Plaza Mayor Madrid was having a very unusual heatwave in June, with temperatures up to 40 degrees. Geraldine picking out some shorts for Gord Madrid is a wonderful place to overdose on art After two nights in Santiago we took the fast train to Madrid. The speed of the train and the outside temperature were displayed and they both mounted as we made our way from ...
We walked into Santiago on June 15th, for the second time in one year. The square was full of pilgrims like ourselves feeling a mixture of elation, relief and sadness. I’ve told a few pilgrims that I’m on the Camino to get over my shyness. This is usually followed by laughter, because I really do not present as shy. In a way, however, the statement is ...
Entering Arzua the numbers of pilgrims suddenly increase as their average age drops. We are now on the Camino Francés for the last two days into Santiago. This section of the Camino has a summer camp vibe, with lots of groups of young Spanish pilgrims making their way from the 100 km mark at Sarria. Gord and I were either ahead or behind one group ...
Detail of The Cathedral at Mondoñedo Simplicity is one of the appealing aspects of a pilgrimage. Our days principally involve walking or cycling, sleeping, and eating. After walking 25 or 30 kms the last of these is one of the great pleasures of a pilgrimage. Spanish daily life is on a somewhat different schedule than we are accustomed to in Canada. Both lunch and dinner ...
Gord: Yesterday we had a short walk into Ribadeo to allow us the time to visit Cathedral Beach. This beach, located a dozen kilometres west of Ribadeo, is one of the premier tourist attractions in Galicia. We took a bus out, and we knew from a distance that we were approaching the beach because of the large number of parked vehicles. In the summer visitors ...
We haven’t written much about the nuts and bolts of food and accommodation on our two Caminos. If only for my own memory, I would like to make a few general comments, first about our lodging and later about dining. I know I’m going to cause some head-shaking among our more frugal friends, but we have become unapologetic Gucci-rinos. Many pilgrims on the Camino stay ...
Giving our respects to Santiago in Soto de Luiña I arrived in Avies covered in grease after Grandma Friday’s Chain came off of a third time. By 4:00 I had dropped her off at the repair shop to get a full tune up. What a difference, now she has a good range of seven gears. We have had two beautiful days of riding. Little ribbons ...
Gordon, Grandma and I A tough section of stony Roman road, not recommended for bikes. I have reconciled with Grandma Friday after a few misunderstandings. We have been together for a long time, so naturally one expects a few bumps along the way. She explained it all to me more calmly after throwing her chain off in a fit of frustration, and forcing me to ...
Walt and I. Some people are just made of different stuff than the rest of us. Generally I feel like I am pretty fit and strong for a woman of my age, but there a lots of women on the Norte who are in their sixties and seventies. Unlike me most of them don’t coast down the hills on a bicycle, but make the way ...
Today we had a lovely walk through rolling hills that took us to the seaside town of Comillas by early afternoon.From the second half of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th, Comillas was a popular summer place for Spanish royalty and the aristocracy. This has left a rich legacy of mansions and other structures from this period. Our particular interest was in ...