6/11/17 Day 32: Ribadiso to O Pedrouzo (21.82 kms)

START / END TIME:  6:03 to 12:15

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  4:56 / 6:12

SPEED / PACE:  13.39

WEATHER:  66° overcast

TERRAIN:  Easy day

↗: 457     ↘: 494

ACCOMMODATION:  O  Burgo

PRICE: € 10

NARRATIVE: The walk today was easy and beautiful. I love all the eucalyptus trees that line the way. Tons of new faces and bikes today. Our noon Neal was marginal but had an o.k. pizza for dinner.

6/10/17 Day 31: Palas de Rei to Ribadiso (25.80 kms)

START / END TIME:  6:04 to 13:50

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:11 / 7:46

SPEED / PACE:  14.25 

WEATHER:  77° and sunny

TERRAIN:  Nice and easy, nothing strenuous

↗: 465   ↘: 691 

ACCOMMODATION:  Los Caminantes

PRICE: € 10

NARRATIVE:  Although both of us had pain, it was a good day. Was glad to reach our albergue and relax. Had an o.k. meal - fried eggs and fries instead of a salad for a change. Can't believe how close we are to the end! 

6/9/17 Day 30: Portomarin to Palas de Rei (25.30 kms)

START / END TIME:  6:18 to 13:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:40 / 7:11

SPEED / PACE:  13:33 

WEATHER:  72°

TERRAIN:  Mostly walking next to road
↗: 587        ↘: 414

ACCOMMODATION:  Casina de Marcello

PRICE: € 10

NARRATIVE:  Today was my hardest day. My foot hurt for most of the day, but no shooting pain. I forgot twice to restart my watch after pausing it so I added 1 km. We didn't want to wait until 19:30 to eat at the albergue, so we ate in town. Mine was OK, but Tere loved her octopus. Not much more to say. Feeling tired. Took a good nap. Hope I can sleep tonight.

6/8/17 Day 29: Sarria to Portomarin (23.84 kms)

START / END TIME:  7:07 to 14:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:04 / 7:23

SPEED / PACE:  15:00

WEATHER:  75° and hot

TERRAIN:  ups and downs, limited rocky sections
↗: 546        ↘: 580

ACCOMMODATION:  Pension Manuel

PRICE: € 10

NARRATIVE:  The terrain was much easier, plus we sent the backpack ahead for only 3€!  Tere did much better, very little pain. I, on the other hand, took the baton. All of a sudden, I was getting sharp electrical charges in my foot. We stopped, I removed my ankle brace so the sandal straps were loosed, put on some icy hot cream, ate breakfast then took some ibuprofen. The pain instantly disappeared.

The distance was longer than anticipated and we were both tired by the time we arrived. Since we didn't know where we were staying, we sent the pack to the me municipal. Unbeknownst to us, the don't accept backpacks. We had to go a few places until we tracked it down. It actually worked out well because we liked the albergue andtdecided to stay there. A shower that rivals A Pedra! Two days in a row. Unheard of.

Had a great dinner at a small place: salad, mushroom pasta and flan. Run by a cute, little old woman.

6/7/17 Day 28: Triacastela to Sarria (16.24 kms)

START / END TIME:  6:48 to 12:00

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  4:12 / 5:12

SPEED / PACE:  15:34

WEATHER:  78° cold a.m., sunny p.m.

TERRAIN:  ups and downs
↗:  353       ↘: 594

ACCOMMODATION:  A Pedra

PRICE: € 10 / dinner 9€

NARRATIVE:  A rough day for Tere. There were 2 routes, one shorter by 4 kms than the other, so we took it. I had asked if it was harder, but the new hospitalera  didn't know. It turned out to be pretty tough for Tere. Lots of hillls with dirt/rocky trails. Plus one really steep downhill. She was in pain when we arrived, despite it being on 16 kms. 

I love where we're staying. Same place I stayed last time with the amazing shower. We had a wonderful dinner of gazpacho soup, salad, tortilla, leek/spinach tartelettes and Santiago cake. And our room only has 4 beds.

