Author: jjdillman2@gmail.com

Stage 10/11/12 Portomarin – Salceda (64.5km/40mi)

9.19.2016 – 9.21.2016
Our last 3 days are about finishing. The walks are more routine but long. They are not as challenging physically as the weather is cool and our conditioning is so much better. We are staying in the most beautiful villas called Pazos. They are Galacian manor homes that are situated in the Galacian countryside as former homes to the wealthy and nobility of the 17th and 18th century. The first that we stayed was called Pazo Torre do Barrio as I recalled in my 9.18 post. The proprietor was Marisol and she was warm and motherly and the Pazo reflected her spirit. Next we stay at A Parada das Bestas that was more rustic but had a chef that was amazing. He apparently is the nephew of the owner and is formally trained. For dinner this night I have a pepper stuffed with crab and bechamel cheese and the salmon. John selects the beef stew with roasted potatoes. We have homemade ice cream with coffee Carmel sauce for desert. The food is beyond amazing. Last night (and tonight) we are stay at Pazo Eidian. It is elegant and formal but still reflective of the historical manor with original stone walls and beams. Last night we had paella with shrimp, mussels and clams and a brilliant flan for desert. We also sample many homemade liqueurs after dinner. There is a leche, a coffee, a lemon herb, and a strong agave. I tried them all(he he) even though I have a 13 mile walk ahead in the morning. We had many laughs in Spanish and English. The Spanish speakers enjoy teaching us and I was complimented by Marisol a few days back on my Spanish so they tease quite a bit about that since my Spanish is so lacking. All I said was gracias and Marisol said oh so perfecto!!! These last few days have been such a wonderful end to our Camino. Tomorrow we walk 14 miles to Monte do Gozo (Mount of Joy) where we will get our first glimpse of Santiago’s Cathedral. Friday we will walk the last 3 miles into Santiago as a group.

Stage 9 Sarria – Portomarin (20km/12.4mi)

9.18.2016
Today we make a long walk as we begin our last 106km. We will walk the entire 68 miles now with no jumps as we need to walk the last 100km to obtain our certificate. This last portion of the journey has many more walkers. Many begin their walk at this stage. The paths are wide through villages and farms so the walk feels more like an easy trail walk. We are taking our time as much as we are able and stopping at the many cafes along the way. We usually are 2-3 hours ahead of the others in our group so we decide today that we are going to make many stops to lessen our wait for pick up. We share the trail with dogs, cats and milk cows and overall feel like we are out for a neighborhood stroll. We end our walk in Portomarin where you cross a long Roman bridge. We can see Roman ruins including the remains of the original Roman bridge on the banks and just below the river. We climb a steep set of stairs to enter the town which was moved to higher ground in the 1960’s after the river was dammed over the original Roman city. Many of the buildings including the church were moved to the new location brick by brick. The church is interesting in that it looks like more of a fortress. Come to find out it was built by the Templars to be just that. The inside is one of the most austere churches I have seen in Europe and we decide this one is our favorite. On another note, our hotel is more like a family home and working farm. It is so beautiful and the meals are all made by the proprietor. This morning she kept bringing out more home baked items to entice us. We are staying here again tonight and are supposed to be having a special stew of the region called Maragato. All the meat and vegetables will come from the owners garden and farm. When we returned this evening, our laundry was done and folded in our room. We usually have lunch at a cafe or albergue at the end of our walk and arrive to our accommodations around 5. Dinner in Spain does not happen until around 9pm. We usually nap, write in our journals or explore the village where we are staying before dinner. Staying up for dinner is a big challenge!

Stage 8 La Faba -Alto do Polo (14.6km/9mi)

9.17.2016
Today will be our last day of walking before we begin our last 100km (The Camino). It is a very cool but clear day and the views through the mountains are breath taking. At each climb, I stop to take a picture thinking that it is the most beautiful only to find another view around the corner. The vegetation has changed to Pine and chestnut trees. We have entered the Galacian region which has Celtic heritage and where Galacian (Galego) not Spanish is the regional language. Our Spanish is not very good so we are no worse off. There are examples of stone buildings with thatched roofs where in ancient times people shared with their animals. After a steep climb we reach the Pilgrim keeping the watch on the valley holding onto his hat. Today we walk slowly and stop often to marvel at the views. At the end of our day we stop at an Albergue for lunch and to wait for our pick up. There are 2 huge dogs one of which decides to sit under our table with his head almost on John’s foot. The dog literally is the size of small horse and when he turns over to spread out he lifts our table off the ground. We decide that it is best that we move. Roosters, hens and cats wander all through the place including under your chair and table looking for scrapes. After lunch we drive on to Sarria where we are staying as a group in an old home similar to a bed and breakfast that has a working farm with sheep, goats, hens and a garden. The husband and wife owners make us a wonderful meal. For the rest of the walk we will be staying in these type of homes.

