May 20, 2019 - Vilamayor to Burgos

One of the constants on our walk through Spain is the sleepy little towns we pass through. We rarely see anyone out of their homes in the smallest of towns. Not only that, the houses mostly have their shutters closed giving the feeling of ghost towns. On Thursday we arrived in the town of Vilamayor just after noon after a short 14 km walk from Santo Domingo. Upon arriving at our very quaint guest house, our host indicated that there were no shops open in the town. We had two choices for dinner, the guest house or the Albergue down the...

May 18, 2019 - Madrid

18th May – Saturday We are up early so we can talk to Hayden and Honey-Rose before we leave, it is good to have a chat, even though we are still half asleep after another crappy night in uncomfortable beds. We are gone soon after 9am, and as we leave Cynthea spots a coffee machine hiding in the dark under the stairs! We walk to the train station, and as we arrive the train leaves. We probably could have gotten away with not buying tickets because the gates are open again. Tony stood close to one of them to get a better look at the...

May 16, 2019 - LaGuardia to Viloria de Rioja

We have just finished our 11th day of walking and covered over 220 kms. We have gotten into a real routine. We have breakfast every morning around 7:30 and are on the road by 8:30. Walking 20 kms is beginning to seem effortless. Today we only had 14 kms and the walk took 3 hours. The weather continues to be fantastic but it is forecasted to change tomorrow. The ponchos and rain gear will be ready if needed. We learned that only 20 percent of the people that start the Camino actually complete it. We have meet up with a few new people in the...

May 16, 2019 - Zaragoza

16 May – Thursday The hotel has a good breakfast, there is even bacon and eggs, though the scrambled eggs look a bit old. There is a huge range of pastries and cakes, something else that we find difficult to get used to having for breakfast. They even have a fancy coffee machine behind the counter, so Tony feels that he cannot have too much coffee today because it is not self-service. Bugger. It is a leisurely breakfast again, we don’t have to be out until midday, and with the train station across the road there is no hurry. At the station...

May 15, 2019 - Lleida

15 May – Wednesday It is great that check out over here tends to be a bit later, none of this out by 10, it is often 11am or noon, so we are not under too much pressure to leave. Today is noon, so we can relax a bit, until we head for the bus. Breakfast was a lot more relaxed too, we were not rushed like yesterday. The bus is not in when we arrive at the station, but we are early. There is no platform indicator on the board, so Tony heads off to the buses parked up, the drivers tell him to ask at the office (the one that was empty when Tony...

May 14, 2019 - Excitement is building

Today marks four weeks of walking. Who’d of thought it could go by so quickly. I am 117km (79miles) from Santiago de Compostela. Tomorrow will be a rest day is Sarria before the last few days of walking. Laundry needs to be done in real washers and dryers, not by hand on a rock. :-) You meet new people every day but by now you have a core group that keeps in touch, whether you are walking together or not. Thank goodness for WhatsApp, messenger, etc.. Today we connected and made plans to do the last 100km together(loosely). We are the real...

May 13, 2019 - Irache to LaGuardia

After 8 days of hiking and about 175 km's we took a scheduled day off. We continued to be blessed with good weather and good health. The same can't be said for some of the people we have friended along the way. Our buddy Wayne from Toronto has blisters on his blisters and the last few days has been a struggle for him. The rule of thumb from a back pack perspective is that the weight of your pack should not exceed 10 per cent of your body weight. Our buddy Wayne's pack weighs 25 lbs. Most of the pilgrims we've met on The Camino are carrying...

May 11, 2019 - Day 25

Hello dear family and friends I have walked for 25 days and nearly 400 miles. Today and yesterday were both 20+ miles each. You’d think my legs and feet would be used to the routine but these last two days have sent them into a revolt. Sore shins and calf muscles from all the climbing up and down mountains with rough stone paths. Yesterday was the highest point of the way. It was absolutely beautiful scenery/countryside. The iron cross (Cruz de ferro) is the spot where you lay down a stone or other token you’ve brought from home. Prayer...

May 10, 2019 - Barcelona (don't mention Liverpool, Barca lost!)

10 May – Friday Another big breakfast to keep us going for the day. Today we head to the gothic quarter for a “free” guided tour, we need to take the metro to get there, and the hostel crew tell us to get a T-10 ticket. Good for ten trips, only €11 ($18), and even better, we can share the ticket, just pass it back after the first one goes through. It works out that each trip is less than half the price of a single trip ticket, so worthwhile getting. Watching a few people, it seems that they are not too concerned who has a ticket or not, and...

May 10, 2019 - Roncesvalles to Irache

We just completed our first 6 days of the Camino. To date we have covered 121 kms. We have gotten into a daily routine which starts with meeting for breakfast at 7:30. Once brekkie is completed we haul our bags down to the hotel reception for them to be picked up and transported to the next destination. Its wheels up by 8:30 every morning and once we step outside the front door we queue our daily theme song: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers. We get a few funny looks but equal numbers who really think it is cool. We have been very...

May 8, 2019 - Espana!

08 May – Wednesday Our Lufthansa flight in an A330-300 to Barcelona will transit at Frankfurt, and we have a window seat. The seven hour flight leaves at 1am, arrives at 7am. Pillows and blankets are issued, but for now it is warm enough. The first challenge is the headphones. We look everywhere to find where to plug in the double pin audio plug, and can only see a single one to use. The trick was that one of the pins folds back, there is even a wee diagram on the plug, black on black, and at 1am bloody hard to see! It is difficult to sleep...

May 6, 2019 - Sarria - Note on what those pointed KKK hats are all about

I've been asked about those pointed hats that were worn during the Easter Processions. This is what wikipedia has to say: This is what wikipedia says about those KKK hats: A capirote is a pointed hat of conical form that is used in Spain. It is part of the uniform of some brotherhoods including the Nazarenos and Fariseos during Easter observances and reenactments in some areas during Holy Week in Spain and in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The use of the capirote or coroza was prescribed in Spain and Portugal by the holy office of...