Pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Spain
Last year, we took a short day trip to the city of A Coruña following the Camino del Norte. It was fun, but we regretted not staying longer. So, Mikey cashed in some Hotels.com points and we got a pretty simple room for two nights. It was a very standard (but free) room. Basically, we …
Having made it to Santiago, we settled in for a few days of rest and relaxation. Naturally, this included time at the cathedral. Let's face it, if we're going to trek 1172km to Santiago, its kind of a given that we'd spend a little time with Saint James and his huge church. Again, the weather …
Continue reading "Santiago de Compostela: A Tourist Once Again"
Since we scored a private room for our last night on the Camino, there was no rustling of backpacks to wake us up early. Ergo, we slept until a little after 7 am and finally made our way down for coffee a shortly after 8. Today's walk to Santiago was a mere 21km, so we …
Continue reading "Camino Day 39: Ponte Ulla to Santiago de Compostela"
It's funny how even our most simplistic plans of sleeping in were spoiled by the internal clock. In fact, we had to purposefully go back to sleep twice and finally resorted to putting on the television to pass time before a nearby laundromat opened at 9 am. So as not to air the proverbial dirty …
Maybe it was the clean laundry or, perhaps, the early bedtime, but we slept soundly last night and were eager to get on the road. After all, there's a private room with cotton towels waiting just 25km away. (Look, just try wearing all synthetic clothing and sleeping in a different bed every night for two …
Continue reading "Camino Day 35: Xunqueira de Ambía to Ourense"
We woke up rather early today but tried our best to snooze until at least 6:30 am. The same could not be said about our three roommates whom Mikey has dubbed the French Von Trapps. Nope, they were awake and alert by 5:30 am. Thanks, guys, you really made our morning. Well, we also had …
Continue reading "Camino Day 34: Laza to Xunqueira de Ambía"
We left A Gudiña around 7:30 am and set out for a 35km day. Although not that ambitious of a goal, the Galician terrain is certainly much more taxing than what we've seen thus far. We walked along Main Street in the dim light of a belated dawn. (Remember that the further west we go …
The town of Lubián was nice, but Mikey swears that the albergue's Ikea bunk beds were assembled by the blind as even the slightest movement caused a violent swaying of the frame during which he feared being catapulted from the top bunk. Oh, and don't even think about a trip to the bathroom after "lights …
We didn't think that today's walk would be that long, so it was nice to sleep in and then get coffee and orange juice (Mikey's ideal Camino breakfast) in town before heading out. The village was quite beautiful in the morning light and we really wanted to stay longer. But, we had seen most of …
Continue reading "Camino Day 31: Puebla de Sanabria to Lubián"
Last night was a nightmare. As in, we bunked near the absolute worst snorer Mikey has ever experienced - and this isn't his first time at the proverbial rodeo. From the rapid-fire gasping for breath to the sound of respiratory drowning and explosive bronchial thunder, we can only surmise that the offender is a very …
Continue reading "Camino Day 30: Asturianos to Puebla de Sanabria"
With the exception of two loud pilgrims who were stomping around at 5:30 am, We were the first to leave the albergue just after having coffee at 7 am. Let's face it - we can get an early start while still maintaining civility. The sunrise was very beautiful this morning and it looked as though …
Continue reading "Camino Day 28: Tábara to Rionegro del Puente"
Last night was a bit odd as our hiking family had finally dwindled down to just three who stayed in the albergue. In place of known pilgrims were a cyclist group and several new faces who had just started yesterday in Zamora. We were quite impressed by the view of the Hermitage of the Virgin …
Due to a horrible Italian snorer, we were allowed to move (along with two other pilgrims) into a nice private room last night. This was probably one of the better nights of sleep thus far in an albergue. So, we awoke very refreshed and even took a British man up on his offer of tea. …
