Today (or as Sarah labeled it… “our last Monday on the Camino”) we walked 28Km and gained 3100 feet of elevation. It was a challenging day physically….but the beautiful scenery and the start of the final stage of the trip made it very rewarding. We entered the 4th and last province of our Spanish adventure. …
On our 30 kilometer journey today we transitioned from the wide valley of Bierzo to the narrower valleys northwest heading toward Galicia. Although not too steep, the landscape changed dramatically throughout the day. The steep valley walls, rushing streams and winding mountain roads reminded us of similar areas in Japan. We finished the day in …
After yesterday’s up & down trek, today’s 25Km/15 mile walk was relatively flat as we moved across the Bierzo Valley. The temperature reached its highest level of the trip at 80 degrees Fahrenheit / 27 degrees Celsius…with bright sunshine the entire way. There were a number of “quick hit” highlights that caught our eye throughout …
We reached the famous Cruz de Hierro (Iron Cross) today, at the highest point of the Camino Frances. It is tradition for all pilgrims to place a stone at the base of the oak post with an iron cross at the top. The special stone can be one brought from the pilgrim’s home country, or …
Today we completed a 21-kilometer gradual incline halfway up Mount Irago. The surrounding snow-capped mountains kept getting closer as the sun broke through mid-day. Tomorrow we will reach the highest point of The Way at 1550 meters (5100 feet or nearly a mile high)…followed by a relatively steep descent in the afternoon. Walking long …
We set out this morning in sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures and a biting wind…and by the afternoon…we were still freezing. This was not what the travel brochures said sunny Spain would be like in May! (I write this knowing full well that I will be complaining about the heat in 3-4 days.). We stopped whenever we …
After a relaxing and fun day in León on Monday, we spent the May 1st holiday pounding out 35 kilometers/21 miles before arriving in the fabled city of Hospital de Obrigo. We were admittedly tired…but inspired by the events that occurred in this spot nearly 600 years ago. This is where Don Suero de Quinones …
We entered the city of León about mid-day…and despite cold, rainy weather at first…this has been our favorite city to date (also why this post was later than normal.) Possibly because May 1 is a holiday here, there was a real energy in the narrow streets when we arrived and continued through the evening. We …
We set out just after sunrise today in order to beat the predicted afternoon thunderstorms for the Meseta. With wind chill temperatures near freezing…we kept a brisk pace to stay ahead of the clouds and arrived in Mansilla de Las Mulas just as the rain began to fall. From the sculpture in the square…pilgrims are …
We crossed the official halfway mark between SJPDP and Santiago de Compostela today! We entered the town of Sahagun and took a few minutes to celebrate by getting our pilgrim’s passport stamped and taking a picture to memorialize our 50% accomplishment. (The church bells actually rang 12 noon right as the photo above was taken. …