Breaking Up

Today the first of us leaves Santiago - Compass and his wife head-off to France for WW1 battlefield tours. The rest of us leave tomorrow, Ram and his wife for a cruise in the Baltic, the Captain and his family for Germany and then a cruise from Barcelona to Istanbul. My wife and I are off to Morocco and Ireland.
I have asked each of the guys to send me an email of their initial thoughts of the Camino and I will post in the blog over the next week or so.
I will also update the blog with a few more shots from different cameras and by the time we all got home in 3 weeks or so, it will be nicely tied-up and complete, with the full story.
Many have told us during the last few weeks and personally I have experienced it from the past Caminos,  that the Camino does not start till you get home.....it will be interesting for certain.
Here is a photo of the Pilgrim's Mass yesterday, quite a moving ceremony, even with my basic Spanglish!
This is a photo of them firing-up "Old-Smokey", the thurifer got bigger and bigger over the years, as the number of smelly pilgrims increased....the driving-force behind the evolutionary size.
I have a movie of its journey in full swing and will see if I can get it into the blog...it is quite a sight from our prime standing location.

We Have Arrived

Well, as you probably guessed, we arrived in Santiago de Compostela today, around 10:30am, May 10th.
We walked into the square in front of the Cathedral arm in arm.
Our wives and Narelle were there to meet us and serenaded our triumphant entrance.
After a few happy-snaps, we were off to get our Compostelas.
I walked into the courtyard and spied there was no queue into the office, so I went to the door and was ushered in by the next available person. There were a mass off people off to the right, removing backpacks and poles and generally mulling around. I handed over my pilgrim passport and after completing the necesseties, was rewarded by my Compostela, handed over a few Euros and walked over to get a cardboard tube. After handing over €2 for a fancy tube, exited the office, with Compass in tow, who followed me into the office earlier.
On exiting the building, there were Ram and Cap in a long queue to get their Compostelas, in the masses I had seen earlier....oooops, we had entered the exit and jumped the queue, before about 50 people who were giving us really dirty looks on the way out. I can't tell you how bad I felt and it became obvious that we had upset people, when they passed us on the way out whilst we were waiting for Ram and the Cap.
When they eventually came out, we slinked-off for a coffee, with Compass and myself very embarrassed. Oh well, it was not a deliberate thing and we all had a good laugh over a coffee about it.

Not forgetting Misschelle and Kluster made it as well

Some More Woody Shots

At one stage this morning, the traffic was like the Hay Street Mall in Perth, including a blind man being guided by a young woman. We take our sight for granted, but even being able to see, the woods are a real sound-fest, with the birds chirping, water running almost everywhere, rustle of the wind in the trees and don't forget the other Pilgrims.
Speaking of birds, our cuckoo left us overnight - today was the first time we have not heard it since leaving Astorga. We must be too close to Santiago.

And then the traffic cleared....almost!

When You Go Into The a Woods a Today....again!

One thing about the Camino, is that you lurch from one fantastic view to the next. If you are not careful, you start to take the views for granted. For those SCIFI fans, it is like walking through a Holo Deck on the Enterprise, very surreal.
Being so close to Santiago and still walking through paths like this, is amazing.

Note the orange moss in the water

Padron Peppers

From the first time I introduced the team to Padron Peppers, we have had them as part of our pilgrimage. Unfortunately, quite a few places that advertise them, don't have them.
They are like a sneaky surprise, most of them are very mild like green capsicums, however a couple every plate have the potential to blow your head off. Cooked or should I say fried in olive oil, they are good for regular "activity" and tasty to boot! Here is a pic of Ram, doing the traditional gobble.
Remember the aliens in the TV show "V", eating the mice?

A Letter From Germany

About 10km out of Arzua, we came across a marker with a note from the German family, previously on the Blog,. It was written on one of the children's singlets.
Thank you for the note and we look forward to seeing you in Santiago.

