have a name.


From Villafranca del Bierzo onward, the Camino ran along the rio Valcarce and a local road. The road was not well-traveled so that did not bother us at all.

We reached Pereje at 1:20pm. We stopped by the store and got a beer as we did not feel like stopping. The temperature was warm, but there was cool breezes, making the walk quite pleasant.

We stopped for a short break in Trabadelo to look at some of the woods being dried. It seemed that the town had a small lumber processing mill.

At around 4:00pm, we got to Vega de Valcarce. We wanted to go for another hour or so because of the great weather. But as we checked our map, the next village, Ruitelan, did not seem to have a place to buy foods. So we decided to stop in Vega de Valcarce.

We found a bed at the El Paso Albergue. We liked the place. It even had a flag of the city of El Paso.


We did find some tuna for Nobody today at the supermarket just down the street from the albergue.

We drank four different beers today and we had to say that we liked the Mahou Maestra the best. It was not as hoppy as IPA.

Buen Camino


Costs today
1. Bread and milk at Día: $1.69 (1.60 EUR)
2. Two beers: $2.48 (2.35 EUR)
3. Foods for dinner (a pork chop, eggs, onion, milk, canned tuna, two beers): $9.67 (9.17 EUR)
4. Bed: $12.65 (12.00 EUR)
 
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.
01 May 2022

The Albergue El Paso was great. We were able to cook dinner last night and the bed we had was in a remote part of the place. There were about 12 pilgrims there.

We left the albergue at 7:20 am. The morning was pleasant, probably 10 Celsius, with clear sky. We were thinking that we would have a steep climb immediately. But the trail was only gently slope. Not until we passed Las Herrerías when the Camino got really steep.


As a reward, we were treated with be magnificent views of the mountains.

In this stretch, we officially crossed from Castilla de León over to Galicia at 9:50am.



The Camino continued to go rise to the Alto do San Roque at 1270 meter.
.

Soon after the Alto do San Roque, we had one last steep climb to reach Alto Poio one hour later. It was right at noon time. All that climbing made us really thirsty, so we stop at the Bar Puerto for a beer. Nobody ate the three cans of tuna. We then took our chair over the left side to sit in the sun and enjoyed a spectacular view.

We left the Bar Puerto and soon after got to the 150 km mark. Just a mental note, Nobody said.

The descend was as beautiful. We got the views on the other side of the mountain rannge.

We reached Triacastela at 3:00pm. We wanted to have another beer. As we passed a nice beer garden, we saw about 15 pilgrims already there. The conversations seemed loud, looked like some of the patrons had been there for awhile. We could heard war stories were exchanged. Nobody decided not to come in as we got no war stories to tell. So, we moved along.

At the junction, we flipped the coin. Nobody picked head so we got the route to Samos. Out of Triacastela we went. Intead of another beer, we munched on the ham sandwich we made in the morning with what we bought and did not eat last night.

The walk from Triacastela to Samos was very pleasant. It started with a short section by the two lane road but then quickly turned into back country woods.


There was several tiny (and we really meant tiny) villages along the way. The sun was above us but we were rarely not without shade. The river running along the trail provided great soothing sounds.

At 5:10 pm, we got our first glimpse of the the monastery. As we approach the bridge, Nobody saw an open store. Because we skipped our beer in Triacastela, Nobody got on and drank it at the bridge. We had a great view of the monastery there. It was 5:30pm.


We got a bed at the Albergue Val de Samos.

After a quick shower, we went to see the monastery. We did not do the tour, just saw the exterior and browsed the gift shop. Afterwards, we sat at the café next to the albergue to have a large Estrella Galicia, deciding what to eat tonight.

Buen Camino.

Cost for the day
1. Three beers: $7.36 (7.00 EUR)
2. Foods (bread, hearts of palm, sardine): $5.36 (5.10 EUR)
3. Bed: $12.62 (12.00 EUR)
 
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So I lost track. It seems like it was only last week you polled us about where to start You have 26 days. What day are you on now ? I guess it will only take you 3 more days to get to Santiago. How are your legs and feet doing after so many long days ?
 
We started in SJPP on 16Apr. Yesterday was 01May. So that was 17 walking days. We figured 3 days left, four max. Nobody said the paws were fines. Perhaps when we get to Santiago de Compostela, we may decide to go to the Ocean too. We head out now.
Nobody said hello.

Buen Camino
 
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Love the rainbow! Hope you got into the cathedral.
 
Buen Camino...I wish you all the best and that you have a safe journey.
 
