28-06-2018 i.00. Geleen – Santiago de Compostela
Earlier this week received an e-mail and text message from Vueling that it might be wise to book, as the flight might be canceled due to the strikes in France. I am just as happy that all my attempts to implement that have failed. It did not work by phone, at the airport where I drove extra, it did not work either.
However, we could just check in via the website, 2 days before departure, also another 2 seats next to each other, with 2 separate bookings. So just have it brought to Brussels by our sweet daughter. The flight from Santiago to Brussels also flies, so our flight to Santiago JUST continues. The flight is going well and arrive nicely on time. Bus to Santiago is ready, so boarding and driving. Memories of 12 days come back up.
I can still see the same road that we are now driving to Santiago. On the same side, but the other direction. Just check at the bus station if tomorrow the bus goes to Ferrol at 9.15, yes so. Then we know what time we should be back there. Now to the hotel and then food, menu del dia, the first for Maricon and the umpteenth for me.
29-06-2018 i.oi. Ferrol – Xubia
Thus, the first day of Camino for the Teheux-Layson couple has begun. One more night of luxury, overnight in a hotel, now on to the existence and life of the true pilgrim. After an extensive breakfast, we set off for the bus station. Our official starting place is Ferrol, so we have to go there first. With the Monbus from a quarter past 9, also departs on time, we drive to Ferrol in a little over an hour.
Our way back will take a little longer, I think. After arriving at the bus station, look for the local tourist office for information and the first stamp. We now know how to reach the first Camino pole with a map. There is also an official Camino Information office there. Bringed some information, had a stamp put on and off to Santiago. You now walk more or less the same way back, but then you veer off to follow the path with the columns and yellow arrows.
We walk a lot through inhabited area, the first 2 days will be like that, then we leave the wetland and head inland towards Santiago. But today a part along the bay, which we will continue tomorrow. Because of the time we decide to stop earlier and look for an alberge in Xubia. But it is “unfortunately” a hotel. Again we don’t suffer from hard snorers and hopefully we can sleep well. Tomorrow we will be on the road sooner than today, where we have walked more or less in the heat of the day, almost continuously in full sun. Yes you read that right, we have a sunny day. Make choices here too.
30-06-2018 i.o2. Xubia – Pontedeume
Thus, the luxury pilgrims take it today. Do not get up too early after an overnight stay at the hotel. As far as I’m concerned, the bed could have been a little longer, because I was pretty stuck between the head and footboard. It is already far past Hall 9 when we get on our way packed and down. And why not in the light rain? Yes, you read that right, so here too precipitation poncho.
Fortunately it is only light rain and we soon reach the “only 100,001 km” pole. There was probably just not (not) enough room to place this 1 meter to the left. Can of course also have another reason (only on the Frances?). A little further on Maricon finds out that her hat is gone. At the last photo shoot she still had it … So I walk back for a moment and indeed find him there on that spot. When we are together again on the road and looking for a place to have breakfast. Then it’s time to make miles. On the way to Pontedeume. Just like the Camino Aragons, it is not busy at all. Nice and quiet walk, but not so much because of nature, that will come later, on our next days?
Now we mostly walk near the roads, we are actually in a corner here. After 12 we stop for lunch, both a bocadillo and something to drink. Then on for the 3rd half of the distance. Just kidding, still 1/3 of the day distance. Slightly hilly terrain, but we’ll get there. And around 3 p.m. we arrive in Pontedeume. When we have found the municipal alberge we have to wait more than 1 hour before it opens. We don’t feel like it.
So looking for an alternative, a private alberge, and that appears to be full. There is a medieval party in the city and that may be the reason. And just leave a guesthouse opposite that alberge … So ask if there is room. Yes here you have the key to room 22, stairs at the end of the corridor to the right. Come and register later because it is busy (in the restaurant). So on to the room, those 2 luxury pilgrims …
01-07-2018 i.o3. Pontedeume – Betanzos
A party is fun, a festival is better, but does it have to last until 7 in the morning, to continue later? Yesterday’s medieval festival was celebrated all night long in this town. Music and people stayed up en masse and kept me from my sleep. Maricon, on the other hand, had slept better than the previous nights.
We got up around 7 and an hour later we leave the guesthouse. Immediately but at the first cafeteria the best breakfast and then set off. And how, immediately up the hill again. A considerable climb to a height of 400 meters. And very steep on some parts. All in the built-up area. Today we go quite a few kilometers through nature, even along a golf course. We had started with dry weather and before the 2nd climb we had a shower of rain. Around half past eleven an early lunch and the necessary stamp. Then walk another 10 km, again over accented terrain with a third steep climb to 400 meters. So it also means that we have already walked twice down from 400 meters. I am proud of Maricon that she will last. It is not easy for her.
During the last kilometers we also get a heavy rain shower on us. And we are photographed by a blogger who writes about this Camino and the people who walk here. He said that John Lennon’s sister also runs this Camino, was in the news. We don’t. At our stopping place to the municipal alberge and there 2 beds with our name found. While eating seen that Spain was eliminated at the World Cup, the brands were also in the mood in the village.
02-07-2018 i.04. Betanzos – Presedo
Unfortunately this blog has taken a leave and didn’t come back…..
