Staying in Santiago.

When arriving in Santiago there are a whole host of places to stay, whatever your budget or need. This is clear from just a few moments of wandering around the city.

For the last three years I have stayed in one of the properties of Fina Castro Riveiro.

Her properties are very central,  well maintained and clean. On arrival in Santiago I usually give her a quick call telling her how many of us there are and arrange to meet in Placa Cervantes, just up the hill from the Cathedral.  She then leads the way to a suitable flat.

This time we are in a three-bedded room with ensuite shower room. It's part of a larger flat and we have access to a well equipped kitchen. 

Fina presently charges 15 euros a night per person ( this has been the same for the last three years). The price includes a bed with sheets and blankets, towels in abundance and even shower gel in the bathrooms. 

Fina is a lovely friendly woman. She speaks only Spanish but gets by well with most nationalities. She will do all she can to make your stay comfortable.  This evening she has even arranged a taxi pick up for us outside the door for the morning to take us to the airport for our flight back to BCN.

If you're planning to arrive in Santiago soon and would like to stay in one of Fina's places leave me a comment and I can let you have her phone number and email address. 

Return to Santiago

Last night we packed ourselves a picnic, with a few things we had bought earlier on in the supermarket, and walked back out to the lighthouse point.

Finding ourselves agood vantage point we settled down on some rocks. From here ee watchdd thd sun gradually descend over the horizon. There were lots of other small groupings scattered all over the vliff edge doing the same. 

As we feasted on leftover pizza, olives, crisps and coconut macaroons we snapped away with our cameras as the sun set.

We were  little surprised that when the sun had gone down it didn't go completely dark. .. naive aren't we?  We'd even taken torches just in case.

This morning we afforded ourselves with a long lie in and didn't get up until 08:00, slthough Jane and I had been awake since six listening to the seagulls cawing loudly outside. 
Once we were ready we took a gentle stroll round to the bus-stop where we joined about another twenty pilgrims waiting for the bus back to Santiago.

At 09:30 the bus arrived and we jumped aboard for what we thought was going to be a three hour ride. In fact, it only took just over two hours, taking us round the beautiful coast for one last look as we left. 

We are now back in the same apartment of Fina's that we were in ladt week.  We dropped into Charlie's for a drink before lunch,  earlier,  then had a one course light lunch in the only veggie place in Santiago. 

This evening we will return to Charlie's for the obligatory G&T before going back to the veggie restaurant for dinner.

I'm not sure how much sleep we are going to have tonight as the barrio we are in is the barrio of Saint Peter and it is busy celebrating its saints day with mucho gusto.

Finisterre - the end of the earth

This morning we had a ge ntle walk into Finisterre.  Only about 18kms and all day to do it in.

Leaving last night's albergue we climbed out of Corcubión and followed the coastline , albeit up on high, all the way along to Finisterre. 

The last part of the walk was along the beach in beautiful sunshine.

Last night the hodpitalera suggested an albergue to us, and having checked it out on the Internet we decided that was where we would stay. It is called the Finistellae snd lives up to expectations. 

After dropping off our rucksacks and doing a lisd of washing (ah the glamour of the camino) we walked out to the lighthouse... to zero kilometres. 
On the way back I took a detour that the hirls didn't fancy. I went up and over the mount via an old church whrre the views of the bay were stunning and the energy vitalising. 

Wandering around the town I spotted a veggie restaurant which had vlised for lunches but let us in when I wailed plaintively about the lot of a veggie on the camino.  A delucious curried rice later I was a happy and full Pilgrim. 

We are now having a coffee on the seafront planning our evening's entertainment.  We are going back out to the lighthouse point where we will have a picnic dinner and watch the sun go down...

Corcubión

The walk today to Corcubión was spectacular. Only about 20kms but truly stunning.  Most of the way was on dirt tracks and through the local moors. 

We started with a bit of a climb ip past the wind turbines onto the edge of the mountain.

Breakfast was taken in a small cafe on the edge of the moors.  Coffee, toast n jam. Here we were joined by our new good friend Birch from thr USA. 

The path undulated over the moors before dropping sharply towards the sea. The views as we crested each ridge were breathtaking and although I have taken several photos I feel sure they have not captured the magnificence of it all.

