Friday in Santiago

Marion
Everyday we started off with the sound of an alarm clock to wak us up, and then it was a rush around to get ready to start our day of walking, so as we had a free day we did not need to get up early so we never set the alarm. It felt so strange to wake up without hearing the alarn and no need to rush out of bed to get ready. I found it difficult to lie in bed so got up anyway. Most of the day we spent looking at shops and I bought a few souvenirs to take home. The highlight of the day for me was going to the pilgrim service at the cathedral. The cathedral was packed with mostly pilgrims and quite a lot of tourists. The botefumeira was hanging down so Syl said that they must be going to swing it - that sent a tremble through me as when we were here in Santiago 2 years ago I was so looking forward to seeing the botefumeira being swung and they did not swing it. I found the whole service very emotional especially the nun singing and the atmosphere in the cathedral, it was electrifying.

Sil

We went to bed quite early and watched Bafana-bafana play Brazil on television. Neither of us could stay awake but I got up to switch the TV off at 1.5 mins to go and saw that Brazil had scored. It was raining this morning and we kept ducking into the arcades to escape the drizzle.
We went to the morning market and Marion bought souvenirs and a t-shirt. How Val would have loved this market with its fish section, meat section, fresh fruits and vegetables. She would also have loved the restaurant windows in Santiago with their live lobsters, octopus and other regional food displays. Next time Val!
We went for coffee, chocolate and churros at a little coffee shop nearby. Then we went to the cathedral and found seats in the cross section. It was packed with pilgrims sitting on the floor on the sides. The nun sang, the priests trooped in and the mass began. The Botafumeiro was hanging from the vault but nobody was sure that it would be swung at mass so there was an air of expectation. I looked around me at the man faces there, mostly pilgrims. Some were dozing - many can´t understand the Spanish and the elderly priest mumbled like the Godfather so we couldn´t even make out the names of the countries that pilgrims had arrived from the day before. I thought of the medieval pilgrims and stories of running battles in the cathedral between pilgrims from different nations. On some occaisons the battles were so great that the cathedral had to be scrubbed clean of the bloodshed and re-consecrated before it could be used again. There were a few grumbles from people who blocked other´s views but no blood was shed! I thought about this cathedral being declared a Patrimony of Human kind. It belongs to all the people of the world and the people of Satiago are the custodians. A pilgrim told us that she had walked to Rome and was revolted by the the cold, hard, lavish grandeur of St Peter´s compared to the bustling, éveryman´atmosphere in Sant Iago´s cathedral. I know what she meant. People here arrived in shorts, boots, walking sticks, packs still on their backs and nobody was turned away. At St Peter´s they scruitinze the length of your skirt, whether or not your arms are covered, and woe betide anyone who doesn´t meet the criteria!
When communion started and the 8 priests in scarlet robes were summonsed, there was a stirring in the congregation, most eyes on the Botafumeiro - was this it? Were they going to see the Holy Smoke burner swinging across the nave? No. Not yet, first communion and then the maroon robed tiraboleiros arrived and the large silver thurible was lowered to a stirring of the congregation. Cameras starting clicking and people jostled for a better position to take videos. Soon it started to swing, first away from where we were sitting and then higher and higher above our heads with large gasps, oohs! and Aaaahs! with each swing. Then it was over and people clapped. In 2002 when I walked to Santiago we saw the Botafumeiro swinging in the cathedral. Later, at a meeting with Don Jaime (priest in charge of the pilgrim´s office and the mass) he asked if we had enjoyed the mass. Ýes,´we said, ánd we saw the Botafumeriro.´ He was not pleased. ¨No importante´he said. But I don´t agree. Every pilgrim who visits the cathedral wants to see the Botafumeiro and those that don´t are usually disappointed.

