A good walk up, down, along Galicia roads through settlements that are not really villages. Approaching Barbados, I told MB that last year an old fellow was waiting to offer an visit to the nearby 9th century church. Sure enough, there he was waiting in his car at the turnoff. We stalled a little, reading…
Another day started wet. All streams are running full and water seeps from the hillsides. After rejoining the regular Camino Frances from the Samos route,” we can admire new Galician markers which show the distance remaining before Santiago – to the metre! We make it a short day, stopping in Sarria to do laundry. Stayed…
After a night of wind and lashing rain, we faced a morning of wind and lashing rain. As we walk, we dawdle a lot – putting on clothes, taking them off, stopping to look at interesting things. We realize what modern urban creatures we are, as we try to figure out this different setting. Every…
I have to catch up with the posts! As we approach and enter Galicia, the amount of water in the environment increases. The camino follows and crisscrosses rivers and streams, and streams of water cross our path. There was a high overcast on the hike up to O Cebreiro. We missed Easter Sunday services, but…
From Villafranca there are 3 routes to choose from: the traditional valley bottom route, which I have enjoyed twice in the past; the Dragonte route than goes way up and way down several times too many; and the Camino Duro, which is somewhere in between, although the name is a bit off-putting. We took the…
Drums, horns and clackers woke us at 6 a.m. to get ready for Good Friday. Very dismal sounds. On the street before 9 a.m. the penitents assembled. The procession began… The slow motion of the floats is dramatic and dreadful. (Sorry, I can’t seem to upload my video!) Resuming our own pilgrimage, we eventually left…
Today we stayed “at home” in Ponferrada. There was a church hall where a number of procession floats were on display. The perfume of thousands of flowers filled the air. Next, a visit to the Museo del Bierzo in the site of a former jail. A tour of the Templar Castle. Three hours sitting on…
After coffee at Cafe/Albergue Pichon in Molinasesa, where the woman recognized me from my stay last November, we enjoyed a leisurely 8-km walk to Ponferrada. In Ponferrada we checked into the luxurious Albergue Guiana, which also has private rooms and 2 apartments. The albergue beds were €12 and looked very nice. The double rooms (€50)…
Seeing Clarely 