The albergue we are staying in tonight is right on the seafront. ..beautiful view across the bays.

Tomorrow we will arrive in Finisterre and as usual I am having mixed feelings about the end of another incredible journey. 

And on to Oveiroa

Today has been the longest walk of this Camino visit. Today Jane & I have pushed ourselves to the limit and walked around 35 kms.

Last night kerri decided that her foot needed a break so ordered a taxi to bring her here. She also carried our rucksacks so today we travelled light.

A lot of the path today was on the road which made it hard on our feet, but the sights were well worth the trouble. At one point we came round a corner to see a huge lake in the distance... the best view of the walk so far.

The albergue we are in now (Horreo) looks beautiful and we have a small room but the services are lacking.  There are a couple of other places in the village that serve food so we'll check them out later.  Otherwise it could be a cheese sandwich for dinner.

Hopefully tonight my throbbing feet will chill and be ready for tomorrow's leg...

Santiago

Today walk was suite a tough one, not because it was long or over difficult terrain, but because my left foot was playing up.  Yesterday my foot started to give me a bit of pain but when I got up today it wss more or less fine. Then just a few kms into the walk it started to ache under the arch, sending shooting pains all up my leg. In order to keep walking I had to stop every few hundred metres.
Happily I can report that at the moment it is fine again.  A generous application of some pain relief gel and a good hot shower seems to have done the trick.

We set out early this morning to arrive in Santiago early-ish too. My foot prevented a very esrly arrivsl but nonetheless we still arrived around half ten. 

After quick celebrations in the square in front of the Cathedral we picked up our compostellas and had a coffee in Charlie's bar,  where we met an Australian woman from Melbourne (who sounded spookily like Andrea which was how I guessed where she was from) and a guy from LA.

We left our backpacks in the left luggage under Rosslea's care (also an Aus) and went to mass in the cathedral before calliing Gina to get one of her rooms for the night. This is where i am currently typing from now.

Santiago is very busy with pilgrims and luckily very warm. The sun has come out properly at last and I've had my usual treat of a chocolate rum truffle cake so all is well with the world.

Our plans are now to get ourselves a drink in Charlie's bar followed by a Thai dinner. For tomorrow we head to Finisterre. ..returning next Sunday for a final night in one of Fina's rooms before flying back to BCN a week today.

Day one to Finisterre

Leaving Santiago we found our way out of the city quite quickly and easily. 

Surprisingly we were soon in the countryside as the sun came up and we rose up away from the buildings of the outskirts.

A lot of the walk today has been through woodland and open countryside with gentle slopes to climb and one large and steep one. Arriving at the top I felt so full of energy it was incredible.  I even skipped part if the way down the next road.

As we got hotter Jane & I stopped to strip off our outer layers.  Kerri stromped off as is her want. We thought we'd catch up with her quite quickly but when we arrived at a cafe soms distance ahead and there was still no sign of her we asked a couple of Spanish lads if they'd seen her. They hadn't and we knew she was lost. Moments later Andrew called from the UK to say she'd called him. So we waited in the cafe for her to turn up, which she did a bit later.

We are now in Negreira and settled into a very comfy albergue. Kerti has spent the afternoon in bed resting her feet whilst Jane and I have been gallivanting around town.

Ad the albergue has a kitchen i am cooking tonight.

Tomorrow kerti has decided to take a taxi to our next destination whilst Jane and I  will walk and meet her there later on. We have suggested she takes our rucksacks with her so we can walk more easily an mire quickly.

Watch this space to see jow plans turn out....

Bruma to Sigueiro

Last night in the albergue was very toasty with the heating on full blast all night.

Dinner was a bit of a catastrophe as the salad arrived with tuna atop it despite my precise no meat no fish instructions. 'It's just tuna" came the reply until I told them I couldn't eat it without vomiting.  They suggested taking the tuna off the top. Same response from me. Hospitalero apologised profusely and sent taxi man off to get replacement. 

The road today was just that for a lot of the way..hard tarmac road - and hard on my feet. I had to stop for a while and rub in some volterol cream to get me to Sigueiro.  My left foot arch is just a tad painful. Apart from that it was a pretty easy 24 kilometres.  Animal friends have been in abundance today- from rabbits to huge dogs. All friendly.