A Spiritual Walk

Despite all the food, drinking and fun, the Camino is a spiritual walk for the four of us.
Walking along some of these very old paths, you hear the echos of the millions of people that have walked the Way before. The well-trodden earth, very worn stones, trees that must be hundreds of years old-that people have touched,  stone walls that feel that they have been there for millennia, all have absorbed the essence of the spiritual walk of those by-gone days and the pilgrims gone-by.
Walking with friends and loved ones, discussing the trials and joys of life, exposing your soul to someone, all contributing your essence to the environment and to the internal and external journey that is the Way.

Historical Trust?

We came across this place and discussed amongst ourselves, why they had left the old front wall of the house in-place. The only conclusion we could come-up with was perhaps that the local Heritage Trust had insisted that the front of the building was to remain, (not sure why or what significance it had), so they knocked the rest down then proceeded to build the rear.
The thing is, the rear building looks almost as old as the front.
We have seen lots of construction, simply abandoned. Some of it like this, that must have stopped 10+ years ago.
The bricks intending to close-in the top floor were left up there - it looks like the workmen simply walked off the job and never returned, very sad, but one of hundreds of houses and businesses along the Camino.

Pilgrims

It was a cold and misty morning when the pilgrims ventured out,
Ne'er a dog was even stirring, the pilgrims marched on, stout.
As the mists cleared mid morning and the view became more clear,
The pilgrims thought of lunchtime and a cool refreshing beer.

The next morning was much warmer, with beautiful vistas too,
As they walked along the farmyards, cautious of pats of poo.
They marched on boldly Westward, where venturers and pilgrims go,
Watch out for the cyclists, dodging pilgrims to and fro.

As they neared the city named, Santiago de Compostela,
They spied the man from Finland, what a hardy fella.
A Brit, family and two Mounties, were seen on many accounts,
A great bunch of pilgrims, to walk the Way that counts.

Arthur Dunn...2014.

Daily Serenade

Since we left Astorga, some two weeks ago, we have had a daily serenade by a Cuckoo bird. Sometimes to the right, but mostly to the left. It has followed each day and has kept out of view, but still kept pace with us. I am sure it is the same one that followed us in 2010 again in 2012 and also this time.
The past two days, the Cuckoo has been accompanied by armies (collective noun) of frogs. There has been a lot of ponds and waterways, with the noise being a good indicator of the environmental health of the region.
We have also been amongst other pilgrims, some noisy, but not anywhere as bad as the racket leaving Sarria. The pilgrims seem to come in waves and one can be walking along and not see anyone else, except our group. If you stop for a coffee, you can be inundated with 50-60 all at once, so if you find a place without anyone there, it is either not a good place to stop for refreshment, or you are between waves....where one has left and another is approaching.
Many times since Sarria, we have had to stop and let the "Sunday Walkers" go by, so we can have some solitude whilst walking, otherwise the noise can be very aggravating, unlike the call of the Cuckoo and the croaking of the frogs.

More Walking Interests

We passed a relatively new house, just outside Arzua.
By Spanish country standards, it looked quite new and modern...(with a pinch of salt).
The technology for the remote for the garage door would make an interesting assessment.

Walking To Arzua

Mostly a walk along tree-lined paths this morning, unfortunately still within earshot of main roads.
I suppose you cannot expect much more, being so close to Santiago...just some 40km or so from the destination and a distance of 16km.

For those just joining the Blog, from the left, TL, Captain Fos, Compass and Ram.
Kluster is in hospital, having a hip replacement, replacement.

The Youngest Of The Bunch

Here we are at the 50km peg, unfortunately the 51km peg was conspicuous by its absence...in Melide somewhere, perhaps covered by a car, or they built a house over it.
Therefore, when we came across the 50km peg, Compass used his pole to create the one for 51.
Sorry Compass, we did look for it...all of us.

You will probably need to zoom-in on this photo

Something Different

For those that are fed-up with food photos, here is something different.
Now this IS an Azalelia, with the following photo of what drives the Spanish agriculture.
I have made note of the smell, throughout the province, in the past, so here is a raw one from this morning's cow movements....excuse the pun.

A truly amazing flower, the photo does not do it justice

The Spanish Agricultural Machine...hot off the press!

Sweet Tapas

We decided to have sweet Tapas for dinner tonight.

