Friday, May 20, 2016 A sunny day from Palas de Rei to Arzúa Walking day #29 Today was a beautiful day, but just a little warm for a long walk, especially uphill (the last 3 kilometers were uphill, sometimes steeply). This was a long day at over 28 kilometers (18 miles). And, at about 26-27 degrees C (78-80 degrees Fahrenheit), it was the warmest day in Spain since I started walking the Camino on April […]
Thursday, May 19, 2016 A Walk in the country from Portomarín to Palas de Rei Walking Day #28 Today was another very good day for walking: cool but not cold, cloudy with no oppressive sun and no rain, just a pleasant day. And for the most part, the Camino path was in the farm country, not far from roads, but seldom on the road or by the road, so there was little noise that […]
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 A cool comfortable walk from Sarria to Portomarín Walking Day #27 Today was another very nice day walking on the Camino de Santiago. I started this pilgrimage exactly one month ago, on April 18, my father’s birthday. With a rest day in Burgos, and missing three days of walking due to an illness (intestinal bacteria), I am now walking on my 27th day. Today is notable for two reasons: first, […]
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Through the forest and fields to Sarria Walking Day #26 Today we make our way through forest with a couple of difficult but short climbs, and through rolling farmland to Sarria. Sarria is 110 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela. If you walk at least 100 kilometers to Santiago, you get a “Compostela,” the certificate of completion of the Camino de Santiago. So, many people with limited time start their Camino in […]
Monday, May 16, 2016 Down the mountain from O’Cebreiro to Triacastela Walking Day #25 We are now in Galicia, a large autonomous community in the northwest corner of Spain. The city of Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia. Santiago de Compostela is most known in the west as the location of the cathedral that is a shrine to Saint James the Great and the destination of the Way of Saint James (Camino de […]
Sunday, May 15, 2016 Climbing 30 kilometers to O’Cebreiro Walking Day #24 Today was to be a difficult day, both a long day, and a long, long uphill of 8 kilometers at the end, finishing at a hill top village of O’Cebreiro (population 50). The first 22 kilometers were generally flat, and the path ran along minor highway. From the map alone, the expectation was not too good because paths along highways are usually noisy […]
Saturday, May 14, 2016 A Nice Walk to Villafranca del Bierzo Walking Day #23 After climbing up and over the mountains yesterday, today it was cloudy, but there was no rain in the forecast. We are now in a region of Spain called Bierzo, a valley surrounded by mountains (we will have to climb up and over mountains tomorrow to get out of the valley), and known for a particular type of wine. We left […]
May 13, 2016 Friday A muddy and long walk over the mountain to Ponferrada Walking Day #22 This was a long, long day of 34 kilometers (22 miles) over a mountain top that is the highest point on the Camino, where Cruz de Ferro is located. The long, long climb up the mountain was very slow, because the pathway had become a creek, and a muddy creek at that. The downhill was just as bad, […]
May 12, 2016 Thursday Astorga to Rabanal del Camino, 22 kilometers in the rain Walking Day #21 Today it rained, and this is no longer the plain in Spain; we are out of the meseta, the plain in Spain. We left Astorga in the rain, and it rained almost all of the way into Rabanal del Camino. Thankfully, it was a relatively flat 22 kilometers today. I left the hotel in Astorga with new friends, […]
May 11, 2016 Wednesday Walking through Mud to Astorga Walking Day #20 After the rain in Spain comes the mud in Spain. A natural occurrence, after rain comes mud. I left from the Molino Galachos B&B at the same time as Nancy and Beth from Prince Edward Island, Canada. We all walked together for the first six kilometers until we got to a split point. The path went along a high-speed railroad. Last night, we […]
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 León to Villavante with my Brazillian Friends Walking Day #19 Tuesday I walked from León to Villavante. About 6.5 kilometers from León, the path splits, with one leg running along the highway N-120, and the other leg running 4 or 5 kilometers to the south, in more natural landscape (dirt paths instead of asphalt or concrete). At the split point, I had to make a decision about which way to go. To […]
December 9, 2016 Monday Walking Before the Rain to León Walking Day #18 Today Eamann was over at my hotel for breakfast. We discussed the weather, and my concern was walking a second day in the rain with no poncho, no gloves, and my health possibly being still in a recovery mode after a recent night in the hospital. The detailed weather forecast showed rain not likely until mid-afternoon, and given that the walk today […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 