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02 May 2022

We had a great night sleeping. Minimal disturbance. We got up at 6:45am. It was strange as everyone in this room was still sleeping. We tried to change and packed as quiet as possible with the light from the window. As we packed, we made a mental note that next time we would use plastic bags which make no sounds when they are being rolled.

We got out the albergue at 7:35am. The sky was cloudy. Temperature was probably 10 Celsius. The wind was blowing, not two strong but more than a breeze.

After a few minutes along the road, the Camino turned right into shaded trail and woods, then occasionally into the open grass fields.


Most of the fields in this area seemed to be for growing grass for cattle. In fact, we saw more cows yesterday and today than the past two weeks. There were also field being prepared for planting. We weren’t sure what for. The fields tended to be small 20-30 acres. These still seemed to be family operated small farming. The type of farming sadly had been slowly disappearing in rural America. We were glad to still seeing it going strong here.

We came across many really old stumps. Being closed to woods and lumbers, we couldn’t not help talking a few photos to share.



We soon reached Sarria at 10:40am. We stopped by a store to get a soda and three tangerines. It was a bit chilly to drink beer. As we exited Sarria, we were approached by a school teacher and his students. They were practicing English so they stopped pilgrims to ask questions. We spent a good 15 minutes talking with the children and the teacher. One of the questions was whether we have pets. I said we do and turned around to show them Nobody. Everyone had a good laugh. That was our highlight of the morning.



About noon time, we started to see many pilgrims. They were in groups of three to five. Mostly Spaniards. We assumed these were the late starter from Sarria in the morning. In all we probably saw approximately 100-120 pilgrims today.


We reached the 100 km mark at 2:05pm. Everyone lined up for their photos at this spot. We got ours. We were quite hungry at this point so we were looking for foods. There were vending machines set up in a few places in this area, but Nobody did not like packaged nuts or candy bars.


Then we walked pass the place with tables full of foods, and seemed to attract a good crowd. We went in and learned that the old couple served foods for donations. There were about 25 pilgrims eating at the place.
We looked at the foods and saw something interesting in an electric pot. It was chicken stew with potatoes, carrots, and green peas. It smelled delicious. Nobody got some of that stew, some pork ears (we think as they had the crunchy part of the pig ears). I got some stew, a fried egg on a toast, some sausage, and a hard boiled egg. The meal was delicious and we got out full to the gills. Remember to look for the place. It was in As Rozas. If you see the stew, dig in.


Then we found another surprise in As Rozas. We saw the real thing but they were way up the hill, so we could not get good photos of them.



After the late lunch in As Rozas, we were treated with more pleasant picturesque farmland on our approach to Portomarín.



We got to the bridge of Portomarín at exactly 4:00 pm.


We were hoping to find a store which was open near the bridge as we had intended to get a box of red wine to drink our way to Gonzar. No such luck. We did want to stay in Portomarín as it was still early and we knew Gonzar is less than 2 hours away. So we strolled out and headed toward Gonzar. We could see one pilgrim ahead of us and three behind. The two hours walk to Gonzar was also pleasant. We saw many farmers working the fields, and a couple splitting logs with a machine. They must had done this all day as the probably had at least 10 cords of woods with them.

We got to Gonzar at 6:10pm. The place was smaller than we expected. We got a bed at the Albergue de Peregrinos de Gonzar. There were only three other pilgrims there. The place had no store and only one open restaurant. We went in look for beers but they did not have drafted beers. Only the Estrella in bottle. The foods on the menu were not to appealing. So we decided to skip dinner tonight as we had a big lunch.

We closed the day, resting on our bed near the window with a nice view of the farm behind. We thought about the children we talked to today and that brought a smile to Nobody face.

Buen Camino


Cost today
1. Soda and tangerines: $1.15 (1.10 EUR)
2. Lunch: $5.25 (5.00 EUR)
3. Bed: $8.40 (8.00 EUR)
 
I have heard that there are more cows than people in Gonzar! If you are sitting out in the evening, you may see people "bringing their cows home". Usually an older woman or man with a staff of some kind. Usually they come right down the main street.
 
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Ahhh. Leon was where I started my Camino.... such a charming town. And Villadangos was my first stop. I remember the group of us ate dinner there outside and we made so many connections....
 
Keep dry. I remember crossing into Galicia also meant the weather changed to more cooler and certainly wetter. Treat Nobody to the awesome pulpo in Melide
 
How was the climb up the steps?
 