Strawberry cake, soaked in strawberry something, strawberry sauce and cream.

Peach cake

Followed by choccy-balls

Giant Clams

We came across a Pension with a giant clam shell on the wall....hey, a non-food picture!
I bet that baby made a few clam chowders......oops, sorry, slipped back into food-mode again ;-)

Here We Are Stewing After The Walk

Yeah, Ok, more food, but this is worth suffering.
In an earlier posting, I said that the thing that convinced us to stay for lunch was the free stew with the beers and the water.
I managed to score a pic from Compass's camera....note only 3 beers and where the bottle of water is!
There may be some chefs cooking this dish back in Oz.....(TL).

By the way, the original intention was that any of us could post entries on the blog, using my account and each person would sign their post...(Ram) for instance.
However there has been a reluctance by the others to post...they leave it up to me...not sure if they are too lazy, or because I am a bit too fussy. Anyway, As it appears to be only me posting, I will refrain from the (TL) bit from now on.....(TL).
.....old habits die hard....

Jesus Crucified Sitting Down

There is a Chuch in the main drag in Melide, that has a very old cross outside it, with Jesus on it (I suppose I should say Crucifix really), where Jesus is depicted as sitting down. I have not had a chance to research this concept as yet, nor to clear-up the picture, but I will.
I thought some of you religious-types out there may be interested. You will probably need to zoom in a bit, but he is definitely seated....(TL).

The Mains

Cap. had rice, bacon, fried banana and eggs. Ram had a slab of fish, potatoes, peas and capsicum.
I had a pork chop, chorizo, egg and chips. All washed down with a very nice bottle of vino de casa. All this for €42. Needless to say, we staggered out of there for a stroll in the rain before siesta....(TL).

Lunch In Melide

I know, I can hear the comments now: "not more food pictures!" For those uninitiated, the Camino runs on food, it is third only to water and a bed of some kind for the night.
We are staying in Hotel Carlos 96,in Melide, some 52km from Santiago.  There is a story behind the name, but I won't go into it here, but it is run by the owners and the food, service and services are first class...a bit of a plug for them, but justified.
We went to the bar for a drink after checking in, and along came a bowl of complimentary stew with the beers. That was it! One taste of the stew and we stayed for lunch.
The Cap. Had the best chicken noodle soup in his life and the rest of had what can only be described as a stew of beans, bacon chunks, chorizo and noodles in the guise of a soup. We could not finish the terrines of soup, so much food that Compass cancelled his main course.
The picture speaks for itself.....(TL).

I can tell you, that put smiles on our dials!

Hungary Representation

Here is a photo of a Hungarian guy, who has been walking for 22 days, from St. Jean, carrying a representation of his girlfriend, "Nora" (her nickname is Giraffe, as she is much taller than him) He said it was cheaper and easier than carrying her.....and the only answer-back was a squeak and that was when you wanted it by squeezing her.
His longest day was 58km, followed by his shortest day of 16km, due to shin splints from the day before.
His walk will be completed when he gets to Finistere, on the coast, about 95km from Santiago.

His girlfriend's name "Nora" on the coke bottle being used for water.

Australian Bush

You would really believe that you were in Australia, when walking in this area. Sandy, soils, vegetation like the drier South-West of the state and complimented by the imported gum trees some 100 years ago....(TL).

Not So Old Timer

It was a bit of a miserable day weather-wise during the walk to Milede, some 13.8km over reasonable terrain.
Came across the 59km marker, so as tradition goes, took a snap in the rain.....(TL).

The brolly was much better than the poncho in the intermittent drizzle.

An interesting stone wall, maybe do something like this for the "Mythical House".

An Evening Stroll

We went for a stroll after dinner last night, in a beautiful little wooded area, opposite the hotel we were staying in.
I found our Summer escape house HJ. Nobody was home, so I could not make an offer :-(
....(TL).

A recently renovated house, complete with stream, waterfall, in a secluded location

Don't do it boys, it looks cold!

The Subtleties Of Snoring

Here is a photo of Compass (our team subject matter expert) discussing the subtleties of snoring with Ronja. These children sleep in Alburgues (dormitories) with all sorts of other people, so they are well versed in the "art" of community sleeping....(TL).