The albergue emptied out rather quickly this morning as all were excited about the short hike (18km/11 miles) into the walled city of Zamora. It's funny how distances like these become negligible when one averages between 30 and 40km each day. But, as expected, there are always those who do more and those who do …
Continue reading "Camino Day 25: Villanueva de Campeán to Zamora"
Stereotypes be damned, our German bunk mates were not very punctual this morning. So, as usual, Mikey counted it as a win since he was not the last to set out this morning. This was the creek over which we crossed this morning. As it was just 7:30 am, we caught a beautiful sunrise that …
Continue reading "Camino Day 24: Calzada de Valdunciel to Villanueva de Campeán"
As we've mentioned before, one of the hardest parts of staying in a private room at a hotel is leaving it behind. So, instead of waking early to beat the AM bathroom rush, we hit snooze and relaxed knowing that there was no competition for sinks or whatnot this morning. Yes, we packed most of …
Continue reading "Camino Day 23: Salamanca to Calzada de Valdunciel"
After our prolonged visit to the cathedrals, it was time to get something to eat. Since the market was so close by, we stepped in to see what they might have. There was literally one fruit stand. While we also saw a local canned goods purveyor, there were few other options except for: Pork. Yep, …
Although Morille's one cafe opened at noon, the owner agreed to make breakfast for our group if we all showed up at 7 am. Although said breakfast wasn't that exciting (4€ for toast, coffee, and a juice box), it ensured that we were up and walking pretty early. Sure, they didn't have 3G (much less …
We had the option today of taking one of two paths. Practically equal in distance, one led through two towns to our destination while the other climbed up a mountain and had no stops en route to refill on water or food. Given our double day yesterday (and still sore feet), we decided to opt …
Continue reading "Camino Day 21: Fuenterroble de Salvatierra to Morille"
As we mentioned before, today was to be a "marathon day." By this, we mean exceeding the 42 kilometers that comprise a normal marathon race. Why do this? Well, Mikey got a really good rate on a hotel for our scheduled rest days in Salamanca but forgot to check its cancellation policy prior to booking. …
Continue reading "Camino Day 20: Aldeanueva del Camino to Fuenterroble de Salvatierra"
What a wonderful night of sleep we had! The beds were so comfortable and Mikey barely noticed anyone else in the room. As a very diplomatic pilgrim put it, "Oh, Mikey, you're a very light snorer." Hmmm... On our exit, we encountered still more crocheted decorations about the town. Let's just say A for effort …
Continue reading "Camino Day 19: Oliva de Plasencia to Aldeanueva de Camino"
We left the walled city of Galisteo in an early morning fog. While not unusual to experience morning fog in these parts, the river crossing and dramatic views of the city played well with it. This is a view from a medieval bridge that spans across the river. Looking back on the city was almost …
Continue reading "Camino Day 18: Galisteo to Oliva de Plasencia"
Now we've been locked out of albergues in the past and have had to get someone to let us in after lights out, but this morning we were locked inside the hotel. After such a tiresome and rough day of walking on asphalt, Mikey decided not to set an alarm and we didn't leave the …
Wow, these pilgrims were on the move this morning! We woke just before 7 am and were the last to leave by 7:30! Although not too proud of our slumber, on a positive note, we noticed this metal sign while turning out the lights in the albergue: Rough translation: "Go, Pilgrim. Go to Santiago. Give …
Continue reading "Camino Day 16: Casar de Cáceres to Cañaveral"
Maybe we mentioned this before, but Mikey is one of the youngest pilgrims by far on this particular Camino. Now, to be fair, 1) it is prior to Summer break, so most students are still finishing coursework; 2) the Via de la Plata is the longest Camino in Spain, so most young employed persons would …
Continue reading "Camino Day 15: Aldea de Canto to Casar de Cáceres"
As we had additional ground to cover today (Mikey figures that we'll be caught up in two days), we were the first out of the albergue this morning and began once again before daylight. Not that there was any chance of getting lost in the dark on the only way out of town, but seeing …