6/6/17 Day 27: La Laguna to Triacastela (23.44 kms)

START / END TIME:  5:39 to 11:10

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:09 / 5:31

SPEED / PACE:  13:13

WEATHER:  60°'s

TERRAIN:  Up and down, mostly down. Hard climb after Hospital de la Condesa
↗:  499       ↘: 998

ACCOMMODATION:  Aitzenea

PRICE: € 8

NARRATIVE:  I barely slept last night, worrying about what to do about Tere. She was not a happy camper. At around 4:00, after hours if searching, I was able to find one bus that left O Cebreiro at 6:49. I woke Tere at 5:00, explained that if she could walk the 2.5 kms up to O Cebreiro, we could make the bus if we left around 5:30, so off we went.

It was dark and heavy mist when we left. I was nervous as there was no one else around and we were on a very rural paved road. The route wasn't marked, at least not that we could see, so I hoped we were on the right path the whole way. I didn't love it when we passed a random camper that was parked along side the road, especially since a farmer lectured Tere the previous day about walking alone. We made it to O Cebreiro with plenty of time to spare, found an open cafe and got a cup of hot chocolate. The owner directed us to the "stop" and we were soon joined by two more riders. Shortly before the bus arrived, I headed off, hoping once again the whole time I walked that we'd connect.

I walked quickly, eventually meeting up with Sean from N.C. Our conversation made the time go really fast and I took no breaks, except for 1 pitstop so I walked the 20 something km in 4 hours.

When I neared the church, Tere was sitting there patiently waiting. We were able to check into the same albergue I stayed in last time. I took a quick nap, then we went off to the store to buy soup, pasta, bread, rice pudding and snacks for tomorrow. We made a big lunch and are now just chilling.

6/5/17 Day 26: Villafranca to La Laguna (28.92 kms)

START / END TIME: 7:37 to 16:30?

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  7:37 / 9:00?

SPEED / PACE:  17:00

WEATHER:  68°

TERRAIN: Paved road until Las Herrerias. Big dirt uphill  
↗: 1196       ↘: 576

ACCOMMODATION:  La Escuela

PRICE: € 20

NARRATIVE:  This was a tough day for Tere. She didn't want to wait until 13:00 to take the bus and her leg felt better, so she wanted to walk. There was no way she could walk with her pack so we dropped it off at a hotel who said they would call Jacotrans for us. 

The first 15 km went well. We stopped for a big lunch in Las Herrerias ( oh yeah, overcooked pasta with unseasoned tomato sauce for me - my favorite, but the salad and flan were great!). Once we left the village, there was a dirt trail climb up to La Faba, which killed Tere. Thankfully, the pack was there waiting for us when we got there, but no beds. We decided to walk the 2 1/2 kms to La Laguna, which was, once again straight up on dirt. (Honestly, these climbs were gradual and a good grade, nothing breathtaking - we've certainly climbed a lot harder) I went on ahead to the albergue, then returned for Tere's pack. She was in major pain by the time she got there.

I had a great shower and our room has 5 single beds + 1 bunk. A welcome change!

6/4/17 Day 25: Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo (24.67 kms)

START / END TIME:  7:21 - 13:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:24 / 6:09

SPEED / PACE:  13:07

WEATHER:  68°

TERRAIN:  Pavement all day. Big climb out of Cacabelos.
↗: 311        ↘: 318

ACCOMMODATION:  Municipal

PRICE: € 6

NARRATIVE:  Tere took the bus and I walked alone all day. Didn't enjoy the walk as I should have. The weather was perfect - sunny but cool. I just felt tired. Was happy to see Tere waiting there for me. 

We decided not to stay in the Ave Fenix as planned as it was old and seemed damp, dark and dirty. We ended up in the newer municipal, which was a wise decision as I was already in the dumps. Got laundry done and ate a so-so pilgrim meal in town. Well, at least the desert was homemade and delicious.