TL being serenaded by Filia on the harmonica

German Family Still Going Strong

This is Ram, Compass, Ronja, Cap, Stefan, Maya, TL, Daniela, Filia down below.
We dragged them across the road and bought them a beer and sat down for a rest.
A great family and dedication to the walk.....(TL).

The United Nations

Here we are at the United Nations,
From the left:  TL, Ram, Cap, Ruth, Joan, (both retired Canadian nurses), Compass.

Old(er) Fogies

Here is a happy-snap on the eldest of us, standing next to the marker peg, denoting their age, singing "There will always be another ewe!"....(TL).

Go Left Young Men

Interesting Posts

As we were walking along, we noticed that the fence posts were growing. Don't let anyone tell you that Spanish soil is poor, every post along this fence was growing.
It was a bit of a boring walk today, walking mostly along the road verge, with brief ventures into the bush.....(TL).

The Morning After

One of us slept all through the night, without waking, even for a loo visit.
The rest of us knew they slept through the night!
He said "that was the best night's sleep I have had on the whole walk".....we said "WE KNOW".
We had a very rude American who marched into the room at about midnight, turned the lights on, started klunking around, then went to the bathroom. He was generous enough to turn the lights off and be in the bathroom for a while.
Then when he came back, turned the lights on again an a French guy pointed to the light, said "Luz" and he turned the lights off again.
Most of the night the French couple were talking and laughing (about the snoring) the guy was planing with his iPad and torch, very annoying - more than the snoring.
Covering my eyes and using my noise canceling earphones got me off to sleep around 02:00am.
At about 07:10am the chatter started and we got out of bed, one of us was chirpy and bouncing around the bedroom, very refreshed!
I remembered then, the knocking on the walls, the click-click noises during the night and other noises to disrupt the snoring......all in vain I might add.
Here we are in Palas De Rei, having a beer and waiting for our luggage to arrive...hoping it does!

Here is a happy-snap of the six of us having a coffee at La Cabana, just outside Palas....(TL)

Afternoon At Ventas De Naron

Had a great afternoon at Casa Molar, a few beers, gin tonic, snooze, menu del dia.
Met a guy from England who has been walking for a while and a couple of Canadian women who set-out from St. Jean in France four weeks ago, quite a friendly environment in an alburge.
The only other one I have stayed in was Orisson, half way up the Pyrenees, which was OK, but I would not rave about it. I suppose it really depends on the people you meet, if you 'click' and common interests.
The room seems comfortable and the bed, but dormitory-style sleeping is not my cuppa-tea.
Tomorrow is a 12km walk, in the park really, as it is mostly down-hill.
Ram came back to our room from dinner and someone had pinched his blanket off his bed. We know who it was, quite rude really. Maybe we should short-sheet the offenders bed, or warn the public about him.
A bonus was that we got Klusters room fee back €13, so it should help pay for the operation.
Good luck for Wednesday Kluster, we all hope things go well before, during and after the operation.
Off to bed now, it will be an interesting night....(TL).

Casa Molar

May the fourth be with you....for those Star Wars fans.
This is a pic of the room we are, possibly spending the night with six other people.
There will either be a mass-evacuation or quick-ejection tonight once the snoring starts.
Believe me, we WILL get some sleep tonight......please!

I scored poll-position, bed on the left....first in best location.

The Cap and Ram in full-flight doing domestic duties.

Portomarin To Casa Molar

Not a lot to say about our 13.5km walk today, except that most of it was in fog and we climbed 400m before we stopped for coffee.
Casa Molar is as budget as we are going, being out in the middle of nowhere, costing €10 for the night and €3 for real sheets....(TL).

This is what we walked through, to get through the clouds.

Casa Molar,  really Great if you are on a budget.

After Lunch

Kluster had re-negged on lunch and decided instead to have a siesta after the long walk.
We got back from lunch, Kluster was still in bed, but Misschelle fortunately had finished the washing by then, before it was too late for it to dry...(anonymous).

Kluster still in siesta time.

Misschelle and our washing.