After mass we window shopped and then went to a special lunch at the ´Cafe Casino´- I had a vegetarian canneloni with crispy cheese topping - very tasty. We then walked down to where Marion will get her bus, looking for a shoemaker to cut and restitch my new waist bag that I bought yesterday. The Info centre told us that there was one in San Pedro - the road that pilgrims walk in from the Camino Frances - so off we went to the other side of town. The shop was closed until 4pm so we had an icecream and strolled up and down San Pedro greeting tired pilgrims as they trudged through the Porto Camino on their way to the cathedral. We took a trip on the little tourist train on a scenic tour around Santiago. Neither of us is hungry so we sit in the square, Marion with wine and me with a Kas orange drink, a packet of Dortios, olives and some cheese and watch the people in the square. On the way back to the hostal we meander through all the little alleys and we are offered morsels of Tarta de Santiago and Carprichos - little almond meringues. Marion tastes the regional goat's cheese and decides to buy one to take home. Tomorrow Marion leaves for home and I start off on the Fistera route. I´m not nervous to be walking on my own as I know that many pilgrims walk this route. So, until the next internet machine, this is Sil, over and out from Santiago.

Marion Saturday.

I walked with Syl to the square, it was awful saying goodbye as I would have loved to have walked the extra few days, just a pity that I had booked my flight before we knew that Syl was going to walk to Finisterra instead of catching the bus. After leaving Syl I decided to go and have a coffee in one of the cafe bars before going back to the hotel to pack . When I arrived back at the hotel going up the stairs ahead of me I could see someone bending over with a backpack on with a South African flag. My mind was concertrating on what I was going to do for the rest of the day so at first did not register that it was Syl. It went through my mind "must be another South African in the hotel" all of a sudden the figure straightened up and I realised that it was Syl. I said " what on earth are you doing here", she told me that she had left her directions behind for the day and had come back for them and was busy writing me a note. So back to the square we went and another goodbye was said. Most of the day I wondered around the shops. I did go back to the cathedral to the pilgrim service at 12.00 and was ever so fortunate as again theyswung the botefumeira. I arrived at the airport early and they would not let me book in as the plane that was leaving from Madrid to South Africa had been overbooked by 10 people, they needed to wait to seeif I was going to be given a seat on that flight before they would book me from Santiago to Madrid. I was rather upset as I had confirmed my flight a few times. So I went and sat in the resturant and had something to ear and drink. The lady from the Iberia counter came to look for me and said that it had been confirmed that I would be on the flight so could now book in but the flight was delayed. So when I reached Madrid I had to hot foot it to my connecting flight. Can you imagine my relief when I sat down on the plane. Unfortunately when I arrived in Johannesburg my luggage had gone missing from the plane to the conveyer belt!! Luckily they found it and delivered to that night to my daughters in Joburg where I stayed for a couple of days before coming home to Durban. I am really sad that my journey is now over, will have to start planning another. I often look for my sticks when getting up from a chair and miss the backpack on my back. Cannot wait for a get together with Val & Syl to go over our times together.

Day 5: Sigueiro to Santiago

Marion When we started our walk the very first day it was raining. When Val was doing her last day we had some rain. Well guess what - my last day of walking and it rained most of the way on and off. Really enjoyed the walk this morning as most of the way we were back through forests and farmlands, up and down, twisting and turning so much better that the day before on the long flat path. It felt quite emotional to arrive in the square at Santiago, we felt so proud of ourselves of our achievement. I am looking forward to the service in the cathedral tomorrow at 12.00.

Sil
After the hot bath, alcohol Romero rub and 2 massages with Arnica, my feet felt really good this morning. I put sheeps wool under the toes and a thick Dr Scholl´s blister pad around the spots that stung yesterday. I could feel right away that they would be better today and even though we did 16kms in 4 hours I didn´t have any problems.
We arrived in Santiago this morning after a fairly quick walk from Sigueiro, most of it in the rain. The path was mainly through forest and farmlands and straightforward and besides the odd encounter with a highway, we both enjoyed it. After passing an industrial centre we stopped at a cafeteria for coffee and found that we were the only women in the place. Seems to be a morning meeting place for the local workers.
The camino Ingles comes in to Santiago from a different direction to the Camino Frances but we still had to go under the arch with the cathedral on the left. There were no arrows after we walked through a park on the outskirts so we had to follow John Walker´s CSJ guide into the city. There were no changes to the route although John thought there might have been a change. The square was crowded with people (mid-day) and we gawked at the cathedral, hugged each other and asked someone to take our photograph. It is quite strange to see so many pilgrims and know that there isn´t one you have met along the way. We did not see one other pilgrim on the Camino Ingles, not even a cycling pilgrim. Marion commented that it didn't really feel like a pilgrimage because of the lack of other pilgrims to interact with.
When we got to the Hostal Pazo de Agra Fernando gave us a cheery welcome and took us straight upstairs to our room - pay tomorrow he said. We walked back out of the old city to Ivar´s Camino Travel Centre to collect my parcel. Whilst there I recognized a voice and there was Joy Anderson from the south coast (the lady who let me know the day before she was leaving that her pack weighed over 10kg). She started crying and screaming when she saw me and hugged me and kissed me like I was her long lost sister! Ivar and Marion and one of Ivar´s friends, Frank, looked on in amazement.