Stage 7 Rabanal del Camino – El Acebo (16.8km/10.4m)

9.16.2016
The heavy rain seems to have moved on and it is now just drizzle but very cold (42 degrees to start). I am glad that the thunder storms were primarily reserved for our rest day. Today we make our way to Foncebadon through beautiful mountains to the “Cruz de Ferro” or the Cross of Iron. This is considered one of the most spiritual places on the Camino and is also at the highest elevation of 1500 meters or 5000ft. Here the tradition is to throw a stone on the mound that you have carried. It symbolizes letting go of the weight you have carried as you get ready for the final journey to Santiago de Compostela. We make a continuous climb for about 2.5 miles but it is gradual and not the most difficult of our journey. Because the route is rocky and wet, I try my boots again and have to stop early with new blisters. I tape my toes and move back to my trail shoes. I will be donating my boots . . . The fog hangs over the mountains making for eerie but beautiful views. We pass through the mid evil village of Manjarin where there is only a one inhabitant left – a gentleman that runs the albergue and dresses as a Templar knight. Quite an interesting character. The albergue has no running water or electricity. Our guide told us she stayed on one of her camino’s and that it was quite an experience. I will take a pass! From Manjarin, we begin a long and steep descent to El Acebo. It is very rocky and I can’t zig zag so resort to tippy toe running for the next 3 miles. I am sure I am irritating other pilgrims as I do a not so graceful dance on the rocks. I also do not stop to explain that I have blisters since most carry heavy packs and have walked much further than me through these mountains. John on the other hand is very steady in his pace using his walking sticks. The long walks in the early stages through fields of grain and grapes are peaceful and mind numbing. The walks through the hills and mountains of Leon remind me of hardship and perseverance. They are not easy walks. Our van takes us on to Molinaseca to a beautiful Albergue for the night where a late afternoon sun has come out.

Rest Day

9.15.2016
Rest day with morning in Leon. Toured the Cathedral, had an amazing lunch and moved on to Astorga. Astorga is a beautiful ancient town with another early Gaudi palace. Astorga is also known for chocolate. The story goes that Astorga brought cocoa from Mexico to Europe first and all Europeon chocolate has it’s origin from Astorga.

Stage 5 Ruina de San Anton – Itero de la Vega (18km/11.2mi)

9.14.2014
It is a chilly day starting off in the mid 40’s. Our fellow pilgrims are overjoyed that there is relief from the heat. John and I have loaded up on layers and have on our gloves and still shiver while one of our California pilgrims is walking in shorts and a tee shirt. Reminds me of when we moved from Houston to CT and Mathew would go to soccer practice in his gloves and winter hat while the rest of his team mates thought it was hot. The walk begins at the ruins of the old Convent of San Anton. The gothic ruins have their origin as a hospital built in the XII century to care for the victims of Fire of San Anton which was an illness like leprosy. Attached to the ruins is a albergue where we get another stamp for our passport.

We continue on to the village of Castrogeriz. The town itself has been declared a site of cultural interest. It apparently played a significant role in the history of Castile. We were struck by the amount of renovation taking place of the homes. Also, along the narrow cobble streets were many dogs either sitting outside the entrances to their homes waiting to be let in or others taking themselves on their morning walks. Again, none of them on leash and all ignoring us. We saw a dog that looked just like John and Kate’s Ruby sitting on a front stoop watching the pilgrims walk by. It made us smile as it reminded us of Ruby sitting on her front porch except this dog had no invisible fence coller. Past Castorgeriz, we have another steep climb and descent but it is not too challenging as the path is wide and paved in small gravel as opposed to the big stones we found near Pamplona. This is an area of beautiful Castilian plateaus surrounded by golden grain fields. You can see for miles. It reminds us of driving through the badlands of South Dakota. Our guide book describes it as long and lonely paths with a seemingly unreachable horizon. We are only getting a taste so it does not seem that way to us. I actually feel like I would be content to just walk the paths forever. We cross a bridge into the province of Palencia.
Our pick up stop is in the village of Itero de la Vega. We have lunch at a cafe – I have fried eggs and bacon and John has a hamburger!! We then wait for the remainder of our group. The wait today is over 2 hours. I tell John that the waits are disrupting my Camino psyche. He says I am just an odd duck!

From Itero de la Vega we drive 90 minutes to Leon. As we enter the busy city of Leon, we are happy not to have to walk “through” this city of pilgrims. I wish I could have walked more of the Camino but do not miss the walk through the larger cities. Leon originated from a Roman camp around 29BC and came to be a primary kingdoms of medieval Spain. We walk around the city and have a bite to eat. Tomorrow we will have our first rest day from walking so we will tour Leon including the Cathedral.

Stage 4 – Villafranca Montes de Oca – Ages (16k/10.9mi)

9.13.2016
After a night of no sleep in a quaint albergue (hostel), we are not eager to walk. Between my feet issues and the heat with no air conditioning, I am not in a Camino mood.
Our walk today has a steep up hill and descent and then an easy flat 6 miles. Funny that we are starting to think of a flat 6 miles as easy. I have decided to bandage my toes and walk in my trail shoes versus the sandals as it is supposed to rain. Off we go with the promise of a 4 star hotel with air conditioning and a decent bed in Burgos. The up hills are becoming less challenging but the descent is tough on the blisters. I walk down in a zig zag pattern with John following telling me to zig zag! We actually make the trip in good time and feel good once the double espresso kicks in for me. John knows not to speak to me until we pass the 4 mile mark haha!! The rain and thunder threaten the entire way so we are motivated to make haste. We arrive in Ages – our final destination in 31/2 hours and enjoy lunch, cervaza (beer) at a bar before the rain starts. The walk itself is through forest roads and is not as scenic as our other walks. We walk through free range cattle areas where similar to the dogs, the cattle are close to the road and make no mind of us at all!

