Camino de Santiago Days 2 to 7

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CAMINO DE SANTIAGO - THE WAY OF SAINT JAMES

Camino de Santiago follows the footsteps of countless pilgrims who, since the ninth century, have made their way to Santiago de Compostela - the resting place of Saint James. The route begins in France and reaches an altitude of 1482m. Our journey begins in Bilbao.

DAY TWO - FROM BILBAO TO LEON

After an early breakfast, we left the hotel in Bilbao by minibus for a two hour drive to Burgos. During medieval times Burgos was one of the great trading centres of northern Spain and for four centuries it was the capital of the united kingdoms of Castille and Leon. The great hero of the Spanish conquest over the Moors, El Cid, is commenorated by a statue that proudly stands near the Puerto de San Pablo. We visited the huge gothic cathedral, which appeared to be more a construction of small chapels bulit over many years by the nobility of the area. It was extremely elaborate and reflected the wealth of the time in which it was built.

Our tour guide, Boris, spoke to us about the structure of the tour - that the first few days were intended to get us into the history of the Camino and then the true 'pilgramage' would begin. He reminded us of the importance to breathe properly as we walked and to see the walk as a form of meditation.

We left Burgos and continued by bus to the small village of Hornillos, where we started our eleven kilometre walk across the area known as the Meseta. This is the major cereal growing region in Spain. The track undulated gently and was quite stony in sections. The wind off the mountains was icy. After two hours and ten minutes I had made it to the village of Hontanas where our group reassembled at the first bar! This was to become the pattern of each walking day - meeting point is the first bar on the right!

We finshed our day by rejoining our bus and travelling to Leon, where we stayed and had dinner at the Hostal Albany. The meal was incredible - a three course meal, with wine, water and bread for fifteen euros. Bed was a welcome sight after a long and exhausting day.

DAY THREE - FROM LEON TO ASTORGA

After a leisurely breakfast, and leaving our bags at the hotel to be picked up later, we met Blanca, our guide for the morning. She was dynamic and passionate.

Leon was once the centre of Christian Spain, when two thirds of the country was under Muslim rule. First we visited the gothic cathedral. Quite a contrast to the cathedral in Burgos, as it is unique for the quality and magnificence of its stained glass windows. Blanca took us on a journey, explaning the construction of the cathedral over seven centuries and the diverse subjects which are covered by the windows. For further contrast, we visited the romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro, the final resting place of dozens of Christian kings and noble families, buried over centuries, beneath the stunning 12th century frescoes.

Lunch was beer, wine, juice or a local mix of red wine and lemonade and tapas in a small bar, watching Rafael Nadal play tennis in the French Open on TV. After picking up our luggage from the hotel and walking across the city to where the bus was to pick us up, we travelled to Astorga, our place for the night.

After checking into Hostal La Peseta, we had some free time to visit places to our own interest. I choose to go to the Museum of Chocolate, feeling I'd seen enough of cathedrals for a while! After a cup of tea (black only!) in the Plaza Major and a short walk round the Jewish Garden there was time for a short rest before dinner. Tonight we celebrated the birthday of one of the members of the group (Jo) with a surprise bottle of sparkling! Another amazing meal - three courses highlighting the local fare of beans with chorizo, followed by pork and finished with a sweet cheese 'foam' with raspberry sauce. Yummy!!

DAY FOUR - ASTORGA TO LAS MEDULAS (19km, 100m ascent and 930m descent)

Leaving the high plateau of the Meseta behind us, we drove up into the mountains of the Bierzo. We stopped at a small village and walked around to admire the ancient architecture. The village has been restored by the inhabitants. We continued on to the almost abandoned village of Foncebadon, where we started our walk for the day. After a short distance we reached the Cruz de Ferro at 1482m, the highest point in the entire Camino. Here people leave a momento, using a rock they have brought from home, offering up a prayer, or intention, as they do so for protection for the rest of the pilgramage. Many of our group did so. The rest of the day was spent descending into the valley below, with lunch in the small village of Riego de Ambros, finally meeting up in the village of Molinaseca, with its lovely roman bridge.

I tried to clear my mind as I walked. It proved very difficult. So the morning was spent with 'I'm going to walk that man right out of my head' (to the tune of 'I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair' from South Pacific) bouncing around my brain! The afternoon proved easier, having to concentrate as the path was steep and, in sections, quite dangerous due to the smooth rock.

Our bus transfered us to our hotel in the village of Las Medulas, with a short stop in Ponferreda to walk around the perimeter of the templar castle.

Dinner was magnificent - in a small family run restaurant - salad, followed by 'bbq' style cooked meat and potato chips, all placed in the centre of the table to share. There was a choice of desset - rice pudding or creme caramel. Wine and liquers made by 'mama' accompanied the meal. Having dinner at nine pm is worth staying up for!

DAY FIVE - FREE DAY IN LAS MEDULAS

The area surrounding the village was once the most important gold mining region in roman times. Its hills are riddled with caves and strange rock formations that are reminders of this ancient practise. There is a small but excellent museum which explained the method by which water was pumped through tunnels to break up the rock and free the gold.

After visiting the museum, we walked along a trail through forests of chestnut trees, to view the formations left behind by the romans. The trail took us to the top of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, to look down on the village below. We picniced in the forest and enjoyed a quiet afternoon's rest, before dinner in another restaurant. This was, again, a family run restaurant with our first taste of the Galician cabbage soup - interesting!

DAY SIX - WALK TO O'CEBREIRO (10km, 700m ascent)

After breakfast, we drove to Villafranca to stock up on supplies for our picnic lunch, before continuing onto the town of Riutelan, where we started the walk for the day. The ascent started almost immediately after leaving Riutelan, and was quite difficult. Lunch was in the village La Faba after the first five kilometres. La Faba means broad beans and I could not help but think about The Silence of the Lambs and Hanibal 'eating his liver with faba beans' as I walked along. The path continued up into the mountains after lunch, but the village of O'cebreiro was well worth the fatigue and sore muscles. An amazing place! A tiny, wind battered settlement of traditional circular, thatch - roofed houses.

After a hot shower and a welcome drink, some of us went to mass in the small chapel. The service was in Spanish and at its conclusion two 'pilgrams' broke into spontaneous song. Another traditional dinner - including cabbage soup - and for the first time, fish and chicken!

DAY SEVEN - WALK TO SARRIA (19km, 220m ascent and 440m descent)

Driving to the village of Triacastela, we began our walk through one of the most unspoilt regions of the Camino. The day was extremely pleasant as the path was much mor gentle than yesterday and the scenery was diverse - forests and farmland. We ate another picnic lunch in the village of Furela before continuing into Sarria, our stop for the night.

We visited the Benedictine Monastery of Samos, which had been gutted by fire in the 1950's and completely rebuilt, before dinner. One other member of the group, Kathy, and I had pizza at a small bar, close to the hotel, so that we could have an early night!

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