6/3/17 Day 24: Foncebadon to Ponferrada (27.18 kms)

START / END TIME:  7:06 to 13:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:00 / 7:24

SPEED / PACE:  13:13

WEATHER:  68°

TERRAIN:  A slight up in a.m. to the Cruz de Ferro, then down hill the rest of the day.
↗:  335      ↘: 1,223

ACCOMMODATION:  Alea

PRICE: € 17 with dinner

NARRATIVE:  The day started well with za climb in the fog to the Cruz de Ferro. Then downhill the rest of the day. I passed through my two favorite villages - El Acebo and Riego de Ambrose where I took tons of photos. From Molinaseca to Ponferrada, it was all road walking and, unfortunately, I took the long way. Following the road instead of the Camino would have saved me an hour of walking as I had to circle back to where the albergue was. Tere got a ride from a woman at the albergue and went to see a doctor who gave her medicine and told her to rest. She was at the albergue when I arrived. 

The meal was great - lentil stew, quiche, and ice cream.

I am writing this a day later because for some season, of all days, my camera lost all the photos I took this day and I was really bummed. From now on, I'm saving to the phone rather than the SD card, as I think it may need to be reformatted.

6/2/17 Day 23: Murias to Foncebadon ( 20.94 kms)

START / END TIME:  5:57 to 12:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:01 / 6:33

SPEED / PACE:  14:22

WEATHER:  78°

TERRAIN:  Gradual up all day, barely noticeable until last section.
↗: 589     ↘: 37

ACCOMMODATION:  Monte Irago

PRICE: € 17 with dinner

NARRATIVE:  A rough day for Tere. Her tendonitis hurt her all day, so it was very slow going. We took lots of breaks, and made it 21 kms. They had ice and aruca cream where we're staying, so hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

The terrain is similar to France, so I'm enjoying it more. And, we're actually seeing animals again. 

6/1/17 Day 22: St Martin del Camino to Murias de Rechivaldo (29.93 km )

START / END TIME:  6:49  to 14:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:16 / 7:41

SPEED / PACE:  12:31

WEATHER:  80°

TERRAIN:  Along highway until variant. A few easy climbs
↗:  296       ↘: 271

ACCOMMODATION:  Las Aguedas

PRICE: € 20 with dinner

NARRATIVE:  A first... I remembered my poles after 35O meters and had to return to the albergue. The rest of the walk was uneventful. Ran into Nuri and her family. Took the more scenic variant after Hospital de Orbigo. A couple of kms before San Justo, there was an oasis - a donativo stand that was amazing. I had 3 slices of delicious watermelon and some watermelon juice, then apricot nector. 

I got to Astorga just after 13:00, met up with Tere, took a break and then headed out for another 4 km together to a vegetarian albergue. The accommodations were so so, but the dinner was great. Soup, lasagne, salad, and an apple/cherry/ chocolate desert. I think the shower was the worst so far. Luke warm water in a tiny stall. Around 24 people in our room, but no serious snorers!

5/31/17 Day 21: Leon to San Martin del Camino (29.26 km oops!)

START / END TIME:  6:48 - 13:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:03 / 6:42

SPEED / PACE:  12.26 

WEATHER:  70° but felt hotter

TERRAIN:  Dirt path
↗:  265     ↘: 237

ACCOMMODATION:  Vieira

PRICE: € 17 inc dinner

NARRATIVE:  I left Tere to take the bus and headed out early. It took 7.5 kms just to get out of the city. I met an archeologist from Denmark, but we soon separated as she wanted to walk the more scenic variant and I needed to continue on the original Camino so I could meet up with Tere in San Martin. All was going well until the route passed a farm with 4 dogs, one of which wasn't going to have any part in allowing us to pass, baring teeth and all. There were two Asian girls off to the left who indicated that that was the way - a highway underpass. We all followed, and were shortly met by a large group of people joining us on our left. I should have realized what had happened right away, but just continued on chatting with a doctor from Siberia. When we arrived at the first stop, I asked the host what was the next stop. He showed me on a map that we had switched over to the variant and that I would have to carry on until Vilar de Mazarif before I could switch back - no problem, only 2-3 kms extra. I got to Vilar (22 kms) only to be told I had at least another 15 kms to go. I started out on the 7 km side road, all alone. After 2-3 kms, I arrived at Fojedo where I saw a bus stop. I stopped a car with an elderly man to ask about busses, which he told me there were none. I then asked for a ride and he took me at least 5 kms to Villadangos del Paramo. What a relief! I continued on to San Martin where Tere was anxiously waiting. It had taken me longer than anticipated, (would have been more than an hour more without the ride!), plus she didn't see me out of the bus window so she was concerned. Well, all least it was the scenic route and it gave me a story to tell...