We've seen the Italian girls a lot today which has been  great. They're going a bit further tonight but hopefully we'll see them in Santiago tomorrow.

We are now checked into the Miras hostel which as reported in the guides is basic but will be fine for the night. The welcome wasn't particularly friendly but then again they were busy serving lunch.

The town looks interesting enough and we're off out to explore in a minute or two.  Hopefully we'll find somewhere that serves some good veggie style grub too. All I've had for days is egg of one sort or another.

Ah the lot of a Pilgrim.

Happy Sunday from the Camino Ingles.  Xx

Now in Bruma

Yesterday we walked from Pontdeume to Betanzos much of the time in the rain as already reported. 

Despite the rain I really enjoyed it.  There were a few hills but nowt too worrying.  We almost took a wrong turn just outside Mino but a kindly driver who was passing stopped to put us back on  the right track. 

Last night we stayed in the albergue in Betanzos which only opened in May.  It is excellent.  The kitchen is still awaiting the full complement of necessary items but otherwise it really is the best.

This morning we left at 6:30 expecting a long and difficult day.  It has been long - about 9 hours on the road but not as difficult as the guidebook lead us to believe.  There was one particularly long steep hill to climb,  but getting to the top I felt energised and invigorated. 

We are now in the albergue at Bruma and it's started to rain again.  Luckily it stayed fine whilst we were on the way yet cool enough for it to be pleasant walking weather. 

This albergue isnt the same as last night's bug still very comfortable and we've got the heating on to keep us warm.  The hospitaleros are very friendly and helpful and are ordering our dinner from a local restaurant for delivery at 8:00. Of course there was the usual veggie problem but I think I'm sorted.

The signal here is poor so I'm hoping that this will upload ok. If not you'll not be reading it anyway.

Lost

Wrote a very interesting and informative blog last night about the walk from Pontdeume to Betanzos much of which was in the rain. But during upload it stuck and I ended up deleting it.

I'll update with more info later. We're just taking a little shoes off break as we are about halfway so far today. 

Love from M, J & K on the Camino Ingles.   

Ferrol to Pontdeume

Before the alarm even went off this morning at 5.00 I was already awake, having woken with a fit of the giggles.  Can a say start any better?

We were on the road by 5:30. Up before the sun. As we made our way out of Ferrol we followed the bay all the way round. It was beautiful in places but unfortunately as the tide wss out also very smelly in places too.

Before we knew it the time had flown and it was gone 9.00 and we were in Neda.  We found a quiet little cafe and stopped for coffee.

Up and down the hillsides we followed the yellow arrows snd shell signs.

Just before our destination of the day we psssed by a beach praia de Magdalena which looked beautiful,  but vring slightly tired by this point we didn't take advantage of its facilities. 

Coming into Pontdeume we had to cross an ancient bridge of 16+ arches. The town really captured me as we crossed the bridge, despite the fact that it had started to rain.  

Artivibg at the albergue we gound out it didn't open until 5 o'clock and it was onky jyst sfter one.

Finding a suitable bar we spent the afternoon hanging out with the locals. The girls filling up on voffee whilst I had a couple of beers.

We are now in the Albergue, which is very new and clean. Sadly it doesn't have a kitchen so ee are going to have to brave the wet Galician weather once more to find something for dinner.  I'm not holding out a lot of hope for a vegetarian option. .. could be tortilla or the such like again.  Ah well I know the camino will sustain me 

.

Arrival in Ferrol.

This morning we had a fairly early start after quite a late night what with Jane and Kerri's flught being delayed a tad.

Julue very kindly dropped us off at BCN airport where once again the flight was delayed by half an hour or so.

The flight was pretty much uneventful although there was quite a bit of turbulence. Arriving in a cold and very wetFerrol we picked up our backpacks and checked out the taxi price, but decided that 65 euros was a little too steep and caught the bus instead.  At 7.45 euros each it was clearly the better choice.

Finding our hotel for the night was a piece of cake with the gps on my phone.

The hotel Silva has turned out tobe a very good find with a comfy room and delightfully helpful staff. They even offered breakfast at 5 in the morning which is when we intend to hit the road.

We have had a wander round Ferrol and it really isn't as bad as some of my students suggested.  We have sussed out where we need to go in the morning;  had coffee in an old UK double decker bus and just has falafel for dinner. We are now settling down for the events evening... getting into the old Camino routine....

