Tracking Progress Part 3

Two nights ago we were in Sarria before traveling to Portomarín last night. Today we hiked about twenty-five kilometers and ended up in Palas do Rei.

Galicia

We are in the final stretch! Yesterday and the day before we completed thirty kilometer days and only have three days of walking left until we reach Santiago de Compostela. A few days ago we crossed into the province of Galicia. Everything here is much different than what we have encountered in other regions. The landscape is made up of spectacular mountains and is more dramatic than the others. We have been high enough to look out on the surrounding mountains and see exactly where the clouds cast shadows. The weather is also quite different. In the mornings it is cold enough that I wish I had a winter coat, hat and gloves. However, one warms up very quickly climbing a mountain, so I usually end up in shorts and a t-shirt within an hour. The other main difference is the language. The primary one is Gallego, although everyone is at least bilingual and can also speak Castilian Spanish. I enjoy reading the signs and magazines written in Gallego, as it is a challenge to decipher them using the Castilian that I know.
Last night we stayed in a town called Portomarín and saw the first body of water since we flew over the Atlantic. During the Franco regime a reservoir was built and flooded the town. The residents disassembled the church brick by brick and carried it up the hill before moving the entire town. While it was a gorgeous view, the several flights of stairs to get to the town were not fun after a very long day of walking.

Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo

Two nights ago we stayed in the city of Ponferrada. It was a nice to have some excitement after staying in very quiet, rural towns since León. Although we had to stay in a dark basement, we reunited with almost all the friends we had met along the way. It was great to see everyone again and meet even more people, including some fellow New Englanders.
It seems to be the heart of festival season here, as we have come across about five in our travels. While in Ponferrada we were serenaded by the city orchestra who were playing in front of the medieval castle while we ate dinner. There were also fireworks and street performers while we were out and about.
Yesterday we hit the heart of wine country and spent most of the day walking through vineyards. It was some of my favorite scenery that I've seen so far. It was amazing to be surrounded by the grapes and colorful mountains. We ended in Villafranca last night; it was another quiet town, but had some wonderful old buildings and all cobblestone streets. Our hospitalero (the person who runs the albergue) made us a home-cooked meal beginning with noodle soup and salad and ending with chorizo, chick peas and potatoes all stewed together. Like everything else we've had it was absolutely delicious. We are typically offered the pilgrim menu every night, which is virtually the same everywhere. The first plates are usually a mixed salad with tuna, penne and tomato sauce, a vegetable soup of some kind, and white asparagus with homemade mayonnaise. The second plates are typically eggs and potatoes, pork, veal, and a white fish. Dessert is a packaged ice cream, flan, rice pudding or fruit. Then coffee comes after the dessert; they are not, under any circumstances, served together here. While everything on the menu is really tasty, it has gotten a little tedious having the exact same options every night. It makes one really appreciate when the hospitalero/a cooks an original meal for everyone.
Today we began our trek into the mountains. In a matter of minutes we gained five hundred meters of altitude, and then carried on uphill until we were walking along the mountain ridge. It offered spectacular views, but was the most difficult day so far.
Tonight we are staying at an albergue run by a Brazilian man and are about to enjoy a traditional Brazilian meal. Since I don't want to miss that I am going to say buen camino for the night!
(the picture is the view from our albergue)

Pictures From Rabanal

Tracking Progress Part 2 (León to Rabanal)

I have finally reached the point where I can look at a map of the Camino without feeling a bit defeated. We have gotten to the point where it really looks like we've come far. Before it was upsetting, as we would walk for days and make seemingly no progress. It felt as though we were never going to make it to Santiago. However, after a thirty kilometer day yesterday and then a twenty-two today we are back on schedule.
Last night we stayed in Astorga-the chocolate capital of Spain. Yum. I had some of a delicious dark chocolate bar made right in town. You could even get a chocolate bar with bits of ham in it. Although I didn't try it I was told it didn't taste much different, like chocolate with a little extra texture. It was a gorgeous small city, with all the best traits of the large cities. The hostel we stayed at was the largest one yet; it had 176 beds. Personally, I didn't like the size. It felt much more like a hotel and didn't have the sense of community a smaller hostel does.
Tonight we are in another small town, my favorite since Rabé: Rabanal del Camino (the attached picture is our room tonight. It's obvious there are 11 teenagers in one room). All the buildings are made of stone and unlike many of the other small towns it looks like people actually live here. I am off to do some exploring now and will post some pictures of the town when I get back from my little adventure.

¡Buen Camino!

