Update from Portomarin

[Anniesantiago]

Tonight we are in Portomarin in a nice new hostel. We saw the advert on the road.

We have left the municipal circuit and are paying 7 to 9 euros for private alburgues. Since we have done this, we have not seen any more bedbutgs, although we have seen plenty of folks with bites. I am still spraying my bed, even though we have changed to privates. The little buggers are not fussy!

We are only walking half stages and are trying to figure out where to go from Santiago, still.

We thought maybe going back to the Plata, but I have to admit, I am tiring of the people. This is more of a race than ever. I had a woman run ahead of me in Sarria to throw her things on the bed I was headed for.. it was silly and made me feel really sad. People are RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING... we have taken to singing the song from Alice in Wonderland,

I´m late!
I´m late!
For a very important date!

when they pass us at ridiculous rates of speed, or get up at 4 in the morning and try to walk in the dark. I had three young girls ask me if I knew where the road was the other day. I had just gotten up to use the toilet. It was about 5 am and dark as night can be. I told them, but felt like saying, Maybe if you waited until the sun came up you could SEE the road¿¿

Anyway... it does not feel very spiritual, rather more like a race, which I am not interested in.

So, maybe we will NOT go back to the Plata.
Maybe I am finished with the Camino this time around.

Feeling blue.

Barcelona is having floods and much of Spain is having rain right now. So far, we have been lucky and have only had a few sprinkles, but the weather is definitely changing to autumn.

I think we may go to Rome, then southern Italy and take a ferry to Greece...
but not sure yet.

We have about 4 more days until we reach Santiago. I have lost some weight, which makes me very happy...


Not much more news...
I am weary this time around... homesick...tired of pilgrims... a bit depressed.
Wish the sun would shine...

 

[KiwiNomad06]

lol Annie, you might be in the new one we stayed in after we saw the advert on the road. If is is any consolation, Portomarin was also the place I felt most depressed in!!!!!! The crowds on the track leading into it, the loud mobile phone convos, the radios blaring..... it was nearly all a bit too much. I nearly caught public transport to Santiago from there and thought 'to heck with the Compostela!' However, after a good meal, and a good sleep, I never found any of the other days felt quite as 'crowded' and I survived.... and was glad to arrive a few days later in Santiago as a walking pilgrim! All the best for your last few days into Santiago,
Margaret

 

[MichaelB10398]

Just as there are ups and downs in life, so we find in the Camino. Expectations of others can taint our own spirituality; it is at those times we need to remember that we are responsible for our actions and allow others the same freedom. In doing so, we claim Peace amidst the storm and can happily smile as it rains.

Of course, there is still that nagging feeling that you would get a great deal of satisfaction out of smacking the "peewaddin" out of the really rude ones at times. That is only a reflection of my own lack of enlightenment.

Moving back to my feeble attempt to lift your spirits...count your blessings and serve others. It is hard being blue when we serve others and realize how richly blessed we are.

You remain in our prayers,

Michael

 

[sillydoll]

I advise pilgrims to get a bus to Lugo from Sarria and then to Ferrol to walk back to Santiago on the Camino Ingles. Much quieter than the Frances.

 

[nellpilgrim]

Hi Annie,
Thank you for your posts I have really enjoyed reading them very much .
I hope you have found the walk from Portomarin to wherever you are staying tonight OK. Reading your post reminded me that everyone gets those Camino Blues to some degree so give yourself a treat... or two!
If other are racing leave them race away-knowing that you have already won your 'race'. Take your time stroll along just observe and savour all that they are missing, and there is a lot to see and enjoy in the next few days, by rushing by being rude by not engaging kindly with others.
When people overtake you at a great rate and 'race' ahead just ask yourself "who gets to the fold first- the shepherd or the sheep?' :lol:
Bonne route
Nell

 

[WolverineDG]

I´m doing half-stages too. i think it´s nuts getting up at 4 am when the sun doesn´t come out until 7:15 or 7:30. Run run run, get in 40k, get to the albergue & sleep the rest of the day away. I like going slow, even if it means I´ll have to bus to Sarria from Leon when I get there.

I´ve had a bit of rain, not pouring, but enough to make me wear my Altus all day to keep from getting dripping wet.

Kelly

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There probably are no more words that can be said about the bed race, but I met one pilgrim, a woman from Belgium, that really seemed to stay out of it. In several Caminos, she said she never lacked a place to sleep at night. She walked each day until she was through walking, never thought about the stream of pilgrims walking past, enjoyed herself and the people around her immensely, and kept coming back each year. Maybe she was disguising an inner turmoil, but she to be honestly above the fray. I have not achieved that level of peace, but I certainly would like to!