We leave tomorrow

The preparations are almost complete. 

The Tres amigos are about to embark upon a Camino Ingles  Adventure...

Jane, me & Kerri

 The flights are booked and we're checked in with boarding cards ready to fly.

Jane & I in 2010 on the second leg of our journey -flying to Leon...

 Tonight Jane and Kerri arrive from England into BCN for our flight back out tomorrow to A Coruña.

In the morning Julie is taking us to the airport and we begin our latest adventure. Tomorrow we will be spending the night in Ferrol ready to start walking THE CAMINO INGLES on Thursday.

A four day 120km (more or less) trip from Ferrol to Santiago.

After that we head out for Muxia & Finisterre.

Thank you for following me and my blog so far - I hope  you'll stay with us on THE WAY.

Kerri & Jane are walking to raise money for the Young Epilepsy charity after Jane's niece was recently diagnosed with the condition turning her world upside down. If you feel able to contribute just a little please go to Kerri's Just Giving page 

 http://www.justgiving.com/Kerri-Holder

Thank you

My next post will be from the City of Ferrol as we make final preparations for an early morning start.

Packing

With just two days before we set out on the Camino Ingles I have got round to sorting out what I want to take with me. 

Ever since our first foray onto the Camino Frances I have understood the importance of packing sparsely and only taking what I really need. Carrying my home on my back for a couple of weeks I will only be taking the essentials  Each year I seem to be able to pare this down a little more each time.

Our first year climbing over the Pyrenees with heavy rucksacks I cursed the fact that I had brought so much, although in reality I hadn't. In Roncesvalles though we both dropped off the special water bottles we were carrying in favour of a plastic one (which incidentally went all the way with me, filling up daily) and a few other necessary bits and pieces.

This year I think my rucksack will be the lightest ever - no sleeping bag this year -just a fleecy liner. Everything else seems to fit in much easier.  My list of essentail items is quite small, thankfully, and I'm more or less ready to go.

Tomorrow Jane and Kerri arrive from Blighty, and Wednesday morning we will be off to Barcelona airport, thanks to Julie, for our flight to A Coruña ...excited --- oh yes, just a little bit... 

Camino memories

and souvenirs... 

In my mind I carry a whole headful of Camino memories, which can pop up at any given moment -I only have to hear something, smell something or see something reminiscent of my time on the Camino an I am almost there again so strong are some of the memories. after walking the Camino Frances the Camino was imprinted on me so deeply it is something I shall never be able to shake off, nor ever want to. 

Of course I also have a PC laden with photos of the Caminos I have done, many of which I'v shared on her adn Facebook and other sites. Other people's photographs are my memories too. I only have to see a familiar place on almost any site, or even on the TV and I am there gain enjoying the expeiernce. 

Then there are the array of badges I have been collecting as I wander the way. Unfortunately some of them were on my cap and thus lost when I left it on a bench towards the end of the Camino Frances .

I also carry a permanent reminder of my days on the Camino Frances etched on my ankle. 
When we got to Santiago, having walked the 800 or so kilometres we (my sister in law, Jane and I) wanted to have a permanent record of our achievement and got ourselves tattoos on our ankles: 

I also decided to turn my journal into a permanent memory too and made it into a book recording our experiences. This for me was another incredible achievement. 

If you'd like a copy it's available at

                             http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/HouseofTulstig 
in e-book format or paperback. For the month of June 50% of all proceeds are going to the Epilepsy charity for which Jane and Kerri and walking this time...

  http://www.justgiving.com/Kerri-Holder. 

The Queimada (Galician drinking ceremony)

One of the traditions of the Camino in Galicia is the Queimada. This is  a drink made from Orujo, sugar and fire and very little else. The Orujo (a Spanish liqueur of between 35 - 45% alcohol, made from a distillation of the remains of the wine production) is mixed with sugar and then heated. Once it is hot enough it is set alight, and depending on how long it is allowed to burn much of the alcoholic content is burnt of. Whilst the drink is burning and being drunk an incantation is said, usually in Galician. It is a call to the earth, wind, sea and fire to purify the drink and share it with souls of family and friends who cannot be there to enjoy the queimada.