Then another woman walked in and I said, ´Hello Sue¨. It was Sue Kenny, a Canadian pilgrim who has written a book on the camino and a video called Las Peregrinas. Sue looked a bit baffled and then Ivar said, ´This is Sillydoll from South Africa!´ Then there were more hugs and more exclamations of surprise and amazement. She and I hugged and kissed and we all had photos taken together.
We queued at the Pilgrim´s Office for Marion to get her Compostela (I asked for the tourist certificate) and I had a chat to Maria who I met in 2002, 2004 and in 2007.

M and I have just been to lunch and to the Info centre next to Hostal Suso. I collected some papers on the Fistera route and then we went to lunch. I sorted the stuff in my parcel and posted most of it to the Correos in Corcubion so that I don´t have to carry extra stuff while I walk to Finisterre. I think I´m going to leave a little earlier than originally planned so that I don´t get to the first place too late.
We haven´t decided what to do tomorrow besides go to mid-day mass. Will wait and see.
It is great to be back here (the 4th time I´ve walked into the square) and it was quite an emotional moment.

Day 4: Bruma to Sigueiro

Marion
Very misty this morning lovely to walk whilst it was so cool. For the first 6k´s it was a long straight road, I thought it would never come to an end. At long last we entered a forest it had a few ups and downs then through farm lands, almost like small holdings. The farms in this area are very basic and simple.
We did walk through a couple of very small villages, everything was closed - so no morning coffee to be had anywhere. The last few k´s before reaching Sigueiro were again on a long straight road. Although it was a shorter walk than yesterday it seemed a lot longer, I suppose because it was mostly flat not much variation.
I look to find the good things whilst we were walking to take my mind off the long flat road, like the quietness, the birds singing etc. as I have to make the most of it as my walk is nearly over, only tomorrow for the last 17k to Santaigo.
Whatever village we have walked through in Spain is very noticeable that everyone has a vegetable patch - but what is amazing is that the amount of cabbages that everyone grows, I wonder who can ever eat that amount of cabbages! They also grow a lot of potatoes besides other vegetables.
In Galicia most of the dogs are all on a chain. So sad!!!

Sil
It was so quiet in the albergue that we both had a wonderful sleep. Hospital de Bruma is one of those tiny hamlets where you first come across a couple of animal barns, then a few houses on either side of the road, most that have their own barns as well, then a small stream, a tiny church and then you walk out the other side. 20 buildings all-in-all, if that.
We had a breakfast and then started walking to Sigueiro. We saw a woman cutting down cabbages. Almost every farmer grows tall, spindly cabbages which Marion thinks are used to make walking sticks.

One map said 22km to Sigueiro, the CSJ Guide says ±24km and Benino said 26km. No importante, we have to walk there no matter what the distance. The CSJ guide says, á pretty straightforward day´and they are not kidding. It was really heavy going with long, straight, tarred or gravelled roads through endless forests. It reminded me of walking through les Landes on the Via Turonensis route.

There were a few hamlets to pass through but nothing opens until around mid-day so we didn´t have a coffee opportunity. By the 15km mark my feet were starting to hurt underneath, something I´ve not had before. We stopped at a bus shelter at the 18km mark and I took off my boots to air my feet. I had red, hot spots under a few toes as well as the insteps and heels. This is a problem when walking on flat, tarred or gravel roads with boots. I added a bit of sheep wool and a small foam padding to the worst spot and hobbled on for another 8km. Long, long, flat, straight roads through endless forests with hardly a bird to be seen or heard and no other living thing for miles. At one time it started raining and we put on our raincoats but half an hour later it got hot again and we stopped to take them off.