5/30/17 Day 20: Reliegos to Leon (25.75)

START / END TIME:  6:03 - 12:22

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:13 / 6:19

SPEED / PACE:  12.09

WEATHER:  70°

TERRAIN:  Level dirt road next to highway. One climb before Leon. Long walk into city.
↗:  196       ↘: 174

ACCOMMODATION:  San Francis d'Asissi

PRICE: € 10 (free laundry)

NARRATIVE:  Today, we walked in circles, trying to find arrows leading out of Religis. So annoying. We walked the 6km into Mansilla de las Mulas, ate breakfast, and Tere caught the bus as her feet were really hurting her.

The walk the rest of the way went well. I listened to music to try to drown out the highway sounds and boredom. I walked fast so I was quite tired when I finally got to Leon.

We had a nice lunch, then back to albergue to do laundry and relax.

5/29/17 Day 19: Sahagun to Reliegos (32.56?)

START / END TIME: 6:20 / 14:40

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:51? / 8:20

SPEED / PACE:  12:49 

WEATHER:  70° Two hours of sprinkles, rest if day had dark skies

TERRAIN:  Dirt path parallel road all day
↗:         ↘:

ACCOMMODATION:  Municipal

PRICE: € 5

NARRATIVE:  The day from hell. Or at least the stage end city from hell. Definitely the worst day. 
1. The walk was longer by several kms than all the maps. Plus, it was boring.
2. We walked so long that my watch stopped at least 20 minutes out, so totals are guesses.
3. The vegetarian albergue I sent my pack to (Ada) is closed on Mondays so they dropped it off at the municipal. We had several Korean men in our room that smelled like kimchi and snored.
4. My shower was luke warm and the guy in the stall next to mine kept moaning. Gross!
5. The cafe were we ate gave us marginal food (frozen lasagne and paella) and overcharged us, according to everyone else's prices.
6. There were no yellow arrows guiding us out of town in the a.m.

And now for the bright spots... We shipped the pack so we didn't have to deal with the weight. Also, there was a donativo masseur at the albergue. Ahhhh!

5/28/17 Day 18: Calzadilla de la Cueza to Sahagun (22.64 km)

START / END TIME:  5:53 - 12:30

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  4:55 / 6:37

SPEED / PACE:  13:01 

WEATHER:  68° overcast

TERRAIN:  Flat dirt path along highway
↗:  196       ↘: 210

ACCOMMODATION:  Viatoris

PRICE: € 7

NARRATIVE:  I had a rough night last night. My bed was soft We started out a little later today, but it was still a little dark for me. We walked along the road which paralleled a dirt path for most of the day as it had rained during the night and the path was a little muddy. We got to Terradillos jaround 8:00 and hung out there for almost an hour, waiting for the cook to finish making a tortilla.

We walked on to Sahagun, me with a back ache and Tere with sore feet. The plan is tomorrow to send on one pack to give ourselves a break. We're planning on walking 31 km.

The weather was great today for walking as the skies were gray, threatening rain all day. It was supposed to rain at 11:00, but it's 18:30 and it has yet to rain.

5/27/17 Day 17: Villarmentero de Campos to Calzadilla de la Cueza (26.73)

START / END TIME:  5:50 - 13:15

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:50 / 7:25

SPEED / PACE:  13:07

WEATHER:  61 - 81°

TERRAIN:  Flat dirt trail along road
↗:  197     ↘: 123

ACCOMMODATION:  Los Canarios

PRICE: € 15

NARRATIVE:  A long day, but at least it wasn't hot. In fact, the last hour of walking had a nice breeze and cloud cover. A welcome relief to the dreaded 17 km stretch. At Carrion de los Condes, we ran into our Mexican friends. They stopped for breakfast while we continued on. They later caught up with us as we approached the 9km or so food stop. We walked with them into the town and got a four bed room together.

