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September 26: Lavacolla to Santiago

My brothers’ birthday today. He would have been 68.

I forgot to mention our walk from Melide to Sasebo two days ago. It was fine. No problems. And we heard about our illustrious PM’s latest faux pas about honoring a Waffen SS Nazi soldier as a war hero. Yes it made the news over here and he is a laughing stock internationally. Jerry said that that is about as bad as a fart in a space suit!

After 500 miles we walk into a fog bank on our very last day. We cannot see Santiago. Well we have had torrential rain, rain. sleet, hail  gale force winds, heat so why not fog to top it all off:

Two klicks from the end.

It is over. We made it. Hard to believe we walked across the top of Spain. I Don,t know which sounds better. 500 miles or 800 kilometers. In any event my personal pilgrimage started 5 years ago in Vezelay France so with ending it here I covered 1700 kilometers. I have the official piece of paper to prove it. The Compestella. How do I feel?

A great feeling to share with other pilgrims for sure:

Juicy Lucy and Hans from South Korea. Lucy was an enthusiastic fireball of a personality. Everyone loved Lucy.  And then there is:

Sam from New York City and Kathleen from Vancouver. We think that they are an item now. A Camino romance. And Debra (L) from Tucson and Stella from Zagreb:

There were others, many others9

Other pics:

Cheers Mates and Lassies.

One more Camino blog post tomorrow as a recap and then I no longer have to suffer.

Man, how I love this country.

Read ya later.

 

September 25: Salceda to Lavacolla

Jerry  Helen and I. Helen is from Manchester, UK.

Only 16 klicks today. We were in Salcedo. Hard to get a room because all the part time Pilgrims reserved all the rooms. We think the owner took pity on us because I look disheveled as an old fart. He took pity on us and gave us a room with 50 of our closest friends. Sucks bigly.

We started out in the morning with the requisite hill and then settled out with a relatively flat surface. Terrain is still bad though. We climb 100 paces then stop to catch our breaths. This seems to work. After 8 klicks we stop for coffee and a baguette or the bread that tastes like concrete. Great for your teeth. No wonder they have so many dentists here.

We decided to take it easy and stop to regroup rather then go into Santiago.

Relax, have a few burrs as Jerry would say and then have a splash in the woods, or a piss. We meet Helen from Manchester and have a few burrs with her. Great crack as Jerry would say (conversation). Oh. what a Camino. The part timers really get to us as they book their rooms in advance taking up spaces that the real pilgrims should have. Hundreds of them and that aspect of the Camino makes me mad.

Crowds of pilgrims fron everywhere. No body talks or socializes in the least. They stay in their bunks, sleep or attach themselves to their IPhone or Ipads. Sad.

Galicia is beautiful. Lush and green. Homes are impressive. Very clean and modern. Indeed all of the villages and towns and cities are spotless. The plumbing is impressively clean. No worries here as on would find disgusting in other European places – like France. Some toilets provide a combination of pissoir and bidet. Clean at both ends, but I digress here. Sorry, pilgrims have to suffer so most of us are constipated – plugged up. Oh well.

Me and one of my Pilgrim colleagues. Notice the difference in dress styles.

Jerry, Steven and I on the trail

Steven is from Hong Kong. Great guy who speaks perfect English. We first met Stephen in Zubiri some 5 weeks ago. Wow. Time flies when you are suffering. Pilgrims have to suffer, we cannot have fun and we cannot swear. Shyte!

More pics:

We have lost so much weight we are a shadow of our former selves.

Hydrangea bushes. Wow.

Soon to be in Santiago and the end of the journey.

Happy trails. Read ya tomorrow.

 

September 24: Gonzard to Melide

32 klicks today in great walking weather. Lots of hills again. The guide books and apps are misleading because the elevation levels do not reveal the real story. When you go from one town to another the elevations at the two places may be the same. You get the idea th you have a flat path or a level walk. In reality you walk across one or two  valleys in between those two villages. In Galicia, which is very hilly the orientation of the valleys us north and south. As we are walking east to west we have to cross the valleys, which means going downhill on the one side,cross the valley floor and then climb out if the valley on the other side. In that sense today’s walk was brutal. we crossed 4 valleys over 25 klicks  one of which was 3 klicks long yet the elevation at the start was the same at the end. I broke the pilgrims’ third rule and cursed a great deal today. Our only saving grace was that the scenery was awesome:

Spanish lunch in the town of Azula:

God I love this country.

Read ya tomorrow. 52 klick to go.

 

September 23: Barbedelo to Gonzard

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Yes, about 65 klicks to go. if you can believe the Camino road signs. I Don t.

Walked through Portmorin to Gonzard because the majority of the pilgrims would have stopped at Portmorin including all of the part time Pilgrims who started at Sarria, and there were hundreds of them. Unreal. I Don,t like this. it sucks Bigly.

We have noticed that the feel and atmosphere is changing a great deal. It is becoming more expensive and commercialized. Many of the Albergues and cafes only take cash. Up until we entered Galicia 70 % or more of the Albergues and cafes and restaurants took credit but not now. Also the landscape is changing. It is flatter as we are out if the mountains now.

We look back and cannot believe we walked across and through the mountain range. Yet there are still hills here. Undulating hills. lots of hills. every village,town or small city is on top of a hill, which we have to climb. It seems that we are always climbing. The scenery is beautiful. Very lush and green. Small hills but hills nevertheless. I dream of hills. Weird. I know. A Pilgrim,s worst nightmare…hills.

A tree tunnel. Cool in a hot sun.

Hydrangea bush. Dot would love this.

Barbedelo had a pool. Very cold but we went in regardless. Gonzard was a very quaint Albergues with great food and beer. Loved it.

Tomorrow we walk to Melide, the octopus capital of the world or so Jerry tells me. 32 klicks.

Sorry for the lateness but the wifi over the last few days suck.

Read ya tomorrow.

Galicia province.

100 klicks to go.

More hills. Sure looks like Mexico to me.

 

 

September 22: Triacastille to Barbedelo

Decided to walk through Sarria and go to the next Albergure 5 kilometers past Sarria. Sarria is important because it is the last major village before Santiago. You have to show that you went through Sarria to get your certificate or Compestelle. Many  many people start here and walk the final 100 klicks. Jerry calls them plastic pilgrims or pretend pilgrims because they have not suffered like us and as I have said Pilgrims have to suffer. They cannot have fun and they cannot swear. Shyte!

2 euros for a glass, 3 euros for a bottle. Man oh man how I love this country.

Our pilgrim meal tonight.

Dinner for 12 euros or about 20 bucks. But remember we have to suffer so forget that you saw these pictures. They will self destruct after the pilgrimage is over.

 

Typical terrain

Done 670 klicks so far. About 100 to go.

Jerryisms:

“I am so hungry I could eat the scabs off of a badger.”

When describing another Pilgrim who walks very fast: “He takes off like a scalded cat.”

Read ya tomorrow. Galicia province is so beautiful. God’s country but it does rain a lot.

Cheers.