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NobleHiker said:
By “the cathedral”, you meant the one in Santiago de Compostela? We hadn’t thought about that. We need to find out how. Thank you for the tip.
Click to expand...
I meant the one in Leon. But the one in Santiago is amazing too. They're very different. Take the roof tour in Santiago-- I think Nobody will like the view.
 
Thank you, NH, for these wonderful reports of all the adventures of you and Nobody. Your photos are great, too. I am impressed with the distances you have walked. Wow. I was concerned when you mentioned achilles tendon trouble a while back, but you have really held up well.

I won’t be checking in as often because I start walking my Camino tomorrow from Pamplona. I did pick up a hitchhiker. She’s a baby dove and just can’t understand how crazy the world is lately. So I thought a pilgrimage might help calm her soul. Her name is Lovey. Here she is on the airport shuttle with us yesterday.

Buen camino to you and Nobody.

 
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J Willhaus said:
I have heard that there are more cows than people in Gonzar! If you are sitting out in the evening, you may see people "bringing their cows home". Usually an older woman or man with a staff of some kind. Usually they come right down the main street.
Click to expand...
We wished we had seen that. We sat outside a few time to 7:00pm. But, at 7:00pm, the sun was still up so they probably were still out. We were hoping to see the Spanish longhorns but we were not so lucky that day when we passed the longhorns range.
 
Dessie2016 said:
Keep dry. I remember crossing into Galicia also meant the weather changed to more cooler and certainly wetter. Treat Nobody to the awesome pulpo in Melide
Click to expand...
Thanks. So far, the weather had been great. We had two washed out days, a few overcast days, and mostly sunny days. We were saving ourselves for some seafoods when we get to SdC.
 
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Hello Lovey.

Buen Camino.
 
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€46,-
03 May 2022

We started off the day at 7:30am, just in time for a beautiful sun rise.


But then around 9:30am, the wind blew hard and the dark clouds moved in. We stopped and double-checked to make sure everything were inside plastic bags. The dark clouds hung around for about an hour or so then went away. The sun came out and gave us another perfect day to walk.

Most of the Camino in in stretch was like walking in tunnel of trees. Very shady and beautiful.


We walked behind this Spanish gentleman with a two-wheel rig for a good hour. We saw two-wheel rig twice before, one of Manuel from Portugal, one from Spain, and so is this one. He went very fast on the flat. Uphill was a challenge for him as he did not have a hardness like Manuel did. He seemed very content with what he had.



We also see the most pilgrims on the Camino today than any day before. There were approximately 200-250 or so that we passed. Many are younger, college age, or perhaps high school.



We were also secretly happy to see the red tiles roofs came back. The white houses with red tile roofs and the green grass made a great view.



One other favorite part of walking today was the present of eucalyptus trees. We started seeing them planted in the morning coming out of Gonzar. The leafs from the trees felt on the trail. As pilgrims walked on the leafs, oil from the leafs was released into the air, baked by the afternoon sun, created a wonderful fragrance in the air.

We got to Palas de Rei at 11:00am and got really hungry as we didn’t have dinner last night and only two bananas bought in the morning in Castromaior. We stopped by the store to buy foods to make our favorite sandwiches and a couple beers for Nobody. We sat and had our beers on the bench at the Plaza do Concello under the warm sun.


The next three hours went by rather quickly as we walked among other pilgrims.

We got to Melide at around 3:00pm. We were lucky today as the store was opened. We got a liter of box wine, milk, and three tangerines. Nobody and I were buzzed walking from there to Arzúa.


We arrived at Arzúa at around 6:15pm.

We found a bed at the Albergue Municipal de Arzúa. We got showered and needed to go find a place to charge our phone as the place did not have outlets by the bed.

We ate the half sandwich from lunch, drank some of the remaining wine for dinner, and enjoyed our last evening before SdC.

Buen Camino


Tally Cost Today
1. Two bananas: $1.26 (1.20 EUR)
2. Two beers, bread, smoked pork, pork ears, cheese: $5.45 (5.18 EUR)
3. Wine, milk, tangerines: $3.37 (3.20 EUR)
4. Bed: $8.42 (8.00 EUR)
 
04 May 2022

We rested well last night and we’re up and 6:30am this morning. By now, we got our morning routine down. We brushed teeth, got our pack down in less than 15 minutes. As far as breakfast went, we had three tangerines and drank plenty of water. We were out of the door at 7:00am.

We expected a warm sunny day. We could fell that the morning temperature was warmer than any day before. We caught a great sunrise 30 minutes later.