At the approach to Siguerio the guide takes you down a waymarked path to the local swimming pool. ´´Turn left around the swimming pool, see the final marker pointing the way over waste ground´it says. We battled to find a marker as the whole area is under construction and had been graded and cleared with construction fences and the beginnings of buildings under way.

We found our way to the Hostal Miras, Downstairs was a cheerful bar which seemed to be run by a family of women: mother, daughters and grandchildren – a 15 month little girl who was well at home with the customers, and a new 6 day old baby, who may have been a boy, judging by the blue blanket. Upstairs the rooms are basic but adequate.an old but graceful hostal above a bar, and were taken upstairs to a room. I cooled my poor feet down with Alcohol Romeo and massaged them with Arnica. Then I hobbled to the bathroom and hey presto! there actually was a bath! I scuttled back to the room, collected my universal plug, and was soon soaking in a hot-tub with Arnica and the last of my shampoo. Bliss. We had a coffee at the Hostal Bar and found this internet Cafe in a bar down the road.
We will arrive in Santiago a day early and will have 2 nights there instead of one. I will be checking out the route into the city as it might have changed.

Camino Ingles Day 3:Betanzos to Bar Julia (and beyond....!)

Marion
A bit of a mishap this morning. We started off bright and early overcast and misty, following the yellow arrows, somehow we missed a turning and were on a main road. We stopped and asked how to get back to the camino path and were told to carry on and eventually we would come to it. Unfortunately it was a very busy and ever so noisy road. Eventually we got back on track, I was so grateful to be at long last off the road and back into a forest. Our little mishap added an extra 6k to our walk. Once we were back on track it started raining so on came the raincoats - must say they are wonderful as they keep and our backpacks dry. It did not rain hard just a steady drizzle. We walked through some wooded forests, sometimes past farming areas on small tar roads. We stopped at Leiro at a large covered seated recreation area next to a church for a backpack rest, toilet and a snack which we were carrying. When we reached Bar Julia Syl tried to phone Antonio to fetch us to take us to Mason de Venta where we were going to spend the night. He was supposed to bring us back again in the morning so that we could walk from that point. Unfortunately Syl´s phone did not have coverage for that area so the bar lady kindly said we could use her phone.
We had a coffee and hot choclate and waited for Antonio well!!! 1 1/2 hrs later we were still waiting and started to wonder what had happended to our lift. The bar lady very kindly phoned and at first Antonio´s Mom said that he had gone to the wrong bar, another 1/2 passed and he still had not arrived, so the bar lady again phoned and we received the message that he was not going to fetch us. So we had to pick up our feet and start walking again. We had been walking the whole morning uphill and now we had to begin again by walking up a very steep hill first a short way on tar and then through a wooded forest. Every time you looked up you thought you were at the top but when you turned the bend so it went up again. After 4k we had a short spell of walking on a flat surface and then it was up and down mostly uphill until we reached the albergue Hospital de Bruma. Instead of walking 18k today we ended up doing 34k which puts us a day ahead of shedule. The albergue we are staying in has 14 bunk beds downstairs and more upstairs. It has a large diningroom kitchen area. We were the only people in the albergue last night, The Camino Ingles does not have a lot of pilgrims walking, so far have never seen any others. The hospitalario showed us a menu 3 courses that we ordered from and it was delivered to us at 8.30pm. A delicious meal. Around 8.00pm Antonio arrived looking for us, appologised for not collecting us. Another wonderful day, I am so lucky I have no aches or pains feel full of engery and still rearing to go.

Sil

It was cold when we left Betanzos. The temperatures in northern Galica are very different to the east, especially Aragon and Navarra which was really hot. We knew the way out from having done a little recce the day before so followed the road until we came up against a huge construction site. The pavement was being relaid with crazy paving - no arrows - and fencing cut off the road.