I have been lucky enough to enjoy this tradition twice. Once on the Camino Portuguese in Padron. 

And once on the Camino Primitivo in San Roman, where it was so cold the warm rink was welcomed by one and all, and the ceremony performed inside.

Quite honestly the drink is still really strong, and not something I'd drink much of, especially when I want to get to Santiago sooner rather than later!

Techno Camino

I have mixed views about taking technology on the Camino. 

I love the peace and quiet and getting away from all the usual stresses of day to day life- and for me this includes getting away from technology to some degree. On the other hand I like to keep in touch with friends back home, and around the world, and let them know where I am and what I've been up to.

On the Camino Frances in 2010 we only had our phones, and not  smart ones at that, so phone calls were the way to keep in touch. 

Whilst walking during the day I turned my phone off, and only connected with the outside world once the day was done. Fortunately many albergues on the Camino Frances have internet connection for just a euro for an hour or half hour, so I updated my blog when this was available. We even popped onto Facebook once in a while too.

On the Camino Portuguese the story was much the same, although Sussi had her i-phone and i-pad with her so when there was wi-fi  we used her connection to the best advantage too.

On the Camino Primitivo very few places had internet connection, but I had planned for this eventuality and bought myself a smart-phone with which to update my blog. I also set up a WhatsApp group to whom even more regular updates were sent when I took breaks during the day.  I also carried a Dictaphone thingy into which I occasionally reported my whereabouts and thoughts - I transcribed this onto my PC when I got home to use as a an additional resource to my journal when I write the story of my adventures.

This year I have a Samsung Galaxy III - it's a little high-tech for me really but will mean blogging along the way will be easier.  So if you haven't become a 'follower' yet, or signed up via e-mail but still want to see what we're up to this time next week click one of the links on the right. 

I'm also going to set up a Camino 2013 Ingles WhatsApp group for regular updates as we take breaks. If you want to get these send me an e-mail ( to tulstig33 AT gmail.com) (por los espanoles es: tulstig33 AROBA gmail.com) with your mobile number and I will add you to the group.You can of course remove yourself from it at any time.

Additionally I'll be uploading photos directly to INSTAGRAM as the fancy takes me. If you want to follow me on there my profile is under Tulstig.

All the above ways of staying in contact are free with internet (wifi or G4) connection, and a great bonus for letting everyone know how well we are doing. So don't be left out join us on our Ingles adventure now!

Compostella

The pilgrim passport (Credential) allows you top collect stamps along the Way as you walk. On arrival in Santiago the next step is to go to the Pilgrim's office to get the final stamp and a Compostella, a certificate to say that you have completed the requisite number of kilometres before arriving in Santiago. For some this is from Sarria (just over 100kms) but for us on our first time on the Camino (Frances) it was around 800kms. 

Despite (or because of?) having walked the length of northern Spain we were remarkably well and in high spirits when we collected ours, even though there was a bit of a queue to do so.

Once we'd got our compostellas we found a quiet-ish bar and ordered two glasses of Cava with which to celebrate. Happily the waiter was only too pleased to take a photo for us.

My first compostella:

I now have three on my wall, all framed. This year I am hoping to double this with a Compostella from Santiago, another from Muxia and a final one at Finisterre.  

If you want to find out how we get on I will be posting daily from the way.  You can follow the blog by clicking the 'Follow Blog' button on the right, or sign up for e-mail updates by filling in the the 'e-mail updates' button, alternatively click one of the subscribe to boxes.

If you're enjoying my blog and want to know more about our Camino Frances from 2010 you can get a copy of my book -The Magic of the Camino

at:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/HouseofTulstig 

- in e-book format or paperback. For the month of June 50% of all proceeds are going to the charity for which Jane and Kerri and walking this time...

  http://www.justgiving.com/Kerri-Holder. 

Guided to follow the herd...

I have always enjoyed meeting the various animal along the Camino,  no more than one morning on the Camino Primitivo last year. 

I'd set out early from the albergue on about the forth day of the Camino Primitivo, having checked the guide the night before so that I knew roughly where the early morning path was  going to take me. It had warned that the first part as along asphalt road for a few kilometres. Now, unlike some of the pilgrims I met on the Primitivo last year, walking on asphalt doesn't really bother me, s all around there are sights to be seen to take my mind off what's under foot. 

