Blogs from Galicia, Spain, Europe - page 4

Nach dem Frühstück und dem Check-out habe ich mich auf den Weg nach Santiago de Compostela gemacht. Dabei besuchte ich auf dem Weg zwei ehemals römische Attraktionen. Zuerst die Goldminen von Las Medulas, die zu den größten im römischen Reich gehörten (ich dachte immer, dies wären jene im heutigen Rumänien, die später verloren gingen). Dazu gibt es in dem kleinen Ort eine Tourist-Information, die mir sagte, wie ich zu einem Aussichtspunkt und einer Höhle mit Galerie komme. Das schaffte ich auch, kurz bevor letztere in Siesta ging. Man gab mir sogar einen Schutzhelm für die Besichtigung. Wieder am Tageslicht genoss ich von besagtem Punkt die Aussicht. Das Gold hier wurde durch Sklaven und Wasser abgebaut. Danach setzte ich meine Fahrt fort zur zweiten Sehenswürdigkeit des Tages: den römischen Stadtmauern von Lugo. Die sind nicht schlecht und ... read more

Today is it! We are making our final hike of this Camino into Santiago de Compostela. Because it’s a long hike with a daunting hill, we get up early and have a cup of cafe con leche at the cafe next door, where Dom Pepe, the proprietor, calls out “Bom Camino” and “guapo” (good looking) to every passing hiker. His unfailing good humor is a lift at 6:30 AM. Dom Pepe insists on giving us a square of homemade apple breakfast cake (Wife made. Mother’s recipe) and it is yummy. By 7:30 we’re on the road and are well into the hike before it’s light out. The entire morning is a gradual uphill, enough to break into a sweat. As has become our habit, Katherine pulls out in front of me on the hills, while I’m ... read more

We took a rest day in Pontevedra and enjoyed walking through its twisting medieval streets. The apartment we were in was a modern duplex built on the shell of an ancient stone building in the center of Pontevedra’s historic district. It was also directly on the Camino de Santiago. Increasingly, as we walk this route it’s clear how the towns and villages along the route supported the pilgrimages of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims over the millennia. Here in Pontevedra, there is a tiny, shell-shaped chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who is the patron of pilgrims on the Camino Portugues. It is memorably beautiful in part because it’s so intimate. People recognize that, with your hiking boots and clothes, you’re on the Camino and wish you a “Bo Camino.” There’s a deep reservoir of good ... read more

We started hiking at 7:30 AM in Valença, Portugal and crossed the bridge over the Minho River into 8:35 in Tui, Spain. A five minute walk and two different time zones. As we had a cafe con leche in a cafe near the medieval Tui Cathedral, a light rain started to fall. I had put my rain jacket at the bottom of my pack, superstitious that putting it near the top would encourage the rain. That ploy didn’t work and as the rain got heavier, I dug down, pulled it out and put the rain cover on my pack. We stopped into the Cathedral and collected a stamp on our credential, then followed the route that ran through the ancient old city. Soon the path passed through forests of giant old eucalyptus and oak trees, following ... read more

The owner of the hotel Morgade allowed our group to see the locked stone chapel on the property that is normally locked. The previous owner was a priest who was given a share of land and had the chapel. From there. We headed off for the day and stopped at a little donativo ( place that has fruit and homemade treats out for a donation) We were to then walk in silence for a half hour as a group before separating. I somehow ended way in-front of the group but the walk was well marked and easy. Before I knew it was 5 miles and the vegetarian restaurant. I sat for quite a while and slowly other from the group made there way in to the courtyard seating area. The veggie burger was yummy. A ... read more