Beside eucalyptus trees, we saw many fig trees bearing fruits and groove of oaks. The Camino was full of acorns from the oaks. With many oak trees around, we were expected to see squirrels, but saw none.


We came upon the beer garden at 8:40am. It was still closed. Otherwise, we would had contributed to the making of the garden.



We walked in solitude much of the morning. Two other pilgrims and us passing each others back and forth as they stopped for coffees and snacks. We saw no other pilgrims until around 11:00 am in O Pino.

The temperature rose quickly to approximately 15 Celsius when we reached O Pino. We went in and got ourselves some snacks as we were hungry. I got a sausage, and Nobody got a bag of cookies. We weren’t sure why we didn’t get anything to drink.



After the sausage and the cookies, we get really thirsty. Unlike villages in the Basque Country and Castilla Y Leon where all had a potable water faucet, those in Galicia did not always have potable water. We went without for awhile until we found a small store at A Lavacolla. We got another sausage and a soda. The sausage stayed in the bag. The soda was gone in 10 minutes.

The afternoon went by quickly as we tackled some steep but short climbs.


Santiago de Compostela was a sprawling city with its suburbs extended far out from the center of the city. It took about an hour to get from the edge of the city to the historic district. Prior to reaching the cathedral, we stopped by a little store and got us a couple beers; Nobody got a sweet drink, prepared ourselves for a celebration. Finally, we reached the cathedral at 3:25 pm. We sat among other pilgrims under the warm afternoon sun, enjoyed the moment.



Afterward, we walked by the pilgrims office to get the official passport stamped. We didn’t feel the need to get a certificate.

We found a hotel near the cathedral and get a private room with a bathtub. A thirty minutes soak was in order. After a quick nap, we went out to have dinner at a seafood tapas place. Nobody got mussels. I got shrimps. We also had shrimps/scallops. And of course, two beers. We wanted to save the octopus for another day.

An ice cream topped of dinner. We walked around the historic district with our ice cream. Thinking what we will do tomorrow….
Buen Camino

Cost for the days:
1. Sausage and cookies: $3.35 (3.15 EUR)
2. Sausage and soda: $2.36 (2.22 EUR)
3. Two beers, a sweet drink, and a sausage: $4.09 (3.85 EUR)
4. Dinner (two beers, mussels, shrimps, scallops taps, bread): $25.17 (23.70 EUR)
5. Room: $71.16 (67 EUR)
 
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Congratulations. A great narrative of a very brisk fuss-free Camino. I’ve not added up your spend to-date (although I’m sure you have) and I think you prove that it’s still possible to get from St Jean to Santiago inexpensively but in reasonable comfort.
 
Wow, you made it and how !!!!! So fast and treating us to wonderful stories each day. Enjoy your remaining days in lovely Spain and till.....next time !
 
Epilogue

Tomorrow, we planned to pay a visit to Saint James the Greater, Spain’s patron saint, to close out this pilgrimage.

We did not walk the Camino to find our way. We had no great expectations. But, we did find something. We found what had always been there. In each of us, there had always been a longing. A longing for a tranquil place in the countryside where time stands still; where the sun is warm, the wine is sweet, the beer is bitter, and the jamón is downright delicious. We had that place in our heart. It had always been there. A place where any thought of it brought a smile to our face. We hope you had your place.

We will keep on walking. There are many places to see…

Buen Camino and Vaya Con Dios
 
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This is awesome. Just discovered your posts last night and it was delightful to go over. I am starting my first Camino from SJPP on June 18 and looking forward to it. Arriving from San Diego to SJPP on June 17th. Thank you for taking time to share your experiences with Nobody on the Camino. Felix.
 
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I enjoyed walking vicariously with you and Nobody.

Thanks for sharing your journey.

Vaya con Dios.
 
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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Your post brought back such great memories. When I walked in 2019 I too found this donativo Casa De Campo after hiking hours in the rain. It was the best! Maria is the cook and what a wonderful cook. Her garden was beautiful too.
 

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@NobleHiker - Am I correct that it only took you 19 days to walk from SJPDP to Santiago de Compostela?
It certainly sounds like you and Nobody enjoyed yourselves.
 
It took Nobody and I 19 days from SJPP to SdC then another 2 days to Fisterra. We set our goal at 2 beers a days. We beat that. It was an enjoyable experience which we hope everyone has a chance to experience.
 
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When you walk down steep hills zig zag down the hill and keep your feet as parallel to the path as possible and if you have poles keep one poll on the downhill side to keep you as upright as possible so your feet don't slide to the side. it helps me alot at least.
 
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