 

[Pacharan]

I am in Zubiri (municipal albergue) tonight and it seems the Camino Frances is as busy as everyone says. Last night in Roncesvalles the refugio was full (100 plus)and the race for 1st choice bunks was an eye-opener....tonight in Zubiri the overflow area is open. The private albergue was full when we arrived at 3pm (well, one bed left) and both hotels "completo" too.
Roncesvalles is very clean and well run but they really need more space to cope with the hordes...
Can recommend the Sports Centre in Zubiri for pilgrim menu (11 euros and lots of choice).
Apart from that the weather has been WET. Today better than yesterday and I hope tomorrow will be even better.
Starting to get to know some faces now, I think people start out quite shy, but gradually getting to know each other a little.
That´s all for now - lights out in 30 mins

 

[WolverineDG]

Things are still filling up on my end too, just not as quickly. I´m now in Calzadilla de las Cuezas, outside of Carrion....omg, spare yourself the slog & take a bus. Only 1 bar the whole distance (at the 9k mark), & afterwards, it´s the march of the damned. You don´t see Calzadilla until you are in it.

Kelly

 

[Rebecca]

....omg, spare yourself the slog & take a bus. Only 1 bar the whole distance (at the 9k mark), & afterwards, it´s the march of the damned. You don´t see Calzadilla until you are in it.
Kelly

…lol, Kelly. I know it’s not cool to mention Hape Kerkeling on this forum, but here’s his bit on Calzadilla:
"I ... use the denim shirt for hiking and the city shirt, obviously, for the city. But here in Calzadilla, I leave my denim shirt on. Not only is it barely a city, but I’m still mad at the place because it hid from me until the last minute.” A page or two earlier he says “I’d sooner drag myself over the Pyrenees in the fog than try this part again.”

Congratulations on completing the slog!

rebecca

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Calzadilla de la Cueza. Sheep coming and going from a barn. Hospitalero suggesting a 61-year-old take a top bunk to save lower bunks for older pilgrims. Later he passes out foam earplugs to protect us from a drunken snorer. Everyone laughs. Swallows swooping the pool to drink water. Two overgrown playgrounds and no apparent children. One bar/restaurant/hotel. Hot. Flat. Fantastic.

 

[sillydoll]

Sept 2007:

The scenery along the way is beautiful although different from the meseta in spring when the wheat fields are waist high and ripple like waves in the breeze (simlar to the sugarcane fields back home). Now all the wheat has been harvested and only a very neat stubble is left so that it looks as though the fields have all had smart crew-cuts. Some fields sport large piles of manure like giant ant heaps waiting to be plouged in. Other fields have already been ploughed. There are the late remnants of sunflowers which pilrims have turned into wrinkled ´Granny faces´ by picking out seeds. From Carrion to Calzadilla - a 17km stretch along a rocky, stony path, we managed to walk about 12min per km. We stopped for a cafe-Americano (large coffee cup instead of small Espresso) and then continued on to Ledigos where we had planned to stay. The albergue was closed and being Sunday, there wasn’t much open so we decided to continue walking another 2.5kms to Terradillos de los Templarios.

 

[WolverineDG]

Hi Rebecca! Sorry I missed you, but you were out in Sahagun shopping when I wandered by. Your place looks lovely, btw. I´m now in San Nicolas, apparently the only one who has stopped here so far. Hmmm, a room to myself, perhaps?

I think anyone who has survived the March of the Damned deserves a medal. There was nothing to look at at all...felt like I was on a treadmill..... :|

Kelly

 

[Rebekah Scott]

March of the Damned?? Hey! This is my neighborhood you´re talking about, my Zen landscape, my lovely beautiful meseta, my Big Sky Country!

Nowhere on the earth do I feel more alive than here in March of Damned territory. You just have to shift your vision off the "interesting buildings/historic site/bar with coffee" setting and dial up the "breathe this clean air, see how the earth glistens under this yellow-spectrum sunlight and shadow, see the swallows dip and dive, look at that cloud it´s shaped like Uncle Frank" kind of setting. It is completely refreshing. To some people.

I am sorry I missed you too. I hope Patrick and Brian took good care of you, and the innkeeper in St. Nicolas is in a good mood today. The weather is perfect for walking. Things are looking up!

Reb.

 

[WolverineDG]

Reb, yes they did take good care of me. Gave the pups a few ear scritches too. No worries there. No, the March of the Damned refers only to that 17.6 stretch of absolutely nothing to look at. The rest of the meseta has been great, lovely Big Sky country.