As often happens when we stay in a hotel room with a noon check out time, Mikey rationalized the morning away with hitting snooze and taking a really long shower. Then, it was a leisurely breakfast followed by a trip to the market and post office. Wow - you'd think he didn't have 36km to …
Thanks, Fitbit, for letting us know how absurdly long our dear pilgrim slept last night. 10 hours...Mikey, that should be a sin! As such, we decided to go to the basilica, but - guess what - it wasn't open. Ha! Well, let's give you a brief primer on the Basilica of Mérida just in case …
Thankful for a good night's sleep, we got up at 5:15 am and took a long, hot shower. Now, if you've never done the Camino de Santiago before, this probably doesn't seem like a big deal. However, since pilgrims carry all their gear in a backpack, absolutely no one showers in the morning - otherwise, …
Continue reading "Camino Day 12: Villafranca de los Barros to Mérida"
Zafra turned out to be quite a nice town. Our "discovery" of a castle and the eccentric owner of that restaurant made for a fun time. The nuns (even though Mikey has a morbid, albeit totally unsubstantiated, fear of such orders) had offered a very relaxing experience and the hospitalero even shook Mikey's hand and …
Continue reading "Camino Day 11: Zafra to Villafranca de los Barros"
It rained the entire evening yesterday and all last night, so we cautiously left the convent and decided to go back to the church for a better picture of the tower before heading off into the open countryside. After snapping this image of the bell tower, we walked to a nearby cafe and sat outside …
Last night was a little bizarre. We stayed in an albergue (as usual) but were alone in a dorm room that could house 18 pilgrims! Apparently, no one else showed up and it just worked out that way - but, we did catch Mikey sniffing himself a few times just to make sure. After such …
Continue reading "Camino Day 9: Monesterio to Fuente de Cantos"
As Mikey's bed was located right next to the open kitchen, when a grumpy Italian man started rutting about making his breakfast at 6 am, there was little use in many protestations. However, the final straw was when he turned on the kitchen lights at 6:10 - clearly breaking the 10 pm to 7 am …
Continue reading "Camino Day 8: Almadén de la Plata to Monesterio"
While we did get to bed at a reasonable 10 pm last night (all four roommates came staggering in at 3:45 am), there was no time for laundry. Ergo, 8 am found Mikey loading the washer with practically every article of clothing he has and shivering in an undershirt and running shorts for the next …
As everything had closed so early yesterday, we got up around 7 am in order to see as much as possible today. Mikey has a new favorite breakfast spot in Sevilla. In addition to his coffee and OJ, he had smoked salmon, cream cheese, caramelized red onion, and spinach on a fresh baguette (2.50€!). Then …
Perhaps we’ve said it before, but what a difference a day makes! We woke up this morning to clear skies and great weather in which to walk. Still, Mikey wanted to enjoy our luxury apartment digs for a little while longer - well, that and his shoes were still rather wet. We finally left Las …
Continue reading "Camino Day 4: Las Cabezas de San Juan to Utrera (and Beyond!)"
It seemed like this storm front would be sticking with us for a bit, so Mikey was in no hurry to leave at first light. Instead, a leisurely mid-morning coffee and fresh juice finally urged us on from the hotel/restaurant where the gusts of wind almost literally flung Mikey flailing in his poncho into the …
Continue reading "Camino Day 3: El Cuervo to Las Cabezas de San Juan"
The torrential rain actually woke us up at 6 am this morning as Mikey had left the window open overnight. Looking out, we decided to sleep a bit more in hopes of waiting it out. It’s one thing to encounter rain while hiking (and we have gear for this), but beginning one’s day in a …
Continue reading "Camino Day 2: Jerez de la Frontera to El Cuervo"
Today we said goodbye to Cadiz and officially began the Camino. Although hoping for an earlier departure, the rain that began last night continued until almost 9 am this morning. Once it cleared, Mikey wanted to get a few last pictures of the city. Above is the Plaza of St. John of God with City …
Mikey on The Way 