I read the CSJ Guide but could´nt find the markers mentioned. Í asked an early worker if the way through the buildings was él camino de Santiago´. ´Si´he assured us, rolling his hands like a fish swimming upstream. ´Todos directo´. We found ourselves on a road and climbed steeply out of Bestanzos for about 15 minutes, but we knew we were on the wrong road. No arrows, no shell markers - de nada. What to do. Double back and start again or carry on and hope to pick up the camino along the way. A road sign pointed our direction - Meson do Vento 23km, Santiago 60 something kms. "At least we´re going in the right direction" I say to Marion and we continue walking until we reach a huge round-about with about 5 options. I stop another worker who tells us to follow the middle exit under the highway and carry on all the way to Santiago.

When we have walked about 8km we reach Abagonde. We see an open cafe bar and ask a man there how we can get to COS which is a place on the camino trail.

´Turn right at the church,´ he tells us - it is about 5km further on. We walk up the hill to the church. A road sign says that COS is 4km away and a local info board says 3.2km to COS. We have to get there whether it is 3.2km, 4km or 5km so we start walking.
´Ít could be worse,´I say, Ít could be raining´. With that big drops start to fall and we have to bring out our raincoats. Finally we arrive at COS which is 6km from Betanzos on the camino trail. We have walked 12km already so have done an extra 6km on the detour. We walk through forests, around fields, past little hamlets and settlements and finally we come out of the woods, down a steep path at the 18km (24km for us) mark on the camino guide - the Bar Julia - where we will phone Antonio at the Ó´Meson Novo Bar and Pension to come and fetch us.
Now, this little bar is in the middle of cow country. This is a new arrangment organised by Johnnie Walker who has compiled the online Guide to the Camino Ingles. I don´t think anyone has used the offer of a lift and overnight stay so we will be testing it. I emailed Antoinio from home and he sent me a telephone number. ´Call me when you get to Bar Julia and I will fetch you´he said. There is nothing else there - just a few farmhouses and this bar which is right on the road. It is 12 o´clock and we have been walking for over 5 hours. I take out my cell phone to make my first call in Spain but there is no signal for Vodophone. The woman in Bar Julia offers to use her phone and she calls the number for me. A woman answers.
´I´m looking for Antoinio´I say. She talks rapidly and then I tell her we have reserved a room for 2 people for tonight and Antonio can collect us at the Bar Julia.
´Did we reserve?´she asks. Ýes´I tell her ´I reserved by email.´
OK. Antoinio will fetch us. We order a drink from Bar Julia and sit down to wait. And wait, And wait. After an hour we are pacing up and down and senora offers to phone again on our behalf. She has a heated arguement on the phone and then tells us that Antonio went to a Bar Julia but it was closed and there was no body there! Not possible we say.
The woman from O´Meson Novo says we must just wait. It is lunch time now and they are busy. 15 minutes later senora has a light bulb moment. Her Bar Julia is not the only one in the district, perhaps Antonio went to the wrong one? She phones the woman at O´Meson Novo and they have another, longer argument on the phone. Yes, Antonio has been to another Bar ´Hoolia´and we were not there. Eventually senora tells us that Antonio cannot fetch us from this Bar Julia. We can walk or we can get a taxi Meson Novo. Marion and I consult. It is 11km to Bruma - we will walk. At 2pm we hoist our packs back on our backs and start walking.

We now have to tackle ´THE HILL´- a 3km bugger of a hill that winds its way up 400m in 3km. It starts off straight up on tarmac, then becomes gravel, then becomes a forect track. Up and up and up it goes. When we finally reach the top we are not sure that it has ended because we have done it so quickly.
Ít can´t be 3km´I say to Marion. ´We couldn´t have walked up that hill in just over half an hour.´ But we have. Over 2 weeks of walking, climbing in Aragon and France has made us fitter than we think. We walk to Hospital de Bruma and find the albergue open. Benino is trimming the shrubs outside and looks quite pleased to see peregrinos arrive even if it is 5pm.
We have walked 35km and feel OK. We are the only pilgrims at the albergue and Benino tells us that there were 2 South Africans two days ago as well. We think that it could be Gwenda who was planning to walk the Ingles around the same time as us. There were only 3 pilgrims here yesterday but a group of 12 the day before. We are starving and Benino tells us that a restuarant in Meson de Vento will deliver a Menu del Peregrino to us if we order at about 7h30pm. He writes down the options and we choose what we want and he telephones for us. While we are sitting waiting for the delivery, a car pulls us and a young man comes to the albergue.