Sorry I missed you too, but I was to meet someone at San Nicolas, but she never showed up. Oh well.

Kelly

 

[JaneofNorwich]

I quite enjoyed the Messeta except for the excessive heat back in June. I stayed in a lovely hostel in the village of Terradillos de los Templarios. Not the modern one on the way into the village which didn't appeal at all. I want to finish off the camino where I left off in Leon at the end of June and wonder if this is a good time to do it. What do you think?

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Jane: The weather is holding up very nicely for meseta pilgrims. It´s very dusty, esp. in the evenings when the wind picks up, but temperatures are quite comfortable for walking. There´s a fiesta this week in Leon, just so you know!

Reb.

 

[Laura Blue]

Tonight we are in Portomarin in a nice new hostel. We saw the advert on the road.

We have left the municipal circuit and are paying 7 to 9 euros for private alburgues. Since we have done this, we have not seen any more bedbutgs, although we have seen plenty of folks with bites. I am still spraying my bed, even though we have changed to privates. The little buggers are not fussy!

We are only walking half stages and are trying to figure out where to go from Santiago, still.

We thought maybe going back to the Plata, but I have to admit, I am tiring of the people. This is more of a race than ever. I had a woman run ahead of me in Sarria to throw her things on the bed I was headed for.. it was silly and made me feel really sad. People are RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING... we have taken to singing the song from Alice in Wonderland,

I´m late!
I´m late!
For a very important date!

when they pass us at ridiculous rates of speed, or get up at 4 in the morning and try to walk in the dark. I had three young girls ask me if I knew where the road was the other day. I had just gotten up to use the toilet. It was about 5 am and dark as night can be. I told them, but felt like saying, Maybe if you waited until the sun came up you could SEE the road¿¿

Anyway... it does not feel very spiritual, rather more like a race, which I am not interested in.

So, maybe we will NOT go back to the Plata.
Maybe I am finished with the Camino this time around.

Feeling blue.

Barcelona is having floods and much of Spain is having rain right now. So far, we have been lucky and have only had a few sprinkles, but the weather is definitely changing to autumn.

I think we may go to Rome, then southern Italy and take a ferry to Greece...
but not sure yet.

We have about 4 more days until we reach Santiago. I have lost some weight, which makes me very happy...


Not much more news...
I am weary this time around... homesick...tired of pilgrims... a bit depressed.
Wish the sun would shine...

So we sorry to hear you're having this experience, really not what it's about!

 

[SabsP]

So we sorry to hear you're having this experience, really not what it's about!

The OP is from 2009...

 

[lovingkindness]

...but how nice it is to 'see' @Anniesantiago again and all the others from way back then. We have all matured, ha ha! . Annie writes so beautifully.

 

[Anniesantiago]

So we sorry to hear you're having this experience, really not what it's about!

Lol! Ummmm... that was over 12 years ago. I was having a bad day

 

[BROWNCOUNTYBOB]

Annie, speaking of strange experience in Portomarin, my wife and I stayed in a private albergue very near the historic Cathedral in 2019. We stayed in a room with a wonderful balcony and could see the church. Late afternoon I saw the doors open so decided to rush over to get a sello. I entered the church and discovered a mass was underway. My wife and I practicing Catholics, so I knelt at a pew then decided to head for Communion. A nearby priest waved me off, then told me it was a "private service" and I was not eligible to receive communion! Never in my 64 year life have I attended a Catholic mass that was considered "private". Needless to say, my wife and I did not return for the pilgrim's mass later that evening. Other than crossing the "scary bridge" and climbing the "scary steps" into Portomarin, we love the town. Lots of nice bars, shops and restaurants. We have reservations at the same place and same balcony room on 17 October 2021. Bob

 

[Anniesantiago]

Annie, speaking of strange experience in Portomarin, my wife and I stayed in a private albergue very near the historic Cathedral in 2019. We stayed in a room with a wonderful balcony and could see the church. Late afternoon I saw the doors open so decided to rush over to get a sello. I entered the church and discovered a mass was underway. My wife and I practicing Catholics, so I knelt at a pew then decided to head for Communion. A nearby priest waved me off, then told me it was a "private service" and I was not eligible to receive communion! Never in my 64 year life have I attended a Catholic mass that was considered "private". Needless to say, my wife and I did not return for the pilgrim's mass later that evening. Other than crossing the "scary bridge" and climbing the "scary steps" into Portomarin, we love the town. Lots of nice bars, shops and restaurants. We have reservations at the same place and same balcony room on 17 October 2021. Bob

How strange. I wonder if it was a funeral or something? Weird.