The last of our group arrives at the 5 1/2 hour mark soaked from the last 3 miles walked in rain. We take the van for a 40 minute ride to Burgos. Burgos is a beautiful Castilian city. There is a promanade outside the fortress wall lined with cafes/bars and inside the fortress entrance there is a magnificent Cathedral.

We are given a private tour of the Cathedral and are free for dinner and shopping. We eat potato chips and have several glasses of wine for dinner in our room and will be asleep by 10pm. Tomorrow will be cold and rainy and we both are very tired. One more day of walking and then a rest day in Leon.

As we walk, we think of our Vin Maus and wonder at his experiences on the Camino. We have begun talking of our Camino as the “way of Vin” as he went before us. We often wonder where he stopped or what he ate or what he would have thought along the way.

Stage 3 Najera – Santa Domingo de la Calzada (22km/13.6mi

Our longest hike to date where we transition from the Middle to Upper Rioja. Upper Rioja is known more for wheat than grapes but we see many grape vines especially on the first half of the walk. The walk is scenic and seems much more gentle compared to yesterday. We have to remind ourselves to slow our pace as it is hot and a long way between water support. There are a few big hills that unfornately are not easy on my foot. I am posting an end of day picture for my memory so for those of you who are queasy do not look . . .

Our walk ends in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, a town that owes it’s existence to the Camino de Santiago. It’s name comes from founder Domingo Garcia de la Carzada, a hermit who created a bridge, a hospital and a hostel for pilgrims to facilitate the pilgrimage on the Way of Saint James as it passes through the town.

We have the pilgrim’s lunch at a cafe. I had jamon and melon and scrambled eggs with new garlic. It was wonderful. John ate a pasta salad with tuna, olives and shrimp followed by the eggs. We took a nap, did our laundry and have been relaxing grateful for the early start. I make a trip to a shoe store as I am going to have to walk in open toe sandals and to the Farmacia for neosporin, cortisone cream and band aids. John on the other hand is in great shape! We were able to be on the trail by 8:30 this morning so we finished by noon. All in our group walked today but the heat continues to take a toll especially for those taking longer to walk. There is one woman (one of the sisters) who is 72 years old. She has always dreamed of doing the Camino and is walking the stages quite well but the pace of 6-7 hours a stage is brutal in the heat. I pray for her successful Camino. Tomorrow is going to be hot again and then we are supposed to get rain. I keep being thankful for our training in the NC heat and humidity! Tonight we are all having dinner together at a restaurant near by which will be fun to catch up to hear the stories of the group as we generally do not see each other on free evenings.

Stage 2 Cizor Minor to Eunate (16.8km /10.4mi)

9-11-2016
Today we ascend a challenging and steep 500 meter climb to arrive at the summit of forgiveness. They say if you can make the climb to the summit, all your sins are forgiven. The climb is steep and challenging but the vistas are stunning. We have to remind ourselves to look back at Pamplona behind us as we focus on the climb. We then begin a very steep rocky descent, The down journey is a very challenging one and it is slow going for us. Most of our party elects to by pass the descent being dropped at the next town. John and I both make our way slowly and with care. You will have to believe me on this one as I did not want to stop to take pictures. It takes us 4 1/2 hours to make the 10 mile hike. It is hot and our fellow travelers are far behind so we must wait over an hour under a shade tree for our pick up. Not the best of circumstances but oh well – the Camino is for all. I know I have toe blisters from the descent. My fault for not tying my boots well. John is hiking remarkably well. Always in the lead!! He is feeling grateful for his heart surgery as he feels completely different this trip. The weather is so uncommonly hot – 90’s. I am grateful for our training days in the high heat and humidity in North Carolina. Today we hiked for Joan Fitzpatrick birthday and in remembrance of 9/11. It is a fitting hike for 9/11. We make our way post hike to Logrono, capital of La Rioja region. After a shower, some tending to my feet (which seem to be in battered shape), we enjoy some really good wine and tapas. Logrono is a larger city that seems more industrial. The hotel is modern and we finally have some air conditioning so hopefully we will sleep tonight.

On the human interest side, our group is interesting. The 2 sisters and the doctor from the Phillipines are taking their Camino seriously – while they have trained, the heat and mountains are a challenge for them. Today’s hike was 6-7 hours in the high heat for them. Our ladies from Mexico, wear full make up and impressive outfits with their jewelry. They are late for all departures and generally hike half the mileage. Their Camino is about enjoying their friendship together and John and I have to remind ourselves not to be annoyed!!