´Silvia y Marion?´he asks. It is Antonio. He doesn´t speak English but we work out that there was a misunderstanding. There are 4 different Bar Julia´s in this area and he didn´t know which one we were at. (I think there is only one on the camino trail and try to tell him that but he insists that his mother thought we were at the other bars waiting for him.)

Áre you staying here´he asks. Ýes´we tell him, we have booked in and are waiting for dinner to be delivered. ´What about tomorrow night?´he asks.

´No´we tell him ´we will walk to Siguerio tomorrow.´ He seems disappointed that the arrangement didn´t work and assures us that it will in future. He leaves and then our delivery arrives. Ensalada rusa, salmon and chips for Marion with a carafe of Vinto tinto: ensalada pasta for me (with the ever present tuna which I scratch off), a Tortilla Espanol and a Coke, and Tarta de Santiago for both of us. In the crate is a table cloth, knives and forks, two small plastic cups for the drinks and tuppaware containing the other food. It is a feast and we scoff the lot!

We are now a day ahead and will have to spend an extra night in Santiago. I find the telephone number for Fernando at Hostal Pazo de Agra and I send him an sms asking if we can spend Thursday night at the hostal as well.

Benino arrives with blankets for both of us and makes sure that we are comfortable and tells us to just pull the door shut behind us when we leave in the morning. We get into bed exhausted from our very long day. Just as we are falling asleep, Benino comes to see that we are all OK. What kind people these Spanish hospitaleros are. My phone beeps. It is Fernando. No problem to stay an extra night.

Camino Ingles Day 2: 22nd June to Bestanzos

Marion
We started today off with a bang!! Straight up through the village to the top a very steep climb, then through a wooded forest also climbing. I must definitely be getting fitter as although I am quite slow going up steep hills I am no longer tired when we reach the top.
Today we walked through forests, sometimes through grassy fields, on sand paths, narrow tar roads passing small farms and again mostly uphill. After a couple of hours we walked down a steep hill into Mina where we stopped at a cafe bar for coffee and hot choclate and a baguette with jam, we did not eat the whole baguette so took the rest with us. The rest of our walk today was again on the same terrain. We were again fortunate to walk mostly in shade. We have a very comfortable room above a cafe bar. When we arrived at our accomodation we did the usual ,bathed and did our washing. We had a late lunch in our room, I had the rest of my baguette and the last tin or paté that I had been carrying for days and a orange for desseert - delicious! Syl had her baguette, cheese and a nectarine.

We had a walk around and as usual mostly everything is closed. We were lucky and found a supermarket open so bought a few provisions for the road tomorrow and a salad which we can have for dinner in our room. I bought myself a pack of wine (3 little boxes each 200ml) I will have one tonight and carry the other two for another time. A lovely end to a fabulous day.

Sil

I woke before the alarm. My fingers looked like sausages but they weren´t throbbing anymore. I had to put Band-Aids on three cuts on my left hand and strap the two middle fingers on my right hand. I´ve found it really difficult to pack the backpack and tie shoe laces using just a thumb and a forefinger!

The path out of Pontedeume goes straight up, and up, and up for about 15 minutes. Once we left the confines of the town some of the paths were very overgrown and my trousers and spats were soon quite wet with morning dew. It was a lovely walk today. This is walking as opposed to hiking. The paths are either gravel, small tarred village roads, double tracks through fields or leafy trails through the forests. There are many up hill sections so it is more strenuous than I expected it to be but no mountains, just steep short climbs and some equally steep descents. The landscape is similar to walking from Sarria to Santiago with eucalyptus gums, fir trees, small plots of vegetables and many different fruit trees - figs, apples, pears, cherries and nuts. None ready for picking but should be a bumper crop this year. We stopped at Mino for a coffee and bread and jam. Everynow and then we got glimpses of the river estuary.

When we reached Betanzos at about 1:30pm most of the bars in the square were closing. We visited the tourist office for a sello and directions to the Cheino Bar for a room. On Johnnie´s guide it is 15€ each but she charged us 20€ each for a small room with a bathroom down at the end of the passage. We found an internet cafe but had to wait until 4:30pm for it to open. We found a supermecado and bought a made salad, some olives, cheese and a bottle of wine for Marion and had a feast in our room.