The whole time I was walking, I kept thinking "I'm so glad we filled up last night because I'm hungry now and I don't think I could have made it. We both were beat by the time we arrived and it wasn't even our hardest day.
Dinner was marginal, at best. Can't recommend this place. The room are nie, but expensive, especially when you consider that there is only one bathroom for 4 rooms - at least 14 people.

5/26/17 Day 16: Itero de la Vega to Villarmentero de Campos (23.25 km)

START / END TIME:  5:34 - 11:50

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:14 / 6:16

SPEED / PACE:  13:33

WEATHER:  80's° overcast and threatening rain

TERRAIN:  Long trees less walk
↗:  137       ↘: 119

ACCOMMODATION:  Amanecer

PRICE: € 17 inc dinner / bf donativo

NARRATIVE:  Once again, we got an early start: 5:30. All was dark, it was next to impossible to see any arrows and there was no one else around. I must admit, it made me a little nervous, but within ½ hour, it was light enough to see. We made it to Boadilla quite fast, where we ate our breakfast. As we started out again, the wind picked up and threatened rain, which we stopped to prepare for. Next stop, Fromista, which was dead. Where did everybody go? The rest of the way was flat and easy. We arrived in Villarmentero de Campos by 11:50 without a drop of rain.
The alburgue is quite “rustic”, but it’s clean and cheap. No WiFi, though. We checked the local hotel, and he offered us a pilgrims price of 40€. Too steep for our budget. We decided to just rough it. As it turned out, we’re alone in a room with 4 brand new bunk beds. What luck!
Dinner was amazing. A gorgeous salad, then bean soup, pasta, garbanzos with spinach, (chicken with) fries and watermelon for dessert. We stuffed ourselves like it was Thanksgiving dinner.

5/25/17 Day 15: San Bol to Itero de la Vega (25:32 km)

START / END TIME:  5:32 - 13:00

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  5:34 / 6:02

SPEED / PACE:  13.13

WEATHER:  86° Sunny and hot - late afternoon clouds

TERRAIN:  Paved & hard dirt road.
↗: 273      ↘: 392

ACCOMMODATION:  La Mochilla

PRICE: € 12 inc dinner

NARRATIVE:  We left this a.m. before sunrise so we could walk in cool weather. It was sunny all day so the umbrellas we out after our breakfast stop. Tere's feet are feeling better so we walked well today. As we got to San Anton, a tractor almost hit two pilgrims. Pretty scarey for us, but they didn't even flinch. After Castrojeriz, there was a tough, fairly long hill. The descent was much shorter, but much steeper as well. As we were going down, Frederic caught up with us again and walked with us for a while. 

I felt hungry all day, so I kept snacking. Unfortunately, by dinner time, I wasn't as hungry so I forced myself to eat my meal, which was amazing. 

We're sharing a room with the Mexican couple we met in Granon. At last, no bunks for 1€ more each - money well spent. Plus, I was able to wash all my laundry. A great day.

5/24/17 Day 14: Burgos to San Bol (27.95 km)

START / END TIME:  7:41 - 15:00

WALK / TOTAL TIME:  6:14 / 7:19

SPEED / PACE:  13:26 

WEATHER:  88°

TERRAIN:  Paved until Tardajos, then hard dirt road. 2 Gradual ups, 1 steep rocky down
↗: 306     ↘: 282

ACCOMMODATION:  San Bol

PRICE: € 12 inc dinner

NARRATIVE:  Today was hot!!! Thank heavens for our parasols - the envy of many. The Spaniards kept teasing us about rain. The walk out of Burgos was tree lined and beautiful along the river. After Tardajos, it was long and exposed. When the countryside doesn't change, it makes the kms seem longer. Although we had reserved our beds, we felt pressure to get there by 15:00, which we barely made, as sheets was only holding the beds for us until 15:30.

The albergue is pretty rugged, out in the middle of nowhere. A very welcome site as it would have killed us to go any further. We got a late start out of Burgos because of the late breakfast which meant that we were walking in the hottest part of the day. The albergue barely has electricity, let alone internet. It does have a freezing cold "pool" for soaking feet. Ahhhhhh...

The dinner was salad and "paella" (tortilla for me), which a Valencian at the table informed us was actually just chicken and rice as there were no vegetables. Well, at least it was cooked in a huge paella pan.