I woke up at 6am and couldn't see a thing out the window, so I crawled back into bed until 6:30. It was a cool, breezy, damp, misty morning; and a cool, breezy, overcast day. Perfect for walking. So I did. 34kms today. The Way was great first thing, but then became rather monotonous passing … Continue reading Day 27: Getting Closer

Oh, albergue life! Mickey warned me about the Thermonuclear Snorer booked into the monastery's albergue yesterday afternoon; he even packed up his things and moved to a private albergue to avoid him. Did I listen? Nooo, how bad could this one man be? Well, thermonuclear worse! Earplugs couldn't even begin to soften the reverberations in … Continue reading Day 26: 99.5 kms Mark!

OMG! Dawn was amazing!!! I walked out of the hotel at 6:50am (I know, I slept in), and out into a wonderland. O'Cebreiro was an island floating above the clouds and dawn was breaking on the horizon. I stood for ages watching the mist, swirling below like the ocean with fast-rolling tides. The trail swung … Continue reading Day 25: Bill and I

O'Cebreiro - a bit tacky & souvenir-y but still a cool village The town I stayed in last night, Villafranca, sets the pilgrim up nicely with a choice of how to tackle climbing the mountain 28.6kms distant - O'Cebreiro.  One can walk a pleasant short day along the road, stopping at any number of villages, … Continue reading Day 24: Last Big Mountain

It was a hard day today.  First of all, it's not fair to bunk beside a man who naps silently, and so tricks you into thinking he doesn't snore, then honks away all night.  Between 11-1am I seriously considered going over and shaking him, by 2am I was resigned to it, and by 3:30am he … Continue reading Day 23: A Hard Day

Today will be the highest point of this part of the Camino. Many people last night were anxiously querying me on the difficulty of the walk, being the voice of experience that I am, and I reassured them that the climb is gentle, we only had 400m to rise, but the descent is tricky as … Continue reading Day 22: Up and Over

I had a nice lazy start this morning, I didn't leave Astorga til 9am! I had an epiphany yesterday afternoon: my hiking shoes were going to carry me to Santiago after all, so I didn't need to be carrying my spare runners, as light as they might be. I would post them and my gaiters … Continue reading Day 21: On The Road Again

I took the bus to Astorga this morning - thought it'd be best to rest 2 days before tackling the mountains that lie just ahead. Astorga is 16kms further down the Camino and much larger town than Orbigo, so it had a little more to offer. And it has chocolate to offer!! Every other store … Continue reading Day 20: Hanging Out In Astorga

I tried to walk this morning. I left at 7:07am, it was light out, warm, and peaceful = everyone had already gone! There were no boots left in the shoe rack at all! I left town, got as far as the fields outside, and realized it wasn't going to work. My left shin muscle wasn't … Continue reading Day 19: Camino Part Two

Leon was a lovely slice of city-life for a day. I'm not sure it it was because it was a tourist city or because there were so many fellow pilgrims around, but it had much nicer vibe than Valladolid. A little sight-seeing, a little shopping and a fantastic lunch at McDonalds! 🙂 It was a … Continue reading Day 18: The Race Is On