03-07-2018 i.05. Presedo – a Rua (Buscas)
Well, the 2nd night in an alberge is over and we are the first to get up. We want to leave on time because a very steep slope awaits us at the end of the stage. So we quietly pack our things and after 7 o’clock we leave, as 2nd .. The Englishman who left for us we see a different direction than we do. After 20 minutes he walks behind us and also past, making the remark: I took 1 of my famous shirt cuts. Typical English humor? And then he is off and we continue at our own pace.
It goes on and off again, nicely the same as the last few days. We also meet the 2 ladies from Italy again, seen on the road almost every day, but never at overnight address. And almost every time bickering …… Our mountain is very spicy, certainly a preparation for what is to come. And finally the long awaited bar where we can “have breakfast”, it is already half past ten … .. Here we also come across other pilgrims who have slept in the same alberges for the last 2 nights. One of them tells us that we have survived the steep part … No, that is yet to come, I say, so we will continue.
So on again and half an hour later we arrive at the alberge which is mentioned in my book after that heavy climb. What did we miss? The bar that is in my route book, because the one where we have just taken a break is so different…. It is half past 12 on arrival at Hospital de Bruma, much too early actually, so after good agreement between the 2 of us, we decide to walk another 7 km to spend the night in a Casa Rural. This means that we can compromise with the kilometers for the next 2 days.
A longer distance on Wednesday, before arriving in Santiago on Thursday at a convenient time to perhaps attend the pilgrim mass immediately. After about 2 hours we arrived in a Rua and taken a room in the casa rural, compare it with a B&B but without the 2nd B… .. It is a village of nothing, with a small church, very large burial place and 2 small cafes … Food is a problem because they are not restaurants. It becomes improvising, but not starving.
04-07-2018 i.06. a Rua – a Torre
After a luxury night in a Casa Rurale with breakfast, we leave at half past eight for our 6th stage. We do not yet know exactly where we are going. If we succeed, we want to attend the pilgrim mass in Santiago tomorrow, which is daily at noon. So this means that we should not have our overnight stay too far from Santiago. But Santiago is still 33 km away. We set off and already see 3 pilgrims walking in front of us.
Unknown pilgrims for us, it appears when we catch up with the first 2. Yes you read that right, we catch up with pilgrims. The road goes reasonably through wooded area, not along busy roads. We also see a sign with a warning that we will soon be passing the last cafeteria in front of Sigüere, a place that is again 13 km away. On that road between the cafeteria and that place there will be nothing where you can eat or drink something. When we arrive at that cafeteria we also see the third pilgrim of this morning.
A young man from Colombia who is in Spain for 1 week and runs his first camino. After a short conversation he continues, he wants to arrive in Santiago today. When we go on the road again, a heavily honking van passes by, the panaderia announcing its arrival. So the baker who makes his round. We continue our way and pass by houses in “the middle of nowhere” and small hamlet. And then we also walk through hollow roads in wooded area and along the highway. The end is not in sight. Around 1 o’clock we arrive in Sigüere where we eat a warm bocadillo and decide to walk 4 km further and spend another “luxury” night in a hotel.
To make sure that we don’t have to walk around too much to get to the hotel, we take the direct route there, via the N-550. Luxury is an elastic term and photos are sometimes not taken very recently. But the price is not too bad, so … Eat later in the “restaurant” and then sleep again. Tomorrow another continental breakfast at 7 a.m. and then on to Santiago. The alberge there has already been arranged, because the holidays have already started in Spain and you don’t want to look too long for an overnight stay tomorrow. Good night everyone
05-07-2018 i.07. a Torre – Santiago de Compostela
Today it’s going to happen, the big day, the arrival in SdC. Quarter past 6 the alarm goes off and in 7 hours we are having breakfast. After half an hour we start walking, the last 12 km to the holy apostle James the Greater. We still have to walk along the busy road and then turn, towards calm water. Yes, hm, hiking trails of course. And don’t forget to score a stamp somewhere along the way today, we don’t want to miss out on our Compostela.
And if we thought it would be easy, then we would have had bad luck. Spicy climbs again today. And the kilometers are not getting shorter. We do not forget to get the stamps. This entry goes through an industrial area, followed by the suburbs of Santiago. But fortunately the last 2.5 km mainly go downhill. And then during the last km you see more pilgrims, who walk the other way. But we still have to reach the end point. Then the towers come into view, the streets become narrower and I see landmarks of my Camino. The recordings can start.
Around 11 o’clock we walk under the pilgrim arch through the square in front of the cathedral. We are here. We made it, Halleluja. We also meet yesterday’s young Colombian on the square. He arrived yesterday. After greeting we go to our alberge. Register us, put our backpacks away and go to the cathedral for the 12-hour Pilgrim Mass. Unfortunately no more seats in the benches, so then with a pillar on the bench. The cathedral is completely full and the mass is different from the one I visited last month.
And then towards the end of the mass I see some men with the long red coats walking. Yes, will it happen once? Is ship rights 3 times? YES, the incense weed will wave, how lucky and how beautiful it is …… Film tap on the link below for the waving censer: Botafumeiro After mass we will embrace the James statue and then along the crypt where Maricon can do all the petitions discard. Her bag is also noticeably lighter.
Now on to a test restaurant, no first to the pilgrim office for our Compostela. The line is long, but we have a turn within 45 minutes. Now on to a restaurant for a feast. Then back to the alberge for a shower, then do the laundry. In the evening we go to the cathedral again to thank James. Also take part in the holy mass … And we can again watch the censer swing through the church. What a luck. After a late bite back to the alberge and working on the vlog and blog.