Blogs from Lugo, Galicia, Spain, Europe

I only spent a day in Lugo after walking from Leon on the Caminos de San Salvador y Primitivo, but it deserves its own post. Tourism in Europe during the summer is completely out of control. Cities like Madrid and Barcelona are inundated with tourists, which means long lines, a ceaseless flow of tours and scams, American fast food chains, junk shops with souvenirs made in China, and even worse a loss of cultural authenticity. Even midsized cities like Granada and Cordoba have elements of this, despite the broiling heat. But most smaller cities like Lugo (and Leon, Zaragoza, Valladolid and probably a couple dozen others) fly under the radar. If you speak a bit of Spanish, I recommend prioritizing these cities even if you have to skip the big ones entirely. If traveling for you ... read more

There needs to be ‘Active Wear’ police on the Camino. A total ban on women or men over 50 wearing active wear, no exceptions or exemptions. Since Sarria, it has become evident to me that many people, let’s call them women, don’t require the usual cumbersome trekking clothes that come with lugging a pack across the country, and step out dressed for a stroll to buy a coffee on Sunday morning. We all reach an age where gravity and the viscosity of our muscles should dictate how we dress in public. I’m all for freedom, but it takes a long time to pass someone on a path, and active wear , in middle age, displays the entire body as active. In fact, some of it remains active after the person has stopped moving. I don’t need ... read more

“Now is not a good time to talk, thanks for calling.” Origin Energy rang me from an Indian call centre last night, and this is my standard polite response. However, it was 2.39am, so I was a little more to the point. I think I heard, “Have a nice holiday.”, as I ended the call. I ate breakfast in the hotel bar, and had to compete with 13 Spanish cyclists for the attention of the only person serving. I ordered coffee with milk, and toast with jam. I received the coffee, and toast with jamon, spanish ham . It was salty and crunchy, just like my Spanish. I met up with Dave, Darcy, and Janet at the same bar as yesterday, and left Samos in the dark, at 8am. I walked a little ahead, but whenever ... read more

I took 2 steps out of the Albergue this morning and turned around and took 6 steps back in. It was freezing outside. It’s the first time that I’ve worn my warm top in the morning. I passed a German couple going the other way who had missed the turn off for the alternative mountain route. The fog was hovering at about 50 metres so I’m not sure what you would see from the peak. I continued out of town on my own, accompanied by the occasional hooting of owls, dogs barking, roosters notifying the world that it was a new day, and an eerie, high pitched howling that encouraged me to keep moving. Most of the day was a competition between the sounds of the rushing Rio Valcarse , and the highway overhead. The traffic ... read more

As bad as yesterday was, today was 180 degrees to the better. The weather has finally cleared, nice blue skies with white puffy clouds temp. around 60 to start perfect walking weather. I am brought back to Baaramonde to begin the Camino. It starts off on the highway, which I was warned about this morning, but it's only 4K to the trail. Thats a good warm up anyway. After 4K on the highway the Camino turns left off the highway to fantasy land. Perfect forested path, of dry well marked walking trail. The Camino wonders by centuries old churches, huge farms with incredible rock wall around them. The weather is great, the path is great, the markers are plentiful I just could not be happier. Time can go by so quickly when the kind of conditions ... read more