León

Today marks the halfway point, as we have been here for exactly two weeks. Yesterday we only walked about ten kilometers and were able to spend the rest of the day in León. It was a wonderful feeling to come over a hill and see a real city in front of us! Out of all the places we have been, it was my second favorite behind just Madrid. It shares the narrow, colorful streets, but has a very different feeling despite many similar physical features. We visited the Cathedral and were able to explore the entire thing unlike in Burgos. The stained glass was the most breathtaking part of it all; every window was stained glass that had been taken apart and locked away for centuries.

( I didn't take any of these pictures. All of mine are on my camera so they can't be shared until I get home. These are all things we saw that I thought were just too impressive to leave out)

Photos From Sahagún

Tracking Progress Across Spain

I thought it might be interesting to have a visual aid to help track our progress across the country. I found this neat map and was glad to see that it had most of the towns we've stayed in labeled.
We began in Burgos and then stayed in a few small towns before getting to our next large stop, Frómista. A few more nights and then we hit Carrion de Los Condes, then even more days of walking before we decided to have a short day and stay in Sahagún. There we were able to spend the afternoon exploring the town and relaxing before taking off for El Burgo Ranero, where we are staying tonight.
Tomorrow we will be in Mansilla de las Mulas (and will be stocking up on food for the Euro Cup final!). Before continuing on to León the next day.

Rabé de las Calzadas to Carrion de los Condes

I am sore, sunburnt and ready to fall asleep at any second. The 17-21 kilometer walk we take everyday is incredibly hot with temperatures regularly over 100 degrees and no shade for hours. But there has not been one second where I wished I hadn't come. To be able to look up and see the multi-colored fields and steady windmills in every direction and at every moment is truly something special.
Since leaving the tiny town of Rabé, we have stayed the night in a few other small towns, though none of them nearly as pretty. Tonight we are in the largest town since Burgos: Carrion de los Condes. Like all the others it has beautiful old churches, brick buildings and cafés lining both sides of the sidewalk. We are actually staying in a convent tonight. We arrived fairly early today, as we began walking at 6 to avoid heat, but when we arrived two other albergues we checked were already full. It was a relief to find somewhere to stay despite the rather dismal exterior. However, after discovering there was wifi, everyone was immediately won over. The nuns told us about a concert happening at 7 nearby that was followed by a pilgrim mass at 8. But she also added on that the Spain-Portugal fútbol match began at 8:45 so we might have to "leave mass early."
We have been going out for dinner every night, but tonight we ended up getting fresh baguettes, local cheeses and sausage and some fruit to snack on while we watched the game. Personally, I love eating like this. When we finish walking for the day we sit down and stuff our faces with as much delicious food as we can manage. We then have several hours to nap, take showers, call home and explore our surroundings. Instead of going back out after a long day it is fun to simply go to the local market and get regional specialties that look particularly appealing.
While there are many little quirks that are very different over here, my favorite is the fact that drinks are always served in glass bottles. Everything from plain water to Coke to sparkling lemonade tastes much better coming from glass instead of plastic or metal.


Buen Camino

Burgos & the Beginning of the Camino

After some transportation complications we left Madrid yesterday, half of us at 12 and the other half at 1. We took a three hour bus ride north to Burgos. I was exhausted but fought off sleep because I desperately wanted to see the amazing scenery throughout the ride. The landscape is always one that I associated more with Tuscany. The combination of the softly-rolling hills, yellow and green fields and tall, thin trees make it impossible to stop admiring it.
Burgos was also a beautiful city, but very different than Madrid. It was much smaller and quieter. However, last night kicked off a ten day festival. The entire city was out and about listening to live music, watching performances and watching spectacular fireworks. It was a fun experience and nice to be able to talk to the locals.
Our albergue there was only a couple years old and very nice. We met a group of fellow Americans as well as an Irish group. While I am thoroughly enjoying using my Spanish it is always a kind of relief to speak to someone else in English, especially since more than half of our group does not actually speak or understand Spanish.
We were able to do some exploring and eat lunch in the shadow of the grand cathedral in the main square. Then this morning we got up at about 6:30, packed our things and began our very long walk. It went by surprisingly quickly and was a short day. We only did 8 miles instead of what will be the normal 12-14.
Tonight our hostel is in a sleepy little town made up of all stone buildings with Spanish terra cotta rooftops, bright flowers overflowing from balconies, and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Literally the only sounds are birds chirping. We have passed about four residents who were all reading the local paper outside of their homes. There is no other way to describe it besides wonderful. I truly feel as though I am on a movie set