The guide had said that after a few kilometres of climbing on the road there would be a fork in the road and soon after a path up into the hills. 

Climbing the hills first thing in the morning can always be a challenge, but usually one gladly taken as I always know that a gift of beauty along the way will be mine, often at the top of said climb. 

After having walked what I considered to be the distance as described in the guide I found no fork in the road, nor a turning off. I carried on some way further wondering if I'd missed the fork and the turning. In the mornings I enjoy the quiet and often turn inward, so can be less aware of the markers.

Still further on I cursed myself. I was sure I had missed the marker for the turning up into the hills. I was wondering whether to turn back, or try to push into the hills and find the way which I thought I had missed. 'If only there was someone here to check with' I thought to myself. Then turning a bend in the road I came across a herd of cows wandering slowly up the hill. No word of a lie i was sure one of them said 'follow us'. So that's just what I did, although feeling slightly foolish for doing so.

A short distance along the road the cows turned off into the hills. I continued to follow, until they lead me to what looked like a dead end in the greenery 

 Again I almost lost faith that I was on the right path. until I noticed that just ahead there was a wooden marker and as I got closer I could see more clearly that it had a yellow arrow on it. The cows had lead me to the right place.  

Thanking the herd for their help - yes I did really say thank you - I was grateful to know I was on the right path - I continued up into the hills, which turned out to be as beautiful as I had hoped. The path rose gently for most of the way along a well marked route.  The sun shone through the trees as I climbed and another wonderful day on the Camino was well under way. 

Credentials & Stamps

AKA - Credencials & Sellos

In 2010 Janey and I joined the Confraternity of Saint James, in the UK and for the Camino Frances the same year, and the Camino Portuguese in 2011 we received our credentials from there. 

These stand out from all others as they are very different, being a small A5 size booklet instead of the pamphlet style from other issuers.  Although they appear quite hardy and have a shiny cover they are less practical than the other style as they are slightly too big to carry in a 'bum-bag' and folding them is the only option if you want them handy for those all important sellos (stamps)

In 2012  I ordered my credential from the Peterborough pilgrim's site. This time it was the pamphlet style credential.  Much easier to use , and keep in my bum-bag around my waist. 

This year again we have ordered from the Peterborough Pilgrim's site and as previously mentioned they arrived at Jane's place soon after ordering them. 

Collecting stamps daily, or even twice daily on the shorter routes isn't only a must if you want a Compostella at the end of your walk, but it's also part of the fun. as long as it doesn't interfere with your intention of the walk. 

Stamps (or sellos) can be collected from all manner of places en-route. Churches and Cathedrals  usually have them of course (although we have found that some don't have stamps, or aren't open all day). Albergues  are the best place to get one of your daily stamps.  Bars, restaurants, shops often all have stamps too. 

The stamps vary from the basic round, or oval peregrination stamp to much more elaborate ones, and all count towards proof of your daily Camino.

A few stats

I am rather pleased with the viewing figures for the Camino Blog that I only started writing as an addition to my everyday one just over a month ago. I decided to write as a build up to our next Camino, and then I will be blogging along the way as we walk.

The top ten posts are are as follows. It would seem that we are all still preoccupied with those little blighters that may share our beds.

Posts

Entry	Pageviews
Of beds (and bugs) 6 Jun 2013, 6 comments	249
Sticks or Poles? 22 May 2013, 2 comments	154
Knickers ... and socks 5 Jun 2013, 4 comments	137
Camino Fashion 13 May 2013, 4 comments	130
Shoes 2 Jun 2013	125
Caminos 2010 - 2013 12 May 2013, 4 comments	121
Camino Friends - ONE 21 May 2013, 4 comments	114
Why walk the Camino? 1 Jun 2013, 2 comments	110
Feet 25 May 2013	106
Camino Food -ONE -Breakfast 27 May 2013	95

The country viewing my blog most is The United States  - well out in front of any others. Come on everyone back in the UK - what? - too busy for a friend?

Pageviews by Countries

Entry	Pageviews
United States	1390
Spain	354
United Kingdom	302
Australia	145
Canada	105
Germany	76
Argentina	46
Italy	44
Russia	23
Finland	20